We started in Toronto by spending the day exploring the city and visiting the AGO and ROM both of which featured Asian exhibits...the Maharajah and the TerraCotta Warriors respectively. Today in Edmonton we finish after a visit to the Alberta Art Gallery- a wonderful new building reminiscent of the Guggenheim- where we enjoyed a Canadian Landscape exhibit and an Oil exhibit with photos by Edward Burtynsky. I am sure there is a message in that somewhere...
We loved Jasper in our little stay at our fancy hotel downtown and the dinner in the one and only Swiss Bistro in town where we were the only diners. It sure was quiet there! only two rooms occupied in the hotel. We spent the morning hiking on trails which featured the railroad and local history, then headed for the transit "hub" where both train and bus converge. We picked up a wonderful wrap sandwich at Patricia's deli...which she nicely identified as his and hers...a pastry from the Bears Paw and boarded the greyhound bus. There were 3 of us on board..not counting the driver.
Great trek back through the mountains with stops at small places along the way and a handful of people getting on and off. Beautiful sun to see the Rockies and then a slow descent into a nice sunset and darkness before we reached Edmonton. We hoofed it pulling our suitcase through the downtown to the Westin Hotel...not sure that most residents of the hotel arrive that way.
So another luxury hotel..on the cheap of course...brings us to the end of our odyssey.
We have liked Edmonton...lots of modern architecture, great underground Pedway and a LRT system underground (does Rob Ford know you can do that?) We also met some of Edmonton's finest...waved aside as we walked into the library, a young man who claimed also to be from Ontario, informed us so nicely that our crossing of the totally empty road in front of the EPL was jaywalking and should result in a $250 fine...which he would waive. If he had been standing out on the cold road to really prevent jaywalking, rather than hiding in the warm library to catch us...I could have taken this seriously. However we did make sure we crossed at every light after that.
We take the"easy" way home...a flight to Toronto with little to see, nothing to eat and no one to meet. Quite a contrast to the wonderful train travel...especially the security end of it all. On the train the only security issue is that there are no longer lockers or possibily as many trash receptacles. One has to show a ticket to leave baggage at a checked facility...no scanners or sniffers or body patdowns.
I have posted pictures at picassa
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Via train trip
Dec 5
I have to describe where I am as I write this...even though it won't be posted right away..and this will explain why. I am in the top bunk of a 2 person cabin on the Via #1 train somewhere between Hornepayne and Winnipeg. It is dark and cloudy outside, probably somewhere in the -teens and Jurg is lightly snoring below me in the bottom bunk. This cabin has a 2x2ft separate toilet room, a sink that is the only surface to put stuff on, one window and an aisle that is probably about 18 in wide...we both can't get by each other. Right now the train is stopped on a siding and it is 8:30 at night. There has been no cell phone service all day, no internet until Winnepeg and also no CBC radio on my mp3 player. But we are having the time of our lives doing this journey from Toronto to Jasper,
We are early to bed because 1. the time is really 9:30 according to our time in the East 2. Jurg was so excited to be doing this train journey that he hardly slept at all and 3. we both were awake last night watching the most beautiful starry sky out our window and waiting to go over that wonderful trestle bridge in Parry Sound at 3 am. It was marvellous looking down at the water and the houses of the Sound below us.
So what is it like on this train in December? The staff tell us it is real low season. We are only 27 solitary souls in this first class area of the train with showers and sleepers and about 16 people in the economy section. The staff is wonderfully friendly and open and lots of fun. We spend most of the day in the panorama car watching the black and white landscape of snow and trees and ice whiz by punctuated by eating...canapes and champagne last night at 10 when we started, 3 good meals a day with dessert twice, and a small selection of wine and beer for purchase. It is so relaxing and yet invigorating to see the landscape race by the windows as we watch hoping to catch a glimpse of a moose or wolf..so far no luck. Small isolated summer cottages appear momentarily on the side of lakes..many only accessible by train and then small settlements held together by logging or train activity pop up every 100 km or so. People can get on at innumerable stops with odd names such as Camp McKay or Ebs..put there aren't ,many this time of year. Somehow the whole thing is fascinating and is augmented by the interesting people we have met.
Some people always travel by train and do this quite often. A few like us are taking advantage of the great deal in low season. Others are tourists who wanted to see Canada...a young woman from Germany who is an engineer and has traipsed back and forth across the country several times during the year she has travelled here, a doctor from San Antonio Texis who is heading to Jasper and hope to learn some skiing but just wanted to experience this ride. There is a young doctor from Montreal who is heading to Red Lake ( she will get off at 2 am tomorrow) to do a 3 week locum and a woman and her daughter heading to Winnipeg to bury her mother and wrap up the legal issues. It almost feels like one could do an Agatha Christie novel and create the most bizarre characters in murder mystery! One poor soul in economy got taken away in an ambulance at Hornepayne...apparently this person didn't feel well so it was best to get off there as they didn't want to take any chances with the distances we travel between places.
The train was built in the 1950's and thankfully has had several refurbishments. It travels along at 65 mph through northern Ontario but will hit 85 mph through the prairies. We have to move onto sidings often to let freight trains by...they are gigantic...one had 170 double stacked container cars...probably from China via Prince Rupert. We lost about 2 hrs stuck behind a broken down one in Capreol...but most of the time we made up.
Tomorrow am we arrive in Winnipeg and Jurg and I will do a city tour during our 4 hr layover.
December 7
Almost into Edmonton...it is dark and 7:20 in the morning. A small group of us are gathered in the last car on the train, the Park car and we are trading stories of music and Canadian artists. Right now the topic is Stomping Tom! There is a young woman from Germany, millwright from Western Canada, a retired guy from Kingsville On and Jurg and I. We have had such fun with the people on this trip. Lots of conversation over quite good meals, lots of laughs in the dome car as we sat in the dark hoping to see the stars, and trading lots of stories from our lives. Luckily politics and religion have been mostly avoided.
Our tour of Winnipeg was terrific...we really enjoyed the history and architecture perspective. But it did mean we had no time to do any computer posting.
The prairies were beautiful. The blue sky and sun was most welcome after the cloudy skies across Ontario. The open landscape seemed to lift our spirits and the sunlight glinting off the grasses and the frosted trees made for a magical feeling. The sun set early though...about 5 pm. The train picked up speed at night as we made our way through the dark...apparently hitting about 130 kph at one point according to someones gps. But we also spent a lot of time stopped waiting for these long freight trains to speed past...talk about being sidetracked!
This has been a marvellous journey...a few more hours and we are into the mountains and then Jasper where we get off. We both agree that we need to do this again also at low season...to have this small group of people and all this space to enjoy the train has been so terrific. Maybe next time we start in Vancouver and come east....
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Yamba to Brisbane
I am writing this after being back in Canada in BC as Australian access to internet is much more limited than here. Several nights without access makes it very difficult to write this blog in a cohesive manner. So, this is hampered by lousy memory and intervening experiences.
But, to pick up...yes we did get up and watch the sunrise in Yamba. It was a beautiful one and I took many pictures. One of the other benefits of being up early in the morning was the birds...magnificent singing and cacaphony before the sun came up and so different in sound from home. We explored some of the beaches in the area and drove out to the famous point where surfers "catch the break" but no surfers to be found. Must have been at work I guess. There were some lovely pools there in holes left behind by a quarry. Called the blue and green pools...apt names for sure!
We next dropped in to Bellina the start of a lovely drive to Byron Bay the most easterly point of Australia. Did the usual- checked out the harbour, climbed the high point, drove by the beaches and saw the tourist marker...The Big Prawn. On top of a gas station it was...and the gas station was closed. Followed the tourist drive past beaches to Byron Bay, another old hippie location being tranformed into expensive real estate. There is an old lighthouse there, well maintained in a great park with trails out to the point. We took the high road and could see a few dolphins and a lot of kayakers and gawkers. It was beautiful to see up and down the coast and the cliffs, beaches and birds.
It was getting late in the day and we still had the Gold Coast to cover before finding a place to sleep. This long stretch of sand south of Brisbane is famous and over run with people. But, it is a beautiful beach...the most magnificent we had seen. The place called Surfers Paradise is a huge high rise conglomeration, seen from the southly end of the beach 15 km away. Looks like a mini Manhatten. The traffic thru the area was spread across 6 lanes and was difficult to negotiate. After a few pictures from just north of the paradise we decided we would head for the hills, which a relatively close by.
We headed toward Mt Tambourine and it was a beautiful drive along a ridge as the sun set. And it got dark. Very hard to find a place to stay in the dark..so the first one we came across we took. Eagle Heights...had a great view across the hills to the twinkling lights on the coast of the famous paradise. But, they had substituted huge room for any sense of good functional decorating. Sparse, big chairs under the TV so you couldn't sit in them to watch, few hooks for towels in the bathroom and it was a gambling place to boot. Our only real disappointment in accommodation given the optimistic name. But, in the morning we took off for our drive to Brisbane. Mt Tambourine was a beautiful area with a few quaint towns full of shopping places, marvellous windy drives through the mountains and a great alternative to the coast.
Brisbane...we spent the time with friends- Rene and Ursula and son Michael. Wonderful hospitable hosts in a lovely home close to downtown. We enjoyed a great homecooked meal, terrific conversation (some in Swiss German) and awakening to the sound of the marvellous Australian birds. A great end to a marvellous trip.
But, to pick up...yes we did get up and watch the sunrise in Yamba. It was a beautiful one and I took many pictures. One of the other benefits of being up early in the morning was the birds...magnificent singing and cacaphony before the sun came up and so different in sound from home. We explored some of the beaches in the area and drove out to the famous point where surfers "catch the break" but no surfers to be found. Must have been at work I guess. There were some lovely pools there in holes left behind by a quarry. Called the blue and green pools...apt names for sure!
We next dropped in to Bellina the start of a lovely drive to Byron Bay the most easterly point of Australia. Did the usual- checked out the harbour, climbed the high point, drove by the beaches and saw the tourist marker...The Big Prawn. On top of a gas station it was...and the gas station was closed. Followed the tourist drive past beaches to Byron Bay, another old hippie location being tranformed into expensive real estate. There is an old lighthouse there, well maintained in a great park with trails out to the point. We took the high road and could see a few dolphins and a lot of kayakers and gawkers. It was beautiful to see up and down the coast and the cliffs, beaches and birds.
It was getting late in the day and we still had the Gold Coast to cover before finding a place to sleep. This long stretch of sand south of Brisbane is famous and over run with people. But, it is a beautiful beach...the most magnificent we had seen. The place called Surfers Paradise is a huge high rise conglomeration, seen from the southly end of the beach 15 km away. Looks like a mini Manhatten. The traffic thru the area was spread across 6 lanes and was difficult to negotiate. After a few pictures from just north of the paradise we decided we would head for the hills, which a relatively close by.
We headed toward Mt Tambourine and it was a beautiful drive along a ridge as the sun set. And it got dark. Very hard to find a place to stay in the dark..so the first one we came across we took. Eagle Heights...had a great view across the hills to the twinkling lights on the coast of the famous paradise. But, they had substituted huge room for any sense of good functional decorating. Sparse, big chairs under the TV so you couldn't sit in them to watch, few hooks for towels in the bathroom and it was a gambling place to boot. Our only real disappointment in accommodation given the optimistic name. But, in the morning we took off for our drive to Brisbane. Mt Tambourine was a beautiful area with a few quaint towns full of shopping places, marvellous windy drives through the mountains and a great alternative to the coast.
Brisbane...we spent the time with friends- Rene and Ursula and son Michael. Wonderful hospitable hosts in a lovely home close to downtown. We enjoyed a great homecooked meal, terrific conversation (some in Swiss German) and awakening to the sound of the marvellous Australian birds. A great end to a marvellous trip.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Relaxing in Yamba
We started today from Port Macquarie with great plans to make it all the way to Byron Bay...the most easterly point of Australia and be there so that we could watch the sunrise Tuesday am. But, the laid back Australian ambiance has infected us. So, we took a little longer dallying around the Port. An extra coffee, a second breakfast ( on top of the muesli and yogurt we had in our room!) and a trip to the Koala Hospital and all of a sudden it was almost noon and we hadn't even covered one km on our journey.
A little bit about Koalas. They may be cute, but apparently they are dumb. They only eat one thing-eucalyptus leaves and are nocturnal. So in the hunt for food, they are often hit by cars at night, or caught up in trees by forest fires. At least that seemed to be a lot of the reason the Koala hospital gets calls to come pick them up. There are few of them left in Australia...confined to a small region due to habitat destruction and the stresses of human life. They are marsupial ( baby in a pouch) and when kept in a safe setting live into their 20's. This is the only indigenous live animal we have see in Australia. Kangaroos are also nocturnal and suffer the same fate on the roads that deer do at home. We have seen 3 dead ones along the roadside.
Back to the journey...we had to stop for some lunch- a traditional Aussie pie, same as in New Zealand. Meat pies with incredible variety that you eat with your hands...I think mine was apricot chicken. Then went on from there to Coff's Harbour- quite a large place on the sea. Regretted having the pie as at the Marina there was a Fisherman's Coop with recently caught fish and a wonderful fish restaurant- but we were too full to eat again!
The travel along the Pacific Hwy was mostly without sea views but we did cross the Clarence River several times. We went to Grafton to see the jacaranda trees in bloom and weren't disappointed. Beautiful purple blossoms that grace the city everywhere and litter the ground below the trees. Drove a lot more streets than expected as it was so beautiful. Then on to Maclean- a scottish heritage town where all the hydro poles are painted with Scotch plaid from different clans. Hundreds of them!
And then we drove down to Yamba, through sugar cane fields and pastoral herds of cattle grazing. A quiet beautiful seaside place, originally meant to be our afternoon stop but has become our overnight stay. In the morning we hope to get up early enough at least to catch the sunrise here and walk a little on the beach. Let's hope the weather cooperates. It was rainy most of today and cleared late this afternoon. Perhaps tomorrow we will see sun again!
A little bit about Koalas. They may be cute, but apparently they are dumb. They only eat one thing-eucalyptus leaves and are nocturnal. So in the hunt for food, they are often hit by cars at night, or caught up in trees by forest fires. At least that seemed to be a lot of the reason the Koala hospital gets calls to come pick them up. There are few of them left in Australia...confined to a small region due to habitat destruction and the stresses of human life. They are marsupial ( baby in a pouch) and when kept in a safe setting live into their 20's. This is the only indigenous live animal we have see in Australia. Kangaroos are also nocturnal and suffer the same fate on the roads that deer do at home. We have seen 3 dead ones along the roadside.
Back to the journey...we had to stop for some lunch- a traditional Aussie pie, same as in New Zealand. Meat pies with incredible variety that you eat with your hands...I think mine was apricot chicken. Then went on from there to Coff's Harbour- quite a large place on the sea. Regretted having the pie as at the Marina there was a Fisherman's Coop with recently caught fish and a wonderful fish restaurant- but we were too full to eat again!
The travel along the Pacific Hwy was mostly without sea views but we did cross the Clarence River several times. We went to Grafton to see the jacaranda trees in bloom and weren't disappointed. Beautiful purple blossoms that grace the city everywhere and litter the ground below the trees. Drove a lot more streets than expected as it was so beautiful. Then on to Maclean- a scottish heritage town where all the hydro poles are painted with Scotch plaid from different clans. Hundreds of them!
And then we drove down to Yamba, through sugar cane fields and pastoral herds of cattle grazing. A quiet beautiful seaside place, originally meant to be our afternoon stop but has become our overnight stay. In the morning we hope to get up early enough at least to catch the sunrise here and walk a little on the beach. Let's hope the weather cooperates. It was rainy most of today and cleared late this afternoon. Perhaps tomorrow we will see sun again!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Nelson Bay to Port Macquarie
Our beautiful day yesterday walking on the beaches of Nelson Bay has been followed by a rainy day which seemed to follow us up the coast. Luckily, we would get ahead of it and see a few things before we dashed back to the car to avoid the next rain drops. We travelled off the Pacific Hwy #1 to take the tourist drives along the coast.
Our first stop was at Seal Rocks...about 10 km on a mostly sealed road ...to a walk that took us up to a spectacular view from an old lighthouse whose buildings have now been converted to some accommodation for a handful of people at a time. The view was made more spectacular as we got to observe dolphins and whales feeding in the sea below us. The whales are on their southward migration back to the Antarctic and they come close to shore to feed. It was wonderful seeing their blow and watching some rotate in the water. Lots of pictures, mostly fuzzy, to come. No seals are left there...these were killed off early in the 1900's...typical of our tribe. There was a wonderful secluded empty beach that stretched below us. The sand here is so fine and lovely, but again the water is still cool.
Our next stop was at Pacific Palms to have lunch at Frothy Coffee. The names here are so catchy. Who can resist stopping at a place like that?
Next Cape Hawke at the north end of Booti Booti Park..another great name... We huffed and puffed up about 420 stairs to get a panoramic view of the countryside just south of Forster. We got to the top to find another little tour with about 40 steps that went up above the trees. And the view was worth it! 360 deg over the coast and the inner lakes of this area. We were able to get down before the rain came pelting again. What a wet day! No drought in this part of Australia.
Tonight the hotel we are at in Port Macquarrie recommended we go down the street to have dinner at The Club. Turned out that is what they call casinos here. No mention of gambling in any of the ads for it. We had to sign in with our names and addresses. What we will do for a cheaper meal! Food seems expensive here compared to home. Even the stuff grown here is costly. For example, an avocado costs about $2.25...( Can $ is at par with Aus $) and it grows here..just down the road!
No illegal migrant workers here to make food cheap is the only answer we can come up with.
Jurg loves the car..a Skoda Octavia...has lots of pick up and yet very easy on the petrol. Has a big boot that accommodates all our stuff. Don't I sound like an Aussie?
Our first stop was at Seal Rocks...about 10 km on a mostly sealed road ...to a walk that took us up to a spectacular view from an old lighthouse whose buildings have now been converted to some accommodation for a handful of people at a time. The view was made more spectacular as we got to observe dolphins and whales feeding in the sea below us. The whales are on their southward migration back to the Antarctic and they come close to shore to feed. It was wonderful seeing their blow and watching some rotate in the water. Lots of pictures, mostly fuzzy, to come. No seals are left there...these were killed off early in the 1900's...typical of our tribe. There was a wonderful secluded empty beach that stretched below us. The sand here is so fine and lovely, but again the water is still cool.
Our next stop was at Pacific Palms to have lunch at Frothy Coffee. The names here are so catchy. Who can resist stopping at a place like that?
Next Cape Hawke at the north end of Booti Booti Park..another great name... We huffed and puffed up about 420 stairs to get a panoramic view of the countryside just south of Forster. We got to the top to find another little tour with about 40 steps that went up above the trees. And the view was worth it! 360 deg over the coast and the inner lakes of this area. We were able to get down before the rain came pelting again. What a wet day! No drought in this part of Australia.
Tonight the hotel we are at in Port Macquarrie recommended we go down the street to have dinner at The Club. Turned out that is what they call casinos here. No mention of gambling in any of the ads for it. We had to sign in with our names and addresses. What we will do for a cheaper meal! Food seems expensive here compared to home. Even the stuff grown here is costly. For example, an avocado costs about $2.25...( Can $ is at par with Aus $) and it grows here..just down the road!
No illegal migrant workers here to make food cheap is the only answer we can come up with.
Jurg loves the car..a Skoda Octavia...has lots of pick up and yet very easy on the petrol. Has a big boot that accommodates all our stuff. Don't I sound like an Aussie?
Friday, October 22, 2010
Australia Fair
We are almost a week into our Australia journey...and so much we have seen! Three days in wonderful Sydney where we enjoyed the water, the food, the arts and the ambience. We walked around much of the central city areas from our hotel in Darlinghurst and were just around the corner from the Oxford Street shops, restaurants and gay area. Not that we spent a lot of time in the latter. We saw a show at the Opera House...two swiss guys who did a most unique performance. One guy made music using turntables and the other mimed and twisted his way through a parody on the stress of modern life. All the stage design was made with cardboard and he was on a big turntable. It was quite amazing...not a word was spoken and all ages loved it. The kids laughed at the antics, while the grownups could read in the deeper meaning. Zimmermann and De Perrot..check out their website!
We travelled by bus, subway and ferry...all rather complicated to figure out as they are not exactly coordinated. On arrival, we decided to take the new train. Our hotel said it was only a 5 min walk from the Central Depot...so we managed to pay an extra $3 over the cost of the shuttle bus to the door, in order to drag our suitcases about 15 minutes mostly uphill. You bet we took the shuttle back to the airport to pick up our rental car.
But, nothing can beat the gardens, beaches and streetlife of Sydney. Bondi Beach, Manly Beach, Harbour Bridged, Darling Harbour..as wonderful as the pictures show. And I have hundreds of pics to prove it. Will take a little while to post them.
We left Sydney via car and headed for the Blue Mountains..a much more beautiful version than the ones in Ontario. Red sandstone cliffs and canyons, amazingly long waterfalls and magnificent vistas across blue hazed treed mountains. Our motel, called the Three Sisters, was a real find and just walking distance from the famous landmark after which it is named. We walked to the restaurants of Katoomba as well...quite the hippie place. And, the Swiss Cottage restaurant was just around the corner..no spatzli though only rosti. Another zillion photos later and several long challenging walks, we were off to Port Stephens via Hunter Valley.
On this next leg of our journey we passed through the changeable weather fronts of Oz...from 26 deg to 13 deg...rain, hail, thunder and then back up to 23 deg. Repeat process....and then run into a vineyard to taste and pick up some wine. It was actually an interesting beautiful drive and we ended up on the pacific coast in the Oaks Lure apartment Hotel in Nelson Bay.
We hadn't exactly timed everything well...we went thru the Hunter Valley on a Friday which meant all the accommodation was either booked or very expensive...(long, nookie weekends for the couples from Sydney it seems) . So we found a place a little further along on the coast.
Booked for 2 nights here and have spent the day enjoying the amazing sand beaches, blue sky and sparkling waters. Water is cool though, not really enticing for swimming- but a feast for the eyes. So many white sand beaches around here...incredible place for a holiday when the water warms up.
We will leave tomorrow am to continue our ambling up the coast...people give us lots of suggestions and we hope that we can stay in one of the ensuite cabins that the caravan parks have along the way. Sort of like camping with benefits. Our friends in Brisbane are awaiting us on the Wednesday night...they are such terrific flexible former backpackers...
talk to you all soon.
We travelled by bus, subway and ferry...all rather complicated to figure out as they are not exactly coordinated. On arrival, we decided to take the new train. Our hotel said it was only a 5 min walk from the Central Depot...so we managed to pay an extra $3 over the cost of the shuttle bus to the door, in order to drag our suitcases about 15 minutes mostly uphill. You bet we took the shuttle back to the airport to pick up our rental car.
But, nothing can beat the gardens, beaches and streetlife of Sydney. Bondi Beach, Manly Beach, Harbour Bridged, Darling Harbour..as wonderful as the pictures show. And I have hundreds of pics to prove it. Will take a little while to post them.
We left Sydney via car and headed for the Blue Mountains..a much more beautiful version than the ones in Ontario. Red sandstone cliffs and canyons, amazingly long waterfalls and magnificent vistas across blue hazed treed mountains. Our motel, called the Three Sisters, was a real find and just walking distance from the famous landmark after which it is named. We walked to the restaurants of Katoomba as well...quite the hippie place. And, the Swiss Cottage restaurant was just around the corner..no spatzli though only rosti. Another zillion photos later and several long challenging walks, we were off to Port Stephens via Hunter Valley.
On this next leg of our journey we passed through the changeable weather fronts of Oz...from 26 deg to 13 deg...rain, hail, thunder and then back up to 23 deg. Repeat process....and then run into a vineyard to taste and pick up some wine. It was actually an interesting beautiful drive and we ended up on the pacific coast in the Oaks Lure apartment Hotel in Nelson Bay.
We hadn't exactly timed everything well...we went thru the Hunter Valley on a Friday which meant all the accommodation was either booked or very expensive...(long, nookie weekends for the couples from Sydney it seems) . So we found a place a little further along on the coast.
Booked for 2 nights here and have spent the day enjoying the amazing sand beaches, blue sky and sparkling waters. Water is cool though, not really enticing for swimming- but a feast for the eyes. So many white sand beaches around here...incredible place for a holiday when the water warms up.
We will leave tomorrow am to continue our ambling up the coast...people give us lots of suggestions and we hope that we can stay in one of the ensuite cabins that the caravan parks have along the way. Sort of like camping with benefits. Our friends in Brisbane are awaiting us on the Wednesday night...they are such terrific flexible former backpackers...
talk to you all soon.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Our upsidedown world
in so many ways...on the other side of the world in New Zealand. But we have adapted wonderfully! so far, very little jetlag. Arrived at 6:30 am and even slept on the flight, and stayed up all day until a 9 pm bedtime. It is early spring here and the trees are in pink, white and red bloom- so different from the yellow and red leaves that are in process of falling at home.
And the grandchildren...so much more fun and activity than at home!
Katrina is 5 and a supremely confident, accomplished 5 she is. Loves games and art and dresses. Edward is 11 months and mobile in his ferrari- a wheeled contraption that negotiates everywhere in this house with no stairs. He has taken to us immediately which is a thrill for us!
Today we head to Tairua- the beach house just northwest of here on the Pacific Ocean. No internet there. Will update later
Off to more playgrounds, card games with penguin cards, long walks with strollers and fun with the family
And the grandchildren...so much more fun and activity than at home!
Katrina is 5 and a supremely confident, accomplished 5 she is. Loves games and art and dresses. Edward is 11 months and mobile in his ferrari- a wheeled contraption that negotiates everywhere in this house with no stairs. He has taken to us immediately which is a thrill for us!
Today we head to Tairua- the beach house just northwest of here on the Pacific Ocean. No internet there. Will update later
Off to more playgrounds, card games with penguin cards, long walks with strollers and fun with the family
Saturday, May 1, 2010
the final
Our final day...and here we are at the Best Western Alfa Hotel by the airport. Rental car is safely returned and the shuttle is booked for 6:00am tomorrow morning. That will be an assault on our senses as we have quite adapted to Spanish time and rising at 8 or so in the morning.
Our last day was rather surreal...we followed a bit of Salvador Dali's life. A trip out to Cadaques, the easternmost town in Spain and Dali's haunt at least for the summers. The usual search for a parking place and a quick walk to the seashore where his famous Miratim restaurant was the scene of gatherings for his artist friends. Rain fell intermittently and made our quick walk a little quicker.
Back towards Figueres where the famous Salvador Dali Museum was our goal. On the twisty roads we watched oodles of cars heading for Cadaques and its lack of parking...no idea what it would be like there. Then in Figueres we spent lots of time searching out that one little 12 ft spot we could fit the Skoda into. Traffic was awful...and we circled round and round. Then finally a spot! we headed for the lineup to buy the tickets for entry...so many other Dali seekers. Apparently it is a 3 day weekend here...didn't know and didn't factor that into our plans. We viewed the most unusual museum among hordes of others...seemed rather unDaliesque. Hard to appreciate the surreal when one is living it.
On the way back to the car we passed the parking garage near the museum...never a sign anywhere for that.
Now...safe in the Best Western, a glass of Cava consumed and the suitcases reorganized...home is hard to imagine after almost 5 weeks away. But it does feel rather good to think of being there.
Hasta luego...Espagne
Our last day was rather surreal...we followed a bit of Salvador Dali's life. A trip out to Cadaques, the easternmost town in Spain and Dali's haunt at least for the summers. The usual search for a parking place and a quick walk to the seashore where his famous Miratim restaurant was the scene of gatherings for his artist friends. Rain fell intermittently and made our quick walk a little quicker.
Back towards Figueres where the famous Salvador Dali Museum was our goal. On the twisty roads we watched oodles of cars heading for Cadaques and its lack of parking...no idea what it would be like there. Then in Figueres we spent lots of time searching out that one little 12 ft spot we could fit the Skoda into. Traffic was awful...and we circled round and round. Then finally a spot! we headed for the lineup to buy the tickets for entry...so many other Dali seekers. Apparently it is a 3 day weekend here...didn't know and didn't factor that into our plans. We viewed the most unusual museum among hordes of others...seemed rather unDaliesque. Hard to appreciate the surreal when one is living it.
On the way back to the car we passed the parking garage near the museum...never a sign anywhere for that.
Now...safe in the Best Western, a glass of Cava consumed and the suitcases reorganized...home is hard to imagine after almost 5 weeks away. But it does feel rather good to think of being there.
Hasta luego...Espagne
France into Spain
A Medieval city before breakfast. ..now that is the way to start your day! The city of Carcassonne is at its best then before it gets inundated with tourists-only the delivery vans are racing in and out. From what we could see, the castle inhabitants had their choice of eating, drinking, sleeping or shopping. No armour makers or crossbow fixers anywhere. The one bit of history was a movie shown in the castle (tour of castle 8.50 euros) and the movie machine was broken. So, it seems all we know is that this old city was restored in the 1800's by a guy just nutty for medieval stuff and may not be entirely to the original plan. But the restoration is now old enough to be designated a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is interesting and beautiful...but very commercialized- at least after 9:30 am when we had retired to our Hotel du Chateau across the road for breakfast.
Time to travel through the centuries...at least to 1960 as we headed east for Narbonne and area where Jurg had spent some of his early 20's on a work placement with a French Vintner. The vintner had been interned in Switzerland during the war and was so grateful for the way he was treated that he just had Jurg chauffer his family around and have fun. Jurg had great memories of cafe's on the streets of Narbonne and days spent at the beach at St Pierre Sur La Mer.
With the help of Edeltroute, our new name for the GPS, we found both places. The cafe area in Narbonne is still shaded by wonderful trees alongside the canal, but the isolated beach is now totally surrounded by development. The old outhouse with the heartshaped cutout that you held close with two fingers to signify "occupe" is long gone! The road out to the beach is through wine country and seems much the same as the days 50 years ago...but the rest has vanished with our dark hair.
We took advantage of the new infrastructure to have moules and frites with deux bieres and moved on to Perpignon and down the little coastal road.
Magnificent views as we crossed the end of the Pyrenees as they tumble into the sea in a maze of cliffs and rocks. And then...back in Spain...the old customs house turned into a bar. The marker raised by Franco to commemorate his taking of all of Spain is covered in grafitti...
We find a small hotel in Llanca...seems unchanged since the 1970's...a fitting end to our day of timetravel. Tapas and drinks as we watch night fall over the Mediterranean Sea.
Time to travel through the centuries...at least to 1960 as we headed east for Narbonne and area where Jurg had spent some of his early 20's on a work placement with a French Vintner. The vintner had been interned in Switzerland during the war and was so grateful for the way he was treated that he just had Jurg chauffer his family around and have fun. Jurg had great memories of cafe's on the streets of Narbonne and days spent at the beach at St Pierre Sur La Mer.
With the help of Edeltroute, our new name for the GPS, we found both places. The cafe area in Narbonne is still shaded by wonderful trees alongside the canal, but the isolated beach is now totally surrounded by development. The old outhouse with the heartshaped cutout that you held close with two fingers to signify "occupe" is long gone! The road out to the beach is through wine country and seems much the same as the days 50 years ago...but the rest has vanished with our dark hair.
We took advantage of the new infrastructure to have moules and frites with deux bieres and moved on to Perpignon and down the little coastal road.
Magnificent views as we crossed the end of the Pyrenees as they tumble into the sea in a maze of cliffs and rocks. And then...back in Spain...the old customs house turned into a bar. The marker raised by Franco to commemorate his taking of all of Spain is covered in grafitti...
We find a small hotel in Llanca...seems unchanged since the 1970's...a fitting end to our day of timetravel. Tapas and drinks as we watch night fall over the Mediterranean Sea.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Carcassonne, France
So much in 2 days...even a new country. Hardly noticed as we crossed the border, only the map and the signs in French paid tribute to the change in government. To backtrack a little.
We visited Guernika yesterday..outstanding museum dedicated to peace. The people here have taken much the same stand as Hiroshima...peace-not vengeance. The museum analyzed peace and then had a marvellous explanation of what happened that day in 1937. Found out it was a joint force of Germans, and Italians aided by the Spanish. There was a moving video of the German apology in 1997. So far the Italians and the Spanish have failed to do anything to own up to their parts.
It seems that the Franco era in Spain was so aided by the Catholic Church that is still so strong, that no look at any of the atrocities of that era has happened. We have seen several demonstrations featuring calls for Justice for the victims of that time. Looks like Spain has a darker side that still lies in the shadows.
We moved along the coast and headed for overnight in Pamplona...and Jurg's most important soccer game on TV. There must be a day of mourning in Spain as they got eliminated by Italy from the semi finals...but we got to see the famous bull run city in the morning. Walked the run that takes the bulls about 3 minutes to cover.
Then on through the Pyrenees- a magnificent drive thru small towns and green hills to a height of 1000m over the pass. Then the descent to France. Along the way we passed lots of cyclists and pilgrims on the Camino. Both seems like incredible challenges...
We drove to Lourdes...huge crowd of pilgrims and lots of souvenir shops. Quite the place. Not sure what to make of it all.
Tonight we are at Carcossonne. Jurg was last here 50 years ago. We will see tomorrow morning what has changed...
We visited Guernika yesterday..outstanding museum dedicated to peace. The people here have taken much the same stand as Hiroshima...peace-not vengeance. The museum analyzed peace and then had a marvellous explanation of what happened that day in 1937. Found out it was a joint force of Germans, and Italians aided by the Spanish. There was a moving video of the German apology in 1997. So far the Italians and the Spanish have failed to do anything to own up to their parts.
It seems that the Franco era in Spain was so aided by the Catholic Church that is still so strong, that no look at any of the atrocities of that era has happened. We have seen several demonstrations featuring calls for Justice for the victims of that time. Looks like Spain has a darker side that still lies in the shadows.
We moved along the coast and headed for overnight in Pamplona...and Jurg's most important soccer game on TV. There must be a day of mourning in Spain as they got eliminated by Italy from the semi finals...but we got to see the famous bull run city in the morning. Walked the run that takes the bulls about 3 minutes to cover.
Then on through the Pyrenees- a magnificent drive thru small towns and green hills to a height of 1000m over the pass. Then the descent to France. Along the way we passed lots of cyclists and pilgrims on the Camino. Both seems like incredible challenges...
We drove to Lourdes...huge crowd of pilgrims and lots of souvenir shops. Quite the place. Not sure what to make of it all.
Tonight we are at Carcossonne. Jurg was last here 50 years ago. We will see tomorrow morning what has changed...
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Basque Country
This morning as we left out little posada in Santillana, we decided that we needed to make some distance and there would be no more little seaside or mountain diversionary drives. We almost made it- but more on that later.
First we headed to Santander, a big seaside city that is very modern as it was burned down by a major fire in 1941. For a modern town it was very lovely. It has a beautiful beach-El Sardiniero- that is right in the city and wonderful seaside promenades like so many of the Spanish cities. Toronto has much to learn about waterfronts and Guelph's view of its river walks are lamentable compared to what they do here. We didn't linger as our big agenda was to get to Bilbao and the famous Guggenheim designed by Frank Gehry.
A little aside- the roads are wonderful and getting better all the time. Most places are connected by 4 lane divided highways with excellent signage and the secondary roads are paved and in good condition. There is much construction going on to upgrade sections- hope that isn't part of the cause of the financial difficulties here!
Anyhow, we motored into Bilbao and found the museums with the help (and some hindrance) of our dear GPS system. Getting from the underground parking into the museum was quite complicated..there were no signs and we ended up walking totally around this fantastic building before locating the entrance. But the building is incredible! all curves and glass and titanium siding..odd shaped spaces and even odder modern art inside. Anish Koor is the main exhibit and his work is fascinating but outside the box to say the least...a cannon that shoots wax bullets against a corner? he has collaborated with other artists to create architectural creations in NYC and Chicago and other places. Certainly challenging to understand his work! After lunch in a shopping centre restaurant (actually was a pretty good salad!) we saw the more traditional work at the Museo Belles Artes. There was saw an El Greco, a Manet, several Rubens- and other amazing people from across the centuries. There were some other modern Basque artists with exhibits showing their culture.
This Basque city that was until the mid nineties and the building of the museum, just an industrial no name, has all sorts of incredible buildings now and more under construction..looks like things have really taken off!
Basque culture...quite amazing. The language is totally different from our language and is theorized to be closer to Finnish and some of those languages. The Basques are like the aboriginals of this area and are thought to have resisted conquest by both the Romans and the Moors and retained their own unique language and customs as they got pushed into the area around the border of France and Spain. They are seafarers and probably arrived in North America long before Columbus as they followed the whales...maybe even before the Vikings. One hears about them because of ETA, the so-called terrorist organization that is agitating for a separate Basque homeland and has been the cause of several bombings that have caused great damage in France and Spain. Their food is apparently quite amazing ( don't know yet as we haven't tried it) and they are still resistant to Spanish attempts to squash the culture. Apparently this came to a head under Franco and Hitler attacked a key Basque city-Guernica- in 1937 experimenting with cluster bombs and hoping to win Franco as an ally. The ancient city was destroyed, a thousand people died, and Franco stayed neutral in the war. Tomorrow we will visit that city.
As we left Bilbao, we read in Fodors about this spectacular seaside drive around to Guernica...well let me tell you. The spectacularness was a little spotty, the drive was very difficult to follow even with the GPS assistance and then with no warning the road was closed and we had to backtrack. We should have stuck to our original idea to avoid slow roads today! So here we are in Mundaka at Hotel Atalaya after checking in after 8 pm.
It is an important football game tonight..so dinner was a sandwich as Jurg watched the game in the bar. Sue will make sure that anticipated Basque meal happens tomorrow in San Sebastian...price be damned!
Hasta luego
First we headed to Santander, a big seaside city that is very modern as it was burned down by a major fire in 1941. For a modern town it was very lovely. It has a beautiful beach-El Sardiniero- that is right in the city and wonderful seaside promenades like so many of the Spanish cities. Toronto has much to learn about waterfronts and Guelph's view of its river walks are lamentable compared to what they do here. We didn't linger as our big agenda was to get to Bilbao and the famous Guggenheim designed by Frank Gehry.
A little aside- the roads are wonderful and getting better all the time. Most places are connected by 4 lane divided highways with excellent signage and the secondary roads are paved and in good condition. There is much construction going on to upgrade sections- hope that isn't part of the cause of the financial difficulties here!
Anyhow, we motored into Bilbao and found the museums with the help (and some hindrance) of our dear GPS system. Getting from the underground parking into the museum was quite complicated..there were no signs and we ended up walking totally around this fantastic building before locating the entrance. But the building is incredible! all curves and glass and titanium siding..odd shaped spaces and even odder modern art inside. Anish Koor is the main exhibit and his work is fascinating but outside the box to say the least...a cannon that shoots wax bullets against a corner? he has collaborated with other artists to create architectural creations in NYC and Chicago and other places. Certainly challenging to understand his work! After lunch in a shopping centre restaurant (actually was a pretty good salad!) we saw the more traditional work at the Museo Belles Artes. There was saw an El Greco, a Manet, several Rubens- and other amazing people from across the centuries. There were some other modern Basque artists with exhibits showing their culture.
This Basque city that was until the mid nineties and the building of the museum, just an industrial no name, has all sorts of incredible buildings now and more under construction..looks like things have really taken off!
Basque culture...quite amazing. The language is totally different from our language and is theorized to be closer to Finnish and some of those languages. The Basques are like the aboriginals of this area and are thought to have resisted conquest by both the Romans and the Moors and retained their own unique language and customs as they got pushed into the area around the border of France and Spain. They are seafarers and probably arrived in North America long before Columbus as they followed the whales...maybe even before the Vikings. One hears about them because of ETA, the so-called terrorist organization that is agitating for a separate Basque homeland and has been the cause of several bombings that have caused great damage in France and Spain. Their food is apparently quite amazing ( don't know yet as we haven't tried it) and they are still resistant to Spanish attempts to squash the culture. Apparently this came to a head under Franco and Hitler attacked a key Basque city-Guernica- in 1937 experimenting with cluster bombs and hoping to win Franco as an ally. The ancient city was destroyed, a thousand people died, and Franco stayed neutral in the war. Tomorrow we will visit that city.
As we left Bilbao, we read in Fodors about this spectacular seaside drive around to Guernica...well let me tell you. The spectacularness was a little spotty, the drive was very difficult to follow even with the GPS assistance and then with no warning the road was closed and we had to backtrack. We should have stuck to our original idea to avoid slow roads today! So here we are in Mundaka at Hotel Atalaya after checking in after 8 pm.
It is an important football game tonight..so dinner was a sandwich as Jurg watched the game in the bar. Sue will make sure that anticipated Basque meal happens tomorrow in San Sebastian...price be damned!
Hasta luego
Monday, April 26, 2010
the silence of Santillana
This morning we were in a beautiful seaside town with a magnificent beach...Gijon...staying in a beautifully redone little 3 star hotel...redone in a very modern way with a lift that took the car down to the parking! After a walk along the wide promenade at the edge of the beach, we headed east to go off the main roads and see a little of Los Picos del Europa.
This is a national park with magnificent snow capped mountains and big canyons. We drove along winding roads just on the edge of the park through green fields and small towns and beautiful vistas. All of this is very close to the sea..which complicates things. There is a lot of fog on the north side of this mountain range, and we could see that perhaps driving too high would bring us no view. This was confirmed when one of the miradors (lookout) where we expected to see the beaches and ocean in the distance was totally fogged in. The sea complicates many things, because we were torn..a drive along the edge of the sea or through the twisty turny roads..The sea won and we headed for Llanes for lunch.
This is another pretty seaside place...port, resort and pretty town. We found a little restaurant where we managed to order from the menu del dia and had fresh fish. Great!
After lunch our planned seaside drive ran into a little snag...we couldn't find the right road mentioned in Fodor's and neither could our GPS and all of a sudden we were on the main national highway and headed for Santillana Del Mer. Oh well! we got here in a hurry...and it was a good thing.
This is a beautiful little town with original buildings from the 15 and 16 hundreds. Everything is made from stone and it is hard to tell the difference between new and old. And it is quiet...finally, out in the country! Our little posada overlooks the town and the horses in the fields around it. The sun doesn't set until after 9 so the evening is long and the birds sing so beautifully. We have pine floors and a simple room. Tomorrow breakfast is at 8:30...guess we don't have to start too fast. Spanish speed tomorrow.
Though we haven't travelled too many miles here, we sure have seen a lot..so much packed into a small space. Jurg loves the little Skoda car...what it lacks in uphill strength it makes up for in gas usuage. Under 5 l/100 km.
Tomorrow we head toward Bilboa and the Guggenheim Museum...
Hasta Luego
This is a national park with magnificent snow capped mountains and big canyons. We drove along winding roads just on the edge of the park through green fields and small towns and beautiful vistas. All of this is very close to the sea..which complicates things. There is a lot of fog on the north side of this mountain range, and we could see that perhaps driving too high would bring us no view. This was confirmed when one of the miradors (lookout) where we expected to see the beaches and ocean in the distance was totally fogged in. The sea complicates many things, because we were torn..a drive along the edge of the sea or through the twisty turny roads..The sea won and we headed for Llanes for lunch.
This is another pretty seaside place...port, resort and pretty town. We found a little restaurant where we managed to order from the menu del dia and had fresh fish. Great!
After lunch our planned seaside drive ran into a little snag...we couldn't find the right road mentioned in Fodor's and neither could our GPS and all of a sudden we were on the main national highway and headed for Santillana Del Mer. Oh well! we got here in a hurry...and it was a good thing.
This is a beautiful little town with original buildings from the 15 and 16 hundreds. Everything is made from stone and it is hard to tell the difference between new and old. And it is quiet...finally, out in the country! Our little posada overlooks the town and the horses in the fields around it. The sun doesn't set until after 9 so the evening is long and the birds sing so beautifully. We have pine floors and a simple room. Tomorrow breakfast is at 8:30...guess we don't have to start too fast. Spanish speed tomorrow.
Though we haven't travelled too many miles here, we sure have seen a lot..so much packed into a small space. Jurg loves the little Skoda car...what it lacks in uphill strength it makes up for in gas usuage. Under 5 l/100 km.
Tomorrow we head toward Bilboa and the Guggenheim Museum...
Hasta Luego
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Segovia is so yesterday!
It was only yesterday that we left Segovia...a beautiful old city..but it seems so far away! we set the GPS for Leon Salamanca via Avila and set out. Avila is the one city with a complete wall around it. This is because it was built at the end of the wall building era and I guess nobody tried to invade. Now it is a great tourist attraction' and worth seeing. Then on to Salamanca which has the largest square in Spain. It was full of people and we decided it would be a great place to eat lunch. Lunch becomes quite important here as we usually have just a croissant and coffee for breakfast and if we are lucky fresh orange juice. Not too much of the healthy stuff!
So we plunked down at a table and asked for menu..the camararo looked at us and then reluctantly went and got one. It was about noon...we should have noticed that nobody else was doing anything but drinking coffee or wine. What arrived for our meal was a bun with either a few slices of ham or a bundle of friend calamari...the whole wheat craze does not extend to spain. Not a bit of spice or veggie...nada.
Now we know...lunch doesn't start until at least 1:30 and people always have aperatives before lunch and dinner.. As we left we passed much more interesting outdoor cafes that were getting set up. Another cultural lesson learned!
We changed all our plans and headed for Valladolid as I had read there was a sculpture museum there. This is a non-tourist town and the hotel we found was not all that friendly. The sculpture museum was interesting, but only had sacred stuff from churches..though it amazed me to see that some of the 16th century folks were doing amazing lifelike animated forms. Being a university town the before dinner stroll when everyone gets out in their best dress and meets in the square, went on all night outside the hotel. Those young folks never go to bed on a Saturday night- just like Guelph.
Then today we went through Leon where we postponed out lunch until 1:30 and walked around until we saw that people were actually eating and found the most wonderful little place with the best food of the trip!
In the afternoon we went off the main roads and drove through the magnificent mountains that define the area between Castille Lyon and Asturia. Incredible, snow capped, with windy roads that skirt the edges of rivers and the odd lake and go up into (unfortunately!) fog today. It was so similar to Switzerland and was a great diversion from the mesas and semi arid areas.
Tonight we are staying in Gijon on the Atlantic..a great place with a waterfront area developed into a park and historic area and with everyone out walking around again. We had the drink of the area...cider..in a tapas bar with a whole bunch of young folks who taught us how to drink it in one gulp..rapido, rapido..and we polished off a whole bottle for the big sum of 2.25 euroes.
So we plunked down at a table and asked for menu..the camararo looked at us and then reluctantly went and got one. It was about noon...we should have noticed that nobody else was doing anything but drinking coffee or wine. What arrived for our meal was a bun with either a few slices of ham or a bundle of friend calamari...the whole wheat craze does not extend to spain. Not a bit of spice or veggie...nada.
Now we know...lunch doesn't start until at least 1:30 and people always have aperatives before lunch and dinner.. As we left we passed much more interesting outdoor cafes that were getting set up. Another cultural lesson learned!
We changed all our plans and headed for Valladolid as I had read there was a sculpture museum there. This is a non-tourist town and the hotel we found was not all that friendly. The sculpture museum was interesting, but only had sacred stuff from churches..though it amazed me to see that some of the 16th century folks were doing amazing lifelike animated forms. Being a university town the before dinner stroll when everyone gets out in their best dress and meets in the square, went on all night outside the hotel. Those young folks never go to bed on a Saturday night- just like Guelph.
Then today we went through Leon where we postponed out lunch until 1:30 and walked around until we saw that people were actually eating and found the most wonderful little place with the best food of the trip!
In the afternoon we went off the main roads and drove through the magnificent mountains that define the area between Castille Lyon and Asturia. Incredible, snow capped, with windy roads that skirt the edges of rivers and the odd lake and go up into (unfortunately!) fog today. It was so similar to Switzerland and was a great diversion from the mesas and semi arid areas.
Tonight we are staying in Gijon on the Atlantic..a great place with a waterfront area developed into a park and historic area and with everyone out walking around again. We had the drink of the area...cider..in a tapas bar with a whole bunch of young folks who taught us how to drink it in one gulp..rapido, rapido..and we polished off a whole bottle for the big sum of 2.25 euroes.
Friday, April 23, 2010
Zaragoza to Segovia
We left Zaragoza after tramping around in our first day of rain. We had sloshed to the Moorish castle, only to find out it was now the seat of the Parliament for the state of Aragon which was in session...so closed until 4 pm. After one more look around the immense cathedral and a quick buy of 2 more oranges in the market we headed off. The countryside on the way to Segovia was wonderful. It changed so many times...from semi arid regions, to irrigated areas of grapes and fruit trees, to forests and hills and then some snow capped mountains in the distance. Small towns with red brick walls and tile roofs punctuated the journey..many had a large square church spire in the middle. Evidence of poverty in the smaller places- deteriorating homes and empty buildings, just like the hollowing out of small towns at home.
We stopped for lunch in Soria...but without a detailed map it was hard to find the beautiful river area described in Fodor's. So we settled for a small restaurant near an interesting square. We did not find the wonderful meal of Spanish food we had expected. The waiter sent over someone who supposedly spoke Ingles..he just read the menu to us aloud in Spanish..and I had forgotten my Spanish book in the car! A greasy, soggy disaster ensued..in fact the guy took my pork unmentionables back and brought me a chicken breast with the same amount of pre requisite grease. Ah well! the joy of travel...though the vino del casa was good.
On to Segovia and what a beautiful city it is! we just walked around last night in the old city with its small streets, beautiful churches and delightful cafes. The whole city is out at night walking- old, young, babes in arms, lovers...you name it, and you could find it. We had thought we might take a sidetrip to Madrid by train and visit the Prado, but couldn't get info and couldn't make the on-line ticket ordering work on the netbook. All tourist info here is only by the city and even though many tourists come on day trips from Madrid to here, the people here know nothing about Madrid. In fact, once we asked about Madrid, we seemed to get no more service. We found the tourist bus that gave us a 1 hr tour of Segovia on our own...no one suggested it!
One of the most interesting things here is the Roman Aquaduct which we can see out of our window. Unbelievable that it survives from the 1st century. It is almost 3000 ft long and has 118 arches...a portion which is 2 story where it crosses the dip in the valley that is now the centre of the city. It carried water at the rate of 30 litres/min and even had a special cleaning house where the debris in the water fell to the bottom of a deeper trench to clean it. Jurg is marvelling at the engineering involved and amount of manpower needed in the construction.
Tonight we go to a recommended place for a fancy $$$$ meal. We may have compromised it somewhat by eating too much at lunch. Let's hope our cruise ship training session will allow us to make the most of the options presented.
Tomorrow we move on to Salamanca and then hopefully end up in Leon...this will move us closer to seeing the northern Atlantic shore of Spain and the Basque country. We have decided not to go to the more well known southern area of Seville, Granada and Toledo...might have to be another trip someday!
Hasta Luego
We stopped for lunch in Soria...but without a detailed map it was hard to find the beautiful river area described in Fodor's. So we settled for a small restaurant near an interesting square. We did not find the wonderful meal of Spanish food we had expected. The waiter sent over someone who supposedly spoke Ingles..he just read the menu to us aloud in Spanish..and I had forgotten my Spanish book in the car! A greasy, soggy disaster ensued..in fact the guy took my pork unmentionables back and brought me a chicken breast with the same amount of pre requisite grease. Ah well! the joy of travel...though the vino del casa was good.
On to Segovia and what a beautiful city it is! we just walked around last night in the old city with its small streets, beautiful churches and delightful cafes. The whole city is out at night walking- old, young, babes in arms, lovers...you name it, and you could find it. We had thought we might take a sidetrip to Madrid by train and visit the Prado, but couldn't get info and couldn't make the on-line ticket ordering work on the netbook. All tourist info here is only by the city and even though many tourists come on day trips from Madrid to here, the people here know nothing about Madrid. In fact, once we asked about Madrid, we seemed to get no more service. We found the tourist bus that gave us a 1 hr tour of Segovia on our own...no one suggested it!
One of the most interesting things here is the Roman Aquaduct which we can see out of our window. Unbelievable that it survives from the 1st century. It is almost 3000 ft long and has 118 arches...a portion which is 2 story where it crosses the dip in the valley that is now the centre of the city. It carried water at the rate of 30 litres/min and even had a special cleaning house where the debris in the water fell to the bottom of a deeper trench to clean it. Jurg is marvelling at the engineering involved and amount of manpower needed in the construction.
Tonight we go to a recommended place for a fancy $$$$ meal. We may have compromised it somewhat by eating too much at lunch. Let's hope our cruise ship training session will allow us to make the most of the options presented.
Tomorrow we move on to Salamanca and then hopefully end up in Leon...this will move us closer to seeing the northern Atlantic shore of Spain and the Basque country. We have decided not to go to the more well known southern area of Seville, Granada and Toledo...might have to be another trip someday!
Hasta Luego
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Barcelona- in retrospect
I am so fickle! for the last 3 days I have been absolutely in love with Barcelona. From our beautiful little hotel...Praktik Rambla...that overlooked the beautiful Ramblas de Catalayuna we just waltzed out every morning into this world of magnificent architecture, wonderful little tapas restaurants, beautiful vistas, avenues of people out living their lives in this city. I was so in love! The Sagreda Familia Cathedral by Gaudi, the magnificent avenues with the walking paths in the middle and the bike paths on the sides, the port area with its parks, paths and people friendly areas -all so well planned and a joy to be in. We spent a whole day on the hop on hop off bus, going from route to route and drinking in all the sites we wanted to come back to. We started our days with croissants and Cafe con leche in one of many little cafes scattered throughout the city. Things couldn't be better! Buskers on La Rambla, a Spanish Guitar concert in an old church, a tour of the most magnificent Musica Palau in the world. I could have spent a whole week there and felt determined to come back and see all the things we missed.
We tore ourselves away this morning, taking a taxi to the Estacio Sants (train station) where we picked up our rental car. Not an easy start...the GPS wouldn't work, the maps were inadequate and then the gate to the car rental place wouldn't lift up to let us out. Oh, the gnashing of teeth and the swearing at things and..sadly...each other. Somehow Jurg managed to get us out of the city and onto the highway headed for Montserrat.
And, my love for Barcelona was losing its lustre....I am sure it could be rekindled in a moment if I was to see the place again..but like so many love affairs..at this moment we have moved on. Out to the open spaces of Spain, the semi arrid hills and rocks north of Barcelona and the magnificent of the Monestery of Monserrat! Sighs and ahhs as we took the old cable car to the top..of course only to find out we could have driven up! But, incredible church filled with tourists and pilgrims..all of us in search of something.
Now we have arrived in Zaragoza...just a small entry in Fodors...no star..but absolutely magnificent. I have fallen in love all over again! Roman ruins, Moorish castle and a church the size of 2 football fields...all along the biggest river in Spain the Ebro. Tomorrow we will spend some time exploring
Tonight Jurg watches another important football match downstairs in the lobby...a semi final for the European Cup.
Hasta Luego!
We tore ourselves away this morning, taking a taxi to the Estacio Sants (train station) where we picked up our rental car. Not an easy start...the GPS wouldn't work, the maps were inadequate and then the gate to the car rental place wouldn't lift up to let us out. Oh, the gnashing of teeth and the swearing at things and..sadly...each other. Somehow Jurg managed to get us out of the city and onto the highway headed for Montserrat.
And, my love for Barcelona was losing its lustre....I am sure it could be rekindled in a moment if I was to see the place again..but like so many love affairs..at this moment we have moved on. Out to the open spaces of Spain, the semi arrid hills and rocks north of Barcelona and the magnificent of the Monestery of Monserrat! Sighs and ahhs as we took the old cable car to the top..of course only to find out we could have driven up! But, incredible church filled with tourists and pilgrims..all of us in search of something.
Now we have arrived in Zaragoza...just a small entry in Fodors...no star..but absolutely magnificent. I have fallen in love all over again! Roman ruins, Moorish castle and a church the size of 2 football fields...all along the biggest river in Spain the Ebro. Tomorrow we will spend some time exploring
Tonight Jurg watches another important football match downstairs in the lobby...a semi final for the European Cup.
Hasta Luego!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Crossing the Ocean on a luxury ship
Our ocean voyage has been over for a few days and we have been absorbing Barcelona and Spanish Culture as we tried to process exactly how it was. We have not spent such an amount of time in such luxury and with such service...Oceania is a top notch cruise line from that point of view. We loved the staff...so friendly and professional...and from so many countries. We took some Spanish lessons, Jurg tried a little trivia, we both finished a book and we ate far too much food- good food for sure. Even tried our hand (or feet) at a few dance lessons.
We stopped at 4 ports...2 in Brazil- Salvador and Recife, and 2 in Africa- Cape Verde and Agidir, Morocco. They were all such extreme contrasts with the conditions of the cruise. In all but Agidir we just went off the boat and either walked through the towns or hired a taxi to take us to see the sights. In Morocco, we took one of the boat sponsored tours to do a 5 hr whirlwind trip to Tarroudant an old walled city, which we quite enjoyed.
We met some people that we hope we can continue to be friends with...Pauline and Werner from Switzerland..he a retired engineer and she a retired social worker...who spent time in Brazil working and now alternate between Brazil and Switzerland! they, like us, struggled a bit with the luxury and some of the other people...more on that later. We also met some new American friends...Renee and Erica...over 80 year old sisters, originally from Alsace France who married American Servicemen and came to the US. So interesting, intelligent, and decidedly liberal women who we loved. Also Tom and Carol from Oklahoma...open, questioning, struggling to make sense of what is going on in their homeland with this tea party stuff and the immense polarization.
Now for some of what we tried to comprehend. We did met our fair share of right wing Republicans. Most did not support George Bush- which I thought was to their credit. But, all seemed to absolutely hate Obama and feel he is destroying their country. They also are exceedingly suspicious of any federal government activity, feel any government help to others will result in dependency on government handouts, feel they pay too much in taxes and focus on personal responsibility in the extreme. All seem like nice people, but so different from us. The TV service on the ship included Fox TV which for some strange reason became the only channel we could get for about 6 days as we crossed the Atlantic. Felt like Nazi propoganda and only reenforced and echoed everything these people were saying. It felt very scary to me...Glen Beck is a demagogue and a dangerous man when one sees him in this context. No other side to the story and such mis information. I did learn from one of his guests that National Health Care programs cause obesity...a totally unchallenged remark in the interview!
One former teacher from California, really liked Sarah Palin. Felt the media gives her a hard time because she is the one female politician who doesn't present with a butch attitude. That really floored me.
Most of these people do service work in their communities as that should be the only way charity is handed out to those in need...
Needless to say, I struggled to put this all together and find ways to talk with these folks. A challenge, but I do feel I understand better this huge gap that faces the US in their political world.
Meanwhile we are having a wonderful time in Barcelona and tomorrow I will report on this absolutely magnificent city
Hasta luego!
We stopped at 4 ports...2 in Brazil- Salvador and Recife, and 2 in Africa- Cape Verde and Agidir, Morocco. They were all such extreme contrasts with the conditions of the cruise. In all but Agidir we just went off the boat and either walked through the towns or hired a taxi to take us to see the sights. In Morocco, we took one of the boat sponsored tours to do a 5 hr whirlwind trip to Tarroudant an old walled city, which we quite enjoyed.
We met some people that we hope we can continue to be friends with...Pauline and Werner from Switzerland..he a retired engineer and she a retired social worker...who spent time in Brazil working and now alternate between Brazil and Switzerland! they, like us, struggled a bit with the luxury and some of the other people...more on that later. We also met some new American friends...Renee and Erica...over 80 year old sisters, originally from Alsace France who married American Servicemen and came to the US. So interesting, intelligent, and decidedly liberal women who we loved. Also Tom and Carol from Oklahoma...open, questioning, struggling to make sense of what is going on in their homeland with this tea party stuff and the immense polarization.
Now for some of what we tried to comprehend. We did met our fair share of right wing Republicans. Most did not support George Bush- which I thought was to their credit. But, all seemed to absolutely hate Obama and feel he is destroying their country. They also are exceedingly suspicious of any federal government activity, feel any government help to others will result in dependency on government handouts, feel they pay too much in taxes and focus on personal responsibility in the extreme. All seem like nice people, but so different from us. The TV service on the ship included Fox TV which for some strange reason became the only channel we could get for about 6 days as we crossed the Atlantic. Felt like Nazi propoganda and only reenforced and echoed everything these people were saying. It felt very scary to me...Glen Beck is a demagogue and a dangerous man when one sees him in this context. No other side to the story and such mis information. I did learn from one of his guests that National Health Care programs cause obesity...a totally unchallenged remark in the interview!
One former teacher from California, really liked Sarah Palin. Felt the media gives her a hard time because she is the one female politician who doesn't present with a butch attitude. That really floored me.
Most of these people do service work in their communities as that should be the only way charity is handed out to those in need...
Needless to say, I struggled to put this all together and find ways to talk with these folks. A challenge, but I do feel I understand better this huge gap that faces the US in their political world.
Meanwhile we are having a wonderful time in Barcelona and tomorrow I will report on this absolutely magnificent city
Hasta luego!
Saturday, April 3, 2010
bye bye Rio
Our last day in Rio as we board the ship at 3 pm. What a time we have had! Our day with Edvaldo was wonderful..we spent from 10 am to 8 pm with him seeing all the highlights of the city in his older model VW sedan with A/C. He has developed all sorts of tricks to thwart thieves when he parks and keeps his cars for 4 years or about 800,000 km. It is required that most cars have both Natural Gas and ethanol options, so there is little exhaust fumes here- a tribute to the environmental policy.
As we left our B&B we travelled up toward Corcovado..the famous Christos Redentor statue that gazes over the city. We stopped to look across to a favella on the hillside. Edvaldo told us that there would be people watching us through binoculars and if we were Poliza we would be fired at. Quite the game of cat and mouse it seems. The road goes through the National Park Tijuca that has preserved many of the native species- trees, birds and flora- that have disappeared in the rest of the country. It is well patrolled by police in the day, but very unsafe at night.
We spent quite a long time in lineup to buy a ticket to travel by van up to Corcovado. We watched as some people just seemed to be able to circumvent this and probably bribe the organizer to jump the queue. Hope they solve that before the World Cup and Olympics. The views from the top are extraordinary...the beaches, the green of the forest that surrounds the city, the white of the buildings in contrast. But, poor Jesus, he was totally surrounded by scaffolding- unrevealled to us!
We saw the stadium where they gather all the samba schools for Carnaval parade, the Maracana soccer stadium holding 90,000 people, the magnifcent modern San Sebastian Church shaped like a cone with soaring full height stained glass panels,- all of this accompanied by Edvaldo's excellent commentary on all aspects of Brazilian life and culture. We had lunch in a typical local restaurant- a buffet of Brazilian specialities costed by the kilo. The day was capped by a trip up Sugarloaf Mountain by aerial tram and a view of the sunset over Rio.
We drove home along the beach strip of Copacobana, Ipanema and Leblon...those are in order of wealth-highest to lowest, and reverse order of lively activity. Even at night there are the locals who play beachvolley ball in the sand of Copacabana and jog in the cool of the evening.
Edvaldo's love of Rio is contagious- he shared so much of his life with us and we even talked with his daughter Carolina on the cellphone. She is top of her class in English. We caught the fever of the possibilities of Brazil, all of it fanned by the enthusiasm and zest of a people who love bikinis and beaches..what is not to love about that! (the bikini enthusiasm has not quite embraced me yet, though the women here have it no matter their shape)
Yesterday we had a day to do our own exploring. We hoped on the old yellow tram in front of our Casa and rode it down to the Centro. Our plan was to go to a museum, scout the harbour for a tourist boat ride and then spend the afternoon walking the beach at Copacabana. Plans have a way of changing...the museum didn't open until later as it was Good Friday holiday, the area where one catches the ferries didn't feel safe- especially after a young boy tried to grab my little camera- so we just hopped the subway for the ride to the beach. The subway is safe due to police presence in every station. The Copacabana Beach was packed...families, umbrellas, soccer players, swimmers, sandcastles, and of course immense variety of bikinis accompanied by minimalist speedos. We were overdressed for sure. The white sand of the beach contrasts with the green hills that contain the towering buildings of Rio. A few hours of walking, enjoying lunch in a sidewalk restaurant and we were ready to take the bus home.- a new adventure.
These buses fly through the streets ..and don't even slow down for the cobblestones of Santa Teresa. We asked the driver where to get off..due to a misunderstanding we got off a stop too earlier- but not to fear, a cry went up from the other people on the bus who made him keep the back door open and gestured and waved until we got back on. They all talked at once in Portugeuse and we got the message! Such helpful demonstrative folks.
Last night we had a beautiful dinner in Sobrenaturel restaurant with a young Brazilian couple who live in Fort Lauderdale. The live music we hoped to hear never materialized so we had coffee with a Samba CD in the common room of the B&B- a quiet ending to a great stay.
As we left our B&B we travelled up toward Corcovado..the famous Christos Redentor statue that gazes over the city. We stopped to look across to a favella on the hillside. Edvaldo told us that there would be people watching us through binoculars and if we were Poliza we would be fired at. Quite the game of cat and mouse it seems. The road goes through the National Park Tijuca that has preserved many of the native species- trees, birds and flora- that have disappeared in the rest of the country. It is well patrolled by police in the day, but very unsafe at night.
We spent quite a long time in lineup to buy a ticket to travel by van up to Corcovado. We watched as some people just seemed to be able to circumvent this and probably bribe the organizer to jump the queue. Hope they solve that before the World Cup and Olympics. The views from the top are extraordinary...the beaches, the green of the forest that surrounds the city, the white of the buildings in contrast. But, poor Jesus, he was totally surrounded by scaffolding- unrevealled to us!
We saw the stadium where they gather all the samba schools for Carnaval parade, the Maracana soccer stadium holding 90,000 people, the magnifcent modern San Sebastian Church shaped like a cone with soaring full height stained glass panels,- all of this accompanied by Edvaldo's excellent commentary on all aspects of Brazilian life and culture. We had lunch in a typical local restaurant- a buffet of Brazilian specialities costed by the kilo. The day was capped by a trip up Sugarloaf Mountain by aerial tram and a view of the sunset over Rio.
We drove home along the beach strip of Copacobana, Ipanema and Leblon...those are in order of wealth-highest to lowest, and reverse order of lively activity. Even at night there are the locals who play beachvolley ball in the sand of Copacabana and jog in the cool of the evening.
Edvaldo's love of Rio is contagious- he shared so much of his life with us and we even talked with his daughter Carolina on the cellphone. She is top of her class in English. We caught the fever of the possibilities of Brazil, all of it fanned by the enthusiasm and zest of a people who love bikinis and beaches..what is not to love about that! (the bikini enthusiasm has not quite embraced me yet, though the women here have it no matter their shape)
Yesterday we had a day to do our own exploring. We hoped on the old yellow tram in front of our Casa and rode it down to the Centro. Our plan was to go to a museum, scout the harbour for a tourist boat ride and then spend the afternoon walking the beach at Copacabana. Plans have a way of changing...the museum didn't open until later as it was Good Friday holiday, the area where one catches the ferries didn't feel safe- especially after a young boy tried to grab my little camera- so we just hopped the subway for the ride to the beach. The subway is safe due to police presence in every station. The Copacabana Beach was packed...families, umbrellas, soccer players, swimmers, sandcastles, and of course immense variety of bikinis accompanied by minimalist speedos. We were overdressed for sure. The white sand of the beach contrasts with the green hills that contain the towering buildings of Rio. A few hours of walking, enjoying lunch in a sidewalk restaurant and we were ready to take the bus home.- a new adventure.
These buses fly through the streets ..and don't even slow down for the cobblestones of Santa Teresa. We asked the driver where to get off..due to a misunderstanding we got off a stop too earlier- but not to fear, a cry went up from the other people on the bus who made him keep the back door open and gestured and waved until we got back on. They all talked at once in Portugeuse and we got the message! Such helpful demonstrative folks.
Last night we had a beautiful dinner in Sobrenaturel restaurant with a young Brazilian couple who live in Fort Lauderdale. The live music we hoped to hear never materialized so we had coffee with a Samba CD in the common room of the B&B- a quiet ending to a great stay.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Really in Rio
Touched down yesterday at 9 am in the 28 deg of a Rio early Fall. Cooler they say; much better than the 40 deg they have had over this past summer. We were greeted by Edvaldo bearing a sign that said ""Susy and Jung"..how did he know I would love to spend a week with Jung? what a transformation that would be for Jurg, hard to imagine.
Edvaldo provided us with lots of information as he drove us to Casa Mango Mango our home here until Saturday. Rio is going to host both the World Cup ( 2014) and the Olympics (2016) and they are working on infrastructure. From what we could see, it is much needed. President Lulu is committing money in many directions...new subway, new roads and improving the favellas. We could see in the distance the cablecar they are building to connect some of the hillside favellas to each other and the city so that the hours of transportation are reduced to minutes. Edvaldo talked about how the public schools are good and provide 2 meals to the students, students are there from 9 in the morning to after supper which means they have little time to get in trouble. Teachers are good and the perception is that private schools don't have high standards as people pay for their diploma there...employers and higher education prefer the public graduates. We wended our way thru the city and to the cobblestone roads of Santa Teresa where we are staying.
Crime has been cut down with policies modelled on ones develloped in Columbia and are working very well. Police presence is obvious in offices spread out across the city and on street corners...though apparently bribery and imbibling of beverages is still a problem in these little sites. Lots of enthusiasm in this city for its prospects!
A little about our B and B..Santa Teresa an area of beautiful old homes on the hills above the Centro where the wealthy of old built to escape the city heat. But time and poverty have not been kind..there is now a resurgence of interest in restoring these places and many are now open for guests. Our place is owned by Julie an Irish woman who purchased this place 11 years ago. It had not been touched in 70 years and I am sure it could be called the Moneypit! She has lavished much care and finance to open as a B and B 7 years ago. Not luxurious,but comfortable and so interesting. Hugh high ceilings, about 12 ft with wood doors and floors and plaster decorations. Old chandeliers and accents. No airconditioning, but ceiling fans..and thankfully it cooled off nicely last night. The guests are intriguing..a woman from New Zealand who is returning here to live in Rio..she loves it, a woman from England who came for a couple of months and could hardly bear the heat, now that it is cooler she plans to stay another 3 weeks, faciliatated by the British Airways strike that shut down the flights! A group from Columbia, here for an Urban Planning conference where they have shared all the development there. Already Jurg is connecting with all over the upcoming World Cup of soccer and who is going to win.
Yesterday we walked the hillside streets of this area and located a restaurant..several excellent ones in this area..but at night it seems we would have to take a taxi..crime reduction has not extended to the dark. There is an old tram that travels thru this area and down to the Centro..it only seems to go about every half hour..on the list for Friday exploration. The rain came pelting down and confined us later to our hotel..made for a quiet restful evening.
Today we go with Edvaldo on a whole day city tour. Edvaldo was born here and seems at one point his parents lived in the favella..now he drives a taxi and speaks excellent English. With the traffic so difficult in the city, he knows how to get around and says he drives like a turtle..which means slowly to stay out of harms way..many fender benders here. This should be a real adventure..I will keep you posted!
Edvaldo provided us with lots of information as he drove us to Casa Mango Mango our home here until Saturday. Rio is going to host both the World Cup ( 2014) and the Olympics (2016) and they are working on infrastructure. From what we could see, it is much needed. President Lulu is committing money in many directions...new subway, new roads and improving the favellas. We could see in the distance the cablecar they are building to connect some of the hillside favellas to each other and the city so that the hours of transportation are reduced to minutes. Edvaldo talked about how the public schools are good and provide 2 meals to the students, students are there from 9 in the morning to after supper which means they have little time to get in trouble. Teachers are good and the perception is that private schools don't have high standards as people pay for their diploma there...employers and higher education prefer the public graduates. We wended our way thru the city and to the cobblestone roads of Santa Teresa where we are staying.
Crime has been cut down with policies modelled on ones develloped in Columbia and are working very well. Police presence is obvious in offices spread out across the city and on street corners...though apparently bribery and imbibling of beverages is still a problem in these little sites. Lots of enthusiasm in this city for its prospects!
A little about our B and B..Santa Teresa an area of beautiful old homes on the hills above the Centro where the wealthy of old built to escape the city heat. But time and poverty have not been kind..there is now a resurgence of interest in restoring these places and many are now open for guests. Our place is owned by Julie an Irish woman who purchased this place 11 years ago. It had not been touched in 70 years and I am sure it could be called the Moneypit! She has lavished much care and finance to open as a B and B 7 years ago. Not luxurious,but comfortable and so interesting. Hugh high ceilings, about 12 ft with wood doors and floors and plaster decorations. Old chandeliers and accents. No airconditioning, but ceiling fans..and thankfully it cooled off nicely last night. The guests are intriguing..a woman from New Zealand who is returning here to live in Rio..she loves it, a woman from England who came for a couple of months and could hardly bear the heat, now that it is cooler she plans to stay another 3 weeks, faciliatated by the British Airways strike that shut down the flights! A group from Columbia, here for an Urban Planning conference where they have shared all the development there. Already Jurg is connecting with all over the upcoming World Cup of soccer and who is going to win.
Yesterday we walked the hillside streets of this area and located a restaurant..several excellent ones in this area..but at night it seems we would have to take a taxi..crime reduction has not extended to the dark. There is an old tram that travels thru this area and down to the Centro..it only seems to go about every half hour..on the list for Friday exploration. The rain came pelting down and confined us later to our hotel..made for a quiet restful evening.
Today we go with Edvaldo on a whole day city tour. Edvaldo was born here and seems at one point his parents lived in the favella..now he drives a taxi and speaks excellent English. With the traffic so difficult in the city, he knows how to get around and says he drives like a turtle..which means slowly to stay out of harms way..many fender benders here. This should be a real adventure..I will keep you posted!
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