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Travel Tips

Our round the world trip comes to an anti-climatic end

With just ten days left in our round the world trip, we wanted our final days in Vietnam to be memorable and special. To that end, using Hanoi as our home base, we planned a trip to Sa Pa in the north, close to the border with China where we would go trekking for several days in the Hoang Lien Son range of mountains. After that, we planned a three day, two night cruise in Halong Bay, another UNESCO World Heritage Site, renowned for its natural beauty. We arrived in Hanoi via an overnight train from Hue. It wasn’t the best train but it was the only train (S21) with available berths on the day we wanted to travel. The soft sleeper had a pair of bunk beds, the top two bunks were ours for the night. Below were two Vietnamese men, one with a young child. In true Asian style, the mattresses were hard as rock, and quite narrow. There was plenty of space at the end of our bunks to securely store all our luggage. Each bed was equipped with a personal reading light that actually worked, a pillow and a comforter. I was grateful for the silk sleeping bag liners we bought at the last minute in Hue (only $5 US each) as the cleanliness of the bedding was questionable. The whole train was old, grungy and dirty, so why would the bedding be any different? Once we organized our stuff, we fell asleep almost immediately, lulled by the gentle rocking and swaying of the train. It was far more comfortable than I expected, even more comfortable than some guest houses we have stayed in recently. We awoke feeling quite refreshed, much to our surprise. Breakfast consisted of tea purchased from the refreshment cart, and Ritz crackers and M&M candies that we had purchased the day before. Nutrition goes to pot when travelling!

Beautiful scenery on the train from Hue to Hanoi.

Our hotel in Hanoi was located on the edge of the old quarter which consists of about 36 streets which formed the original city at the turn of the 20th century. Back then, each street had merchants and households specialized in a particular trade, such as silk traders, jewellery, etc. The street names nowadays still reflect these specializations. Even today, you will find a street full of foot wear, another street with only eye glass shops, and another dedicated to jewellery. The area is famous for its small artisans and merchants, including many silk shops. There are several attractions in Hanoi but we spent our two days wandering around the old quarter, poking in and out of the shops with no interest whatsoever to venture further afield.

What’s for dinner? After placing our selections in the red basket (chicken skewers, large shrimp, ribs, veggie skewers, and morning glory) it was grilled for us and then served on a hot plate in the middle of our table. We sat on miniature plastic stools at a tiny plastic table, in the middle of the sidewalk – very typical for Vietnam. The food was delicious!

Typical street scenes. It was very common for people to set up temporary stalls along the side walks – maybe a stove and a soup pot with a couple of plastic tables and stools, a pharmacy, or a convenience store.

After just one night in Hanoi, we headed north to Sa Pa via another overnight train. Unrealistic expectations can be the death of you and this was a good case in point. Our hotel arranged tickets on a specially designated tourist train which according to the train’s website promised a luxurious trip to Sa Pa. Words cannot describe the disappointment we felt when we entered our compartment with beds that were smaller than the train from Hue, the train itself was dirtier and far less comfortable. And we were on the top bunks again, but this time shared our berth with a very nice young couple from Singapore who we spent some time getting to know and with whom we shared a lot of laughs. In spite of the disappointing train, we ended up having a lot of fun anyways, although we barely slept at all that night and arrived in Sa Pa feeling quite wrecked. In what has become an unfortunate pattern lately, our pre-arranged transportation to our hotel was nowhere to be seen so we arranged transportation with one of the many mini vans available just outside the station. We happened to share the same mini bus as a young American family we had just met the day before in Hanoi. Funny how we run into the same people sometimes. The train actually arrives in Lao Cai and its about a 45 minute drive to Sa Pa on a winding, twisting road through the mountains that offer spectacular scenery, if the weather permits. Unfortunately, it was very misty and foggy during our drive to Sa Pa and we didn’t see a thing. The weather was much clearer on the trip back affording us some pretty incredible views. It was almost noon when we finally checked into our hotel room, and we were feeling wiped. After a very long afternoon nap, we went for a brief walk around town before dinner. The town was quite charming in a touristy sort of way. Indigenous women in their native costumes badgered the tourists with their hand made crafts. Apparently this was the place to buy supposedly brand name trekking supplies and Northface products were advertised boldly in every shop. Most of these items were obvious knock-offs – crooked seams, messy stitching on the logo, spelling mistakes in the labels.

It was pretty much a waste of a day, but we still had four full days ahead of us to explore the area. We hadn’t booked any trekking tours in advance, figuring we would sort that out on arrival. Turns out that was a very wise decision as the next morning, I awoke feeling so sick with flu-like symptoms: fever, chills, sweats, extreme fatigue. I proceeded to sleep on and off for the next 48 hours. Chris was pretty worried about me, convinced I was fighting some exotic disease like Malaria or Dengue Fever. I was too sick to notice or care, I just wanted to sleep. During this time, Chris didn’t venture too far beyond the town, preferring to stay close to me rather than abandon me in pursuit of his own interests. I don’t think he minded the down time too much as we have been travelling at a quicker pace these past few weeks. I was pretty annoyed that I was sick because I had been really looking forward to some good trekking in the mountains. On the third day, I managed to venture out onto our patio for a short while to enjoy the stunning view of the mountains and valleys below. On our last day, I had no choice but to get out of bed as we had to check out and we were again travelling overnight by train back to Hanoi. I did manage to walk down into a small village, but we hired moto taxis to take us back up the mountain as I was still feeling pretty weak and light headed. So much for our grand tour of Sa Pa! By the time we headed out to our Halong Bay cruise a couple of days later, I was feeling much better. Unfortunately, Chris came down with a serious case of gastro that knocked him right off his feet for the first day and a half of the cruise. What a pair we are! Just as Chris nursed me during my illness, I reciprocated and took care of him even though I was still weak and coughing so much that I feared I had pneumonia. We were quite the sickly pair. On the second day, we both forced ourselves to go kayaking to try to enjoy some of the spectacular scenery in Halong Bay. By then the worse had passed for both of us and we did our best to enjoy the rest of the cruise. On our final day, we visited some impressive caves before heading back to Halong City.

There were many small boats like this one that sold everything imaginable – a convenience store on the bay. I was gouged when I bought a small box of Ritz crackers for Chris for $5 US – I didn’t even think to haggle, I was just too preoccupied with getting something that Chris could eat.

The dining room – the food was top notch on this trip.

We came across this little fellow as we left one of the caves on our final morning in Halong Bay. Chris couldn’t resist one last monkey shot.

We spent our final night back in Hanoi. Neither of us felt like going out on the town one last time. We were in a reflective mood, trying to absorb the fact that our trip was coming to an end. It seemed quite unreal to us that we would be in Canada the next day. True to form, I was beginning to feel some excitement about our return home, accepting that this wonderful chapter in our lives was closing, but feeling very optimistic for what lay ahead. I was quite certain another adventure awaited us.

Travel tip #1: We switched hotels in Hanoi after our first night because the original hotel was closing down. We stayed at the Artisan Boutique Hotel for 2 nights (one before and one after our cruise) and would highly recommend this hotel. It is located in the heart of the Old Quarter just a block away from the lake. This small, boutique hotel offers very clean, comfortable, spacious rooms with great service to match. On the first night, we arrived at 5:00 am after our overnight train from Sa Pa and we were offered a room immediately at no extra charge (deluxe room at $45 US per night). When we returned from our cruise, our standard room ($30 US per night) was upgraded to the deluxe room at no extra charge. Private transportation to the airport was also arranged for $15 US.

Travel tip #2: The number of cruise operators in Halong Bay is dizzying. First of all, we highly recommend you book a 3 day/2 night cruise as opposed to the 2 day/1 night option. It is only on the second day that you really start exploring the bay, getting away from the crowds from the first day. We booked our cruise with V’Spirt Cruises and found the best price through Agoda ($188 US per person before tax). Not exactly 5* luxury, the boat is very clean and comfortable, the itinerary is excellent, and the food outstanding. We would highly recommend this cruise.

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What’s for dinner in the Mekong Delta?

March 29, 2013 christina South-east Asia Travel Tips Vietnam

As dusk began to fall, the local food market in Can Tho was abuzz with activity. Vendors lined both sides of the road, their array of delectables set neatly on the ground ready for the evening rush. Scooters clogged the streets as their riders slowed down to check out what they were going to have for dinner that night. Wandering through the market, I can assure you there was nothing there that tempted our palate – no thanks to the live frogs bound by rubber bands so they wouldn’t hop away (nor the skinned ones either for that matter!). The tray of chicken parts, the bucket of snakes, the shallow pools of water keeping an assortment of fish just barely alive – it was enough to make me want to be a vegetarian.

The large bags of bright pink shrimp were no temptation either, especially since we had witnessed first hand their unique drying methods during our travel day from Kep, Cambodia to Can Tho, Vietnam a few days earlier.

Passing through the border crossing was uneventful that day except for the corrupt Vietnamese border guard who was charging all tourists $1US to enter – a bribe that made its way directly and openly into his pocket. This caught us unaware and we found ourselves in a little bit of a bind as we had the equivalent of about $1.25 in Cambodian money, and a $100 US dollar bill. Lucky for us, a couple of young Swiss girls stepped up to the rescue and offered to pay our bribe for us.

The Cambodia side of the Ha Tien border crossing.

Welcome to Vietnam – the border crossing at Ha Tien.

Once we were in Vietnam, we, along with six other foreigners were promptly deposited on a street corner on the outskirts of Ha Tien where we were told to wait for our connecting bus to Can Tho. It was here we observed the drying process for the shrimp. Large baskets, filled to capacity with pink shrimp, were emptied directly onto the road – that’s right, no tarp or cloth, just straight onto the dirty pavement. After about an hour, they were swept up, passed through a sifter that separated the large pieces from the small, and the large pieces were then dispersed back onto the pavement for another hour of drying. They were then shovelled up and dumped back into the baskets, operation complete. Next stop, your dinner plate via the market.

It was a two hour wait in the searing sun, followed by a painfully slow 6 hour trip to Can Tho. We thought Google Maps was being awfully conservative when it stated the 200 km journey would take 3 hours. We never imagined it could take six! You would think that after all the travelling we have done, we would have been prepared for anything by now. Nope, not this time. It was now 2:00 in the afternoon and we had not eaten anything since breakfast. We had no Vietnamese currency in our pocket, just a $100 US bill that was totally useless. We had no food, and just a few sips of water left in our bottle. An ATM machine was in town, but by the time we figured that out, the bus’ arrival was imminent.

Again, we were lucky. A friendly German guy joined our group and offered to exchange US dollars for local currency. And no, it wasn’t a scam, he was just being friendly and helpful, recognizing that we all had just arrived from Cambodia. The Swiss girls who had helped us at the border offered to change our hundred dollar bill into smaller currency, allowing us to exchange a few dollars into Dong with the German guy. With a few hundred thousand dong in hand (20,000 dong = $1 CAD), we bought a couple of drinks and some biscuits – that would have to keep us going until we got to Can Tho. It turns out the Swiss girls were also going to the same hotel as us, so we all shared a taxi in Can Tho saving us each a bit of money. It’s funny how travel days work out sometimes.

Can Tho is the largest city in south western Vietnam, in a region called the Mekong Delta. This is where the Mekong River approaches and empties into the sea through a network of distributaries . Dubbed the “rice basket” of Vietnam, the area produces more than half of Vietnam’s agricultural output. It is also Vietnam’s most important fishing region. With an extensive canal system, rural life revolves around the river. The main rivers are important transportation channels for large vessels laden with all types of cargo whereas the smaller canals are reserved for local traffic.

We didn’t really come to Can Tho to visit the city, which was a good thing since there isn’t anything all the exciting to see here. We wanted to explore the waterways, especially the floating markets, for which Can Tho is famous. Our six hour tour was arranged through our hotel and included a boat with boat driver and an English speaking guide, who turned out to be a young biotechnology university student with a strong American accent. Apparently she learned English from cassettes sent to her by her American relatives. For $16 US each, we thought the tour was good value, even though our boat seemed to be the slowest one out that day and even ran out of gas on our way back. No worries though, a passing boat graciously offered a litre of gas to get us home.

Throughout the day, Nhu, our guide, energetically shared her knowledge with us. She grew up in a rural community about 60 km south of Can Tho and could speak from personal experience. The two floating markets – a wholesale and a retail market – gave us a glimpse of what life is really like on the river. Each boat advertised their wares by attaching a sample to a tall bamboo pole which flew like a flag high at the front of their boat: onions, potatoes, cabbage, pineapples, tomatoes all fluttered in the wind. Small refreshment boats skirted amongst the larger boats selling hot tea or cold drinks. A floating cafeteria was a popular stop for breakfast for some of the larger tour groups. It was fascinating to observe the wheeling and dealing of a floating market, especially from a small boat such as ours. We were right in the thick of things.

Another interesting stop that day was a small family operated business that produced rice noodles using a very manual, labour intensive process that converted raw rice into rice noodles in what can only be described as very unsanitary conditions. Cigarettes hung from the mouths of workers, scooters passed directly through the work area sputtering smoke, and chickens pecked at the rice paper as it dried in the sun, right next to the pig pens. Think about that the next time you buy rice noodles from the Asian store.

After three days in Can Tho, we headed north to Ben Tre, a small town that is quite off the tourist track but still in the Delta region. The area is well known for its coconut industry. The Oasis Hotel offered up comfortable accommodations for the next three nights. We particularly enjoyed the refreshingly cool pool that we took advantage of each day.

Equipped with a map, some vague instructions, our water bottles and cameras, we headed out on our own by bicycle. Somehow we found our way to the ferry crossing 15 km from town. The ferry transported us to a little island that offered an enchanting experience. The single paved pathway that looked more like a sidewalk than a road was jammed with school kids – the morning kids were heading home and the afternoon kids were heading off to school. And every kid greeted us with a friendly “hellllooooo”. When we stopped at the school to take a few pictures, Chris gained instant celebrity status as a group of boys hammed it up for the camera and then swarmed him to take a look at their picture.

We did another boat tour in Ben Tre which we found a tad touristy for our taste. The stops along the way – the brick factory, the coconut candy factory, the fruit farm – all were focused heavily on selling you stuff (except for the brick factory). Mind you, the stuff they were selling was quite yummy and Chris took advantage to stock up on snacks for our next bus trip. Even though it was touristy, we were happy to spend another day on the Delta, in good company with other guests from our hotel (a family with two school age kids from the US and a young couple from England).

After six days in the Delta, it was time to move on. An uneventful bus ride would take us to Ho Chi Minh City, otherwise known as Saigon, where we planned to spend the next two nights.

Transportation for the day.

Coconut candy “factory” – everything is done by hand, including wrapping each
piece of candy in edible rice paper.

Making sleeping mats from rice reeds.

Visit to the brick factory.

Most of the factory workers were women.

Part of our tour included a short bike ride –
what do you think of my new hat?

We switched to a rather tipsy Vietnamese canoe for a short trip.
Luckily we managed to stay upright.

Coconut mats are made from the husks of coconuts –
another thriving cottage industry in Ben Tre.

Travel Tip #1: The Kim Long Hotel in Can Tho is comfortable and clean and is in an excellent location just steps from the waterfront where you take the boats to the floating market. The owner is very friendly and speaks English well. At $14 per night for a standard, double room, it was excellent value too.

Travel Tip #2: Given the choice between the short or long tour of the floating markets, we recommend the latter as you spend a lot more time on the river and get a really good sense of rural life. We also recommend you do a private tour even though it costs more. We saw the large boats full of tourists who probably only paid about $5 US for their tour, but all they did was go to the market, possibly stop for breakfast at the floating cafeteria, and then turn around and go back. It is much more fun in a smaller boat where all the waves toss you about, and you can weave in and out amongst all the market boats.

Travel Tip #3: The Oasis Hotel in Ben Tre was also a great find – clean, comfortable rooms, good air conditioning, and good wifi. As mentioned already, the pool was a welcome treat. Ken, the owner, is friendly and helpful, with a wealth of local knowledge and experience that he is happy to share. Breakfast was good – one of the best omelettes we’ve had (and we’ve had a lot of them on this trip!) They rent out bikes ($2.50 US per day per bike) but check them out carefully before heading out to make sure the tires are not flat and the brakes work. Compared to our hotel in Can Tho, the Oasis was not exactly a bargain at $25 US per night.

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The best and the worst beaches in Thailand

February 6, 2013 christina South-east Asia Thailand Travel Tips

After three weeks travelling along the south west coast of Thailand, we have been dazzled by endless days of sunshine, miles upon miles of golden beaches and warm aquamarine water. We started in Koh Lanta and worked our way north, visiting enough beaches along the way to form our opinion of which ones we liked the best and which we thought were the worst.

We know our friends and family back home in Canada are suffering through a fierce winter this year with temperatures often below -20C and with plenty of snow to contend with as well so we’ll try not to go on too much about how idyllic conditions have been for us. Besides, it hasn’t all been a bed of roses during these past three weeks. Immediately upon arrival in Koh Lanta, I came down with a cold which in itself wasn’t too bad, but coupled with a pinched nerve in my neck that was triggered a week previously in Chiang Mai, I was not in very good shape during our first week on the coast. All I could do was relax, read, and take it easy. I know, I know, it’s a tough life we’re living right now.

By the time we had reached Phuket, I was feeling much better, but we were both quickly sidelined again with a horrific sunburn after lying on the beach under an umbrella for just a few hours. It was so bad, we couldn’t venture outdoors for a couple of days. Almost two weeks later we’re still peeling like snakes. Oh well, more relaxing and reading as we let our bodies heal.

These minor setbacks meant pushing out our diving so we ended up spending three weeks on the coast instead of two – I’m sure I’ve solicited all our reader’s sympathies by now. This past week, we spent 4 days diving split evenly between the Similan and Surin Islands. I’ll write about that separately.

In Thailand, there is a beach for every taste – from the noisy and crowded that cater to the party set, to the remote and quiet getaways that are havens for nature lovers. We prefer the isolated beaches away from the crowds where you can walk for miles along the shoreline. So keep that in mind as I share with you the best and worst beaches we visited in Thailand.

Our Favourite Beaches:

Khao Lak South Beach:

Poseidon Bungalows, located about 5 km south of Khao Lak, came highly recommended by a couple we met in our guest house in Chiang Mai. These rustic bungalows are situated amidst a jungle like setting, on a hill overlooking the Andaman Sea; miles of beautiful, uncrowded beach was just a few moments walk from our doorstep. There are no other resorts nearby. At night, the sound of the surf lulled us to sleep. In total we spent four nights at the bungalows, two nights on each end of a diving trip to the Similan Islands.

These affordable bungalows offered basic but adequate accommodation, each with private bath.Each cabin had a cottagey feel and were anything but luxurious. They didn’t have air conditioning, or wi-fi, or TV, or anything else for that matter. I certainly wouldn’t go so far as to call this place a resort as they did not offer much in terms of amenities. Other than an onsite restaurant where you could get wifi, and an office that arranged local tours, there wasn’t much else on offer. If you wanted a beach chair, you could rent one from a handful of enterprising Thais who set up shop along the beach, offering beach chairs, umbrellas, food and drink and massages of course – everything you needed for an enjoyable day at the beach. If you like privacy, seclusion, peace and quiet surrounded by nature, then this is the place for you.

Massage anybody?

The beach stretched out for miles in both directions and was quite deserted. At the opposite end of the beach, there was a cluster of more luxurious resorts, one of which served up a delicious buffet breakfast. What better way to start each morning than with a lovely stroll along the beach followed by a sumptuous meal that held us till late in the day.

Banana Beach, Phuket

Phuket is probably the most visited island in Thailand hosting millions of visitors each year so we felt we should at least spend a few days here even though we knew it would be touristy and busy especially given that we are in high season. Sure enough, the beaches of Phuket were ridiculously crowded and overrun with mainly Russian tourists who are so common here that many business signs and menus are written in that language!

We hired a scooter for a couple of days to explore the many beaches along the coast of this island and we were delighted to discover Banana Beach, a tiny little bay that was accessible from a steep pathway from the highway. It was located just south of Naithon Beach which was another beautiful beach we enjoyed. In fact, most of the beaches north of Surin were lovely, long stretches of undeveloped sandy shoreline that reminded us what the southern beaches of Phuket probably looked like 20 or 30 years ago.

Banana Beach is about as close as you’ll get to a hidden beach in Phuket – I doubt it’s on a map, and we didn’t find any mention of it on the internet either, so hopefully it will remain a hidden gem for others to discover like we did. If you’re planning to go, take the coastal road north towards Naithon Beach. You’ll see a handmade sign and a dozen or so scooters parked along the left side of the road just a couple of kilometers before Naithon Beach. There’s a fairly steep path down to the beach so if you have mobility issues, you’ll probably want to avoid this beach.

Long Beach, Koh Lanta

It took us 22 hours to travel from Chiang Mai to Koh Lanta via overnight bus to Bangkok, a flight from Bangkok to Trang, a mini bus to the pier, and then a 2.5 hour ferry to Koh Lanta. A long journey that was well worth the hassle to land in paradise.

Koh Lanta is a quiet, laid back island that attracts an older crowd who prefer to walk along the beach and watch sunsets rather than to party, just our style.

Again we stayed at a place recommended by our friends Sue and Andy who we met and hung out with in Chaing Mai. They are seasoned travellers on a 6 month trip in South East Asia. Sue is very thorough in her research and was happy to share with us the details of where they have stayed and places they have visited thus far in their adventure. Based on their recommendation, we stayed at Freedom Estate, a set of 6 bungalows on the hillside overlooking the Andaman Sea. The beach and a small village were just a five minute walk away. Each unit is a self contained studio-size apartment, with a balcony from which we enjoyed spectacular sunsets each night. At just under 1400 Baht per night, it was a bargain compared to the resort on the beach which was charging 5,000 Baht per night. Sure, we weren’t right on the beach, but we had the million dollar view and easy access to the beach.

Every night we were treated to a beautiful sunset over the Andaman Sea.

View from our balcony at night – we puzzled over those green lights in the distance until
someone explained they were fishing boats.

Breakfast in Koh Lanta.

The island is small enough to explore by scooter in a day. It was sobering to see all the Tsunami warning and evacuation route signs that have been posted in low lying regions, sombre reminders of the tragedy that occurred here in 2004 when a tsunami hit this coast.

This is how gasoline is sold on the islands – in litre sized
bottles for 40-50 Baht each.

A rubber tree being tapped. Rubber tree plantations grew
in abundance along the coastal regions. It’s hard to believe
that much of the world’s rubber is harvested manually.

The worst beaches

As for our least favourite beaches, Patong takes the prize because it was so overcrowded with tourists and very much a party town. The entire length of the beach is lined with multiple rows of beach chairs, sometimes up to nine rows thick. We spent three days in a small, comfortable and spotlessly clean guest house in Patong called Minotel. It was well situated just a few blocks from the beach. The town of Patong was much larger than we expected, and noisier, smellier and dirtier too.

Patong Beach in the early morning before the crowds.

Kamala Beach, located between Patong and Surin beaches.

It didn’t take us long to decide this was not the place for us, so we headed just a few kilometres north to Surin beach, a much smaller and quieter beach town still on the island of Phuket. We stayed at a place called “Be My Guest” hotel, a rather modern building tucked away on a side street about a 10 minute walk from the beach. We loved it – the high ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, high end finishes and the most comfortable bed we have had in Thailand – all for a bargain price of 1,000 Baht per night. Just down the street, we discovered another little gem – a restaurant called “Flavours” . Here we enjoyed delicious breakfasts each morning and we had one fabulous seafood dinner, cooked to perfection.

The most comfortable bed in Thailand was at Be My Guest Hotel.

Laundry service on the beach, right next to the massage service.

Our final destination was a little town called Khuraburi whose fishing port serves as a popular launch for diving excursions to the Surin Islands. From here, it’s about two hours north to Ranong, another popular diving centre. I look forward to exploring this area more fully when we return to Thailand in the future.

Travel Tips:

If you prefer quiet, secluded beaches, avoid Phuket and Phi Phi at all costs. In fact, most of the beaches in the south are very crowded and noisy and quite overrun with Russian tourists. It seems the further north you go, beyond Khao Lak, the quieter and less touristy it gets. And it’s cheaper too!
If you’re island hopping, avoid the public ferry, especially between Koh Lanta and Phuket. The ferry from Koh Lanta to Phi Phi was quite comfortable, but the one from Phi Phi to Phuket was an accident just waiting to happen. Slow, dirty and terribly overcrowded, we were lucky to find a corner of a box to sit on for the 2 hour voyage. We really wished we had opted for one of the high speed boats that are readily available and don’t cost all that much more.

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Stranded in Penang after a side trip to Singapore

December 19, 2012 christina Malaysia Singapore Travel Tips

We’re on our way to Thailand, and have been for about a month. The problem is that we keep getting distracted with other interesting places along the way and our side trip to Singapore was no exception. With mixed reviews about Singapore – some rave about it while others deplore how Westernized the city has become – we decided to check it out for ourselves and are we ever glad that we did.

With a population of just over 5 million sprawled over 710 square kilometres squeezed onto an island, Singapore is the capital of the country by the same name which is comprised of 63 islands of varying sizes. Singapore is sandwiched between Malaysia to the north and Indonesia to the south. We travelled from Kuching to Singapore by air on a very cheap AirAsia flight (about $60 CAD each). But the savings ended there, as we knew they would, having been forewarned that Singapore is a very expensive city to visit.

This probably wasn’t the place to decide we have had enough of hostel living, but that’s how we felt so we stepped up our accommodations a notch and we splurged on a room in the Hotel Re, a 4 star boutique hotel decked out in a 70’s retro theme. For reasons unknown to us, we were upgraded to a deluxe room with city views on the 10th floor. Our room was large by any standard, but especially so for Singapore, not to mention the modern and spacious ensuite bathroom. Maybe we’ve been living in hostels for too long, but we loved everything about this room and enjoyed every minute of our stay there: the wall-to-wall windows overlooking the city, the complimentary snacks and drinks that were refilled each day, the cotton slippers and robes, a modern 42 inch flat screen TV with English channels, good quality linens and pillows on the beds. Heck, we even had our own night table and lamp – we were living it up here in Singapore. Located on the edge of Chinatown, within a ten minute walk to the Metro station, and a two minute walk to the bus stop, it was easy to get around on foot or with public transportation.

Singapore is renowned for its urban sprawl and is often criticized for the resulting loss of primary rainforest so we were impressed to see so much green space every where we went. The 183-acre Botanic Garden was a surprising oasis of both manicured gardens and wild rainforest located in the heart of the city. Within the Garden, The National Orchid Garden is home to the world’s largest collection of orchids, many of which were in bloom this time of year. Imagine, we actually saw flowers in bloom for a change! This free public garden is a popular place to go for a run or just a meander. The entrance fee to the Orchid Garden is $5 SGD ($1 SGD = $0.80CAD) and is probably the best bargain in town. If you ever find yourself in Singapore, go visit this garden – you won’t be disappointed. Our only regret was that we didn’t have more time to explore. We spent 6-7 hours there, and barely scratched the surface.

During December, Orchard Road, a world renowned shopping Mecca that attracts thousands of visitors each year, is lit up with a dazzling display of Christmas lights. The street has been declared to have the “World’s Best Holiday Lights” by Frommer’s, and to be one of “The Top Ten Christmas Markets of the World” by Lonely Planet, well-deserved accolades in our opinion. It’s best to visit after 7:00 pm when the lights go on!

Throughout our three days, we wandered through the various neighbourhoods like Chinatown and Little India, visited temples and mosques, and learned about the rich cultural history of this fascinating city. It is indeed very Westernized in many ways, but this was something we enjoyed, feeling more at home here than we have anywhere else in a while. For example, we stumbled upon a grocery store that reminded us of the Waitrose chain we shopped at in the UK last summer; it even carried that brand of products. It was just so comforting to see products and food that we recognized for a change. What can I say, we’ve been travelling a long time, and sometimes we miss what is familiar.

The cleanliness throughout the city was notable too and understandable when we later learned there are stiff penalties for littering – $500 SGD – strictly enforced. Imagine, education and strong deterrents work! We also noticed there was absolutely no graffiti anywhere, not even in the Metro stations. The city’s recent prosperity and dense urbanization has resulted in some pretty incredible architecture, yet the city felt spacious and uncrowded, unlike other large urban centres we have been to lately.

In short, we loved Singapore and could even imagine ourselves living there for a while. It was definitely a worthwhile side trip.

The island of Penang was our final stop before heading to Thailand. Georgetown had been described as a must-see city with its rich colonial heritage and architecture to match. Besides, we could get our Thai Visa from the Thai Consulate in Penang so we could kill two birds with one stone (see travel tip below). We booked a couple of nights at the lovely Hotel Penaga located right on the edge of the historic district and a few nights at the 4 star Flamingo on the Beach hotel which was located close to Feringgi Beach, another popular destination. Still not in the mood for hostel living, we’re living it up a bit (and enjoying every second I might add) with these nicer hotel choices.

Hotel Penaga – One of the nicest places we’ve stayed in a while!

Views from our 8th floor room at the Flamingo on the Beach resort.

Georgetown had its charm but we found ourselves wondering what all the fuss was about. Maybe we’ve seen too much of Malaysia because honestly, this city didn’t look much different from the other places we’ve seen already. Every town in Malaysia has a “Little India” and a “Chinatown” as well as temples, mosques, and colonial buildings, reminders of its past history as a British colony.

Perhaps our enthusiasm for Penang was hampered because we were distracted, and increasingly frustrated trying to figure out where to go in Thailand. Our plan was to find a nice, cheap little place on a quiet beach where we could sit tight for a month or so. But it was not to be. This is high season in Thailand, and Christmas is probably the worse time to visit. It seemed everything was booked solid, and what was available, was ridiculously overpriced for what you got. Not to mention how crowded everything was going to be. Our lovely beach fantasy was quickly swept out to sea! Now what?

We spent a lot of time researching our options but we kept coming up with nothing. It turns out this is the most popular time to visit Thailand, and this year in particular, Thailand is experiencing a surge in tourism. That’s great for Thailand, but not so good for us. This is definitely one of the down sides of not planning ahead – sometimes, especially during peak times, you can find yourself shit out of luck. Finally, we decided we would skip the beaches for now and head up to Chiang Mai in the north where we would look for an apartment. We both want to settle down in one place for a month or two to take a break from travelling and to spend some time focusing on a couple of projects we have in mind.

Once our destination was decided, all we needed to do was book our train tickets to Bangkok and away we could go. Naively, we thought we could purchase our tickets a day or two ahead which is generally true but not in high season. When we arrived at the ticket office, the lady practically laughed at us – the train was booked solid for the next two weeks! So how were we going to get to Thailand? Back to our hotel for more research, and a request to the hotel to stay another day to give us time to sort out our transportation.

We had two options – bus or plane and in the end we opted for both. The bus trip would take more than two days including two overnight bus rides. And there were no direct flights either. The best we could find (and it wasn’t cheap) was with a 10 hour stop-over in Bangkok. So we decided to fly direct to Bangkok (1.5 hours) and then take the overnight bus from Bangkok (9 hours). With our transportation figured out, we enjoyed our final day in Penang hanging out by the pool and the beach. Thailand, here we come!

Travel Tip: Getting a Thai Visa while in Penang is super easy. You will need your passport, two standard passport photos, a photocopy of your passport and 110 ringgits (about $35 CAD). No need to fill out the Visa application form in advance as they will give you one when to complete when you arrive. You can even get your passport photos (20 ringgits for 4 photos) and have your passport photocopied (2 ringgits) from the guy working out of his car turned office just outside the Consulate gates. Or you can go to the Komtar shopping complex in Georgetown and get your passport photos and photocopy there (12 ringgits for 4 photos). But be sure to have enough money with you as the Consulate is located in a suburban area where there are no ATM machines.

The Royal Thai Consulate is located in the suburbs at: 1 Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahma which is a little out of the way but it is still easily accessible by bus. Take bus 101 in either direction (from Georgetown to Feringgi Beach, or vice versa) and get off at the corner of Jalan Burma and Jalan Cantonment. Tell the bus driver you are going to the Thai Consulate – just about everybody knows where it is. If you need money, get it from one of the many ATMs in this area as there are no ATMs near the Consulate.

It’s a pleasant 20 minute walk along Jalan Cantonment to Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahma where you turn right and then left at the first street. The Consulate is on the right hand side of the street, opposite a school. The roads are well signed, but the Consulate isn’t. Just follow these directions and you should find it without too much trouble. Of course, you can just take a taxi which will probably cost about 25 ringgits each way. But it’s much cheaper by bus – only 1.40 ringgit each way. Or you might get lucky like we did when we asked a guy how to get to the Consulate from where the bus deposited us on Jalan Burma and he gave us a drive there.

When you arrive at the Consulate, you will be asked to sign in at the guard desk where they check that you have everything you need for your application. You are then directed to another wicket where you are given the blank application form. After completing the form, you submit it along with your passport, photos, passport copy and the fee. You are given a receipt and told to return at 3:30 in the afternoon at which time you simply line up and collect your passport which now has a 60-day single entry Thai Tourist Visa pasted into it. Note that you cannot get a multiple entry visa from this Consulate.

If you’re applying for anything other than a tourist visa, you may want to verify that it is possible at this Consulate as our experience is limited to getting a tourist visa only.

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Breezing through Berlin

September 21, 2012 christina Europe Germany Travel Tips

Two and a half days were hardly enough time to do Berlin justice so we had to spend our time wisely. We arrived two hours late on Monday afternoon due to train delays which cut our time even shorter. Our hotel, Hotel Pension Columbus, was ideally situated close to Zoologischer Garten subway station, just half a block from the famous Kurfürstendamm Strausse, which locally known as the Ku’Damm. This very broad, long boulevard is often referred to as the Champs-Élysées of Berlin. The tree lined street is full of shops, houses, hotels and restaurants including many fashion designers as well as several car manufacturers’ show rooms.

On the advice of our hotel host, we joined a historical walking tour (The Insider Tour) on Tuesday where we spent the entire day walking around the city learning about its history and culture. Our tour guide, Tarek was passionate about Berlin and enthusiastically shared his knowledge with us throughout the day.

Inside the Reichstag Dome – great views of the city from the top.

Brandenburg Gate with Reichstag Dome in background.

Brandenburg Gate – the Berlin Wall was built right in front of this monument.

Holocaust Memorial (above and below)

Nazi Administration Building

Mural on the Nazi Administration Building promoting Socialism

Remnants of the wall that was installed in 1961
dividing East from West

Checkpoint Charley where non-Germans
passed to/from East Berlin.

Neue Wache: Another memorial to those who perished in the war.

On our final day we visited Museum Island in Berlin’s historic heart, home to five world-class museums. This unique ensemble of historic buildings, all built under different Prussian kings, is a UNESCO World Heritage site. You could easily spend a week visiting these museums. We visited the Neues Museum which after years of renovation had re-opened in 2009. The museum is home to the Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection and the Museum of Prehistory and Early History, together with artefacts from the Collection of Classical Antiquities. Its most famous artefact is the bust of Queen Nefertite. This was a great foretaste of our upcoming visit to Egypt.

Neues Museum

The Ser River near Museum Island (it really is an island!)

Some of the museums on Museum Island

Cathedral on Museum Island

We had gorgeous weather during our three days in Berlin – warm, sunny days and cool nights. But there was a crispness to the air that reminded us that the days of summer were numbered and winter was not far off. This is the perfect time to head south! And so comes to an end our European leg of our adventure. It’s hard to believe we have been in Western Europe for almost six months, visiting a total of eight countries: Italy, France, Spain, England, Scotland, Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Germany.

On Thursday we flew to Hurghada, Egypt – yes, in spite of the recent news reports we decided to throw caution to the wind, take unnecessary risks, and put our lives in danger in order to have some good blog material to write……..just kidding! But seriously, it is a little scary when you watch the news and see all the violent demonstrations that are happening in the Middle East right now. We also know that the news is usually sensationalized and must be taken with a grain of salt. All this to say, we are heeding our own government’s advice to avoid Cairo at this moment. Instead we are travelling to the coastal, touristy area along the Red Sea south of Hurghada where we will spend nine days relaxing and diving. We’ll figure out what comes next later.

Travel Tip #1: We highly recommend Hotel Pension Columbus if you are looking for clean, comfortable, budget priced accommodations in the heart of Berlin. It is located within a 5 minute walk from the Zoologischer Garten subway station and the bus to/from the Tegel Airport is less than a block away.

Travel Tip #2: If you don’t have much time to see a city, we recommend taking a historical walking tour. Not only will you learn a lot about the history, and see a lot, the guide is usually a local from whom you will get a local spin on things. In Berlin, we recommend The Insider Tour.

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A grand perambulation through Ireland

September 3, 2012 christina Europe Ireland Travel Tips

With images of majestic castles and stunning landscapes dancing in our heads, we set off for a three week tour of Ireland. We were in search of a romantic maybe even nostalgic vision of Ireland that we had somehow conjured up in our minds, perhaps based on clever marketing that we had unwittingly absorbed, movies we have watched over the years and literature we have read. Would we find this image of Ireland or was this a figment of our overactive imaginations?

The Route

Our trip began and ended in Dublin, following a counter clockwise circuit around the island mainly along secondary coastal roads for a total distance of just under 2600 km. We drove each day, some days more than others, but we always managed to get out and do or see something along the way. Our rented car, a no frills Skoda proved to be very reliable and surprisingly quite comfortable.

Driving and navigating

Chris was the driver and I was the navigator, roles that suited us well. By the time we arrived in Ireland, Chris had already spent a few weeks mastering the art of driving on the wrong side of the road in a car where the driver’s seat and stick shift were also on the wrong side. Now all he had to do was master the roads – curvy, winding, and narrow with barely inches to spare on either side. And then there were the single track roads where, as the name implies, there is only room for a single vehicle at a time, even though traffic comes from both directions. It took steely concentration and a steady grip on the wheel to travel these roads. Chris may have been a race car driver in a previous life because I swear he was in his element on these roads. He demonstrated his skill as a driver more than once as he managed tricky turns and tight squeezes with nerves of steel.

Navigating was a challenge to say the least. I was well equipped with a couple of detailed maps along with a lovely guide book called Back Roads of Ireland which offered detailed directions for some of the more scenic routes. Directions that read something like this: When you get to the Y in the road, proceed left until you see the farm house where you should turn right and then right again after the first farm building, etc. etc. Seriously, that’s what the directions were like much of the time. It was even worse if we asked someone because then we had the added challenge of trying to decipher the accent, which was often quite thick and quite incomprehensible to our untrained ears.

This is not an optical illusion – the road narrowed in places
so that two cars could not pass easily and there wasn’t much
room to pull over to the side either.

A single track road in County Donegal.

The posted signs presented different challenges. Road signs never indicated which direction (north, south, east or west) but rather pointed to a town along the way and maybe if I was lucky provided the route number which may or may not appear on my map. That’s fine if you know all the towns in the area, otherwise, it’s a mad scramble reading the map to see which town is in the right direction. The inconsistent and sporadic road signs offered even more challenges. For example, we would be following a sign for a castle which would nicely appear for a brief period of time, only to disappear completely when you reached a T junction – which way to go? Who knows since there isn’t any indication one way or the other! Needless to say, we went the wrong way more than once, but luckily, I seem to have a 6^th sense for when we have made a miscalculation and so I managed to get us back on track quite quickly. Oh, and the signs were displayed in both Irish and English which made things even more confusing at times.

The Weather

They don’t call it the Emerald Isle without reason. Sure, the landscape is a dazzling shade of green, but it’s no wonder with all the rain. It rained every single day. Some days we did manage to have more sun than rain but these were rare and definitely the exception. We began to measure the quality of the weather based on the degree to which it was raining – a mere drizzle versus torrential downpours. And it was never hot. I never wore sandals or a dress. I think it got a little warm one day on a hike, but then that only lasted for a little while until the sun hid behind the clouds again. Some days were downright cold, cold enough for woolen hats and gloves donned by those who seemed prepared for the worst. Now to be fair, everyone we met told us this was an exceptionally bad summer. Some went so far as to say it was the worse summer they could remember, some went even further saying it was the worse summer ever.

We were determined not to let the weather negatively impact our tour so we did our best to cope. I think we sunk to a new low in the Connemara region which is an absolutely stunning area in the west of Ireland with miles of hiking trails not the least of which is the famous Croagh Patrick, a challenging pilgrimage hike to the top of a steep mountain. Torrential downpours had already forced us off the road prematurely in the little town of Westport where we checked into a cozy B&B in the early afternoon. It was the perfect afternoon to spend indoors, snuggled up on comfy couches, sipping steaming cups of tea, nibbling on biscuits, and reading a good book. And this is exactly what we did. When the rain finally stopped in the early evening, we ventured out for a stroll down to the harbour only get soaked to the skin as the rain started up with new vigour mid way through our walk. The rain continued hard all night and into the next day as we drove out of the region.

The People

The Irish have a reputation for being friendly and hospitable and we can attest this to be true. Without exception, the people we came into contact with were welcoming, friendly and very helpful. The owners of the B&B’s where we stayed were very hospitable and interested in our comfort and well-being, just like visiting old friends. The friends we did visit were over the top hospitable towards us. Andrew from Belfast, who we had met on our Antarctica cruise last January, went out of his way touring us around the city, doing research on our behalf, organizing a day hike in the mountains, and paying for everything along the way. Another friend, Paul, who we met on a Caribbean cruise several years ago, treated us to a round of pints one night out at the Crowne, the oldest pub in Belfast. Even Andrew’s friend Susan, who had never even met us before, treated us throughout the day when we hiked the Mourne Mountains.

Chris with his cruise buddies: Andrew (left) and Paul (right)

Hiking with Andrew and his friend Susan in the Mourne Mountains.
The weather was great when we started but then it got
progressively worse until we could barely see 10 feet ahead of us.
I got a little nervous when Andrew ventured off the path (below).

We visited Pauline and her family on their farm just south of Dublin. You may recall that we met Pauline while walking the Camino de Santiago. We had never met her parents or her sister who also lives in London, yet they opened their home up to us without hesitation and showered us with a generous dose of Irish hospitality. We enjoyed a weekend of wholesome activities that included plenty of visiting with Pauline’s family, checking out a photography exhibition, and an art show that highlighted the work of local artists including sculptures by Marion, Pauline’s mom, and gorgeous needlepoint by Pauline’s Aunt Ann. We watched her nephew play an Irish football match at the local soccer pitch and we were given a brief demo by her younger nieces and nephews of the sport of Hurling which is unique to Ireland and Scotland. It was a very relaxing and grounding weekend for us on the family farm, being around Pauline’s family, engaged in wholesome activities, taking a little break from our travelling routine.

Pauline’s family home where we spent a relaxing weekend.

I must share another wee tale that happened along the way, this time when we visited the town of Kinsale. This story begins with a load of dirty laundry. You’d be surprised at what a challenge it can be to take care of some of the mundane chores like laundry while travelling. By the time we reached Kinsale we were desperate for clean clothes and so we found ourselves with a few hours to kill as we waited for our laundry to be done. We spent our morning on a historical walking tour run by a man named Dermott Ryan. He came highly recommended by the lady at our B&B so we sought him out even though it was raining.

Off we went with Dermot in the rain listening to his wealth of stories about the town. Then he started to tell us about Timothy and Mortimer McCarthy, two local brothers born in the late 1800’s. These experienced seamen had made several Antarctica expeditions with Scott and Shackleton, including the voyage on Shackleton’s famous expeditions to Antarctica. He told us the story of Shackleton’s shipwreck and how he traversed 800 miles in a small boat back to South Georgia to get help to rescue his crew who he had left on Elephant Island struggling for survival in the dead of winter. For regular blog readers, this might sound oddly familiar as it is indeed the same story I shared with you when we walked in the footsteps of Shackleton as he made his infamous trek on South Georgia. We told Dermot that we had been there – we had seen the bluff of land where the crew huddled for months waiting for rescue, we had hiked the same mountain as Shackleton, we had seen the remnants of the whaling station where he found help. Dermot looked at us with surprise and awe – he had never met anybody who had been to Antarctica before. He insisted on giving us a book produced by the local Historical Society, of which he is president. The book is full of historical tales related to Kinsale. In next year’s edition, there may even be a story about the Canadian couple who passed through Kinsale on holiday who had previously visited Antarctica….who would have thought we’d make history in Ireland!

As we have observed before in our travels, it is the people who we meet that make the difference and make our experiences more authentic and memorable, and Ireland was no exception.

Accommodations

Kilmurvey House B&B, Aran Islands

With no fixed itinerary and no set plans, we had no idea where we would be each day which made it impossible to book any rooms in advance. Normally, this would have been a problem at the height of high season, but this year has been a bad year for tourism (could there be a correlation with the weather perhaps?) and so it worked out quite well for us. We usually stopped in the early evening between 7:00 and 8:00. We would make a decision as to where to sleep with the help of information acquired from local tourist offices, the options listed in our three guide books, as well as just driving by. We were turned away only a couple times because the place was full. Usually, there was plenty of availability.

In an effort to keep our costs down, we stayed in hostels whenever possible. We were surprised at the number and quality of hostels we found along the way. Most offer private rooms with ensuites and only once we stayed in a dormitory style room with two other people. Some hostels even included a continental breakfast. Whenever we stayed in a hostel, we took advantage of the kitchen facilities and prepared our own food, another cost savings.

Carrigeen Castle, Cahir

We stayed in B&Bs whenever we couldn’t find a hostel. All B&Bs in Ireland offer a hearty, stick to the ribs hot breakfast, known as the Full or Irish breakfast, as well as continental options such as cereal, fruit and yogurt. Some B&Bs offered additional homemade goodies like scones, jams and bread. Invariably, a B&B breakfast would keep us going until later afternoon. I think our favourite B&B was Kilmurvey House on the Aran Islands and our most unusual B&B was Carrigeen Castle in Cahir. This B&B resembled a medieval castle although we later learned that while it had been designed and built in the 1800’s to look like a castle, it’s original purpose was as a gaol, providing short term stays for prisoners before they were sent off to the main jail elsewhere. It has been run as a B&B by the same family for over 30 years! This is the closest we got to staying in a castle.

Food and Drink

Eating nutritiously while travelling is a challenge at the best of times but we found it particularly difficult in Ireland. First there are the breakfasts which do offer many nutritious choices, but we often opted for the full Irish breakfast which comprised of a fried egg, fried bacon, breakfast sausage, black pudding, toast, and sometimes baked beans. It was a hearty way to start the day. After a few of these breakfasts, we began to alternate between the artery clogger and more healthier choices that included yoghurt, fruit and granola, often homemade.

Bar food was so readily available and tempting that we often settled for this type of food which wasn’t always the healthiest choice to make, although it was usually quite tasty. Seafood is plentiful; Ireland is afterall an island surrounded by the sea. Whenever we could, we tried to make our own food, and we always had on hand supplies to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, our preferred hiking lunch.

We found the prices to be high and since we were trying to economize wherever we could, we were not eating in the best (and most expensive) restaurants. We did have the occasional meal that was impressive and memorable, but this was the exception rather than the rule.

What’s a visit to Ireland without a visit to the local pub? Chris swears that Guinness tastes better on home soil. A tour of the Guinness Storehouse museum in Dublin was high on Chris’ priority list. Local music was plentiful in the local pubs in the evening. Often, musicians would just show up in a pub and spontaneously jam together. We loved this type of entertainment, more so than the hired gigs which were more tourist oriented.

Bushmills Distillery has been producing Irish Whiskey since 1608 which makes it the longest continuously running distillery in the world. During a tour we learned the differences between Irish Whiskey and Scotch Whisky (besides the spelling of the word “whiskey/whisky”): Irish Whiskey does not use peat when drying the barley, and it is triple distilled rather than double distilled. Of course the Irish think their drink is superior, but in Scotland it was the other way around.

The Sights

We saw castles and grand manor houses, ancient ruins and monuments, historic memorial tombs and cemetaries, gorgeous landscapes and stunning gardens. We hiked mountains and ambled along miles of beaches. There was never a shortage of things to do or see everywhere we went.

Stay tuned for Ireland Part 2 where we’ll share our photos from some of the highlights of our trip and we’ll let you know if Ireland lived up to our expectations.

************************

Travel Tip #1: If you plan to visit 2-3 historical sites, consider purchasing a Heritage Card. For 21 euros, you gain access into close to a hundred sites for a period of one year. We purchased our card at the first castle we visited on our very first day in Ireland and made good use of the card thereafter.

Travel Tip #2: Budget travellers should not be deterred by the label “Youth Hostel” as these facilities are used by young and old alike. We even saw several young families availing themselves of these modest accommodations. Private rooms ranged in priced from 20 – 25 euro per person.

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The family vacation continues in the UK

August 3, 2012 christina England Europe Travel Tips

We left Paris at noon on Wednesday under warm, sunny skies and we were greeted with gloomy, rainy weather as soon as the train emerged from the chunnel onto British soil. How disappointing! We arrived back “home” in Newark-on-Trent by mid-afternoon, giving us plenty of time to give the kids a tour around the town centre. That evening, we cooked dinner together and enjoyed our first home made family dinner in almost a year. It was a much needed early night as we had a full day ahead of us travelling to York which is a mere 45-minute train ride from Newark, making it an easy day trip.

York is an old city, founded by the Romans in 71 AD, under the name of Eboracum. The city centre is enclosed by medieval walls, which are a popular walk. There is also a castle and castle museum, and a beautiful cathedral, York Minster. I think we were all a bit tired from our Paris trip, and in need of a slower pace so we spent our day leisurely meandering through the narrow alleyways of this medieval town, exploring the unique shops and enjoying the local pub fare. Alyssa loves antique jewellery and was thrilled to discover York to be a haven of antique dealers. We especially enjoyed The Shambles which is a narrow medieval street full of shops, boutiques, and tea rooms. Chris and Andrew spent some time taking pictures but then decided to discover more of the local brew in a few pubs.

The Shambles

The medieval wall around York.
(Photo courtesy of Alyssa)

The pub where we enjoyed a typical English lunch of
bangers and mash with a pint, of course.

Pub instructions – handy info as these applied to every pub we went into.
(Photo courtesy of Alyssa)

Lunchtime in a pub in York
(Photo courtesy of Alyssa)

Pouring a pint

One of several pubs Andrew and Chris enjoyed.

Yet another pub….and another pint.
(Photo courtesy of Andrew)

Friday was a free day where we spent a little more time exploring Newark and just taking it easy, enjoying the comforts of our home base.

A wedding at the castle ruins in Newark.
(Photo courtesy of Alyssa)

On Saturday, Alyssa and I left early by train to London where we spent the day sightseeing. We followed the itinerary prepared by my friend Pauline, from the Camino, who lives in London. She put a lot of thought and effort into her London in a Day guide for us, with photos of landmarks to help us stay oriented, custom maps, historical background info, funny stories, and restaurant recommendations. It served us well and Alyssa is keeping it as a souvenir of her day in London. We hit all the major tourist sites – London Bridge, Borough Market, Buckingham Palace, the Parliament Buildings, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul Cathedral – we saw it all. (All photos below courtesy of Alyssa, unless of course she is in the photo, in which case I took the photo with her camera 🙂

Tower Bridge – ready for the 2012 Olympics

Alyssa on London Bridge with “The Shard” in the background.

The Gherkin Building

The Globe Theatre

St. Paul’s Cathedral
(where Princess Diana and Prince Charles were married)

Borough Market

So what did we think of London? Interestingly, we shared the same impression: it seemed very congested and cramped, a real hodge podge of buildings crammed into every conceivable nook and cranny. It was very crowded with tourists in part I imagine because of the Olympics that would begin the following week, not to mention the fact that we were visiting in the peak of the tourist season. We found some of the iconic buildings like Buckingham Palace to be somewhat of a let down, in much the same way as we felt when we saw the White House in person – it was so small in real life compared to how it is portrayed in the media. We’re glad we saw the highlights of the city but neither of us feel compelled to spend more time exploring it, although I’m sure it has a lot more to offer.

At the end of the day, we made our way by bus to our hotel in Gatwick close to the airport. Alyssa was taking an early flight the next morning.

Buckingham Palace

Fountain in front of Buckingham Palace

Guard at Buckingham Palace

Westminster Abbey

The Eye

The Parliament Buildings as seen from the Eye.

Chris and Andrew stayed behind in Newark and spent the weekend enjoying the pubs of Newark (no driving involved) and they also visited Nottingham in search of the castle. Turns out, there isn’t much left of the castle which explains why Chris and I didn’t see it when we were in Nottingham a few weeks ago.

Oldest inn in England dating back to 1189!

Nottingham – home to Robinhood.

Robinhood

Castle wall in Nottingham.

The canal in Nottingham.

After seeing Alyssa off on Sunday morning (yes, there were tears), I headed back into London to spend a few hours with Pauline, before returning to Newark by train. Pauline and I spent a quiet day together, getting caught up on each other’s news since we parted on the Camino. We enjoyed the unusually warm and sunny day as we walked around her neighbourhood in East London and then just relaxed in a lovely park. I was back in Newark before dinner which Andrew prepared for us – delicious chicken wraps.

On Monday morning, we were back at the train station, this time heading north to Edinburgh, Scotland to visit my cousin Andrew and his wife Jen. I had met Andrew briefly back in 2004 when I visited the UK with my parents and youngest brother, Jim. When I let my cousin know we were planning to visit Edinburgh, he generously invited us to stay with him even though we had never met his wife, nor did we really know each other. We had a great time getting to know them, as well as his sister, Susan who I had never met before. We even dropped in on a distant relative, Bill Baber, who has a knitwear shop in downtown Edinburgh. Bill is keenly interested in his ancestry and is in the process of creating a family tree. He casually pulled out the family tree from a high shelf in his shop and I was able to show him where I fit in. Bill was quite pleased that we had dropped by to say hello. Both my cousin Andrew and my son Andrew are also researching our family history. There are lots of unanswered questions about our past.

Jen, who is Canadian, introduced us to Scottish food: she served us haggis one night and blood pudding for breakfast the next day. The haggis was actually pretty good, and both Andrew and Chris enjoyed the blood pudding. As for me, I found the blood pudding to be rather tasty, but I just couldn’t get past the idea of what I was eating. Jen went out of her way to make sure we had a good time (while Andrew was at work), driving us here and there, showing us the sights. One of the highlights, at least for Chris and Andrew, was a visit to a local scotch distillery where we observed how scotch is made, and of course, after the tour, we sampled a variety of single malts. In the evenings, we visited with my cousin Andrew over a dram or two of scotch.

Downtown Edinburgh.

At the top of Arthur’s Seat – a hill in the
middle of Edinburgh that offers spectacular 360 degree views of the area.

Blood pudding for breakfast, with poached eggs and toast.

This is what blood pudding looks like up close!

Edinburgh Castle high on the hill.

With my cousin Andrew and Jen outside their house in Edinburgh.

Dinner with my cousins, Susan (left) and Andrew and Jen.

With my cousin Susan (centre) and Jen, Andrew’s wife.

On Wednesday afternoon, we said our good byes to my Andrew as he boarded a train to London from where he took the bus to Gatwick where he stayed overnight before flying home on Thursday.

And so concluded our 2012 family vacation. The kids are already talking about meeting us in Thailand next year, but we’re not making any promises just yet. When the time comes, we’ll see where we are and how much money is left in the travel kitty 🙂

Travel Tip: If you need to get to Gatwick airport from London, consider taking the bus. It’s dirt cheap (from 2 pounds per person each way), comfortable and flexible.

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A walking tour of Tuscany

May 21, 2012 christina Europe Italy Travel Tips

Ugo was hosting a walking tour in our area during our second week at Trove and we were invited to join in some of the walks, but only if his clients, an Australian couple, were in agreement. Ugo and Barbara arranged for us to meet the clients one evening early in the week so that they could size us up to see if they could put up with our company for a few days. Of course I’m joking, but seriously, it really was up to them whether or not they wanted our company. We had our fingers crossed (and we were on our best behaviour for that initial meeting) because we were dying to join them. We had nothing to worry about, as we felt an immediate connection with Jenny and Tony and they felt the same.

For the next four days, we toured the Tuscan countryside with Ugo, our faithful guide, and Jenny and Tony with whom we became fast friends. We covered all the expenses we incurred during the tour, money that was well spent in our opinion.

Day 1: After some local sightseeing, we began our first walk – two hours through the Tuscan countryside following the via Francigena, a pilgrim route that has been travelled upon since the Middle Ages. We met one pilgrim while walking, a young fellow from Germany who was doing an 18 day pilgramage along this route.

A postcard-perfect scene unfolded everywhere you looked: rolling hills awash with wild flowers of all colours, fields of red poppies gently blowing in the wind, perfectly symmetrical vineyards and olive groves, and medieval homes along roads lined with majestic cypress trees.

We ended our walk at Poggio Al Vento where we ate lunch and enjoyed a wine tasting. We were about 5 km from the medieval village of S. Quirico d’ Orcia. A picnic table was set up on a grassy terrace overlooking Monte Amiata and Montalcino’s hills which are speckled with Brunello vineyards. Poggio al Vento has a vineyard and olive tree plantation where they produce delicious red wines which are Orcia Rosso DOC – I don’t remember what the DOC means exactly other than it indicates wine of a high quality. DOC does not mean Department of Control – but it was a good guess on Chris’ part. Their oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil Frantoio is produced from a special selection of olives picked earlier than normal which results in a uniquely aromatic and tasty product – the best olive oil I have ever tasted.

Once we were seated on the terrace, we met the owner, Roberto, a very friendly and engaging man who introduced us to his farm, in very good English I might add. We began our meal with small toasted pieces of white bread that had been drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt – how could something so simple be so unbelievably delicious! We tasted several types of wine and learned about the process of making wine on a small, multi-generational, family-run vineyard. Everything we ate had been produced locally from the salamis (thanks to Rosalie the pig), pecorino cheese (a local speciality), bread, olive oil and lovely homemade desert prepared by Roberto’s grandmother. If you’re looking for a unique place to stay in Tuscany (you will need a car), they also rent apartments on-site. We didn’t see the accommodations, but based on everything else we experienced, I’d suspect you wouldn’t be disappointed.

After lunch we walked, or should I say staggered, back down the hill to Bagno Vinoni for a soak in the therapeutic thermal baths. Swimming in the warm thermal waters that have been used by the Etruscans and Romans for centuries was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. Imagine, we soaked in waters where eminent personalities of the past such as Pope Pius II, Santa Caterina da Siena, Lorenzo the Magnificent and many other artists had been before us. A special bonus for Chris and I: we enjoyed a real shower with warm, running water…ahh the simple pleasures!

Day 2: Again we began our day with a walk for a couple of hours, from Monte Follonico to the medieval and renaissance hill town of Montelpulciano. The countryside was similar to the previous day offering one beautiful view after another. The pretty town of Montelpulciano is renowned for its pork, cheese, pici pasta, lentils, and honey, and it is known world-wide for its wine. Connoisseurs consider its Vino Nobile, which should not be confused with varietal wine merely made from the Montepulciano grape, among Italy’s best.

We passed by several properties with For Sale signs and Chris and I briefly entertained the idea of picking up a fixer upper and then flipping it once we had restored it. Chris and Tony even went to take a closer look at a property close to town. Ugo swiftly dashed this idea when he mentioned the prices for these run down country estates could run into the millions of Euros even for properties without a roof and windows! He conceded we might be able to pick up a bargain say for a million bucks given the current economic downturn in Italy. That would still be way out of our league. Ah well, so much for that fantasy!

We lingered for two and a half hours at a wonderful winery and restaurant, Gattavecchi where we enjoyed good conversation, excellent wine and one of our best meals in Italy thus far. Lunch began with tomatoes served with buffalo mozzarella and fresh basil, drizzled with olive oil. We all had a good laugh when the waitress tried to remove the seemingly empty dish and we all dove in like a flock of vultures, each with a piece of bread to sop up the remaining olive oil. If that isn’t a compliment to the food, I don’t know what is. The waitress graciously and wisely left the plate on the table for us. The rest of the meal included roasted potatoes with fresh herbs under melted pecorino cheese, duck lasagna, pork scallopini in cream sauce, and a garden fresh salad. We sampled generously from the vineyard: Rosso di Montepulciano DOC, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano DOC, and Riserva dei Padri Serviti.

After lunch we walked along the main street of Montepulciano that stretches for 1.5 kilometers from the Porta al Prato to the Piazza Grande at the top of the hill. The city core is car free which makes it very walkable. The streets are lined with touristy shops selling all the specialities from the area such as wine and cheese. Local artists are showcased in several galleries. Later, we sipped coffee and ate dessert on a terrace overlooking the valley far below. It just doesn’t get much better than this!

Day 3: This was the day for the cooking lesson at Trove. Chris and I were recruited first thing in the morning to help with the preparations. It reminded us of preparing for one of our family get-togethers back home. Marizza, an 82-year old local woman from Pienza would teach us how to make Peci, a type of pasta that was a local speciality. Everyone participated and agreed it was harder than it looked. Marizza made it look so easy.

Video: Making Pici in Tuscany

Under a clear blue sky, lunch was served on the concimaia (literal translation: shit heap). This was the area where hundreds of years ago the animal and human waste was discarded but today it is the location of a lovely patio. Lunch consisted of a typical Tuscan menu: Peci (that we had made earlier) with tomato sauce, pan cooked chicken and rabbit, roasted potatoes and salad. We enjoyed “corrected dessert” a phrase cleverly coined by Chris. We had heard of “corrected coffee” which consists of a shot of espresso and a shot of grappa. Well, we dipped our cantucci (similar to biscotti) into glasses of vino santo (dessert wine) and voila, corrected dessert.

After lunch, we all retired to the lounge chairs in the shade (Ugo went for a nap in the house) and Chris brought out his cigars and the grappa we had bought the other day at Roberto’s. It was a very relaxing way to spend a couple of hours before heading off to Petroia to visit the terracotta museum, after which we brought Jenny and Tony back to Pienza where they were staying. Back at Trove, we helped Barbara with some of the tidy up – but we didn’t have to do the dishes!

Day 4: By now we had spent three full days with Jenny and Tony and the more we spent time with them, the more we liked them and I think (hope) the feeling was mutual. There was an easiness between all of us that doesn’t usually come until years into a friendship, if it comes at all. Jenny and I are almost the same age (just 18 months apart) and I felt a kindred spirit from the start. We talked about all kinds of things and found we had a lot in common. Conversation came easily between all of us, as did the laughter. We laughed so much during those days together, it was so much fun. Meeting this couple and having the opportunity to develop a friendship with them was an unexpected gift we received in Tuscany. We hope to see them again when we reach Sydney, Australia (their home city) later this year.

Back to our last day in Tuscany with Jenny and Tony and Ugo of course. We did our longest walk that day – 10 km from Montalcino to Sant’ Antimo. Ugo wasn’t feeling well and we were all concerned for him, but he was determined to keep going. It turned out to be the most interesting and challenging hike. Not only was the distance longer, but the terrain was more rugged as we traversed several rather steep hills. We passed through forests which offered us a respite from the relentless heat and sunshine (it was close to 30C) where we observed the tracks of wild boar. The views were stunning. We ended in Sant’ Antimo where we lingered in the coolness of the abbey where the monks sing Gregorian chants during mass. Unfortunately, no service was underway while we were there; maybe we’ll have a chance to go back before our time is up.

We took the bus back to Montalcino where we enjoyed another wine tasting before we said our final good byes. Jenny and Tony were heading to the town of Chuisi from where they would catch a train the next day to Nice (well actually, it would take four trains to get there, but who’s counting). They still had another month of vacation to enjoy and they were planning to spend it doing similar walking tours in the wine regions of Southern France. I was tempted to drop our plans and join them, but we were committed to Barbara and Ugo for the next two weeks, and the Camino was beckoning as well. We’ll just have to wait until Sydney to enjoy their company again.

After experiencing four days of walking tours with Ugo, I would highly recommend this form of travel to anyone who wants to get off the tourist track in exchange for a more authentic Tuscan experience. Ugo is very organized and experienced and knows the region like the back of his hand, and everyone knows him too. He adapts the tours based on the needs and interests of the clients (more walking, less walking), and of course the weather. Speaking of the weather, we enjoyed warm, sunny days without so much as a hint of rain for the entire week. It felt more like summer than spring On Sunday, when Tony and Jenny left for Nice, the weather turned and we had a ferocious storm that night followed by much cooler, wetter conditions.

Travel Tip: If you want to see fields of poppies (as depicted in so many photos and paintings), visit Tuscany in the springtime (May is best in my opinion as it can still be quite cold and wet in April). At this time of year, the fields have been planted and are just starting to sprout. The vineyards have been pruned and are also budding new growth. There are so many shades of green, it is dazzling to behold.

Travel Tip: If you really want to explore Tuscany, join a walking tour such as those offered by Ugo and Barbara’s company, Tuscany Under the Skin or rent a car and do it independently. Buses and trains connect you to the larger towns, but there is really no other way to see the charming medieval hill towns and gorgeous countryside.

Attention to all our readers: First we are assuming there are still a few people out there who are reading our blog. Did anybody notice anything unusual about our Rome posting? And what about the naked photo of Chris bathing in a bucket – did anybody notice that one? We thought for sure these photos would have prompted a comment or two, but nada, not a word. So what’s it going to take? Do we need to post pictures of Chris bending over to pick up the soap? Let us know while we’re still in Tuscany 🙂

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Running around in Rome

May 15, 2012 christina Europe Italy Travel Tips

By the time we arrived in Rome, we were all starting to show signs of travel fatigue but we continued our gruelling pace for the final three days, in fact, I think our pace intensified as there was so much to see in Rome. We had another great apartment located a short bus ride from the historic core. It was a large two bedroom, two bathroom apartment with a very modern kitchen and a lovely, private patio/garden.

Trevi Fountain

We arrived at the tail end of Culture Week (held each year during the first week after Easter) which allows visitors free access to all the national museums with a few exceptions. Over the course of three days, we saw the following sights: the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, St. Peter’s Basilica, the Colosseum, the Arch of Constantine, Palantine Hill, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, numerous churches as well as several smaller museums. We walked everywhere and along the way enjoyed the different squares: Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Venezia, Piazza Navona, Piazza del Campidoglio, Piazza di Spagna, Piazza de Trevi to mention a few. Rome is a treasure chest of archaeological and artistic treasures, with a rich history that spans two and a half thousand years; it is a melting pot of architectural styles such as ancient, medieval, renaissance, baroque, and neoclassical. We barely skimmed the surface as we tried to cram as much in as we could; you could easily spend a month in Rome and still have more to see.

The Colosseum

Inside the Colosseum

Sonja at the Colosseum

Piazza Venezia

The Spanish Steps

Sonja and Christina in a courtyard of a museum.

Street scene in Rome

One of many statues we saw in Rome.

The Pantheon

Inside the Pantheon.

The opening at the top of the dome measures 43.3 m in diameter, which also happens to be the height of the Pantheon at its highest point.

Amongst the ancient ruins.

Piazza del Popolo

While in Rome, Sonja ran another marathon distance – she has committed to running the equivalent of a marathon each week this year. Why? She thought it was a fitting challenge for her 52^nd year of life, thus the name of her year-long event: 52 @ 52. As part of this event, she is raising funds for the Ottawa Chapter of the Snowsuit Fund. You can follow her weekly runs from the comfort of your couch via her website: There’s Something About Running. Or if you’re a runner, you are welcome to join her Sunday running group most of whom run 20K with her. And everyone is welcome to support a good cause and help her reach her goal of raising $5,200 for the Snowsuit Fund.

Sonja planned to run the Rome Marathon route which proved to be rather complicated and difficult to follow. I joined her at the beginning with the intention of running the first 10K, but somewhere along the way we took a wrong turn and got off track by a few kilometres. There was nothing I could do but keep running with her until we got back to a more recognizable neighbourhood and a bus stop. I surrendered after 20K (didn’t know I still had it in me to tell you the truth) and after enjoying a cappuccino together in a little café, we went our separate ways – Sonja continued on to complete the route a couple of hours later, and I headed back to the apartment to meet up with Chris for another afternoon of sightseeing. It was a fun run and the route was great passing all kinds of interesting historic sights, even though we got lost for a while. It was a sunny, dry day, almost too warm by early afternoon, but much better than the miserable weather we had in Milan the week before.

Video: Running in Rome (before we got lost)

My favourite sight in Rome was our visit to St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. We arrived at St. Peter’s before 8:00 well ahead of the crowds. This was the most beautiful and largest church we have seen to date. The Basilica is almost a kilometre away from the entrance to the Vatican museums and the lineup was almost as long. Happily, we had reserved our tickets in advance (see travel tip below) and could therefore walk to the front of the line. It was only 9:00 when we entered and the long corridors were already clogged with tour groups. We agreed in advance that we would go our separate ways and meet later in the afternoon – a wise decision given the crowds.

Crowded corridors in the Vatican.

St. Peter’s Dome and Altar

Since I was most interested in the Sistine Chapel, I headed in that direction, elbowing my way through the tour groups that would stop and block the entire passageway – how annoying! As I entered the dimly lit Sistine Chapel, I felt a twang of disappointment. The large rectangular room, reputed to be the same dimensions as King Solomon’s temple, was jam packed with tourists – wall to wall, you could barely move. It felt claustrophobic and seemed almost irreverent the way people were talking so loudly, especially the tour guides. I walked to the centre of the room and just stood there quietly, looking all around me. My neck started to hurt as I peered at the ceiling above. I caught snippets of information from the tour guides. As I started to understand some of the paintings, I wanted to learn more. After all, here I was standing before Michelangelo’s masterpieces that some authorities deem to be the best in the entire world.

Ceiling of the Sistene Chapel with the famous “Creation of Adam” panel,
one of six that told the tale of the creation and downfall of mankind.

Sistene Chapel – Judgement Day by Michelangelo

Sistene Chapel – View looking towards the back.

Sistene Chapel – View looking towards the front.

I decided to go back to the entrance and get an audio guide and then proceeded to spend the next five hours slowly making my way back to the Sistine Chapel, visiting the many museums along the way. The amount and variety of art I saw that day was simply astounding. As I made my way back to the Sistene Chapel, I took a “wrong” turn and discovered the four rooms known as the Stanze of Raphael. These rooms formed part of the apartment situated on the second floor of the Pontifical Palace that was chosen by Julius II della Rovere (pontiff from 1503 to 1513) as his own residence and used also by his successors. The walls and ceilings were covered with frescos painted by Raphael and his school between 1508 and 1524. Below are scenes from the Raphael rooms.

Back at the Sistine Chapel which was even more crowded in the afternoon, I sat on a bench along the wall and listened to all the audio segments describing every aspect of the Chapel. I left with a much better appreciation and a deep feeling of gratitude for having the opportunity to witness in person such magnificent masterpieces from the past.

As our whirlwind tour through Italy came to an end, we saw Sonja off at the airport and we spent the the next three days just taking it easy in our apartment in Rome. Honestly, we were exhausted and tired of playing the tourist. We were very much looking forward to our next adventure, a month on a farm in Tuscany.

Travel Tip: To avoid insanely long lineups, I’m talking hours of waiting, purchase tickets to the Vatican Museums and Sistene Chapel (one ticket covers admission to both) online in advance. Buy the tickets directly from the Vatican ticket office to avoid excessive surcharges. The entrance fee per person (unguided) is 15 euros plus a pre-sales fee of 4 euro. Once you complete your on-line purchase, a voucher will be emailed to you. Simply print the voucher, and show it to the ticket agent at the front of the line.

Travel Tip: Avoid the long lineups at the Colosseum by purchasing your ticket at the entrance to Palantine Hill which is just a few minutes away. Your ticket gives you access to both sites.

Travel Tip: If you are staying outside the historic district as we were, purchase a multi-day bus pass (12 Euro for 7 days). We used the bus system extensively. Piazza Venezia was a central hub where most bus lines terminated.

Travel Tip: For better food at more reasonable prices, head over to the Travestere neighbourhood. It’s a 5 minute bus ride from Piazza Venezia.

Note: We have been at Trove, the farm in Tuscany for more than two weeks already. I have several entries ready to post but a bad storm a few nights ago knocked out the telephone service and we have been without internet ever since. Such is country living I suppose. Currently finishing this entry from an internet cafe in a town called Sinalunga. Hopefully we’ll be back on line within next couple of days and will then be able to post to the blog.

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Getting lost in Venice

May 13, 2012 christina Europe Italy Travel Tips

Upon the recommendation of one of our guidebooks, we spent two days deliberately getting lost in Venice which is not hard to do when you consider Venice is really a collection of 118 islands connected by 400+ bridges. At times we split up and went our separate ways but for the most part we wandered through the streets together.

Around every corner, we saw charming scenes unfold: winding alleyways some just a few feet wide, medieval buildings bulging this way and that, stone bridges over canals, unexpected piazzas, gondolas and their drivers in their black and white striped jerseys and straw hat – it was a photographer’s dream. Sonja was giving her new camera a good workout – I think by the end of our trip, she exceeded 1500 photos! I tagged along with the little point and shoot which I use to entertain myself more than anything as I wait for the photographers with the real cameras. I would describe myself as a reluctant photographer, a photographer of circumstance not necessarily of choice. Sometimes I do surprise myself when I manage to take a half decent photo. And I must admit I am always secretly pleased and perhaps even a little smug when I happen to get a great shot other’s have missed.

Sonja and I managed to squeeze in a few early morning runs while in Venice which was a great opportunity to see the city awaken. It was surprising to see the number of people already heading off to work at 6:30 am. I was intrigued by the way boats were used to make deliveries of every sort in much the same way trucks are used in other cities. The other thing that amazed me was how the postal service managed to deliver the mail in what looked to me like a maze. After our run each morning, Sonja treated us (I always forgot to bring money, convenient, I know) to a couple of cappuccino’s at the coffee bar around the corner from our apartment – we were practically regulars on a first-name basis with the owner by the end of our visit.

We visited Piazza San Marco both during the day and one evening. Because of a tip offered to us by the hostel owner on our first night in Venice, we managed to avoid the long line up of tourists waiting to get into the Basilica (see travel tip below for more details). It felt a little like cheating when we walked past everyone to the head of the line, showed our pass, and waltzed right in. The Basilica is an example of Byzantine architecture that dates back to the 9th century although much has been altered over time. Once inside, we were in awe: the walls, ceiling and floor of the Basilica were adorned with complex, bright mosaics. We couldn’t take pictures inside, but managed to capture a few shots in the corridor just outside the main entrance.

When we returned to the Piazza at night, we were surprised to see a wooden walkway erected from one side of the Piazza to the other because it was now covered in ankle deep water that was rising. We were experiencing what is known as the Acqua Alta, “high water” which is caused when several events coincide: a very high tide, low atmospheric pressure, and a scirocco wind blowing up the narrow, shallow Adriatic Sea which forces water into the Venetian Lagoon. By official definition, acqua alta occurs when the tide is 90 mm (3.54 inches) above normal high tide. I’m not sure how high the water got the night we were there, but it was up to the knees of those who waded into the lowest parts of the Piazza. This natural phenomenon used to be rare, but lately it happens quite frequently, many times each year in fact, mainly during the winter months between September and April. As you can imagine, this type of flooding causes all kinds of problems so much effort is being made to find solutions that range from floodgates at the Lagoon’s entrances to raising of pavements in low-lying areas of the city.

We wandered into many churches which could easily be mistaken for art galleries as these churches were home to wonderful works of art, even some masterpieces, from famous Italian artists. The buildings themselves were stunning examples of Renaissance architecture.

A trip to the Peggy Guggenheim Museum, home to a collection of modern art, offered a refreshing change of scenery. The museum is housed in what used to be the home of Peggy Guggenheim and her family for over 40 years. It was interesting to learn how this rich American heiress used her inherited wealth to advance living artists of her day. The museum is a tribute to her generosity towards the arts and a lasting legacy of her contribution to the art community.

Before we arrived in Venice, I had the romantic notion of taking a ride in a gondola with Chris, but this fantasy was dashed when we saw the gondolas lined up like taxis, and then stuck in traffic jams along the canals. It was anything but romantic. We decided we could find a better way to spend 120 Euros – yup, that’s what 30 minutes in a gondola will set you back these days.

In Venice, and in many other places in Italy, restaurants will charge a service charge (not to be confused with a tip which is still expected), a cover charge (for the privilege of stepping foot in the establishment) and now something we had never seen before, a table charge (an added cost for sitting at a table rather than standing at a counter). We discovered (the hard way of course) having a coffee at the table could cost as much as 3 times what you would pay if you drank it at the counter. No wonder Italians order their shot of espresso and down it quickly while standing. It is a very different culture from North America where lingering over a coffee at Starbucks or Tim Horton’s while reading the paper or a book or catching up on your email is a common way to spend an hour or two. In spite of the added charges, we still enjoyed some great meals in Venice but suffered through a few misses too. The gelato was divine, especially the mango flavour which tasted just like the fruit.

Venetian masks, a centuries-old tradition of Venice, are typically worn during Carnivale (Carnival of Venice), but have been used on many other occasions in the past, usually as a way for hiding the wearer’s identity and social status. Mask are sold everywhere in Venice but shoppers must be wary of the cheap knock-offs from China which are distinguished by their low price and equally low quality. The masks that are made in Italy are often made right in the shop where you can observe the artist at work. These masks are works of art and can be quite elaborate, with a matching price tag (hundreds of Euros). I took advantage of my sister’s presence (and willingness to be our mule both bringing provisions to us from Canada and taking things back home), and selected a beautiful mask for my daughter Alyssa who had just celebrated her 25th birthday. As a collector of masks, this seemed like the perfect gift for her. I’m not sure why we made an exception to our “policy”of not buying gifts or souvenirs….it just seemed like the perfect opportunity that I didn’t want to pass up.

After spending four full days in Venice, we all agreed that this was our favourite city in Italy and that four days was a sufficient amount of time to get a good sense of the city and to see the highlights. Much more time would be needed if you wanted to visit more museums. And so we were off to Rome, our final destination on this whirlwind tour through Italy.

Video: Snapshot of Venice

Travel Tip: Avoiding the line ups and saving hours of precious time at San Marco Basilica is as simple as checking a bag. The baggage storage is located off a small alleyway to the left of the church. Just ask a security guard on the side of the building to point you in the right direction. You simply leave a bag (we left an empty camera bag) in exchange for a token which then permits you (and your group) to walk straight into the church, avoiding the line altogether. You see, entrance to the Basilica is free of charge; people are lined up just to have their bags searched by the security guards.

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Our round the world trip comes to an anti-climatic end

What’s for dinner in the Mekong Delta?

The best and the worst beaches in Thailand

Stranded in Penang after a side trip to Singapore

Breezing through Berlin

A grand perambulation through Ireland

The family vacation continues in the UK

A walking tour of Tuscany

Running around in Rome

Getting lost in Venice