June was a busy month. We went to Vegas to see my favorite modern band, No Doubt (The Beatles still rule as all time fave). The Sphere experience was epic. A week later we left for a two-week Europe trip: Amsterdam, Norwegian fjords cruise and Copenhagen. I ate, walked and gawked like a champ! Some thoughts:
- Europe knows how to do public transportation - efficient, safe, reliable and affordable
- Bread tastes so much better - likely due to fresh, simple ingredients and time-tested recipes
- Produce tastes infinitely better - best strawberries of my life
- We find a Thai massage place in every corner we've traveled. We even booked massages in Rome last year.
- Flowers grow in every nook and cranny - some small, single variety, some grand gardens
- Bikes!!!!
- Love cruising but land tour hits different - immersive, lingering
- Old architecture rocks my world
- Washcloths - why do Europeans eschew them? Bring your own as most places don't have them and they're hard to find.
- Sustainability is a way of life - TP is rough, tap water is delicious and refillable, they charge for plastic bags so bring your own, and public transport always cheaper and faster
- Universal issue - human spatial awareness. Why does a group walk at a glacial pace across an entire expanse?
Traveling with adult kids is a treat. They're old enough to enjoy rich experiences and fund their own way, but they also have their own opinions and agendas. You can tell them to go to their rooms or knock it off, but they won't listen.
You'd think with all that flying I would have ready more than two books, but alas I did not. A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna was my book club’s pick of the month and I was totally on board. This was already on my wish list after we read The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by the same author last year. Innkeeping is the story of 30-something witch Sera Swan. She is resigned to run an inn in rural Lancashire, England while mourning the loss of her powers due to casting a forbidden resurrection spell as young girl. She's surrounded by a quirky and charming cast of characters - eternally positive and optimistic aunt Jasmine, annoying witch trapped in a fox's body Clemmie, young cousin Theo, dashing knight Nicholas, witch guild historian Luke (and Scottish) and Luke's autistic sister Poppy. This is Sera's chosen family, the ones who support her no matter what her powers. A delightful story of resilience and selflessness.
The Midnight Train is a new book from Matt Haig, author of one of my favorite books, The Midnight Library. Train did not disappoint, It follows Wilbur Budd on the review of his life aboard a magical train. A reminder that we live so many versions of ourselves. Which would be uncomfortable to relive, and which would be magical? Would there be a point at which everything changes that you wish you could do differently?
Favorite quotes:
- … to realize that even your own past was new territory to explore; that memories were no more the real event than flags were their nations
- Love is a garden … you have to tend it
- Sometimes happiness has the least to teach us
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