Where in the World is Debra Grimes?

“Not all who wander are lost.” JRR Tolkien

  • Hungary – WOW

    We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us. – Anonymous July 11-14, 2023 This is my first stop where I am on my own for a few days. Lynn, Bruce and Katherine have headed back to the states. I truly miss my friends and I am looking forward to some…

  • Estonia – “Positively Surprising”

    “Questions permeate every aspect of our world and our life. Life is all about questions. If you stop asking, you stop living.” – Louis Kahn I was so glad that Estonia was part of our Scandinavian tour, otherwise I would never have come this delightful country. Again, we only got to spend one and a…

  • Finland – “Free, sturdy, stable”.

    “There are those who stay at home and those who go away, and it has always been so.” – Tove Janssen With only one and a half days in Finland, my observations are limited. The city of Helsinki, where we spent all of our time, was unassuming, with some surprises – like the beautiful train…

  • Sweden – not too much, not too little…just right

    Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step; only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road. – Dag Hammarskjold We only had three days in Stockholm and I thoroughly enjoyed the city. As usual we had a walking tour to see the major…

  • Norway-Powered By Nature

    TRAVEL BECAUSE LIFE IS SHORT, AND THE WORLD IS HUGE. – ANONYMOUS We arrived in Oslo by an overnight ferry, a mini cruise ship experience with on-board dining and entertainment, a pool and hot tubs, and shopping with a Lego and a tax-free store. A few little observations about Scandinavia before jump in. I realized…

  • Denmark – The Happiest Place on Earth

    “To travel is to live.” ― Hans Christian Andersen Three new couples joined us in Copenhagen for on our tour of Scandinavia – Ashley and Peter from the San Diego area, Dave and Chris from the Sacramento area, and Barry and Donna who live near Charlotte NC. All are fun and lively additions to our group.…

  • Iceland- Land of Fire and Ice

    BETTER TO SEE SOMETHING ONCE THAN HEAR ABOUT IT A THOUSAND TIMES. – ASIAN PROVERB This leg of my trip, 22 days in Scandinavia, will be shared with friends Bruce and Katherine Willey and Lynn Brooks. Three other couples will join us for 13 of those days, meeting up with us in Copenhagen. We arrived…

  • Packing- the details

    One of my greatest finds is the compression packing cube. I’ve used packing cubes before and found them to be surprising helpful. Then I discovered compression cubes and I got excited. I’ve used compression bags before, but rolling up each bag as you pack takes a lot of time and strong hands. While compression cubes…

  • Packing

    My grandson called the other day and asked how my day was and what I did all day while he was at camp. I told him I was practicing packing. “Why would you do that?” he asked in a voice that indicated he thought I was crazy. I explained I had to get a year’s…

  • Preparation

     “Travel is never a matter of money, but of courage.” — Paulo Coelho There are so many things to think about before you leave home for a year. One of the first things I needed to consider was what I would do with my house. As way to reduce my expenses at home, I decided…