You are trying to break my heart - Scotland detour.

Scotland was not originally on my itinerary - and thinking back, that is just ridiculous.  I don't know if it is in my DNA, part of my soul or that I am just ridiculously attached to Scotland, but when I arrive there I feel so easy, comfortable and at home in a way that I have rarely felt anywhere else on earth.  It just feels right. 

When I originally started planning this big trip, I was meant to meet up in Iceland with my friend Fran, one of my best friends from the days when I was living in Scotland and as a student at Stirling University.  It had been over fifteen years since we last met, and so we were both pretty excited about our plan to meet in Iceland. However, just weeks before we were due to meet, Fran discovered she was pregnant, and since she wasn't feeling too great, she canceled.  Which makes the second time!  Three years back, when I traveled to Romania, we started making plans to meet there or somewhere nearby.  But just before the trip, she found out she was pregnant with Flora and canceled!

Me & Fran circa 1999

Under a different kind of mushroom 2016

I wasn't upset.  I wasn't even disappointed at the prospect of exploring Iceland solo, which proved to be exactly what I needed.  But I was sad at once again missing out on the chance of reuniting with my friend.  And really - I don't need anyone to give me an excuse to go to Scotland. 

More calendar coordinating, and we found a two-day period that would work for me to come to visit Fran and her family in Edinburgh.  When I went to book the tickets, I did hesitate at booking such a very short trip to Scotland.  Because it wasn't just a person I was reconnecting with after 15 years. I was returning to a place that I feel so strongly attached to that I weep every time I leave.  Every single time.  

Scotland is not a place where I feel like I need something to do or somewhere to go. Just being there is well enough for me.  And sitting together in Fran's living room, it was as if no time had passed between us.  Nor between me and Scotland. Less than an hour on Scottish soil and I knew that I would be skipping the flight to Oslo.

Looking down the street from Fran's house.

My time here was mellow and sweet and way too short.  Fran and her husband Tim live in the seaside Edinburgh neighborhood of Portobello, with a park across the street and the beach just at the end of the block. I cherished every second walking around Portobello with Fran and her sweet little Flora.  

A walk to the beach at Portobello.

From the time I arrived, I was reminded of how open and friendly and genuinely nice Scottish people are. When I mentioned this to Fran, she didn't seem convinced.  But after traveling all over the place for the past month, it is really noticeable. Whether it is the ticket checker on the train or the girl working at the chip shop, it is so easy to strike up a conversation or have a laugh.  I think this is one of the many reasons why I always felt so instinctively at home when I lived here.  

Home sweet home (for Fran, Tim & Flora).

Fran and Flora were both down with a cold, but even so - we ventured out in the rain and had a great day exploring Jupiter Artland - an impressive sculpture park just outside of Edinburgh.  This was the best art exhibit I visited on my trip - and that is saying a lot!  Highlights included three works by Andy Goldsworthy, who has been one of my favorite artists for many years.  I couldn't believe I had accidentally stumbled across three of his works in one place. 

Stone Coppice - Andy Goldsworthy

Coppice Room - Andy Goldsworthy

Another exhibit that really impressed me was "From Here to Ear V.20" an installation by French artist and composer Celeste Boursier-Mougenot, who had trained 20 pairs of Zebra Finches to play electric guitars and basses. The birds' habitat was a large, light-filled room, with basses and guitars hooked up to amplifiers located all around.  The birds made music by landing on the strings.  I could have spent the whole day just sitting in this room!

 

Despite the typical Scottish weather (windy and damp), we stayed much longer than we expected to, just walking the grounds and enjoying the many artistic surprises to be found at Jupiter Artland.

Firmament - Antony Gormley

Weeping Girls - Laura Ford

Cells of Life - Charles Jencks

Over Here - Shane Waltener

The Light Pours Out of Me - Anya Gallaccio

The next day, I took off on my own to give Fran some time to rest up and tend to her nasty cold.  I hopped on a bus into the city and enjoyed another day walking about in rain. Edinburgh truly is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever visited, and the rain just makes it even more lovely.  

Another nice thing is that the national museums are all free to the public.  I dried off and warmed up with visits to the Scottish National Galleries - Modern Art Museum and the National Portrait Gallery.

I finished up the day by popping into the Conan Doyle pub, which was quite a popular spot on a Friday evening. I befriended a couple from Germany by offering to share my table with them. Irmgard adn Thomas were about my parents age and were great company.  The conversation, cider and atmosphere were all so good, that I ended up staying for dinner and a second round before catching the bus back to Portbello. 

The hardest part came the next day, when it was time to say goodbye.  With Fran and Flora waving from the window, I hopped on the bus, heading off to catch a flight to Norway, the last destination of this great adventure.  For the rest of the trip and even now, my heart is still aching to be back in Scotland.

View from the bus stop: Fran & Flora waving me goodbye.

Maybe one day I can return here for good...

Everyone has the right to appreciate their unimportance. Lithuania and the Free Republic of Uzupis

Even though my time in France included time in one of the world's most vibrant and busy cities, I must say that it was a remarkably mellow and unrushed sort of visit.  However, I have found that when in Europe, the very best way to slow down and just enjoy being in a place is to head East.  So, after spending a mellow morning watching young men hock cigarettes outside the Barbes Metro station, we said our farewells to Paris and hopped on a plane to Vilnius, Lithuania.

What always strikes me when traveling in Europe is how despite the relatively close proximity and even the formal bond of being part of the EU, each nation is so very distinct. I have always been a bit of a culture geek, going as far as to get a Masters Degree studying my own home culture of Appalachia.  And so when I travel, I find all the little nuances of daily life to be far more interesting than any celebrated monument or tourist attraction.

 

Maybe it is my Appalachian roots that make me feel more comfortable in places that are a bit less polished and flashy - or maybe that is just part of who I am.  I like dirt and grit and being around regular people going about their lives.  You can find this anywhere you go, but it is much easier when you go places that are not banking most of their economy on tourism.  

Lithuania is just this kind of place, with so much history and beauty and grit and character - it is just as lively and interesting as Paris, but at such a slower pace, with so fewer people and so less expensive!  

A short bus trip (with many stops), and we found ourselves at our home base for the next four days - the self-proclaimed independent republic of Uzupis. In Lithuanian, Uzupis means "the other side of the river." A bohemian community close to and partly in the Old Town of Vilnius, on April Fools day of 1997, this quirky neighborhood declared itself an independent republic with its own president and the best constitution I have ever read.  

 

The constitution is posted along a small street in just about every language you can imagine.  

 

Some of my favorite bits:

4. Everyone has the right to make mistakes.

12. A dog has a right to be a dog.

13. A cat is not obliged to love its owner but must help in time of need.

20. No one has the right to violence.

32. Everyone is responsible for their freedom.

I have linked this three times now - Read the whole constitution here: http://uzupis.uchplus.org/2013/10/14/constitution-republic-of-uzupis/

I couldn't think of a better way to experience and explore Vilnius than to call Uzupis our home.

  

When we got off the bus, we found ourselves at a bustling food cart pod, which seemed like the place to be on a Friday night. Like a bee to honey, I immediately made my way to a cart where a couple of really friendly Ukrainian women were serving up traditional and delicious vareniki - a potato dumpling dish that I fell in love with when I spent time in Ukraine over a decade ago! And for good measure, I tried a "taco" from the taco truck. It was actually a quesadilla, but that's close enough!

 

We spent the next few days sleeping in late, drinking coffee and just rambling around the town, enjoying what has now become one of my favorite cities. And by happy accident, we could not have chosen a better weekend to be here. All day Saturday, the streets were packed with live bands of every sort, open air cafes and street vendors.  

To make things even better - all the museums stayed open late with free admission.  I must say, there were some musical acts that baffled us - as well as the local onlookers.

On Sunday, the festivities continued with the Vilnius marathon, and in our ramblings we found the Frank Zappa statue.

In France, I had begun to notice a certain affinity for cats - and this also popped up all over Vilnius.

The local food was delicious, especially the cold beet soup, but it was so filling that after trying the cepelinai or "zeppelins," for the rest of our trip, I wanted to eat was salad!

I came to Vilnius knowing next to nothing about the city and even less about Lithuania.  I can't say that I know that much about it now, but I do know that it is a beautiful and very livable city with a thriving arts community and a whole lot of character and charm.  

It is a city that has really worked to make itself a great place to live and to visit.  So much so that in 2011, the major sent a message to cars illegally parked on the bicycle lanes by running over such a car with a tank! https://youtu.be/91W3Ys_cSkU

Coming from Portland, how could I not love this city, where somebody actually rode a Penny Farthing to the local pub. 

We spent our last night at a small pub in Uzupis, where we were treated to smoked eel that a regular brought into share. The bartender who the night before invited Eli to return for this treat, told us the eel had been swimming in the sea just two days ago - so quite fresh, and most certainly delicious!  

Eli & Paula enjoyed the local beers - including one that was made with wormwood, and I enjoyed sipping on the local dry cider.

Although I did not get out of the city, what I did experience of Lithuania here in Vilnius has put Lithuania on the shortlist of one of the cities that surprised me the most.  Viva Uzupis and viva Lithuania!  I feel so lucky to have spent some time here.

Road Trip! Brittany & Normandy

A train to Versailles, and we picked up our car - a lovely Audi hatchback. After roughing through Iceland in a Ford Focus, I was quite surprised (and delighted) to be given such a nice car!  We spent a few hours exploring Versailles and then hit the road with the plan to meet another friend - Jerome, a Brittany native who lives in Brest and had befriended Paula & Eli a few years back when he was working in Romania.  A few hours drive brought us to the beautiful Breton countryside to the seaside village of Tréveneuc, where we found ourselves staying in an absolutely lovely home complete with an idyllic garden and a couple of sheep! 

Our hostess Valerie was very welcoming, but even with a native French speaker among, us we got a bit confused in our communication, thinking she was telling us the only hope to find a meal this evening was at the gas station in the next town.  What a lovely surprise we had when we arrived in the next village of Saint-Quay-Portrieux to discover a wonderful traditional French restaurant with fresh seafood.  I enjoyed a dinner of St. Jacques - a scallop that is popular in Brittany.

The next day we enjoyed a relaxing day of exploring the coastal towns nearby.  

At the first sight of a beach, I could not help myself.  Off went the boots, and I enjoyed a barefoot walk by the sea. 

I was especially impressed with the free local swimming area!  

 

Once lunch time rolled around, we enjoyed some traditional Breton crepes galettes and drank cider the proper way - out of "boules" which looked very much like large tea cups!

  

After eating our fill of crepes, Jerome suggested we check out the Côte de Granit Rose (pink colored granite cliffs) found between St-Brieuc and Perros-Guirec. It was a beautiful way to spend the afternoon. 

On the way home, we stopped by the grocery and enjoyed the day's end from Valerie's lovely garden.

 

The next day we explored the fortressed city of St. Malo.  It was a stunning site but a bit overwhelming with all the masses of people. However, we found some space - and a round a refreshing beverages in an alley pub that also had a cat as a patron.

 

We parted ways with Jerome and headed for our next temporary home - a 17th century chateau located between the villages of Hercé and Gorron, near the Brittany/Normandy border.  This was most certainly the most memorable place I have ever stayed.

Named Le Bailleau, the house was a gift from Napoleon to one of his generals.  A fire happened at some point, and the interior was rebuilt in the 1800s when it was a hotel.  The place had a lot of character - it even had a moat!

And I enjoyed befriending our host's dog, Lighting.

The next day, we all enjoyed a slow and relaxed morning at the chateau. Eli chose to get a bit of writing work done during the day, so in the afternoon, Paula and I headed out to see Mont St. Michel.  Our timing could not have been better.  All the tourists were leaving when we arrived, and we nearly had the place to ourselves.  It truly was a stunning sight - as if out of a Tolkien novel.

 

After two lovely nights at Le Bailleau, we headed back towards the coast and spent a day exploring Normandy.  Our first stop was St-Mère-Eglise, which was especially poignant for me, being the place where my grandpa jumped out of an airplane on 6 June 1944.  I took some time to walk around the town and visit the 82nd Airborne museum.  Then we went to Omaha Beach.  For most of the  first half of the day I was barely able to hold back tears.  I can't imagine what that time must have been like.

We ended our day in the picturesque town of Honfleur, enjoying a nice meal of mussels and oysters at an outdoor café as the sunset. 

Our final home was a thatch roofed house in the countryside outside Honfleur.  We arrived after dark, but in the morning I was happy to meet our hostess Patricia who fed us a delicious traditional Norman breakfast.  Even more happy was I to meet her dog, horses, goat and donkeys!

 

Our drive back to Versailles was an easy and short one, allowing us to stop and spend an hour at Giverny - Monet's house and gardens.  It was the perfect way to end this idyllic French road trip.