Category: Prior Trip (Travel Blog 2016 to 2018)

Great Britain England, Wales and Scotland

Vastly diverse and with a wonderful blend of international cultures from around the globe, Great Britain is situated in Western Europe, is a thriving nation that offers all the elements of modern day living. Its amazing heritage are the historical monuments and buildings that rise tall in every village, town, city, and country. At the forefront of British culture are the values of education, religion, and the rich traditions of the performing arts. Britain also host the preservation of thousands of acres of picturesque nature parks, reserves, and ancient gardens in the parliamentary districts of England, Wales, Scotland.

Population of England 55,619,400 Wales 3,125,200 and Scotland 5,424,800

Flag of England

We had been to England on several occasions but spent most of our time in London, on this trip we wanted to move outside London to see what else England had to offer. We were not disappointed.

Our first stop was Essex, we stayed in a lovely B&B in the small village of Henham, it was close to Stansted the airport we arrived into. It had lots of thatched cottages and a beautiful pub that served great food the called the Cock Inn.

We drove from here to Avebury, Avebury is a Neolithic henge monument containing three stone circles, around the village of Avebury in Wiltshire. it contains the largest megalithic stone circle in the world, we also watched a local game of Cricket while having a picnic lunch.

For the next two nights we stayed in the most picturesque villages I have ever seen Castle Combe, with its beautiful thatched cottages that line the main street, an old water pump in the centre and a small river known as the By Brook. it is no surprise that nowadays it enjoys a reputation for being one of the most photographed and prettiest villages in the UK. This magical village was once a weaving town at the heart of the Cotswolds wool trade: you can still see weavers’ cottages where the local red and white cloth were produced. In St Andrew’s Church, don’t miss the Norman monument to a knight; his legs are crossed to indicate that he fought in the Crusades. Also in the church is a medieval faceless clock, one of the oldest working clocks in the country.

Castle Combe village (not far from Lacock) is a popular Filming location. Part of ‘The Wolfman (2009) ‘ shot here and the TV series Agatha Christie: Poirot (1989): ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd TV Episode’. Other films include Doctor Dolittle (1967) and Stardust (2007). More recently used as the backdrop to Steven Speilberg’s film War Horse
The Manor house and Golf Club is definitely worth a visit the house and grounds are just breath taking.

And Castle Combe presents this charming scene,
of hill, woods and meadows cloth’d in green.
Here grand terrestrial scenes, almost celestial nice,
makes Castle Combe, sweet vale, an earthy Paradise.

Poem by Edward Dowling

From here we took a day trip to Bath it is a unique, feel-good city combining contemporary culture a rich history and heritage. Bath is the largest city in county of Somerset, known for its Roman-built baths. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, 97 miles west of London and 11 miles south-east of Bristol. The city became a World Heritage Site in 1987. It is a beautiful city and the day we visited the temperature was 24 degrees very pleasant.

As the weather was so good we decided to continue down the coast to Bournemouth South Dorset it is a large coastal resort town to the east of the Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site, 96 miles long. It has seven miles of award-winning sandy beaches and perfect place to be in this hot weather.

We stopped at Durdle Door it is a natural limestone arch on the Jurassic Coast near Lulworth in Dorset. It is privately owned by the Welds, a family who owns 12,000 acres in Dorset in the name of the Lulworth Estate. It is open to the public. It is a beautiful area and you would never think you were on the English coast line. The photos speak for themselves. We stayed two nights in Bournemouth.

We stayed 2 nights at Torquay a seaside town in Devon, It lies 28 miles east-north-east of Plymouth, it is Renowned for its healthful climate and the town earned the nickname the English Riviera. The writer Agatha Christie was born in the town and lived there during her early years.

From Torquay we did a day trip tip to St Michael’s Mount a small tidal island in Mount’s Bay, Cornwall. The island is a civil parish and is linked to the town of Marazion by a man-made causeway of granite setts, passable between mid-tide and low water. The castle and chapel have been the home of the St Aubyn family since approximately 1650. Marazion is a beautiful tourist resort with lots of artists who produce and sell paintings and pottery in the town. We had a lovely lunch that included the famous Cornish pasties.

Our final stop that day was to Lands’ End it is a headland and holiday complex in western Cornwall. It is the most westerly point of mainland Cornwall and England, it was beautiful but very wind here.

Wales with its rugged coastline, mountainous national parks, Welsh language and Celtic culture is definitely worth visiting.

Flag of Wales

Cardiff, the capital, is a coastal city. Cardiff medieval castle with its ornate Gothic Revival interior and lush green gardens is sure to whet your appetite. The city has all the usual shops and restaurants but looks better at night, during day light it can look somewhat tired and worn. Mermaid Quay is a nice place for an evening stroll or meal. It would not have been a trip to Cardiff with visiting Barri Island Beach (the old TV show Gavin and Stacy was set around this area)

Mermaid Quay

Barri

I was happy to move on from the city out to the country side, our first stop was the Springfield Hotel which was North of Wales to celebrate our 28th wedding Anniversary. The hotel in Ireland we got married in 28 years ago was called the Springfield therefore Martin felt this was very apt, and surprised me by booking us in here for two nights. We had a lovely time and a beautiful dinner. The next day we went to Bodelwyddan where we visited the Bodelwyddan Castle and local fair. We had a very nice breakfast at the castle, Martin tried the Welsh rarebit he thought it was very nice.
On our way to Beddgelert we stopped at a village, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch  it is the longest single-word village name in the world 58 letters. Translated to English, the name means, “Saint Mary’s Church in a hollow of white hazel near the swirling whirlpool of the church of Saint Tysilio with a red cave.”

Bodelwyddan Castle

Train Station at Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

From here we continued to Beddgelert in the Snowdonia area of Gwynedd a beautiful country village, with Thatched roof cottages and each with its own name. Beddgelert is situated eight miles north of Porthmadog in a secluded valley at the merging of two rivers, the Afon Glaslyn and Afon Colwyn. Above the junction of the rivers, in the village centre, stands the old two-arched stone bridge. The stunning landscape surrounding the village was used in the 1958 movie, ‘The Inn of the Sixth Happiness.

We stopped for a swim at Black Rock Sands, even though the name suggests a dark beach, there was no black sand to be seen, it is an open, wide beach with fine sands. The name comes from the area to the west of the beach dominated by a large, multi-coloured headland rock, low-tide caves and rock pools. You can drive onto the beach here – so it’s a popular spot not just for picnickers and sandcastle builders, but also for motor boats and water bikes which have a special zone designated for their use.

We stopped for dinner in Portmadog a small coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd. It developed in the 19th century as a port exporting slate to England and elsewhere, but since the decline of the industry it has become a shopping centre and tourist destination. It is a quaint town and we could not believe that it had an Australian Pub, so guess where we had dinner. Very good too.

Scotland towering mountains, glittering lakes, thick woodland and valleys surrounded by mountains in the Highlands, miles of rugged coastline, a landscape that will really take your breath away. Its major cities are Edinburgh, the capital, with its iconic hilltop castle, and Glasgow, famed for its vibrant cultural scene. Scotland is also famous for golf, the game first played at the Old Course at St Andrews in the 1400s.

Flag of Scotland

Located on the River Clyde, (67 km) west of Edinburgh and (639 km) north of London, Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city. Glasgow Cathedral is an impressive structure the current congregation is part of the Church of Scotland’s Presbytery of Glasgow. This magnificent example of Scottish Gothic architecture was built between the 13th & 15th Centuries and is widely regarded as the high point of cathedral building in Europe. We moved onto George Square the principal civic square in the city of Glasgow. It is named after King George III. Built by Glasgow Corporation it is the continuing headquarters of Glasgow City Council.

Very cute Tardis coffee shop

Great street Art by Smug, an Australian artist living in Glasgow beautifying the city

We spent a few hours walking through the Glasgow Necropolis. close to the City Centre, this beautiful Victorian garden cemetery. The Necropolis is the resting place of the great and the good of Victorian Glasgow. it is multi-faith, the 50,000 residents are made up of Catholics, Protestants, Quakers, Jews, Lutherans and everybody else. Due to their beliefs the Jewish people buried in the Necropolis had to be buried in a separate plot. The view over Glasgow is wonderful from here, a nice place to be buried.

We took a walk-through Glasgow Green and the People’s Palace, although a concert had been on the day before so a lot of it was out of bounds to the public while they dismounted the seating areas.

We could not go to Glasgow with doing a tour of the Tennent’s Brewery, the history of the brewing in Glasgow can be dated back to 1136, when the monks began building the Glasgow Cathedral and undertook brewing not for profit, but as a service to the local population as beer was often safer to drink than water. The Wellpark Brewery is home to more than 450 years of brewing tradition, making it the city’s oldest on-going commercial operation. The tour is well worth taking and Martin reckons it is not a bad drop at all.

Edinburgh is Scotland’s compact, hilly capital. It has a medieval Old Town and an interesting Georgian New Town with gardens and neoclassical buildings. Looming over the city is Edinburgh Castle, home to Scotland’s crown jewels and the Stone of Destiny, used in the coronation of Scottish rulers.
Arthur’s Seat is an imposing peak in Holyrood Park with sweeping views, and Calton Hill which is topped with monuments and memorials both worth a visit.
The city’s Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the monarchy in Scotland. The city has long been a centre of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scots law, literature, the sciences and engineering. The city’s historical and cultural attractions have made it a popular tourist destination. It was great to walk through the medieval old town and to have lunch in an old pub, it was like walking back in time.

St. Andrews is a seaside town northeast of Edinburgh, on Scotland’s east coast. It’s known for its many golf courses, including the Old Course, with the landmark Swilcan Bridge at the 18th hole.

We were very excited to visit St Andrews Links golf courses. It was one of my bucket list items to play a round of golf at St Andrews where the sport originated back in the 15th century. Some of the greatest golf courses in the world are in Scotland, St. Andrews is a nationally recognized name and is one of the oldest golf courses in the world.
We learned a lot about how things work at St Andrews Links golf courses. Firstly, there are 7 golf courses. There are 5 private Golf clubs but none of them own any of the courses. The land is owned by the public and managed by St Andrews Links. The only course you need an official handicap to play is the old course. There are three ways to get a game on the old course, book into one of the more expensive hotels that are allocated a number of tee tmes each year, go into a ballot 48 hours before you wish to play and hope your name is selected. (We spoke to several people that had been successful doing this) Finally queue up very early to be the first in line to be paired up with a two or 3-ball. These tee times are announced at 7am so if your tee time is not until 3pm you can go home and catch-up on sleep. Most people seem to manage to get a game on the old course, keep in mind it is not cheap and you are recommended to have a caddy as you must carry your golf clubs, there are no buggies allowed on the course unless you are over 65 and have a medical condition. Note when you play the old course you must play a second round of golf on one of the other courses as a package. Don’t be surprised, but there is a road and walk way, that cuts across the 1st and 18th fairway. Yes, I know who would have guessed, at any time you can cross the fairways wants you are careful. The reason for this is that it is public land. The old course is closed on a Sunday unless there is a major competition. The old course becomes a picnic area to the public most Sundays. As we did not have our official handicap we could not play on the old course, but we did have two wonderful games, one on the Strathyrun Course the second was a fun game on the ladies 18-hole par three course that is affectionately known as the Himalayas. I had a wonderful refreshing swim in the West sand beach that runs along the front of the Links golf course. Nothing better to loosen up your bones before a game of golf. It really is a wonder place to play golf, we are so happy we got to play a round and we had a better round when it was over.

The town of St Andrews is very quaint with lots of pubs, restaurants, shops and coastal walks. On a headland nearby are the ruins of St. Andrews Castle, with its medieval bottle dungeon. Close to the castle is the University of St. Andrews, founded in 1413.

We stayed in Dundee for a couple of nights, the area is simply but nice with the wide Tay estuary running past. They do have wildlife that many in the UK don’t have dolphins, otters and sea eagles. The hangover from a failed industrial past is still felt, but Dundee itself is improving as a city with lots of shops, restaurants and entertainment facilities their coffee shops are particularly good.

We really enjoyed our time in Great Britain from the amazing coastline, magnificent Gothic cathedrals and fairytale-like towns and villages to large fortresses that dot the landscape, England’s architecture of the medieval era offers a clear look back into history.

Scandinavia – Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Norway is a Scandinavian country encompassing mountains, glaciers and deep coastal fjords, Oslo is the Capital, population is 5 and half million, area is 125,004 km. Crime rates are low and they have a law called Allemannsrett which means you can pitch your tent or hike through any land that is unmarked (or non-cultivated). Which would be great if you wanted to hike around Norway. Norway is known for fishing, hiking and skiing.

Norwegian Flag

We flew into Tromso which is at the Top of Norway within the Arctic Circle, we were very excited as we had not been to the Arctic before, it was also the first time we would experience the Midnight Sun (24 hours of visible sun). Tromso is surrounded by jagged snow-capped mountains that plunge into ice cold water. I know this because M&I had to go for a swim, we had gone for a swim in the Antarctic, so we had to take the plunge in the Arctic. It was freezing but what made it so memorable was the small beautiful beach that we found to take the plunge. It did feel very strange to be walking around the town at 2am and it was still daylight. We asked the receptionist in the hotel when it would go dark again “he said September” it was now early June

Flying into Tromso and Tromso Harbour

Arctic Cathedral

Our swim in the Arctic

The beautiful beach we swam in

View from the beach

Tromso Mountains

From here we joined the MS Nordkapp cruise for 4 nights which took us down the coastline of Norway to Bergen. We stopped at lots of small picturesque towns, Trondheim being one of my favourites.

Trondheim Cathedral

The old town in Trondheim

The famous red bridge in Trondheim

Two beautiful sunsets on the cruise

The town of Bronnoysund with it beautiful church and a poster saying the BoomTown Rats where coming to town. Who would have guessed ?

Klippfiskkjerringa Sculptor on Kristiansund

A highlight was going into Trolifjord while a men’s choir sang. The acoustics within the Fjord and the Fjord itself were amazing.

We had organised to meet up with some friends from Australia on the cruise and it was wonderful to see and spend time with Elizabeth and Harold and four of their very close friends. I have known Elizabeth a long time, we met back in the early nineties when we both worked at Lend Lease.

Our five days in Bergen went by too fast, it is a beautiful City with lots of colourful houses and a lovely harbour, we had unseasonably good weather in Norway, if the weather was to continue like this, Bergen is a place I could live. The view from the top of Mount Floyen of Bergen city is a must see, it gives you a bird’s eye view of Bergen. You can take the funicular to the top and walk back down if you like or return on the funicular. It was wonderful to see the locals swimming in the harbour, lakes, rivers or any other water source they could find. The feeling was that spring was in the air and summer was just around the corner. We stayed just outside the city centre along one of the many rivers, it was a very trendy up and coming area. One thing I liked about the area is that it was close to water and although they have a lot of apartment living none of the apartment blocks were over 4 stories high. In most countries we have been to there are lots of high rise apartments and I think they look terrible, the secret is to keep them no more than 4 stories high (but then again I suppose the developers are more interested in making money than making the area look more desirable to live in)

Bergen had some beautiful gardens

The view of Bergen from Mount Floyen Bergen

View from our airbnb

A wonderful coffee shop and sculpture close to the airbnb

Our next stop in Norway was the Capital Oslo, it has a nice city with plenty of green space, one of my favourite places was the Vigeland Sculpture Park, it has amazing human sculptures the best I have ever seen.

We could not visit Oslo without seeing the famous painting ‘The Scream” by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch that sits in the National Museum, there were other paintings by Edvard Munch which I believe are far superior than the scream. There are several other famous artist paintings displayed here like Renoir, Rodin and Picasso.

The Scream

A second paintings by Edvard Munch

The view from Oslo Opera House

A surprise visit while our hiking in Oslo

Restaurant at the top of Grefsenkollen great for a beer after a hike

We loved our 13 nights in Norway and although Norway is expensive there are tons of jaw-dropping beautiful places to see.

Sweden is one of the largest countries in Europe, with great diversity in its nature and climate. Sweden is a sparsely populated country, characterised by its long coastline, extensive forests and numerous lakes. With its variety of landscapes, Sweden has everything from bears and wolves in the north to Roe deer and wild boar in the south. The country also has a wealth of flora and aquatic life, which contribute to its biological diversity, because of their limestone-rich bedrock and favourable climate, the islands of Gotland and Öland and parts of the Scandinavian mountain range have an interesting flora that includes numerous varieties of orchid. People in Sweden have a lot of room to move, with only about 23 inhabitants per square kilometre. For the EU, the average is more than 100 people per square kilometre.

Flag of Sweden

We spent 5 nights in the beautiful city of Stockholm it has lots of great bars, restaurants and tourist things to do.  Stockholm Centre was the only place we found busy in Sweden, everywhere else seemed relaxed and sparsely populated. We did what most Swedish do in Spring, went hiking, swam in the rivers and lakes, and on nice evening eat outdoors.

Good restaurant for Lunch the Hairy Pig Deli.

One museum we just had to visit was the ABBA museum, it brought back wonderful memories.

We did what most Swedish do in Spring, went hiking, swam in the rivers and lakes, and on nice evening eat outdoors.

We spent 4 nights on Gotland island which is off the coast of Sweden, it has a beautiful old town that is steeped in history, the town is surrounded by a 3.44 km wall, it is amazing how the locals have blended the old and new architecture together.

Gothland Visby old town

Beautiful old church built in 1250 still being used today. Wonderful

We hired a car and drove around the island, it has quite a varied landscape, parts of the island reminded me of the west coast of Ireland, with it somewhat rugged coastline, barren fields, blustery winds and without the sunshine would have been quite bleak.
It has several fishing villages along the coast and although they seem quaint I am not sure how I would weather the winter.

The barren landscape of Gothland

Blue Lagoon on Gothland

Old fishing village

The rocks of Langhammars

Smoked salmon is something the Swedish love to eat, it was very interesting to see how simply they smoke it.

Smoking Salmon

Things to note, Sweden is not as expensive as Norway. If you do get across to Gotland, Car hire on is ridiculously expensive so hire a second-hand car from Lasta Gothland we did, and the car was fine, it saved us over $2,000 Australian dollars.

Denmark is a Scandinavian country comprising the Jutland Peninsula and numerous islands. It’s linked to nearby Sweden via the Öresund bridge. Copenhagen, its capital, is home to royal palaces and colourful Nyhavn harbor, plus the Tivoli amusement park and the iconic “Little Mermaid” statue. Odense is writer Hans Christian Andersen’s hometown, with a medieval core of cobbled streets and half-timbered houses

Flag of Denmark

Our last stop in Scandinavia was Denmark when we arrive in Denmark Copenhagen we noticed the relaxed atmosphere, lots of people on bikes, and things generally run smooth. A blend of old buildings and modern sustainable architecture speaks of a city that treasure the old but love experimenting with the new.  Copenhagen is one of the most bicycle-friendly cities in the world – with priority bicycle green waves and bicycle-friendly traffic regulation.

St Nicholas Church and Amalienborg Palace

Hans Christian Andersen

The little Mermaid

Nyhavn is a 17th century waterfront

Opera House

Tivoli Gardens

Plenty of windmills in Copenhagen

Christiania Freetown is a self-proclaimed autonomous anarchist district of about 850 to 1,000 hectares.

Church of Our Saviour, Copenhagen

Dry dock apartment conversion

Botanic Gardens

A clean environment is important to the Danes and they are world leaders in renewable energy technology, including wind turbines and energy efficient waste management.

We had a great month in Scandinavia and can now understand why people love it here.

Finland – Helsinki, Russia – St Petersburg, Estonia – Tallinn

Finland is a sovereign state in Northern Europe. The country has land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east. To the south is the Gulf of Finland with Estonia on the opposite side. Finland is a Nordic country and, together with Scandinavia, is situated in the geographical region of Fennoscandia. Population: 5.495 million Area: 338,400 km² Capital: Helsinki

Flag of Finland

Our week in Finland was very relaxing to say the least. From the moment we got to Helsinki everything was calm, organised, clean, efficient and easy. Nothing is overstated and yet they have a lot to offer. The people are polite, and the children are seen but not heard. It is the first country we noticed a lack of multiculturalism, a great variety of food but not of people. Except of course when a cruise ship hits town. The weather was unseasonably warm for May which was great for us. Our Airbnb was in walking distance to Hietaniemi beach. When people picture Helsinki, they probably think about anything but a beach, although not as good as some of our Australian beaches it was still very nice. I did not know that Finland was once ruled by Russia, there are still traces of that era around the city.

Monument to Celebrate Finland 100 years of Independence from Russia

Hietaranta Beach in Helsinki

We did a ferry trip out to Suomenlinna, or Sveaborg, translation Finland Castle, it is an inhabited sea fortress built on six islands which now forms part of the city of Helsinki, the ferry trip is very pleasant if it is a nice day. You can buy a day pass that allows you to hop on and off each island. Worth a trip.

Around the harbour is always a hive of activity with markets, food stalls, locals and tourist soaking up the atmosphere. Approaching Helsinki from the sea, the skyline is dominated by the white Lutheran Helsinki Cathedral and the redbrick Uspenski Cathedral, the largest Orthodox cathedral in Western Europe.

Helsinki and Uspenski Cathedrals

Helsinki Townhall

Old Market Hall

Monument to the famous composer jean sibelius

One wonders are the finish people trying to keep this wonderful calm understated country to themselves? and then again who can blame them !!!

And the final picture of Finland “the piss boy at the port” are they trying to tell us something Ha Ha

The Capital of Russia is Moscow, Russia is one of the few countries with a negative growth rate, and its 2018 population is estimated at 143.96 million, a decline from an estimated population of 146.3 million in 2015. It’s currently the 9th most populous country on earth, despite being the largest by area, at 17,125,200 square kilometres, covering more than one-eighth of the Earth’s inhabited land Extending across the entirety of Northern Asia and much of Eastern Europe, Russia spans eleven-time zones and incorporates a wide range of environments and landforms.

Flag of Russia

We were able to get an overnight ferry from Finland that allowed us to stay 3 days in St Petersburg without going through all the hassle of getting a visa. You can only apply for a visa from your place of residence 3 months before your visit, but this was no good for us as we have been on the road now for over 2 years. St Petersburg is a beautiful city, we did a lot in our 3 days, from visiting the Hermitage, Faberge Museum, Peter and Paul Fortress, several Cathedrals and Castles.

Peter and Paul Fortress

St Isaac’s Cathedral (picture on the right)

The Church of the Saviour on the spilt blood

The Troitsky Cathedral

Palace Square with the Hermitage Museum

Faberge Museum

We also spent some time in the beautiful summer gardens. I have always thought any city surrounded by water is beautiful and St Petersburg is no exception with the Neva river and a multitude of canals water is everywhere.

Summer Gardens

A few things to note about Russia, Uber is very cheap and eating out is very affordable. When we got off the ferry at St Petersburg Russia, the customs and border patrol was chaotic, there was no organisation what so ever. A 3 and 4-star Hotel in Russia seem more like I or 2-star hotel in Australia (actually I am not sure if we even have 1 or 2-star hotels in Australia. This being said it is still a wonderful place to visit. Russia is getting ready for the soccer world cup, it will be interesting to see how it goes as it is hard to find a local that speaks English, but then again why should they, when in Rome !!!We also spent some time in the beautiful summer gardens. I have always thought any city surrounded by water is beautiful and St Petersburg is no exception with the Neva river and a multitude of canals water is everywhere.

Estonia

The territory of Estonia consists of a mainland and 2,222 islands in the Baltic Sea, covering a total area of 45,227 km², water 2,839 km², land area 42,388 km², and is influenced by a humid continental climate. Population: 1.316 million. For the last 300 years Estonia’s been linked to Russia, but the two states do not have much in common. Estonia is located in Northern Europe and shares a border with Latvia and Russia. Estonia became the 17th member of the Eurozone on the 1st of January 2011, when the Euro replaced the Estonian Kroon (EEK). Estonia seems very happy to be part of the EU and the EU are happy to have them.

Flag of Estonia

After 3 days in Russia we got back on the overnight ferry and continued our journey to Estonia Tallinn. We stayed in the old medieval town of Tallinn Estonia, like some of the other countries we have visited we did not know much about Estonia, well only that they were in the Eurovision Song Contest when I was a kid 😂. It really is a lovely place and the medieval town is one of the best we have seen. Our Airbnb was right in the centre of the old town square, a great location.

Our Airbnb was in the triangle section of the building in the photo the old town square

We spent most of our time in the old town as there is so much to see and do, we visited the Freedom Square, the beautiful Alexander Nevsky Cathederal, walked around the walls of the old town, had dinner in a Medieval establishment, climbed up Toompea Hill to see the views of the city and castle. My favourite thing to do was to stroll through the cobble streets, window shopping and stopping for a coffee or glass of wine.

Alexander Nevsky Cathederal and Freedom Cross and square

Walls and towers of the old town of Tallinn

Alexander Nevsky Cathederal

View from Toompea a limestone hill in the central part of the city of Tallinn

Medieval Restaurant

Martin loving this medieval restaurant

Love this place and the weather was a perfect 24 degrees.
Estonia’s ability to accommodate a large number of cruise ships makes it a popular destination. I am surprised that the locals do not get annoyed with the amount of tour groups traipsing through their town, but I suppose for some of them, tourism is their bread and butter.

Iceland

Iceland

Iceland is an island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. Lying on the constantly active geologic border between North America and Europe, Iceland is a land of vivid contrasts of climate, geography, and culture. Overall, Iceland has a surface area of 103,001 square kilometres. However, that harsh geographical landscape is one of the reasons why it’s population remains so low (337,780 in 2018). Iceland has the lowest population density of all European countries at just 3 people per kilometre The capital and largest city of Iceland is Reykjavik, which is also the northernmost capital in the world and a major tourist destination.

Flag of Iceland

No place we have been seems as pure a showcase for the most raw and active geological features as this island with it’s mossy hills dotted with countless waterfalls, icebergs on top of volcanic ash, turquoise waters of the blue lagoon against the barren landscape, roaring white cap waves pounding against the black sand and the constant steam that fills the horizon from the geothermal activity the hot geysers provide heat for many of the country’s homes and buildings and allow for hothouse agriculture year-round. Beautiful fishing village where the salmon is the best I ever had, and the unpredictable weather that makes it seem like three seasons have passed in the course of five minutes.

Icebergs on top of Volcanic ash

Turquoise waters of the blue lagoon against the barren landscape

Black Sand Beach

Hot Geysers

We spent one of the days following in the foot steps of  Walter Mitty from the movie “The secret life Walter Mitty”  it was set in Iceland back in 2013 I was so impressed with what I saw in the movie I put Iceland on my bucket list of places I wanted to visit. That day  we visited a number of locations that had been used in the movie. It was lots of fun.

Hallsgrimskirkja in Reykjavik

Beautiful Churches, Homes, Lighthouses and fishing villages in Iceland

A few things to note about Iceland. The best way to see the island is to drive, it is best to hire a car when you arrive at the Airport, Icelanders drive on the right side of the road. There are plenty of organised tours, but they are expensive and as always with organised tours you are limited to the time at each spot. You can visit the blue lagoon without having to pay 75 Euro to get into the hot springs, you can take some beautiful photos here and go into the spa area and have a coffee, there are other spa’s in Iceland that are just as good and a lot cheaper. Be very careful at the Black sand beach as the water has very strong currents, the water in Australia can be very rough but here is the roughest I have ever seen. Iceland is expensive, especially dining out, but then again, they had to recover from the 2008 financial crisis. But believe me when I say it is worth every penny. So, if you visit make sure to push yourself outside the comfortable confines of Reykjavík the Capital and see this amazing island for what it is. Iceland would be in my top 5 places in the world to visit

Amazing Scenery in Iceland

USA, Seattle – Detroit – Boston – Washington DC – Provincetown

The USA was not going to be a large part of this trip, on previous trips we had visited a number of States, there was five places we wanted to visit on this trip.  Seattle, Detroit, Boston, WDC and Provincetown.

Seattle started out as a logging town, then grew as a stop-off point for gold prospectors at the end of the 19th century. It was called “Jet City”, when plane manufacturer Boeing rose to prominence in the 1950s and 60s. Seattle began to shake off its blue-collar roots and in recent years its cultural credentials have been boosted by the addition of the Olympic Sculpture Park and a showpiece public library.
They say it was Seattle’s free spirit that gave birth to Grunge, therefore I was not sure what to expect on arrival. I was pleasantly surprised, as Seattle has been blessed with a beautiful setting from green wilderness to the west, volcanoes and glaciers to the east, and all around the brisk waters of the Northwest. The viewing deck on the Space Needle is a great way to see this.

We spent a few hours at a wonderful exhibit showcasing the studio glass of Dale Chihuly, it is truly the best I have seen.

Museum of Pop Culture is definitely worth a visit, it has a Sound Lab, where you can jam, sing, pick and drum as loud as you want, Martin tried to bring out his inner pop star, TG the room was sound proof!!!.

It also featured a temporary exhibit of Jim Henson’s work (the maker of the Muppet Show) it brought back lots of childhood memories.


For fresh produce in Seattle the Pike markets is the place to go. Bill Speidel’s Underground tour is a must if you are interested in how the city was built.

Lake Union Seattle

As for grunge seemingly, it was Grunge music that came out of the city in the early 90s, when local bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Nirvana were around, otherwise no grunge to be seen. Despite its rapid growth, Seattle has kept its trees and parks and many areas maintain an almost suburban feel. The city and its residents are laidback and liberal, and that famous free spirit is as at home in the great outdoors as in Seattle’s bohemian neighbourhoods.

Detroit was full of interesting characters, our main reason for the visit was Martin wanted to visit the Pawn Shop  from the TV show Hard Core Pawn he was delighted that Les the owner was in the shop, he is a nice guy, we had a good chat with him and he seemed happy to get into a photo with us.

The City of Detroit was better than I expected, it had the look of a city that had been through hard times but was once again about to take off. It was nice that their baseball and football pitches where in the city centre and the people seemed very passionate about their sports.

Boston City is very compact and full of history.

The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum plus the Old State House Museum, (from the balcony the Declaration of independence was read) is worth a visit.  We wondered around Harvard and M.I.T but did not feel any the wiser from doing so.

We had a cold Samuel Adams Beer in the Beantown pub across the road from (The cold Samuel Adams).

We could not be in Boson without a visit to Cheers “Where everybody knows your name”

We stayed just outside Boston City at a place called Salem the location of the infamous Salem witch trials of 1962. Very interesting place, it would be a great place to visit around Halloween.

The main reason for our visit to Boston was to see the Red Sox play a baseball game at the Famous Fenway Park, On Patriot day, the same day as the Boston marathon, but to our disappointment the game was cancelled as the weather was so bad. 😫😫😫. There was not another game on while we were in town. We did a tour of Fenway Park; a game would have been wonderful but not to worry we will just have to come back !!!!

Washington DC

So nice to be back to warmer weather. Washington looks beautiful this time of year with gorgeous Cherry blossoms and nice green lush grass after a long winter.

We did all the touristy things, like visit Capitol Hill, Lincoln Memorial, the Pentagon, the White House (very surprised we were not invited for drinks with Macrone and Trump, but then again did we really want to spend an evening in Trumps presence!!!). The Botanical Gardens, the Smithsonian Air and Space museums was amazing, if you are interested in Flying and Space plus the history of both this is the place for you, to the first attempts of landing on the moon and the first women to fly across the Atlantic Amelia Earhart, it is all here, I would suggest the full day for this museum. I do not think Martin would have made it as an astronaut, while in space one must exercise for 3 hours a day not my man. The Spy Museum was also good fun. Most of the museums and gardens have free entry here which was a pleasant surprise. My sister that lives in Nashville Tennessee came to WDC for the weekend to catch-up with us, it was great to see her and her husband Wally we had 2 lovely days together.

We spent another day walking through Georgetown a really nice part of the city, it reminded me of Paddington in Sydney, very trendy and expensive.

We also had dinner with Meredith a beautiful young girl that was part of our group that did the 4-day trek to Machu Picchu, it was so nice to see her and to hear about her recent travels to India and Sri-lanka. Overall a great week in WDC.

Provincetown

Provincetown is a beautiful costal town at the very point of Cape Cod. It was wonderful to walk across the breakwater out to two Light houses Wood end and Long Point. The break point is over a mile long one-way on giant uneven boulders, With high tide lurking to swamp or strand you it is a lovely walk to do but watch your step.

They have the most beautiful homes clad with wooden shingles. I would love to build a home like this back in Australia. The people are very friendly, and the food was great. There is also some very nice hikes you can do out to the coast.

We did take a ferry across to the island of Martha’s Vineyard, and thought we would spend the day visiting wineries, but although it is a beautiful Island there was not one grape to be seen on the island. Seemingly the founder of Martha’s Vineyard had a daughter called Martha and when he first founded the island wild grapes were growing, but that was it for grape growing. This is what happens when you do not investigate the area you plan to visit. You can be sure we found a pub. The island has 6 towns which offer a one of a kind image to the world, from the Victorian gingerbread homes in Oak Bluff to the Stately mansions of Edgartown to the rambling up island farmhouses. The island is unique in many ways there are no traffic lights, no fast food and no chain stores, Outdoor lighting is kept to a minimum, the better to enjoy the extraordinary night sky.

Provincetown  is full of Art Galleries, restaurants and coffee shops. One restaurant we particularly liked was Fanizzi’s it is right on the water and the service and food was very good.

Both Provincetown and Martha’s Vineyard are places in the USA that I would revisit.

Canada – Vancouver – Whistler – Banff – Toronto – Niagara Falls – Ottawa – Quebec – Montreal

Canada

Canada has the seventh largest economy in the world. Most of the businesses are privately owned, although the government does play a major role in the health care system and operates many services including transportation and utility companies. Population is 37 million, Capital is Ottawa, Language mostly spoken is English and French. We had 3 months to travel through Canada.

Flag of Canada

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city in Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. population of Vancouver is 610, 000. The Greater Vancouver area has a population of more than 2.4 million

Vancouver Flag

Vancouver differs from other major cities because of its diversity. In one day you can hike Stanley Park in the morning and then shop Downtown among the masses in the afternoon. Foodies can buy produce at Granville Island and enjoy fine dining in Yaletown the next. You can walk historic Gastown before slurping noodles in Chinatown. It is also very nice to walk through the waterfront area, there are sea planes, boats and it is beautiful to look back at the city from here.

Stanley Park is a massive public space with paved paths for bicyclists, roller bladers, and walkers. Here you can enjoy the trees, totem poles, and the waters of the Vancouver Harbour

Near Canada Place is the oldest neighbourhood in the city, the historic Gastown. You can visit Gastown and see the Steam Clock and a chance to shop for souvenirs. Next to Gastown is Canada’s largest Chinatown. Vancouver’s Chinatown traces its history back to 1885

Further west, across the waters of False Creek, is Granville Island. Here at the Granville Island Public Market are vendors galore. You can buy fresh produce, straight out of the oven breads and pastries, and a huge variety of fruit and vegetables plus other food products.

We were lucky with the day we went to Capilano suspension Bridge Park as it was dry and sunny. The Capilano Suspension Bridge is a simple suspension bridge crossing the Capilano River in the District of North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The current bridge is 140 metres long and 70 metres above the river. There is an impressive cliff walk you can take and you can stroll the rainforest canopy on a Treetops Adventure and walk through a number of Totem poles. It is a lovely day out.

While in Vancouver I ticked another item off my bucket list, I went to see an ice hockey game, wow what an exciting and exhilarating game, if I was younger I would definitely take up this sport. We went to see the Vancouver Canucks play against the Buffalo Sabres in the Rogers Arena. The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Canucks play their home games at Rogers Arena, the Buffalo Sabres are based in New York. Unfortunately, the Sabres won the game. We really enjoyed our first hockey  game, lets hope this is the first of many

We stayed in a wonderful Airbnb that I would recommend to everyone. It is run by  Mike and Juanita it is on Templeton Drive, Garden level Vancouver. Great couple and very nice accommodation, close to everything.

We really enjoyed Vancouver but we were surprised to see so many homeless people. We were told that because Vancouver is the warmest State in Canada that this is were most of the homeless will congregate too.   Such a shame and very sad.

Whistler/Pemberton

We decided to spend a month skiing in Whistler, we have not been skiing for a few years and when we have skied in the past it has always been a bit rushed, we would book a week skiing and feel like we had to ski every day to get ours monies worth, whether our legs ached or not. So we decided if we went to Whistler for a month we could at least have every second day off if needed.  Whistler is a very expensive area to stay for a month so we stayed in a beautiful town called Pemberton which is about a 35min drive to Whistler.

 

 

The skiing is as good as they say in Whistler, with the Peak to Creek 11km long, making me feel my age and a bit more each time I skied down it. The runs are a lot longer than I had experienced in New Zealand, Australia  or Andorra. The village is very nice, but the locals say, since Vail took over the resort it has less of a community feel.

I fell in love with Pemberton the small town we stayed in, it is surrounded by mountains and is breath taking. For the first time I can see the attraction of living in a small town, from the wonderful coffee shop that sits in the old train station, to Hazel the oldest lady in Pemberton, 102 this year and looks fantastic, to the kids waving hello each morning as they head to school and we head to the slopes, to the very friendly neighbours and the for the smell of pot on the bus each evening as we travelled back from a day of skiing in Whistler.

The street we stayed on in Pemberton and the view from the window that I had my office.

 

A beautiful house at the end of the street

Hazel 102 years old this year, amazing lady, in our favourite coffee shop Blackbird Bakery

The street at night time

Besides skiing we could not visit whistler without going to the Whistler Sliding Centre which hosted the bobsledding, luge, and skeleton competitions for the 2010 Winter Olympics. It is the fastest ice track in the world and we experience the action first-hand with me bobsledding and Martin doing the skeleton ride down 1,450-meter-long ice track. It was a huge adrenalin rush, and not something I will forget.
The day after we had a relaxing day at the Scandinavie Spa which is in peaceful and natural environment within the Laurentian forest.

Norma Bobsledding

Martin Skeleton, faster than the speed of light

Scandinavie Spa

The sun shone in the afternoon, just beautiful and relaxing

A wonderful month of Skiing and relaxing in Whistler.

Banff

The scenery is the best we have seen in Banff the Rocky Mountains Canada. Snow-cap mountains, frozen lakes waterfalls and beautiful clear blue skies, sun rise and sunset over the mountains make it a true photographers dream. We did some hiking while here, but some of the trails were closed for safety reasons, too much snow and possible chances of an avalanche. We hope to return one day in early spring or late summer to complete these hikes as I am sure it will look completely different without the snow. We did manage to hike to Johnston Canyon, Fairmont Banff Springs, Mash loop, Spray River East Trail and the Sundance trail.

Beautiful scenery  in Banff

Different Hikes in Banff

Frozen waterfalls at Johnston Canyon

View from the Fairmont restaurant Lake Louise

Frozen Lake Louise

We could not leave the snow without trying Dog sledding. I am not a real dog person but if I was to buy a dog, a husky would be it. Besides being beautiful looking dogs, they are also very good natured. The dog sledding was lots of fun, but in some ways I felt bad for the dogs pulling us around on the slay. But the owners assured us that the dogs are working dogs, and this is what they do. They did seem to be very happy dogs and seem to be great with people.

Banff truly is a beautiful place and next time we come here it will be for longer than a week. We will definitely remember Banff for its beauty.

Toronto

I was expecting more of a wow factor from Toronto. I had been here over 15 years ago on a conference and although I did not get to see much then I remembered it differently. One thing that remained the same was the cold weather. I thought by mid-march the weather would have warmed up but it was -4 degrees most days with a very cold wind, but at least the sky was clear and blue. The CN Tower in Toronto is impressive it showed us just how flat Toronto is, because of this i would have expected more bikes on the road. Maybe it was just to cold to cycle.


We spent one of out afternoons visiting Casa Loma it is a Gothic Revival style home, very beautiful, it was more like a small castle, with beautiful stables and definitely worth a visit.

One thing for sure Toronto knows how to celebrate St Pats Day and I thank them for that. We had a great St Pats day in the Irish Embassy Bar in the Centre of the City. They played the 6 Nations match at 10.45am between Ireland and England, not only did Ireland want to beat England as they always do but if they win this match they would win the Grand Slam. The excitement in the Bar was fantastic and I am sure the cheers could be heard back in Ireland when they won. The day continued with 4 different bands playing great music lots of drinking, dancing and good crack. Not a day I will forget easily.

Niagara Falls are beautiful and very accessible, I am sure this is why Niagara Falls get more visitors every year than the likes of the Iguazu falls, which are more expansive and impressive. We saw the falls from both sides the Canadian and American side, I think they are more impressive from the Canadian side. The hotel we stayed in had great views of the falls, it is called  “The Tower at falls view”. The town of Niagara is like a poor cousin of Vegas a bit tacky with lots of fast food restaurants, mind you it is not cheap.

The area is saved by the fact that a thirty-minute drive from the falls there is a town Niagara on the lake which is a beautiful and surrounded by wineries. Good restaurants and coffee shops. We visited a few of the wineries and my favourite was the Two Sister Winery, the wines are very different than the ones I am used to in Australia but still not bad at all.

Ottawa the Capital of Canada. I was not sure what to expect as I had not heard much about Ottawa. It was slightly warm than Toronto so that’s a plus. We stayed in a great Airbnb in walking distance to the city Centre. Capital Hill has some beautiful old government buildings, there is a great view from the hill over the city area and across the river. The byway markets are good for a browse, What I have noticed about several of the markets in different countries is that all the stalls are selling the same stuff so there is very little variety, personally if it was me I would look to sell something unique that would target the audience.

Capital Hill

Views from Capital Hill

My favourite thing to do in Ottawa was to cycle along the canals, the Airbnb we stayed at had bicycles we could borrow and although it was cold it was sunny and dry. Most of the Canals were still frozen over, in the depths of winter the Rideau canals become the world’s largest Skating rink.. The first day we went out for a short bike ride we got lost, 3 hours later we got home. I was stuffed as it had been a long time since I had been on a bike, actually the last time I was on a bike was a mountain bike, going down death road in Bolivia. Cycling along the canals although not as exciting as death road,  was a lot safer and more relaxing. I am sure I could live in Ottawa in spring and or early summer but not winter.

Cycling around the canals, waterfalls and bridges of Ottawa great fun.

Quebec : Our train journey from Ottawa was very relaxing but I was not to happy to see that the snow was still quite thick on the ground, just when I thought I was done with the snow. Our week in Quebec included a few days being house bound because of the snow and very cold weather, the only thing we ventured out for was coffee. We stayed in the old walled city which is quite beautiful, it reminds me of a French village and of course everyone speaks French here. They say the best way to get a good photo of the city is to take a short ferry ride across to Levis, on the way across you get a great view of the city. We did manage to do this one of the warmer days. Ottawa has some beautiful old buildings and several lovely churches. In particular the Basilique Cathedrale Notre-Dame. The inside of this church is very ostentation with lots of gold. Whenever I see this I wonder if our lord was on earth today what would he think of this, as a child I was brought up a catholic being from the south of Ireland this was the norm, and one thing that has always annoyed me or conflicted with me was the wealth the Catholic church seems to have, it is not only in Rome that is very obvious that the Catholic Church have a lot of wealth but most countries we have visited the catholic church has huge amounts of land and usually in the best areas. Is this right when there are starving children in the world.  From the stories I read in the bible the church was not about wealth it was about looking after each other and sharing what we had.  I believe God would be disappointed in this. I do not have pictures of the inside of this church I do not take photos inside churches, Mosques or any place of worship my personal view is that it is disrespectful.   Anyway, rant over back to Quebec. There are some very good artists in Quebec and it was lovely to visit their studios and admire their wonderful art works, in particular I liked Galerie Zen and Le Chien D’Or both artist where very happy to explain their art work to us. I am not sure how life continues as normal in places like Quebec when it is so cold and snows for 6 months of the year, on the 9th of April there was still a lot of snow around and it was  -9 degrees.

View of Quebec City from the Ferry to Levis

Still lots of snow

The Old walled city of Quebec

Montreal was warmer than Ottawa but only just. In Montreal there seems to be a good mix of English and French spoken. The old port and town of Montreal is beautiful with great restaurants and bars, it is also full of amazing artwork. If you are looking for a new piece of Artwork this is the area to go.

If you go to Mount Royal you will get a great view of the city, it is a large volcanic hill or small mountain west of Downtown.

The botanical gardens although not as impressive this time of year the glass houses and butterfly enclosure were some of the best we have visited. The gardens I am sure would be outstanding in summer. While here you can also pay a visit to the 1976 Olympic Stadium which is just across the street from the Botanical Gardens.

We went to the 2Cellos concert in the Bell Tower, these guys are fantastic a wonderful performance, very entertaining.

This concludes our three months of travelling through Canada, and wow did we had an amazing time, Canada really is a beautiful country, the people, food, stunning scenery and fresh air will really take your breath away, the only negative thing I can say about Canada is the cold 6 months of winter they seem to get, otherwise I would have no problem living here.  If I visit again I will be sure to visit  mid may to mid September.

Ireland – Dublin, Kilkenny

We decided to spend Christmas in Ireland with family. My two brothers were coming to Ireland with their families from Australia, so it was going to be a big one. As always it was great to see family.

I had a great night out with some old school mates, some I had not seen in over 25 years, it was great to reminisce about the old school days and to hear how well everyone seem to be doing. A great bunch if girls.

My youngest sister also organised a pub crawl, something that she does each year at Christmas time, 12 pubs with a drink in each one, and a set of rules to go along with the drinks. It was a great evening out, I had forgotten how many pubs there are in Dublin city centre, and each one with a unique atmosphere.

The list of Pubs in Dublin City Centre:
Toners
Doheny & Nesbitt
Foleys Lounge
O’Donoghues Bar
37 Dawson Street (with Sam’s as a potential backup)
Café en Seine
Kehoe’s
The Duke
The Bailey
O’Neill’s Bar and Restaurant
The Mercantile Bar and Live Music Venue
4 Dame Lane (with The Czech Inn as a potential backup

A statue of Molly Malone (Tart wheeling the cart is the nick name)  passed by her on our pub crawl.

The pub crawl group.

Christ Church

Leo my Brother and Martin the husband. Looking good lads

Christmas day was wonderful, my parents did an amazing job of feeding over 30 people for dinner. A Christmas I will not forget. My Mum and Dad truly are amazing people, I don’t know how they do it. I don’t like having more than 8 people for dinner as it just gets too much for me, but mam and dad just seem to take it in their stride.

Mam and Dad with some of the Grandchildren

My Dad with his 4 Sons

Mam and Dad with the Australian Grandsons

My two nephews were keen to see as much of Ireland as they could, Each  family member took them to a few different places. One of the days we went to Kilmainham Jail and the boys learned all about the 1916 rising and all about the political prisoners that were held there. They enjoyed going to Trinity College and they thought it was great to walk into The Long Room Library at Trinity College and to see the book of Kells.

A bit of Trinity College history
Queen Elizabeth once said “I founded Trinity College in 1592 to enlighten and educate the Irish—or, as the English monarch herself put it rather more bluntly, to “reform…the barbarism of this rude people.”
Trinity, in the end, turned out to be more enlightened than its English counterparts at Cambridge and Oxford, being the first of the three to admit women (in 1903).

Kilmainham Jail

 

Trinity College

Another day M&I took them to Kilkenny one of my favourite counties in Ireland. The Kilkenny Castle is worth a visit, they had all the rooms decorated for the Christmas session, it was just beautiful.

Kilkenny Castle and grounds

It would not be the same coming to Ireland without visiting the Phoenix park, the largest enclosed park in any Europe city. It is 710 hectares and has several resident fallow deer.

Overall another great holiday and wonderful Christmas in Ireland.

Bringing in the Australia New Year with family in an Irish pub. Yahoo

Africia – Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africia

Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is Landlocked,  it borders its most powerful neighbour, South Africa, to the south, and Botswana, Zambia, and Mozambique to the west, north, and east. It has a population of about 16.1 million. Since the Zimbabwe dollar (ZWD) was demonetarised in April 2009, there is no official currency in Zimbabwe. The main currency being used is the United States dollar (USD). This was largely due to an unstable political situation and the land reform policy that the government embarked on. Harare is the capital and most populous city of Zimbabwe.

Flag of Zimbabwe

There was a lot of unrest in Zimbabwe and we were not sure if we should visit. But a few days before we arrived Robert Mugabe was ousted from 30 years in power, so things had calmed down, we stayed in Victoria Falls as this was close to both activities we wanted to pursue, white water rafting down the Zambezi river and a visit to Victoria Falls.
The people here seemed more desperate than in Uganda. The persistence in the locals selling us souvenirs and people begging was worse than we had seen in Uganda or Tanzania. It was very sad to see the local people queueing up every morning outside the Bank for hours, to see how much of their money the Banks would give them.

Beautiful Trees in Victoria Falls

The local Boar family that lived in the bushes next door to our apartment.

White water rafting down the Zambezi river in Africa was lots of fun, I was a bit apprehensive at first as several of the rapids are graded 5. The company Shearwater were very professional, and safety was their number one priority, this helped me feel more comfortable, the team really looked after us. Just be aware that the trek down to the Zambezi river and back up is tough, so make sure to stay hydrated.

Rapid number 6 is called the Devils toilet bowl and we got flushed

Our fantastic Shearwater Team and other team rafters

We had another great day at Victoria Falls, they are very impressive, but I still think the Iguazu falls are the best falls I have ever seen. You can walk to the falls from the town, it has several different viewing points, which is great for photo.

We had a beautiful meal at the Lookout Café, the food, service and view of Bakota Gorge was wonderful. They also provided a free bus service back to your accommodation at night time.

Great Place to visit.

Zambia

Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa, neighbouring the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west. The capital city is Lusaka and the population is around 17 million

Flag of Zambia

We took a Taxi across the border from Zimbabwe to Zambia, Livingstone. It is amazing the difference in both countries and yet they are only about 20 Kilometres apart. Their currency is stable the Kwacha, the standard of living seems must better and we did not see as much poverty and  very little begging.

I think the people of Zambia are hopeful and excited about the Governments launch of its 7th National Development Plan, 2017–2021. The theme “Accelerating Development Efforts Towards Vision 2030 Without Leaving Anyone Behind,” the President is Edgar Lungu he was re-elected in 2016 for another 5 years.

We stayed in Livingston which it is a bit of a tourist hub, the town itself is located on the banks of the Zambezi River 10 kilometres upstream from Victoria Falls. It has several good restaurants and coffee shops. Down through the centre of town is lined with Mango trees it was fun to watch the local kids trying to get the mangos off the trees.

Kids trying to get Mango’s off the trees

We enjoyed the Victoria falls from Zambia, just as much as from the Zimbabwe side . They are both different, beautiful and equally worthwhile. Things to think about the Zimbabwe side has political issues, there are more viewing points and the town is more convenient. Meanwhile, the Zambia side can be more expensive (especially regarding the recent Visa fees) and had fewer viewpoints. Plus, the town of Livingstone is 11kms away, therefore you will have to catch a blue Taxi.

There is an impress steam train the Royal Livingstone Express. You can do a Dinner trip aboard the Livingstone Express a fine dining experience and a sight-seeing journey. Complete with a smart dress code, passengers have a classy adventure to the Victoria Falls Bridge to watch the gorgeous African sunset and marvel at the sight of the waterfall, before heading back along the newly refurbished Mulobezi railway line to Livingstone town. We did not do the dinner trip as it was quite expensive, but we did do a tour of the train and meet the train driver. What a character he is. He reminded me of the actor from the green mile movie Michael Clarke Duncan. It is a beautiful train and people that have taken the trip seem to love it. So, if money is no object this would be a nice experience.

South Africa

South Africa, is the southernmost country in Africa. It has 2,798 kilometres of coastline South Atlantic and Indian Oceans its neighbouring countries Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Swaziland. South Africa is the largest country in Southern Africa and the 25th-largest country in the world by land area, with close to 56 million people, is the world’s 24th-most populous nation. The capital of South Africa is Cap town.

Flag of South Africa

We flew into Johannesburg, stayed overnight and next morning were picked up at our hotel for a four-day safari in Kruger National Park. The company we went with was Wild Wings Safari they are extremely professional. The trip from Johannesburg to Kruger took about, 4 and half hours. We picked up two other couples on the way. It was amazing to finally get to Kruger National Park, it was a place I had seen several times on TV and it was very exciting to be here. Our accommodation was basic but clean and comfortable.

Kruger National Park

Our guide Nicky was exceptionally knowledgeable about the park, game animals, birds, she was not only our guide she was also our driver, chef (and a very good one) she was very efficient and yet answered our endless questions with great enthusiasm. She seemed to know all the best places to see the different animals, we managed to see the Big 7 which include lions, elephants, buffalos, rhinos, leopards these are the Big 5 and the additional two that make up the Big 7 are cheetahs and wild dogs. I have never seen any of these animals in the wild before, so it was spectacular. It was great to see groups of Giraffes, elephants and even Lions together. On our last day the only animal we had not seen was the Leopard, we had half an hour left in the park when next one just walked out onto the road in front of us, we were absolutely delighted. That’s the thing about the wild you never know what you are going to see.

The entire trip was wonderful we did not have to think about anything other than showing up and enjoy the sights. I would Definitely recommend Wild Wings Safari and if you are lucky enough to get Nicky as your guide you will truly have an amazing trip.

Nicky dropped us back to our hotel in Johannesburg and the next day we flew to Cape town. The city is famous for its harbour and for such well-known landmarks as Table Mountain and Cape Point. It has some beautiful beaches but one thing that no one had mentioned was the wild winds that can stir up at any time blowing up to 60km/h. You cannot sit on the beach or swim in the water when the winds are this wild, the 3 weeks we stayed here we only had one day that the wind did not blow.

Table Mountain

Beaches in Cape Town

Cape Town Harbour

We spent a day visiting wineries in the Franschhoek Valley area, Franschhoek is a small town in the Western Cape Province and one of the oldest towns of the Republic of South Africa, we had a great day visiting several wineries, hoping on and off the wine tram, the wine and food on this trip was very good.  It is a great day out.

The wine Tram plus wineries

 

Of course we could not leave Cape Town without visiting Robben island were Nelson Mandela was incarcerated and spent 27 years of his life in a tiny cell of 5 square metres. It is actually a nice island but very cold, it was very interesting, the guide we had, had once spent time in this prison.

Robben island

The cell of Nelson Mandela

The prison

South Africa to me in no longer just about the animals, it has beautiful villages, wineries, mountains, beaches, restaurants, the people are a very diverse group and live in a very multicultural society. As in most African countries there seems to be political unrest with the current government and because of this the South African rand has lost value in recent months plus Cape Town is very close to running out of water and the locals are very concerned. You can feel the tension in the air. I felt that the people seemed more aggressive than in other African countries. I really hope things settle down as it really is an amazing place.

Africia – Tanzania, Kilimanjaro, Moshi. Uganda, Entebbe, Biwindi

Africa is made up of 54 countries.  It has a population of 1,287,920,518 it accounts for about 16% of the world’s human population. The continent is surrounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea along the Sinai Peninsula to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the southeast and the Atlantic Ocean to the west.
Africa today is a vast continent with many bustling metropolises, some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet, and amazingly diverse and beautiful landscapes. While there are places resembling the stereotypical Africa, famine, and poverty, it is impossible to make generalisations of Africa as it is made up of 54 different countries and we only got to visit a few of them.

Flag of African Union

Our first stop in Africa was Tanzania

Domestic stability has not translated into economic prosperity for Tanzanians, however, many of its people live below the World Bank poverty line. Tanzania is home to two renowned tourism destinations – Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, and wildlife-rich national parks such as the Serengeti – but has become a target for poachers. The Capital is Dodoma, Population 55.5 million, languages English and Swahili, Religions, Christianity and Islam and Currency is Tanzanian shilling

Flag of Tanzania

Our main reason for coming to Tanzania was to climb Kilimanjaro. Kilimanjaro stands at 5,895m it offers not only the highest mountain in Africa but also the tallest free-standing mountain in the world. UNESCO declared it a world heritage site in 1987. We had a few days in Moshi before our climb started, one of the nearest towns to Kilimanjaro National Park. The town itself is quite basic but the people are very nice. It’s a low-key place with an appealing blend of African and Asian influences and a self-sufficient, prosperous feel, due in large part to its being the centre of one of Tanzania’s major coffee-growing regions. There are some good coffee houses and restaurants. My favourite coffee place was Aroma Coffee Shop, the service and the coffee were very good. Favourite restaurant was Indoitaliano good food and no stomach problems eating here.

It was time to start our climb to Kilimanjaro. There are different Routes to the top of Kilimanjaro that you can take, we decided to do the 7-day Rongai route, this gives an extra day or two more than other routes to get use to the Altitude it is also the best option during the rainy season, due to its location, which receive little rain. We chose to use a local company to climb with as we prefer for the money to stay in the community. The company was Popote African adventures, and they are excellent, we could not have asked for a better company to climb with. The team went above and beyond to help us achieve our goal. I would highly recommend them.

Day 1: Nalemoru Gate (1990m) to Simba Camp (2625m).
We drove to the village of NaleMoru for the starting point of the Rongai route. We had to complete some paper work and while having  lunch we met some people coming back from the trek. They were not very happy as they had not made it to the top of Kilimanjaro, they said they had heaps of rain and it was freezing cold. The zips of their Tents had frozen solid. They had made it to 4310 meters Mawenzi Tarn. This was not what we wanted to hear. It was also pelting down with rain, we started to rethink our plans. Within 15min of us trekking the rain stopped TG. The first stage of the trek was through farmland and pine forests. We saw some beautiful Colobus monkeys en route. Our first camp was at the Simba Camp located at the edge of the moorland zone at 2625m. We trekked for about 8km which took about 5 hours. We only had one other Trekker on the trip to Kilimanjaro his name is  Anthony and what a  great guy to trek with. We could not have asked for a better person to do this difficult climb with, we had lots of good laughs.

 

Day 2: Simba Camp (2625m) to 2nd Cave Camp (3480m)

After a very comfortable night in our Tents we woke to a beautiful morning. The morning hike was a steady ascent up to the Second Cave Camp located in the moorland zone with views of Kibo and the Eastern ice fields on the crater rim. I have to say I really enjoyed the hike today, this was not what I had been expecting, maybe all the hiking we had done to the lead up to climbing Kilimanjaro is paying off. Today we only hiked about 5km which took about 3.5 hours. We had to remember that we are also trying to acclimatise therefore 5km was great. So far, the food has been great and the camping equipment is severing us well, we have all been toasty warm at night and comfortable. Each evening our guides checked our blood oxygen levels to make sure we were all doing okay. No issue so far with the altitude.

Day 3: 2nd Cave Camp (3480m) to Kikelewa Camp (3630m)

Leaving the pine forest behind, we carry on with a steady ascent walking though moorland. There are superb views of the Eastern ice fields on the crater rim of Kibo, the highest of the three volcanoes which form the mountain. We leave the main trail and strike out across moorland on a smaller path towards the jagged peaks of Mawenzi, the second of Kilimanjaro’s volcanoes. What an impressive looking volcano is Mawenzi.

I personally think Mawenzi is more impressive looking than Kilimanjaro because of its jagged peaks. From a distance Kilimanjaro looks nice and smooth. We set up camp today in the sheltered valley near Kikelewa caves at 3630m. We hiked for another 3.5 hours today, taking our time across 5km. The scenery was the best we have seen yet. We did not realise how beautiful the camp site was that we had until the next morning as it was a beautiful clear day. So far, we have been very lucky with the weather, we has rained at night while we slept but none during the day. We are still all okay with the Altitude.

Kilimanjaro from a distance

Mawenzi from a distance

Day 4: Kikelewa Camp (3630m) to Mawenzi Tarn Hut (4310m

This morning we had a short but steep ascent up grassy slopes which was rewarded by a superb view of the Kenyan plains to the north. We leave vegetation behind shortly before reaching our next camp at Mawenzi Tarn Hut directly below the towering cliffs of Mawenzi. We covered about 8km which took about 4.5 hours. Each day our pace has slowed more and more as we get into higher altitude. This afternoon we had a change to rest but also to explore the surrounding area, we climbed up a future 400 meters to aid acclimatization but also to walk around the rim of Mawenzi, the views are stunning and we are now looking down on the clouds. Amazing. Myself and Anthony had a slight headache this evening but nothing we could not handle.

Martin sitting on the rim of Mawenzi

Looking down at the clouds

Day 5: Mawenzi Tarn Hut (4310m) to Kibo Hut (4700m)

We leave our campsite and cross the lunar desert of the ‘saddle’ between Mawenzi and Kibo After about 5 hours and 8km covered we reach a spectacular place, with the summit of Kilimanjaro in the background and our trail to the high camp stretched out before our eyes. Anticipation, nerves and excitement is growing. We are all very happy we have made it this far, but our hike this morning was tough especially with the altitude. Upon reaching our camp we spend the remainder of the day resting in preparation of the final ascent which will start at midnight. It is a very cold evening, we spend time trying to decide the best clothes to wear at midnight. You want to be as warm as possible but at the same time you need to be able to move. We all have a very early night. I had a very restless sleep, I could not stop my mind from racing, what if this happens, what if after all this, I cannot finish the last decent, and so the night went.

Beautiful photo taken by Anthony what a campsite

Day 6: Kibo Hut (4700m) to UHURU PEAK (5895m) & down to Horombo Hut (3700m)

Today is “The Big Day” – the summit stage. We are up dressed with our night lights on our heads and ready to go at midnight. Our final ascent which in lots of ways I am not sure how to describe, our first stop was at Hans Meyer Cave at 5220m it was a very slow, long and strenuous climb. At first it was warm and we all felt we had to many layers on, at one stage I thought I would pass out from the heat. I think this was because the climb was so strenuous, it was very steep, and we also had to climb over huge boulders and rocks.  The climb slowly but surely continued to go upwards. At sunrise, we reach Gillman’s Point (5681m) – the crater rim of Kilimanjaro it was here that myself and Anthony started to suffer badly with the altitude sickness, we were walking slower than a snail if that is possible, I started to feel very cool and shaky and felt like I was drunk as my words sounded slurred. I could not believe we still had another 1 – 2 hours of hiking before we would reach Uhuru Peak at 5895m. We had to soldier on as there was no way Anthony and I were giving up now, and as Anthony friend said went things get tough we need to toughen up princesses. So, we did, the sun slowly started to warm up the land and finally we reached Uhuru Peak at 5895m. Although we got some photos at the top, I was still feeling like crap and wanted off the mountain. We now had to make our way back down to Kibo Hut, it was amazing to see the terrain we had climbed the night before, now I understand the reason they like to do the final ascent in the dark. If we had seen the climb, we may have given up. It was tough enough descending keeping in mind we still had altitude sickness. I started to feel better when we got to about 5,200 meters and could now finally pat myself on the back for a job well done. I was truly delighted that I had made it to the top. (forgot to mention my husband Martin did not suffer any altitude sickness and I think he would agree that out of the 3 of us he would have been the least fit and least health, so that just proves it, no matter how fit or healthy you are altitude can still affect you.  When we finally got to Kibo Hut, a warm meal awaited us. We had about a 2-hour break before we had to proceeding back down to Horombo Hut. The whole idea is to get you back to the lowest level of altitude as quickly as possible. What a huge day, we covered a total of 22km over 15 hours and went to an altitude of 5895 m. To say I was stuffed that night would be an understatement. But I did go to bed feeling a real sense of achievement.

Day 7: Horombo Hut (3700m) to Marangu Gate (1860m)

The last day, was another long trek, but at least we all felt better after a good night’s sleep and the effects of the altitude had worn off we also had a bit of a spring in our step. We trekked 20.8 km passing through the heath and moor zone to the Mandara Hut (2700m) where a warm lunch awaited us. Soon, we were once again passing through the tropical rainforest and after about 6 hours we were back at the Kilimanjaro National Park Gate (1860m). We had our last meal with the mountain guides, thanked the team, said our goodbyes and headed back to Moshi. Once there, we took a warm and relaxing shower, slept for a few hours then that night Martin myself and Anthony met for a celebration dinner. It was a wonderful feeling to have completed the climb to the top of Kilimanjaro. Now we are left with the wonderful memories of this amazing mountain.  Another bucket list item completed.

Two very satisfied men, walking home

Goodbye Kilamanjaro

Great Popote Adventure Team

Another bucket list item complete Yahoo !!!

Uganda

This country is bordered by Kenya on the east, South Sudan on the north, the Democratic Republic of Congo on the west and Tanzania on the south. Uganda is on the equator. As in a lot of African countries there is political unrest. President Yoweri Museveni – who has been in power for almost 30 years and is clinging on, plotting to change the constitution so that he can stand in the 2021 elections. The constitution say a president cannot be over 75 years of age, Museveni will be 76 at the next polls so he is trying to change the constitution. From what I saw and heard in my short time here the people of Uganda want and need a change.

Flag of Uganda

Our first stop in Uganda was Entebbe, we stayed at a beautiful colonial guest house called the Guinea Fowl. The accommodation, food and hospitality is wonderful and really made our time in Entebbe very memorable. If you are ever in Entebbe look no further than this guest house.

I was very surprised at how green, lush and beautiful Uganda is. The contrast of the red earth, green vegetation and blue skies makes for a very beautiful place. Uganda is a very interesting place there is a lot going on, the people all seem very positive and are very active and vocal about their government and country, they are also very proud of how far they have come. I got a real sense that the people of this country want to see a lot more change. Like a lot of countries there are rich, middle class and poor but although the people are poor the ones in the rural areas are very self-sufficient they growing their own vegetables for food and sell the surplus, from the soil they make their own building blocks to build their homes and although they do not have running water the kids seem to have no problems in going to the nearest water supply to collect containers of water, some of these children are less than 5 years old. So, from a very young age they know how to work to survive. Coffee is an important export so there are a lot of coffee plantations.

Our main reason for visit Uganda was to see the Gorilla’s in the wild and to do this we decided to take a 3-day Gorilla trekking Safari to Bwindi National Park with a local company called Home to Africa. Like with all our tours we try to support the local tour groups. This way we hope the money stays within the community. Bwindi National Park is a big habitat for mountain gorillas harbouring over 300 Gorilla’s

Our Tour guide Sam picked us up from out Guest house at 7.30am, from Kampala we headed southwest and crossed the Equator. We passed through several villages, it was interesting to see people going about their daily lives, a lot of these families lived in small huts, with the cooking and washing been done outside the home, the kids collecting water, while the parents preparing food, the children all seemed very happy even though I did not see one electronic device or toy in sight. We stopped at Mbarara for lunch and then onward through the Savannah grasslands to Bwindi. The drive through Kigezi highlands is very scenic, banana plantations and herds of long horned Ankole cattle, endemic to this area, before we knew it we had arrived at our destination.

Our tour guide Sam

 

Built on the top of a beautiful valley overlooking Bwindi forest, Bakiga lodge is a wonderful place for our two nights accommodation it is a real African experience with great views of Bwindi impenetrable forest. The staff are very nice and our evening meal was great. We slept very soundly and awoke to amazing views over the Valley. After an early breakfast we went to the Park Headquarters for a briefing about the dos and don’ts of our gorilla Tracking.

Okay so when the tour said we were going to track Gorillas I was not sure what that really meant. We were put into groups of about 8 and had a guide and 2 trackers. We soon found out that this was real tracking in the jungle, the tracker leading the group had a machete to cut down the vegetation in our path. It was tough going, up and down hills filled with overgrown vegetation. After doing this for several hours we thought we were never going to find the Gorilla then before we knew it a family of Gorilla’s were seen by the tracker 500 meters ahead. We could not believe how close they were to us and they did not seem mind us watching them. They continued to do what they were doing, eating, relaxing playing. It was wonderful to see a family of gorilla up so close enjoy their natural environment. Two brothers kept us amused for 20 min with their rough play, in some way they were very human like. It felt surreal to be standing in the forest watching this family of Gorilla’s, and wonderful that they excepted us and did not see us as a threat or get aggressive with us even though they had a baby gorilla less than 2-month-old. I will never forget this amazing experience. It was well worth the long day of tracking. We spent about an hour with the Gorillas then left them in peace to enjoy the rest of their day.

It was great to see how well organised the tracking was and to see the great work that the people of Bwindi are doing to keep these Gorilla safe from poachers and from tourists.
We stopped in the community of Batwa on our trip out of Bwindi and headed back to Kampala. As it was on our trip to Bwindi the trip back to Kampala brought us back through some interesting villages. Sam did a great job of looking after us and got us back safe and sound to our Guest house in Entebbe. Overall, we had a wonderful time in Uganda and will remember it with great fondness.

Cyprus – Paphos (Oct 2017)

Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean and the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean. It is located south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon, northwest of Israel, north of Egypt, and southeast of Greece. It has a population of 1,170 million and it is an area of 9,251 km²

Flag of Cyprus

Our week in Cyprus was very relaxing, we had perfect weather 25 degrees with a cool breeze. The landscape although barren is still quite beautiful.

The water was crystal clear

Kato Paphos Archaeological Park and The Tombs of the Kings are amazing ruins from the 2nd 3rd and 4th Century with the best-preserved mosaics we have ever seen.

There is a very nice light house also in the Park. The water front in Paphos is beautiful and there is a long board walk which you can walk or run along. It is lovely to do this in the evening time when it has cooled down.

The Amphitheatre in the Archaeological Park

Paphos Castle

Waterfront

Coral Bay

In some way Cyprus and especially Paphos has lost some of its identity as it is full of English retirees, although the Cypriots do seem happy enough to accommodate the English, you can buy any English newspaper you desire and get a full English breakfast any time of day. Martin as you can expect was very happy with this. A great place to go for a relaxing week.