I’d never heard of Gothenburg until I started looking at the VisitSweden website, trying to plan for us to explore the West coast of Sweden. It’s Sweden’s second city and noted for good food, culture, sustainability and ease of getting around. It’s all that and more. The bus from the airport brought us straight into the city center to a beautiful bus and train station.

We stayed at the Hotel Royal, the oldest hotel in the city and walkable to just about everywhere. One of the first things I wanted to do on Tuesday was find our way to one of the oldest neighborhoods called Haga for cinnamon buns.

Will is a master at finding restaurants that serve all day brunch/breakfast ( essential since we aren’t super early risers). But even after having a great breakfast, I was happy to eat part of a cinnamon bun with him.

Gothenburg is big on ‘fika”, the Swedish word for coffee break, so it’s really easy to find good coffee and lots of delicious variations of cinnamon rolls and other morning sweets.

As we wandered, we found the city has a mix of old, very old, and newer architecture as well as street art in many forms. It’s a working port with huge container ships as well as the Stena Line that goes to Denmark. One crane that worked on huge ships has been designated a historic building. There are stores and shops of every kind : yarn stores galore, high fashion and secondhand/vintage shops, hair salons on every corner, shoe repair and Scandinavian design furniture and home stores that had us ogling through the windows all week.

Just before we left home, I had to pack up the large set of 5 red poppies from my show. They’re heading off in a moving van to California with all the other furniture their new owner is taking from her house on Peaks. I got Will to help me get them snug with bubble wrap and cardboard, and said goodbye to them. As soon as we got to Texel for our week of beach and biking last Mon July 29, I was so happy to see that the red poppies there were blooming all over the island. This one shown above is just one of MANY clumps we saw everywhere!

Our week on Texel was a couple weeks earlier than usual, so we saw many things in bloom that were usually passed in mid August.

Every time Will and I return to Texel, we’re both struck by the simple beauty, the incredible mix of farmland and dunes, wide open beaches and bird filled wetlands, and the way time slows down. This time around I found myself marveling at some pretty ordinary things done the Dutch way. Like going to the grocery store and finding nice little paper bags if you need to put loose green beans in something to weigh. Sturdy enough to use for sandwiches another time. I didn’t get a photo either time,but caught myself staring as I watched couples bring their whole grocery order out in a cart without any bags. They proceeded to pack the whole thing in the saddle bags of their bikes.

I saw 2 murmurations of starlings again this week, one of which was occurring over the field I was cycling beside. I found myself going slower and slower so that I could track it overhead. That same night, Will and I laid on the beach in the dark to watch the meteor showers. We saw several slow shooters, as well as a clear view of the Satellite Train! It was unreal.

It was another magical week of biking everywhere, being outdoors for 8-10 hours each day, and discovering more to love about Texel.

We stayed in a hotel/bed and breakfast called Dear Lisbon -Gallery House that we’d found on another visit to Lisbon. It ‘s comfy and lovely with art and artistic styling, and it’s great walking anywhere from there. AND that cool Tram 28 stops right outside which is truly one of the best way to see alot of the city and people watch people on the sidewalks and in the tram. We were a little overenthusiastic last night when we returned from a long day of walking , sightseeing,taking in the sunny days as people hung laundry high above us, etc etc. The Tram stopped outside, the sky was turning pink to reflect off of the clay roofs, and we dashed to ride the city once more before leaving today. It got more and more crowded as we went the tracks up and down hills as we spied on what outdoor diners were eating and which bars had the most young Europeans lounging outside. We had to walk back to our hotel because the return tram was so packed. But hey, it was just another way to enjoy the warm evening and see what everyone was out doing.

We had to do our research on the revolution since so many posters referred to it as the Carnation Revolution. It is now celebrated as Freedom Day since the peaceful revolution where soldiers had carnations in their rifles as a mostly peaceful act took down the dictatorship that had been in power for many years. This year is the 50th anniversary of the shift to democracy that came out of that day,and 25 April, 50 years of freedom has all sorts of celebrations . Sadly we will miss them. The posters were everywhere and quite varied in their presentation.

Will had the idea for us to go to the National Tile Museum on Friday afternoon when we got in from Funchal. We found a bus to take us down towards a more industrial part of the city, across from which we could see containers of all sorts of goods being loaded and unloaded from/to container ships.

The museum is in an old building that was once home to nuns, and there’s a church inside with remarkable marble, tile and ornate gold painted wood fixtures and frames. One thing I learned from the guide I listened to on my phone is that much of the gold painted frames and woodworks could be painted by melting a few pennies. The coating of the gold is that thin!

Anyway, it was a very cool museum, really worth the trip to see and learn some history. And it also makes the ubiquitous tiles around the city seem even more special and artistic in lots of varied ways.

Before we got back on the bus, Will led us to another art installation he’d read about.

We had some lovely encounters with people in Lisbon- one with a young Dutch guy now living in the city as an intern, I had another with a man who’s from Bangladesh who shared his hopes his company will help him stay. We met several Brazilians who’d come to Lisbon for better work possibilities..

We spent Sat afternoon roaming around this old Industrial complex that we’d visited 5 yrs ago when it seemed to be just coming together. LX FACTORY is now a a blend of amazing artisans and offices for artists, jewelers, tech folks as well as other creative folks. There are also shops of gorgeous handmade things from pottery to leatherwork, a small shop dedicated to origami made by two young origami expert artists, clothing and this incredible bookstore shown in the photo above. The grafiti outside the buildings is as artistic as any painting in a museum.

I’ll quit here. You get the gist: Lisbon is filled with art, artists, beautiful vistas that stretch up narrow steep streets, mysteries that come out in their music and art. It’s definitely a place we plan to visit again, and maybe again.

We walked through Santa Maria street late one night on our way back to our house. Even though it was late, there were lots of people out, and many sitting at tables still having dinner. Will and I both stopped often to photograph doors with intricate or simple paintings, poems and other embellishments.

We’d already eaten but there was a bakery still open at 11. I got a soft coconut cookie that hit the spot. The next night we returned to the painted doors street and sat down to eat at a restaurant table perfectly placed in the narrow street to people watch as we ate. The restaurant staff were efficient and friendly, carrying plates over to show each table the fresh fish of the day. I liked watching families and couples as they walked by inspecting diners’ choices; it was a challenge to figure out where people were from, especially with so many accents and languages floating around. Will had octopus one night- very delicious he said, too lifelike for me. The bolo do caco bread that comes with most meals is really good- somewhere between an english muffin and bread.

After all our good meals of the early week, we drove high into the hills to find our way to walk one of the many Levada walks. Levadas were contructed years ago as irrigation channels to distribute the water from springs and other sources from the top of the hills and mountains to lower parts of the island. The walks vary in hiking ability and intensity; we chose one that was moderate in it’s difficulty and would take us to a waterfall. However, the way to get to the trail was all downhill, so the return was a .75 mi of pretty much straight uphill. Good thing we’d done so much hill walking in Funchal to get in shape! The area we hiked in had a lot of eucalyptus and and the laurel trees of the Laurissilva Forest. In the past, much of southern Europe had Laurissilva Forest but now Madeirs is home to the largest remaining part.

There were so many cars parked around the top of the trail head; it felt a little like being in Acadia on a busy weekend. At the place where the 2 trails/levada walks begin, there is a stone house with bathrooms and cakes, ice cream, etc. And then on the trails, everyone disperses so it didn’t feel so crazy crowded as we thought it might. The fog from the ocean had risen up to cover the top of the hills where we began, making it dark and cold. By the time we reached the trail, the sun was poking through and it was back to being warm. There are many more levadas we’d like to explore the next time we head to Madeira.

We’ve begun a list of other hikes, natural piscinas and parts of Madeira to explore on our next trip there. The weather was so sunny and warm; but we we’re excited to have some time in Lisbon-another favorite place.

It’s a long flight journey from Boston to Funchal Madeira, with a lay-over of a few hours in Lisbon airport where my brain decided I just had to sleep. We made it to the island late Friday morning after easy flights and a good snooze in the Priority Lounge (thank you Christopher for turning me on to these credit card perks!). Will and I had rented a house up one of the very many steep hills from the old part of town, and found our way there easily. It felt like we immediately entered summer. Funchal is a beautiful city sprawled up and down the hills that rise up from the port where fishing boats and cruise ships come in. Madeira is pretty tropical all year, but apparently the weather was unusually warm this week so all the trees and plants ramped up big time. And everywhere we looked, people of all ages were getting in the water.

We headed to the beach nearby, down a rickety stair made of concrete in some places and nailed on boards in others. The water was clear and cool- a mere 69 degrees compared to the 40-s we’ve been hitting at home. There was another ‘piscina’ as they call it a little further down the road where we could pay 5 euro each, change in the dressing rooms and lay out on the concrete around the volcanic edged pool. Another pretty heavenly place to swim and let go of the work and the busy world we quickly stuffed into our suitcases.

We found lots of other public swimming all along the water in Funchal during our week there. The weather was so summery, , and it was too hard not to go? Too easy to go? swimming every day or even twice a day. All along the harbor, people are getting in, changing behind towels their friend or family holds up for them. We found spots by the Yellow Fort where fisherman store their boats, old dogs laying underneath in the shade, and many locals laying in the sun with tans so dark like I haven’t seen in years. Other folks serenely swimming across the calm water that is protected from the waves by the concrete barriers built some years ago. The swimming was a good balm to our sore legs that came from walking anywhere in the city of many many hills. The whole island is volcanic land, and so is quite hilly by nature (hence the need for the incredible engineering feats of creating tunnels through mountains and hills.) The first day on island we walked about 9 miles, first to go pick up our rental car, and then to walk around town exploring after we parked the car.

We drove across the island one day to Seixal, a town with a natural pool on the Western side of the island. The roads are super windy, and STEEP- never got out of 2d gear driving a manual shift until the top of a hill is reached. The scenery is stunning the whole way with tiers of gardens and houses rising along the road. Roads and tunnels take drivers through, and over, mountains that look impassable to arrive at more intoxicating vistas.

We found parking at a precarious angle behind another car, a good idea given that the road doing down to the pools was pretty much straight down. We walked it, shins screaming a little, but ready to get in the clear water. There were a fair number of people there, laid out on rocks or rocky beach, and just enjoying this incredible place of nature. Will and I both swam, in both pools, and snoozed in the sun between swims. During our last swim, the tide was coming in, crashing on the outer rock barrier to send fresh water into the pools.

One day we climbed the hills of Funchal by taking the cable car (Teleferico do Funchal). The cars take up to 6 people with 3 seats facing uphill and 3 facing down. I chose an uphill seat and Will faced down the hills towards the sea and Funchal. . It was an amazing ride up, very quiet and smooth, giving us a bird’s eye view into houses, gardens and ravines.

When we arrived in Monte, it was even hotter than down in Funchal. We toured the palace gardens, sat in the shade to eat ice cream and admired the many birds and flowering bushes we saw.

Sad to say, we weren’t able to get one of the Monte toboggan sled rides part way down the hill because there was a wedding party. We waited for the public bus with school kids and older folks returning from shopping or work, and it was a far more interesting ride for people watching in the air conditioned bus!

More to tell about. art and food in next blog. Obrigada (thanks) for reading

I’ve written a lot about Texel, so I will make this short and tell more with photos to illustrate why we keep returning there. All the people we meet are kind and friendly, curious how we found their island (Lonely Planet). The bike shop guys knows us now and gives a a bit of a deal on our weekly rental. In turn, we leave him treats to find in the saddle bags when he picks up the bikes when we leave. The combination of farm, beach, wide open spaces and flat roads to ride gives us both a lot of time to take it all in as we cruise along. Strong farm smells, wind and warmth of the sun, great food to taste- it’s rich.

Another good week on Texel. So much beauty to absorb and carry away in our memories and hearts. Lucky us- and we’re grateful.

I’ve written a lot about Texel, so I will make this short and tell more with photos to illustrate why we keep returning there. All the people we meet are kind and friendly, curious how we found their island (Lonely Planet). The bike shop guys knows us now and gives a a bit of a deal on our weekly rental. In turn, we leave him treats to find in the saddle bags when he picks up the bikes when we leave. The combination of farm, beach, wide open spaces and flat roads to ride gives us both a lot of time to take it all in as we cruise along. Strong farm smells, wind and warmth of the sun, great food to taste- it’s rich.

Another good week on Texel. So much beauty to absorb and carry away in our memories and hearts. Lucky us

We’ve stayed in several different places in Amsterdam in years previous. This year we thought we’d try one of the Sweets Hotel 28 former bridge houses. I know this doesn’t look like much from here, but check out #103 Buiksloterdraaibrug on the link above. The inside is done very compactly like inside a boat. You can see it and a little of the history online. It was sort of a trek to get there: train from the airport, metro to North Amsterdam 2 stops, walk 15 min to find our little bridge house. All worth it. We chose this one for its quiet and being a little apart from the busy-ness of the city. It was a nice place to stay before heading up to our week on Texel.

Since the little bridge house was on a canal and a park, I decided to be brave and rent bikes for us to explore Amsterdam-Noord (our neighborhood). We rented the bikes in the city so that meant biking with all the locals who ride very well on narrow windy canal streets and don’t love slow pokes (me). We managed though, and it was really fun. We also took the ferry back and forth a few times, and that’s an adventure.

Will had been to Copenhagen once with Charles for a brief trip a few years ago, and again just before the pandemic shut the world down. So we decided to go for a few days before heading to the Netherlands so I could see what they both liked about the city. Like Amsterdam, the first thing that is so obvious is how MANY people bike everywhere. Scooters don’t go in the same lane as bikes, so it seems a lot more orderly. Will got a short video for me to share.

We didn’t bike this time around, but I’m game for it the next time. Instead we walked miles through the different neighborhoods. We stayed in a part of the city called Island Brygge, a block away from the harbor and the very cool swimming area they have. Will got in to swim there 2 mornings and said the water wasn’t too cold. Copenhagen prides itself on having very clean harbor water.

Each neighborhood is unique; all have beautiful architecture, their own character, old and new buildings, and good food! I know it would take many more days to see them all. We had brunch all 3 mornings at this cool little place where you choose 5-7 things on a paper slip to order. Then everything comes on a platter with your choices in little bowls.

We stumbled into an artisans fair that seemed to go on for a few blocks. Each person’s work was beautifully crafted and presented. I was really inspired especially with the felting work this one woman does. She had wool foot stools, seat mats, coasters, and rugs that she makes by wet felting wool into small and large rolls. She and her husband work together and figured out a way to cut thin discs of the felt when it’s dried.

The sun came out as we walked, showing off the colors of the buildings along the harbor.

When we got tired of walking, we hopped on the harbor bus to see the city from the water. There are small electric boats people can rent to cruise with friends and have a cocktail hour as they go. It was impressive that no one got in anyone’s way. At one place along the river, I looked out to see a crane arm going up with a couple of people in the basket (?), and then one of them bungee jumped towards the water! Those of us on the harbor bus watched as the person bounced several times, never hit the water, and seemed to have a great time.

It was so nice cruising along that we didn’t realize the harbor bus had reached the end of its route, and wouldn’t be leaving for a half hour. When we stepped off the boat,we found ourselves in the middle of an outdoor bar with a DJ and everyone dancing. It was really fun, and great people watching.

Copenhagen has plenty of art and amazing design, on the streets and in their remarkable Design Museum Denmark.

Will heard about North Berwick when he went to the Apple store in Edinburgh for something for his computer. The guy who helped him lives there, and told Will it was a great day trip. So off we went on the train Tues morning for the very quick 35 min trip there. The day was sunny and mostly warm, a real treat from some of the chilly days we’d had over the weekend.

The town was busy with visitors and local folks, strolling in the sun and hanging out on the beach. We had a yummy late breakfast at a cafe and went to check out the Seabird Center on the harbor. We could see the Bass Rock out there looking like an iceberg, and the tidal swimming pool that little kids were swimming in. The tide was out pretty far, so the boats in the really protected little harbor were all sitting on mud. Neither of us could imagine how they sail or motor out in an orderly way.

The large hill, the Law, loomed over the town and was visible from everywhere. Just before the trail started up, we found the explanation of a

The climb wasn’t too bad, especially since it wound around the Law for most of it. The views made it all worthwhile, and meeting a 7 yr old black Lab named Bruce was even nicer! He sort of slid down the grass to say hi when we were sitting in the sun for a few minutes. His owner was very apologetic, but we were very happy to meet both of them.

I saw so many small details on cottages, planters and shops that told how much summer is celebrated and enjoyed there. We caught the train with lots of other day trippers, back to Edinburgh, in time for dinner and our last night of Fringe Festival events. It was a really nice day’s adventure.