Newcastle has forever been a bustling hub of commerce and its bridges are an important part of its dynamic personality.

London by Night has always been one of my favorite Frank Sinatra tunes, because it perfectly captures a reverence for London after dark that it’s almost impossible not to feel when you’re there.

I was a travel-weary pilgrim looking for a solo seat at a restaurant on a Saturday night in Edinburgh, and Ecco Vino provided a rave-worthy experience.

Avocado toast wasn’t having its best moment when I ordered it on a train recently. But it brought to mind Hitchcock movie scenes from dining cars.

A search for a down-home Indian restaurant in Edinburgh helped me discover a new dish (for me): Kathmandu Chicken Tikka, with lentils. Yum!

One less twirl of the curling iron, one less email, one less change of clothes discarded for being wrong-wrong-wrong – and I’d have caught that 7:27 a.m. train. 

It’s time to get on the road again, if I can only remember how to pack.

It’s clear that these COVID-19 hardships aren’t going away any time soon. We are all, in a way, staying in, but looking out the window toward that future where things aren’t quite so hard.

Bruschetta is so simple, so summery, so garlicky-good. Ripe red tomatoes meet their life partner in soft green basil, with garlic and oil to seal their commitment.

Folks, this restaurant is a jewel. If you go to London, go to Com Viet. Just trust me. You’ll get your happy back.

Just around the corner from crowded Covent Garden in London, I found an unexpected peaceful haven, a magical courtyard. I had entered another dimension, Harry Potter-style.

On a solo visit to the wonderful Museum of Edinburgh, I spent some time in the courtyard and caught these pigeons courting.

A whimsical and tasteful little Christmas tree at Heathrow Airport is just right.

I wasn’t expecting a Texas-sized offering when I ordered the Scottish Beef Burger as part of an Edinburgh hotel’s set menu, but that’s what I got, along with a foodie-worthy smoked trout first course.

Even the most mundane things can be magic when you love to travel, like wet streets and traffic a chilly, rainy evening in Aberdeen.

Monteith’s Close on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile really knows how to make you feel like they are glad you’re there. And they have an award-winning bartender who created The Outsider Cocktail.

A deepening interest in photography and following certain blogs has me seeing things differently these days.

Edinburgh colors “pop” when the skies turn blue and the sun comes out, thus a haiku.

Looking out the hotel window at Edinburgh Castle, it was one of those magical moments when the light is just right, and you get a photo you didn’t expect.

Sunny good times of the past get us through dreary Januaries of the present. Today, the focus is on Stonehaven Harbor on the Scottish coast.