In our little town in Connecticut, “The Last Post” is a shelter for stray cats. And stray cats is what we feel like right about now, on day 158 of this long, long journey around a good part of the globe. Herewith, some highlights from our time in Rome.

Yesterday, after walking miles through the markets at Porta Portese, we wandered back through Trastevere and found a restaurant still serving lunch. The special of the day — pollo al forno (or roast chicken) — was promoted on a sign on a birdcage, making us wonder: was this the daily special’s former home?

Today marks the halfway point in our 29,000 mile odyssey around the globe. 83 days in, 83 to go. Herewith, some random observations about and pictures of our last week in Amsterdam, readjusting to winter, visiting with friends, touring museums and eating far too well and too much, beginning with a birthday lunch on Monday at De Kas, where the greenhouse supplies much, if not all of the menu.

My mother adored places like the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town, which boasts (among its other delights) perhaps the world’s most luxurious high tea. My father has wonderful memories of their trips here, and therefore insisted we make a pilgrammage: and so we did. We opted for morning tea as it is a bit more in our price range, but is served nevertheless on the terrace overlooking the garden. Tea is taken rather seriously here, and once selected, is brought to your table in a small glass teapot alongside a timer, so that each pot is steeped to perfection.

But that’s nothing compared to what comes next: a small sampling of what they brought us, after the jump.

‘Nuff said.

I’m thinking maybe we should open a branch office here, if only so the letterhead could read “Winterhouse : Falls Village and Hong Kong.