This densely packed three part trip starts in Brighton with visits to London museums, heads off to the Dartmoor National Park in southwest England, then up to Aberdeen Scotland. Although the main purpose of the trip is to celebrate the completion of Devon's PhD we also made it a trip of exploration and connection, from understanding more about my personal hero's of Darwin and John Harrison (you should know MORE about him!) nerding out to some unique UK geology and culture, and renewing ties with Scottish family. We dodged windy weather delays, fire alarms and frozen airports. It's a gamble travelling anywhere in mid January, but apart from Paula and I both getting a very nasty covid at the end of the trip we had some sunny days and made connections on our many plane/train and tube trips.The tightly packed carry-on bulged with long underwear and bagpipes, not our usual travel choices! Being swept up in the embrace of our European family with thoughtful planning and exciting adventures made for a brief, but grand tour!