tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74510933947739597032024-03-12T22:14:40.094-04:00planetrumseytravel ~ explore ~ repeatpenguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-20684055915855396472023-06-26T16:10:00.001-04:002023-06-26T23:25:30.556-04:00Get Ready (To Travel) With MeOur next travel date is only 15 days away! By this time all my trip planning has already been done and the focus now shifts to beginning to implement all those plans. With that in mind this post is all about getting ready to travel and some of my favourite money and time saving tips.<div><br></div><div><b>Using eSims</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Let’s start off with a big one a lot of people still don’t know about. Did you know most modern mobile phones (iPhone, Google Pixel, Samsung) all support multiple SIM cards through something called eSims. An e-sim, as the name implies, is a virtual SIM card you can install on your phone. Leveraging this feature is ideal when travelling since you can obtain significantly cheaper data rates than if you continued to use you home country’s SIM card. By purchasing an eSim for the country you are visiting and installing it on your device will unlock prepaid data that you can use in that country instead of having to pay roaming charges imposed by your home country carrier. </div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_7d84_f9b0_f889_37ef" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81qfAhHB_cyU5C3imv-fWxSat8fSImMJuxaD2IrJug5-u7vr9i9L0_esb5Q8czQdfQAkKYZxbakOY_QY45iLvYuFdAm-Ew" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 339px; height: auto;"><br></div><div><br></div><div>Here is a real example from my recent trip to Nashville. I used an e-sim provider called <a href="https://www.airalo.com/" id="id_ab42_35b4_ca35_4d9">Airalo</a> and installed their mobile app on my phone. From the app I picked the country I was visiting and how much data I wanted. I chose 3GB of data at a cost of $11 USD. This was plenty for the messaging, navigation and Spotify usage I was anticipating. Once the eSim has been purchased and added to your account it is a simple process to install it onto your phone. You can let the app do it or you can use a QR code if you want to install the eSim on a different phone. This proves to be useful if you want to purchase eSims for your children while travelling. Both your actual SIM and eSim can both be active at the same time or you can disable your main SIM card if you chose. You can also configure which SIM should be the default for phone, text new data. Furthermore, even if your eSim is installed it won’t be “activated” until you connect to the network it belongs to.</div><div><br></div><div>For my upcoming trip to the UK and Ireland I plan to try <a href="https://alosim.com/" id="id_f88_5ab_14e6_22f2">Alo</a> for my eSim. This is a Canadian company and offers slightly better rates for the combination of the UK and Ireland that I was looking for. In this case it will cost $9 USD for 3GB with coverage across all the countries I will be visiting.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_ba66_81bf_1d66_144d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81r34EN3wiQ9npL9948GH3W3N_qdi08Wg13PheT4Mpq_R2IaMVpCHO03R88qypIuPE4qDNm0gU0ZyM2rjInmKiAXYYA5bw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 365px; height: auto;"><br></div><div><br></div><div>When travelling outside of your country I highly recommend using an eSim to stay connected and most importantly to save considerable money.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Hotels</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Accommodations when travelling takes up a large part of your budget so finding some savings here can make a big difference. I do like to use AirBnb in certain cases since they offer more rooms and a kitchen that a hotel cannot offer. However, AirBnbs do not offer the same level of service and generally cost more. I prefer hotels for short stays and AirBnb for a longer stay where we can make our own meals and have a bit more space. For hotels however my advice is to book as early as possible and book refundable rates. This may seem counter intuitive since non-refundable rates are generally less. Let me explain. When you book early you can generally lock in a good rate. As the date gets closer you then need to periodically check the hotel for updated rates. You would be surprised how often rates go down when your travel dates get closer as the hotel tries to fill its empty rooms. Since you have a refundable rate you can easily re-book and get the better rate which is often less than the non-refundable rate you would have locked in months earlier. In addition, refundable rates give you more flexibility if your travel plans change (which is often). From my personal experience I feel like I have come out ahead by following this strategy.</div><div><br></div><div>As an aside also try to book with the same hotel chain as often as you can (eg. Marriott). This will maximize the points you can earn towards future stays which add up faster that you may think. Credit card points are also a great way to rack up your hotel points even faster.</div><div><br></div><div><b>Maps</b></div><div><br></div><div>Who loves maps as much as I do? If you do you must try the <a href="https://www.google.com/mymaps/?hl=en" id="id_20b7_eea2_66bf_7f29">My Maps</a> feature of Google. Using My Maps you can create custom maps for your destination and add as many points of interest that you may want you visit as well as accommodations and restaurants. You can the also add as many driving directions as you want. All of this can be done on separate layers that you can turn on and off. I find it really useful to visualize during the planning process how far distances are and where places I am interested in visiting are in relation to each other. This helps me figure out how many places I can visit in a day plus determine the most optimal routes to take. Since all these maps are stored in your Google account it is also useful to revisit them after your trip. </div><div><br></div><div>Next time you are planning any type of trip, short or long, try out Google My Maps.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_9b2c_c886_d4ce_f16a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81oG_e6sjurmn0ASfU3wz9G1bAxXn2XDynJdIGTkDtK2ab2KRFnoq8bGmtMoB5YfrMJEMchVqOMCKrwVPb7GCyOUbK7VWw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 564px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div>See you at the airport in fifteen days!</div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-32876813937947120332023-04-08T09:33:00.001-04:002023-06-26T11:23:13.816-04:00Nashville with two teenagersWhen your think of Nashville you probably don’t think family destination immediately since it has become the capital of bachelorette parties. But, this is exactly where we ended up going for one week with two teenage girls. Beyond all the Honky tonks on Lower Broadway and the live music around every corner, Tennessee and the surrounding states offer plenty of other activities for a family to participate in. Our family especially likes outdoor activities so finding some interesting state and national parks was a priority. We also love live music so spending a few days in the city, exploring everything it had to offer was a must. Finally, since this was a vacation, a few days of relaxation was also planned.<div><br></div><div><b>Day 1</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>We decided to stay in the 12 South neighborhood for the majority of our vacation. This area is away from the hustle of downtown but still only a few minutes away. Plus there were plenty of unique shops and restaurants walking distance from our AirBnb. We were in Nashville around the middle of March where temperatures averaged around 10 degrees Celsius during the day but got down close to freezing overnight. Not warm by any stretch but still nice enough to be comfortable while walking around outside.</div><div><br></div><div>On our first day in Nashville we promptly got back in the car and left the state for Kentucky. Our destination was <a href="https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm" id="id_f718_af83_fb7a_d6cd" target="_self">Mammoth Cave National Park.</a> This park is around 1.5 hours from Nashville and contains the world’s longest known cave system. We went on a 2 hour, ranger led tour of several highlights of the caves but still only saw a fraction of what has been discovered. Once we were finished exploring the National Park we drove back to our base in <font size="4">Nashville.</font></div><div><font size="4"><br></font></div><div><img id="id_884_5dc9_6255_702d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81paTts0h2C5lnY8V_bsmFZ3ASDK6Nr-kgkThxH4W0tDVaDccBpSV5f-g-Ul95R-kvYUX4NvkaUzdpj7rMAaCzja4FhoTg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 349px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_93c3_223f_b5ff_6083" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81oTocA-EJC1jOSTV2uQd-WIPwWcGITVqM51YQRqT_wvfiuglorObbevrMzx-dLkPomOnWsgHBS5hFMbaY71FRnEXvRX9A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 346px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8f05_31c9_e059_18d2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81pW4yfTEDNt65qi8c0yvKiwXZdZ5N_KGVGAV3fxuFoIp7oGdSKcAlUNeQ9jj3d_IoMInjZ3UwJC2TukjsbP4Eht7Ly8HQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 340px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_640c_cca0_e399_366f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81rzIKxHjdCXCkED95e_0MY8Gt_-ObB78wCqvnc9dtYwyaqo8JSoIQGaZPLMwJ6cVCUVyqiLcheccjSa9bc9F3N1NtHCrw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 345px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div><br></div><div><b>Day 2</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Another road trip day and this was going to be a long one. Our destination was <a href="https://tnstateparks.com/parks/fall-creek-falls" id="id_2fc0_cbf_ca8c_d610">Fall Creek Falls State Park</a>. The park is so great they named it twice! 😂 Fall Creek Falls is about 2.5 hours through the Tennessee countryside but well worth a visit. This state park is actually Tennessee’s most visited park. Also, did you know all Tennessee state parks have free admission? There are some great hiking trails to explore at this state park with its highlight being an impressive waterfall.</div><div><br></div><div>After, exploring Fall Creek Falls it was time to head back to Nashville via one more pit stop. Have your heard of <a href="https://buc-ees.com/" id="id_2f2f_e57a_3de6_22cf">Buc-ee’s</a>? This place is like an amusement park for road trips. It is huge and offers hundreds of gas pumps and a giant convenience store. This isn’t just any convenience store however, Buc-ee’s restrooms have been voted the cleanest in America. In addition, there are rows of snacks, fresh fudge, brisket, fountain drinks, and slushies.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_4559_5dbc_b5a0_63f2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81rhuVwkDcPMqonMQmP0WkdoTIkx5dFoxU-vOVpgKOvlEQR-9yPv294wF0cmeaf0-nQITnk1aQBIy0K3Bhk3k4ysa6gr" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 335px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b1e1_bf59_cb08_b09e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81ryEis3CTLuwmRLBdud24K7u3s3D2jDvqdskhFziQEsReMbODaapARIPGC3_YVGX7TxVt9HMqzzi8bBi_wAz-1gsnczuQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 346px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_88b1_c612_90d4_b1ff" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81pKhnWUrLiJatvv_ji4d4D0ZAPrkxowDnaAlHaJoCehl3kNR3LYlOurGAKgX_Tx-q1ROol8MheF8gQdJ0Flse7em_0qxA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 351px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4b55_f141_39da_effd" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81pBvbaVM5zqljgMfWL0qkRg68IeNzP2WHpAlmiWRVqTB-OG_c5bjMC7SFdGn60z1l-TXu9-wqGwtuownRB2OWE0fvNaDQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 350px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9961_46a_5a3b_6b6c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81ozBJtnEK9SgjsfcxwM8b1fsLKT13bg3JJv1mU5PXoWwxUNKoTwmNoAYXQph-onpWwsE4YuUEjsF6PXbkgbHuvq1gwygw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 348px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_11e4_e3c8_1be2_70bf" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81pJgaXbbjJC8mIFFbeyh-K2CWwU7lrKINc4_04Gd0PAVD_M-U5yuG4TBU739hrb8IpixfpU-CRqAwf8okKT20flu_s8WA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 346px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div><br></div><div><b>Day 3</b></div><div><br></div><div>After a couple days of driving it was time to ditch the car and start exploring Nashville. First up was the semi-famous <a href="https://www.trolleytours.com/nashville/hop-on-hop-off" id="id_61c5_556c_f9f1_3afc">hop on hop off trolly tour</a>. The trolley tour provided the perfect way to see all of the city without requiring a car or dealing with parking. We started at Centennial Park and then began our journey towards downtown via areas such as Music Row and The Gulch. We stopped at The Gulch to find some murals that Nashville is famous for as well as southern food from <a href="https://www.biscuitlove.com/" id="id_542e_2fa3_6344_e544">Biscuit Love</a> and a huge vintage <a href="https://cartervintage.com/" id="id_a15a_50f7_6547_2ad3">guitar store</a>. Eventually we made it to the famous Honky Tonk Row or Lower Broadway which is lined with bars on both sides of the street with free live music all day. It is quite the experience to see so many venues in such a small area with so many talented musicians entertaining the crowds. You quickly realize how Nashville has become the go to location for all sorts of celebrations.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_aa8d_b58_5d6f_35c6" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81pM0aLr_2Q8JDbC_XTbrDmrNWuaqzoqeUAqRtKX7SQAaC1E-wf96kf2b_DZdPIl8zAti-c2JvAOBK0etxvkP462dRPd-Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 330px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_fe30_7391_35e_d01b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81omAbqiunTiKDQgPM-FWV8lQ-u9g1IIUQYrDO0y3ryawEMP-a7HDgsjdkObZJbMbAA_Gh3PE4CD7XbBuyBXqZ7BiSVL" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 328px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_da1e_a926_70ce_9962" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81pvDPNi7EZ9AV14mcJhPORlXu4gAfUKhxgamcotGoJYEcliy0AZ-WVCFUpFCpqMk1ysK7v6ACTwiLHXuyv1tsyZjkWKow" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 333px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e303_7eb8_512c_f847" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81q145sviqRpVDCRvwm3he9mM8NCXwCBKQcBXXr9eNLlfL5LiIvRHq0oXRdoFD3pMwAWD1OaJ8oEt8Myh-sFOj2HcptQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 340px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_6847_e2b3_c12a_bce5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81qjOwo1qEEtsCEzzVXjBaxogjNcSz-9Ns3K6Z9cPBnI7qCYW19zj42eOl_fOmN0v21z9lefrsofuog10IaI6d6ZdnxSUw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 342px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7587_e850_fd29_f68a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81oMgD2lkk0vQUhtJTzaV5YfXZzTRWlgu2Jv8RtrOxOpK5tCkHGlnYsBuyrrSJU72Qwhz4R7Q075oYVI7bSVAJlcXxLN8Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 339px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d6ab_ff2_7350_62b" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81qeqV-9JGxy1myX7eLw4FwpRpdmqONCoU4JhnMr2RMypxTNrnKI1vOrHFC-o-Fr6gYh8EY7sYmpKg-dEtpGI-kGgLfMOA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 333px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b405_eca7_dafd_d271" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81q_U7d1rpSvhyaVYhiw5Gzvigec0W65pol02HtyLZreGlTtvgyNOO6Kqw2UcFhReCIxt96_p3kwFtRb511JtDV8vJju" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 331px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div><br></div><div><b>Day 4</b></div><div><br></div><div>Our second day exploring Nashville but at a slower pace. This time we first explored the 12 South neighbourhood where our AirBnb was located before hopping in a Lyft for the short drive back to downtown. We started our day at <a href="https://googoo.com/" id="id_2b60_a56e_e942_e202">Goo Goo’s</a>, home of the famous Goo Goo cluster. These were the first time fillings were added to chocolate way back in 1912 and at their store your can design your own cluster and watch it being made before your eyes. After filling up on some chocolate we were ready for some dancing, line dancing that is. The <a href="https://wildhorsesaloon.com/" id="id_66cb_1993_8a05_df73">Wildhorse Saloon</a> is just off of Lower Broadway and not only offers some great free music but also free line dancing lessons. Needless to say, we loved the experience and stayed for several lessons. We explored a few more honky tonks for the remainder of the afternoon and ended up at <a href="https://www.assemblyfoodhall.com/" id="id_3e58_92b1_5bf9_2469">Assembly Food Hall</a> for dinner.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_f5db_8f20_7fa0_9ed3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81qBRWIXf6n5Y9WIlRtVHqQrA2EWZCVMdWqv6RgSA-b61FDFc2zpvw9Olnd0712JZuXtqJLhaOIMHx6zt2RBYHiMuWDSBg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 331px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d1b8_955d_a243_7ea1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81pHqIBF8l6PkWaGkBJ0B9Zb4Xvuy9WBDSgNDB8Oirno3uEbbxY5JCA1EPUmPbS8ah32HPZA_BsFB1RBhFIb2KMhjhMZ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 333px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_55e9_a286_d055_e319" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81ojnQi3C5VrWmgBsC1C00v1qaASDqhOV3RVYR0bTSueSLMzIEQEHKqWIlqPm5JWlBmQe9H0gIwTSXE29OYrnx-Ht22y-g" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 339px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_389d_b402_1bbb_62b7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81qO1dfGaJzp5MqRJklrHrLyc9T9cs97z-YPtBcdDxZ3gZhSEAEm8B0ua9Dnxk2OYzbEbfdVHBb0C7-KvEF8h5CKxtQPEg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 350px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div><br></div><div><b>Day 5</b></div><div><br></div><div>Our vacation is already close to being complete so to finish off we moved over to the <a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/bnago-gaylord-opryland-resort-and-convention-center/overview/" id="id_d4b6_4c94_2e80_beec">Gaylord Opryland Resort</a> for our final night. This is a huge resort with several interconnected atriums that can be explored as well as an indoor water park. After several busy days is was a nice way to end our vacation with some relaxing and fun at the water park. The Grand Ole Opry is also right next door but we decided not to attend.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_d547_608e_ba8_d20c" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81pIknZTZmLiDAVtMnh3siIO8jtAzrkzhU-81aXxegVAHRw5QOjogVHnd6yFtX1_CkNpurl5B5zTeKbaJmvAjhrRWP3c" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 338px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_9c13_faea_9fd3_2f60" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81pw2Ns_UvT1HDjEzB-THqyammzCb3FJLpYWRpiM1Dh_2m39B29eGZg7NqWkQLyiaEfaz4J1fVheKvzgS2V0TFm5O44Psg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 341px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8ea6_3b50_85ca_77a5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81rQoxu4ARcizuNiH1A8ZSh1WzNgjPnB7EOceYdDuosswUAGTH4n9q1P2ChNdPOSN-5MWczpc4MF9uSd6VkkKA63sI2tvA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 340px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_cd30_c4ba_640b_a0aa" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81rxtIIIGSYHbmHhjDpT8Z5ZNO1hv5N6ZoGczTyj-63i3gIcqDkVMa4sbF8AeACi6xWmKMD9aommhNJBxOEnJ3dwLxB_CQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 335px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_57c2_502_efc5_44ff" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81qfSpP4qLXWWDmHXf8vEazxXKhjrMfsr7kTRTg6pdfSlhFVnnNnOgGpz3z_Nz8Zvqb-KA0pvdhLefNxQRPk_V0c_a0GSw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 330px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div><div><br></div><div><b>Day 6</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>Well that brings us to our final day in Nashville. After checking out we stayed at the resort all day to enjoy its amenities (including more water park) before heading back to the airport where we would spend our last night before flying home the next day.</div><div><br></div><div>Even without being in Nashville to party we still were able to experience its great music scene and food plus had the opportunity to explore nearby sights and scenery. Travelling isn’t just about the destination but the experiences you have while there. Even tough Nashville may not be considered a typical family destination we were still able to enjoy ourselves and found plenty of fulfilling experiences.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_2c2a_de6c_6f8_e1f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/drive-viewer/AFGJ81qF4Wkc1f2NYDPrRQ_hSVwMR5jIeYFL1nuv0NpFJTJZLg8HVRYiZ7IMny9dMDYDZIhMU4UI3F2IhwSy8s__0YQjk48A" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 380px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-598022656111767102021-10-11T01:16:00.003-04:002021-12-07T21:43:38.347-05:00West Coast Travels: Day 8 - City TourAfter seven full days of exploring British Columbia we have finally made it to our final day. Early tomorrow morning e will be boarding a plane back to Ottawa. I am not one to take my foot off the gas however so made sure we had a full day of exploring Vancouver by foot. <div><br></div><div>With a beautiful blue sky to greet us we started our walk with a stop at <a href="https://www.rocanini.com/pages/yaletown-coffee-shop" id="id_4abe_dd02_ac7a_1737">Rocanini Coffee Roasters</a>. With a drink in hand it was only a couple more minutes to reach the Plaza of Nations ferry dock where we hopped on a False Creek Ferry to take us to <a href="https://granvilleisland.com/" id="id_4efa_a6fa_4cc2_c22e">Granville Island</a> Granville Island began its transformation from an industrial wasteland into a cultural and artistic hub since the 1970’s. While there we explored the public market, found some gifts, ate lunch, and were entertained by several buskers. After a few hours we hopped back on the ferry and headed to English Bay. From there we began our long walk to Canada Place.. Along the way we were greeted by the views of English Bay and shopping along Denman Street and Robson Avenue. We passed by a Marble Slab ice cream shop so we had to stop for some ice cream creations. Our goal was to reach Canada Place by 5:00 pm since we had a fun reservation at an attraction called <a href="https://www.flyovercanada.com/" id="id_a209_df9b_a4c_fc78" target="_self">FlyOver Canada</a>. FlyOver Canada utilizes state-of-the-art technology to reveal some of Canada’s most awe-inspiring sights as you have never seen them before. You hang suspended, feet dangling, before a 20-metre spherical screen while the film whisks you away on an exhilarating 8-minute journey across Canada. It was also interesting visiting <a href="https://www.canadaplace.ca/" id="id_6014_3705_1685_93af">Canada Place</a> again. When Canada Place first opened it was used as the Canada Pavilion during the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expo_86" id="id_8b3_6cea_6826_9342">1986 World Exposition</a> that took place in Vancouver. The Canada Pavilion has been acknowledged as one of the best-ever host nation pavilions at a world exposition. It was during Expo 86 that the <a href="https://www.translink.ca/about-us/about-translink/operating-companies/british-columbia-rapid-transit-company" id="id_ae74_3528_e2ed_8165" target="_self">Vancouver SkyTrain</a> also opened. My Dad was involved in the implementation of the SelTrac communications based moving block system to provide the functions of automatic train operation used by the Vancouver SkyTrain. Today the system is the oldest and one of the longest fully-automated, driverless, rapid transit systems in the world. Due to this involvement our entire family travelled to Vancouver to attend Expo 86 and the Canada Pavilion with its iconic sails was indeed one of the highlights of my trip as a young child.</div><div><br></div><div>With the day and our vacation coming to a close we ordered some takeout sushi online which we picked up on the way back to the hotel. We have an early 6:00 am departure from our hotel in the morning in order to catch our 8:30 am flight back to Ottawa.</div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_c85_68_1d4_ede" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0e_WIXPJN5YZD1cKLrkaGrd2iImgUH9jH2JaqsBDOIEs7fyGIBEXg8NjWTQkqeAo5F4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Coffee on the False Creek Ferry<br></span><br><img id="id_98ad_2a1_8d0c_cbe2" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1tQxKVOcNBETuDRUPUVY42se_V96efvTS0l0ZL1711De6TkhhgT21EhuifoiLlQ_K4k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Granville Island<br></span><br><img id="id_dd68_3afe_f6f9_5175" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/6HoGlMHlZ4uJ31Gu-jXE6xiHbe4hG3Zt1RNsbMh1ccPnnqfaudZW2qbSKjYchLgqA8U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">English Bay Beach<br></span><br><img id="id_625b_9a74_5c19_bb91" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/q9Ze8lVt-ihLKLs19TZL_cy3yV1FUIDgXQ6FSIIotNDifzOU_mZKB7zzAY5zHdE_K5I" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Ice Cream! <br></span><br><img id="id_231e_96db_bc71_6f49" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/4cKQ1UZAVDTMA6no1UNQq03PyKz6RxCGm4PXDCIPivnbeChREGbWKP8s-sD_WVATL_Q" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Canada Place<br></span><br><img id="id_8db8_6069_e59d_b3f" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/6DRAtZnGBjG8f38s0DU7WLAr6WQ3f-UGHI8BxQ6xTz7QXxREYd9t2z6EsvaJhLs3OY8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Lots of walking!</span></div><div><br></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-24428231824331673052021-10-10T01:16:00.000-04:002021-10-12T22:45:59.065-04:00West Coast Travels: Day 7 - Canyons and ViewsWe are nearing the end of this vacation but it isn’t quite over yet. With our first full day in Vancouver we decided to visit some sights just outside of downtown. This was also our last day with the car so we made sure to take advantage of it. To start we headed off to <a href="https://lynncanyon.ca/" id="id_f516_36dc_bada_7176">Lynn Canyon Park</a>. Lynn Canyon in North Vancouver has been open to the public since 1912 and features a stunning suspension bridge towering 50m over the canyon. Lynn Canyon Park has grown to over 627 acres over the years and contains many trails to explore amongst the 80 to 100 year old trees. After an hour of exploring we were off to <a href="https://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/cypress/" id="id_4fef_b749_86bb_6c86">Cypress Mountain</a>. On the way up this mountain road is a stunning view of downtown Vancouver. We stopped here to enjoy the view as well as eat some lunch.<div><br></div><div>With our stomachs full we were back in the car to work our way closer to the airport in order to return the car. Where to next? How about under the Cambie St. Bridge? Why would anyone want to see the underside of a bridge? Well it just so happens that an augmented reality artistic installation has been added under the Cambie St. Bridge called <a href="https://www.vancouverbiennale.com/artworks/voxel-bridge/" id="id_500d_2b1f_9acd_8ec4">Voxel Bridge</a> The underside of the south end of Vancouver’s Cambie Bridge has been transformed by artist Jessica Angel into a 19,000 square feet public art installation that comes to life as the biggest blockchain-based augmented reality experience of its kind. At first glance, the artwork takes the form of a massive two-dimensional vinyl mural that wraps the pedestrian walkway, supporting columns, and underside of the bridge, providing an immersive experience reminiscent of a computer circuit board slightly askew.</div><div><br></div><div>We were getting very close to the airport now but decided one more stop was needed. Just south of the airport in Richmond is <a href="https://www.richmond.ca/parks/parks/about/amenities/park.aspx?ID=116" id="id_42a4_629f_28ce_d746">Terra Nova park</a>. The expansive park opened in 2014 and includes a play experience unique to the Lower Mainland. It is the result of an extensive and highly successful community planning process, and reflects the agricultural traditions of the area and complements the City’s growing collection of innovative parks. The play environment represents a major departure from other contemporary playgrounds in that most of the features are custom designed and manufactured using British Columbia sourced Yellow Cedar and sustainable design practices.</div><div><br></div><div>It was then finally time to return the car and then hop on the Sky Train back to our hotel in order to enjoy a turkey dinner from a nearby restaurant since it was Thanksgiving Sunday.</div><div><br></div><div>Our last day in Vancouver is tomorrow. What will we get up to next?</div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_5795_5011_da3e_f99a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kMHrnanj6FkG9lj-myEHsu70DURmyCCw76QrV6kiGwCG1ky7wX5JA24ZnDp_9lJIA9k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_1b52_56f_8153_f02f" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/iDHnqmlNWh2GydHqMDfCDkFyeC6quQpzwCKE8JeqS8NWP0n35-ToCAx87mmLOiXCT-E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_4f83_f96a_e5f_3f6c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/TibN8NEJQmkkELzHYcru1_-TKbaAY4PF8bxR2zRBgFyTY8HD8qa7JysxoXwIWKpRxM0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_de0_e8ec_fdee_7b8d" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/KHyclK6h7gTu3CcE2YNgIyZQuWzmPlhXPM2IqSjGyuvUJ6m-v_rqixZKWDHhQ4GEHl4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_8b1c_59ba_a348_cbda" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/cM3-BBnqYFD808dQfG6UGzMrKWoINS82t7W8pPl9QgWf0pmolWLXa2gGRiOVCjF4X_U" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_afc4_83a6_fb7b_b13e" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/BZA-NxnkooPxnnmJ2CWgFV4qlGKddMhguHDG8HTIHJa2k69PE0P7dlu1gGRgOegFP0s" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><br></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-2752009788757892402021-10-09T01:10:00.000-04:002021-10-12T18:13:48.522-04:00West Coast Travels: Day 6 - Back to the CityOur brief stay in Whistler has come to an end and we are once again on the Sea to Sky highway but heading 120 km south this time all the way to Vancouver. Since we didn’t have too far to drive meant we could still have a relaxing morning at the resort with some more swimming plus some time to stroll around the village and check out some of the stores. As the morning came to an end we finally packed up the car once again and began our journey south.<div><br></div><div>I hope by now it won’t be surprising to find out I had a few stops planned along our route. The first stop was only a few kilometres south of Whistler at <a href="https://www.whistler.com/blog/post/2016/07/27/boxcars-bridges-new-access-to-iconic-whistler-train-wreck-hike/" id="id_6b14_a1ad_7433_a723">Train Wreck trail</a> Train Wreck trail is one of Whistler’s most unique locations that only recently was even accessible by the public. Celebrated for its visual juxtaposition of metal and nature, history and culture, Whistler’s infamous “Train Wreck” used to be off-limits because access to the site involved walking along the railway tracks. The site, long favoured by local graffiti artists, photographers, trail runners, hikers and bikers became a legit tourism destination with the opening of a new suspension bridge spanning the Cheakamus river in 2013. How the boxcars got here dats back to 1956 when a train traveling to Vancouver derailed in the narrow passage. With not other means to remove the damaged boxcars they were scattered like Yahtzee dice among the towering cedar and fir trees lining the mighty Cheakamus River.</div><div><br></div><div>Our next stop was <a href="https://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/brandywine_falls/" id="id_2c08_5880_5280_2b09">Brandywine Falls</a>, only a few more minutes away on Hwy. 99. The waterfall is an amazing sight as it tumbles 70 m straight down into a massive canyon which has been carved out over the passing of time. The name Brandywine is believed to have come from a wager between two surveyors for the Howe Sound and Northern Railway over the height of the Falls. The closest guess winning a bottle of brandy(wine).</div><div><br></div><div>By now the rain had caught up with us so we got back in the car and drove the remaining route non-stop all the way to our <a href="https://www.hotelbluvancouver.com/" id="id_5e92_e7dd_7459_52cd">hotel</a> in Vancouver. Well that is not quite true. Since we were passing by Squamish we did pop by for a quick beverage and snack from <a href="https://www.sunflowerbakerycafe.com/" id="id_9083_4ed8_b5ac_da60">Sunflower Bakery & Cafe</a>. This popular spot is well known for its donut creations (but including gluten free!) as well some great coffee and tea choices to go with them.</div><div><br></div><div>We finally arrived at our final hotel for the next three days and had a little bit of time to relax before it was time to head out for dinner. We actually had dinner reservations this evening in Yaletown since we were meeting up with a co-worker of Shannon’s that lives in Vancouver. It was great for them to finally meet in person and we all had a delicious meal too.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_aa39_f48e_b763_b47e" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/QH8mT6ND9LosAuPHPt284yxUN8NCVyYJjghp7xfoC-BbnXav9smcaof5w5O0faewrnA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_43ba_d776_5d28_c3b2" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/akpFnstMHnkIuud3y5rEpXfhPLWGO3oAJk0f_Xe8v3MVYssHx7MwnnljUiCDMyBFeu4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Train Wreck Trail<br></span><br><img id="id_1737_7df6_76f3_72c7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/modfJPiYKygcIOufpUz286mmYZ_1M1u4DOoeUX5j9EVFVzKXqHJHf-e77w54glCnN-c" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_95c2_c8ad_68d4_c102" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/KzhP-q6B9C_ERdLuwNOSD7jqaWpk2bYMnw7TY6yhmMlV3KNWu55HGoj-RkDoZ-I8ixQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><br><img id="id_69d6_e5d3_717_b2f9" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/xcuyS7ZjMmb7C875PCcL3PZFlpp6M5-9nwxgWuvHmZsr1K8_vmO9TgJLWgPEVPQYeCg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Brandywine Falls</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_ed81_b1ec_270b_9086" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/vkyCL79Od-S-YEMiVuHda0GP4NqxiZSLdmIXpFa9-Mf77JykvsgCbBpMe6Zoq05tyS8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><br></div><a href="https://www.hotelbluvancouver.com/" id="id_3f9_7668_2ef7_3d73">hotel</a>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-10162148897145103612021-10-08T01:10:00.000-04:002021-10-12T18:19:01.637-04:00West Coast Travels: Day 5 - Sea to SkyOur brief stopover in Squamish was already over and we were about to travel the final 60 km North to Whistler. Considering on how short the drive was we still had a lot planned on the journey and even ended up tracking the most steps (20,000) than any other day during our travels.<div><br></div><div>First up we had a few local attractions in Squamish to visit. These were <a href="https://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/shannon/" id="id_5d8c_633_cb08_6d6">Shannon Falls</a> and the <a href="https://www.seatoskygondola.com/" id="id_f9f2_4df_b74d_1f7a">Sea to Sky gondola</a>. Shannon Falls is composed of a series of cliffs, rising 335 metres above Highway 99, making it the third highest falls in the province. The tumbling waters of Shannon Falls originate from Mount Habrich and Mount Sky Pilot. The Sea to Sky gondola takes you 885m above sea level where sweeping of views of the Howe Sound and coastal mountains welcome you from every direction from multiple viewing platforms, a suspension bridge and many trails. Both of these experiences in Squamish were amazing and we could have explored both for longer if there was more time.</div><div><br></div><div>Eventually we were back on the Sea to Sky highway heading further north into the mountains towards the ski resort of Whistler. Whistler is currently in its shoulder season as the snow required for skiing hasn’t arrived but the mountain bikers were still enjoying what the hill has to offer. For us, we were there mainly to relax at the <a href="https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/ysewi-the-westin-resort-and-spa-whistler/" id="id_50c2_7a8b_69e4_b1cb">Westin Resort and Spa</a>. I also had a surprise planned for the evening that can only be done in Whistler. In the evening we headed slightly further north to Cougar Mountain. It is here that you can find <a href="https://vallealumina.com/home/" id="id_91e4_c628_3640_da41">Vallea Lumina</a>. Vallea Lumina is a multimedia night walk in search of hidden wonders. The walk takes place in the forested surrounds of Cougar Mountain by igniting the senses with an immersive light show. The entire experience was well done and a magical journey for all of the senses.</div><div><br></div><div>As you can see even though we didn’t cover very much distance this day was our fullest yet so needless to say by the end we were all quite tired and ready for a well deserved sleep. Tomorrow we will have a lazy morning before leaving Whistler and heading back down the Sea to Sky highway to our final destination of Vancouver.</div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_5e2d_d67f_d51c_7294" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/bpTD-N7cM5VFBvIYAibWfQFaT0clnuNYdL6OHHXoHFl8OYRsP_gaIbC9GyfdGET3YQ8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_276_542f_ac36_fe54" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/c4PafRjIgjhOl55CEAhwQWez422_8WWebQrEuTl8t5bHKfV8cfIqnbMW8kGp4u9If6o" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_be95_91d2_e2d_e3e1" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/YLnxUG-kmlrkUBZSpV5_Eqd4fcvrTY7z03nrJr3ZBrKIKUpzD4akiRjbQ5C7jjhfpIg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_86e9_2d6d_1774_ac01" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/0BiVaj1L16a9s9HBoZTdEM_EQ0-Zk3dgp-hzpPFD6ORib11nF1UTgZX-Huw3fphOiJU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Sea to Sky gondola<br></span><br><img id="id_79b3_1e79_1417_9d0d" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/847NVrdIrAQul2sefQs7-7vV4C305zNln8H3id9QQP0js5BfjGgorubSDHfm5T5mRio" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f3af_33ae_56ae_1e63" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SlUZp471yUQKRS2QtlVRzKXx1cf9qU0GLzcHub6pST524VQM7HAAE8RXZAuxxq2l3y4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_5deb_86d_57bb_93ca" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/RrCBHUTM_BvaxzqmzZckoa7DZBX8Uhzm0cN5eOMZF4ft2SARrwAuHaK31H-noGQexhw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Mount Tantalus<br></span><br><img id="id_99ef_5e9d_ad30_92d1" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/O1oFe5Uj4asU8OU1MVSmawlWuAj6jJ5vaWCZ4mjB7PCDfZo2pn2Ict-H8pjk20Efqes" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_47f7_a2b4_632e_53e2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/6PGV05DYhtC0XpWrAuWzaJzLIS1OQ6sr8vt2CSd3uPQOYIlE7wRcLVV49jm3y-PjTWM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_24e9_bb60_2d0c_728f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/9OuxQUiLsmgoArT_-HJb5W3U0xoIaFqolEoHuCK7szMzjm1gwFSVV3OixwIqfOYVOuE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><br></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-4846797862798011882021-10-07T01:06:00.000-04:002021-10-12T18:17:46.846-04:00West Coast Travels: Day 4 - On the road to SquamishThe time finally came to say farewell to Vancouver Island as we continue our travels around British Columbia. We had a full day ahead of us as we had a 3:30 pm ferry in Nanaimo to catch on our way to our next destination of Squamish.<div><br></div><div>Our day started by packing the car back up and leaving the cabin we had called home for the past three days. Before starting our long journey towards the <a href="https://www.tourismcowichan.com/" id="id_75a7_e296_9c16_a5e6">Cowichan Valley</a> along the <a href="https://vancouverisland.travel/itineraries/pacific-marine-circle-route/" id="id_8345_8046_d1a5_403f">Pacific Marine Circle</a> Route we squeezed in one last beach visit. <a href="https://routinelynomadic.com/sandcut-beach-vancouver-island-bc/" id="id_bfe6_fb12_f3a3_5462">Sandcut Beach</a> was only a few minutes away and only involved a very short hike to the water. In addition there was also the promise of another waterfall. After arriving on the beach the view was amazing again but we never ended up finding the waterfall.</div><div><br></div><div>The drive along the Pacific Marine Circle route becomes even more remote once leaving Port Renfrew. This former winding logging road was only recently paved over as it winds its way by more old growth forests on the way to Lake Cowichan. From there the road opens up and was only a quick hop to Duncan where we finally caught back up with the Trans Canada highway which we last saw four days ago. Once on the highway we arrive at departure bay in Nanaimo in no time where we waiting for our ferry back to the mainland.</div><div><br></div><div>After another enjoyable ferry crossing we left horseshoe by and immediately started to head north on the famed <a href="https://www.destinationvancouver.com/activities/itineraries/sea-sky-highway-weekend/" id="id_5813_4cc0_22b3_9f3e">Sea to Sky highway</a> There are few roads that are able to pack so much awe inspiring scenery than the legendary sea to sky highway does. Our first leg of the journey only took us 40 mins towards Squamish where the mighty <a href="https://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/stawamus/" id="id_c5ab_e16c_9435_419b">Stawamus Chief</a> lingers over the town. The Stawamus Chief is one of the largest granite monoliths in the world. Another very famous granite monolith I have also had the pleasure of visiting is El Capitan in Yosemite.</div><div><br></div><div>With our arrival in Squamish it had been a very long day so we grabbed some delicious Mexican food from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mags99squamish/" id="id_974b_e66a_e16c_c1bc">Mags99</a> and then enjoyed the pool (including a water slide!) at our hotel.</div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_ff88_234e_c87c_f9dd" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/SyNCdcAEvRXKY8FsqrIZYR6SgzCdrdW4KUllHHoLjpkL5cjfjfb8PUlYqdFpR65whoo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_ef96_cf89_86f7_6ba4" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZCS4ajej63pjO-k3M_3J4KZnZe4RPeNxZct7YZbaiLAgaArbAaQB22lX33cpiYrYhzk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Farewell “Daisy”<br></span><br><img id="id_2f8a_44c1_eb04_eeaf" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/30ZlVsZF4-Rm-LLrIVRBf6IiSitl9EGlxvyhQ3I9ftL1REhm62X33CFnvLbxXbtbMWQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Sandcut Beach<br></span><br><img id="id_5e79_f5c9_a019_73f7" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/T_m0VftkWX5D15-Umu56eSJEe-E1xwCTkR-fuSfxifigDLzMN7niaSNxtgvL5KiHpJY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Pacific Marine Circle Route<br></span><br><img id="id_67c9_c4bd_1ad2_6256" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/1EKYwfczA7TlR4UvGeVv8jWCwIKIHG2rHDEXpCgsGenqTsBJgvlkr_EBPGhrS5ia9Fw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">On the ferry<br></span><br><img id="id_b298_2733_9132_c1e1" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/HRJcWZ_brw4_dS0KLC0eoLawdgFdi6z9Ehd-pL7n187saOs6WGf8tXiTGCZX0Td3sLY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Arriving at Horseshoe Bay<br></span><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><br></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-8342463048641350762021-10-06T19:14:00.001-04:002021-10-06T19:50:19.174-04:00West Coast Travels: Day 3 - Mystic Beach<font face="Georgia">Today our one and only goal was to hike the Juan de Fuca trail to <a href="https://www.outdoorproject.com/canada/british-columbia/mystic-beach" id="id_117b_6d8d_44e2_98f6">Mystic Beach</a> This is a 4km out and back that takes you through more impressive temperate rainforest, over a suspension bridge and ends at a secluded beach with a waterfall. Come along on the journey with us!</font><div><font face="Georgia"><br></font></div><div><font face="Georgia">We are only staying five minutes away from the Juan de Fuca trailhead which is where the hike to Mystic Beach begins. This allowed us to arrive early enough to be well ahead of all the day trippers and gave us the entire forest to ourselves to explore. The <a href="https://www.outdoorvancouver.ca/hiking-juan-de-fuca-trail/" id="id_2b9_800_a7c6_836a">Juan de Fuca Marine Trail</a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> follows 47 kilometres of wilderness stretching along the western shoreline of southern Vancouver Island. While completing the entire trail can take anywhere between 3-5 days we were happy just to tackle the first 2km. Along these first 2km however was still plenty on impressive rainforest, lots of fun bridges to cross, am exciting suspension bridge and a dramatic staircase leading to Mystic Beach. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Once</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> on the beach we had some much deserved snacks to refuel ourselves and then explored the beach including its impressive waterfall cascading from the cliffs above. Eventually it was time to head back the way we came and return to the car. </span></font></div><div><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><font face="Georgia"><br></font></span></div><div><font face="Georgia"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">Next up was a stop at </span><a href="https://shirley-delicious.square.site/" id="id_9b9e_f0f5_e102_b3e6">Shirley Delicious.</a> This is a very popular cafe along the Pacific Marine Circle Route and they also offer plenty of gluten free options which made me happy. I ordered a breakfast blend tea with a gluten free peanut butter and chocolate muffin, Shannon had a mocha and the girls both got a salted caramel cheesecake. Everything was delicious just like their name promised.</font></div><div><font face="Georgia"><br></font></div><div><font face="Georgia">While we had avoided the rain so far, by now it was 3:00 pm and the rain finally started to come down. So, we got back in the car and drove back to our AirBnb to warm up by the fire and relax for the rest of the evening.</font></div><div><font face="Georgia"><br></font></div><div><font face="Georgia">The Vancouver Island leg of our vacation is now also wrapping up. Tomorrow will be another travel day as we head back to the ferry towards are next destination.</font></div><div><font face="Georgia"><br></font></div><div style="text-align: center;"><font face="Georgia"><span style="width: 324px;"><img id="id_930b_567f_180c_f567" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/dZr2NbZg2uB7BgT1C9ph0I4rkwox3II4CZ5btaKn_wAOF-5uNo9D9TuCTLI6McbuMI0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></span><br><br><span style="width: 324px;"><img id="id_b4af_eaa1_a652_7c1a" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/0wvv81uiNix3xmM-bsORtPyFS97HOCYxgdsv5JEW8VRAEpBM5In9BKwOrbkX2u9qTVg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></span><br><br><span style="width: 324px;"><img id="id_fffb_a980_2b57_4c90" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/IUoC4X9cgIymX5MlBWANoGP6mi8y-XYUwtyv-EH1ydDb0je8guxp-pPj5p0Dpbs0kTA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></span><br><br><span style="width: 324px;"><img id="id_5d4f_f435_6e86_3a66" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-mr84-yabVdWISxqGkKEaw8-IbXGMb8oMHcbYYMw6zqAvzAjUSkG7rGFcZgkNyEK-E8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></span><br><br><span style="width: 324px;"><img id="id_7152_2e7e_8fcf_ca8c" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/Kfq7H6f68tRUZgujmh-hJcT95S1e5Tkn1qG7chUpjBSt2HKA7SuQIv5VEfykQHr2qbU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></span><br><br></font><font face="Arial"><br></font></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-86575851075698594652021-10-05T22:14:00.001-04:002021-10-05T22:31:29.487-04:00West Coast Travels: Day 2 - Hiking, hiking, hikingAs we slowly get over our jet lag we are waking up very early each morning. While this does mean we are able to get an early start to the day we also are pretty tired by the time 8:00 pm rolls around.<div><br></div><div>With our first full day on the island the plan was to tackle several hikes along the Pacific Marine Circle Route. Our AirBnb is very close to the <a href="https://bcparks.ca/explore/parkpgs/juan_de_fuca/" id="id_5475_396d_4423_109b" target="_self">Juan de Fuca provincial park</a> which stretches all the way to Port Renfrew. Also, since it is October in the Pacific Northwest we of course were greeted with rain on our first day too. </div><div><br></div><div>Our first stop was Sombrio Beach. Sombrio Beach is about half way along the Juan de Fuca marine trail and is only about a 250 m walk from the trailhead to the beach. Once on the beach we were greeted with large cobbled stones plus a few hikers setting up camp. We ventured further east along the beach in search of a secret waterfall. This waterfall is hidden at the end of a small creek inside a mossy green gorge. It took a while to finally get there but the experience was worth it in the end.</div><div><br></div><div>We hopped back in the car and continued along the Pacific Marine Circle Route towards Port Renfrew. We then continued past Port Renfrew into the hillside along Gordon River in search of <a href="https://www.ancientforestalliance.org/photos/avatar-grove/" id="id_4689_fb27_b723_9779">Avatar Grove</a>. Avatar Grove was saved from logging by the Ancient Forest Alliance in 2012. Some of Canada’s oldest and tallest trees can be found in this grove. By the time we arrived the rain had started again but that didn’t stop us from venturing into the forest. There is both an upper and lower grove and both were spectacularly beautiful. This was the main reason I even planned this entire leg of our travels so was very happy to be able to visit and appreciate this forest.</div><div><br></div><div>By now we were a little wet and also starting to get tired and hungry. We headed back to Port Renfrew, picked up some snacks from the only grocery store and then drove back to our cabin. We had planned to also check out Botanical Beach in order to check out it tide pools but in the end we decided no one had the energy to do so.</div><div><br></div><div>Safe and sound back in the cabin we fired up the wood burning stove to warm up and then started dinner. We also were greeted by “Daisy”, the owner’s dog who visits us every day for lots of belly rubs.</div><div><br></div><div>More hiking tomorrow!</div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_a838_f554_420_be2" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5uYjH7tt5Y1kP24IQvML3mFK7hN4IuQLPtQdNXD9ItVF1BuO8TZBIyelv_VjwxFRW8k" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_50e1_9cad_59ed_9139" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/jn-hUaLjKzsI_XE5urzVFU3-ob0mIS_uaP29joF6tGfo2cxoZn-HGXSqBNykUAc0pa4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Sombrio Beach<br></span><br><img id="id_900c_efae_c8e6_1176" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/iy4Fkx5-ppVShEKahdTe1G7KxlA1-VT6t5SBPsWetwpSNTPXCd8W-jnFd0UItJzyXBg" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">The hidden waterfall</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_c719_4e85_6f09_4e50" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/okVq7NRaG1UNUlGX90XbuL3cWAHsaw6NJGvt38UQk-FgA_Z0iJ5E4J6n8efM5VpsD_E" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Avatar Grove<br></span><br><img id="id_b3a5_f1bb_233_b776" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/N2zpQLyORbSlsq9CbtaneFHgclqr2CZKxx8hD9B7PFTf4mbGbmKyxxrkuPD61zRiBr4" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br><img id="id_a790_34c0_4668_351f" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/g-1XJ2ubzesUrfUziKIjh9u7mL208Ph1Xo28immp10Y1HmT31ken8mScWCy9Teedx44" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">The sun came out briefly<br></span><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><br></div><div><br></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-55188327422258486562021-10-04T20:43:00.000-04:002021-10-12T18:17:28.103-04:00West Coast Travels: Day 1 - Ferries, Fish and ForestsWelcome to a brand new blog series. It has been just over two years since my last entry due to a little thing called COVID-19 that curtailed any travelling since March 2020. But, here we are in October 2021 and my family and I are back out exploring own country this time around. We have headed all the way to the west coast of Canada. <div><br></div><div>After landing in Vancouver and spending our first night near the airport our first destination was Vancouver Island. Specifically, we are exploring the <a href="https://vancouverisland.travel/itineraries/pacific-marine-circle-route/" id="id_6789_e5c6_9a45_e397">Pacific Marine Circle Route</a> for three days before heading back to the mainland. We are renting a cabin in Jordan River as our home base. Jordan River is about one hour from Victoria and is popular for its hiking and amazing surf.</div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div>First I need to rewind to the beginning of the day. We still needed to get ourselves from the airport all the way to our cabin in Jordan River. This involved catching the 10:00 am ferry from Tsawwassen to Swartz Bay on the way to Victoria. We made a brief stop in Victoria to visit Fisherman’s Wharf for some lunch. I specifically picked Fisherman’s Wharf due to <a href="https://floatingfishstore.com/" id="id_508_f4b8_f24c_4ecf">The Fish Store</a> being there. Not only is the Fish Store able to purchase and process fish directly from the fisherman but they also have gluten free options. I opted to have the BC halibut fish & <font size="4">chips and it was amazing! So fresh and flaky. Next was a stop at the grocery store to stock up on supplies to keep us going for the next few days. Finally, we joined Hwy 14 and the <a href="https://vancouverisland.travel/itineraries/pacific-marine-circle-route/" id="id_fccd_c200_184a_ab9e">Pacific Marine Circle route</a> towards Sooke and our final destination of Jordan River.</font></div><div><font size="4"><br></font></div><div><font size="4">Our AirBnb in Jordan River is a small two bedroom cabin nestled amongst the trees of the Pacific Northwest</font> Rainforest on Vancouver Island. From here there are plenty of beaches and hiking trails to explore. We plan to tackle several of them over the next couple of days.</div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_1123_bedf_563a_3bc8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/luPBvVUe7PgoNj40yh_L7icTtuVTM6gu-g1jTXFnnd3ohI931b-NFh76ncTLpiollOM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_ccc_c423_5c79_c4fe" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_8dGVQXe_pj3efQXqAow-bEuDT7-gyLaly6ujdnS6DTr8INGBlKmtrIQImcjYyknLok" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">On the ferry to Vancouver Island<br></span><br><img id="id_9b9e_d677_6cfa_3d67" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/NQfV3TGOEFRaLpUJHLFYN9zQ2cKixYLdtTvkGmzojmLrRFcISj4ebI4fc5AgAPXf4C0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_596f_323d_dc93_451c" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/ySvifHcR4lFSxnkr-jar3XJ6djLUkyyhkD7wKf_uZNK-g7FaJoqTseUtTT_wdqWzKUw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Yummy fish & chips<br></span><br><img id="id_d4de_a3f8_469f_cd4d" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/tyrj5A3wu54EHl7zkylwsx_ym4MUQxYrHwDSkeO9y7YdmSG6A7gmxHXhPnoYH3ByeiA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Our AirBnb cabin<br></span><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><br></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-37514945983033325082019-09-09T18:35:00.001-04:002019-09-09T18:37:58.886-04:00British Invasion: Day 12 - BletchleyOur final full day in the United Kingdom has arrived. We'll be back on a plane for the flight home tomorrow afternoon.<br />
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This final day required a two hour drive from Belton to Heathrow airport in London. Since we had all day and to break up the trip we planned to stop at Bletchley Park for a few hours. <a href="https://bletchleypark.org.uk/">Bletchley Park</a> was Britain's primary decryption establishment during the Second World War. It was here that various techniques for deciphering coded German messages were created. These techniques started by using mathematical statistical analysis, grew to include mechanical assistance with the invention of the <a href="https://bletchleypark.org.uk/whats-on/hut-11a-the-bombe-breakthrough">Bombe</a> machine and culminated with the creation of the world's first large-scale electronic computer. Arguably, the most notable individual at Bletchley was Alan Turing. While at Bletchley Turing was focused on breaking the German codes but he also developed proof that automatic computation cannot solve all mathematical problems. This concept became known as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_machine">Turing machin</a>e, which has become the foundation of the modern theory of computation and computability.<br />
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After getting our fill of history we were on the move again for the final hour drive to Heathrow. The hour drive quickly became an hour and a half since the road we wanted was closed due to an accident which forced us to cut through a small village along with every other vehicle causing quite a long line of congestion. Waze helped us get around the closure and once back on the M1 it was smooth sailing all the way to Heathrow.<br />
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We checked in to a brand <a href="https://hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/hilton-garden-inn-london-heathrow-terminal-2-LHRHEGI/index.html">new hotel</a> that opened at Heathrow terminal 2 only a month ago. It is the only hotel that is at the airport which means we can walk to the terminal instead of relying on a shuttle bus. The hotel also had a great rooftop bar where you could get a view of all the airport traffic.<br />
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penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-89463408857517092962019-09-08T18:39:00.001-04:002019-09-08T18:44:57.124-04:00British Invasion: Day 11 - Woodhouse EavesWe have spent the past two days at an AirBnB in the village of Belton near Loughborough. Belton was chosen as a location for its proximity to Woodhouse Eaves, where my Dad's sister lives, as well as having a pub directly across the street.<br />
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Other than a little bit of shopping in nearby Loughborough the main reason for this leg of the trip was to visit with my Dad's family which included my aunt and uncle and three cousins. In order to accommodate everybody's schedule the plans were split into two days.<br />
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Belton is a village with a population of only 730 but it includes its own parish church, a very good pub and a shop. The church itself dates back to 1538. As mentioned previously the <a href="http://queensheadbelton.co.uk/">Queens Hea</a>d is the village pub. Since it was across the street we made it our routine to visit each afternoon before dinner for a pint. On our final night we also decided to stay for dinner and we were all very happy with the restaurant which included nachos for £5 and 2 steak dinners plus a bottle of wine for £29.50!<br />
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<a href="https://goo.gl/maps/NPLYdrdELkFZgTUt7">Woodhouse Eaves</a> lies beneath Beacon Hill and under the eaves of <a href="https://www.nationalforest.org/about/projects/charnwood-forest">Charnwood Fores</a>t, hence the name. Charnwood Forest is England’s unexpected uplands. Having been created in a volcanic eruption 600 million years ago in the oceans near the South Pole. The village was formed in 1844 and its main industry was framework knitting as well as the Swithland slate pits half a mile away. Today the village mainly serves commuters to the larger nearby cities. The larger percentage of older homes however makes it one of the more expensive communities in the country to live. Our first visit to Woodhouse Eaves was yesterday and we met up with my cousin Paul and his family. Unfortunately, their daughter was already attending boarding school in Rugby and was not able to attend. On this day we visited the <a href="https://thecurzonarms.com/">Curzon Arm</a>s for lunch. This was yet another excellent pub and it even still had spots for horses in its parking lot! It also happened to be the Horticultural and Craft show this day where locals submitted an assortment of flowers, vegetables, baked items and crafts for judging. Some categories seemed oddly specific but it was still interesting to get a glimpse into what village life at Woodhouse Eaves is like. We returned the following day for our second visit. This time around we spent the entire afternoon at my aunt and uncle's home and were joined by my remaining two cousins, Steven and Mark. It had been ten years since we last got together so this was a much appreciated reunion. Mark was also joined by his wife and two children. Since it had been ten years, their son and daughter had also clearly grown up a lot since we last met as well. I wished my family could have attended as well but maybe some time in the future we will be able to make that happen.<br />
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A few pics from Belton...</div>
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Moving on to Woodhouse Eaves...</div>
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My aunt Pam, uncle Don and cousin Paul and his family</div>
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My cousins Steven and Mark</div>
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penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-32359665012911548592019-09-06T15:30:00.000-04:002019-09-06T15:37:26.859-04:00British Invasion: Day 9 - Derbyshire FamilyToday was another travel day as we headed a little further south towards Loughborough.<br />
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First let's wrap up our trip to Derbyshire.<br />
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We were visiting my uncle Kelvin, aunt Anne and cousin Linda's family who all live together in a beautiful farm in the Derbyshire countryside. All three of Linda's children were also home which made for a wonderful reunion that happens rarely. It was great being able to spend a couple days with everyone at their farm house. While here we stayed at a nearby AirBnb that was in a converted barn. Apart from the unique experience was its location. The collection of farm buildings were located in the middle of a golf course and the only way to access them was to drive along a narrow road through the middle of a fairway. I've never done that before!<br />
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Since we were changing AirBnbs today meant we had a few hours to waste between checking out and in. To pass the time we decided to drive to the Loughborough area via Nottingham. This would be the same <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/MZaZ1vGZQojcGHAS7">Nottingham</a> of Robin Hood fame. Nottingham got its name from the chief of an Anglo-Saxon tribe named Snot in 600AD. Its original name of "Snotengaham" can be translated to "the home of Snot's people". Inevitably, the "S" was dropped and the settlement became Nottingham. The reason for choosing Nottingham was in order to visit the <a href="https://www.nationaljusticemuseum.org.uk/venue/city-of-caves/">City of Caves</a>. There is a hidden maze of over 500 sandstone caves underneath the streets of Nottingham dating back to the dark ages. The location of the caves we had the opportunity to explore were once under the medieval Drury Road area. In the 1960's Drury Road was removed to make way for a large indoor shopping small. As the caves hindered the construction of the mall they were almost filled with concrete before being saved. Today the result is a unique attraction where you enter through the mall and then descend deep below to a completely different and hidden world beneath its floors. The caves had many uses including dwellings, cellars, WW2 air raid shelters and even a medieval tannery.<br />
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To wrap up the day we made the quick thirty minute drive to the quaint village of <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/wMPgyARcHSQPFXFM9">Belton</a> near Loughborough to find our final AirBnb. The best part of this AirBnb? There is a <a href="http://queensheadbelton.co.uk/">pub</a> right across the street!<br />
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My Derbyshire family</div>
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Derbyshire countryside</div>
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Our AirBnb</div>
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Driving through a golf course</div>
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Nottingham caves</div>
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<br />penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-67561656058046083692019-09-05T11:59:00.000-04:002019-09-06T14:30:15.170-04:00British Invasion: Day 8 - Birthplace TourToday my Mom decided to hang out with her sister-in-law, niece (my cousin) and niece's daughter. That meant my Dad and I had the day to explore on our own. As I mentioned in the previous post my Dad planned out the entire day which included visiting my birthplace and the national tramway museum.<br />
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I was born at Derby City hospital in 1975 and at the time my parents lived 5 miles to the north in the village of Duffield. The Derby City hospital was built in 1927 and focused on maternity and children's care. By 2006 however the hospital had become quite dilapidated and was demolished. Needless to say I wasn't actually able to visit where I was born but I did get to explore where I lived for the first 16 months of my life.<br />
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There have been humans in Duffield since the stone age. In its early existence the growth of Duffield centred around agriculture. By the 20th century however the arrival of the railway and nearby Rolls-Royce fuelled the housing growth in the area. My first stop was <a href="https://www.stalkmunds.org/">St. Alkmund's</a> church which is where I was baptized. The church is one of only six in England dedicated to Alkmund the 8th-century Northumbrian prince and Mercian martyr. The present church building was begun by the Normans and dates back to the 12th century. After exploring the nearby River Derwent we moved on to Tamworth Street. It was at <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/ViAzyEuzyGpzfYMM8">27 Tamworth Street</a> that I spent the first few months of my life. Then we made a brief stop at Duffield Station which is where my Dad used to walk to every day in order to take the train to work at British Rail in Derby. Considering I only spent 16 months of my life in Duffield I actually lived in two homes. For the final 10 months of my time in England my family moved to <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/EdjpmWmhF38Z3vkJA">4 Chadfield Road</a>. This was a much larger home and was going to the "forever" home for our family. That plan quickly changed once my Dad decided to try out a new position on an <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urban_Transportation_Development_Corporation">advanced transportation</a> project at what was then Canadair in Canada to work. I emigrated to Canada in May 1977.<br />
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With our trip down memory lane over we left Duffield and headed further north towards Crich with a stop for lunch at the <a href="http://devonshirebelper.co.uk/">Devonshire</a> pub in Belper.<br />
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Our journey to Crich was so we could visit <a href="https://www.tramway.co.uk/">The Crich Tramway Village</a>. It was established in 1963 to preserve trams which, at the time, were being removed from cities in favour of trolley buses. The museum now has more than 60 trams in its collection, including models from New York, Berlin and South Africa. Every day there are several trams running through a recreated period village. On our visit <a href="https://www.tramway.co.uk/trams/sheffield-74/">Sheffield 74</a> built in 1900 and <a href="https://www.tramway.co.uk/trams/leeds-no-345/">Leeds City Transport 345</a> built in 1921. It was quite amazing to see how expertly the trams have been preserved and it even better that they are still running and accepting passengers.<br />
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<br />penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-87365578351057959022019-09-04T19:14:00.001-04:002019-09-06T15:36:15.214-04:00British Invasion: Day 7 - SnowdoniaHave you been keeping count? Did you notice something out of the ordinary? Yes, I missed yesterday completely. I was too tired at the end of the day to write anything. I made this choice with good reason as you will soon find out.<br />
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Let's start with today.<br />
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Today was a travel day hence the reason I decided skipping a day would be OK since there wouldn't be much to talk about today. That's not to say we didn't do anything however. Our trip consisted of traveling from North Wales to <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/8hXNUMoRSxoWJaNJ9">Derbyshire</a>. Along the way we also stopped at a friend of my Mom's who graciously offered us lunch as well. It also just so happened to be 60 years to the week that my Mom and her friend, Evelyn, met for the first time at school and they have been friends ever since! Included with lunch was plenty of reminiscing which was great to hear about. After an incredibly delicious and filling lunch we were back on the highway towards Derbyshire to meet up with my Mom's brother and her niece's family at their farm. We'll be back there tomorrow as well but had a brief gathering that included dinner. Eventually it was time to leave and we made the final twenty minute drive to Duffield where our AirBnb is located. The AirBnb is in an old farm house located right in the middle of a golf course!<br />
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Now, let's rewind to yesterday.<br />
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It was our last day in Wales and I came up with a plan that offered some exploring of Snowdonia national park, lunch at a pub and a little bit of shopping. From Bethel we set off towards the A5 which is the original route between London and Holyhead as it winds itself through the mountains. After the unification . of Great Britain in 1800 the A5 became the first major civilian state-funded road building project in Britain since Roman times. Soon we passed through Bethesda which is where my Mom went to high school and met her friend, Evelyn, who was mentioned earlier. Then as we continued our journey we made a quite stop to explore <a href="http://www.betws-y-coed.co.uk/feature_pages/item/1067/Swallow_Falls_Betws_y_Coed.html">Swallow Falls</a> before finally arriving in <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/yYaPv1YwttFwD7FZ8">Betws-y-Coed</a>. Swallow Falls is the tallest in Wales where the river Llugwy flows through a narrow chasm creating a spectacular waterfall amongst a background of beech, conifer and birch trees. As the "gateway to snowdonia", Betws-y-Coed was founded as a monastery in the 6th century. With the arrival of the A5 from London and the railway in 1868 helped to grow the town as a popular destination to visit. I also visited and crossed The Sappers Suspension Bridge which was built in 1930 and crosses the River Conwy.<br />
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With lunch time nearing and our hunger growing we moved on to Porthmadog and The Australia pub which acts as the tap room for the <a href="https://purplemoose.co.uk/">Purple Moose brewery</a>. While I didn't partake in any beer they also offered a few ciders on tap from <a href="http://www.rosiescider.co.uk/">Rosie's Cide</a>r which is also from North Wales. Another perk of visiting this pub was their gluten-free menu. They are the first place I have ever been to that offered gluten-free battered fish and chips cooked in their own dedicated fryer. Two thumbs up!!<br />
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With our bellies all filled up we were ready to complete the return trip to Bethel with one quick side trip to <a href="https://www.angleseyattractions.co.uk/james-pringle-weavers">James Pringl</a>e. James Pringle is a Scottish knitwear brand that has had a store in <a href="https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/read/articles/small-town-with-big-name">Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch</a> in Anglesey for many years. As one of the longest place names in the world this location tends to attract a lot of tourists and tour buses but it still a decent place to get some shopping done. The name was most likely created as a publicity stunt in 1869 but is more commonly referred to as Llanfairpwllgwyngyll or simply Llanfair PG.<br />
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My Dad has a full day of surprises in store for me tomorrow so I'm sure there will be plenty more to write about soon enough.<br />
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<br />penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-40518253003697986382019-09-02T19:50:00.000-04:002019-09-02T19:54:22.056-04:00British Invasion: Day 5 - Great Orme!Hello and welcome to a blustery day here in Wales. The sun was at least kind enough to make an appearance in the morning for us but not without a healthy dose of wind to go along with it.<br />
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Continuing with our plan to not have a plan we decided this morning that a trip to Llandudno could be fun as it would provide the desired shopping locations as well as some interesting scenery to explore. Before even heading off to Llandudno however we first made a quick detour to <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/RDZoqxPdkqaVAAb69">Caernarfon</a> to check out the shops and top up the gas tank. While touring around the shops of Caernarfon we made an obligatory pass by the Black Boy Inn. This bar has been present for many years in Caernarfon and hasn't changed very much since my Mom would frequent it as a teenager to pick up boys. I did find it interesting that painted on the side of the wall of the Black Boy was an advertisement for award winning toilets. First of all is that really worth promoting? Second, who actually is in charge of evaluating and handing at awards for toilets? That would be quite the job.<br />
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Upon arriving in <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/WH71B2VbML32PtpR7">Llandudno</a> a few hours later we (ie. Anthony) decided a trip to the top of Great Orme could be fun. The <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/A3izRkiDPukpEB7W7">Great Orme</a> is one of North Wales' most distinctive landmarks, and it was the Vikings who gave it its name. Orme, meaning 'worm' or 'sea serpent' describes the promontory overlooking Llandudno very well: a hulking mass encroaching into the lapping Irish Sea. Great Orme was the location for massive extraction of valuable copper ore by Bronze Age Britons. Today, Great Orme is the only Bronze Age copper mine open to the public in the world.<br />
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The are a number of options for reaching the top of Great Orme. You can drive up for free, take the scenic toll road, travel on a cable car or be a passenger on the historic tramway. Since I wasn't interested in driving to the top and the cable car appeared to be closed for good the tramway it was! Construction of the <a href="http://www.greatormetramway.co.uk/en/">Great Orme tramway</a> began in 1901 and is Great Britain's only remaining cable-operated street tramway, and one of only a few surviving in the world. Once at the summit we were greeted with plenty of wind but at least it was sunny so we captured a few pictures before making the return journey to the bottom.<br />
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With exploration of Great Orme complete we were now able to focus our attention on shopping which mainly involved checking out the clothing at <a href="https://www.next.co.uk/">Next</a> and the food from <a href="https://www.asda.com/">ASDA</a>. I wasn't too lucky finding what I was looking for at Next but later realized I could just pick what I wanted online and have it shipped to any store the next day for free. Needless to say I'm sure you know what I am doing instead now. I even found a few items that I am sure Avery and Hannah will like.<br />
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Our evening ended with a delicious dinner provided by my aunt Olwen. My second cousin stopped by too which was a nice surprise.<br />
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penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-47879155722620802462019-09-01T18:27:00.000-04:002019-09-02T17:37:17.254-04:00British Invasion: Day 4 - Welsh CountrysideI have had the opportunity to travel to Wales many times in my lifetime and I still never get tired of all the amazing scenery. Seriously, if you have never travelled to North Wales or have never considered a trip to North Wales I strongly suggest you do. You will not be disappointed!<br />
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So today's big plan was for my parents and I to meet up with all my cousins and second cousins along with my aunt and uncle at <a href="http://www.gorsbach.co.uk/">Gors Bac</a>h for their famous Sunday Roast. The Sunday Roast came to prominence during the reign of King Henry VII in 1485 and the Yeoman of the Guard–the royal bodyguard–have affectionately been known as "beefeaters" since the 15th century because of their love of eating roast beef. The Sunday lunchtime roast still remains popular today and is a perfect opportunity for families to gather together at home or the local pub.<br />
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After a delicious and filling Sunday roast as well as catching up with all my cousins we once again headed back down the road to my cousin Glynne's house for the remainder of the afternoon. Glynne raises and trains sheepdogs so while we were there he and I took off to one of his fields for the daily training routine. We gathered up a few sheep and trained the commands "come around" and "away" to control the dog's direction with its natural hunting instinct. I also brought the drone out and was able to capture some stunning views of the Welsh countryside and mountains.<br />
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To wrap up the day of family time I encouraged my parent's to take the "scenic" way back to Bethel which involved a trip over and around the mountain. This route took us through some winding and narrow roads which were a blast to drive on even if it probably made my parents a little nervous. Again, the views along this entire stretch were stunning and I would have stopped at every turn if I could have. I did manage to stop a couple times to enjoy the view and even found one of the many public footpaths in the area to walk up for a little bit.<br />
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So that, my friends is the end of another day. I am loving the chance to connect with my family in Wales while being able to enjoy the beautiful countryside at the same time.<br />
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penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-90881296910733858712019-08-31T06:24:00.000-04:002019-09-01T06:35:43.557-04:00British Invasion: Day 3 - Croeso i CymruWe had one more long travel day ahead of us as we needed to leave our <a href="https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/west-midlands/birmingham/birmingham-south-rubery.html?cid=GLBC_BIROUT">Premier Inn</a> lodging in Rubery (where my Dad was born and grew up) and make all the way to Bethel in the northwest corner of Wales where a good chunk of my Mom's family is from.<br />
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Just like yesterday our journey along the M6 this time was met with considerable traffic and construction which increased our travel time. Our initial destination en route to Wales was Chester which is where the <a href="https://www.mcarthurglen.com/en/outlets/uk/designer-outlet-cheshire-oaks/?utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=MAG17&utm_source=gmb&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=MAG17">Cheshire Oaks designer outlet mall</a> is. Yes, more shopping. Our main focus for this stop was the Cadbury store for some delectable British chocolate but we also checked out the Next and M&S outlets as well. Next is a great British clothing store that I always enjoy exploring each time I visit the United Kingdom.<br />
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A couple hours later we were back on the road again and soon after we finally entered Wales and continued along the A55 towards Colwyn Bay and the quaint seaside community of <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/hNfx3GakPYYmY5XZ9">Rhos-on-Sea</a>. We stopped in Rhos-on-Sea in order to visit St. Trillo's Chapel which is thought to be the smallest chapel in Britain. The chapel can only seat six people and has an interesting history. The chapel is named after a 6th century saint who built his cell at the same location. The location was chosen as it was directly over a well that provided access to an ancient spring. Even though it is small the site has continued to be a location for Christian worship for 1500 years!<br />
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Celtic monks usually built an enclosure round their cell so that they could farm to feed themselves. This was known as a "Llan." This is how Llandrillo yn Rhos (the original name of Rhos-on-Sea)<br />
got its name. Rhos means marsh, so the name means the "Llan of St. Trillo by the marsh." The surrounding area would have been marshy as originally it was an island formed by two branches of<br />
the local river.<br />
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After getting our fill of the seaside and history we were back in the car for the final leg to <a href="https://goo.gl/maps/xcFr4qE97JTskWbv9">Bethel</a>. Luckily this leg was only 30 minutes so it didn't take too long to arrive at the familiar surroundings of 5 Stad Eryri. We were greeted by my aunt and uncle and were promptly offered a cup of tea.<br />
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To finish off the day we headed over to my cousin's house for some fish and chips. My other cousin's kids were there also which was a nice surprise as I don't get to see them very often at all. My cousin lives on a farm and in addition to maintaining sheep he also has been quite successful breeding a variety of dogs. When were there he had a new litter of pure bred sheep dogs that were three weeks old. Both my Mom and I couldn't pass up the chance to have some cuddle time with the adorable puppies.<br />
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<br />penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com4Bethel LL55, UK53.16313 -4.212324999999964353.153611000000005 -4.2324949999999646 53.172649 -4.1921549999999641tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-14389268836321434302019-08-30T19:35:00.000-04:002019-09-01T06:27:10.454-04:00British Invasion: Day 2 - Bromsgrove<div>
We begin this blog entry on a plane. After a midnight departure from Toronto we spent the following six hours attempting to catch a few hours of sleep before arriving in London just before noon the following day. Everything went pretty much as planned and sure enough we eventually found ourselves deep within terminal 2 of Heathrow airport. After what felt like two days of walking we were met with UK border control and what hands down must be the easiest border crossing I have ever done. It was seriously even easier than returning to my own country. All I had to do was scan my passport and then a gate opened and that was it...welcome to the United Kingdom. Now I assume the United Kingdom is so naiive just to let anyone arriving from certain trusted countries in so it make me realize how much information a government must be able to obtain about an individual simply by scanning a passport. Anyway, I digress, I'm in the United Kingdom now and that's all that really matters.<br />
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Once leaving the airport and picking up our rental car (anyone heard of Skoda before?) we sped off to the M25 en route to Bromsgrove. Sorry, I just need to make one small correction. We did not speed off anywhere. The traffic has been insane since arriving in England so there has been a lot of staring at the car in front of us as we slowly make our way to our next destination.<br />
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We did make it to Bromsgrove eventually and visited my Dad's Aunt Florence. It had been 20 years since I had seen her last! We all had a cup of tea together as her home and then said farewell.<br />
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Next up was a visit to the nearby Marks & Spencer which also happens to be the largest in the country. Spread over two floors this location had plenty of clothes, housewares and their famous food.<br />
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If you have been following along closely this this was still our first day in England after an overnight flight so jet lag was really starting to kick in. Knowing the clock was ticking we raced back to the hotel to check in and then went to the attached restaurant to a quick bite before calling it a night at 10:00pm.<br />
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penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com1Bromsgrove, UK52.335589 -2.061906000000021852.2967775 -2.142587000000022 52.3744005 -1.9812250000000218tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-32402090012131658092019-08-29T23:07:00.000-04:002019-08-29T23:07:05.380-04:00British Invasion: Day 1 - Back to the Homeland<div>
So I am off again. After a brief break back at home I am heading off to the United Kingdom today for ten days. The purpose of trip is mainly to visit with family. I was born in England and still have quite a few aunts, uncles and cousins living in England and Wales. For this trip I will actually be traveling with my parents as well. It has been a long time since the three of us have traveled together so it should be an interesting experience. We will be renting a car for the entire time in the United Kingdom as we travel around visiting various family members. Luckily the area we will be traveling around isn't too big so there won't be long stretches of driving required. I have also volunteered to be the driver for the entire time. Hopefully even with my driving this will allow them to relax and enjoy the ride.<br />
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First up however is actually getting to the UK which requires an overnight flight. We're also connecting through Toronto on the way out since the direct Ottawa - Heathrow flight was crazy expensive for some reason. At least on the way back home we'll be flying direct to Ottawa.<br />
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I am actually writing this entry as we wait to board our final flight to London in Toronto. So far everything looks like it is on time so we should be arriving in London in about 8 hours from now or just before noon local time. Once we arrive and clear customs we will need to pick up the rental car and then immediately head out towards Bromsgrove which is our first stop.<br />
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Anyway, our flight is now boarding...bye!</div>
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penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-68793359667885834552019-08-21T09:42:00.000-04:002019-09-01T06:37:13.206-04:00 Costa Rica Adventure: Day 15 - Hello TorontoWe’re home! Today was another travel day but this time it included a flight back to Toronto. After a 3700 km flight, over 900 km of driving and exploring 4 different regions of Costa Rica our adventure has finally come to an end.<br />
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This morning started early as usual and we eventually made our way to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. We had a shuttle booked to take us to the airport at 11:00 am in order to catch our 1:25 pm flight. Before checking out and catching the shuttle we made one last trip across the street to visit the mini market to pick up some lunch items for later in the day.</div>
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The entire airport experience went very smoothly. We checked in, dropped off our bags, went through immigration and finally security with minimal waiting. Even the plane boarding went quickly affording us an early departure and ultimately landing in Toronto 30 minutes early.</div>
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While still not quite home our Costa Rica adventure is officially over. We now have many new memories and experiences plus hundreds of photos and videos to sort through.</div>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Goodbye San Jose</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Hello Toronto</span><br />
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penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-45692434528384008302019-08-20T17:45:00.000-04:002019-09-01T06:36:58.670-04:00 Costa Rica Adventure: Day 14 - San JoseThe time has finally come to leave laid back Monteverde (Santa Elena really) and begin our return trip to San Jose. We had all day to reach San Jose so took a scenic route through Sarchi.<br />
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That was the original plan but if you read yesterday’s blog you’d know we also decided to squeeze in a morning hike before leaving Monteverde to make up for the two cancelled night hikes. We made sure we were mostly packed the night before so that we could run out to do our hike at 7:30 am and be back in time to leave the AirBnB at 11:00.</div>
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The morning hike this time around was at another private reserve called <a href="https://reservacuricancha.com/" id="id_d90d_123f_2c1e_d7d3">Curi-Cancha</a>. The land for this reserve was purchased in the 1970’s but at the time was mostly pasture land. It wasn’t until 2011 that it finally opened to the public with about 50% virgin forest and 45% secondary growth. The remaining 5% still remains as open pasture. Our guide, <a href="http://www.nasuatours.com/" id="id_c585_e520_d3ab_5dbd">Oscar</a> was superb! His knowledge of all animals, birds and plant life was extensive plus he was great with the kids and had plenty of stories to tell. During our two hour hike we were able to spot a snake, white faced monkeys, quetzals, a t<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); text-align: center;">hree-wattled bellbird and toucans. He was also an expert at using our phones to take photos through his scope. The Monteverde cheese factory just so happened to be right outside the reserve and they also sold ice cream so be had one more indulgence since it was the last time we’d be having their fresh and delicious ice cream.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); text-align: center;">Now it was really time to leave Monteverde and by noon we were on our way back down the mountain on the bumpy dirt road. Whether going up or down Costa Rica dirt roads doesn’t really make a difference. It it always a bumpy ride and you’re always in a low gear. After about 20 km of brain rattling we were back on pavement albeit still windy but at least it wasn’t bumpy. From there it was a pretty easy drive back towards San Jose on the Pan American highway (CR Hwy 1). The term highway should be used loosely since it is almost entirely two lanes as it snakes it way though the northern mountains before entering the Central Valley. Once you’re stuck behind a truck in the pouring rain on a hill the drive becomes excruciating slow as there is no opportunity to pass. In order to break the monotony we made a slight detour to </span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/Sarchi%20Alajuela%20Province,%20https://goo.gl/maps/uMzbnjfYDbGJEfM49" id="id_23ed_9de5_e5be_2a4c">Sarchi</a><span style="background-color: rgba(255 , 255 , 255 , 0); text-align: center;">. </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">A key artisan town in Costa Rica, Sarchi is best known for the vibrant and pretty oxcarts that are handcrafted here and sold all over the country. The oxcart plays a key role in the country’s history, as they were used to transport coffee beans & other goods to nearby and faraway markets and ports. Mostly Sarchi is now just souvenir stores but you can still see the artists at work using traditional tools. The girls wanted to pick up a souvenir so this was all we really needed along with a bathroom break.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Once back on the road we were in the final stretch. Forty minutes left before we reached our final accommodations for the trip and to return the rental car. Traffic began to get slow Ian’s we got closer to San Jose but we made it to the hotel just past 4:00 pm. We quickly dumped the contents of the car in our room and promptly went straight to the pool for one last swim.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In one more day this Costa Rica blog series will be complete. Tomorrow we board our flight back to Toronto.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">One more hike</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">A quetzal</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Checking out the wildlife</span><br />
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A ficus tree</div>
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Journey to San Jose</div>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">The drive down from Monteverde</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Stopped for one last drone flight</span><br />
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Sarchi</span><br />
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penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-17344228937434011232019-08-19T17:33:00.001-04:002019-08-21T09:59:41.926-04:00Costa Rica Adventure: Day 13 - Hiking and Climbing<div>Since our night hike was cancelled yesterday due to weather meant that today had both a morning and evening hike planned plus some tree climbing in between.</div><div><br></div><div>Our morning started out like any other with some breakfast at our AirBnB. We got ready a little quicker in order to take advantage of the nice weather and drove over to the <a href="https://cloudforestmonteverde.com/" id="id_2e84_15f0_55c3_5795">Monteverde Cloud Forest reserve</a>. This was the first private reserve to be established in 1972 and really put Monteverde on the map. <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">An initial land purchase of 328 hectares has since grown to 10,500 hectares. Our hike of the reserve lasted about 2.5 hours and covered about 3.7 km over very hilly terrain. Our goal was to reach the continental divide. The continental divide is the exact location where water flows to either the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean depending on what side of the divide it falls. It was a tough up hill climb at times but we made it and the scenery along the way was stunning. It is hard to put into words what experiencing a cloud forest is like. It is a unique environment where the trade winds from the east push warm moist air up the mountain side where is cools and expands forming tiny droplets in the form of mist and clouds. It is these tiny droplets that provide the constant moisture in the cloud forest before it falls as rain. The result is an extremely lush and layered environment where vegitation and certain animals can thrive. </span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">After sufficiently tiring out the kids (and parents) we heading back down the mountain towards town but decided we deserved a reward so stopped off at </span><a href="http://stellasmonteverde.com/" id="id_97e8_2d41_24f0_688a">Stella’s Bakery</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> for a beverage. With energy levels back up we were ready for our next adventure. Anthony had another one of his “not in any guidebook” experiences up his sleeve. We were off the climb a ficus tree! There a several ficus trees you can pay to climb but there is one such tree tucked up in the hills behind town that is completely free. A ficus tree grows from the top down on a host tree. It’s fast growing vines eventually reach the ground and begin to strangle the host tree. As the ficus continues to grow the host tree eventually dies leaving only the ficus with a hollow core where the tree once was. Sometimes what is left behind is perfect for climbing and that is exactly what we did! The top of the tree must have been a good 70+ feet from the ground and both girls made it all the way to the top. Anthony and Shannon made it up as well but not to the top. This was probably one of the best free activities we did while in Costa Rica.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">We then had a quick break back at the AirBnB before starting our evening activities which included dinner and a night hike. Since it was our last night in Costa Rica we wanted to go to a soda again. We chose </span><a href="Sabor Tico Costa Rica, Puntarenas Province, Monteverde 2https://goo.gl/maps/ePx5x5A6h4Vs9pKKA" id="id_8da3_b6b2_1192_8602">Sabor Tico</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"> for its good reviews and location which just happened to be on the way to the night hike. After our dinner of Casados and Arroz con pollo we make the short drive over to the night hike.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;">By this time the decent weather we had been having began to turn back into thunder and lightning. It was starting to look like a repeat of the night before and sure enough after a little bit of waiting the night hike was cancelled once again. Now any hope of having a night hike was lost our last solution was to have a morning hike with our guide instead. The following morning we had to check out of our AirBnB and start our drive back to San Jose but we figured we could squeeze in one more two hour hike starting at 7:30 am.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_cfce_ab7d_1d0c_e8b1" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/tmSUqC8z1RA5s8je9lMx83Yeg5FdfdSTeyKt2BAQS5JK5HqdG3O-28NeeAA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e94c_4a10_a323_b312" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/u2OrsDQPXxdfQnbmWszv4PmY5k5iqwiK5pmK27Kk0aAr-rf8AQL5Tosmzfw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_2746_4bc_576e_b7a2" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/9OIvnxVmNY6F7qn5goDTUxxrlU94X5Iiemdz-pZeMHbN7lWCZLazVR7Xv2Y" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_b496_80f6_bcc0_edcc" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/mgRJHUXap86JW-gcQJKjC3nnhUSBQFLiljKzdsQohkOYxrNDTViftx388ws" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_f87c_3783_a46_8d9" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/H_2NEj0ASNbUYf2oZHxC5br0xGw4pcfg9WQ_2_nIn5BXDXGP_e_Nh9xKQrQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Just completed a big climb </div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_b5ab_ff90_9cce_c2b8" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/73uHCd95n1FIWoQdaQvU2_4okvCF8zFHT7G8Wa3Zw7KxbqwMf4wVh7O3NN8" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Loved this hanging bridge<br></span><br><img id="id_63b6_bf9_4619_bf8e" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/mZXAcT-H4-gVArPTOS8YSnh23dx_FOttSGH5UvrIgTulUgyYW5WGIo_xkd0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_407e_5c8_6dcc_9761" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/RUbLZpFAnhD2S3_ZCuUwP__BNrue9L7ngG6Se0U1JtLN16baXQycKY_ttkM" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Post hike pose<br></span><br><img id="id_f411_5bde_c698_b0d9" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/u22fc_gzlELP6n8Vd2Ueoa0tqzUVaMPo-ZANiIyc8uz2bmqZV-A3Y9GltZo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">Drink time (and brownies)!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_66ae_c61_181b_6f48" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/tCmSL_4rn6Ig_kpU9wXKPdV2jmy2gNnxX5zfhxH9vCMlNZXczuIhpg_9BaU" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">This view was completely covered in clouds 30 mins later<br></span><br><img id="id_9937_b465_9133_4be5" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/5Kz8izFGMJZs_0FNjffFwcNIFQBRhhhaVeuxguQ0R-42Ge_X4y3MjTYgZIo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">The climbing ficus tree<br></span><br><img id="id_a142_a77c_832e_41c5" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_Ims0VaMSlJoySL9vwx-nC5AfkbcTcTErU_7-co7EJnIpvC0n0JSU6vhaVo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">On their way back down<br></span><br><img id="id_9bf_8b42_4983_b729" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/lgVIme_Ty0IV8q9yJOOJMgBA0ymWBdjGlkdVqJBO2AQflcwCGoPWki4MqCY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">You can get all the way to the top<br></span><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"><br></span></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-81474588964053599512019-08-18T22:59:00.001-04:002020-04-17T19:05:07.404-04:00Costa Rica Adventure: Day 12 - Hanging BridgesGreetings and welcome to sunny Monteverde! The sun was actually shining this morning so that’s a win. Also, happy birthday to Shannon. Shannon got to celebrate her birthday up in the cloud forests of Monteverde and we had a big day planned to go along with it.<div><br></div><div>Today was one of the few days this entire trip where we had a planned activity with transportation to pick us up. Our pickup time was 7:50 am for our AirBnB en route to <a href="https://selvatura.com/" id="id_7d37_e138_ee46_c8b3">Selvatura Park</a> so we could explore their cloud forest and series of hanging bridges. We originally considered driving ourselves but after taking the shuttle we are sure glad we didn’t. That was one very bumpy ride we’d rather not put the rental car through. At Selvatura there are eight bridges ranging length from <span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">170 feet to 560 feet and they are considered by many to be the best way to experience the cloud forest from above. While the hanging bridges activity is popular we took our time and were rewarded with moments where we had the bridges and cloud forest all to ourselves. At was at these times you could just closes your eyes and listen to all the sounds and smell the crisp air. On the final bridge we even encountered a family of monkeys in the trees right next to the bridge. There were several babies as well and it was amazing to be able to observe them so close.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By 11:00 am we were done and took the shuttle back to our house so we could cook up some lunch. We also took advantage of the little down time to put away some of the laundry before having to head out again. We booked a night hike with a guide which provides the best opportunity to find a variety of animals that are otherwise difficult to locate. Anthony also had a special surprise location to take Shannon. First, however Shannon requested ice cream for her birthday. If you recall from yesterday there is a large Quaker population in Monteverde that are dairy farmers. As a result the area is known for outstanding cheese and ice cream! We’ve been enjoying Monteverde cheese already for our entire vacation but today we also got to try their incredibly delicious and creamy ice cream. It was great!</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Next up was the surprise location. We went to the </span><a href="http://treehouse.cr/" id="id_daef_378_9862_5f5a">Treehouse Restaurant & Cafe</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">. Usually, a name like this would not be taken literally but in this case the restaurant is actually build around a very large tree that you have to climb through via a narrow staircase. This restaurant gets top marks for location but not so much on its food so the plan was to just stop in and have a drink while sitting next to a tree as something unique for Shannon’s birthday. The drinks were a little pricy but actually tasted very good. Shannon said it was the best iced mocha she’d had and the girls loved their mango milkshakes.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">By now it was time to meet up with the guide Anthony booked with for a night hike at the </span><a href="https://refugiomonteverdecr.com" id="id_4843_14ca_931b_86b7">Wildlife Refuge Monteverde</a><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">. We got there a little early just as it started to rain a little bit. By the time our guide, Oscar, arrived the thunder and lightning started as well. We tried to wait for the storm to pass but in the end Oscar called it off for safety and because the likelihood of seeing anything in this weather was low. We decided to reschedule for the following day and hope for better weather.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">So that ends our birthday extravaganza in Monteverde. It ended up not being as jam packed due to weather but as a result we now have a slightly more jam packed day planned for tomorrow that includes two cloud forests and hopefully locating a ficus tree.</span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_d8f3_9753_9051_f9f3" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QDIUXRyheN43roEzrKL5ukA0vCfoWDOyBXw7nkn-KvVqza2l3uO0MY8-PEc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">The birthday girl!<br></span><br><br><br><img id="id_2d25_883_37f8_70f0" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/M-qDo0yjQn-gTlcrO5ICAtX4y-upalmaALwpy8W87ojJHMSDkqPSLrispFI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 322px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_7c00_cacf_9ff_3940" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bnbmezbjn4x8FgNHZmpd9I3wb77DkRHQmM6M9gYJffTGqfcWCBKTsk5rlUQ" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;">So much diversity </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br><img id="id_164c_b789_632a_4646" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/ECrpJ9s0W9lUbKvLUqNnMs8srponUPOZLCtlKjRPhOJUEqlL8lGowdVSojk" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e2a6_1077_de8b_df6f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/XYLrD9iMh1wJ8WeZAB7EHObghf2hnOsEYl9lKK8AiEXRZVcwkpYeSgpbMi0" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_d448_f397_c335_1b76" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/rvArCx4z9_8E1GT5aLsB6UJbwAgulDY3Owcvls3GDGONysgvZEMckdfIFZY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"><br><br><img id="id_e821_44c_d30c_15c4" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/q3EUwEOKsgep78HWqcCiVLHZPi0dvpwcHq-Ht4I8q8GIPzTrI1yEq4vzEKs" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">A visitor stopped by our house<br></span><br><img id="id_688c_c043_c9b4_f06f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/n-oPIxWa0MYdxqhyE8ihuVKeP_JpIoqoX4mwyNrCFrbsvXHikP6rTwKMSDo" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">The tree behind us was in the restaurant <br></span><br><img id="id_433_21b3_6cfd_d92b" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-tkrK4OytNmbUXUEj_vtcLP5sGlAwh_smryTw4HUof-Tl4UFRbDb2ta9sUI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Playing with the 360 camera<br></span><br><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7451093394773959703.post-41661816440365470022019-08-17T22:00:00.000-04:002019-08-18T23:12:47.499-04:00Costa Rica Adventure: Day 11 - Monteverde BoundWelcome to another travel day. That means the time has finally come to bid farewell to Samara and head back into the mountains in order to visit Monteverde. That means we got to look forward to a three hour drive in the car but before we started that journey the sun was shining on our final morning in Samara so after the car was all packed up we decided to make one last stop at the beach.<div><br></div><div>When we arrived there were a number of local kids playing soccer on the beach and they invited Avery and Hannah to play with them. Avery has really wanted to play soccer while in Costa Rica so was pretty excited to finally have the opportunity. We stayed as long as we possibly could but the time really came to leave the beach and start our drive to Monteverde in order to ensure we didn’t arrive loo late on the rough mountainous roads.</div><div><br></div><div><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">In the early 1950s, a group of Quakers from the United States left their homes in Alabama and arrived in <a href="https://www.monteverdeinfo.com/community" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; text-decoration: none; outline: none; word-wrap: break-word; transition: color 0.3s ease;">Monteverde</a> in order to avoid being drafted into the Korean War. The Quakers established a simple life in Monteverde, centered on dairy and cheese production. Monteverde encompasses a large area of the top of the Tirarán mountain range split by the continental division which provides access to both the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the forest. Less than 1% of the total land mass of the Earth is covered by cloud forests, yet Monteverde is part of that 1% which also hosts 4% of the total world’s biodiversity. </span></div><div><br></div><div>A good 80% of the drive to Monteverde is on well maintained paved roads. It is the last that you need nerves of steel to get through. We stopped for lunch in <a href="Juntashttps://goo.gl/maps/JRnZWJpMbbFdFQC27" id="id_c93c_4f46_bf22_4fc1">Juntas</a> which is the last town you pass through before starting the climb to Monteverde. Oh, as an aside, we specifically stopped in Juntas in order to find wifi so that we could all join in via FaceTime to Shannon’s younger sisters gender reveal party. The plan worked great and we got to be included to discover she will be having a boy! OK, back to our journey. It is just after Juntas where the paved road not only becomes not paved but it becomes some of the rockiest and bumpy road you’ve ever been on not to mention steep and windy. While checking the GPS in Juntas I was confused how the final 20km could take an hour but I quickly found out why. If you ever come to Costa Rica use Waze. It it far more accurate than Google Maps. Everyone that lives in the country uses Waze so its crowd sourced data is spot on.</div><div><br></div><div>So, we finally made it to the town of Santa Elena where our <a href="https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/25782762" id="id_3b43_8144_308e_9e53">AirBnB</a> is located just before 3:00 pm after leaving Samara at 10:15 and stopping for an hour at lunch. Where we are staying is on the side of the hillside amongst several other homes. Once again the roads to get here are steep and incredibly rocky but that is half the fun! I must say our SsangYong SUV has been holding up great and getting us everywhere we need to go.</div><div><br></div><div>Since this was a travel day we didn’t have anything specific planned. First up was to unpack and get settled in. For us this meant doing laundry. After being in the humidity of the Pacific coast where nothing really dried we’re now in the dry mountain air plus our AirBnB not only has a washing machine but it has a dryer too! Quite the luxury for Costa Rica. Having clean, not damp clothes to get us through the rest of our trip is great. Enough about laundry, let’s head back into town. The reason for heading back into the town was three fold. Get groceries to get us through the next few days, find some dinner and give the girls a chance to look for souvenirs. Once souvenir shopping and groceries were done we headed over to <a href="https://www.tacotaco.net/" id="id_dec_f6dc_f0c1_a7fb">Taco Taco.</a> We picked Taco Taco for the amazing reviews it has received and it was something that could be order to go in order to eat back at the AirBnB. Well the reviews were right. Shannon had a trio of tacos and Anthony had a tortilla salad on both mentioned it was some of the best they had had. All the incredients are locally and sunstainably sourced and it showed in the final product.</div><div><br></div><div>The cloud forest has a less rainy and really rainy season and we are definitely in the really rainy season. Luckily, most of the rain occurs at night but man when it pours it comes down <b>heavy. </b>Supposedly, we’re in a tropical depression right now which is causing more rain than usual accompanied by a good dose of thunder and lightning too.</div><div><br></div><div>Well we’ve got a bunch of activities planned for tomorrow as it is a certain someone’s birthday. That’s all I’ve got for today!</div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_7582_71bb_d089_5d72" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/6GZPnVFjq0yaVWkfcUIx-ZAMbx6CLvIBBz6C3xGFgEfpRFVrdGUZHe11HgY" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_d29_b13b_723b_a20a" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/qPPWawIcIjzSgGJ8UKQtS5GttNvZnLnRLSqs6qfbNGVbDjr4H1HwcCR6LZA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">One last dip in the pool</span><br></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><img id="id_42c3_4096_4226_a83f" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/CCZqfqSBu2PxEc2NgMp-7VogKKaKvTlH1jEk1gdG7C5zsHLuA2afxreWEPw" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Soccer on the beach<br></span><br><img id="id_9827_9269_a1b8_989" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/XsCudqAzkD23HIX_wI0ghFyYdCBIzYLcVp8VKYmdFItjdnHoASlCRp3eEsA" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Lunch in Juntas<br></span><br><img id="id_2b71_210b_e04d_443f" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/cSQMC4AV_Bt_2HmlRhYHJy6aEFllf6HJ5-OodE7c6gYr_7MTDO4D0m725UI" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Juntas<br></span><br><img id="id_12d4_1d9d_d095_ca02" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Sc2MOHuFkZPQW2ljodXQ75W--vVxiEh_NvUGGa7lDRWKC7jxvfn93DmfCgc" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">View from AirBnB <br></span><br><img id="id_b5ea_e648_324_95ad" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/qzp9vwpjXTxpXouFduWOQ5kRRGlWq45HlE0d0MtL9ODIIlmzSfhgoO7LkCE" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Our AirBnB (white roof, top left)<br></span><br><img id="id_e8b7_b996_64bc_37c0" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/IdS4SSjGwknF7qnQDPQYDPN2FzPzonxK68fBlW7cHM4yVKK9RiCGs0EqYok" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 324px; height: auto;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Santa Elena <br></span><br><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span><br><br></div>penguinanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12498659920082617666noreply@blogger.com0