Embarking the ship in Greenock, Scotland

Arriving at the Glasgow Airport with Fluffy

Daddy and I flew to Scotland on the 4th of July and landed in Glasgow. We had to spend the night at the airport because the ship didn't arrive to Greenock until the 5th.  We rented a car and drove to the ship! Luckily Daddy already knows how to drive on the left.

When I got to the ship, I checked in at the purser's desk...that's like a reception desk at a hotel. When I was checking in a met a kid named Ryder. He's nine. Ryder has sailed on the ship eight times so he knows a lot about it. He showed me his cabin and then I showed him mine.  Ryder's mom taught me how to open the heavy doors on the ship without getting my fingers stuck in the door!

Hello, Scotland!

Mommy and Daddy and I went for a walk around Greenock, the town where the port is located and ate lunch before going to pick up Meme and Pop at the airport.

Overlooking Greenock

Meme and Pop joining the ship

Beautiful Spain

I really did not have high expectations for the Basque region of northern Spain.  I've been to Madrid and surrounding cities and in general really like Spain. I guess I just hadn't heard much about the north.  Well, it is AMAZING. So beautiful, relaxed and a super family friendly culture....and great food!

Apparently with the opening of the Guggenheim in 1998, Bilbao and the Basque region have really boomed and developed a significant industry around the related tourism. Things are looking good for this part of Spain.

We docked in Gexto - a beautiful little beach / resort town that was once a vacation spot for residents of Bilbao.  The first night I toured around the city of Bilbao and feasted on the Basque version of Tapas known as Pintxos and saw the Guggenheim museum - incredible. On Day 2, I spent hours wandering around the exhibits inside the Guggenheim.  Most memorable was a crazy Yoko Ono exhibit, which you really have to see for yourself!

The third day, I went horseback riding on the Cantabrian coast and then to a festival in the lovely village of Castro Urdiales....for more Pintxos!

Day 4, it was off to La Rioja to check out the vinyards and taste some wine!  We didn't get to visit my favorite Bodegas Muga, but we did pass by it on our way to another winery.

I think I walked a hundred miles in Spain....let's hope it was enough to work off those Pintxos!  Now it's off to Glasgow, where I finally get to see my favorite guys! Miss them soo much.  

Solo in Portugal

Bom dia from Lisbon!  The first port on the summer journey...one of two on my own before Michael and James join me.  The city of Lisbon is magical...a big mix of old and new architecture, this city suffered a catastrophic earthquake in 1755 that leveled many buildings. We visited a 16th century monestary (Jeronimos) that celebrates much of the cultural history and accomplishments of Portugal and is home to a beautiful church.

For me, food is a great way to experience culture and Portugal makes that task an easy one!  Salted cod fish.  Goat.  Lots of olives, bread, cheese and wine. The best of all though, is the Pastel de Nata, a custard tart served with an espresso....yum!

The Alfama section of town is known for it's historic, hilly, cobblestone streets, and trams that take you up if you are too tired to go by foot.  It's also known for the late evening music genre called "Fado" where meloncholic lyrics are paired with guitar.

Many of my shipmates (and thousands of Portuguese!) have been watching the World Cup games on large screens all over town....to be here when the US played Portugal was quite a treat!

Mommy is setting sail

Hi, Michael here....

In a perfect world, we would all head out the door at the same time. But, first I gotta finish Kindergarten!  Mommy is going to the ship to get things set up and then Daddy, Meme, Pop and me will join her in Glasgow.


Here's my calendar of activities over the next three weeks. I'm gonna be very busy as you can see.

Sort of ironic that a half American/half British kid is traveling on American independence day to a country that may also break free from the United Kingdom!

Exploring the world from home

For those of you not joining us on the ship this summer...you can still have an adventure!  One of my favorite tools for inspiring curiosity and global understanding in young children is Little Passports World Edition.

By living vicariously through Sophia and Sam each month, Michael already has stamps in his "passport" for Kenya, Russia, Israel, Thailand, Brazil, Australia, Japan, Mexico, Egypt, France, Argentina, South Africa, India, China, Spain, Ireland and England.

He can pick these countries out on a map and knows facts about the history, food, holidays and more. He understands the many differences that exist country-to-country and has gathered ideas for how to explore new places.

You're off to great places, today is your day...

We have the incredible fortune of sharing our summer of travel and transformational experiences with close friends and their children, along with 450+ college students,faculty and staff of colleges & universities from across the country.  

In just a few days, I fly to the UK to embark the MV Explorer in Southampton.  I sail to Spain and Portugal before Michael and James (and my parents!) meet me in Scotland July 5th.  Then it's onward to Ireland, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Finland, and Poland. Finally, we disembark in Southampton to spend some time with family in Surrey.

See details here on how to send snail mail to the ship (scroll down to bottom of page for instructions, addresses and  lead times.) I'm sure Michael will be especially glad to get mail from his buddies back home. We promise to send postcards to anyone who sends letters to the ship!

Zloty, Krona, Rubles and more...

In preparing for any trip, I often find myself darting around when my son is in school or soccer practice, etc. checking things off my "to do" list. 

For this trip, I promised myself to wholly engage Michael in all parts of the experience.  Together we are planning all the aspects of what you need when you travel. 

Today we went to the bank to obtain foreign currency in order to have a bit of cash on hand when we arrive in each country.  We need Polish Zloty, Swedish Krona, Norwegian Krone and Russian Rubles along with Euros and the Sterling we already have at home.  Our teller was incredibly engaged and patient as Michael slowly examined and counted each bill.  He's ready to start spending!!