June 30 2008 Oakville, Ontario |
| We're back where we started, at our home in Bronte. So our trip around the world is complete and it went extremely well. With the exception of Karen's one day bout with "Delhi Belly" and my coral scrapes (which resulted in the little critters trying to use my knee as a new home), we enjoyed perfect health. And wherever you are, that is the most important thing. So now we're getting used to our new (old) routine and are excited about getting back to work in September and sharing some of our experiences. Thanks for all your support and your enthusiasm in your emails. It was great hearing from you during our travels. |  |
May 26 2008 London, England |
| As we traveled around the world, guides (particularly in Cairo and Athens) would say, “the rest is in the British Museum”. So we came to London to see the rest. London is the busiest place that we have been. There are crowds everywhere. The “tube” (underground train system), is super efficient and moves these people from place to place without delay. I would love to see a cross section of the labyrinth of tunnels that exists below the streets of the city. On rainless days we walked. We saw the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace and the many sights along the banks of the Thames River. We heard the chiming of Big Ben at Parliament Square and the opinions of many at speakers corner in Hyde Park. We smelled the flowers at the “Diana, Princess of Wales” fountain, and tasted the interesting blend of tree pollen and vehicle exhaust that permeates London’s streets. Rainy days afforded us the chance to visit museums and galleries. It seems that the real life “Indiana Joneses” somehow managed to provide these places with some of the best examples of art and artifacts from all corners of the world. Tomorrow we leave London for Toronto. The similarity of these two cities shows the strong influence that the British had on the development of our young country. See Karen changing the guard by clicking here. |  |
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May 22 2008 Azores, Portugal |
| Being on Sao Miguel is like taking a step back in time. There is a strong sense of community and belonging in each village and the fishermen and farmers continue to use traditional tools and methods. A fishing boat is a simple craft, void of electronic devices or fuel-generated power. After the fish are captured the men get together , play music and clean the catch right in the harbour. Horse drawn wagons transport milk cans and other cargo on the narrow streets. We arrived at a time where many festivals are being celebrated. Each village decorates it’s streets and it’s prize cows and parades them past the residents to the sound of a marching band. Fireworks are heard all day, every day. The island is like one huge garden. There are plants from all areas of the world here and even the roadsides are manicured and lined with flowers. We spent a few days in a town that is appropriately called Furnas. Water heated by volcanic activity erupts from the earth throughout the area. We swam in a ferrous pool naturally heated by this activity and ate a meal that was cooked in a bucket that they bury in the ground. The people are quiet, almost shy but become much more animated when they are watching a football game in the local pub. Hear the band by clicking here. |  |
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May 10 2008 Lezzeno, Italy |
| A four hour road trip from Germany across the Swiss Alps took us to Lake Como in Italy. The scenery was among the best we have seen on our trip and changed from summer-like meadows to winter-like snow covered alpine peaks in a very short time. Our minds couldn’t stop Julie Andrews from singing “The Sound of Music” . We stayed near Bellagio with the intention of using this as a base to travel to Venice, Milan and Udine, all of which could be visited within a day. But we found our situation on the lake and the charming atmosphere of the surrounding villages so appealing that we spent our entire week in the Como area. The climate here is unique with steady temperatures of around 25 from now through the summer months, and winter temperatures that rarely fall below 10 degrees Celsius. It is a popular destination for people from throughout Europe and the home of many celebrities. Driving was intimidating. The roads are VERY narrow and bordered by walls or buildings or dropping off to cliffs. When a bus came charging head-on I was tempted to just close my eyes and hope for the best. Karen had to pry my hands from the steering wheel at the end of the first few journeys and always made herself skinny when things got tight. We made friends with an elderly couple who were very excited to share their stories (in French) and their excellent wine. As far as the fishing goes, it was great. The house we stayed in was built directly on the water and I could catch Tench and Salmon from the break wall or our balcony. See a bit of a drive by clicking here. |  |
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May 2 2008 Singen, Germany |
| We met up with my parents in Vienna and drove to my birthplace in Singen, Germany. The house that I grew up in is still owned by my family and we actually spent a few nights in the very room where I was I born. We took a road trip to the Schwartzwald and saw the spring where the Danube flows from the ground. Many people from around the world visit the forest to breathe the air which is said to have rejuvenating qualities. Germany is very clean and the food, beer and wine are fantastic. The scenery is very picturesque and the fruit trees and spring flowers are in full bloom. May the first is a holiday that is celebrated across all of Europe. On this day, the tradition in Germany is to walk through the countryside to a neighbouring village and join the fest that the locals put on. Each village has their own specialties and music is heard everywhere. We spent the last three days on Hohentwiel high on a hill near the ruins of the medieval fortress that still stands there. Driving on the autobahn is a lot of fun. Cars traveling at speeds up to 250 km/h make you feel like you’re standing still at 180. |  |
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