After a peaceful sleep in Plymouth, we woke up to a gorgeous view of Plymouth Sound and the Hoe. A quick stop for breakfast and gas and we jumped on a very short ferry ride to go from Devon to Cornwall. Beautiful, winding roads lined with trees were conquered by the curve hugging wheels of our Mercedes while TomTom shouted directions to us. We saw a sign for a castle, so drove up a narrow road to find Restormel Castle, a stronghold for the Black Prince. Located just outside the village of Lostwithiel, it was used as a miniature palace to provide lavish accommodation for the Dukes of Cornwall and his guests. Now in ruins, only a small part remains. We cut through St Austell and went south to the fishing village of Mevagissey in search of lunch and fudge. We found both, successfully. I had a huge bowl of mussels in a white wine and cream broth, while B had an amazing salad of handpicked crab and boiled potatoes. Both were delicious. The town of Mevagissey itself is quite small and touristy. Other than a few small harbor-side restaurants and gift shops, the town does not hold much attraction other than its small town charm. Between dodging seagulls, we wandered in and outside the shops where I picked up some pirate themed items for the niece and nephew. B bought a selection of fudge, including a Scotch fudge that gave me a toothache from its sugar content. Next, we retraced our route back into St Austell in search of the local brewery, where we sampled some ales and purchased a selection before heading toward the coastal town of Tintagel. Tintagel is where King Uther Pendragon and Igraine conceived King Arthur. The castle is long gone, but for a few ruins and rocky outlines of where homes or rooms once stood. On the beach below, the Atlantic breakers crash against the cliffs and into Merlin's Cave. The whole experience, while filled with many steep steps, was a bit magical. (Being a total fan of Disney's The Sword in the Stone, I got a bit excited when we passed Arthur's Stone as we left town. Too bad it was already closed.) Rounding out the evening was a lovely curry dinner, complete with surprise entertainment from the townsfolk. We watched as couples whizzed by - one riding in a wheelbarrow, while the other pushed. Each team was dressed in themed outfits. From Star Wars and Top Gun to men in womenswear and green-faced zombies, we watched as each team ran at full speed down the road. The race ended with a large group of men pushing a bed frame decked out like the car from The Flintstones. We drove back early enough to enjoy more of the beautiful Cornwall countryside as the sun set.

We are in the car (hello, Mercedes) and on our way to Plymouth. So far we've seen lots of nice country and Stonehenge. More to come...

What a weekend! Glorious weather! Hurrah for sunshine! I have tan lines! I have a pink nose! Oh joy! What a perfect weekend for visiting roof gardens, taking long bike rides, drinking Pimms and going on day trips to Brighton. More photos of Brighton by my travel partner Charles on his photostream.

I came across this video some time ago. I have some friends who will be coming to London and while I'll give them my usual 1-day in London tour suggestions, sometimes it's fun to throw in something new and different. I think I'll have to take myself out to see a few of these places: Stop 1: New London Architecture on Store Street Stop 2: Dog Cemetery inside Hyde Park (closed to the public) Stop 3: Shunt near London Bridge Station (check website for opening times and tickets) Stop 4: Traffic Light Tree in Canary Wharf Stop 5: Marker by which distance to London is measured is found near Trafalgar Square Stop 6: Miniature St. Paul's Cathedral/Ladies Statues on Vauxhall Bridge Stop 7: Wellcome Trust Stop 8: Soviet T34 tank off Old Kent Road, Bermondsey Stop 9: OXO Tower, Southbank Stop10: Windsor, Pembroke, Dublin, Edinboro Castle pubs, Camden Town For more unusual sights, check out GoUnusual.

My dear friend Steffi came to visit me in Amsterdam from her home near Rotterdam. Our day was spent meandering through shops, cafes, a park and almost a museum. During our time, I totally fell in love with Amsterdam. It is charming, easy to get around and English is spoken by nearly everyone. I took a lot of photos on the trip. To see the full set, visit my Amsterdam set on Flickr.

Day one included a hop on-hop off canal boat/bus tour. We started with the amazing Anne Frank house. After winding our ways through the canals a bit, we found ourselves at Albert Cuyp markt in order to find food. Once our bellies were filled, we headed to the Heineken Experience where many Heinekens were sampled. We enjoyed cheering on the boys attempting a perfect pour. After some lessons, Jack got up and did it on his first go!

The folks were headed to Europe on their way to Africa and decided to take a long layover in Amsterdam, which was convenient for me! After two failed attempts to see Amsterdam (due to flights and illness), I had high hopes for this visit. I arrived at the hotel twenty minutes before they were to leave to find the excursion office for the Red Light District tour they had booked. While I was a bit unsure I really wanted to see the RLD with my parents, once there and we found it was no problem to book me in, I joined. I am *so* glad I did! There is so much to learn about and see in the RLD. Our tour guide was fantastic. She was funny and smart and has been leading tours for something like ten years, I believe. She many times has to do it in both English and Spanish, but our group that evening all spoke English. There was a lot of information to take in. Our first stop gave us some intimate details from Mariska, a former prostitute/sex worker who now runs the Amsterdam Prostitution Information Center. She told us about everything from prices, negotiations and how to rent a room/work a shift, to safe sex practices, tax regulations and why they use a red light (leaner, tanner, younger looking and less cellulite -- hello I'm buying one now!). It was impressive. I was also surprised to learn that the age span starts at 18 and the oldest is/was 88! The ladies as we walked through the streets were sometimes playful and sometimes indifferent. When I looked through the windows at some of the younger looking girls, I felt as though they looked back at me like I was judging them. If anything, I was just curious. My father, somewhat jokingly, asked our guide during the tour: Is this where the term window shopping comes from? She laughed and said she wasn't sure. I cannot find anything yet about the origin, but it sure makes sense!