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Location: Edinburgh
Distance travelled – 27,288 miles/43.915 km

Well, the tour of Fenway was the swan song for my holiday. All too soon it was time to head out to Logan airport and board the British Airways 747 that would whisk us to London in under 6 hours.

And thence to Edinburgh.

Edinburgh is in full Festival mode at the moment, but I haven't really managed to get into it – being more involved with retrieving boxes from storage and trying to sort out things like TV, telephone and internet.

My flat is just off a large park called The Meadows on which is sitting a circus big top:

Here's the street I live on – looking towards the Meadows. My front door is just off the picture to the right – next to the red truck.

It feels very odd to be back in Edinburgh for good. During previous visits, it was always temporary. This time I've had to go and buy supplies for the flat and think seriously about what work I'm looking for. It all seems much more permanent.

Moving back into my flat after almost 7 years has been less weird than I expected. It's been very well cared for and is very clean. Lying on the sofa, watching my new TV, it almost seemed as if I'd never been away. Amsterdam and the last 27,288 miles seem somehow unreal, except that I still find myself muttering away in pidgin Dutch and occasionally cycling on the wrong side of the road.

Reading some of the older entries on this blog, or looking at the (myriad) pictures that didn't get posted (believe me, it could have been a lot worse) brings back many happy memories. Looking further back to Amsterdam is now that little bit harder, which was part of the intention of the holiday. I will miss Amsterdam, there's no doubt about it. Even when I visit, it won't be the same because I won't live there. Things have already happened that I don't know about. Life has moved on for some of my friends (and stopped, tragically, for one of them). But, I'm not feeling as raw as I was. Principally what I'm missing now is the newness – discovering 4 new countries for myself and revisiting the US.

It was one heck of a trip but I'm glad I had the combination of luck that meant I could take it.

Now, does anyone have a vacancy for someone with a bit of a background in computers, who can speak Dutch and teach English? Historic churches a speciality and would be most willing to travel...