Leaving on a jet plane....

" Go " Kathmandu

2011-05-14T08:40:00.000-07:00

Nine months have passed since we returned from our year of traveling. How is that possible? We are amazed by how easily we fell back into the routine of our daily existence: work, family, and friends. The hardest adjustment has been being back on a schedule. Everything is scheduled: get up, have a shower, make breakfast, drive to work, come home, cut the grass, go grocery shopping, cook dinner, clean up etc. etc. So, we are thrilled to be going to Asia for the first time, and we are really looking forward to NOT being on a schedule again.

The first leg of our journey started with a 13-hour flight to Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific. Our 3:00 am departure time looked promising. We were hoping we’d be so tired that sleep would be come easily. The reality: it’s almost impossible to get more than five hours sleep in economy without the aid of medication. It was raining when we arrived in Hong Kong. We cleared immigration and headed out into the airport to find a hotel. We were delighted with the traveler’s lounge we found. We rented a twin bedded room with a shower for six hours and went to sleep. By the time our flight left at 5:30 pm, we were somewhat refreshed. We flew to Dhaka, Bangladesh, endured a two-hour flight delay, and arrived in Kathmandu at midnight.

Our first day in Kathmandu was a holiday. Unlike many other visitors, we knew nothing about it. Holi is a Hindu festival, which celebrates colour. It involves people throwing coloured powder and coloured water at each other. As soon as we left the bed and breakfast and entered the street we were nailed by children throwing bags of coloured water. It was like being in a giant paintball game (except that we were unarmed). They came from everywhere: street level, balconies, rooftops, and the backs of scooters. It would have been a good day to hide out inside, but it was a fascinating cultural event and a photographers dream. The streets were alive with music and dancing. We spent about four hours wandering around before Lynda called it a day. She came out of it relatively unscathed. It seems her “teacher voice” is effective in a variety of situations. Craig, to get those shots, had to endure the “pay back.”

Festival Pictures

Kathmandu is a busy, crowded, noisy city. Pedestrians share the streets with animals, rickshaws, bicycles, cars, trucks and carts. Driving is organized chaos. One has to get used to the incessant honking of horns. In North America, people honk their horns in anger or frustration. In Nepal, people honk to let you know they are there. We were so happy that we didn’t have to drive. One day we hired a car and driver and he took us to four of the major tourist sights around Kathmandu. We went to: Bhaktapur (a medieval city in the Kathmandu valley), Pashupatinath (a Hindu temple and cremation site) Bodhnath (the largest Buddhist stupa in Nepal) and Swayambhunath, also known as The Monkey Temple (an ancient Buddhist pilgrimage site). It was a fascinating and educational day.

After five days and four nights, we were ready to leave the city and start trekking. We awoke early and, along with our guide Dharma, caught the tourist bus to Pokhara. Even though Pokhara is a mere 200 kilometres from the capital, the trip takes nine-hours. Like everything in Nepal, the journey is part of the adventure.

Our Pictures

On your mark, get set....

2011-03-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

We are eight months post-year off and ready to set out on another adventure. In less than three weeks we will be on our way to Nepal for a month. Our desire to travel and experience the world has not diminished. We consider ourselves to be very fortunate, yet we have chosen this path.

Friends in Ontario recently sent us this article from the Globe and Mail. Perhaps there is some truth in it.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/facts-and-arguments/no-one-cares-about-my-life-altering-trip-or-yours/article1913674/

Rome, Italy

2010-06-26T18:22:00.000-07:00

It all seems like a blur now that we are back in North America amongst old friends. Craig's photos have been ready for days, but Lynda has been procrastinating and the write up hasn't gotten done. So here goes....
Rome = 2 thumbs up. Its historical and cultural significance is immense. Everything is so impressive. The Colosseum, the Vatican, the Pantheon, the piazzas, the fountains, the statues, the restaurants, the transportation, the shopping. We could go on and on, but in truth we only saw a fraction of it and we were there for six nights. Rome is definitely worth a visit and then a return visit. We spent our first three nights at a bed and breakfast (Maison Genevois 3) in Prati and the last three nights at an apartment (VRBO # 220827) in Trastevere. We were very happy with both of them, but it is always nice when you can have more privacy and space.
Rome is a popular European destination, but it wasn't obnoxiously busy. It seems they have some experience dealing with tourists and the system runs smoothly and efficiently. In many cases, you can book tickets in advance online or pick up a tour on site. It was oppressively hot the day we went to the Spanish Steps and there were a lot of people milling around, but down the road, it wasn't impossible to find a spot to throw our coins into the Trevi Fountain and make a wish. We always got on the bus or the Metro, and we had no trouble finding a place to eat. Even the toilet line-ups at the Vatican moved quickly.
It is impossible to talk about Rome and not mention churches. They are everywhere, and they range in size and grandeur. One of our favourites was the Chiesa di Santa Maria Sopra Minerva located near the Pantheon. Not only does it have paintings by Filippino Lippi and Fra Angelico and a lesser known sculpture of Michelangelo's, but it also has the tombs of St. Catherine of Siena (minus her head) and two Medici popes. As we wandered around the dimly lit church in awe, we were treated to the magical sounds of a choir in practise for an evening concert. This only enhanced our experience. None of these churches compares to St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican. It seems that many great artists left their mark here - Michelangelo, Bernini, and Raphael to name a few. It is over 15,000 sq meters in size and can hold up to 60,000 people. You could walk around inside for hours and not see everything. Then there is the Vatican Museum. We bought our tickets online so we were able to walk right in, but the line-up for general admission was at least a mile long. We were stunned by the wealth of the Vatican. We are sure that if they sold all their holdings (tapestries, paintings, statues, religious icons etc.), they could eradicate world poverty.
The time has come for us to return to North America. We have two flights to take to reach our destination of Dallas, Texas. For those of you who can't fathom why we would stop there, it is the home of the Bebb family. For years we have promised to visit them. Now it is time to make good on the promise. We have eight nights to recuperate from jet lag, acclimatize to North America and catch-up with good friends. So, bye for now, y'all!

Canada Day Barbeque

2010-06-17T00:15:00.002-07:00

It's almost time! We need to have a head count so we can put our bbq elves to work. If you are planning on joining us on July 1st, please email and let us know (we are currently phoneless.) We will provide the burgers and all the trimmings. BYOB and lawnchairs. It would be helpful if you could also bring one of the following: an appetizer or salad or dessert. We have heard about BC's inclement weather, but we will proceed rain or shine. Give us until 2pm to unpack our bags and then feel free to drop by. Come for a short time or a long time. We look forward to seeing everyone who wants to see us!

Santa Teresa di Gallura, Sardinia

2010-06-17T00:15:00.001-07:00

We packed up the car and made a quick stop at the campground to say goodbye to Lydia and Bernhard. They had been much more active than us over the last two days. Berhard made a marathon bike ride through the mountains on one of the days and on the other, they hiked to Tiscali and encountered a number of snakes on the river bed. (So sorry we missed that one....not.) Luckily, Sardinia is not a large island. Once we started driving we were able to reach our destination of Santa Teresa di Gallura within a couple of hours. It turns out our bed and breakfast, Domus de Janus, is right in the centre of town. It is run by a friendly and likeable trio, Daria and Simone and their dog, Indiana. They are lucky enough to spend half of the year residing and working in Rome and the other half of the year in Santa Teresa, also working, but at a more casual pace. We thoroughly enjoyed their company and are sorry that our vist came to an end so quickly. (Thanks to Daria, Lynda has the name of a great shopping area in Rome. We'll see if we have time to fit that in.)
We spent most of our time exploring the area around Capo Testa. In addition to the gigantic rock formations that were once Roman quarries, there are some pretty amazing beaches too. After a glorious day in the sunshine, we thought we had broken the weather jinx for sure. It was not to be. The rain returned with a vengeance, along with a furious thunder and lightning storm. We dare not complain. The residents of Vancouver, Canada have no sympathy for us. They are still awaiting the end of the spring rains.
So ends our short sojourn to Sardinia. After a leisurely lunch in Castelsardo, we drove the coast road back to Alghero as far as we could, and then turned inland. By the time we reached Alghero, it was sunny and hot again. We dropped off our rental car, headed to the airport and caught our flight back to Rome. We are excited about spending time in Italy's capital, but we are also intrigued. We have heard so many differing opinions about "Roma." Some people love it, others can't get out of there fast enough. We aren't sure how it will go, but we are well-rested and ready to pound the pavement. Stay tuned for our opinions.

Cala Gonone, Sardinia

2010-06-12T07:20:00.001-07:00

As we left Bosa, we programmed the address of the Hotel l"Oasi into the GPS. The closer we got to Cala Gonone, the worse the weather became. It was raining and there were occasional bursts of thunder and lightning and to add to the worries the GPS was directing us to smaller, narrower, more twisted and remote roads. We couldn't imagine where we were going to end up. Surely, this wasn't the right way? We thought we were heading to a beachside resort. Instead we were navigating our way up and down the side of a mountain. Finally, we arrived and were treated to a beautiful spot with a spectacular view. (We later found out that we came into town on the old road. It is more frequently used by the local goats than by cars. There is a lovely, new road with a wide tunnel, but it wasn't the route our GPS took us on.)
It's so rewarding when you take a stab in the dark and achieve success. Lynda randomly selected this destination and our hotel based on a couple of comments she read on Trip Advisor. We couldn't have been happier with the results. Cala Gonone is approximately three hours from Alghero, located on the east coast of the island. The actual population is 1200 people, but in August when all the Italians take their holidays, it balloons to 30,000. We can only imagine what it must be like. We are very happy to be here now with only a few tourists. The Hotel l'Oasi is a family run business that has been in operation for over thirty years. It is run by Massimo and his wife Caterina, who are absolutely delightful. We can honestly say that, over nine months of travelling, l'Oasi makes our top places to stay list. The fact that they serve an authentic Sardinian dinner every night for 17 Euros each has only enhanced our experience. If we lost any weight prior to arriving here, we have certainly put it back on over the last six days.
What have we done here? Not much, actually. The area is surrounded by beautiful beaches so we have tried to go to as many of them as possible. Unfortunately, a lot of them are only accessible by boat and at this time of year, the boats are not operating on their full summer schedule. One of the most famous beaches, Cala Luna, is accessible by boat or by foot. We did have one energetic day. We drove down to Cala Fuili, parked our car and hiked for two hours to the beach at Cala Luna. Along the way, we met a German couple from Bavaria, Lydia and Bernhard. We started talking with them and hiking together. The conversation was interesting and lively. We ended up spending the rest of the afternoon and the entire next day with them. (A funny thing about Italian beaches: it may be remote and you may have to hike in, but it won't be completely rustic. More likely than not, you will be able to get a cold drink or a coffee because there will be a restaurant/bar in operation.
Again, the weather has been temperamental. We have had a few warm, sunny days, but a scirocco rolled in and since then the town has been blanketed by a sticky mist. We can barely see the bay from the balcony of our hotel room. We have three more nights in Sardinia. Tomorrow we are driving north to the town of Santa Teresa di Gallura. This is the closest point to the island of Corsica. If we have time and the weather cooperates, we may have an opportunity to touch down on French soil before heading back to Rome where we will spend the final days of our European vacation.

Alghero, Sardinia

2010-06-08T05:53:00.001-07:00

Another marathon day of travelling: a 45 minute drive to Chiusi, a two hour train journey to Rome, a 50 minute bus ride to the Ciampino airport, a three hour wait, a 50 minute plane trip to Alghero, a 10 minute ride to the car rental office and finally a 10 minute drive to our bed and breakfast. We arrived at "Rosso di Sera" in a daze, but we instantly appreciated our accommodation. It was a beautiful, modern house, on an olive farm, with a pool, only a short distance from town. Definitely a step up from the hostel we had just left. We enjoyed many chats with Claudia, our hostess, who manages the B and B for her family. Although she is in the final stages of her wedding preparations, she was a wonderful resource for us. We also appreciated the company of her dog, Fiocco, who was always out and about, running around the property.
Alghero is the main resort town in southwest Sardinia. It was a bit too busy for our liking, so we spent our days exploring the outskirts. There are beaches in town and on the road out of town. After a morning at the Grotta di Nettuno (that's 652 stairs on a return trip), we drove back towards Alghero. It wasn't long before Craig got his wish. We ended up at the Spiaggia del Lazzaretto with hundreds of other sun-seekers. Aaaahh, a sandy beach with turquoise waters. Craig dived straight in, but Lynda remained on the shore. Either the water was too cold or the weather wasn't hot enough. Either way, we have no photos to share because we were too afraid to pull out the camera. We didn't want to risk its demise so close to the end of our trip. The next day we headed north to the town of Stintino. We didn't actually make it into the town until later in the day because we were distracted by the sight of a beach and had to stop. This beach was much better - it was made of tiny pebbles. After several hours in the sun, we drove into town to see the Spiaggia della Pelosa. It was mayhem there and with good reason. The beach and the sea are spectacular. Lynda jumped out of the car to take several photos, but then we were on our way.
We have seen enough of Alghero for the time being (we do have to return to catch our flight back to Rome.) Driving and parking here is a bit of a nightmare. We were panic stricken when we discovered a small dent in the front fender of the car. We knew we hadn't hit anything, but who knows what happens when you leave the car in a parking lot? After a quick trip back to the rental agency, we were informed that the dent was previously there. What a relief! On our way to our next destination, Cala Gonone, on the east coast of Sardinia we stopped for lunch in Bosa, a small port with another hilltop fortress, looming over pastel painted houses. Luckily for us, Sardinia is a small island and we will be able to complete our trip in about two hours. We are looking forward to more sun, more relaxation and more beaches.

Umbria, Italy

2010-06-03T11:20:00.001-07:00

Right next door, to the east of Tuscany, is the region of Umbria. Although it is less popular with tourists, Umbria has a charm all its own. It has the classic rolling hills, winding country roads and hill towns, but it seems more agricultural. The Lonely Planet describes it as "the green heart of Italy." Apparently, it is a great place to do some hiking. We spent our first night at an agriturismo in a village called San Biagio delle Valle which is about twenty minutes from Perugia. "Torre Colombaia" is actually an organic farm that grows lentils, spelt and other types of grains. We only stayed one night, but we were served a fabulous dinner that ended with some delicious strawberry trifle.
Since we had arrived so early in the day, we had time to do some exploring. We headed to the town of Spello, for no other reason than its description in the guide book. We were not disappointed. It was only a short hike to the town from the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. The streets were narrow and windy. It has a beautiful church in the centre of town called Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore. Their pride and joy are some frescoes painted by Pinturicchio. The church has done an excellent job with the lighting to illuminate them in a dramatic fashion. Almost all of the houses had baskets of flowers and pots full of plants around their doorways. It smelled so fragrant. The town was in the process of getting ready for "Corpus Domini." We learned that this celebration takes place 60 days after Easter. The residents make elaborate designs out of fresh flowers and lay them in the streets. While we were there we saw many women sitting outside preparing flowers and leaves. It all looked so interesting. We weren't exactly sure when the event was taking place, but we were sorry that we weren't going to be able to see the final extravaganza. We thought Spello was absolutely charming and definitely worth a visit.
The next day we decided to visit the town of Gubbio. We drove up into the mountains and were treated to some fabulous Umbrian landscapes. Gubbio turned out to be just as delightful as Spello. We arrived to find a lot of people milling around. The Piazza Grande was decorated and roped off, with bleachers on either side of it. It turns out that later in the day, the annual "Palio della Balestra" was taking place. This is an archery competition between Gubbio and its neighbouring towns. Unfortunately, we weren't able to stay for the festivities (again), but we did get to see some of the participants practising. A must-do is to take the funicular to the top of the hill behind the town. You could drive up, but why miss a ride in this crazy contraption? It was the most fun we'd had in a long time. At the top you can go into the Basilica di Sant'Ubaldo where the remains of the saint are encased in glass. We weren't sure how we felt about that, but the church has some amazing stained glass windows that were worth seeing. After a few hours, we reluctantly left Gubbio and made haste to the village of Torricella on the shores of Lago Trasimeno. We had a reservation at a hostel called "Casa sul Lago" and we had to be there before three o'clock or we wouldn't be able to check in until four hours later. Luckily, we made it with a few minutes to spare.
We have stayed in a huge range of accommodation on this trip: hotel, caravan park, side of the road, house, motel, chalet, bed and breakfast, pension, guesthouse, apartment, villa and hostel. While none of them have been horrendous, it is true that "you get what you pay for." We have enjoyed staying in the hostel (which is for people of all ages), because it has allowed us to stay under budget for this portion of the trip. The room is basic, but it is large and it has a private bathroom (two toilets and a shower.) Breakfast is included and we have used the kitchen to cook a light dinner at the end of the day. They also have free WiFii and bicycles, and the other guests are lovely. Half of the people staying here are volunteer students from England or New Zealand. They get room and board and work for five hours per day. It seems like a great way to immerse yourself in the culture and learn Italian.
We have made excursions to Castiglione del Lago (where we explored the medieval fortress), Isola Polvese (an island that is an environmental laboratory) and into the hills at the northern end of the lake. While we have had a small taste of Umbria, there are many towns that we have not yet seen. Assisi, Perugia, Orvieto, and Spoleto to name a few. We have not been able to make this into a beach holiday either. The weather has been inconsistent and the lake is not the best for swimming. Craig is anxious to get back to barefeet and soak in some sun before we head home. We are hoping that our twelve day trip to Sardinia will yield these results.

Montepulciano, Italy

2010-06-01T12:33:00.000-07:00

We're on the road again. Our destination is Montepulciano, Italy. All of you Twilight fans will know it as the filming location of the recent "New Moon" movie. We aren't sure why since Stephenie Meyer's novel takes place in Volterra, but this time last year, Montepulciano was bursting at the seams with film crews and groupies hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite vampire. We squeezed into Mark and Elaine's Fiat Panda with and all our bags, and gratefully accepted a ride into Cerbaia where we caught the bus into Florence. Once there, we went to the train station and joined a huge line up of people all trying to buy tickets or get information. We saw self-service ticket machines, but it wasn't until we spotted an English speaking attendant that we felt confident enough to give it a go. She did all the work, we handed over our Visa card and voila, we had our tickets! More importantly we were able to leave the train station and get "due cappuccini." At 11:30 am, our train pulled out of the station and we we were on our way. It was definitely the milk run, but we enjoyed seeing the countryside. We went through Arezzo, past Cortona and along Lake Trasimeno. At 1:30 pm we arrived in Chiusi, exited the building and found a bus that was leaving immediately for Montepulciano. It is great when the connections work out so smoothly. There was only one glitch along the way. We were supposed to get off at the bus station in Montepulciano and call the owners of "Al Poggiolo" to come and pick us up. We made the mistake of getting off on the road below the old town. This meant we had to walk to the top of the town with our packs on our backs. Anyone who has been to Montepulciano will understand what this means...a steep incline. Plus we had no idea where we were going. We had to stop along the way and ask for directions. One of the restaurant owners (Guiliano from Acquacheta) called "Al Poggiolo" for us, gave us a map and sent us on our way. A short time later we were in our apartment, enjoying the fabulous vistas of the Tuscan countryside.
Montepulciano is a great base for exploring the Tuscan countryside because it is so centrally located. We did not do much travelling from here. Partly because we elected to wait until the end of the week to rent a car, and partly because we were quite happy to putter around our apartment, shop for daily meals and explore the streets of Montepulciano. The town felt authentically Italian. There really weren't a lot of tourists around. There are a few sights to see: the 16th century cathedral, the Piazza Grande and the Palazzo Communale. The Palazzo Communale is the town hall and the building with the clock tower. It is also the site in "New Moon" where Edward plans to reveal himself as a vampire because he thinks Bella is dead. At the last possible second, Bella bursts onto the scene and throws herself at him to prevent his reveal. The vampire lives another day and the star-crossed lovers are re-united.
Back in the real world.....there are some fine restaurants in Montepulciano. We had an enjoyable evening at Acquacheta later in the week. It is very popular and reservations are a necessity. They are famous for their slabs of beef, served rare. We went for the late sitting of dinner (9:15 pm - who enjoys eating this late?) and outside we met Scott and Teresa from North Carolina. Funny enough, we had seen them earlier in the day at the restaurant where we ate lunch. We started talking and then ended up sitting together at dinner. It turns out that, between lunch and dinner, Scott and Teresa had gotten engaged. They were in a festive mood so we helped them celebrate. (FYI - we had rabbit for our second course. It was very tasty.)
Montefollonico - Across the valley, on a neighbouring hillside, is the town of Montefollonico. It is small and quaint and not touristic. After talking to Elena and Margherita about it, we embarked on a cross-country walk. Down a long, country road beside the grapevines. Up a dirt track through the bush. The final push on the main road leading into town. When we arrived, we were hot and sweaty and hungry. We didn't make it further than the local bar where we used hand signals to order two ice lattes (they don't really have a name for it here so we are always listing the ingredients.) Then we plonked ourselves down in the shade and consumed our picnic lunch. Our intention was to meander through the town, then find an alternate walking route back. On our way out, we stopped to talk to two German residents of Montefollonico (Helmut and Uta and their dog Corinna) who were also sitting outside. That was as far as we got. The bar had closed for the afternoon, but when the security alarm was triggered, the owner arrived to check things out. Thanks to Helmut and Uta's connections, another round of beverages was ordered and we continued our chat. Helmut and Uta have lived in Tuscany for seven years. Uta is an author and Helmut is a photographer and photo scout. If you want to come and photograph classic Tuscan scenes, Helmut is your man. For a fee he will take you around to all the best spots and you can shoot to your heart's content. Several hours passed by and then Helmut made us an offer we couldn't refuse. Uta needed to go home to work, but he offered to take us on a tour of Val d'Orcia in his car, and then return us to Montepulciano. What a privilege! Craig did his best with our little, digital camera and we spent a wonderful afternoon with Helmut. It goes without saying that we would have had a difficult time finding these locations on our own. Many thanks to Helmut and Uta for their kindness. For us, these random encounters are the highlight of our trip.
Pienza - Now, with a Fiat Panda of our own and our trusty GPS, Craig is ready to drive in Italy. We decided to make a short trip up the road to Pienza. It is only a small town of about 2200 residents, but it is World Heritage-listed because of all its historical monuments. There is the Piazza Pio II, the cathedral, the Palazzo Piccolomini and the Palazzo Borgia, all built between 1459 and 1462. Pienza was the birthplace of Pope Pius II and he took it upon himself to have the entire town rebuilt. We had already been there earlier in the week with Helmut, but we had to go back for a second look. The view of Val d'Orcia from Pienza is breathtaking.
In the blink of an eye, another week has gone by. We are going to spend the next week exploring Umbria. We have our Fiat Panda which means we are now independent. We won't have to rely upon public transportation or the kindness of strangers. This should allow us to get off the beaten path and cover a fair bit of territory.

A week in Tuscany

2010-05-25T04:14:00.000-07:00

We have finally arrived in Tuscany! After months of staying in campgrounds, bed and breakfasts and pensions, we have moved up in the world. For one week we stayed in an apartment in a medieval villa called "Le Torri," located about 20 km south of Florence. We read about "Le Torri" in a Globe and Mail article in March 2009 and were awestruck by the pictures and videos on their website. We booked it in May 2009 and began a long wait. "Le Torri" is everything we hoped it would be and more. Gabriele and his family are perfect hosts who go out of their way to enhance your vacation experience. On the evening of our arrival, they treated everyone to a welcome buffet and on Wednesday evening, they held a traditional Tuscan meal. Delicious! The villa consists of nine apartments in total and the week we were there, all but one of them was filled with Canadians. It was refreshing for us to be amongst our countrymen (and women) again. We are very grateful to fellow guests, Mark and Elaine from Victoria. Not only did we enjoy their company, but they took us along on a couple of day trips to surrounding towns.
Siena - Without a doubt, Siena has the most beautiful and elaborate cathedral that we have seen in the course of our travels. It dates back to the 12th and 13th centuries and has a unique white, green and red marble facade. You could spend hours wandering around and still not see everything. We also spent some time in "Il Campo." This is the large city square that also happens to be the location of the famous horse race called "Il Palio." There are many other sights to see in Siena, but since we were only there for the day, we spent the rest of our time wandering the streets with Mark and Elaine, having coffee and window shopping.
Montespertoli - A huge draw in Tuscany is the landscape. The olive groves, the vineyards, the rolling hills. We set out one morning to walk to the neighbouring town of Montespertoli. We could see it from our villa, on the top of a neighbouring hillside. (Yes Mark, it is only ten minutes in the car.) Down, down, down then up, up, up. An hour and a half later, our calves and hamstrings burning, we reached our destination. The trip back was equally brutal. Upon our return to "Le Torri" we suited up and headed straight for the pool. Although the water was a cool 20 degrees Celcius, the sun was shining and we were hot and sweaty. It took Lynda a half an hour, but once she was in the water, she stayed in longer than Craig. Let's just say that it was very "refreshing." San Gimignano and Volterra - The weather in Italy this May has been abnormally temperamental, according to the locals. We left "Le Torri" with Mark and Elaine at noon in sunny and clear conditions. By the time, we arrived in San Gimignano, it was cold, raining and windy. By the time we walked to the top of town, there was also thunder and lightning. The only consolation was that the weather kept most of the tourists away. We decided to stop for some lunch and when we were done, the storm had passed and we were able to wander around and experience the town. On to Volterra. It seemed fitting that we would arrive there on a dark and gloomy day. For those of you who aren't familiar with teen fiction, Volterra has become famous thanks to Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. It is perched precariously on a hilltop. After travelling up a long, windy road, you park at the bottom of the hill and hike up the steps to one of the town's four gates. We didn't have a lot of time since we arrived at the end of the day, but it looked like an interesting place. There is an archealogical park, an Etruscan museum, a Roman theatre and many nooks and crannies to explore.

Florence - What can you see in Florence in one day? This was Lynda's second trip there. She was in Florence with her mom thirteen years ago and on this trip, she wanted to visit the previously skipped, Uffizi Gallery. Gabriele reserved tickets for us ahead of time so that when we arrived, we were able to walk right in. Equipped with audio guides, we set off to see the vast art collection of the Medici family. We saw works by Botticelli, Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael and Caravaggio, to name a few. It was a bit overwhelming. After four hours we decided to call it a day and headed outside to get some fresh air. There was a lot to see in the Piazza della Signoria, between the tourists and the dramatic sculptures. We continued our walk along the Arno river and across the Ponte Vecchio. We wanted to wander through the Boboli Gardens at the Pitti Palace, but unfortunately, you can't see one without the other. So we settled for some gelato and continued our walk to the Piazza di Santa Maria Novella. Finally, a place to sit down. Time flew by and before long, we were on the bus and heading back to "Le Torri."
What a great week! Some sightseeing, some relaxation, some fabulous food and some great company. What more could we ask for? We regret that we were unable to share this experience with Lynda's mom as originally planned. We are now on our way to Montepulciano where we will spend a week at "Appartamenti al Poggiolo." We are looking forward to experiencing more of Tuscany.

Venice, Italy

2010-05-17T01:04:00.000-07:00

We have arrived back in Italy. How is it that we managed to save the most expensive country for last? With a mere 46 days remaining on our sabbatical, reality is harsh. Even with a favourable exchange rate between the dollar and the Euro, Lynda is going to be in need of a summer job.
Venice...full of energy and life. We exited Italian Customs and Immigration and, armed with our twenty kuna map from Venezia Lines, headed over to the nearest vaporetto (water bus) stop. There was a lot of confusion about tickets, but we finally found a small convenience store where we were able to purchase a thirty-six hour transit pass. Onto vaporetto number 2 for a trip to the train station, then a switch to vaporetto number 1 and down the Grand Canal. It is a spectacular sight - boats and gondolas everywhere. We disembarked at the San Silvestro stop and attempted to use the payphone to call Mario, the host of our bed and breakfast. Easier said than done. Italian payphones are not straightforward. There were too many options (email, SMS, info etc.) and the instructions were all in Italian. Even with help from one of the locals, we were stymied. Eventually we figured it out. Mario arrived and he led us to "Residenza degli Angeli," a lovely home on a quiet street about ten minutes from the Rialto Bridge.
Make no mistake about it, tourists are everywhere. Venice is a maze of narrow, European streets with canals and bridges thrown in to impede your progress. The most commonly overheard conversation has to do with "where are we?" and "Where are we trying to go?" The locals are easily distinguished from the tourists - they are the ones without the maps. Lucky for us, we are still on good terms. It wouldn't have taken much for Craig to lose Lynda here. After four days, she still couldn't find her way back to the bed and breakfast from two streets away.
In a city where your only source of transportation is by boat, Craig was delighted. Taxi boats, delivery boats, moving company boats, garbage boats and the boats of young people (complete with boom boxes and fuzzy dice.) We watched the efficiency with which goods were distributed by boat, then cart to the final destination. Unlike the masses, we did not pay to go on a gondola ride. Our main goal was to avoid the crowds, so we walked and walked and walked some more. Yet in looking at our map, we barely covered 1/3 of the city's area. When we got too tired, we'd jump on the vaporetto, sit on a park bench or stop for a cappuccino. People watching in Venice can be a full-time job. We were highly amused by the street vendors, especially the guys selling knock-off purses. Their business is brisk, but they are watchful because they are constantly trying to stay one step ahead of the police.
The weather in Venice was quite changeable. Within a twenty-four hour period, we had sun, rain, thunder and lightning. Not that it dampened our spirits. The worst of the weather was in the evenings. We walked to the Piazza San Marco and had a look around, but we did not go into the Basilica or the Palazzo Ducale or any of the museums. The line-ups were long and we decided we would prefer not to pass our time that way. We did make a trip by vaporetto to Murano to see a demonstration of glass blowing. We wandered around the Pescaria (fish market) and the Rialto Market and ogled the wares. We lamented our inability to fill our shopping basket and go home and cook. On our last night in Venice, we attended the I Musici Veneziana performance of Vivaldi's Four Seasons. It was very fitting to be listening to such beautiful masterpieces in Vivaldi's hometown.
Venice is definitely one of the most unique cities in the world and, a must-do, at least once in your life. We were thrilled to have seen it, but now we are on the move again. We have tickets on the 9:30 am Eurostar train to Florence. Once we get there, we have to make our way by bus to San Quirico in Collina where we are spending a week in luxury at "Le Torri." Lynda is looking forward to having WiFii access again. It's hard to do research and make travel arrangements when you are paying by the minute in an Internet cafe.

Rovinj, Croatia

2010-05-14T02:06:00.000-07:00

Our journey to Rovinj from Plitvice Lakes consisted of three buses and nine hours of travelling. Our longest stop was two hours in Rijeka, but we put the time to good use. It turns out the town offers free WiFii from a tower in the centre of town, so we planted ourselves in a cafe and caught up on the latest emails. We really miss our connection to the outside world when we don't have it. On the walk to and from the bus station, Craig was actively taking in the architecture and capturing more images. By the time we finally arrived in Rovinj, we were exhausted. Natalina from Villa Dobravac was kind enough to pick us up at the bus terminal, so we were saved the challenge of locating our accommodation on our own.
Why Rovinj? We have heard from numerous sources that the Istrian peninsula is one of the most beautiful places in Croatia, but we didn't go there for that reason. We went because of its proximity to Venice. We were looking for the most direct route to Venice and Venezia Lines runs a hydrofoil across the pond three times a week. Once in Rovinj, we questioned our decision. Perhaps the scheduled trip was on, perhaps not. It depended on the weather and if enough passengers had booked. We did find out the day before our departure that there were enough passengers to run the ferry and if the weather was not good, Venezia Lines was going to arrange alternate transportation .... yes, another bus.
Rovinj is a typical coastal fishing town. It has a large harbour and thousands of boats. There are lots of cafes and gelato shops. Unfortunately, we did not see Rovinj at its best. For the first two nights of our stay, we were the only guests at our accommodation. When the other guests did arrive, they did not speak English. Also, for most of the time we were there, it was either cloudy, windy or raining. Not that we should complain, but it is hard not to be affected by the weather when you are away from your home and your friends, and you have no television or Internet to distract you. So, we were happy to get on the hydrofoil on Wednesday and make our way to Venice. On the pier in the morning while we were waiting for the catamaran to arrive, we met John and Ginny from Seattle. It was great talking with them and sharing a few laughs. They were on their way to Padua, but we have exchanged info and we hope to see them again when we are back on the west coast.

Looking ahead to Canada Day

2010-05-10T03:05:00.000-07:00

For all of you who are not otherwise engaged, we would like to invite you to a very informal beer and burger Canada Day gathering at our house. Since we will only be arriving home quite late the night before, we will need your help to pull this off. We can supply the burgers and all the trimmings. Any contribution you can make would be greatly appreciated. BYOB and tales of what's been going on since we've been gone. RSVP to our email address. We look forward to seeing you then!

Plitvice Lakes, Croatia

2010-05-09T06:02:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Emil and Elise we were staying at a Sobe in the village of Rastavaca, about a fifteen minute walk from Gate One at Plitvice Lakes National Park. Rastavaca is a little Bavarian village. The houses are fashioned after alpine chalets and they are all Sobes. No suprise there, considering the village's proximity to the park. Our Sobe was owned by Ana and Ljubo Spehar. Although they did not have WiFii, the house was immaculate. Clean air. Bright and cheerful. We were in heaven! And the price? Cheaper than the "pit in Split". We immediately decided that we were going to have to stay two nights. After storing our belongings in our room, we headed back to the park, purchased a two day pass and began our exploration.
Plitvice National Park is a popular tourist attraction. Although there is a constant stream of tour buses pulling in and out, it is possible to avoid the masses. We managed to achieve this by NOT following the directional arrows on the sign posts. The tight, twisted alleys we have become used to gave way to vast, open, green spaces with trees, fresh air and cascading waterfalls. It reminded us of home. The park is very well organized in terms of transportation. There are trams between the parking lots and boats in two different locations to ferry people across the water. It is such a shame that Plitvice is a mere day stop for most people. We could have spent several days here and continued to enjoy the magnificence of it all.
While we were eating dinner at a restaurant on our first night there, we were surprised and thrilled by the arrival of our South African friends, Emil and Elise. Their arrival from Zadar had been delayed by the cancellation of another bus. We were horrified to hear that there had been a mix-up at the Sobe with their arrival date and while we had a room, they did not. They had been re-located to Ana's sister's house, two doors down. We spent a couple of hours laughing over the trials and tribulations of travelling and discussing our future plans. Unfortunately, we did not see them again, but we are hopeful that they will turn up in Vancouver one day in the near future.

Split, Croatia

2010-05-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

It turns out that the weather was not bad enough to cancel the Krilo Jet so we, along with Emil and Elise, were successful in reaching Split by 8:30 the next morning. We said goodbye to them at the bus station and made a mandatory stop for our daily caffeine fix at a nearby cafe. We could finally relax, and it also gave Craig time to study the map to find our accommodation.

Split is a big city, but it is also a regular stop on the cruise ship and backpacker circuit, so it is tourist friendly. We liked the atmosphere. It reminded us of Kusadasi, Turkey. Within two hours of arriving we were down at the Cathedral of St. Domnius which dates back 1700 years. The cathedral has the most amazing set of wooden doors which were carved in the 13th century and depict the life of Christ. We paid the extra kunas to climb the bell tower. In the past we have found that this is where you get some of the best views of the surrounding area. Our ascent was a bit intriguing. We passed a fellow on his way down who was wearing climbing gear and, at the top, there was some unattended rappelling gear. Later when we were down in the square, a crowd had gathered and there were several television cameras in the area. Everyone seemed to be waiting for something to happen. Just before noon, the climber reappeared and began to scale the outside of the bell tower. When he was about half way up, the bells started pealing. They continued to ring until he had climbed the spire on the top of the tower and hung the Croatian flag. A television reporter told us it was all part of the festivities for the upcoming celebration in the city on May 7th.
On our second day in Split, we took the bus to a nearby town called Trogir. It is about thirty minutes away and it is also located on the Adriatic Sea. Several people told us it was worth a visit. It has the seaside promenade, the castle walls and an old town with twisting, winding streets. Unfortunately, the weather was changing. Normally the wind comes from the southwest bringing warmth from the Sahara desert. The "Bor" wind comes from the north and brings cold, miserable weather.

Luckily the rain held off and we were able to view Trogir's pride and joy, the cathedral of St. Lovro. It is considered to be one of Croatia's finest architectural works. We were impressed with the many sculptures which decorate it and the view from the bell tower. Don't ask how many stairs we have climbed over the last two weeks. We have lost count.
We have been very successful finding accommodation over the last 8 months. After Lynda does some research on the Internet, we contact a few places and usually one of them has a vacancy. In Split, we did not follow our usual pattern. We were given a recommendation in Dubrovnik and decided to take a chance. Let's put it this way...it was a dud. We are now referring to it as "the pit in Split." We cannot complain about the location. It was in the Old Town and although it was noisy at night because of all the cafes and bars in the area, it was centrally located to all the sights. First problem: they were heavy smokers. We never realized how much we detest the smell of smoke until we stayed there. It is insidious. It clings to all of your belongings, long after you have left the establishment. Second problem: the lady ripped us off. When we arrived she told us the price was 200 kunas per night. This seemed reasonable because we were using a bathroom down the hall, and there was no breakfast or Internet access. When we went to pay her the night before we left, she jacked the price to 250 kunas and told us that "we misunderstood" her. What could we do? We paid her the money and at first light the next day, we were gone.
We trooped off to the bus station for our trip to Plitvice Lakes National Park. We were very excited about the prospect of having an outdoor experience...trees, lakes, waterfalls etc. The drive from Split takes approximately four hours. In Croatia, the intercity buses have two drivers. They alternate between being the driver and the attendant. One of our drivers was completely reckless.

We were convinced that he thought he was Mario Andretti and he was out to set a personal best time. He was talking on his cell phone, passing on curves, and speeding and tailgating on wet, mountainous roads. At one point, while driving, he was standing up and looking behind him as he searched his belongings for his cell phone. It is a miracle that we made it to Plitvice in one piece. We got off the bus on the side of the road at Gate One and started walking to our Sobe in the village of Rastavaca. Although it had been raining all morning, the weather had cleared and we were optimistic that we were going to be able to see the park without getting soaking wet.

Hvar, Croatia

2010-05-05T02:07:00.000-07:00

Hvar is a quaint, little port with fishing boats, castles and red roofs that has been discovered by people with big, fancy boats who have lots of money to spend. We were excited to see a 38 foot sailboat proudly flying a Canadian flag anchored in the harbour. The price of our morning cappucino rose dramatically, however we were able to find several locations where they would brew it hot enough to our liking so it was worth the extra kunas. We also found an affordable Sobe with a wonderful harbour view and friendly holiday makers from Australia, Canada and South Africa. It was good to sit on the terrace, soak up the views and exchange stories over cold beverages. We were also thrilled to have kitchen facilities again. After several months of eating out, we were keen to cook our own food and even do dishes. This also gave our pocket book a much needed break. We spent several days walking around visiting the usual tourist attractions and browsing in some shops. Lavendar grows wild throughout the island and there are people selling it from little stands all over town. Rosemary and sage also grow well on Hvar. One afternoon we went for a hike along the coast and found it growing everywhere. Later that afternoon we stumbled upon an unusual tourist attraction. It seems there are a number of naturalist beaches here.
We extended our stay in Hvar because Craig wanted to rent one of the traditional fishing boats equipped with a 5 horse outboard and visit the Pakleni islands, immediately offshore, with their multitude of coves and beaches. Unfortunately, the wind came up and it didn't let up. We were also disappointed in our efforts to see the prized painting of the Last Supper by 17th century artist, Matej Ponzoni Poncun. It was located just down the road from our Sobe at the Franciscan Monastery. Although their advertised hours included an opening between 5 and 7 pm, when we went to the Monastery, the Museum was closed. We rang the bell and the monk that answered the door told us to come back in the morning. Obviously, it is still too early in the season for regular hours.

All in all, we had a nice, quiet stay in Hvar. It has given Lynda some time to recover from a head cold that appeared out of nowhere. If the wind cooperates, it's another early morning departure for ourselves and our new friends, Emil and Elise, from South Africa. We are all heading for Split on the Krilo Jet. Hopefully, our plans will go smoothly and we won't be scrambling to make other arrangements.

Korcula, Croatia

2010-05-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

At 3:00 pm on the dot, our bus pulled out of Dubrovnik and we began a three and a half hour journey to the island of Korcula. (Interestingly enough, there was a couple from Gibsons, BC on the bus.) The winding road along the coast and the adjacent islands reminded us of the Gulf Islands at home. We now know why everyone says Croatia is so beautiful. When we arrived at Orebic, we had to wait for the ferry. Craig wandered off to take some photos. He noticed that the guy who ties up the ferry also sells the tickets and then loads it. All very manageable considering the size of the boat. Within twenty minutes, we had made the short journey across the water and were at the bus station in the town of Korcula. We are becoming very spoiled. Many of the Sobe owners come and meet you upon your arrival. It is always a delight to arrive in a location and see someone standing there holding a sign with your name on it. Rezi de Polo is a woman after Lynda's own heart. On our way to her Sobe, she had to stop and pick up some cat food. She has somehow taken on the responsibility of feeding half a dozen of the neighbourhood cats. Rezi's house is located on the waterfront about five minutes from the town centre. Craig enjoyed our walks to and from town as it gave him an opportunity to ogle the boats, many of which were being readied for the upcoming season. After settling into our room, we headed into town to get some dinner. We went to "Mareto" and ran into a Swedish family who had been travelling with us on the bus. We all sat together and exchanged travel stories. Anneka and her parents were in Croatia as a celebration for her mother's 60th birthday. It was a very pleasant evening.
Korcula resembles Dubrovnic with its walls, round towers and red roofed houses. It is significantly smaller, but we loved its size and its quaintness. We especially liked the drama of the modern day staircase which takes you into the old town. According to the locals, Korcula is the birthplace of the famous explorer and Venetian merchant, Marco Polo. The town marks the location of his birth house and plans are being made for a museum in his name. Although many historical documents claim that Marco Polo was born in Venice, Korcula was under Venetian rule at the time so there may be truth in both stories.
We rented a scooter one day so that we could see some of the island. We loved the little village of Racisce. It consists of houses, a church, two cafes, a post office and many boats in the harbour. It is so picturesque. We inched our way up a steep hill to the village of Pupnat where the views were outstanding and we could see for miles. Then we headed back towards Korcula and onto the village of Lumbarda, which is known for its sandy beaches and vineyards. Everywhere you look there are boats and bays and turquoise waters. We can't believe that we couldn't convince Jim and Karen to meet us in Croatia. Another time perhaps?
We have stretched our stay out as long as we dare. We are now off to the island of Hvar. One hour and fifteen minutes on the Krilo Jet catamaran. The unfortunate reality of this journey is its 6:00 am departure. Not to worry, we will get our travelling out of the way early in the day and have more time to explore another island.

Dubrovnik, Croatia

2010-05-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

Dubrovnik is brilliant! As soon as we got off the ferry, a weight was lifted off our shoulders and we felt relaxed again. Who wouldn't be relaxed? Thanks to our Croatian seatmates at the BC Lion's football games, we were staying in the private home of Mrs. Luca Krkic, high up on the hill behind the old city. 295 steps and a 12% grade for 6 blocks, but the view was amazing. Everywhere we looked we saw red clay roofs, enclosed in the impressive stone castle walls with the dazzling Adriatic sea as a backdrop. As we sat on the deck every morning, eating our breakfast in the sunshine we felt like we were a part of something magical. Then came the reality. Two round trips per day into the city to remind us that exercise is a necessary evil when you are traveling.
While many of our Canadian friends are desperate for signs of spring, it has already arrived in Dubrovnik. In fact, Dubrovnik reminds us of a tropical city. What stands out more than anything is the sweet smell of blossoms in the air. We were also amazed by the lush vegetable gardens. Apparently, the locals start planting in February. Everyone has rows and rows of potatoes and onions. Luca is already harvesting her lettuce. We were so envious. Garden fresh vegetables at the end of April. It didn't seem real. A popular activity with all tourists is a walk around the walls of the old city. The walls were built between the 13th and 16th centuries and they completely surround the city. They are 2 km long and 25 m high. As you walk along, you are treated to views from all angles and you are able to climb up into a few towers. Entrance to the city itself is through four gates. Inside the walls we found churches, museums, souvenir shops, book stores, and art shops. Oh, and lots of places selling gelato. It seems that everyone likes Italian icecream. Lucky for us it is a bit early for cruise ships. There was no more than one ship per day in port while we were there, but it is not hard to imagine what it is like in the height of the season. The sheer number of restaurants is a clue. We found it amusing to watch the waiters in their attempts to lure in more customers. It seems that the friendliest (i.e. noisiest) ones are also the busiest.
While we are visiting a place, we are forced to perform some of life's more mundane tasks. We were thrilled to be able to do laundry at the Krkic house. It was just like being in Australia again. Hang the clothes up on the line and they are dry within hours. Craig's first order of business upon his return home? A clothes line in the backyard. Hopefully, the neighbours won't mind too much. On another note, we had a successful shopping expedition. Craig was able to find another new hat. It seems his wool chapeau is too hot in this weather. He is now sporting a red, Nike, dry fit cap with a silver swoosh. Unfortunately, as soon as we arrive in a place, we are also planning our departure. One day we walked from the old town to the port with the hope of finding a ferry to the island of Korcula, our next destination. Yet again, we are here too early in the season. It seems that we are going to have to take the bus. Not that we mind, but ultimately Craig is a water baby. If we had to choose between land and sea, sea would win out every time. For both of us, this was our first visit to a former Socialist state. It goes without saying that the history of this area is complicated and while we are thirsty for knowledge, we are sensitive to the feelings of others. We do know, from the Krkic family, that Dubrovnik was under attack from the Yugoslavian army, the Serbs and the Montenegrins in 1991-1992. These forces were located on the hill behind and to the left of their home. A lot of damage was done to the city. We read somewhere that 68% of the roofs on buildings within the city walls have been replaced. A must see in Dubrovnik is War Photo Limited. It is an exhibit of war images taken by some of the best photojournalists in the world. Some of the conflicts that have been photographed include the Yugoslav war, Iraq, Afganistan, Sierra Leone and the Congo. It was a sobering experience, but it heightened our awareness of how lucky we are to live in a country that has never had a war on its own soil.
We would like to say a special thank you to Mr. Begovic of the Begovic Boarding house. Although we did not stay with him, we met him in town a couple of times and he was friendly and helpful on both occasions. When we first arrived in Dubrovnic, he used his phone to call the Krkic's to advise them of our arrival. He also drove another traveller to the campground - all out of the goodness of his heart. If you are thinking about travelling in Croatia, there is no need to stay in hotels. There are hundreds of Sobe (private homes), in great locations, at affordable prices. It is also the best way to meet the locals and your fellow travellers.

Bari, Italy

2010-04-26T03:47:00.000-07:00

It turns out the Superfast I ferry was about a year old, spacious and elegant. Our cabin actually had four bunks in it. We contemplated renting out the other two to make some money, but in the end, we kept it for ourselves. Craig was disappointed that there was no balcony, just a small outside window. The ferry was full. There were Italian student groups, American tour groups who had been diverted because of flight cancellations and regular travelers like us. The trip passed quickly. Mostly because we made some new friends, a couple from Australia and their friends from the U.S.A. We spent an enjoyable evening in the restaurant together. A good time was had by all. It was so nice to be able to go to sleep in a comfortable bunk at the end of the day. We slept soundly and when we awoke in the morning, we were a mere hour away from Bari.Bari is a medium sized city that is a transportation centre. It is not really a tourist destination. We would not be staying here, however we are unable to get a ferry to Dubrovnik until the evening of April 24th (Lynda's birthday.) As a result, it has been trial by fire in terms of communication. We have been fumbling our way through the Italian language. Our funniest experience was at the post office. We decided that we should lighten our packs and send some of our winter clothes home. It took all morning for us to get a box and find out about postage rates. Back at the hotel, we crammed as much into the box as we could and headed back to mail it. It took the clerk forty-five minutes to process our package, mainly because of the language barrier. They had to clarify the contents in Italian, determine a value for insurance purposes and accept the fact that we had no address so we were using the pension as a return address. Finally, they accepted the package and we stumbled out of there in a daze. It will be a miracle if we ever see those clothes again.
In the seven months we have been away, we have only had about ten incidents of rain. Throughout Turkey and the Greek islands, the weather has been sunny and warm. The day we sent home our jackets and boots, it started to rain. On our way out for dinner, Lynda lasted about ten minutes. As soon as we saw a sporting goods store, she was in there buying a wind breaker/rain jacket. Craig is made of heartier stock and is much more optimistic. We will see how wise a decision we made, as we travel through Croatia and back into Italy.
There are a few things to do and see in Bari. The old town is a maze of streets and alleyways. According to the Lonely Planet, there are 120 shrines and 40 churches in this small area alone. Craig was amused by the "Infamous Column." It dates back to the 13th century and was where debtors and people who had declared bankruptcy were put to shame. Bari is also the site of the Basilica di San Nicola, one of the south's first Norman churches. It is an important pilgrimage site, as evidenced by the number of tour buses parked around it. Apparently, it was built to house the relics of St. Nicholas (yes, Father Christmas.) We aren't sure of the whole story, but the relics were stolen from Turkey in 1087 by a local fisherman. We also went inside the 11th century Romanesque cathedral. Both the Basilica and the cathedral have very interesting crypts. We aren't religious people, yet you can't help but feel peace and serenity in both places.
For months we have been looking forward to an Italian dining experience. We were disappointed in Bari. There are coffee houses on every corner, but restaurants are more difficult to find. Primarily because Italians don't go out for dinner until at least 8:00 pm. For us, it is way too late to eat. In Turkey and Greece the locals eat late, but at least the restaurants were open and we could get served. In Bari, nothing was open and we spent hours walking around looking for somewhere to eat. Clearly, we are going to have to change our eating patterns before we return to Italy.We were anxious to continue our travels and happily went to the port on Saturday evening. There were a number of ferries leaving that night: Dubrovnik, Montenegro and Albania. The line-up to clear immigration was huge and it moved slowly. We were amongst one of the first groups to board our ship. It was like a 1970s BC ferry that missed out on ever being upgraded. Since we had not purchased a cabin, we were lucky enough to secure a booth. We divided the journey into two four hour shifts and took turns sleeping. We arrived in Dubrovnik at 8:00 am on Sunday morning feeling quite refreshed and are now safely tucked away in a "Sobe" on the hill above the old town.

Athens, Greece

2010-04-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

Our journey to Athens on the Speedrunner IV was quick and uneventful. Lynda used the time to read her novel and Craig exercised his brain by doing some Suduko. There was a football match playing on the TV, but we weren't really paying attention to it. The red and white team was playing against the green and black team. When the ferry docked, we were at the front of the line to disembark. Roula had helped us book the Hotel Astor from Milos and we needed to get to Syntagma Square. We could have taken a taxi, but Craig wanted to save some Euros so we headed to the train station. As it turns out, it is very reasonable to ride the train into the city - only 1 Euro each. Sounds simple, doesn't it? Not a chance. The glitch is that part of the train line is closed for repairs. After a few stops you have to get off the train and take a bus to another station, then reboard the train and go several more stops as well as switching lines along the way. The second glitch is that the football match has just ended in the stadium beside the port. It turns out the red and white team is from Piraeus. (They were playing against the team from Thessaloniki.) So we must do all of this with our packs on, amongst thousands of football fans who are all trying to get home by public transportation. Based on the mood of the fans, the home team was victorious. Everyone was happy and singing their team song loudly, and especially loud when a couple of Thessaloniki fans boarded the bus. In the end, we arrived at the hotel safe, but exhausted.
The Astor Hotel was a good choice for us. It was reasonably priced and centrally located to all of the major sites. We had a view of the Acropolis from our room, although it was partially obstructed by a crane. There was an even better view from the restaurant on the 10th floor. We ate a huge breakfast up there (included in the price) every morning before going out to do some sightseeing. Our hotel was very busy. We spoke to many people who were stuck in Athens because of the problems with the volcanic ash that had closed down airports in most of Europe. Many of them were waiting for news or trying to find alternate ways out of the city. We were happy that we weren't trying to get home. We were only trying to get to Croatia. How hard could it be? We knew it was a sixteen hour journey from Patras to Bari, Italy by ferry. Once we arrived in Bari, we could catch another ferry to Dubrovnik. Lynda was not thrilled about the prospect of being in a seat for that long so she convinced Craig that we should get a cabin. Nothing fancy, just an inside cabin for two. We heard that if we bought a seat, we could wait and purchase an upgrade on the ferry. If we were lucky, we could end up being two people in a four person cabin. We had a plan. Full of confidence, we went to the Superfast ferry office in Syntagma Square. It turns out, Bari was one of those alternate routes out of the city. There was only one cabin left and it was the most expensive one. After a half hour of humming and hawwing, we decided to fork over the money and book the cabin. Let's face it men...if your wife is happy, you are happy. Even if it means paying for a cabin, to travel a long way, in the dark. Back to Athens...Our first day there, we took the train one stop to the Acropolis station. We found the entrance gate and paid 12 Euros for a pass that covered the fees to seven sites, over four days. Many of the sites are within close proximity to the Acropolis. We saw the Theatre of Dionysis, the Parthenon, the Agora, the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's Gate. It's all a bit overwhelming actually. (Perhaps we should have had Preet give us a refresher course in Ancient Civilizations before we left Canada.) What we can say is that it was great to actually see some of these things in person. You see them and hear about them your whole life, but it is different when you are standing in front of them. They are so impressive. We also enjoyed our trip to the National Archaeological Museum on the second day. We saw sculptures, bronzes, vases, and Egyptian and Pre-historic artifacts that date as far back as the 7th millenium BC. We think that our modern society is responsible for so many things, such as mechanical clocks, medical equipment, and fine jewellery, when in fact they have been around for a very long time and the skill level of the craftsmen was amazingly high.
Athens is a massive, sprawling city. We barely had time to view one small part of it, however, we are satisfied with what we saw. Our departure is well-timed. There is a lot of unrest in this country due to its financial problems. It is more noticeable in Athens than on the islands. A general strike has been called for the 22nd of April and we fear that if we don't get out now, we will be marooned for days. We are taking the Superfast bus to Patras (about four hours away) where we will board the ferry for Bari. With the added luxury of a private cabin to look forward to, this leg of our journey, should be most enjoyable.

Milos, Greece

2010-04-19T11:58:00.000-07:00

While we were in Santorini, we met some Canadians from Vancouver. In our discussion, the wife asked Lynda how she was coping with being away from home for so long. It wasn't until these last five days in Milos that the answer came to Lynda. We have been staying at the Nefeli Sunset Studios in Pollonia which is located a mere 80 feet from the Aegean Sea. We spent many hours sitting in the garden or on the deck, enjoying the sunshine and the warmth. From our room we could hear the waves crashing against the shore. We have thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet of Milos in the off-season. More than that, we have been blessed by the friendship of our hosts, Roula and Makis. For us this year, it has been making connections with people that has enhanced our trip. It is why we loved Turkey so much. In the short time we were there, we made many friends. So in Greece, we felt like something was missing. We have liked it, but we have not loved it. When we came to Milos and stayed at Nefeli, we finally found the connection we were looking for. After months on the road, it is difficult to leave a place that feels so much like home.
Milos is approximately five hours from the port of Piraeus by high-speed ferry. It is volcanic in origin and has traditionally relied on mining to support its economy. The three main towns are: Adamas (the port), Plaka and Pollonia, all located in the north, and on the east side of the island. Although we rented a car for most of our time on the island, we only managed to see a fraction of it. We spent several hours at the ancient city which is located on a very steep hillside near Tripiti. There we found remnants of the city walls and a Roman theatre. From the top of the hill, where a small church now stands, the views are spectacular. We also toured through the nearby Catacombs which are thought to be the earliest Christian site in Greece. They date back to the 1st century AD, but were not discovered until the 1840s. We were able to go in two of the three tunnels. The chambers are light with floodlights which give them an eerie feeling, especially when you realize the niches in the walls were for burials. After lunching in Plaka, we climbed a couple of hundred stairs to view the remains of the Kastro. Along the way, there are a number of little churches built into the hillside. At the top we were rewarded for our efforts. It is the perfect defensive position - you have a 360 degree view, for miles around, from the top. This is where we spotted the beautiful beach at Plathiena. We had to go and check it out. We headed back to the car and drove the winding, potholed road to the beach. Along the way, we passed a snake on the side of the road. Even though it was clearly dead, Lynda gave it a wide berth, while Craig moved in close to take a photo (we later found out it was not poisonous.)
We puttered our way along the coast visiting more churches, more beaches and to Craig's delight some little fishing villages called Firopotamos and Mandrakia. We were surprised by the white rock formations at Sarakiniko. It is very much like Capadoccia with caves built into the rock walls, however, it is also a great swimming spot. Craig finally succumbed to the temptation and dove in. It was a hot day and the water wasn't very deep so it had patches of warmth, and he found it very "refreshing." Afterwards, we walked further along the cliffside and viewed the remains of a shipwreck.
We cannot forget to mention our favourite taverna in Pollonia. (Many thanks to Roula for suggesting it.) It is called "Gialos" and it is run by the very charismatic owner, Christos. You will have no trouble finding it. It is located on the waterfront. It is very popular with both tourists and the locals. We had several excellent meals there - in fact, it was the best food we ate the whole time we were in Greece. So if you happen to be in Milos, stop by and see for yourself.
How did these five days zoom by so quickly? We have had a chance to sit and relax, but we have also enjoyed touring around the island. We would definitely return to Milos and Nefeli Sunset Studios. Now we are on our way to Athens. It is a bit nerve wracking for us since we are not fans of big cities, but we couldn't come all this way, and bypass it. So we are going to spend three nights there and do as much sightseeeing as we can. It will also give us a few days to figure out how we are going to get to Croatia. Apparently, it's a bit difficult from Greece. Combined with the airport closures due to the abundance of volcanic ash in the air, air travel is not an option. Who planned this route anyway?

Santorini, Greece

2010-04-16T00:50:00.000-07:00

Aaah, Santorini. Stunning and unique. We couldn't go to the Greek Islands and miss this gem, but as a destination its possibilities are somewhat limited. Two full days were enough for us. We elected to stay t the Pension George, in the village of Karterados, about a fifteen minute walk from the town of Fira, another favourite of Trip Advisor members. There we had a large, comfortable room with a balcony for 30 Euros per night. No, we didn't have a view of the caldera, but Karterados is self-contained. Restaurants, grocery stores and scooter rentals, all in a quiet location outside of the hustle and bustle of Fira. It suited our needs just fine.
After breakfast on our first day, we walked up the road and rented a scooter. This time we could only get one with a 50 cc engine, but Santorini is not as hilly as Naxos, so we didn't need as much power. We consulted the map and drove the winding road to the village of Oia. Almost everyone heads to Oia for its spectacular sunsets, but we wanted to get there early to beat the rush of cruise ship passengers. Oia is perched on the north end of the island. With its blue church domes, its white-washed villas and its caldera location, Oia is picture postcard perfect. We spent several hours there. Morning coffee, a late lunch and just traipsing around the narrow pedestrian streets. Oia is definitely more our style, at least in April. According to our waiter at lunch, in the busy months, several thousand people a day pass through the town. It is so congested that people have to walk shoulder to shoulder through the streets.
We left Oia and drove the low road along the coast through the villages of Kouloubos, Pori and Vourvoulos. We had to follow the road and go back inland, but after passing through Karterados again we headed for the town of Perissa on the south-east coast. We parked our scooter and walked down onto the beach where a local restaurant had set up loungers and umbrellas. We enjoyed a cold beverage and the warmth of the afternoon sun on our faces. What a delightful place! Our day ended with dinner on the southern side of the caldera. We waited for the sunset, but it really wasn't the best place to see it so we made a quick departure and drove back to our pension.
Day Two started with a quick bus trip into Fira. Considering how close the town was we could have walked, but we were afraid of not making it to the old port in time for our 11:00 am boat trip to the volcano (Nea Kameni) and the hot springs. Santorini's old port is famous for its donkey and gondola rides. We elected to walk down and were impressed to see several people running up. The distance alone puts the Fred Gingell stairs in Tsawwassen to shame. We arrived in time to have a quick cappuccino, then boarded the boat (along with a hundred or so other holiday-makers.) Once we arrived at the volcano, everyone disembarked and started the twenty-five minute climb to the top. It was a pretty impressive view from the top and a bit unnerving to see the steam venting through the rocks. Craig couldn't resist mentioning the possibility of our instantaneous death in the event the volcano erupted while we were there. "Ignorance is bliss," said Lynda. One hour later we returned to the boat and cruised over to the hot springs. What they failed to mention in advertising this trip was that you had to swim in the cold ocean to get to the hot springs. Lynda was out. Craig was in. Even he thought the ocean was cold. And the hot springs? Apparently, they weren't that hot. The highlight of our day was riding the donkeys from the bottom of the old port to the top. There were about twenty donkeys on the trip up. Craig's headed straight for the front of the pack. Lynda was stuck in the middle behind an ornery, young mule that kept kicking her donkey in the face. Much to our dismay, there is no video recording of the trip up, but for ten Euros, we had a lot of laughs.
Our stay on Santorini was short, but combined with our five day visit to Naxos, the pace has been busier than we would like. We are taking a ferry to the island of Milos for five days. According to our guide book, now is the time to visit Milos - before the tourists discover it. Our plan is to rest and relax at the beachfront Nefeli Sunset Villas in Pollonia. We will celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary as well as recoup some of our energy, as we prepare for the upcoming journey into Athens.

Naxos, Greece

2010-04-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

If we had to sum up Naxos in one word, it would be...amazing! We spent five days and four nights here, and we barely saw anything. You need weeks to do it justice. Naxos is the biggest island in a group of islands called the Cyclades. The history of the island dates back 5000 years. This is hard for us to fathom considering the youth of our own country. Naxos has towns, villages, great restaurants, churches, museums, ancient sites, hiking, and beaches. Oh, and lots of book stores. (Lynda finally found the sequel to her Ken Follett novel, so she is content for another two weeks.) Overall, Naxos offers something for everyone.
We stayed in Chora (Hora, also known as Naxos town) at Pension Sofi. Although it is off-season and there aren't that many tourists around yet, Sofi's was full. We had a wonderful room with a small balcony and a kitchenette. Rena, Panos and family are very friendly and helpful, so it is not surprising that they are rated number one on Trip Advisor.
We decided to try out the public bus on our first day there. We were heading for the town of Chalki (Halki) about twenty five kilometres away. Our intention was to hike a circular route through some small villages. The bus was supposed to leave at 11:00 am, but it seems the Greeks have a different idea of punctuality. The bus was 45 minutes late, much to the dismay of the waiting passengers. The local Greeks were more put out than the tourists, and there were lots of loud voices and gesturing, much to our amusement. The down side of this delay was that it was already 12:15 and the last bus back to Chora was at 4:00 pm. We really weren't sure of the route or how long it would take, and now we had the pressure of not missing the bus. We spent the first half an hour searching for the two churches which marked the start of the hike, according to the guidebook. We eventually gave up on those when we located the village of Kaloxilos and signs marking the trail to Moni. We had a wonderful hike through the villages, past some farms and churches, up the hill to Moni. Craig was way behind as usual. He kept stopping every ten feet to take pictures. Get ready everyone because next Christmas you are all going to receive a card with a different scene from our trip on it. We have to do something with all the photos or they will sit on the portable hard drive and no one will ever see them. When we finally got to Moni we didn't even have time to stop. We were only half way through our hike and we kept thinking about the bus. To make a long story short, we arrived back in Chalki with one hour to spare. We went to a cafe for a quick bite to eat, had a tour of the local Kitron distillery (a lemon liqueur made only on Naxos) and went to the bus stop. Wouldn't you know it? The bus was an hour late. We learned a valuable lesson that day. Don't rely on public transportation when you are in a country full of scooters!
Early the next morning we waked into town to rent a scooter. For 14 Euros per day we had two helmets and our own set of wheels. Without a motorcycle endorsement on your driver's license, the insurance will only allow you to rent a 100cc max. scooter. Even so, Craig was able to make that high performance 85 cc engine scream its way up all the hills of Naxos. We spent the next two days making two loops around the majority of the island. We visited several castles (all closed), the Dimitras Temple (open) and a multitude of churches (all closed except the village ones which didn't have locks on the doors.) We also hiked in to see the statues of Kouros, which date back to between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. These stone and marble statues are said to depict local heroes or even the God Dionysus. They are very large in size, but very simple in their decoration. It is believed they were abandoned by the sculptors because of defects in the stone or marble. Today they still remain in the location of their initial discovery.
Naxos in April is a very relaxing place to be. There is a lot of local flavour at this time of year. It is definitely spring time in the Mediterranean. The flowers are blooming, the blossoms are on the trees and the gardens are being planted. The weather is warming up, although it is not warm enough for sunbathing. We didn't even make it to one of the island's many beaches. Our shorts are still in the backpacks and we aren't brave enough to go out without our jackets. Most of the time we end up carrying them, but we need them to reduce the impact of the wind, especially when we are riding on the scooter. If you are thinking about a holiday in Naxos, now is the time to book it. We would love to go back again one day. There is still so much for us to do and see there.

Samos, Greece

2010-04-09T12:37:00.001-07:00

We have finally made it to another country - Greece! Our ferry was supposed to leave Kusadasi at 8:30 am, however, there was a computer glitch and the police could not process the passengers out of Turkey. We stood in a line that did not move and when the computers eventually started up, the line moved at a snail's pace. No worries...it gave us an opportunity to meet some of the other people in line. We chatted with some lovely American travelers. It turns out that most of them are teachers in Kuwait on their spring break, but also amongst them were Kathy and Steve from Beverley, Massachusetts, parents of one of the Kuwaiti teachers. When the ferry finally left port, we were only a half an hour behind schedule. The trip took approximately 90 minutes. The seas were calm and the sun was shining so everyone was happy. We quickly cleared Greek Customs and Immigration. We were all disappointed with the stamp they put in our passports. It was barely legible. Off we went to find our pension. We didn't have a map so we had to stop and ask directions. At that time, we were approached by an older Greek man. He wanted us to come and see his place. He gave us every reason in the book as to why his pension was better. In the end we trooped up the hill to see it. At 25 Euros per night it was a better price and location, so we stayed, but it may not have been that much of a bargain as he did not have WiFii or breakfast. Worse than that, we were the only ones staying there. We know now it is so much better to be staying in a place with other people. It is how you find out the best places to eat and where to go sightseeing. Greece has been a bit of a shock for us. Suddenly, we are faced with another language to learn and an alphabet that is unrecognizable. Reading street signs is difficult to say the least. Luckily, we have met a lot of Greek people who speak at least a little bit of English and Craig has made up a Greek cheat sheet that we refer to often. We did not venture out of Samos Town while we were on the island. We did not have any transportation and we weren't there long enough to give public transit a go, however, we liked what we saw. Samos Town is exactly what we thought a Greek port town would look like. We spent most of the first day wandering up and down the streets with the American crew. Craig found a kindred spirit in Kathy, who is a professional photographer. How come they are always three miles back? Lynda and Steve decided they should start a support group for the spouses of photographers. It's always a bit of a drag to be the person without the camera. Our short stopover on Samos quickly came to an end. We had a 6:00 am (yes, you all heard correctly) departure from the port on a Hellenic Seaways ferry bound for Naxos. We were so afraid that we would miss the ferry that we set the alarm for 4:45 am. When we were awoken at 4:00 am by the drop of the ferry's anchor in the harbour, we jumped out of bed and started to prepare for our departure. We had a second reason to be worried. We hadn't actually confirmed the time when we arrived in Greece. Was it the same as Turkey? We weren't willing to take a chance so we arrived at 5:00 am for a 6:00 am departure. Better to be safe than sorry.

Turkey's Aegean Coast

2010-04-06T05:42:00.000-07:00

After three wonderful, relaxing days in Selcuk with our Homeros family, we boarded the bus to Bodrum. We couldn't go to Turkey and not experience the coast. Our home for three nights was the Pension Gulec on a narrow side street about two blocks from the sea. We loved the area for its authentic Turkish feel. We ate our breakfasts in the garden of the pension and enjoyed homecooked meals from the restaurants in the neighbourhood. We spent one whole day exploring St. John's castle in the centre of town. It has an amazing display called "the Glass Wreck." It is the reconstruction of a merchant ship that was carrying glass products and recycled glass between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea that sunk about 1500 years ago and was recovered late in the 20th century after being found by sponge divers. It was well worth the extra 5 Turkish Lira it cost to view the display. The season has not started in Bodrum yet, but the anticipation is building and the preparations are underway.

Craig loved being back by the sea in the presence of so many boats and fishermen. As well as the ordinary fishing boats, Bodrum is known for its large, wooden sailing ships which must be worth millions. The marina is buzzing with activity as the ships are being made ready for their upcoming journeys.
We found Bodrum to be very touristic. The surrounding hillsides are covered with villas and new housing developments. The streets are filled with European holiday-makers. There are tons of opportunities for shopping and European hypermarkets (i.e. Metro and Kipa) are popping up all over the place. The bank machines even give you the option of choosing Euros, Pounds or Turkish Lira. An added complication to our lives...our camera finally died. The zoom lens hasn't worked since Australia, but we were hoping it would hang on until the end of our trip. What to do now? We asked at our hotel and Mehmet suggested one place. We knew it would cost us more than at home, but we needed to shop around. Lynda posted our dilemma on Trip Advisor's Bodrum forum and within hours we had the name of four other places to visit. We ended up going back to the first place Mehmet suggested, but at least we had an opportunity to shop around. At that point, we were happy to be in a such a touristic place. We don't know what we would have done if we had been on a tiny, Greek island.
Traveling is a process of exploration and discovery. We are glad we went to Bodrum, but three nights was enough for us. On Sunday morning, we returned to the otogar and hopped on a bus going to Kusadasi, another coastal town. Our original idea had been to take the ferry from Bodrum to Kos and begin our journey through the Greek islands from there, but we abandoned that plan after a little bit of research. Getting to Kos wasn't a problem (providing the weather cooperated), but getting off of Kos and onto the islands we wanted to see was going to be challenging. So we headed to Kusadasi where we could get a ferry to Samos. Once we were on Samos, we would have easy access to Naxos, Santorini and Crete.
We were picked up in Kusadasi by Sezgin, the owner of Sezgin's Hotel and Pension. It is favoured by the Lonely Planet guide book and with good reason. The rooms are large, the showers actually have shower doors and the beds are...oh so comfortable. Lynda could have slept there for a week. Kusadasi is synonymous with cruise ships which also means holiday-makers, but the atmosphere is very different than Bodrum. It was a beautiful, sunny day and the boardwalk was full of people so we meandered along with everyone else.

In Turkey, we had finally reached the point where we felt comfortable enough to talk to shop owners without feeling the pressure to make a purchase. Or so we thought! On our way back to the hotel, Craig began talking with a shop owner (of leather products) who invited us to have some cay with him. We sat for a while and had a very pleasant conversation. Just as we were getting ready to depart, Craig made the mistake of asking him about his leather jackets. The next thing you know, Lynda (how did that happen?) is trying on these beautiful, lamb skin jackets and absolutely loving them. After an hour of indecision and negotiations (it was a phenomenal deal), we walked out of the store without the jacket. "Why?" you ask. Ultimately, Lynda did not want to carry one more thing in her backpack. It's as simple as that. We had a delicious, barbequed fish dinner at Sezgin's that night with mussels for a starter, accompanied by bread, Greek salad, and rice pilaf. Our tablemates were three Canadian girls from the Vancouver area. One of them is currently teaching in Kuwait, one is a student in Istanbul and the other one is on holidays. It was a very pleasant evening and we enjoyed connecting with people from back home.

The next morning we were up early and off to the port to get the ferry to Samos. We have had such an amazing time in Turkey and we are sad to be leaving, especially because it has taken us so long to learn some key Turkish words and now we are going to be starting from scratch with Greek.
"Cheers" everyone, or for our Turkish friends "Serafe," and when we figure out the Greek word, we'll let you know.

Goreme, Turkey

2010-03-31T02:51:00.000-07:00

Our destination was Goreme, but because we were intent on avoiding a night bus, we boarded the 9:20 am bus to Konya. We figured that if we could get to a bigger centre, there would be more buses and we could pick the one that suited our timetable. The Lonely Planet guide to Turkey warns people about a scam involving transportation to Cappadocia. You pay for a ticket to Goreme, but then you are dropped off at Nevsehir and you have to pay an additional fee to get to Goreme. Forewarned is forearmed, so off we went.

We arrived at the otogar in Konya a few minutes before 1:00 pm. We had not even been there two minutes and were collecting our backpacks when we were approached by a man who asked us if we were going to Goreme. It seems that he was collecting passengers for a bus that was leaving immediately. Since Craig is always telling Lynda that she needs to be more spontaneous, we followed him to the bus. We told him that we did not have a ticket and in broken English, he told us that we could buy the ticket on the bus. Before boarding, we checked the sign on the front of the bus and Goreme was clearly listed as a stopping point. Also, the bus was full of Turkish people and it seems that we were not the only ones without a ticket. The entire back of the bus was paying cash. Ah, ha! We are sure that none of the money from the cash paying customers is making it into the bus company coffers. The driver and the attendant have figured out a way to supplement their income. The ride was uneventful until we arrived in Nevsehir, at which point in time the attendant informed us that we had to get off the bus and take a shuttle to Goreme. "Here we go!" we thought. The attendant handed us over to a fellow from a local tour company who told us that the shuttle was not coming for 20 minutes, but we could wait in his office. While we were there, he attempted to sell us some tours. We graciously declined, but took his card and promised to call him when we made up our minds. He escorted us to the shuttle. We were a bit anxious when the attendant on this bus came down the aisle checking tickets, but he passed right by us. We made it to Goreme without any major incident and in better time than if we had waited for another bus.
We arrived at the Arch Palace in the late afternoon and although we were not staying in a cave hotel, we were thrilled with our choice. The owner, Mustafa, receives rave reviews on Trip Advisor, but adding to that is the fact that the hotel has been completely renovated. The rooms are very large. The shower in our room (# 202) was huge and it came with a rainforest shower head. What a treat! Mustafa and his family go out of their way to ensure that your stay is enjoyable. Mustafa gave us tips on hiking and day excursions, drove us to a travel agent in Urgup for the price of petrol, and suggested restaurants to try. His wife, Nurtan, did our laundry and provided us with tasty breakfasts(and a couple of dinners) on the terrace. We have no hesitation recommending the Arch Palace to anyone looking for a place to stay in Goreme.
Many people told us that Cappadocia was a must-do in Turkey. Even though it was quite a ways away from the coast, we added it to our itinerary. The draw of Cappadocia is its unique landscape. Commonly called "fairy chimnies," they are simply ancient layers of ash and lava that have been eroded over centuries by wind and water. Underneath the hard layers of lava, nomadic Turkish people have excavated dwellings in the compacted ash. The harder, less eroded lava layers remain as hat-like tops. These excavations vary from simple dwellings to decorated churches and even underground cities. One of the meanings of Cappadocia comes from the Persian word "Katpatuka" which means "the land of beautiful horses." That may well be the case, but we saw very few horses while we were in the area. We saw lots of donkeys working in the fields and pulling carts. Craig worked very hard to photograph this aspect of Turkish life.
We were looking for a low-key exploration on our first day. Mustafa suggested we take the dolmus to Uchisar to explore the castle and the village, then walk back via Pigeon Valley. Since we could see Uchisar from the terrace of our hotel, it all seemed manageable. We enjoyed the view from the sixty-metre high castle and wandered around the village. When it was time to walk back, we headed down into the valley. We found a well-worn trail, but then it became very dicey. It seemed better designed for mountain goats than human being. We explored a few other paths, but we ended up going in the opposite direction. It was a long walk back to the town centre, and by that time, Lynda had lost patience. We returned to the bus stop and hopped on a dolmus back to Goreme. If we had been blessed with more time it would have been great to try to reverse the direction and walk from Goreme to Uchisar.
As many of you know, we are not big fans of organized tours. We decided to take "the Green Tour" because it included the underground city of Derinkuyu, the Ilhara Valley, a tour guide, lunch and all your transportation for 50 Turkish Lira each. At Derinkuyu we went underground to a depth of eight floors, but apparently only one quarter of the original city is open to the public. It was a place of refuge that could maintain life for an extended period of time. We saw stables, wine presses, living areas, churches, a meeting hall and a confessional. This, and other cities, were linked together by nine kilometres of known tunnels. The Ilhara Valley is about one hour's drive from Derinkuyu. We walked three kilometres along the river between high cliffs, passing by churches and villages carved into the rock. After a full-sized meal at a restaurant along the river, we were back in the bus and on our way to the Selime monastery. We climbed up the side of the mountain and explored some more cave dwellings. The fresh air and the big lunch acted like a sedative for the other holiday-makers because as soon as we got back on the bus and started driving, they all fell asleep. We enjoyed the tour. It was a reasonably priced way for us to cover a few sites without renting a car.
Traditionally, Saturday is Market Day in Turkey. This is when the locals do their shopping. We had business at a travel agency in Urgup and only stumbled upon the market by accident. The range of products and the quantities were amazing. Lynda couldn't help herself and bought a kilo of fresh strawberries for two lira.(Icecream and strawberries for dessert that night.) Hopefully, some of Craig's pictures will give everyone a feel of what we experienced.
On our last day in Goreme, we took a dolmus to the Zelve Open Air Museum and spent several hours exploring more churches, cave dwellings and tunnels. Then we started hiking back towards Goreme, through the wine fields and along the ridge line over Pasabaz, and down into the village of Cavusin where we had lunch. After lunch we made our way through the Rose Valley and the Red Valley to Goreme. We met several interesting people, saw varying landscapes and structures, and enjoyed the warm, sunny day. There is so much more to explore in this area, but it is time to move on. We are cheating and taking the short route back to the coast. We have purchased a very reasonable flight from Kayseri to Izmir and are going to stop back in Selcuk at our favourite family pension, Homeros. Our intention is to spend the Easter weekend in Bodrum and then take a ferry from Kusadasi to Samos, Greece. We have loved our time in Turkey and will hopefully be back here next Spring Break.

Egirdir, Turkey

2010-03-25T11:12:00.000-07:00

How did we end up in this spectacular Turkish town? Just by chance actually. We were looking for a stopover point on our way to Cappadocia and the Rough Guide described it as "an astonishingly beautiful setting." It was only three hours from Pamukkale and eight hours from Goreme so we decided to take a chance. We're glad we did. The atmosphere in the town is very relaxing. There are very few tourists here at the moment, but this probably has more to do with the time of year than anything else. The lake, the mountains, and the sunshine all reminded us of the Okanagan. We stayed at Ali's Pension on the island of Yesilada. Up until the late 1960s you had to access Yesilada by boat. Now there is a bridge and you can just walk down the causeway. It was sunny and warm and we had been sitting on the bus for a few hours so we decided to walk. On your way to Yesilada, you have to walk through a small area called Canada. It is like a little forest and we saw people having picnics in the sunshine. Ali's Pension is run by Birsen and her family. Although they are not officially open for the season, they were happy to accomodate us. Yet again, we were able to enjoy some wonderful Turkish home cooking. We even got to try the Turkish version of cotton candy. It was sweet and sugary without the chemical taste.
The next day we wanted to do some exploring. We had the option of going for a 60 km bike ride, but we didn't want to tie up our whole day so we decided to walk in to town instead. We needed to do some shopping. It seems that Craig has lost another hat and with no natural protection on his head, we needed to find another one quickly. He is thrilled with his stylish, new Turkish cap (sapka) which he got for a mere seven lira (about $4.) We also went in search of a sink plug. It is not an easy task when you have a very limited Turkish vocabulary, but charades work well. We asked at a number of plumbing stores, but sink plugs are a rare commodity over here. Finally, we found a shop and instead of making a sale, they actually gave it to us by stealing it out of a sink drain kit. Another sink in Turkey that will have no plug. Later that morning, we met a friendly, English speaking taxi driver who drove us up the hillside to a village called Akpinar. We walked up the hill a little further, passing by goats and cows and local women working in the fields. There we enjoyed some incredible views of Egirdir and the lake. On our way back down, we met a lady from the village. Not only was she carrying a huge pile of branches on her back, but she was dragging a heavy bag full of branches too. Craig relieved her of the bag and we walked back to the village together. The branches are taken from the orchards, chopped into little pieces and used for firewood. It is very labour intensive and it makes us appreciate the convenience of our gas fireplace at home.

Our taxi driver suggested we stop by the local restaurant in the afternoon for some gozleme (Turkish crepes.) It seems that all we do is eat, but since we intended to walk back down the hillside we thought we should get some substinence. We ate gozleme with cheese and drank some cay and enjoyed the view from the terrace. By the time we walked back to our pension, the day was done.
Egirdir is one of those hidden gems you only hope to find when you are traveling. It would be an ideal place to spend some time, especially a little later in the spring when the temperature is consistently warmer. There are so many possible activities that you can do: hiking, biking, swimming, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, fishing, etc. yet it is not overly touristy. We would highly recommend this beautiful spot and we are hopeful that we can make it back one day!

Pamukkale, Turkey

2010-03-22T13:26:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Pamukkale began with a new phenomenon - shopping for a bus company. Unlike Canada where Greyhound is your only option, Turkey has dozens of companies all vying for your business. As soon as you enter the otogar you are besieged with offers. You can go around to each company wicket and ask for the times, prices, bus configuration, transfer information etc. but you aren't really sure what you are going to get, especially on the shorter routes, until the bus actually shows up.

When we bought our tickets for Pamukkale, we were assured by the agent that we would not have to transfer buses. In the end we did, but it was a short ride and we weren't the ones who had to stand because there weren't enough seats for everyone. Granted the buses are cheap and there are plenty of employees there to make sure you get on and off the right bus, but buying a bus ticket is as stressful as buying a carpet in Istanbul.

We arrived in Pamukkale in the early afternoon and made our way to the Kervansaray Pension. Apparently, the season has not really started yet so there aren't very many overnight tourists around. In fact, there were two rooms booked the first night and only our room on the second night. Having enjoyed our Turkish meals at Homeros so much we asked our host if his restaurant served dinner. Mevlut was happy to accomodate our request so on both nights we were treated to enormous and delicious meals, courtesy of his wife. We can't believe how much we ate while we were there!
Pamukkale is known around the world for its white, travertine pools and terraces, and its hot springs. We saw pictures of them several years ago and were astounded by the beauty of the place. The reality is that we should have been in Pamukkale twenty five years ago. In their attempts to accomodate the tourists, the powers that be have taken away its natural beauty with their manipulations. During our visit we had to listen to the sound of a jack hammer up on the cliff, and were disappointed to find that the majority of the pools had been drained of water. Nevertheless it was a beautiful, sunny day and we enjoyed the uniqueness of our surroundings. We spent the day touring around the Roman and Byzantine ruins of Hierapolis and viewing ancient artifacts in the museum. People have been drawn to this place for thousands of years with good reason. We were up there on a Sunday afternoon and not only were there loads of tour buses, but there were lots of Turkish families having a day out. Although Pamukkale may never be restored to its former glory, it was worth a day trip.

We are now heading to Egirdir which, according to the Rough Guide, is a pretty, little lakeside town. It is a convenient place to stop for a couple of nights on our way to Cappadocia.

Selcuk, Turkey

2010-03-19T07:41:00.000-07:00

And they're off....again! We got up way too early and were meeting Sandra and Andreas at the port in order to catch the 7:00 am ferry to Bandirma. Our final destination was Selcuk (near Ephesus), but in order to get there we had to take a two hour ferry ride and a four and a half hour train journey. This would only get us to Izmir, at which point in time Sandra and Andreas would head off to Denizli and we would continue on to Selcuk. It was all smooth sailing until we got to Izmir. It seems that the otogar (main bus station) where we needed to go is eight kilometres on the other side of town. We weren't sure how we were going to get there. We hurried off the train, kept repeating the word "otogar" and were directed to a nearby bus stop. Within minutes, a dolmus (mini van) arrived and we jumped on, packs and all. Take note: there is no such thing as a full dolmus. It was standing room only and as we raced across town, we held on for dear life. Eventually we all got seated, except for Craig who was braced against the backpacks to ensure that they did not topple into the aisle. It took us at least 45 minutes to get to the otogar. When we did arrive, we said a hasty good-bye to Sandra and Andreas and went in search of the bus to Selcuk. We easily found it and within ten minutes, we were on the road again. We have to say that traveling in Turkey is very reasonable. For the entire journey from Istanbul to Selcuk (ferry, train, dolmus, bus) we paid 47 Turkish Lira. That is about $31 Canadian dollars. Hard to believe, isn't it?

Our home for the next two nights was the Homeros Pension. It had great reviews on Trip Advisor and we were attracted to the free shuttle to Ephesus, the laundry service and the mention of Mama's home cooking. We had such a good time and met such lovely people that we extended our stay by three nights. It is like staying with family, but we didn't have to do anything. And Mama's cooking? Absolutely delicious. In fact, Craig was even invited to cook dinner with Mama the night before we left.

So what is there to do in Selcuk? We have explored the town, including the Basilica of St. John, the Ephesus Museum and the Artemision, which was once one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Unfortunately, all that is left of the temple is one lone pillar and some foundation blocks. Not to worry, the tour buses continue to roll in and out of there all day long. Everyone, including us, wants to see what is left of it. Along with James, a young British backpacker and history enthusiast from our pension, we spent another day at Ephesus. It is reportedly the most visited tourist attraction in Turkey and the best preserved ancient city in the Mediterranean. Our knowledge in this area is seriously limited, but we were keen to learn so we broke down and hired an official Turkish guide. For 60 Turkish Lira, Vulcan spent two hours sharing his knowledge and expertise with us. It was money well spent. After Vulcan's tour, we spent another two hours exploring the site and visiting the terraced houses. The reconstruction process is slow, but the work that has been done on the terraced houses is incredible. The marble mosaic floors alone are worth the extra admission fee. Another day we took a dolmus up to a small village in the hills called Sirince, wandered around and enjoyed the views. One morning we borrowed mountain bikes from Homeros and rode out to the beach 8 km away. The sun was shining, but it was too early for swimming so we had a cay and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

It is time to go again, but we are happy and relaxed and loving Turkey. Our destination is Pamukkale and the travertine pools. Stay tuned for more adventures.

Istanbul, Turkey

2010-03-17T23:45:00.000-07:00

We set off from Loughborough to London on the 11:40 am train. Luckily, the Gods were with us and we arrived at Heathrow with a couple of hours to spare. As we walked to our gate we were passed by a man running through the airport (reminiscent of OJ Simpson in the 1970s Hertz commercials.) Lynda swears it was Brad Pitt. A search of the current gossip web sites failed to confirm nor deny his presence at Heathrow airport on March 10, 2010. Either way, it is exciting to think that it could have been him. After a very comfortable (and short) flight on British Airways we arrived at Ataturk airport. The process for entering Turkey is very simple. You walk up to the Visa station at the airport, pay your 90 Euros and the Immigration officer places a sticker in your passport. You leave his booth and go to see a Customs official. He examines your passport for a visa sticker, stamps it and you are on your way. No words, other than thank you, were spoken. We pre-arranged a pick-up with the hotel and by 11:30 pm we were in our room getting ready for bed.
Istanbul is definitely the most exotic place we have been so far on our journey. Here are some of the delightful highlights:
The Pension
The Sebnem Hotel is located in Sultanahmet, near the Blue Mosque and the Aya Sofya. We were conscious of the 5 am call to prayer, which seemed much louder on the first day, but we had no trouble rolling over and going back to sleep. The hotel serves a lovely breakfast on the roof-top terrace. Some of the tasty treats include: yoghurt, fruit, cheese, deli meat, boiled egg, cucumber, tomato, rolls and a HUGE selection of fresh pastries. We must not forget to mention the freshly squeezed pitcher of apple, orange and pomegranate juice. Along with the coffee, it was a wonderful way to start the day. We cannot say enough good things about the staff at the Sebnem. They were hard-working, conscientious and always willing to provide help when it was needed.
New Friends:
Over the last six months, we have discovered it is the people you meet who make a big impact on your impression of a place. In Istanbul, we were blessed. Firstly, in the morning on day one, Lynda had been doing some research on Trip Advisor. She read a rave review about a Canadian woman who had a shop in the Arasta Bazaar. Later that afternoon as we were walking around, we stumbled upon the Arasta bazaar and were making our way through it when we were stopped by a Turkish man who saw the Canadian flag on Lynda's backpack. This is not unusual because it seems that every store, restaurant, and tea shop has a salesmen out front trying to hustle you in. They all have a friend or relative in Canada that they want to start talking to you about. Anyway, this man told us we had to go in because the shop was run by a Canadian woman. Lynda instantly knew this was the woman she had been reading about and before we knew it the door opened and out walked Jennifer Gaudet, former resident of Edmonton, Alberta. Even though she was busy serving customers, we had our first taste of Turkish hospitality - "Come on in. Would you like some cay (chai)?" Jennifer became an excellent resource for us in Istanbul. Secondly, on the evening of day one, we went for a simple dinner at a restaurant called Doy Doy which Jennifer had recommended. While we were there we met Sandra and Andreas, a German couple, who were just starting a year long trip along the old Silk Road route. A conversation ensued and we became dinner companions for the next few days.
Tourism:
We must confess that we did not spend a lot of time visiting tourist attractions. One stop was the Topkapi Palace, a symbolic and political centre of the Ottoman Empire for nearly four centuries. We spent several hours wandering through the courtyards, the harem and the Treasury. We were awestruck by the collection of treasures on display, from the jewels to the weapons to the thrones. Another morning we walked across town, across the bridge, over the Golden Horn and up the Galata Tower. From there, you have 360 degree views of Istanbul. Our walk took us through four or five market districts, where several city blocks are dedicated to a specific trade such as suit tailoring, tools, socks, underwear, the Spice Market, and the Galata Bridge itself where everybody seemed to be fishing for a living.
Shopping:
We had heard about the shopping in Turkey, but we were only planning on looking because we still had several months of traveling left and no room to carry anything. After spending a few hours in Jennifer's Hamam shop and looking at the towels and the silk scarves, Lynda weakened first. However, we did not rush in to making a purchase, as we were trying to figure out how we could manage to buy the towels and not pay a fortune to ship them home. On every corner in Istanbul, there is a carpet store. Every time you walk by one, the pressure from the salesmen is immense. We were interested in learning about Turkish carpets, but we had no interest in buying one. Jennifer offered to take us to the store of a friend and after some consideration, we agreed. The next morning Jennifer, Craig and Lynda went to meet Murat. After the introductions, we all sat down and Turkish coffee and/or tea were ordered. We chatted for about fifteen minutes before Murat got down to business. He gave us a rundown of the history of the carpets, kilims, camel blankets and the styles that were available. Then the samples started to be placed on the floor. The carpets are amazingly beautiful and it was not difficult to see the difference in the quality and workmanship. Somehow along the way our disinterest turned to interest and we began to visualize them in our house. We narrowed it down to three carpets, but we were not confident that the sale was going to happen because we had started the negotiation process. Bartering is such a foreign concept for North Americans. We are not used to negotiating the price of purchases. To make a long story short, we are now the proud owners of a Turkish carpet which we will take delivery of when we return home in June. The benefit of this purchase is that shipping is included in the price and there is room in the container for any other purchases we make. After that we purchased the towels and some Turkish pillow covers. We are very pleased with our purchases and are looking forward to seeing them in our house.
Hamam:
We heard there were several touristy hamams around town, but we were keen to have a true Turkish bath experience. Jennifer directed us to her neighbourhood hamam so off we went on our last afternoon in town. Craig's experience was quite different from Lynda's. Lynda was alone with the two Turkish ladies who were working there. Neither of them spoke English so other than some hand gesturing it was quiet and relaxing. On the men's side there was Craig and nine other Turkish men. None of them spoke English either, but the mood was loud and boisterous and authentically Turkish. For about $15 we were steamed, bathed, scrubbed down, lathered up, massaged and rinsed off in rooms full of marble. The whole process took about two hours. We can easily see how it could become a weekly ritual.
Cats:
After months of being surrounded by dogs in England and kangaroos in Australia, Lynda was thrilled to find a cat friendly country. The Turkish streets are filled with stray cats. Some are straggly and forlorn and others are healthy and well-groomed. They are also suprisingly friendly. While we were the Topkapi Palace, we saw a tabby cat sitting on a stone wall. Lynda went over to the wall and sat down. The cat immediately crawled into her lap and settled in. At the Arasta Bazaar there was a mama cat with six adorable kittens who were a month old. Every other street, lane or park area has a resident cat or two. Good thing we don't live here because Lynda would be rounding them up and opening an cat shelter.
We cannot believe our time in Istanbul is over. We have barely scratched the surface of things to do. The weather has been perfect - sunny and cool. We know that we will definitely come back and it will be at a time when we are heading directly back to Canada so that Lynda can do more shopping!

Zooming around the U.K.

2010-03-09T02:18:00.000-08:00

York

On this journey, we found ourselves traveling in a way that is contrary to our preference - we were on a schedule and a pretty tight one at that. Our first stop was York, a city that has been around since 71 AD. Unfortunately, we could only spend an afternoon in this mecca of history. York has it all: Roman, Saxon, Norman, Viking, Medieval etc. It was Lynda's third visit to York, but there is a lot to see and she was keen to share it with Craig. After checking in to our farm stay bed and breakfast in Shipton by Beningbrough, we drove five minutes to the nearby Park and Ride where we hopped on a local bus for the six mile journey into the city. Parking in York's hodge podge streets is known for being difficult to find and expensive.The bus allowed us to maximize our sightseeing.
We started by walking around the portion of the city wall that is located beside the York Minster cathedral. Then we headed inside the Minster for a closer look. The Minster is an impressive building that was built between 1200 and 1472. It is possible to attend services for free, but if you are just a tourist, there are a couple of different options and fee schedules. We elected to walk the 275 steps to the top of the central tower where we passed by pinnacles and gargoyles and had a bird's eye view of the city. We also enjoyed wandering through the pedestrian-only streets and window shopping. Then we ventured down Mad Alice Lane to view a 12th century church. Holy Trinity is unique in that the church is filled with family pews or boxes.Then there was The Sambles, an area that gets its name from the word,"Samel" meaning bench or stall where butchers would display and sell their wares. Craig seemed to think the meaning referred to the construction technique used. Obviously in the 1400's the level hadn't been invented yet.
The day passed by very quickly and as the sun began to set, we started to feel the cold. We retrieved our vehicle and headed back to Shipton by Beningbrough where we had a delightful roast dinner at the cozy Dawnay Arms. We were back at Wood Farm in time for the Olympic hockey final between Canada and the USA. Luckily, there were no other guests to be disturbed by our hooting and hollering (and groaning.) It was a proud moment for all Canadians when Sidney Crosby finally scored in overtime and Canada secured the gold medal.
Many thanks to Helen at Wood Farm for her hospitality. Not only does she run the bed and breakfast with her daughter, Claire, but they are the operators of this 100+ head working cattle ranch. We were lulled to sleep and awoken in the morning by the mooing of the cows. It was the perfect place for us to stay near York.

Scotland

We had an enjoyable drive from York to Edinburgh along the coast road. We were able to make it in about five hours (including stops) and were very thankful for the GPS once we arrived in the city. Between the construction, the narrow roads and the traffic, it would be so easy to get lost. As it was, the GPS took us directly to our destination.
Our hosts for three nights were Craig's cousin, Bob Hislop, and his wife Marlene. We are especially grateful to them because we had never met them before and had only emailed them four days prior to our arrival. They very generously opened up their house to us and showed us around the city.
After a "cuppa" and a quick bite to eat, we went for a walk with Marlene to the Royal Botanic Gardens. Although it is a bit early for spring flowers, the snowdrops were out in full force, as were the squirrels. It is not hard to imagine what a lovely oasis the Gardens would be in the Spring and Summer. We were impressed with the memorial garden built in honour of the Queen Mother which was opened in 2006. It is divided into four hemispheres and each one is filled with plants from a different continent (North America, Asia, Europe and the Southern hemisphere.) There is also a stone pavilion that is uniquely decorated. The walls are covered with seashells and the ceiling is covered with different types of pinecones. By the time we returned home Bob was back from his outing. That evening we had dinner with their neighbours, Elsie and Archie, and helped to celebrate Archie's birthday.
Bob and Marlene's house is in a fantastic location in Edinburgh. A quick ten minute walk and you are on Princes Street. The next morning, it was beautiful and sunny. We all wandered down Princes Street and headed up to the castle. We enjoyed viewing the royal apartments, seeing the Scottish Crown jewels and touring the prison. Craig was just thrilled to be in a place where he could finally learn about his heritage. After a few hours and lunch, Bob and Marlene headed home and we went on the Scotch Whisky Experience tour just outside the castle walls. Always looking for an educational experience, we were keen to learn about the process of making Scotch Whisky. Part of the tour includes viewing the world's largest collection of Scotch Whisky which belongs to a Brazilian named Claive Vidiz. He owns over 3500 bottles of unopened bottles. Wow! We spent the rest of the afternoon wandering down The Royal Mile. Before long it was dark and we were tired, so we headed home.
On Wednesday mornings, Bob walks with his friend Donald. Marlene and Craig and I decided to tag along and see some more of the city. We left their house and headed west along the old coal line railway bed. We even passed by J.K. Rowling's house, but don't ask us to tell you where it is because we have no idea. After about five miles of walking and a stop for coffee and squares, we reached Cramond at the Firth of Forth. We happily boarded a bus and returned to Bob and Marlene's house. Our time in Edinburgh went far too quickly. Since we had never planned to go there in the first place, we were just happy to have made it. There is no doubt that we will definitely be going back.
We were heading south, but before we could leave Scotland, we had one more stop to make. Peebles is a town about an hour outside of Edinburgh. It is the former home of one set of Craig's great, great grandparents on his mother's side. We were shocked by the amount of snow and fog on the way to Peebles, but by the time we got there, it was sunny and the ground was clear. The countryside in this area is just spectacular. We drove to the town cemetary and as you can imagine, it was much larger than we anticipated. It took us about twenty minutes to find the gravestone of Adam Watson. We were then directed to the Town Council offices and the County Registrar's office and with the help of some very kind people, we were able to gather some new information for the family tree. This included a former residence on Old Town which is still there although it is in the process of being re-developed. Our short stop turned into a four hour venture. It wasn't until 2:30 that we were back on the road and heading to Liverpool to see Lynda's cousin. We finally arrived at Syl's in Crosby at 6:45 pm. We enjoyed visiting with her and her two dogs, Holly and Misty. Unfortunately, we were unable to see the rest of the Liverpool relatives. The illness of a Great Aunt and the impending birth of a cousin's baby meant that people were unavailable. We are happy to report that Auntie Mary (aged 96) is on the mend, and Colette and Andrew are the proud parents of a baby girl named Poppy. We will catch up with all of them next time.

Wales

On Friday morning we left Liverpool and headed to Wales. We were meeting Kevin, Lara, Jaiden, Kai and the dogs for a weekend in the country. For all you travelers out there, Wales is hugely underrated. It is a beautiful country and if you like the outdoors, there is plenty to do.
Lara had booked the Blacksmith's House on Ynysclydach farm (Don't ask - it's a wake up call for our impending trip to Turkey) just outside the village of Sennybridge. The house dates back to the 1600s and has been lovingly restored by the owners Vera and Ian who also live on the property with their dog, three sheep and a chicken.
Many thanks to Kevin and Lara for clearing their schedules. It was great to get them away from the demands of everyday life. We all enjoyed the good food, the sunny weather and the walks through the countryside. We headed back to Loughborough late on Sunday afternoon. Kudos to Craig for getting us back safely. Driving on the motorways in this country is like being in the Indy 500. I now know why my aunt always kept a bag of candied ginger in the glove box. Lynda would have been very grateful for some on this journey.
Our time in the U.K. has quickly come to an end. We are off to Turkey today and are going to spend three months touring around in places that are a lot warmer than the UK.

Loughborough

2010-02-27T10:55:00.000-08:00

After ten days the shock has subsided and we have become more accustomed to the weather. Toques, scarves, gloves and jackets have replaced bathing suits, flip flops, hats and sunscreen. Our days continue to be leisurely. After getting the kids off to school, we have ventured out with Lara and the dogs to see some of the surrounding market towns.

We are impressed with the amount of greenspace in England and love the public footpaths that seem to be everywhere. Let's not forget to mention the pub lunches. Whether it be from the carvery or a ploughman's meal, the food is tasty and reasonably priced. So now we are off on another road trip. We have rented a Renault Clio and are heading up to Edinburgh, the land of the Barbarians, to give Craig a little taste of his Scottish heritage. On the way back we hope to make a short stop in Liverpool to see some more of Lynda's relatives. Driving in this country is formidable, but you needn't worry about us. Lynda's seriously challenged navigational skills have been replaced by our newest acquisition....a Garmin GPS. For those of you who had to listen to us "discussing" it in Australia and never thought the day would come, Craig finally bit the bullet. We tested it out this morning on a road trip to Jaiden's choir performance 20 miles away and it worked like a charm. Stay tuned for more tales from the road.

Neela

2010-02-22T10:20:00.000-08:00

The UK Tylers have welcomed a new addition to their family. Neela is a twelve week old purebred Siberian Husky. Her kennel club name is Saturka Actrise.

Jaiden and Kai are thrilled with their new playmate, and Odin is adjusting to his role as "BIG" brother. We are very pleased to be here to be a part of it. Strangely enough, Craig has started dropping hints about getting a Husky of his own one day. (Don't worry mothers, we wouldn't dream of asking you to dog sit.)

London

2010-02-22T03:46:00.000-08:00

Welcome to London! After 27 hours of traveling we arrived at our destination. We have vowed to break our next long distance air flight into smaller segments. It probably isn't so bad if you are traveling first class or in one of the new suites (who has that much money?) but there is a reason why economy is called the cattle car. All crammed in. We felt like we were on a charter flight to Mexico, but the plane was filled with Brits returning home.

Day One - Our early morning arrival meant that we had four hours to kill before we could get into our hotel room. We stored our luggage and started walking. It was a cold, crisp, dry day. As we walked up Kensington Church Street, we were delighted to find a Starbucks. Real coffee! We hadn't been in one since we left Canada. It seems that Aussies are not big fans of corporate America. In fact, Melbourne is the only city where you can find Starbucks. Re-charged with caffeine, we walked past Kensington Palace to the Victoria and Albert Museum. We spent several hours viewing the metalwork, fashion, Medieval and Renaissance galleries and before long, it was time to go. We hopped on the tube and made our way back to the hotel. We were able to fight yhe jetlag and catch a few hours of sleep that afternoon. Then we took the tube to Camden Town to meet John Crawford's sister, Cathy and her little dog, Monty, at the Lord Stanley gastropub. After our meal we went over to see Cathy's authentic English flat. Cathy took pity on us warm weather holidaymakers, and outfitted us with scarves, gloves and a few pieces of warmer clothing. It was all greatly appreciated.
Day Two - London is reknowned for its active and vibrant theatre district. We were dying for an artistic/cultural experience so we caught the Tube to Leicester Square and lined up to see what was on sale at the discount ticket booth. It is difficult to choose something when you haven't done much research and you don't place much stock in the critics' reviews, but we were able to get excellent seats for the evening performance of Jersey Boys. With our tickets safely tucked away, we made our way to the Tower of London. In spite of the cold and the rain, the place was packed. We went on a tour with one of the Yeoman Warders and explored the White Tower. We saw an impressive armour collection and Craig was able to try some on for size. Unfortunately, we had to take a pass on the Crown Jewels. It was pouring rain and the line-up was lengthy. Three hours in the cold was enough. We treated ourselves to an early dinner at a French cafe and then trekked over to the West end to see Jersey Boys. What a treat! We were baffled by the comments we overheard from one English lady behind us. She felt that she would have been better off listening to a cd at home. We thought it was excellent and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Day Three - Here comes the sun...What a lovely spring-like day! We got off the Tube at Picadilly Circus and walked towards Buckingham Palace. We just happened to arrive in time to see the changing of the guard. It took us a minute to figure out what all the hoopla was about, but our timing was perfect. We decided to go over to St. Pancras/King's Cross to purchase our train tickets to Loughborough. While we were there, we ate dinner at Yo! Sushi. The fun part of this colourful restaurant is the plates passing by on the conveyor belt and the individual water taps (spring and flat) at your seating place. After a quick meal, we continued on to the Barbican tube stop - the meeting place for the "Blood and Tears: London's Horrible Past" walking tour. If you are interested in Jack the Ripper, serial killers, grave robbers, prison escapes etc. then this is the tour for you. It was an eye opening journey around Fleet Street and London's business district. We had a great time, in spite of the cold.

We were very pleased with our accomodation. We found the Vicarage House hotel through Trip Advisor. This hotel is located on a quiet street within easy walking distance of both the Kensington High Street and Notting Hill Gate tube stations. Our room was located on the third floor (87 steps from the breakfast room in the basement), right beside the toilet/shower room. Every morning we started our day with a huge meal of fruit, yoghurt, cereal, toast, bacon, eggs, sausage, coffee, and juice. (Clearly, no one does bed and breakfast like the English.) Monica and her staff were both friendly and helpful. We would have no qualms about staying here again.

We traveled extensively on the Tube the entire time we were in London. Every morning we would buy an unlimited transit pass for 5.60. Armed with our Tube map, we were able to get everywhere we needed to go. We were surprised to learn that London has the world's oldest underground railway system. We passed through the Baker Street station which has been in existence since 1863. Now there are 270 stations, 408 km of track and 3 million passenger journeys every day. The Tube is amazingly efficient and we experienced very few service disruptions while we were there.

We said goodbye to London and hopped on the train to Loughborough. Although the train was running late and there was a screw up with the reserved seating, the rest of the journey was uneventful. We arrived in Loughborough by 12:30 pm and have now settled in with Kevin, Lara, Jaiden and Kai in their comfy, brick home. FYI - after eight months of healthfulness, Lynda has succumbed to the common cold. Quite clearly, all that airplane travel and the drastic change in temperature does have an impact.

Stay tuned for more adventures from the United Kingdom.

Reflecting back on our time in Australia:

2010-02-12T00:42:00.000-08:00

10 Things We Loved about Australia:

Sailing around the Whitsundays.
Climbing Mt. Kosciuszko.
Living where footwear is optional.
The fabulous wine regions (i.e. Hunter Valley, Barossa Valley, Margaret River etc.)
Getting far enough away from civilization to see wildlife in the wild.
The laid back, friendly nature of the Australian people, and the friends we made.
Hiking in the Blue Mountains.
The sun...
The diversity within the country from one region to the next.
The abundance of amenities and how easy it is to travel around this country.

10 Lessons We've Learned:

Life is great when there is no schedule.
Australia really is a huge country, especially in the not-so populated West.
A heatwave is usually a good indication that a tropical storm is approaching.
The Internet is expensive and Telstra, who holds the monopoly, has the worst customer service ever.
VISA's refund exchange rate is significantly lower than its purchase exchange rate.
Eating out is not in a holiday maker's budget.
The turn signal is on the right and it's the windshield wiper that's on the left.
Nobody likes flies.
You can live quite well without a lot of possessions.
It doesn't feel like Christmas when the days are long and the temperatures are high.

Last Week in Oz

2010-02-12T00:04:00.000-08:00

We have used our time this week to take in a few local tourist attractions with Craig's brother, Tom. We spent our weekend at the Maritime Museum and the Bell Tower. We can highly recommend both sites, especially the swimsuit exhibit and the submarine tour at the Maritime Museum.
We finally made it to King's Park, where we had a picnic and enjoyed views of both the city and the Swan River. We said goodbye to Robin and Yvonne, who were heading back to North America, and caught up with Lynda's cousin, Joy, her husband Neville and their daughter Jen. That being said we have also attended to some mundane tasks, like laundry, packing, and shopping. This evening we are going out for dinner to celebrate Tom's belated birthday (February 2nd) and Craig's upcoming birthday (February 21.) Craig is excited because he is finally going to be able to taste kangaroo.(Lynda has been putting out all the stops to delay him since we arrived in Oz.) Tomorrow we are driving out to the Swan Valley to visit some wineries and play Supa Golf. And on Sunday we have a 3:30 pm flight to London via Singapore. Time flies when you're having fun....

The Long Road Home

2010-02-06T17:30:00.000-08:00

We woefully left the tropical setting of Coral Bay and began our long drive back to Perth. Our first stop was Carnarvon, about 900 km north of Perth. It is located on the coast and at the mouth of the Gascoyne River. Back in the day, it was a booming port town and supply centre for the region. It is currently a prime spot for growing tropical fruit, more specifically bananas. Our main purpose in returning to Carnarvon was to ride the "Coffee Pot" train out to the end of the jetty. We have seen many jetties since coming to Australia, but this one is the longest in the region at one mile or 1.6 km and it is also the only one we've seen with an operating train on it.

We spent the next day in the van. We try not to have too many driving days, but in Western Australia it is unavoidable. It was the last day before the end of summer vacation and the roads were quiet. We covered the 450 kms to Kalbarri fairly quickly and had no trouble finding a spot at the caravan park. In fact, we were one of only three campers in ninety six spots that first night. What we thought was a positive turned out to be a negative as we discovered that most of the tourism industry shuts down in February. The half day canoe trip we were anxious to do wasn't likely to be going due to a lack of participants so we went out to the National Park, we toured the aviaries at Rainbow Jungle (a parrot breeding centre) and we swam in the pool at the caravan park. As luck would have it, there was a last minute booking for the canoe trip and it was a go for the next morning. Our tour guide, Frank, picked us up at 7:30 am and we headed out to the Murchison House Station, a working cattle ranch just outside of town. Our group consisted of the two of us plus Roz and Wendy. After canoeing for several kms along the Murchison River, we stopped at a tranquil (a.k.a. isolated) spot along the bank and Frank whipped up a breakfast of bacon, eggs and snags. Lucky for us, it was only the equivalent of a warm winter's day. Apparently, summer temperatures in Kalbarri frequently reach 50 degrees celcius. Like everywhere in Australia, water is at a premium. In some places, the river is so shallow that it is only ankle deep. The down side when you are canoeing? Sometimes you had to get out and pull the canoe over the sand bar. Frank refers to this trip as a "family outing." Not only did we get some much needed exercise, but we had an opportunity to try something new in Australia. All in all, it was a very pleasant way to spend the morning.

Next stop: Geraldton. (We are certain it must be one of the windiest cities we've ever been to, but wind seems to be very characteristic of the west coast.) We stopped here on the way up, but we had to come back for the Geraldton Fishermen's Co-operative Live Lobster Factory Tour. We had such enjoyable experiences at the coffee plantation in Mareeba, the sugar mill in Tully, the chocolate factory in Margaret River, etc. that we couldn't pass this by. Yet again, we were the only people on the tour. We were amazed to find out that lobsters are placed in cold water for three minutes to induce hibernation. Once they are asleep, they are packaged in polystyrene cartons with wood shavings, refrigerated and transported by air or freight. When they reach their destination, they are placed back into tanks filled with ocean water and they wake up. A lobster factory is a very interesting place. Many thanks to Annie for sharing her sense of humour and her knowledge with us.

We spent the last night of our trip in Leeman. This allowed us to rise early and make a short drive into Perth. We left the caravan park ahead of schedule and had only gone about twenty minutes down the road when nature called and Craig pulled off the road onto the shoulder. Well, it wasn't actually the shoulder because that was covered with gravel and it was on a slope, so he had to pull off onto the area beyond the shoulder. Business conducted and back in the van, he drove forward and attempted to get back onto the shoulder. Except that now the grassy area had turned into sand and ...wait for it....we were stuck. Yes folks, life is about the adventure and with Craig, it is always lurking around some corner.

Thankfully, our guardian angel Dave, a local rancher, showed up within five minutes. When he did, it was in a ute and he just happened to have a chain with him. In no time flat he pulled us out of the sand and we were back on the road. 17 days, 3141 kms, one flat tire, one sand pit, (oh yes, and the car battery that burned up while we were in Coral Bay) and many happy memories later we are back in Perth with ten days to spare before our Australian adventure comes to an end.

Coral Bay

2010-01-31T04:58:00.000-08:00

The beaches and the waters of Coral Bay are located within the Ningaloo Marine Park which extends all the way up to Exmouth. Unlike the Great Barrier reef which requires high speed transportation to access it, the Ningaloo reef is right at your doorstep. You can walk off the beach into the water and snorkel at your leisure. We had discussed the possibility of driving further north, but after arriving in Coral Bay we knew it was unnecessary. We parked our campa, kicked back and relaxed at the People's Caravan Park. We even splurged on an ocean front site. Our view? Another fabulous white, sandy beach and more turquoise water. All only 50 metres from our doorstep. Coral Bay has everything you need. It's another sleepy, beach town consisting of two grocery stores, a news agent, a bakery, a gift shop, a day spa and quite a few tour operators. Oh yes, and don't forget the single petrol station where the price is a whopping $1.62 per litre.

Happily, we arrived at our destination in the early afternoon on Australia Day. The Aussie flags were flying high and the mood was festive. We parked our campa, set up our lawn chairs, grabbed a cold beverage and sat down to watch our new neighbours engaged in a friendly match of cricket. We later learned they are the Tamati tribe from Paraburdoo, an inland mining town where the temperature reaches fifty two degrees at this time of year. Riki, Dani, Jake, Taine, Sienna and Kale came to enjoy the warmth, and the cool breezes of the coast for the last two weeks of school vacation.

We did not have a lot of demands on our time. Breakfast always included two full cups of coffee. Craig worked on his Sudoku puzzles while Lynda read yet another book. As soon as the coffee was finished three-year-old Kale was eager to invite Craig to cricket practice. (Craig bowling and Kale batting, of course.) Our afternoons always included a trip to the beach. The water was warm enough for Lynda to go in and while we were snorkelling we saw lots of different reef fish. One of the most common was the Spangled Emperor. A school of them and some hangers-on patrol the shallows looking for food. They are very friendly. Probably a result of the daily fish feeding conducted by one of the tour operators. One day we made a trek out to the shark nursery and Point Maud. The protected waters of the reef are ideal for the baby, reef sharks that inhabit the area. We must have seen at least forty of them during our walk. It is amazing how close you can get to them. (Not that Lynda was leaving the safety of the beach.)

After a fabulous five days and four nights, we said goodbye to our new friends and started our journey back to Perth. Craig is on the countdown. There are only fourteen more days of barefeet and flip flops as his footwear of choice. He'd better start looking for those socks and running shoes now...

Shark Bay

2010-01-25T15:48:00.000-08:00

After a quick tire repair in Jurien Bay, we have continued our journey north and are now hundreds of kms from Perth. In this region, the roads are long and straight. We are faced with hours of driving whereas on the east coast, we regularly enjoyed short jaunts between stops. Petrol stations are few and far between and price is irrelevant.
At the Billabong Roadhouse, we were all too happy to pay $1.55 per litre as it was several hundred kilometres in either direction to the next petrol station. Having forgotten to raid Tom's cd collection and having intermittent radio reception, we alleviate our boredom with sightings of lizards sunning themselves on the bitemum, feral goats feeding on the side of the road and kangaroo carcasses.
The Shark Bay World Heritage area lies between 24 and 27 degrees south of the equator and was the first spot in Australia discovered by European explorers in 1616. A desolate 130 km hop off the main highway and we are in Denham, our home for two nights. Apparently, this is low season for caravan parks on the west coast. The heat and the flies keep most tourists away. Lucky for us, the ever present wind keeps things cool and since it is not blowing east, flies are not a problem (yet?) Denham itself is a quiet, little town, but it is close to several fabulous spots. In addition to the Shark Bay golf course and the Francois Peron homestead and sheep station, there is the captivating Monkey Mia National Park resort. People flock to Monkey Mia to participate in its daily dolphin visits and feedings. Having participated in similar events in Tin Can Bay and Bunbury, we elect to forgo this golden opportunity (and a 6:30 am wake up call) in order to sleep in and drink our coffee in a leisurely fashion. By the time we arrived the dolphins had already come and gone. We enjoyed a lazy afternoon on a sandy, white beach, taking a dip in the turquoise waters when the heat became too much. Craig donned his snorkel gear and spotted the usual coral, fish and some small rays. He also had an opportunity to stalk two Loggerhead turtles which passed by. He is not the Olympic swimmer he used to be and they easily outswam him. After a light lunch and a beverage on the outdoor patio, we headed back to Denham. Upon our departure from the peninsula we spent some time at Shell Beach. This 200 km stretch of beach is not made up of sand, but of a small species of cockle shells. It is one of a few species that can live in such salty water and it has no predators. In some places the shells are said to be 10 metres deep. We were able to wade out into the water a long way. Not only were there hundreds of little fish, but we also saw several skates (almost three feet in length) zooming through the water. What an idyllic setting! We are truly blessed to be here.

We have increased the mileage on the campa van and visited a few more petrol stations. We are now in Carnarvon, the last large community before Coral Bay.We have stocked up on meat and fresh veggies and not only will we celebrate Australia Day in Coral Bay, but we hope to stop driving and stay put for awhile.

The Turquoise Coast

2010-01-20T04:28:00.000-08:00

Re-couped from a month of non-stop activity with Grandma and the girls we are back on the road with a Britz campa van. (Sorry, Apollo. Any campa will do.) We loaded up and headed north. First stop on the Turquoise coast, Cervantes and the Pinnacles Desert. Our arrival in Cervantes was marred by the discovery that the left rear tire and the house battery were both almost flat. Since it was late in the day and there was no mechanic in town, we had to resort to topping up the air and waiting awhile (WA stands for more than just Western Australia.) In the morning Craig discovered that the tire had lost another 15 lbs of pressure overnight, but he neglected to inform Lynda of this fact. He topped up the air while she was in the toilet at the petrol station and proceeded to drive her into the desert to see the Pinnacles at Nambung National Park. Why would he do this you ask? According to him, life is about the adventure (and the mechanic was in the opposite direction.)

The Pinnacles are petrified limestone pillars that are suspected to be the remnants of an ancient forest which was buried in the sand. Through wind erosion they are now exposed. The Discovery Centre at the park was loaded with information about the Pinnacles and displays of desert flora and fauna, including our spider neighbours.

The Outback

2010-01-11T00:06:00.000-08:00

After two weeks in the city, we loaded up our Toyota Tarago mini-van and headed inland. We had to get used to driving in Western Australia as the distances between towns is significantly greater than on the east coast. At the end of the first day, we had driven 887 km and were in Kalgoorlie. En route, we stopped briefly at Wave Rock, but after forty minutes of enduring the flies and the heat, we were back in the van with the air conditioning on full blast. By the time we arrived in Kalgoorlie and checked into our hotel it was 7:30 pm and we needed something to eat. Unfortunately for us the restaurant in our hotel was closed for the holidays and after a tour around the city it became apparent that our options were limited. We ended up at an excellent Indian restaurant. No problem for Craig, Lynda and Tom, but kudos to Peggy, Jenna and Kristin for trying something new. Kalgoorlie was the site of the gold rush in the late 1800s and mining continues here to this day. It is a quaint little town with plenty of shops and sights to see. The morning of day two started with a visit to the Super Pit lookout, then we headed over to the Mining Museum. It was such a relief to go underground into the mine to a cool 25 degrees C and get away from the stifling heat. The outside temperature reached 43 degrees C that day, but according to the locals, it wasn't that hot. Maybe not for them, but some of us felt like we were melting. We all appreciated a dip in the pool at the rec centre at the end of the day.

Our second destination was Esperance, a mere 447 km away. The day after arriving we drove out to Lucky Bay in Cape Le Grand National Park. It is rated as one of Australia's most beautiful beaches. The sand is pure white, the water is a brilliant turquoise and you can often find kangaroos on the beach. We didn't see any while we were there, but there were plenty of them (and emus too) in the scrub alongside the road. We celebrated New Year's eve in Esperance after a delicious meal at a Chinese restaurant, except that maybe we didn't actually stay up until midnight. The next day we were up early and on the road again, headed for Albany.

Albany was a pleasant surprise. After 5:00 pm, most of the towns in Western Australia are deserted, but during the day, the main street in Albany was bustling with activity. Jenna and Kristin were able to purchase some souvenirs and Lynda stocked up on books. We spent the afternoon at Whale World, Australia's last operating whaling station which was decommissioned in 1978. After a guided tour and a series of movies, we toured the Cheynes IV Whale Chaser. Later that evening, we drove out to the Albany Wind Farm. It is quite a spectacular sight to see the twelve turbines along the rugged coastline with the sun setting in the background. Even the girls were impressed.

Day seven found us back on the road, heading towards our final destination, Augusta. We stopped at the Valley of the Giants Wilderness Discovery Centre to do the tree top walk. It is located right in the middle of a forest of Tingle trees and at certain points the walkway is 40 metres above the ground. Our next stop was the Gloucester tree near Pemberton. It is a 72 metre Karri tree and one of eight old firewatch stations in the area. The real excitement surrounding this tree is that you can climb to the top of it via 153 spikes that encircle it. We appreciated the opportunity to get out of the van and exercise our arms and legs. It was an invigorating climb and once you make it to the top, you are rewarded with spectacular views from the platform. We arrived in Augusta in the early evening and settled into our two bedroom chalet. From the rear deck we were able to watch the kangaroos and a herd of Black Angus steers in the paddock.

Unfortunately Craig came down with a serious case of the flu and had to stay in bed for two days. While he was sleeping, we toured around the Margaret River area. We went to a chocolate factory, a cheese factory and a candy factory. (Needless to say, our wallets were significantly lighter after these stops.) We also did a tour of the Lake cave, swam and sunbathed at Redgate beach and spent hours shopping. Grandma and Uncle Tom even made it out to a meadery where they sampled wine and liqueur made from honey. A little something for everyone.

Craig rejoined us for our final day. We drove to Busselton to see its jetty, which at 1841 metres is the longest wooden jetty in the southern hemisphere. It is currently being refurbished so we were only able to walk the first 200 metres. We enjoyed a picnic lunch by the water, then made an impromptu stop in town so our navigator could get his bearings. Uncle Tom parked right beside a surf shop to the delight of the girls. They scooted inside and were successful in finding the "rashies" they had long been searching for. (Hurray, the shopping is finished.) Before heading over to Yallingup to see some beaches we made a much needed stop at Simmo's Icecreamery and Fun Park, located on the outskirts of Dunsborough. Mmm, mmm, good!

On our way back to Perth we made one last stop at the Dolphin Discovery Centre in Bunbury. Unlike Tin Can Bay these are the more commonly known Bottle-nosed dolphins. As naturally playful creatures they swim into the bay to check out the people who are standing waist deep in the water waiting for them. They made two appearances while we were there. While you are not allowed to touch them, it is an amazing privilege to be able to be so close to them.

Our road trip has come to an end. The total mileage for these twelve days was 3388 km. Sadly, our return to Perth means the return of Grandma, Jenna and Kristin to Canada. It was a pleasure having them here, and we hope that they will cherish these memories forever, as we will.

Perth

2010-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

Our first two weeks in Perth were jam packed with action and excitement as we explored the sites in and around the city. Many of our activities centred around the beach, including surfing lessons for Craig and the girls, boogie boarding, body surfing, sun tanning and collecting seashells for beading. Everyone enjoyed the tours at Freemantle Prison, A.Q.U.A (aquarium), and Caversham Wildlife Park. Jenna and Kristin loved being up close and personal with the kangaroos and koalas, although the Shearing Shed provided much entertainment. (Ask Jenna to do her sheep impersonation.) Finally, shopping was a huge hit. Jenna has been into almost every surf shop in the area, while Kristin was in her glory at Supre. (You got it right, Uncle Tom!) The Margaret River Chocolate Factory and the gelato shop at Hillary's Marina were also favourites. So good in fact that we made repeat visits to both.

2009-12-25T05:33:00.000-08:00

Family reunion

2009-12-14T18:59:00.000-08:00

We have arrived in Perth, on the West Coast of Australia, which is the home of Craig's brother, Tom. This will be our base for the next two months. After a long trip through Korea and Singapore, Craig's mom and his kids have arrived. We cooked some sausages on the barbie for dinner then headed down to the beach, where almost everyone frolicked in the Indian Ocean. We are looking forward to a relaxing Christmas in the sun.

Melbourne

2009-12-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

We rode into town in our white campa van and headed straight for the Apollo office. Amazingly, we negotiated the way quite easily. There was one wrong turn, but it was easily rectified with a stop at a petrol station. Within 30 minutes, we had returned the campa and were on our way to the Holiday Inn by the airport. That evening Craig had a night off from bbq duty. We merely took the elevator to the ground floor and sauntered into the restaurant. It was very strange not being in the campa van that night (no humming fridge to lull us to sleep), but Lynda was thrilled to have a toilet that was less than 500 metres from our bed. What luxury!

Our plan was to get up early on Saturday, head into town, see the city and fly to Perth on Sunday. Not a lot of time, but enough to give us a glimpse of what was there. So the next morning we walked over to the airport terminal and hopped onto the Skybus. Twenty minutes later we were in the heart of the CBD (Central Business District) looking for a reasonably priced place to eat. Notice that we do not say "cheap" place to eat. There are no $5.99 breakast specials in this country. Eating out is very expensive regardless of where you go. As we walked along, we passed a backpacker hotel. Since backpackers are notoriously thrifty, Craig popped in and asked for a recommendation. Sure enough there was a place right around the corner. "Great!" we thought. $32 later (hmm?) we had two coffees and two average sized meals. At least we didn't have to worry about leaving a tip.

It was very busy downtown that day, what with all the tourists, Christmas shoppers, and protestors. Yes, we happened to end up right in the middle of the Walk Against Warming as they congregated at the State Library. It was an impressive turnout with 40,000 participants. We didn't stick around for the march. Instead we jumped on the City Circle (free) tourist tram and saw some of the sites.

The best part of the day was taking another tram out to St. Kilda Beach to see our Whitsunday, sailing friends, Ben and Susie. While Susie was at a baby shower being held in her honour, Lynda and the guys hung out. Later that afternoon, we met up with Susie and went down to Elwood Park for a bbq with some of their friends. We had our bbq in the middle of Sunday's triathalon site, surrounded by gates, banners, and transition areas. Lynda was disappointed that we were leaving town and wouldn't be able to see it. We were there until well after dark when the mosquitoes drove everyone away.

Back on the Skybus. Back to the hotel. Back to the packing. We were sad to see the end of this phase of our trip, but excited about the prospects of seeing Jenna, Kristin, Peggy and Tom in Perth.

The Great Ocean Road

2009-12-14T15:02:00.000-08:00

Several years ago we read an article in the Globe and Mail newspaper about a hiking trip called the Great Ocean Walk. This was prior to our West Coast Trail adventure, but we were definitely interested in what we read. As the planning for the Australia portion of this trip progressed, we knew it wasn't logistically possible for us to complete the Great Ocean Walk, so we decided to join the masses and follow the Great Ocean Road instead. It would be the last segment of our campa van journey before we returned the vehicle in Melbourne. We knew that we did not want to rush through it so we allotted ourselves six days and set out from Dan and Lisa's house on Sunday morning.
The first notable comment we could make is that the Great Ocean Road is the only place in Australia where we have seen so many road signs that direct people to drive on the left. As we passed tour bus after campa van after rental car, we realized why these signs are necessary. Hordes of tourists who fly into Melbourne rent a vehicle and set out on the Great Ocean Road. It is a classic long and winding road. Not as bad as the road to Hana on Maui (says Lynda) but she wouldn't have wanted to be sitting in the back seat as Craig negotiated all the twists and turns in the road. Granted, there are many sights where you only have the option of parking and walking out to see the view, but the coastline and the scenery are spectacular. For all those people who do it from Melbourne in one day, you don't know what you are missing. Craig particularly enjoyed this portion of the trip as some days he was only driving for one hour, and taking pickies a lot of the rest of the time.
Here are some highlights:
Day 1 Port Fairy
We arrived in this quaint, little beach town on a sunny day. After attending John and Kelley's annual Christmas party via Skype, we spent some time exploring. We had a snack at a chique, little beachside cafe called Tide and Time, went beachcombing, walked along the river admiring the boats and did some window shopping. Based on the number of holiday rentals, we can safely say that Port Fairy is a popular destination.
Day 2 Port Campbell
This is the closest town to the famous limestone stacks known as the 12 Apostles. These stacks were created through the erosion of limestone cliffs that has taken place over the last 10-20 million years. There are currently only nine remaining. Our first encounter with the 12 Apostles was on a cloudy evening. We hoped we might see a partial sunset, but our main purpose in going was to see the Fairy penguins which come onto the beach after sunset. (Actually, we should refer to them as Little penguins since someone decided that Fairy penguins is politically incorrect.) We waited in the cold for a long time, and just before dark, groups of penguins started to emerge from the water. They are only about 30 cm tall and very cute. We also saw our first echidna in this area. It plodded along, oblivious to our presence, and continued to use its sharp claws and snout to sift through the dirt looking for insects.
Day 3 Johanna Beach
We spent the morning walking around the Loch Ard gorge. It was named after a British sailing vessel that ran aground and sank in 1878. The Loch Ard was one of over 200 ships that suffered the same fate, earning the rugged coastline the name "The Shipwreck Coast." That night we "free camped" beside Johanna Beach in Cape Otway National Park. We went to sleep listening to the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.
Day 4 Apollo Bay
Our morning began with a trip to the Cape Otway lighthouse, the oldest surviving lighthouse on mainland Australia. It became operational in 1848 and was finally decommissioned in 1994. It's location is crucial because it is situated in the 90 km gap between Cape Otway and King Island. Navigating this strait was said to be as difficult as "threading the eye of a needle." Unfortunately for us, movie production on the grounds was just finishing up. Not only did we miss seeing any stars, but we were also unable to climb the stairs to the top of the lighthouse. Later that day, we arrived in Apollo Bay. The sun was shining and we headed for the beach. Craig was back in the water on his boogie board and Lynda was sitting on the beach reading her book. For both of us, life is good. Day 5 Anglesea
We had planned to do some hiking around Wye River and stay the night, but it was pouring rain. We kept driving along Australia's version of the Sea to Sky highway until we found the sun. After pausing for coffee in Lorne (pronounced Lawn) we stopped for the night in Anglesea. The rest of our day centred around getting organized for the return of the campa van. Lynda's usual hour and a half laundry job quadrupled in time after numerous problems (the first dryer wasn't heating up, the second dryer wasn't accepting coins and the third dryer turned out to be a washer.)
So here we are. The sun is setting on this portion of our trip. Last stop: Melbourne.

Portland

2009-12-09T00:04:00.000-08:00

We must apologize for our recent lack of postings. We have spent a delightful week with Lynda's rellies, Dan, Lisa and Jen, on their thirteen acre farm just outside of Portland, Victoria. This side trip took us away from caravan parks and tourist attractions and allowed us to be in a home and live a country life. We have enjoyed a variety of experiences. We attended and helped out at Jen's Gymkhana. Craig found himself in charge of an Aussie barbeque at the concession stand. A bit of a scary proposition, but there was a doctor close at hand and to date, we have not heard of anyone coming down with food poisoning. We enjoyed watching Jen manouevre Possum through the different events, and we were impressed with how well she rides. We also helped Lisa's friends make sausages from scratch with their own beef. It was fun, especially taste testing the various recipes. Another highlight was the May family cattle drive. Lisa and Jen saddled up their horses, Tex and Possum, and herded the cows from the front paddock to the back paddock. Dan, Craig and Lynda provided ground support. It all went off without a hitch, probably because the cows were delighted with their new food source. It wasn't all fun and games for Craig. He and Dan got out the shovels and cleared the storm water system. It would have gone much quicker if there hadn't been the matter of the freshly punctured water line in that same ditch. No worries mate. Lisa made a quick trip to town, got the necessary parts, and we only had to flush the toilet with a bucket for a few hours. While all this was going on outside, Lynda enlisted Jen's help and they made cheesecake (from scratch) to have with dinner that night. Garden fresh vegetables, homegrown beef and strawberry chessecake. What more could one want? Finally, we must mention the wildlife encounters. We found koalas a hundred metres from the house in trees over the driveway, Jen impressed us by catching the same Blue Tongue lizard twice over the week, and we spent hours watching the many species of marine life in Dan's salt water reef tank. It is surprising what appears from one minute to the next and the difference between day and night is huge. Then there was Pancho, the adorable, family dog, who was both cute and cuddly. All in all, we are very grateful to our gracious hosts. We had a wonderful time getting to know them and will miss them tremendously.

The Grampian Mountains

2009-12-08T21:31:00.000-08:00

A short, two hour drive from Portland took us across miles and miles of flat grasslands covered with sheep to the Grampian Mountains.The Grampians are known for their steep rock cliffs, unique plant species and Aboriginal rock art. These mountains seem highly out of place in this landscape. We spent three days driving and hiking to spectacular viewpoints. The first night we camped at the remote Smith Mill campground. It was a scenic spot, but there wasn't much there except for picnic tables, fire pits and outhouses. Craig reverted to Boy Scout mode and cooked our lamb dinner over an open fire. We were excited about the possibilities for wildlife viewing. Sadly, it was not until the next morning when we were leaving that we saw one lonely kangaroo on the side of the road. After our second day of outdoor adventure, we stayed just outside of Halls Gap at the caravan park beside the Bellfield Dam. It turned out the wildlife was plentiful. It seems the kangaroos, emus and feral deer love the easy pickings of the fresh green grass shoots, much to our delight and the dismay of the campground manager. On day three we hiked to the top of Mt. William. Admittedly, we drove 10 km to the carpark and walked the final 2 km to the 1168 metre summit, but the final ascent was very steep and the wind was blowing us about. Craig was not deterred and went off the path to get the best camera angles. It is evident now that he is going to be researching cameras when we get home as our little digital is becoming inadequate. We spent the rest of the day driving to the other side of the park to view Aboriginal rock art. We saw a variety of objects, including hand prints, stick figures and animal tracks. Although no one knows the exact age of the paintings, Aboriginal people have been camping in these shelters for the last 22,000 years, so anything is possible. Yet again, our time here was inadequate. We could easily have spent a lot more time trekking and exploring the area.

2009-12-05T18:10:00.000-08:00

The Barossa Valley is quite different from the lush, green Hunter Valley. As you drive to the Barossa, you pass through farm country. Hay field after hay field. The closer you get, the more swaths of green you encounter. We spent three relaxing days here. We sampled at some of the bigger wineries, such as Wolf Blass and Penfolds, where we knew the quality of the product we were trying, but we also found a hidden gem. It reminded us of our coffee plantation tour in Mareeba. Villa Tinto is a family run, boutique winery. We had our tasting with the owner Dianne, who also happens to be a teacher. Needless to say, there was a lot of chatter between the tastings. We also found the Raven's Parlour bookstore in Tanunda. Craig waited very patiently while Lynda checked out the selection and received recommendations from Colleen. Finally with her new book and a newsletter of book reviews in hand, Lynda left the store a happy camper.

Time was ticking and we had to head south. More farm land and a couple of tacky sculptures and we were on our way to the south coast and back to Victoria. After many hours on the road, our trip took us to Kingston, the home of the Big Lobster. We were happy to stop for the night and set up camp. The air was oppressively hot. This concerned us because history told us that a storm was approaching, but it was much worse than we expected. It began with the wind blowing so violently that we had to take down our tarp. Uh oh! There goes our water barrier. Then the rain came. Buckets of rain. Even though all the doors and windows were closed, water was streaming into the van. We scrambled to sop it up before all of our bedding was soaked. Then there was thunder, lightning and hail. Now we were huddled in the van like hermits. Luckily, we were in a powered site and we could use the microwave to re-heat leftovers for dinner. It was a very long evening!

Off to Portland to visit more rellies and hopefully, better weather.

Adelaide, South Australia

2009-11-27T02:26:00.000-08:00

We were very pleased with how things worked out in Adelaide. The caravan park was located in an upscale neighbourhood on the River Torrens, just two kilometres from the city centre and was very affordable at only $27 per night. Best of all, the sun was shining. On our first night there we walked along the river to the University of Adelaide. The university has beautiful, old buildings in a park-like setting and it is adjacent to the city centre. The park was alive with people jogging, biking, and fishing in the river. There were soccer and rugby practices going on all around us. The place was a hub of activity. As Craig is always scheming about ways to return to Australia, Lynda suggested she enroll in a Master's program at the university. On second thought, maybe not.

The pathways in the parks are in such great shape that the next day we decided to look into renting bicycles. To our surprise we discovered that the city of Adelaide will supply you with a free bicycle for the day in exchange for a piece of i.d. "Wow, what could be better than that?" Craig dealt with a minor seat repair and jubilantly, we set off on a 15 kilometre ride from the city centre to the beach. It was good to see the sand and waves again. We went to the Surf Club and enjoyed lunch on the balcony. After lunch we headed back to the city. We wanted to walk the streets and do some "window" shopping. Our plans were foiled halfway home by a flat tire on (wait for it....) Lynda's bike. Now we were walking our free bikes. It all worked out with a little help from an autobody shop. We made it back in time to enjoy an iced latte at a city bistro, but there was no time left in the day for "window" shopping.

We could have spent more time here, but our departure date from Melbourne is quickly approaching and the Barossa Valley was calling.

Down the Murray

2009-11-24T02:06:00.000-08:00

For about a week we have been inland traveling from the start of the Murray River in the Snowy Mountains to the mouth here in Adelaide. The Murray River, along with its biggest tributary, the Darling River, is the world's fourth largest river system. Towns along the river are marketing the history of when this area was opened up. As a result, we saw a lot of old things, i.e. riverboats, townsites and farm implements. Too many farm implements, actually. This makes sense considering the area produces 41% of the country's gross agricultural production.

Quite often during our touring of old things, we had the added experience of rain. While we continue to see it as a detriment to our travels, Australians in this region get quite excited. After it had rained all night in Swan Hill, the comments ranged from "beautiful" to "wonderful" to "spectacular." Understandable considering they haven't had rain in three months and probably won't have it for another three more. For us, it meant another night with the tarp up.

By the way, rain does not deter the flies. The farther we traveled inland, the more flies we found. They don't bite. They just buzz around your head, in your ears, up your nose, eyes etc. When you shoo one away, there are twelve more to take its place. Ever hear of the Aussie wave? We now know how to execute it perfectly. We are thankful that we are not driving across the Nullabor to Perth. Fellow "holidaymakers" inform us that they are ten times worse there. Some things we don't need to experience. Thank goodness for air travel.

All kidding aside, there is a lot of history here. We took a ride on an authentic wood-fired steam driven paddlewheeler in Echuca, enjoyed camping in several places along the Murray, got Lynda into the water for the first time since Queensland and saw some beautiful countryside.

Finally, the flies won out and we made a one day, 600 km dash across the Mallee highway, through what must be the heart of Australia's wheat production. Grain fields as far as you can see and lots of small towns where the highway only slows down along the length of the main street. The town may or may not have a petrol station, but it definitely has a grain silo.

Mount Kosciuszko

2009-11-21T01:47:00.000-08:00

We turned inland and made our way up the Great Dividing Range onto the plateaus above. It was a lot of driving in the lower gears, burning fuel. Over the last few months we have discovered that the size of the name of the town in print does not reflect the size of the town. Case in point. Arriving in Nimmitabel at the bottom of our fuel tank, we discovered that there were no petrol stations. So we detoured to Cooma, 45 km away, fingers crossed. All fuelled up, we found a lovely campsite in Kosciuszko National Park(sorry, no hot showers this time.) We spent the evening watching the sunset and kangaroos bounding through the tall grass in the fields behind us.

The next morning we arose early (earlier than usual), had a hearty bowl of porridge and headed for Thredbo, Australia's ski hill. Our goal was to climb Mount Kosciuszko. We did cheat a little bit by getting a lift ticket on the Snowgums chairlift which elevated us up to 1800 metres. From there it was all us. Two hours and seven kilometres later we were standing on the summit of mainland Australia. We started the hike in t-shirts, but by the top wool and jackets were much needed as winds were gusting at 50-60 km per hour. We were proud of our accomplishment. Hopefully, it is only the first of many summits to come (Mount Kilimanjaro?)

By the end of the day, we had made our way to Khancoban, the base of the Snowy Mountains and the head of the Murray River. After a big, steak dinner, we watched "The Man From Snowy River," the first television we have watched in three months. We enjoyed seeing the movie with its familiar surroundings, however, the 13 inch screen was smaller than we are used to. We wonder how our big screen tv is doing?

Apres Sidney

2009-11-21T00:44:00.000-08:00

We were very happy to leave the noise, traffic and congestion behind and hit the road, travelling south to the beaches of New South Wales. We spent two nights at Green Patch which is a deluxe campsite (that means it has hot showers) in Booderee National Park, then one night at a caravan park in Bateman's Bay. We spent our time walking through the bush and down the beautiful white sand beaches. The ocean has become so cold that even Craig's snorkelling was limited to less than five minutes. That being said, there was no point in Lynda even trying. (Ahh yes, memories of the bath water temperatures in Queensland to the north.) Regrettably, we realize that the beach weather is gone so we are going inland to make our way across to Adelaide (and the Barossa Valley.)

We interrupt our regular broadcast to bring you a moment at the beach.

2009-11-16T20:35:00.000-08:00

O.K. back to what you were doing.

Sydney, NSW

2009-11-16T19:17:00.000-08:00

We did it and we survived! For a huge city it is very clean, and in our meagre three days we saw some beautiful sights. We stayed at Lane Cove National Park, a campground very close to the city. Just a block or two away (on the other side of the cemetary and crematorium) was the North Ryde train station, four stories below street level. On a good day, twenty minutes put us downtown.
We refrained from signing up for any tours and meandered around the city on our own. We walked around "the Rocks," over the Sydney Harbour Bridge and past the Opera House. We were impressed with the fact that Sydney has built a modern city and yet still maintained its historical areas. One evening we did some "uncity" like things. We signed up for a nature talk at our camp site. We learned the names of many of the birds we have become familiar with and armed with our torches, we went on a night walk. It was surprising the number of bush tailed and ring tailed possums and bandicoots that were lurking in the bushes around us.

On our last full day, we were happily reunited with our Swiss friends, Daniel and Marina. We took the ferry to Manly, walked around another National Park, went for a swim (at least three of us did), and had dinner out. Later we stopped for coffee and chocolate cake and enjoyed the blue lights of the Opera House. Upon parting, Daniel and Marina gave us the heads up on spots to see south of Sydney. So we are off to Jervis Bay and the beaches of southeast New South Wales.

Blue Mountains

2009-11-12T17:50:00.000-08:00

We said goodbye to Daniel and Marina. Although we were going the same direction, their pace had to be faster than ours as their time in Australia was running out. Our path took us down windy roads, and through narrow valleys and rolling countryside. We stopped for lunch in Windsor, an old haunt of friends of ours. On our way out of town, we hit a small dip in the road which brought everything we owned (and we mean everything) onto the floor. Twenty minutes later, we made our way to Bilpin, Australia's apple capital. Craig was dying for a "free" camp and although there was one in Bilpin, we decided to purchase a "hot out of the oven apple pie" and forgo the rest area. This brought only smiles from Lynda. After another hour on the road, we arrived in Blackheath, in the middle of the Rhododendron festival. As we pulled in so did the celebratory steam train which resulted in complete chaos. Afraid of missing a life-changing photographric moment, Craig pulled over and jumped out with the rest of the hordes and tried to snap a "picky." It had been an exhausting day on the road and we were happy when we were able to secure a site at the caravan park for two nights.

One of the many interesting facts we have learned is that the Blue Mountains appear blue because oil dispersed from the blue gum euculyptus trees comes into contact with rays of light thus creating a bluish haze which is always present. The proximity of the mountains to Sydney makes them a popular weekend camping spot for Aussies and a "must-see" day trip for tourists. We extended our stay to five nights, but could have stayed longer as there are over 140 km of hiking trails, and we barely scratched the surface. Lynda will even go out on a limb and say that it has been one of her favourite parts of our journey so far. Of course, it was all good because of Craig and his handy tarp system which provided protection from the rain and shade from the sun.

We won't bombard you with all the details, but here are the highlights:

- walking the cliff top from Govett's Leap to Evans Lookout and back at Blackheath (in spite of the rain)
- navigating the windy, narrow road up to the Jenolan Caves and spending 3 1/2 hours underground looking at crystal formations within the limestone caves
- camping in the National Park at Black Range and Euroka, amongst the exotic birds and Eastern Gray kangaroos
- hiking a circular route from our campsite at Katoomba Falls to Leura and back. This took us along the cliff, by the famous Three Sisters, past numerous waterfalls, over the edge to the forest below and back up via the Scenic World gondola (no more steps, thank you)
- a walk to view the red ochre Aboriginal hand stencils on the walls at the Red Hands Cave (reported to be 1600 years old)
- reacquainting ourselves with the warmth of the sun (which only seems to present itself intermittently in New South Wales)

Now where? We have skirted the edges and are now within 60 km of Sydney, so we will venture forth for three days in the big city and then head south back to the beaches. We have less than a month to travel across to Adelaide and then down to Melbourne. Where has the time gone?

The Hunter Valley

2009-11-10T01:57:00.000-08:00

We met Daniel and Marina at the Information Centre. They had already found a campsite and we booked a wine tour for the following day. As the sun was out and the day was young we were off to check out some wineries on our own. By 4:00 pm we had explored wine, olives and chocolate and had enjoyed Tapas for a late afternoon lunch. We had a wonderful time comparing travel notes and experiences.
The next day put us on a bus. Oh yes, another bus! We toured around the valley, through vineyards, big and small. More chocolate and olives and best of all "The Smelly Cheese" store. With the help of our Swiss friends, we explored many new options including the goat and sheep varieties. With all our new delicacies, we went home and had a wonderful meal.
We were having a good time and considered staying another day, but apparently somebody was singing in a vineyard. Thus it was a "special event" weekend and the price of everything doubled. We were on the road again. This time our destination was the Blue Mountains.

Hawks Nest

2009-11-10T01:54:00.000-08:00

We went to Hawks Nest because it came highly recommended. Apparently, there are some beautiful beaches there. Unfortunately for us it rained and the flies were thick. We stayed a couple of days and huddled under our tarp. The best part was the people we met. Some new friends and some old friends. On the second day, a Swiss couple, in our sister ship (also an Apollo van), whom we had met in Suffolk Park turned up. They were also unimpressed with the weather. So the next day we all bolted for the Hunter Valley.

Arrawarra to Coffs Harbour

2009-11-03T22:17:00.000-08:00

Our next stop was Spot X at Arrawarra beach, a caravan park that serves as a base for backpacker tours. It is a popular surf beach, but the wind was up and it made for poor surfing. There was also a problem with the camp kitchen. The bbq was out of order which meant that we had to cook in the camper (something we nornally don't do.) Craig had to open the utility hatch to turn on the propane . Where are the keys ? After tearing the camper apart while the sun went down, we resolved ourselves to the fact that the keys were gone. No fancy dinner tonight. We settled for microwaveable rice and Heinz beans in the dark. The next morning took us into Coffs Harbour where we saw a locksmith and waited two hours for a $100 set of keys. Not too bad for our first big screw up.

By noon we were back on the road, with a few scheduled stops for Lynda to pose with tacky, giant fiberglass icons and a few unscheduled stops for Craig to take some artsy, fartsy photos. When we arrived at Hawk's Nest late in the day, the heat was stifling. Not a good sign as apparently a storm is coming.

Surfers Paradise to Byron Bay

2009-11-03T20:51:00.000-08:00

We had no intention of going to Brisbane, but our plans changed when we found out that a former student of Lynda's was living and working there. So after a day at the zoo, we headed into Brisbane and had a short visit with Lauren. Craig did double duty in the dark, driving and navigating our way to a caravan park in south Brisbane for an overnight stay. We happily headed out of the big city early the next morning driving to Surfer's Paradise which turned out to be another big city, but a city along a beach. The parking meter gave us two hours which was long enough to snap a few photos and then we quickly headed south along the coast road.
We passed many beautiful sandy beaches and little towns until Byron Bay. Everyone says that you have to go to Byron Bay and everyone did. It was quaint, but very crowded. We did the compulsory stops (town centre, lighthouse, Main beach), but we found a quiet place to stay at Suffolk Park, just five km south. A couple of days on the beach allowed Lynda to read her book and Craig to practise his boogie boarding. Then came the BIG rain. With our laid back beach attitudes, we decided against putting the tarp up. Oops! Now we know all the places where the camper van leaks. The next morning we headed for the hills. We took a scenic drive through the towns of Bangalow, Clunes, Channon, Nimbin, Uki, Murwillumban and back home to Suffolk Park. We avoided the rain and saw some beautiful countryside. Macadamia nut orchards and hippies are abundant.

While putting on some more miles the next day, a lunch break in the town of Grafton was a pleasant surprise. It is known for its spring festival which celebrates the beautiful, purple Jacaranda trees that line the streets. Our timing was perfect.

Australia Zoo

2009-10-31T02:13:00.000-07:00

We spent the day at Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo. It gives visitors the opportunity to see a lot of Australia's wildlife (kangaroos, dingos, koalas, cassowaries crocodiles, and all those venomous snakes) in one location. For a zoo, they try very hard to keep the animal enclosures spacious and as natural as possible. The Crocoseum is an amphitheatre that holds 5,000 people and the location of their two daily shows. Craig, feeling uninhibited, won the grand prize for his ape impersonation and was selected to repeat his performance in front of everyone on the Jumbotron. A small prize was awarded. For the rest of the day, we endured his new found celebrity status.

Lynda's mission was to get her picture taken, up close and personal, with a cute, cuddly koala bear. Interesting facts: koala bears defecate approximately 160 times per day and are rather smelly. Need we say more?

Noosa/Coolum Beach

2009-10-30T22:15:00.000-07:00

We had a rather extensive stay at the caravan park outside of Noosa on Coolum Beach, partially because we liked it there so much, and because Craig got sick (what's with that?) and had to recuperate. During that time we outfitted ourselves with new beach apparel (bikinis and surfer shorts) and got up early to run on the beach. Craig bought himself a boogie board and was very stylish as he attempted to master the waves. We also camped beside some Calgarians and together we cooked a sumptuous meal of Moreton Bay Bugz. Yes, Jim, we finally did it and they were to die for! Our cooking skills on the Aussie hot plates/barbeques are becoming more refined. We have moved from steaks and bangers to the aforementioned Bugz, garlic and rosemary lamb chops and Red Emperor in a coconut, chile Thai sauce. Not bad for camping.

One of the best walks we've been on so far was 6.9 km through Noosa National Park. It was one of many walks, but it took us through wetlands and along the coastline. The views are spectacular. We saw the usual birds (scrub turkeys) and some bigger lizards, but the best part was that we saw our first wild koala bear fast asleep in a gum tree. How unusual! We've been told they sleep 18 to 20 hours a day.

We were very lucky to connect with some friends of Bryan and Katherine's upon our arrival in Noosa. All of the Watts were very hospitable and welcomed us into their homes. We appreciate all of their travel advice and hope to meet up with them again one day (Canada/New Zealand ?)

Tin Can Bay

2009-10-30T03:02:00.000-07:00

Leaving Rainbow Beach our travels started with an early morning stop in Tin Can Bay where we observed a daily ritual that has been going on for 30 years. Every morning after the high tide a small family of wild Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins comes into the bay to be hand fed by anyone willing to part with a small donation. The donations go towards buying the 3 kilos of fish eaten by each dolphin, plus some extra to lure the pesky pelicans away. The senior battlescared male dolphin called Mystique determines who can and cannot eat. Currently, it is him and his son Harmony. There was a female called Patch who was visible just off-shore, but she knew her place and kept her distance.

Fraser Island

2009-10-27T00:09:00.000-07:00

Well friends, we broke down and went to the dark side. We joined a tour of 30 other holiday-makers and headed over to Fraser Island. It is not our preferred style of travel, but it was an enjoyable trip and it gave us a good overview of the island.

We were picked up early Thursday morning by our driver Mark, a fast talking Aussie version of Harrison Ford, equipped with a vast repertoire of one liners. The vehicle? A bus chassis mounted on a 5 ton Man diesel truck frame with "true" 4 wheel drive with locking hubs all around. A real machine. (You know what I mean girls?) The first test of our driver and his machine was at the end of the road where he had to cross the dry, sandy beach at full speed and launch us onto the ferry which was waiting at the water's edge.

Once we were on the island, most of the travel was done on the hard sand at the edge of the water. There are so many vehicles traveling the beach, the Australian government has designated it as a highway with road rules and police enforcement. Several attractions took us on inland roads that were a real mess. The men were put to work pushing out vehicles that had bottomed out in the soft sand.

There were many amazing sights along the eastern coastline: 75 Mile beach, the Maheno shipwreck, and the champagne pools. We elected not to join the throngs and climb to the top of Indian Head. Instead Craig headed for some surf fishermen on the beach and struck up a conversation. Within minutes an offer was made and Craig was casting out into the ocean. Before the big one was landed, it was time to get back on the bus and head to Eurong Beach resort for an overnight stay.

On the second day we went to two very different lakes. At Lake Mckenzie, a rainwater pocket, the sand is bleached pure white and the water is crystal clear. After a 4 km trek across the Hammerstone Sandblow we arrived at emerald green Lake Wabby. We were happy to dive into the cool water and swim with the resident catfish (and three fellow Canadians.)

As well as all of the scheduled events, we were lucky enough to see some native wildlife: an Asian dingo, a mother and baby humpback whale, and a dead sea snake (a casualty of the highway traffic.)
Fraser Island is definitely at the top of our "places to return to" list.

(without the bus and the 30 holiday-makers, of course.)

Rainbow Beach

2009-10-24T15:52:00.000-07:00

We decided to take the advice of two English girls we met in 1770 and use Rainbow Beach as our jumping off point to Fraser Island. The idea being that we would avoid the crowds and the backpackers. After driving down the Bruce Highway for a ways we exited at Maryborough and navigated some back country roads. The most startling feature of the journey was that there were miles and miles and miles of Canadian pine trees, all planted in perfect rows. There was no evidence of pine beetle either. We also encountered logging trucks similar to those back home, fully loaded and hauling lumber to the mill. (Get out of the way!)

Rainbow Beach is a quiet beach community that hasn't yet woken up to resort development. Even though we were not camping on the beach, Craig was very happy to be at an excellent beach - white sand and good surf. He was able to have some success at body surfing. We walked up to the Carlo Sandblow where we were treated to unbelievable views and entertained by the para-sailers. Possibly a new adventure?

MacKay to Bundaberg

2009-10-18T18:05:00.000-07:00

The primary purpose of our stop in Mackay was to visit Lynda's cousin and her family. We were feeling rather somber, but we were happy to have some company, and the distraction of a busy household. We are very grateful to Julie, Mike, Jordan and Mason for making us feel welcome and feeding us so well.

The road heading south from Mackay is a long, long, straight stretch that runs through coastal cattle country. Numerous Aussies we met along the way informed us that there was nothing to see between Mackay and Rockhampton. It is not surprising that many drivers fall asleep on this road out of sheer boredom.

For the first time on this journey, Craig had to put in a full day's work. So much time in the campa forced him to design his own version of Aussie Cruise control as a way of preventing a severe case of heal numbing. And to think we were going to throw away our 2007 issue of the Mackay phone book on our way out of town!

Our travels south have taken us away from the protected waters behind the Great Barrier Reef. We finally found some surf at Agnes Water. People, young and old, are at the beach at 6am trying to catch a wave. We do not envision ourselves out there, but it is fun to watch, and we plan to pick up some boogie boards when we see them cheap enough.

We arrived in Bundaberg and stopped by another world famous sugar mill where they have found a creative use for their primary waste product - molasses. We had a very informative and tour with our host, Drop Bear. Then it was on to Elliott Heads, about fifteen minutes outside of town. After spending several hours on the beach we experienced a bizarre phenomenon. A clear, tasteless liquid fell from the sky (apparently for the first time in three months.) It was delivered with great crashes and flashing lights. It sent everyone scurrying for their campers.

We will recuperate here for another day and then head down to Rainbow Beach. We are hoping to find a reasonable trip to Fraser Island, since our little campa does not have the 4 wheel drive capability needed to traverse that terrain.

Sad news

2009-10-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

It is with extreme sorrow that we must share the announcement of the accidental death of our beloved cat, Picabo - adventurer, entertainer and friend. Many thanks to Irene and her neighbours for taking such good care of her over the last two months.

Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays

2009-10-13T20:14:00.000-07:00

We left Townsville and headed south along the Bruce Highway. The winds were strong and our little campa, with its high top and short wheel base, was blown all over the road. Both the driver and the passenger were feeling a little frazzled. These vehicles are not at all aerodynamic. We were wishing we had rented the Kea camper van with the pop up (therefore pop down) top instead. After a quick lunch on King's Beach in Bowen and a photograph at the giant mango, we decided to press on to Airlie Beach which was a mere 45 minutes away.

We were rather disappointed to find out that Airlie Beach's beach is only 200 feet long. There is a beautiful marina filled with expensive boats and a giant man-made swimming lagoon, but the beach itself is minimal. Airlie Beach's claim to fame is that it is the gateway to the Whitsunday islands. The only way to access the Whitsundays is by boat. We had not factored a sailing expedition into our travel plans, but we quickly realized that we would be making a big mistake if we cheaped out and kept on going. So on Thursday we went shopping ("Here we go again," says Craig) for a sailing trip. There are dozens of companies on the main street selling dozens of sailing trips. Our options were limited by the fact that we were booking at the last minute, but by noon, we had secured ourselves passage on the Whitsunday Drifter for 3 days and 2 nights. Our biggest fears were backpackers and bed bugs. Backpackers because the town is full of them and they are all going on sailing trips, and bed bugs because the literature on the boat informed us that we weren't allowed to bring bags with zippers aboard because that's where the pesky creatures hide. ("Great," says Lynda. "I've been eaten alive by sand flies and now I have to worry about bed bugs.")

At 9:00 am Friday morning we headed down to the marina to board our sailing vessel. The Whitsunday Drifter is a 54 foot schooner made from Fijian timber. The crew consisted of our captain, Nathan, and our first mate/cook/scuba instructor, Liz. Once the correct passenger manifest materialized, the paying passengers included Irene and Riccard from Spain, Ben and Susie from Melbourne, brothers Peter and Mark from Brisbane and Sydney respectively and Julie and Raap (Oops, I mean Craig and Lynda) from Canada. We are happy to report that it was a group of "normal" people. There was not a backpacker in sight. An added note: it seems that Lynda (the rule follower) was the only one reading the rules about the zippers because we were the only ones who brought bags without them.

So, off we sailed. Craig was in his glory. He quickly shed his pluggers and was put to work pulling ropes, tying knots and hoisting sails. His dream of being a deckhand in Australia had come to life. We sailed directly out to the islands and our first stop was the world famous Whitehaven Beach. It is remarkable because the beach is made up not of sand or coral, but white silica, a mineral that comes out of crevasses under the water that are several hundred metres deep. This sand is so pure that it was used to make the mirror of the Hubbel telescope. It is truly a gorgeous sight. We spent our first night anchored in a passage between Hook island and Whitsunday island.
After breakfast on day 2 we sailed to the windward side of Hook Island to some secluded beaches with coral reefs where we had the opportunity to snorkel. Craig was the only one brave (or medically fit) enough to try his hand at scuba diving. Craig and Liz started diving just off the beach and worked their way out to bigger and more amazing coral formations. The deeper they went, the bigger the fish got. In the end they made it down to 12 metres.

After a lunch of sausage sangers, no one was energetic enough to snorkel. Nathan, Liz and Craig provided some free entertainment. Nathan, in the dinghy, and Craig and Liz in the water, swam and fed two large Maori Wrasse and a couple of Travalis. They are very gentle fish, but when they open their mouths and take your whole hand inside, it can be startling.We stayed on the north side of Hook Island that night and were able to watch an amazing sunset. Lynda was more interested in the 15 million dollar yacht that was anchored beside us

Early on the morning of day 3 we anchored off a beach on the exclusive (a.k.a. expensive) Hayman Island where we spent several hours snorkelling. We returned to the ship for lunch and then summoned all our new learned sailing skills, trimmed our sails for maximum spead and headed back to Airlie Beach. Even with our best efforts the backpackers in thier sleek racing yachts had a four or five knot advantage. We were all very sad to see the trip come to an end, even those of us who were anxious to return to our accommodation and take a long, hot shower.

Later that evening, we all met up

for a delicious dinner at Fish Divine. We must have been a tolerable group because even our Captain, Nathan, joined us.

Since the end of the sailing trip we have been slowly making our way to McKay to see another one of Lynda's cousins. We spent Monday night at a campground in Conway Beach and are currently at a campground in Midge Point. It took four weeks, but Lynda has discovered that 30 sunscreen really does work and failing to apply it does result in sunburn. Luckily her lips have returned to their normal size and she no longer looks like someone who has had an overdose of Botox. Craig, on the other hand, is waiting for the water to drain out of his sinuses so he can hear again. Perhaps he was not that medically fit after all.
Ahhh, life is an adventure. Happy belated Thanksgiving to everyone!

Townsville: Beaches to Bushland

2009-10-05T23:23:00.001-07:00

We can't imagine ever being tired of the beautiful beaches in Australia. Craig is especially enamored. He frequently mentions the fact that we should be taking more beach days. It doesn't take much to convince me, but now that I have Diana Gabaldon's latest book in my possession we will be spending a lot more time at the beach.
After driving past field after field of sugar cane "we" decided to take a tour of the sugar mill in Tully. Craig was very keen. Lynda decided to be the "good wife" and support her husband's interests. This is no light weight tour. It actually takes you through a working sugar mill. Things became substantially more interesting when our tour guide handed out the hard hats, safety goggles and ear plugs. In the end, the sugar mill was enjoyed by all,
even Lynda.
Next stop: Townsville. We have enjoyed six wonderful days here. The hottest day being 37 degrees Celcius (eek)! Tanny and Graham are engaging hosts. We have learned many new Australian words and expressions, some of which are not mentionable here. Their residence is like a nature reserve. They are avid birdwatchers. Between all the bird species (bull finches, rainbow lorakeets, goshawks, ibis and those bully cockatoos) and the resident wallabies (Missy and 6-Pack), there is non-stop action. Graham's tours have taken us away from the coast and off the bitumen (Craig's new, favourite word) to mining towns, cattle country and airstrips, big and small. Lynda was happy about finally seeing a "living" kangaroo. It is difficult to say goodbye, but there is still so much traveling to do. Many thanks to Tanny and Graham, especially for their parting gift, our very own billy. For all you sticky beaks, go look that one up!

The Townsville Clan

Daintree Rainforest

2009-09-30T02:50:00.000-07:00

For those of you that have been checking for updates, we do apologize. The first part of our Australian journey took us north to the Daintree rainforest and completely out of internet range, but we're back! The best part is that we are now armed with a Telstra Wireless Broadband device so keeping in touch will be a breeze (it sounds too good to be true, even to us!)

So, let's backtrack. It has not been hard for either of us to adjust to our new vagabond lifestyle. After picking up our Apollo campa van we spent the first few days shopping to fill in gaps in the supplies. Craig is learning that Lynda does not really like grocery shopping. It is a chore that is meant to be accomplished as quickly as possible even if the store is air conditioned. "Yes, there is a lot to choose from dear, but just look at the choices and pick what you feel like eating." Craig has done a bang up job of organizing our belongings. Thanks to the produce department at Woolworths, we have free organizers and very little rattling behind us when we are driving.
Craig has adjusted to driving on the "wrong" side of the road while Lynda has not. Sitting on the "wrong" side of the vehicle combined with gusting wind creates the illusion that we are drifting into the oncoming lane. On one particular occasion Craig lost ten years off his life as Lynda shouted "move over, move over, move over." After a moment of panic, he realized he was doing everything correctly and it was just his passenger panicking again.

What is there not to like about Australia?

...The beaches at Cairns, Yorkey's Knob, Port Douglas, Wonga Beach, and Cape Tribulation. The water is as warm as bath water. You know it is warm when Lynda is in the water first.
...The weather. Apparently, they are having an unusually warm spring with temperatures between 25-30 degrees Celcius. We are loving it now, but that could mean extremely hot temperatures when summer comes.
...The food. We are eating and drinking our way through the country. Exotic fruit at the Cape Tribulation Exotic fruit farm, cheese at the Mungali Creek Biodynamic Dairy farm, coffee at Maloberti's NQ Gold coffee plantation. Everywhere you go there are food tours: bananas, mangoes, limes, macadamia nuts etc.
...The people. Aussies are so friendly and welcoming. We have met some wonderful people in just a short period of time. Some of them are intrigued by our accents while others are fishmen. Craig is drawn to them like a magnet. Just last night at Lake Tinaroo we met a family from Townsville at the campsite. Within 30 minutes, the husband had invited Craig to go fishing with him when we go there next week. That Craig, he's a fast worker. (Never mind Lynda, the teachers still outnumber the electricians by about ten to one.)

For those of you who want to know about the wildlife, we haven't had any close encounters yet. Unless, of course, you count the baby stick bug that found its way into Lynda's shirt on day two. (Yes, she screamed and people looked at her.) On our 7 km hike through the rainforest to the top of Mount Sorrow in Cape Tribulation, we had the distinct feeling that we were being watched (snakes, spiders, lizards, cassowaries?) but we were too absorbed with the 680 metre ascent and descent to care. It isn't called Mt. Sorrow for no reason.

We are heading to Townsville to see Lynda's cousins tomorrow. We are going to do a much better job of keeping on top of this blog. We promise!

We've arrived Down Under!

2009-09-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

It's half past noon, 7:30 pm back home, 25 hours since we left Kathy and Glenn's place,and we're here. The flight was smooth, but long. The first thing we did was dive in the pool, so much better than stuffy planes. We get our campa van tommorrow, so we took a room where we can stretch out and sleep, maybe after one more dip in the pool.

Los Angeles California

2009-09-17T12:08:00.000-07:00

After years of anticipation we have finally started our round the world journey. First stop, Los Angeles, California. Luckily we arrived at the airport early. Who knew that Craig would not only be selected for a Nexus secondary examination, but an enhanced security search? Was it his new shirt? His new haircut? Or should he just have listened to Irene who told him it was bad luck to change his shirt when he was wearing it inside out the day before? Oh well, it was all good as we still had time for a Starbuck's coffee before our plane departed.

Kathy and Glenn met us upon our arrival at LAX. Within seconds of leaving the terminal, we had our first Hollywood experience. Walking beside us was a very petite young lady wearing a floppy hat. She looked like any other traveller, but the paparazzi wasn't fooled. They followed her all the way to her waiting SUV. Who was it? Who knows? We checked out people.com and tmz.com to no avail. Her identity remains a mystery.

More importantly, it was a beautiful sunny day and we were off to lunch at a French cafe in Venice. The rest of the afternoon was spent touring around Santa Monica and later we stopped to quench our thirst on a patio in Marina del Rey before heading home for dinner.

On Monday we braved the big hills and cycled down to the beach and along an excellent bike path through Playa del Rey and Marina del Rey to Venice beach. It took us several hours, but we were entertained by the scenery and all the interesting characters we saw along the way. On Tuesday, Glenn arranged a city tour for us during the day. After many hours sitting on a bus we were thrilled to have an opportunity to get some exercise that night. Kathy took Lynda to her workout class at "Easy Fitness" in Venice beach. There was nothing easy about it. Who knew that Kathy's trainer, Kevin, would be as evil as our trainer, Judith? Glenn took Craig on a 45 minute run up and down the hills of Playa del Rey, along the beach, and back up and down those hills. Wow, you can certainly build up a sweat in this climate.

On Wednesday, we hopped on the Disneyland Express Bus at the airport and made the journey to the "happiest place on earth." What more can we say? Another hot, sunny day in California. Note to self: next time we go on Splash Mountain, ask for the seats in the back of the ride. It isn't called "Splash Mountain" for nothing.

There have been a few bumps along the way. Somehow one of us deleted all of our pictures from the first two days here. Very disappointing, but we can always take some more. Maybe not. The charger with the extra battery is in Vancouver. Many thanks to Peggy as both items are on their way here via UPS courier. Good thing we found this out before we left North America.

We are very grateful to our hosts and wonderful friends, Kathy and Glenn. With so many years of hotel and hospitality experience between them, they really know how to make their guests feel welcome. Our own floor of the house, flowers in the room, a fridge full of food, maps of the area and use of their bicycles. We also have the company of "the girls," better known as E.T. and Speckles. Although we are leaving on Friday, our visit has been too short and we wish we were staying longer. Our goal now is to convince them to come and visit us somewhere along this journey so we can all be on holiday together.

Homeless and off to Pender

2009-09-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

We have packed our bags and rented out our house and now that we are homeless, we are off to Borden's Lazy Acres in Pender Harbour for a little break.

After several weeks of moving and cleaning and more cleaning to get out of our home, Craig, Lynda, and Kristin were very happy to take it easy and do just nothing, ie. "read a book".

Kristin took us on many adventures, collecting everything from shells to crabs to starfish. She also spent many hours as everyone's or anyone's personal chaffeur in the Gator, while she practised her driving skills.

Doug took us out to his favourite spot to try our luck at prawning. It's a tradition for the girls

aboard to kiss the "buoys" for good luck. Kristin took her turn.

Bye for now......Paddle harder Dad!

Craig Fishes River's Inlet

2009-08-29T20:31:00.001-07:00

The last day of work was Friday and the fishing trip started Saturday. Craig, Sandy and Doug left the Fraser River and took three days to travel to River's Inlet.

The weather was perfect with only a few showers and a couple of windy days.

Big city, Dawson's Landing, offered somewhere to get off the boat.

By the end of the first week there were four salmon in the boat. Thirty to fifty pounds each. Craig still hadn't had a nibble. Then the tides turned. First a thirty, then a forty-six, then an amazing fifty-five pound Spring. What a fantastic start to my year off!

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September 13 is the big day!

2009-06-15T10:24:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,

Here is a general overview of our itinerary, just in case you want to meet up with us somewhere.

September 13-18 Los Angeles, California
September 18 Fly to Cairns
September 21-December 14 Driving down the East coast to Melbourne
December 14 - February 13 Perth, Western Australia
February 14 Fly to London, England
February 15 - 18 London, England
February 18 - March ? England, Scotland
March ? - June ? Turkey, Greece, Italy, Croatia, Slovenia
End of June Dallas, Texas
End of June Fly home

We are meeting up with Craig's family from December 14 until January 9th. Peggy will be bringing Jenna and Kristin to Perth.
We are also meeting up with Kevin and Lara and the kids in Birmingham, England from February 18 until ?
Irene is coming to Tuscany for two weeks of hiking, eating and drinking from May 15 until the 29th.