Here’s an aerial view of Palermo. We had only a short time here so we chose to visit the cathedral, including a climb up to the roof. We hope you enjoy the view as much as we did. And on to Erice. It is a remarkable hilltop town just west of Palermo. Agrigento next! This…

Hello! In this blog you meet Greg Valenti, our friend from high school who currently lives in Colorado. He came to visit us here in Malta and then we all took the ferry to visit Sicily – his ancestral home. His great-grandparents came from Santo Stephano which is known for its beautiful pottery. On the…

Starting in 1947, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival has grown from 8 theater companies into a month long event that is the world’s largest performing arts festival. There is a 400 page program guide of everything that is in a venue. Everything else is in the streets and squares. An irreverent treatment of the statue of…

While in Inverness we stayed at the Royal Highland Hotel built in 1856. The Battle of Culloden Moor in 1746 was the battle that ended the Jacobite Rebellion of 1745. The first Scottish War of Independence was in 1227 led by William Wallace. Perhaps you’ve seen the film Braveheart starring Mel Gibson. Here is a…

The wind makes the narration hard to hear – What we want to tell you is that legend has it that at this bridge, immersing your face in the water for 7 seconds and then letting it air dry will guarantee eternal youth. We decided to pass, although one young woman on our tour bus…

Visiting the Lancashire region of England and the towns of Clitheroe and Barley were a big reason for this trip. We knew about the Quaker history of this area but didn’t realize that most tourists talk about the witches of Pendle Hill (1612), rather than George Fox’s walk up Pendle Hill (1652) where he had…

We’re trying a new format this week. A while back a photographer friend of ours, Brooks Jensen, suggested we do more videos in which we are speaking to you. We hope you enjoy this new “slice of life” approach (pun intended). Don’t miss the little Maltese Cross embellishment to the left of the pie The…