UPDATES

We’re currently nearing the end of our two-month return to Manta, Ecuador. When we left the United States for Ecuador in 2023, we told everyone that the plan was to stay for a year. But we knew that in order to stay for one year, we would need to get a two-year residency visa- and that the option to renew beyond that would be rather easy and straightforward. So, in the back of our minds, we were prepared to love Ecuador and want to stay longer. The fact is, we did (and do) lo

We arrived in Minnesota in mid-May to spend time with my (Michael) family. Because I grew up here, some things are still familiar. But because I left a long time ago, a lot has changed, and my relationship with this place is… complex. It’s not home. It’s where mom is, my brother and his family are, and one or two old friends; so, it’s lovely to visit. But it’s not home. And even though I lived most of my life in Seattle, last year’s visit proved that it’s not home anymore ei

Our high-octane tourist mode continued after Madrid, into Germany. While we visit Germany yearly, we have not made time to be a tourist there. What do you explore as a tourist in Germany? Castles! And, yes, Romans! Moselle The part of the Moselle river valley that snakes its way through Germany is beautiful countryside. The narrow, steep-sided valley, dotted with castle ruins, covered with terraced vineyards, anchored by the river, makes for a meandering and scenic drive. Our

A more general post about our time in Spain is forthcoming, but honestly, this took precedence.... Our friend Linnea came to visit us in Spain, and we decided that it was a good excuse to rent a car and do a few-day road trip to Granada, and visit…. The Alhambra: a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Spain’s most visited landmarks. The Alhambra is an enormous palace and fortress complex overlooking Granada. Built primarily during the 13th and 14th centuries under the Nasrid

Doings in Mérida We’re saving some of the tourist must-dos for when our friends Andrew and Michael visit us later in December, and we’ll report on those in the new year. And we’ve explored some of Mérida’s smaller offerings, of which there are quite a few. The city museum tells the history of the formation of the city, especially in the early Colombian period. The Maya train museum tells the history of transportation in the Yucatan from early Mayan times to the present, while

In all honesty, we both love doing this blog. But neither of us want to bombard people with too many posts, and sometimes life happens so quickly that we feel like we could be posting every day… and that would be…. a lot. And then suddenly, cascading towards us like an out-of-control luggage cart, we have too much to talk about and really don’t know where to begin. So, you get an extra-long edition. Mexico City was overwhelming. We’ve already done two posts about all the si

It has been a month of relaxation and Puerto Vallarta was perfect for that. We've spent time here before, albeit years ago, so lots about...

One month later..... The month of July felt like an intensive boot camp of friendships, family, and community. Between a week in...

After Copenhagen, our boat puttered overnight to Warnemünde/Rostock for our arrival in Germany. Well-practiced in queuing, we made it...