The summer after we last went round the world with National Geographic,  and I started this blog, my twin children got married. Not to each other – we are not carny folk – but to lovely people.

As if that weren’t swell enough, we also went boating in Greece with Kevin’s girls. It was a truly great summer.

The following summer, which was last summer, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. And that was shitty. Really, really shitty. And in the midst of all the horror, I received a brochure in the mail for a new roundtheworld NatGeo trip, and I thought, this new trip will happen in a year- I will either be dead, or be able to see some new places. Places I’ve never been.

An honest to goodness kickthebucketlist. Of places in the NORTH. (I know…feels very, “AND WINTER is coming.” But I am sucker for a GOT aphorism)

So here we are. Headed to Japan first, then North of the 45th parallel for the rest of the trip. Which means the sun will never set. And temps will drop. And maybe I can stop sweating this July of 2018 which recently has been quite sweaty.

Right now we are in Seattle. Which Kev and I have both visited, but not together, and not for several years. We walked to Pikes farmers market – and got ice cream and watched the Ferris wheel.

 

We also (accidentally) walked through the alley of gum-on-walls…which likely has a name but…really??? Most shocking were the droves of tourists posing in front of masticated bleh like it was the Mona Lisa.

Don’t go! I need to believe in humanity.

Also in the interest of NOT MISSING a thing – we put 50 cents in a machine that showed us large shoes. Which proves a sucker is born every minute, and he has no problem asking his wife for 2 quarters.

Then to Elliot’s for oysters and wine before returning to the hotel for some preflight instruction and more wine.

Tomorrow we head out on this fancy black airplane and I feel just like Morgan Freeman in Shawshank when he decided to violate his parole and go find Andy on that bus, and he said,

”I find I’m so excited I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel, a free man at the start of a long journey whose conclusion is uncertain.”

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Our first stop is Kyoto which is predicted to be hot enough to melt a geisha’s face.