This blog has been dormant since our last trip to europe in 2014.
Today marks Day 10 in my countdown to my first trip to the UK in almost 20 years.
May 14th I hop a Transat flight to Gatwick which will hopefully get in on time.
My plan is to get to Durham in time for "tea" on May 15th and maybe get a plate of fish and chips
( the day being Friday)
Saturday it looks like I will be joining my cousin Stuart to see a Premier League game in which Sunderland boots Leicester's arse right out of the park!!
Then maybe 10 days hanging around with my cousins, exploring the places where I grew up for 9 or 10 days before hopping a train to Edinburgh where I will join a Haggis Adventures 5 day tour of Scotland.
My last trip home I was blown away my how much had changed since my previous visit home
( 1978?) Who knows if I will even recognize anything.
When I checked Google Maps they had messed up the names and addresses of most places in my home town. My childhood home was a full street off with the completely wrong house number, even though you could see the "15" as plain as day on the front door.
Let's hope my sense f direction is a little better than Google's when I finally make it home.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Sunday, September 14, 2014
Three weeks on the road- notes to self
Note to self- dont pack so damn much.
While my backpack could have probably held more, I realize that 1 dress shirt and 1 less pair of pants would have sufficed. I deliberately did not bring jeans since they are heavy and take forever to dry after a good rainstorm- and we hit a few of those.
Shoes are a pain in the ass, but there was an absolute need for everything I took. Rockports with corrective insoles covered me for much of the trip but while they were drying, cross trainers filled the void on parts of the road where Mephisto sandals would have shredded my feet. Flip flops for kayaking and really wet days on cobblestones rounded things out.
Toys- Olympus E510. with wide angle zoom and telephoto have been my "go to" cameras for 6 years. Viewfinder when its is too bright to use the backscreen and multiple settings for various light conditions. 2 small backups- a FujiFinepix for general use- easily straps to waist and shoots 1020 video as well as Olympus waterproof- great for heavy rain and dumping into water when least expected,
Everything backs up to an ASUS tablet with 64G of memory on board with a further backup to google's cloud storage.
Still fighting with cut and paste issues for blog updates when travelling on buses with no net services.Current word like programs seem to be missing cut and paste when transfering to other formats like blogger. And yes, while I do have some exacting standards for toys, there are other things I miss when being on the road.
My accomodations need to be big enough for me and my bag to fit in the room simultaneously. The bathroom sink should not bruise my knees when I sit on the toilet. The A/C should not be "it worked fine for the last guest" nor should the TV have 5 german channels and 1 english. And please can it be BBC World news rather than CNN.
In Dubrovnik one channel offered a fixed camera view of the main street in the old city, complete with bats trying to bomb the camera at 11:30 at night- yes I was bored!!The only other option was a Kurasawa Samarai film spoken in Japanese and subtitled in Croation or a US reality show dubbed into the same!
I miss brocolli- had it once the entire trip. I did see a carrot on more than one occasion as well as several grilled peppers. I do even recall- or maybe it was a dream- a couple of sticks of asparagus in Budapest. Sadly I also recall daily doses of egg-plant. Eggplant has the texture of zuchini that has been left in the bottom of the vegetable compartment of the fridge for a month. like an old cucumber that explodes as it hits the side of the compost container!
Potatoes are fine, but mixed with chard every effing night? You have to be kidding.
And yes, like most North Americans, I am an internet junkie, so it pisses me off that hotels promote "free" WiFi but dont actually make the effort to provide a service that is faster than "dial-up" Travel companions can be an asset or sometimes just an ass. The current group was sort of middle of the road with some really great people, and some not so great.For the sake of peace and quite, that is as much as I will say on the subject.
A rough count tells me I have hit some 55 countries and a couple of hundred major cities in the course of my travels. I know people who have rarely left the province of Ontario and who consider a trip to Toronto an epic adventure.
I think my philosophy on travel hangs somewhere between the lines attributed to Ghandi:" learn as thoughyou would live for ever, life as though you would die tomorrow." But I like the way Warren Zevon said it best " I'll sleep when I'm dead!"
While my backpack could have probably held more, I realize that 1 dress shirt and 1 less pair of pants would have sufficed. I deliberately did not bring jeans since they are heavy and take forever to dry after a good rainstorm- and we hit a few of those.
Shoes are a pain in the ass, but there was an absolute need for everything I took. Rockports with corrective insoles covered me for much of the trip but while they were drying, cross trainers filled the void on parts of the road where Mephisto sandals would have shredded my feet. Flip flops for kayaking and really wet days on cobblestones rounded things out.
Toys- Olympus E510. with wide angle zoom and telephoto have been my "go to" cameras for 6 years. Viewfinder when its is too bright to use the backscreen and multiple settings for various light conditions. 2 small backups- a FujiFinepix for general use- easily straps to waist and shoots 1020 video as well as Olympus waterproof- great for heavy rain and dumping into water when least expected,
Everything backs up to an ASUS tablet with 64G of memory on board with a further backup to google's cloud storage.
Still fighting with cut and paste issues for blog updates when travelling on buses with no net services.Current word like programs seem to be missing cut and paste when transfering to other formats like blogger. And yes, while I do have some exacting standards for toys, there are other things I miss when being on the road.
My accomodations need to be big enough for me and my bag to fit in the room simultaneously. The bathroom sink should not bruise my knees when I sit on the toilet. The A/C should not be "it worked fine for the last guest" nor should the TV have 5 german channels and 1 english. And please can it be BBC World news rather than CNN.
In Dubrovnik one channel offered a fixed camera view of the main street in the old city, complete with bats trying to bomb the camera at 11:30 at night- yes I was bored!!The only other option was a Kurasawa Samarai film spoken in Japanese and subtitled in Croation or a US reality show dubbed into the same!
I miss brocolli- had it once the entire trip. I did see a carrot on more than one occasion as well as several grilled peppers. I do even recall- or maybe it was a dream- a couple of sticks of asparagus in Budapest. Sadly I also recall daily doses of egg-plant. Eggplant has the texture of zuchini that has been left in the bottom of the vegetable compartment of the fridge for a month. like an old cucumber that explodes as it hits the side of the compost container!
Potatoes are fine, but mixed with chard every effing night? You have to be kidding.
And yes, like most North Americans, I am an internet junkie, so it pisses me off that hotels promote "free" WiFi but dont actually make the effort to provide a service that is faster than "dial-up" Travel companions can be an asset or sometimes just an ass. The current group was sort of middle of the road with some really great people, and some not so great.For the sake of peace and quite, that is as much as I will say on the subject.
A rough count tells me I have hit some 55 countries and a couple of hundred major cities in the course of my travels. I know people who have rarely left the province of Ontario and who consider a trip to Toronto an epic adventure.
I think my philosophy on travel hangs somewhere between the lines attributed to Ghandi:" learn as thoughyou would live for ever, life as though you would die tomorrow." But I like the way Warren Zevon said it best " I'll sleep when I'm dead!"
vienna- what else is there to say?
Serbian Airlines made the trip 2 Vienna in 2 stages, Split to Belgrade in just under an hour- during which time they served a decent sandwich, coffee and bottled water- (Air Canada and Westjet charge for that privilege!) The Belgrade to Vienna run was 2 hours long- turboprop-I didn't think anyone had those any more, again a sandwich, no coffee this time, but a choice of juices. Customs was a breeze and the trip to downtown was a 20 minute bus ride through, judging by the smell, a coal gas plant and industrial area- hard to tell since it was dark.
The hotel was a 15 minute walk from the bus stop- thank God for GPS. AllYouNeed Hotel Vienna2 looked like a student dorm and the room itself an Ikea display complete with Billi shelving and wardrobes.
A quick breakfast this morning and then touring St Stephen's Cathedral by 10am- perhaps the most magnificent building I have ever seen.
A walk through the downtown core brought me to the Museum area for a tour of the Kunst Historisches Museum. Featuring artworks from well known European painters from the 15th century on, this palatial building needed a full afternoon to see completely. As an extra the ticket also included the Neue Berg Museum too. Featuring a whole section devoted to Ephesus as well as Medieval armour and musical instruments, this again was a visit requiring several hours, although we settled for just one- all our tired feet would allow.
A slow walk through various parks and squares brought us back to the hotel for a quick rest before supper.
Clearly Vienna requires a good week to see properly-the two days I allowed will barely offer a taste of some of the key sights and the rest will have to wait for another visit.
Thursday,
Pissing down rain left any plans to see the world on hold. A trip by metro to the Schonbrunn Palace with its 1441 rooms allowed a brief glimpse of how the other half lived- from what the audio guide told us- rather miserably and obsessively!!
Lunch was back at the hotel- take out from a local diner- while my clothing dried a bit.
A stab at a final photo -op of various churches and the Parliament and Rathaus ( town hall) turned me into a semi drowned rat, leaving plans for Vienna a total washout!
A trip to Vienna could not be complete without a taste of local food so dinner at a small local beer hall/ restaurant was Wiener Scnitzel ( made with real veal) potato salad and red cabbage. Dessert was plum dumpling- a whole plum smothered in a light dough and covered with plum jam. Not neccessarily the perfect end, but a fitting end to the trip.
The hotel was a 15 minute walk from the bus stop- thank God for GPS. AllYouNeed Hotel Vienna2 looked like a student dorm and the room itself an Ikea display complete with Billi shelving and wardrobes.
A quick breakfast this morning and then touring St Stephen's Cathedral by 10am- perhaps the most magnificent building I have ever seen.
A walk through the downtown core brought me to the Museum area for a tour of the Kunst Historisches Museum. Featuring artworks from well known European painters from the 15th century on, this palatial building needed a full afternoon to see completely. As an extra the ticket also included the Neue Berg Museum too. Featuring a whole section devoted to Ephesus as well as Medieval armour and musical instruments, this again was a visit requiring several hours, although we settled for just one- all our tired feet would allow.
A slow walk through various parks and squares brought us back to the hotel for a quick rest before supper.
Clearly Vienna requires a good week to see properly-the two days I allowed will barely offer a taste of some of the key sights and the rest will have to wait for another visit.
Thursday,
Pissing down rain left any plans to see the world on hold. A trip by metro to the Schonbrunn Palace with its 1441 rooms allowed a brief glimpse of how the other half lived- from what the audio guide told us- rather miserably and obsessively!!
Lunch was back at the hotel- take out from a local diner- while my clothing dried a bit.
A stab at a final photo -op of various churches and the Parliament and Rathaus ( town hall) turned me into a semi drowned rat, leaving plans for Vienna a total washout!
A trip to Vienna could not be complete without a taste of local food so dinner at a small local beer hall/ restaurant was Wiener Scnitzel ( made with real veal) potato salad and red cabbage. Dessert was plum dumpling- a whole plum smothered in a light dough and covered with plum jam. Not neccessarily the perfect end, but a fitting end to the trip.
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| View from Cathedral tower- Vienna |
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| Memorial to Jewish people of Vienna who died during WWII |
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| Parliament Building- Vienna |
Monday, September 8, 2014
Split- Croatia
Monday September 8th,
The last full day before we return to Vienna. We arrived in Split Saturday afternoon and had a brief tour of the main old city accompanied by a local guide. The key structure is the Palace of Dioclecian, a Roman Emperor from late 3rd-early 4th centuryA.D. Originally located with its main wall running along the ocean, it is now several yards inland due to reclamation. Occupying 190 X 160 meters it was the emperor's private residence containing private living quarters, a large forum, temple to Jupiter and various other structures. A large mausoleum housing his remains was later converted to a Church ( he had a great dislike of Christianity and often punished it's converts) Much of the palace has been converted over the years into private residences, restaurants and hotels.A large bell tower, adjacent to the mausoleum provides a very impressive panorama of the city, if one dares ascend the many steep stone stairs and later on a set of steel steps to the top.
While the palace is reasonably preserved, the city that the Romans built, some 4 miles away is largely reduced to building foundations only. Salona was once the principal Roman city in the area, with the Palace, simply a summer residence. While much remains of the palace, the city has been left mostly untouched since it was destroyed by warring tribes in the 5th century.
An ampitheatre is the largest structure remaining at the far west of this extensive site.Other structures of interest are the foundations of various churches and a basilica. In one area several well preserved stone sarcophagi seem to have been randomly arranged around the foundations of what is described as an "Episcopal Centre" from the 4th and 5th centuries.
Perhaps as interesting as the ruins was the ride there by city bus. By the time we paid our fare there ws little room to squeeze through the crowded bus. Three stops later the driver appeared to be attempting a Guiness world record. A small woman of perhaps 80's vintage was yelling and pushing her way onto the bus, presumably cussing in Croatian for people to let her through. Voices were raised in response but ultimately she found herself some space in the middle of the bus where she ranted for a minute or two longer. Interestingly no-one seemed willing to offer up their seats for her or anyone else. The bus remained packed until we reached the modern day town of Solin, where 90% of the passengers piled out, finally leaving us some elbow room for the remaining half mile to the ruins.
Returning to town we stopped at a place claiming to be Billi's Fast Food where we waited over an hour for a small pizza and a small meat plate!
With the temperature in the mid twenties, the humidy seems rather oppressive today,so this afternoon a beer and a siesta, before heading out for the evening with the remaining members of our group who are lingering in Spalato ( Split's original Roman name) for a few more days.
Photos will be posted from Belgium, where, presumably internet will not be as slow as dial-up!!!
The last full day before we return to Vienna. We arrived in Split Saturday afternoon and had a brief tour of the main old city accompanied by a local guide. The key structure is the Palace of Dioclecian, a Roman Emperor from late 3rd-early 4th centuryA.D. Originally located with its main wall running along the ocean, it is now several yards inland due to reclamation. Occupying 190 X 160 meters it was the emperor's private residence containing private living quarters, a large forum, temple to Jupiter and various other structures. A large mausoleum housing his remains was later converted to a Church ( he had a great dislike of Christianity and often punished it's converts) Much of the palace has been converted over the years into private residences, restaurants and hotels.A large bell tower, adjacent to the mausoleum provides a very impressive panorama of the city, if one dares ascend the many steep stone stairs and later on a set of steel steps to the top.
While the palace is reasonably preserved, the city that the Romans built, some 4 miles away is largely reduced to building foundations only. Salona was once the principal Roman city in the area, with the Palace, simply a summer residence. While much remains of the palace, the city has been left mostly untouched since it was destroyed by warring tribes in the 5th century.
An ampitheatre is the largest structure remaining at the far west of this extensive site.Other structures of interest are the foundations of various churches and a basilica. In one area several well preserved stone sarcophagi seem to have been randomly arranged around the foundations of what is described as an "Episcopal Centre" from the 4th and 5th centuries.
Perhaps as interesting as the ruins was the ride there by city bus. By the time we paid our fare there ws little room to squeeze through the crowded bus. Three stops later the driver appeared to be attempting a Guiness world record. A small woman of perhaps 80's vintage was yelling and pushing her way onto the bus, presumably cussing in Croatian for people to let her through. Voices were raised in response but ultimately she found herself some space in the middle of the bus where she ranted for a minute or two longer. Interestingly no-one seemed willing to offer up their seats for her or anyone else. The bus remained packed until we reached the modern day town of Solin, where 90% of the passengers piled out, finally leaving us some elbow room for the remaining half mile to the ruins.
Returning to town we stopped at a place claiming to be Billi's Fast Food where we waited over an hour for a small pizza and a small meat plate!
With the temperature in the mid twenties, the humidy seems rather oppressive today,so this afternoon a beer and a siesta, before heading out for the evening with the remaining members of our group who are lingering in Spalato ( Split's original Roman name) for a few more days.
Photos will be posted from Belgium, where, presumably internet will not be as slow as dial-up!!!
Saturday, September 6, 2014
Hvar the hell are we????
Friday ( I think?) night in Croatia and we are spending our second night in Hvar, an island due south from Split ( an hour by ferry)
As if being on an island in the Adriatic isn't enough, we took a 4 hour boat ride so we could travel to other islands in the adriatic where we swam, sheltered from a 2 hour pissing down rain storm and ate a reasonable lunch in the shelter of a bay on the island of Palmizana (almost like the cheese with a funny accent like a v over the z!)
The main town of Hvar is has roots going back several thousand years. A fortress overlooking the town dates back to< I'm guessing here- 15th century. Architecture in town is a mix of Venitian and Moorish with ornate arched windows and doorways. The fortress walls in the lower part of town are barely visible as they have been blended into the walls of homes and commercial buildings. A main street is reminiscent of Dubrovnik , though somewhat narrower and shorter.
The harbour is home to small wooden fishing boats as well as a temorary shelter for million dollar ( and much more) yachts and multi decked cruisers. 80% of the real estate near the water seems to be occupied by restaurants that are offering the same cookie cutter menu as everyone else. Prices are quite steep too with the average dish topping out at 25-30 Euro.
Luckily our guide steered us to a place a little distance from the town centre offering great food at more reasonable prices. Going by the name of Alviz, it isn't owned by a Croatian Elvis impersonator but by a family who all work in the joint. Boasting of food grilled over charcoal and some amazing looking pizza, it was packed, with about half the people locals. I am reluctant to rate it on tripadvisor in case I spoil a good thing. Entire meal including drinks came to 171k. which is less than the price of a single appetizer at some of the waterfront places.
A slow, relaxing walk back to the hotel then the stress of dealing with the joy of packing wet clothing and towels for our return to Split in the morning.
An early start tomorrow will bring us to Split, where the G Adventures part of the trip ends. Two more days in town on our own before we begin our slow return to Canada.
As if being on an island in the Adriatic isn't enough, we took a 4 hour boat ride so we could travel to other islands in the adriatic where we swam, sheltered from a 2 hour pissing down rain storm and ate a reasonable lunch in the shelter of a bay on the island of Palmizana (almost like the cheese with a funny accent like a v over the z!)
The main town of Hvar is has roots going back several thousand years. A fortress overlooking the town dates back to< I'm guessing here- 15th century. Architecture in town is a mix of Venitian and Moorish with ornate arched windows and doorways. The fortress walls in the lower part of town are barely visible as they have been blended into the walls of homes and commercial buildings. A main street is reminiscent of Dubrovnik , though somewhat narrower and shorter.
The harbour is home to small wooden fishing boats as well as a temorary shelter for million dollar ( and much more) yachts and multi decked cruisers. 80% of the real estate near the water seems to be occupied by restaurants that are offering the same cookie cutter menu as everyone else. Prices are quite steep too with the average dish topping out at 25-30 Euro.
Luckily our guide steered us to a place a little distance from the town centre offering great food at more reasonable prices. Going by the name of Alviz, it isn't owned by a Croatian Elvis impersonator but by a family who all work in the joint. Boasting of food grilled over charcoal and some amazing looking pizza, it was packed, with about half the people locals. I am reluctant to rate it on tripadvisor in case I spoil a good thing. Entire meal including drinks came to 171k. which is less than the price of a single appetizer at some of the waterfront places.
A slow, relaxing walk back to the hotel then the stress of dealing with the joy of packing wet clothing and towels for our return to Split in the morning.
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| Abandoned church near fortress overlooking Hvar harbour |
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| Boats at sunset- Hvar harbour |
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| Main square and cathedral- Hvar |
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