The UK Trip, 2010



Kevin taking a break from a revisit of the Royal Mile, Edinburgh

 You know in life when you feel like you may have come full circle? The arc has been completed, you've passed go and collected $200.  Back where you started--did you ever leave?



For me, that's how our trip to London, Belfast, Northern Ireland, & Glasgow/Edinburgh felt this past summer.  It was nostalgic, it was familiar--there were lots of old haunts to check up on.  You see, the UK is where the DINKs really started.  Summer of 1999.  A study abroad trip to Bath takes me to Europe for the summer.  Kevin comes over for the last chunk of the summer and we explore Scotland together.  I think when you travel with someone you really learn a lot about the relationship--and by extension, yourself.  That summer eleven plus years ago cemented a few things for us, one of which is we have similar travel styles: up early, exploring one or two sites, time for breaks and naps and leisurely meals. We both like to be organized--reservations made in advance please.  Why waste time on those details and take away from the experience?

Summer 1999 lodgings (now a construction site for new flats).

But I was interested to see the UK through an "adult lens"--no longer restricted by a student bank account.  Was it different?  Yes.  Better?  In some ways.  I did discover that the boy and girl who wandered about the UK 11 years ago are all grown-up now (I can't even remember who I was/what I was thinking back then), but we still love to travel together.  Some things never change.