Tuesday, 27 September 2011
You Hoo
In case you're wondering where I am - we were delayed leaving NY and all connections now missed. We will arrive 24 hours later than planned. Now Fri morning. Bugger!
Friday, 23 September 2011
On the Brink of Stage 6
Greetings from Bar Harbor, Maine. We hit US deep in sea fog/mist this morning. The ship blasted its horn all night to warn all to get out of our way. The locals say it should lift by lunch and as we are on a tour this afternoon to see the sites we are hoping they are right.
So cruise 2 - different again. The cruising of rivers is different to ocean travel. There is usually something to see at all times but the mighty St Lawrence River is so wide in many parts you can't always see the shore. The enormity of Canadian waterways is still hard to get my head around. There is an island in the middle of the river, which is where the city of Montreal is situated! When you come from the land of the Murray/Darling it is beyond comprehension. They say Canada has more than half the world's fresh water which I completely believe between what we have seen of the rivers, lakes and glaciers.
At the risk of being repetitious - yes the weather has been very good. We enjoyed Sunday with a return visit to Quebec which was delightful. The Sunday vibe, glorious sunshine, French culture oozing from every building and shop and the most entertaining, quality buskers who filled the air with music that enhanced the vibe of the day. A lovely day on Prince Edward Is followed where we balance the Anne of Green Gables thing with immersion in the emerald hills, the sapphire seas and the ruby soil. A lovely place. Ports of Sydney and Halifax both in Nova Scotia taught us more of the world of East coast Canada. The Titanic experiences yesterday in Halifax, visiting a cemetery where the poorer passengers/crew were buried as families couldn't afford to bring their bodies home, was very moving.
The cruise experiences itself has been good with again lots of familiar faces to chat with but not the same as the Alaskan journey. We went to Trivia alone the first day and called our team Absent Friends! Didn't do nearly as well either.
For those of you who have a full understanding of my quirkiness will appreciate my enjoyment of the perfect moonrise the other night. Had walked the Promenade for 40 min thinking it would rise soon and just as I was going to give up at midnight it made an appearance. I spent the next hour on the top deck where it was miraculously still and enjoyed the moonrise with just the perfect amount of cloud to make it interesting. We found out the next day from passengers on another ship they had experienced a hurricane the day before. We have been so lucky!
We disembark tomorrow and Stage 6, Boston and New York, completes our journey. This will be my last post until we return next Thursday. I hope by the end of the long weekend I will have updated with tales of the Big Apple and also added photos to complete the picture.
Thank you for following our experience. I feel confident insisting you put this part of the world on your Bucket List if you haven't already been fortunate enough to visit.
See/talk to you all soon.
 |
| Bar Harbor fog |
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| A moment of visability from Cadillac Mountain |
So cruise 2 - different again. The cruising of rivers is different to ocean travel. There is usually something to see at all times but the mighty St Lawrence River is so wide in many parts you can't always see the shore. The enormity of Canadian waterways is still hard to get my head around. There is an island in the middle of the river, which is where the city of Montreal is situated! When you come from the land of the Murray/Darling it is beyond comprehension. They say Canada has more than half the world's fresh water which I completely believe between what we have seen of the rivers, lakes and glaciers.
 |
| Perfect Sunday in Quebec |
 |
| Bridge to Prince Edward Island (note the sapphire, ruby and emerald) |
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| Sydney, Nova Scotia |
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| Graves of Titanic victims |
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| Inspiration for Leonardo's role |
The cruise experiences itself has been good with again lots of familiar faces to chat with but not the same as the Alaskan journey. We went to Trivia alone the first day and called our team Absent Friends! Didn't do nearly as well either.
For those of you who have a full understanding of my quirkiness will appreciate my enjoyment of the perfect moonrise the other night. Had walked the Promenade for 40 min thinking it would rise soon and just as I was going to give up at midnight it made an appearance. I spent the next hour on the top deck where it was miraculously still and enjoyed the moonrise with just the perfect amount of cloud to make it interesting. We found out the next day from passengers on another ship they had experienced a hurricane the day before. We have been so lucky!
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| Formal night |
We disembark tomorrow and Stage 6, Boston and New York, completes our journey. This will be my last post until we return next Thursday. I hope by the end of the long weekend I will have updated with tales of the Big Apple and also added photos to complete the picture.
Thank you for following our experience. I feel confident insisting you put this part of the world on your Bucket List if you haven't already been fortunate enough to visit.
See/talk to you all soon.
Friday, 16 September 2011
Does Anyone Know A Cure For Snow Capped Mountain Withdrawal?
Greetings from Montreal (Mount Royal). It is like we are in a different country! Nature has been replaced by culture, forests by buildings and bears by people - lots of them!
Ottawa - Canberra of Canada in so many ways was very pleasant, Quebec City so French! I really enjoyed the feel and look forward to another day there next week as a port on our cruise. Montreal - well - am pretty underwhelmed but that's OK.
The reason we chose this tour at this time was for the Fall colours. The great weather I have been bragging about has meant the colours are not what we had hoped for yet but we are holding out hope for the coming days. The weather is cooler, in fact quite cold today, so with the predicted frosts eventuating we may still be in luck. Apparently once they 'turn' it really only lasts 3 weeks so the timing involves a great deal of luck.
Our tour group has just returned from our farewell dinner. Though not much more than half the days of the first road trip, this group has, in many ways, a more congenial overall feel, though we have not bonded as well with specific people as we did in the west. 6 are not coming on the cruise but more bonding will no doubt occur over the next 7 days with the remaining 40.
Our tour guide, Harriet, who is pushing 70,(found out on one of our last days together she turns 69 next month!, husband died a year ago and she was given 2 months 36 years ago with a cancer diagnosis) works MUCH harder than our west coast guide. The travelling between places in the west is so picturesque that there was no need to entertain the troops. The east is much more flat and boring so she works hard with games, stories and jokes to pass the time. We were presented tonight with an envelope each with 6 photos - three group enlargements , 2 of Lisa and I and one individual and a very personal note. This she did for 46 others!! We were all very impressed. Didn't get that in the west!
So tomorrow we hit the high seas of St Lawrence River. No living out of a suitcase which I'm looking forward to.
Can't believe next week is week 10! Hang in there all you teachers!
Yes this is much shorter. Do not interpret as lack of interest or lack of enjoyment. Just a shorter week and less enthusiasm for cities than snow capped mountains.
Ottawa - Canberra of Canada in so many ways was very pleasant, Quebec City so French! I really enjoyed the feel and look forward to another day there next week as a port on our cruise. Montreal - well - am pretty underwhelmed but that's OK.
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| Fairmonts impressed without exception |
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| Canadian Federal House of Parliament (Peace Tower in centre) |
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| View from top of the Peace Tower |
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| Ottawa canal at sunset |
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| Quebec |
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| Montreal |
The reason we chose this tour at this time was for the Fall colours. The great weather I have been bragging about has meant the colours are not what we had hoped for yet but we are holding out hope for the coming days. The weather is cooler, in fact quite cold today, so with the predicted frosts eventuating we may still be in luck. Apparently once they 'turn' it really only lasts 3 weeks so the timing involves a great deal of luck.
Our tour group has just returned from our farewell dinner. Though not much more than half the days of the first road trip, this group has, in many ways, a more congenial overall feel, though we have not bonded as well with specific people as we did in the west. 6 are not coming on the cruise but more bonding will no doubt occur over the next 7 days with the remaining 40.
Our tour guide, Harriet, who is pushing 70,(found out on one of our last days together she turns 69 next month!, husband died a year ago and she was given 2 months 36 years ago with a cancer diagnosis) works MUCH harder than our west coast guide. The travelling between places in the west is so picturesque that there was no need to entertain the troops. The east is much more flat and boring so she works hard with games, stories and jokes to pass the time. We were presented tonight with an envelope each with 6 photos - three group enlargements , 2 of Lisa and I and one individual and a very personal note. This she did for 46 others!! We were all very impressed. Didn't get that in the west!
 |
| One of Harriet's photo gifts - taken on the train enroute from Quebec to Montreal |
So tomorrow we hit the high seas of St Lawrence River. No living out of a suitcase which I'm looking forward to.
Can't believe next week is week 10! Hang in there all you teachers!
Yes this is much shorter. Do not interpret as lack of interest or lack of enjoyment. Just a shorter week and less enthusiasm for cities than snow capped mountains.
Monday, 12 September 2011
Farewell Beautiful British Columbia - Hello French Canadian East
Greetings from Ottawa! I'm under time pressure so this will be shorter than others - I'm sure you'll cope!!
We travelled to the west of Vancouver Island last Sunday with the very happy Canadians who were taking every advantage of the spectacular weather for their Labour Day weekend. Tofino was beautiful and the three nights at the Middle Beach Lodge just lovely (thanks Anne V). Whale watching on an ocean of smooth seas, much like molten glass, would have been delightful even without the pods of orcas and three grey whales. The local Botanic Gardens so unique and the unkempt waterside forests of ancient gnarled trees was like nothing I'd seen before.
I survived turning 49 - and yes Lisa survived too! The day started at the hairdressers - ah no more grey ... for a while at least- and was followed with exploration of the coast in glorious sunshine. Lunch was had at a beach side restaurant with 180 degree ocean views. Just lovely. We took advantage of the dinner at our lodge that night which began with canapes and champagne on the balcony right on the water! A very happy birthday girl!
Many thanks to all of you who sent your birthday thoughts and wishes. I haven't been able to reply individually but please know your emails meant a great deal. THANK YOU!
I found the big drive back to Victoria exhausting and I'm only just recovering. Not use to 5 hour drives these days. But the evening in Victoria was delightful as I did an extended waterside walk which was just what I needed.
It was with a touch of sadness we left "Beautiful British Columbia" - their number plate claim to fame. The five weeks we spent there was without a doubt some of my holidaying lifetime highlights. I'm such a lakes and mountains girl so I was delighted to see snow capped mountains everyday in Part 1, 2 and 3 of the opus.
But after a long day of flying, via Calgary we arrived in Toronto. Another Fairmont which continues to impress. Our group is bigger but all seem very pleasant and our guide very knowledgeable and ready to meet our every need. Toronto is big and the underground city that extends for 11 km is most impressive. Our HIGHlight was choosing to have lunch in the revolving restaurant in the CN Tower (their Centrepoint). The weather was, you guessed it - spectacular! - and our server very willing to answer our question of "What's that?" The first being the city/buildings we could see across the lake. 75 km away was Niagara! Visibility was fantastic and the lunch deal extraordinary. Our $35 one course turned out to be a $10 2 course. Long story!
We hit the road the next day to Niagara. My first sighting of the falls was from a helicopter! Amazing! Again perfect weather. Breath taking stuff. The Maid of the Mist boat was fun and we enjoyed the town of Niagara on the Lake enormously - Berry on steroids! The falls at night was novel but the coloured lights a bit tacky. We could see both falls, the famous Horseshoe falls and the lesser known American falls, from our 25th floor room. Only draw back was the Casino was between the two! A unique view for card playing.
The 1000 Island cruise on the St Lawrence River was something I had been looking forward to and it didn't disappoint. Being Sunday the pleasure craft darting between the islands added to the experience. When I'm not pressed for Internet time I'll get the address of a wonderful PowerPoint I know if you are interested in seeing the 1000 islands. (Thanks Anne C). I found it ....
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/INSOMNIA555-197269-thousand-islands-beautiful-nature-travel-places-ppt-powerpoint/
We are having an afternoon off in Ottawa and the minutes are ticking away so I must post now or I'll lose this. Please forgive typo's/errors as editing time will be limited.
Adieu!
We travelled to the west of Vancouver Island last Sunday with the very happy Canadians who were taking every advantage of the spectacular weather for their Labour Day weekend. Tofino was beautiful and the three nights at the Middle Beach Lodge just lovely (thanks Anne V). Whale watching on an ocean of smooth seas, much like molten glass, would have been delightful even without the pods of orcas and three grey whales. The local Botanic Gardens so unique and the unkempt waterside forests of ancient gnarled trees was like nothing I'd seen before.
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| View from our balcony Middle Beach Lodge |
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| Orcas ( aka killer whales) |
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| Tofino Botanic Gardens |
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| Radar Hill lookout |
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| Wickannish Beach |
Many thanks to all of you who sent your birthday thoughts and wishes. I haven't been able to reply individually but please know your emails meant a great deal. THANK YOU!
I found the big drive back to Victoria exhausting and I'm only just recovering. Not use to 5 hour drives these days. But the evening in Victoria was delightful as I did an extended waterside walk which was just what I needed.
 |
| Victoria sunset walk |
 |
| Parliament Victoria, capital of British Columbia |
It was with a touch of sadness we left "Beautiful British Columbia" - their number plate claim to fame. The five weeks we spent there was without a doubt some of my holidaying lifetime highlights. I'm such a lakes and mountains girl so I was delighted to see snow capped mountains everyday in Part 1, 2 and 3 of the opus.
But after a long day of flying, via Calgary we arrived in Toronto. Another Fairmont which continues to impress. Our group is bigger but all seem very pleasant and our guide very knowledgeable and ready to meet our every need. Toronto is big and the underground city that extends for 11 km is most impressive. Our HIGHlight was choosing to have lunch in the revolving restaurant in the CN Tower (their Centrepoint). The weather was, you guessed it - spectacular! - and our server very willing to answer our question of "What's that?" The first being the city/buildings we could see across the lake. 75 km away was Niagara! Visibility was fantastic and the lunch deal extraordinary. Our $35 one course turned out to be a $10 2 course. Long story!
 |
| CN Tower, Toronto |
We hit the road the next day to Niagara. My first sighting of the falls was from a helicopter! Amazing! Again perfect weather. Breath taking stuff. The Maid of the Mist boat was fun and we enjoyed the town of Niagara on the Lake enormously - Berry on steroids! The falls at night was novel but the coloured lights a bit tacky. We could see both falls, the famous Horseshoe falls and the lesser known American falls, from our 25th floor room. Only draw back was the Casino was between the two! A unique view for card playing.
 |
| Niagara on the Lake |
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| US Falls |
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| Obligatory photo taken by me! There is only 1! |
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| Horseshoe Falls |
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| View from our room at the Hilton |
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| Sunrise from restaurant at breakfast |
The 1000 Island cruise on the St Lawrence River was something I had been looking forward to and it didn't disappoint. Being Sunday the pleasure craft darting between the islands added to the experience. When I'm not pressed for Internet time I'll get the address of a wonderful PowerPoint I know if you are interested in seeing the 1000 islands. (Thanks Anne C). I found it ....
http://www.authorstream.com/Presentation/INSOMNIA555-197269-thousand-islands-beautiful-nature-travel-places-ppt-powerpoint/
 |
| Lots of pictures to choose from. Have a look at the powerpoint to get the idea. |
We are having an afternoon off in Ottawa and the minutes are ticking away so I must post now or I'll lose this. Please forgive typo's/errors as editing time will be limited.
Adieu!
Saturday, 3 September 2011
keep right, Keep Right, KEEP RIGHT!!!
Greetings from Campbell River, Vancouver Island. As the title suggests we are now in possession of our hire car! The title is designed to be amusing rather than an actual recount of events thus far. In fact as the driver I have only driven once on the wrong side of a minor road for a few metres with no disastrous results, so all is good. Mind you considering the confidence with which I drove out of the hire car place in Paris in 1995 I did not start off as confidently even after our 2 x 7 weeks, the last of which being the sole driver. Ah the confidence of youth!!!! Our Malibu Chevrolet is lovely to drive and after 7 days I'm more confident with the Canadian challenges than I am with the size and quirks of driving an automatic.
Terry (my eldest brother) has referred to our Vancouver Is time as 'marking time' before our next tour. Which in some respects is true but what a delightful place to mark time.
We've had nights in Victoria (1), Chemainus (2), Parksville (2) and now Campbell River (3) with a move to Tofino (3) tomorrow before a night in Victoria on route to Toronto. Our days have been quite repetitious really. Mornings exploring the town and water front and afternoons enjoying delightful provincial parks with fabulous forest walks to stunning waterfalls, river or lakes. No trouble doing 10,000 steps with 18,000 being the average.
Yesterday was the only exception to this routine when we headed out on a Grizzly Hunt! We had seen 4 or so on our travels but all pretty fleeting and at a distance so we went on an organised tour with quality grizzly tales our aim. The 2 hour boat ride there was exceptional. We saw so much wildlife, the pod of orcas that we travelled with for some time the highlight. Mind you the islands and snow capped mountains emerging majestically from the sea weren't bad either! Our small band of 8 bear hunters were lead by a first nations (Indigenous) guide to purpose built, river side hides to view our bears. Alas the bears had other plans!!
The weather that I have been gloating about was the cause of our disappointment! We have had a fabulous week of summer weather. Have lived in the same four outfits for days as summer stuff is what is needed. Good thing washing dries well in the warm bathrooms. Well because summer has finally arrived the bears are still enjoying the bountiful berries and ignoring the salmon which is now in generous supply. Our guide said it was the first Sept day in 12 years he has seen no bears! Ah well. The breathtaking scenery, ocean rapids and orcas on both the inward and return journey made it all worthwhile.
So yes --- we've had another wonderful week. We hit the halfway mark this week. Of course I'm over hand washing, eating out and living our of a suitcase, but that's life! I sent myself a parcel earlier in the week of my warmest clothes that I wore in Alaska but don't plan to need now. I also included a number of items of clothing I had not yet worn so figured I wouldn't need. I packed SOOO badly!! Next time I'll do better!
Please think of Lisa this week as she has to deal with the Birthday Princess celebrating for 41 hours - 17 hours Aust time in addition to Sept 6th Canada time!! Getting rid of the grey roots may be the right thing to plan for Tues!
I hope all the fathers reading and associated to readers have a lovely Dad's Day.
I did omit one story last week which I meant to include on the theme of "perspective". One night on the cruise we found ourselves dining with a lovely couple from Melbourne. Liz referred to her girls at one point and I asked if they live near them. One does, she explained, but the other died in the Vic bush fires with her husband and two young daughters! They spent quite some time talking about what happened and their lives since. Their positive attitude and incredible faith were amazing. They have what seems to be a healthy level of anger about how the event and inquest were handled but overall their attitude was impressive to say the least. Having such a personal first hand experience of such a story of loss and resilience will leave an impression on me for some time. So Keryn (my partner in crime teaching Year 5) remind me next term when I'm having a hard day with year 5 that life could be much worse.
Until the east coast!
Oh yes ... I have received requests for pictorial evidence that we are really having as good a time as I claim. Alas I do not have the technology to do so, but don't worry there are LOTS of photos to show on our return. "Now which lake/glacier/snow capped mountain under blue sky is that?"!!!!
Terry (my eldest brother) has referred to our Vancouver Is time as 'marking time' before our next tour. Which in some respects is true but what a delightful place to mark time.
We've had nights in Victoria (1), Chemainus (2), Parksville (2) and now Campbell River (3) with a move to Tofino (3) tomorrow before a night in Victoria on route to Toronto. Our days have been quite repetitious really. Mornings exploring the town and water front and afternoons enjoying delightful provincial parks with fabulous forest walks to stunning waterfalls, river or lakes. No trouble doing 10,000 steps with 18,000 being the average.
 |
| First driving day- Malahat Highway |
 |
| Chemainus - mural town |
 |
| Parksville - dramatic tidal changes (see also below) |
 |
| Campbell River |
 |
| One of many waterfall/provincial park walks |
Yesterday was the only exception to this routine when we headed out on a Grizzly Hunt! We had seen 4 or so on our travels but all pretty fleeting and at a distance so we went on an organised tour with quality grizzly tales our aim. The 2 hour boat ride there was exceptional. We saw so much wildlife, the pod of orcas that we travelled with for some time the highlight. Mind you the islands and snow capped mountains emerging majestically from the sea weren't bad either! Our small band of 8 bear hunters were lead by a first nations (Indigenous) guide to purpose built, river side hides to view our bears. Alas the bears had other plans!!
 |
| Spawning salmon swimming up stream |
 |
| Bear foot prints - the closest we got |
So yes --- we've had another wonderful week. We hit the halfway mark this week. Of course I'm over hand washing, eating out and living our of a suitcase, but that's life! I sent myself a parcel earlier in the week of my warmest clothes that I wore in Alaska but don't plan to need now. I also included a number of items of clothing I had not yet worn so figured I wouldn't need. I packed SOOO badly!! Next time I'll do better!
Please think of Lisa this week as she has to deal with the Birthday Princess celebrating for 41 hours - 17 hours Aust time in addition to Sept 6th Canada time!! Getting rid of the grey roots may be the right thing to plan for Tues!
I hope all the fathers reading and associated to readers have a lovely Dad's Day.
I did omit one story last week which I meant to include on the theme of "perspective". One night on the cruise we found ourselves dining with a lovely couple from Melbourne. Liz referred to her girls at one point and I asked if they live near them. One does, she explained, but the other died in the Vic bush fires with her husband and two young daughters! They spent quite some time talking about what happened and their lives since. Their positive attitude and incredible faith were amazing. They have what seems to be a healthy level of anger about how the event and inquest were handled but overall their attitude was impressive to say the least. Having such a personal first hand experience of such a story of loss and resilience will leave an impression on me for some time. So Keryn (my partner in crime teaching Year 5) remind me next term when I'm having a hard day with year 5 that life could be much worse.
Until the east coast!
Oh yes ... I have received requests for pictorial evidence that we are really having as good a time as I claim. Alas I do not have the technology to do so, but don't worry there are LOTS of photos to show on our return. "Now which lake/glacier/snow capped mountain under blue sky is that?"!!!!
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