Happy Holidays

If anyone is still reading this, we'd sure like to know! e-mail to robanddeirdre@shaw.ca...

I promised to make a few more entries but have been very busy recently. David and James have been doing lots of swimming at the SAIT pool. They're really enjoying it. David was also doing drama camp this fall and was in a play at the Pumphouse Theatre a few weeks back. Today was the last day of school for the boys; over the break they'll be doing some art classes, and then starting cross-country skiing (Jackrabbits) in January. Hopefully the weather will stay a bit on the warmer side, and the snow will come down in heaps in the mountains.

Apart from this, we are looking forward to a relaxing break from school. Some Skiing, skating, and a few parties and visits with friends, a big turkey dinner at the Delta on Christmas day and New Year's in the Porcupine Hills - sounds like a traditional Alberta Christmas time I guess.

Merry Christmas to all those far away; we are missing a vist with Jill in Toronto at the moment as she is in town singing the Messiah with Taffelmusik. Hope she has a good time! Best wishes to the Irish cousins, Aunts and Uncles, and of course, to GP & GT in Toronto.

Sad day

This just a short note to relate the death of Craig Foss. Craig and his wife Maureen rstayed in our house while we were away adventuring. At that time, Criag had a bone marrow transplant, and eventually recovered to the point where he could be home for a while. Unfortunately, Craig's cancer spread to his lungs, and yesterday evening, he lost his long battle.

Maureen's message can be seen at http://craigfoss.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=115

Bright sunshine in Alberta today.

Weather's Good There in the Fall...

It's been a long time since we've added anything to the old travel blog, but we decided it was worth keeping going as a means of updating any interested folk on our life and activities. If you scroll down, there are a couple of new larger format pictures, as well as the little ones on the side.

Back in August, both David and James went to COP camp. The late summer weather was excellent, and we got up to the mountains a bit for some hiking and canoeing. We spent a lot of time working on the garden at Ecole King George with the other volunteers, and have managed to make the area under construction look pretty nice. It features some new elements including an outdoor classroom amphitheatre.

I was back to school in the third week of August, back to Ecole Fairview, and the boys started back in September. James is in grade 1 with Madame Marie, and David in grade 5 with Madame Doan. They are both having a good start to the year. Apparently taking five months off to travel was not too harmful. Deirdre is the new chair of the Parent council at King George, and I am organizing the fundraising casino so we can buy a new playground. Lots to keep us busy.

We had a great visit from Grandma Pat and Grandpa Tony in September. They were out West to attend a wedding anniversary party for Doug and Libby Wise in Kelowna. The great weather persisted and they had a fine time cruising Lake Okanogan looking for Ogopogo. It is always a treat for David and James to see their grandparents. We had the added bonus of helping grandpa Tony ease up to turning 70, and a party complete with Crave cupcakes. In the middle of their visit, I was off with 40 students and 3 other teachers for a week of sail training with SEA Programs. This is the 11th year I've taken a group out, and it marks 15 years of sail training with CBE students for me. The trip was wonderful; we had great weather, and saw a lot of marine life. All the students did really well, and all the ships were happy. It is always good to reconnect with the SEA crew, though I miss spending time with Captain Greg on the Passing Cloud. The big news in the SEA family is the upcoming marriage of Captain Ryan, and former first mate Kim, the Goddess of the Galley, in Kamloops next summer.

At Thanksgiving, we had a visit from Simon, Sharon, Caleigh, Jenna and Bram. A good time was had by all. James insisted that Jenna stay in his room. We all went to the Westside wave pool/water slide to build an appetite for the BIG TURKEY DINNER which was fabulous. Again, we had great warm, dry fall weather and spent a lot of time out enjoying the sunshine at the zoo and playgrounds.

Throughout October, the weather has been good enough for me to keep cycling to work. The mornings have become a little dark and icy, but the afternoons are generally glorious. Last night was Hallowe'en; David was a Zombie/Skeleton rising from a tomb stone, and James was Hobbes (the tiger; not the Philosopher). The evening was mild and the whole neighbourhood was out socializing. The candy haul was good, but not outrageous.

Adjusting back to normal life has been a bit of a challenge. After spending so long moving from one amazing place to another, it's tough to head up and down the same streets every day. I'm imagining we'll adjust (no choice!) but I'm also planning for the next big adventure, possibly in 2011. Tomorrow night we are hosting the 2nd of 3 slide shows of our trip photos. We still have over 7000 photos to finally process, organize and share. It will take a while to get through it all. Meanwhile, we enjoy looking at our trip, and remembering all the places, but especially the people, we connected with.

Watch this space for more to come...

New Pictures for those still looking

Now that we've had a chance to save and store our images from the trip, we've changed all the ones on the site. Hope you enjoy. David and James are liking being back home. Both have been swimming at the outdoor pool, and enjoyed time at COP Adventure camp.

David turned 10 on August 6th - small party included a trip to the pool and David's favourite meal, fusilli longhi, with lots of capers. Thanks for all the birthday greetings and presents!

Not sure how often we'll keep up with the blog, but we will add some text and pictures from time to time. Continue to check it out, especially around major holiday/vacation times, if you wish.

Home again, home again...

We have now been back in Calgary (safely) for a couple of days. Starting to reflect on 5 months away. Visits to 27 castles, countless markets, countable UNESCO World Heritage Sites and many many museums.

No hospital visits!

No illness, in spite of drinking the local water and munching the local street food everywhere we went!

On budget! (well, almost)

And I will be changing all the pictures on the blog over the next few days for sure. Thanks for watching us on our trip; we will be planning a party soon where attendees can view a highly edited version of our 5000+ trip photos.

Many huge thanks to Maureen & Craig for taking such good care of our house through their ordeal, and to Bob, Holly, and Becky for looking out, cutting grass (never looked this good before) and picking us up at the airport!!! And then feeding us Pizza!!!!!!!

Noonway.

maybe the last entry from the field?

Can't beleive we're almost home! We have had some great adventures through Scotland and Wales, including a trip out to the Isle of Mull (from where Calgary gets its name) and the sheepy mountains around Snowdonia. We met a world-champion sheep-dog handler, Aled Jones, and saw how his dog Gwyn can collect sheep and move them where ever he wants. Sheepdog puppies were plenty cute too. We also went deep into King Arthur's caves, visited the slate mines and spent a day on the beach. Carnaerffon castle was also a great visit and we were very saw to have to say goodbye to Cyffdy cottage when we had to leave.

Travel tip: the Yout Hostel in Bath is full of mold. Don't stay there.

In London now, and have been to the RAF Museum, Hyde Park (where James clonked his head on the playground again), Tate British and Modern galleries and the Tower of London. Lots of good bloody stories there for sure.

Tomorrow the boys reach the promised Mecca of Legoland. We'll visit Deirdre's cousin Chitra on Saturday and hopefully get to Hampton Court Monday. We're loving staying in Jill's house, but wish she was there with us!

See y'all back in Calgary Aug. 1st

Bonnie Bonnie Banks o Loch Lomond

Just figures... we want a quiet highland getaway and they have to host the Scottish Open golf tourney 3km down the road from our hostel... Traffic is a problem, but all the golfing stars are out and about. So, we've been enjoying this part by visiting some castes. First, Doune Castle, where the lion's share of Monty Python and the Holy Grail was filmed. They even give you coconut shells at the entry to enhance your visit. Very cool to see the spot where John Cleese (Launcelot) slashed his way through the peasants to save the 'princess' in the tower, and to see the wall where the French Knights taunted King Arthur and his men, and eventually launched a cow at them! Fun castle visit!

From there, we went to Loch Katrina for a boat tour and some local stories of Sir Walter Scott, who apparently landed a 34 lb Pike from the Loch. More recently, it is the drinking water supply for Glasgow, some 30km away. Nice highland views. Today we visited Stirling Castle, and the battlefields where William Wallace and Robert the Bruce became legendary as true BRAVE SCOTS. The boys love the gory history for sure. Axes in heads. Drawing and quartering. All very cool for sure. We also visited the Falkirk Wheel - a giant lift-lock on the canal system which uses a unique set of gears and wheels to raise and lower boats.

Then, back to the hostel, which is a massive estate home which looks a bit like Hogwarts's converted for hostel use. Our room is in a turret on the 3rd floor. Again, the boys think it's pretty cool.

If anyone is still reading this blog (I know it's summer now) thanks. We are just a few weeks from coming home and have enjoyed the e-mails and comments. We are having fun, but looking forward to seeing family and friends again!

Best whiskey we've tried... Monkeyshoulder - a vat blend of three highland malts - excellent taste, good value and a really cool bottle - look for it!

We are in Oban where the local whiskey shop is staffed by someone from Saskatoon!!!

We are doing well in the West lands, and have visited some really beautiful places. A few days ago, we stayed at Glenfinnan, near the viaduct where all the dramatic train scenes from the Harry Potter movies were filmed. Every day, the Jacobite steam engine chugs up from Fort William and stops there en route to Mallaig on the coast. We rode the train, in one of the compartments used to film the scenes with the swirling 'Dimentors' and had a great time looking out over the hills an forests used to make the famous films. James and David were a little excited about all this.

We stayed in the Glenfinnan Rail Car sleeper - a hostel with a very small room, a nice kitchen and a seating area. The car is located beside the Glenfinnan station and is a really cool place to stay if you ever have the chance.

from there, we drove down the coast to Ben Nevis, and hiked the shoulder to the Steall waterfall. It almost didn't rain on us, but the top of the UK's highest peak could never be seen due to thick clouds up high. The boys have not forgotten how to hike - they did really well and earned an ice cream for their effort!

Then, down to Oban where we had the best Haddock and chips yet. We were over to the Isle of Mull yesterday, and spent some time at Tobermoray. We wanted to get across to Calgary and Calgary bay, but the local bus service does not run on Sundays! Had to settle for nice views of the harbour and town where we were.

Today we visited the Scottish Seal Recovery Centre- a place for injured wildlife. It has a pretty good aquarium too. This afternoon, I met a shopkeeper in a really nice whiskey store who hails from Saskatoon. She really likes the Monkeyshoulder as well. Off to a coastal park for a beach walk now, and tomorrow, off to Loch Lomond.

SUPER BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO MEI LEE OGDEN for having the good sense to pick Jamie and JJ as her new parents. The pictures are awesome and you guys look great!


Cheers!

Wee bit 'o Cullen Skink in the Highlands

Happy Canada Day!

Tonight we are in Inverness, at the mouth of the river Ness, Moray Firth. We haven't seen any baby Nessie monsters in the river yet, but the paths and parks which surround the area are mystical and gorgeous. Scotland is a beautiful, natural place so far. We arrived last week in Aberdeen and drove down to Stonehaven in the driving rain. As it happened, out place there was on a high bluff looking over the North Sea at Crawton Croft. The house itself was amazing. Warm, comfy... we could have moved in for a long long time.

So - the Keiths descended from Robert de Keith who was awarded the lands near Stonehaven after the battle of Bannockburn. Subsequent generations of Keiths built up the area, including William Keith who built Dunottar Castle (used in Mel Gibson's 'Hamlet'). We spent some time there, and at Kennef Kirk down the road (plays big in Keith history) and also had some time in Aberdeen at the Maritime museum and Marishal College. We also visited Montrose, Brechin and the Caledonian Railway. The coast in this area is powerful - there are sea-birds everywhere (but only one Puffin) and the forest walks are tranquil. David and James are ready to stay and re-claim the Keith lands.

On our travels, we've also been to Lossiemouth, Keith, and the Glenfiddich distillery at Duffstown. It's Free! And they give you whiskey at the end of the tour! Today we visited the Scottish Wooden boat festival at Portsoy on the Moray Firth - very cool old ships and small boats, and a really nice harbour town.

And lots of Cullen Skink! Yum.

So now we are planning to escape to Skye, then on to Mull and hopefully Iona. Then to Loch Lomond and to Wales beyond. We hope to see Nessie on our trips around Loch Ness - will have the camera ready...

The local news is of flooding and of a car-bomb at the Glasgow airport. We are far away from those troubles, and appreciating that immensely. The boys are in good spirits. Still riding the high from the great time we had in Ireland. We hope everybody had a great Canada Day and will try to update again as soon as possible.

Ireland is the biggest counrty in the world

According to Sean and James Egan, it's true. James Keith and David are suspicious, because they know all the words to 'Canada's Really Big' by the Arrogant Worms. Apparently, there are many underground levels we haven't seen, and less gravity in the North of Ireland where Finn McCool is from, so everything is really really big up there. Irish weather has been living up to the legend for the past few days. heavy rains and even some flooding along the rivers in and around Dublin. It's made drying the laundry quite a chore.

Yesterday we spent some time planning the last weeks of our adventure (Stonehaven, Aberdeen, Keith, Inverness, Glenfinnian, Isle of Mull and maybe Iona, Loch Lomond, and perhaps the two big cities of Scotland, then to Balla in Wales, Bath and London) and then headed out to see one of the largest tall ships in the world at the Liffey quays.

So, the ship is the Liberdad from Argentina. It is a massive three-masted full rigged ship, used for officer training. It is in Ireland to celebrate the fact that the Argentine Navy was founded by an Irishman, Admiral Brown.

Who knew.

In fact, the US Navy was also founded by an Irishman from Wexford - John Barry. There is a statue of the man in Wexford which, at one time, was visited by US President Eisenhower for a dedication. Anyhow, the Argentine ship was not open to visitors at the moment we arrived, but John Egan spoke to the young officer in charge in Spanish and they let us sailors on for a mini-tour. We also met Deirdre's cousin Cormac, his wife Neive and their 2 year old daughter Isabel down at the ship. When it really started raining hard, we repaired to O'Brien's Ferryman pub on the docks (to hear some real sailors swear) for a pint. Nice visit. Cormac is in a band called 'Stoat' - they have a web page if you are interested.

Last night, Deirdre and I joined Dan Egan at the Abbey Theatre (founded by Yeats) to watch a performance of the Crucible (Arthur Millar). Great performance, and a fine time at the pub after as well. Dan claims to be saving for another trip to Canada some time in the next 5 years or so, and we'll try to hold him to it.

Today we headed North into County Meath to see Seamus at the seminary where he lives, and to visit the 5200 year-old tomb at Newgrange. Older than lots of stuff in Egypt, it is. We had a a great time with the Egan men, and are now back in Dublin getting ready to fly tomorrow.

We have had such a great time in Ireland. Everyone has taken great care of us, and we've enjoyed every visit. Hopefully it will not be another 16 years before we return.

Many apologies for not updating pictures; I have been trying, but there is something wrong with the interface for our page here. They won't upload! We'll keep trying, or create another page for pictures (all 5000+ of them?). Cheers.

West Ireland Road Trip

Good afternoon from Claremorris, County Mayo. We have covered a fair bit of both rocky and fertile ground around Ireland in the last week. We drove towards County Clare via Limmerick where we stopped to see an interesting cave near Mitchelstown. The entrance is at a farmer's house, where one knocks on the door to pay the admission. From there we headed North to the Burren, a high rocky plateau covered with ancient mystical ruins. We stayed for three days at Clare's Rock Hostel, run by Pat Cassidy, right down the road from Cassidy's pub. You can see where this is going... Cassidy's bus lines take you to all the sites if you don't have a car. The local dairy, Cassidy's, makes really good ice cream...

The Burren is dotted with ruined ring-forts and Dolmans dating back about 1600 years. The area has been continuously settled for over 8000 years, which is hard to imagine given the very rocky terrain. We also spent some time at the Aliwee caves, the cliffs of Moher (where a scene from 'the Princess Bride' was filmed) and the swimming pool in the town of Lehinch. After three days of exploring, we headed Norht to Claremorris. We've been in the good hands of Dan Egan, Jarrod and Anne Egan (great dinner!) and their family, Noula (really great stew!) and Seamus and their boys John, Darraugh and Keiran, and have seen a lot of the county. We spent some time visiting with Deirdre's grand-aunt Kay at her house. She let us know that it's been there as a farm in he family for over 100 years.

Yesterday we climbed part-way up Croak Patrick, the highest mountain in Ireland and the mystical spot where St. Patrick fasted and contemplated the future of the faith of Ireland, and spent some time on the beach at Old Head near Westport. Just off shore from there is Clare's Island, home to Ireland's most famous Pirate, Grace O'Malley.

We've been staying at the Egan family farm which is still home to a few cows and a horse. At night, we burn peat in the fire, sip Irish whiskey. play cards and tell tales of adventures past and present. David and James have learned quite a bit of Irish history, and a lot about their family here. Today they had a chance to ride out in the tractor with Seamus Murphy to count the yearling cows in the far pasture, and to check out the milking operation at the farm. David is really interested in all of this; James just wants to drive the tractor...

Thursday we head back to Dublin, then to Aberdeen, Scotland on Sunday. It rains a lot here, but it sounds like the ground is more used to taking it up than in Clagary... keep your wellies handy...

Hot days in Ferrycarrig

Good evening blog watchers. We have been having a wonderful time staying with John and Bernadette Parle here in the sunny Southeast. Touring County Wexford makes one a true believer in Ireland's charm and natural beauty, no doubt. We've had absolutely glorious hot sunny weather since leaving Dublin. On the way down we stopped at the Abbey of Glendalough and had a great time driving the back roads with Eoin Parle. Over the last few days, we've spent some time on the stunning beach near Curracloe where the film 'Saving Private Ryan' was shot. Deirdre has been swimming in the Irish sea there, and the boys have been making excellent sand castles. We've also spent some time in the town of Wexford, been down to the sea at Kilmore Quays, explored the grounds around Johson Castle, toured a famine ship in New Ross, found our way out of an extensive hedge maze at Dunbrody Abbey and watched the surf pounding at the foot of the lighthouse on Hook Head.

Yesterday John Parle and Dan Egan took me to the county final hurling match at Nowlan Park in Kilkenny. County Wexford (the Yellowbellies sponsored by Wexford Cheddar) and County Dublin ( the Arnotts? sponsored by...Guinness?) played a thrilling, head-bashing, knee-snapping match that saw the favourite Wexford squad narrowly defeat Dublin in the dying seconds by one score. If you ever get a chance to see a hurling match, go. It made NHL hockey play-offs look a bit silly, especially considering NONE of the hurling players get paid a cent to play, and the effort they make in the game far surpasses anything routinely seen in professional sports.

Tomorrow is our last day in Wexford; we will be renting a car and winding along the very skinny roads towards Waterford and the Rock of Cashel. We'll be staying later in the week at Clare's Rock Hostel in the Burren, County Clare, near the cliffs of Moher, Dingle and Galway. We meet up with Dan Egan again in Mayo on Saturday and will spend some time on the farm where Deirdre's mother was born before heading back to Dublin. Having hard luck trying to get more pictures on this thing, but will try next time we have high-speed access.

Hope everyone in Calgary is recovered from the flood. HOT AND SUNNY IN IRELAND!!?!!

Lucky days

We are having a great time in Dublin, visiting with family (John, Geraldine, James, Sean, Mary, Peter, Catherine & Connel, Seamus, Padragh, Groinge, Olivia & Eoin, Ann, Alan, Serena & Joshua, Dan too) and seeing some sites. We've been to the natural history museum, and spent some time looking at tall ships on the Liffey during Dublin's Maritime Days festival. Also, we went to see Jack Sparrow escape from Davy Jones's locker at the movies with cousin Josh Warren yesterday, so the nautical theme continues!

Shortly, we are off the the Guinness Storehouse with cousin Sean Egan to see how they make the famous stout. Surprisingly, it's s'posed to be a good tour for kids, in spite of them not being able to consume the end product. Sean's brother James has started a summer job as an apprentice in the brewery, which includes daily free lunches and free guinness. Nice work if you can get it.

Tomorrow we head to the sunny South East with cousin Eoin Parle to see his parents John and Bernadette, and to maybe, finally get out to a pub or two. Must head out to learn the secrets of black beer (Dublin is from Irish "Duhb Lin", meaning black water or black pools - little did they know how important little black pools might become...)

Clare Feasby - still waiting to hear what a 'Hollaback Girl' is; maybe Meagan and Kate Norris can help out! Cheers, Amigos

Tall ships past our window

We left France today for Ireland and are very sad to have that part of our trip behind us. For the last week, we have been camped out on the beach at St. Briac sur Mer just West of St. Malo on the Cote d'Amour. That part of France is absolutely stunning and beautiful; we had an apartment in an old sea captain's house which is on the ocean side of a very posh golf course (golf Dinard for those wishing to google it). The tides are huge and powerful here, and the sailors are very traditional. Every morning through our window, we would see a variety of sailing ships headed out with school groups aboard. Occasionally, a really big tall ship would cruise by on the horizon under a towering cloud of sail. We visited St. Malo (from which Jacques Cartier left to colonize Quebec), Dinan, St. Juiac (lots of kite-surfing there), La Richardais, St. Servant (where there is an excellent museum dedicated to the Cape Horn clipper ship sailors), Fort de la Latte, L'Abbe du Beauport and Mont St. Michel. I will add some pictures soon!

In Dublin, we were met at the airport by Deirdre's uncle John; since our arrival a few hours ago we've been visiting with aunt Geraldine and cousins James and Sean, and had phone calls from Aunt Katherine and Uncle Seamus... the phone is ringing again... looks like we have a lot of visiting to do!

Best wishes to the Lambs - Lisa, James, Max and Charlie. We are very sorry to be missing what I hear is going to be (or has been?) a big party. We are sad you will be out of the 'hood for a while and hope all goes well in Texas.

Paris in the Spring

Hot and sunny in Paris today mixed with.... rain? Spring weather can change a lot here! So far we have visited the Eiffel Tower (big hit with James) been conned out of a water bottle and an apple by a gypsy (could have been worse), visited a science museum and spent 5 hours (!!!?!!) at the Louvre (big hit with David).

James has decided that all the classical depictions of guys with armor are missing the likely smell factor which would accompany their lifestyle. He's decided they all wore 'smellmets' on their heads; not helmets... James has such long hair now, he's starting to be a bit smellmetty himself.

Tomorrow we have a booking for Cité des Enfants at the science and technology centre. No Smellmets.

Paris is an amazing city; more amazing is our ability to instantly figure out the Metro and find a place for the boys to use the washroom withing 2 or 3 minutes! The travel skills one acquires... much easier in French than in Greek...

Our apartment is close the the Place de la Republique and is very small, but nice. The boys can find their way home on 4 diferent Metro lines.

Thanks to all for birthday greetings - so sorry to Gracie for not sending an e-mail on your birthday; we hope it rocked, girlfriend.

Happy Birthday to Rob & James

Today we leave Italy again which is sad as we have really enjoyed our time in this beautiful country. Since leaving Athens, we have been on the trains, visiting Verona (a very beautiful city), Venice (very hot and crowded, and not really magical at all), and have run through Milan to Genoa. In Verona, we stayed at the local youth hostel which is located in a 17th century villa with a 6 hectare garden. In the morning, we were woken by the sounds of thousands of birds singing, including cukoos. We managed to see all the attractions of Verona we missed the last time through 11 years ago, including the first century Roman Arena, the Castelveccio, the botanical gardens (with a maze!) and the biological museum.

In Venice, we slugged our way through the crowds to the Piazza San Marco to see the Doge's Palace and also a display of musical instruments from Vivaldi's school. When we arrived in Genoa, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice hotel - with a bath tub! James and David are actually clean! We saw the Aquarium which was amazing, and the Maritime Museum.

Today we are headed west, back to France, through Nice to either St. Raphael or Avignon, and then on to Paris on the TGV where we have a tiny apartment for a week. Hard to believe our trip is about half over; we've come very far and seen so many amazing things! Looking forward to more time in France, and then visiting the Irish Aunts, Uncles and Cousins starting May 30th.

Happy Birthday to Iris - sorry we won't be there for the Party - and to Colleen. James turns 6 in 2 days and is very excited about having cake! Tahnks Becky or the updates, eh?

Will update pictures at the next chance.

Caio caio

Parthenon at Night

Yesterday evening we went for a walk in the neighbourhood of the hostel, and experienced a bit more of Greek life and culture. It's good we're moving on as we're getting a little sick of eating so many Gyros with lots of tzatziki and feta. Still like the Mythos beer, though. We decided to take the metro down to the Acropoli for one last look as night settled over Athens, and were glad we did. The Plaka was full of people and music; there was a huge open-air book fair going on as well. We climbed up the sacred rock and circled the Acropolis which provided a very nice view of the city. I'll try t o attach a couple of pictures before our computer access is limited again.

Another highlight - we had a chance to call Kathy, Jeff, Hil & Grace. Very nice to hear voices from home . We wished they were here with us to share the night views,n and dodge the Albania Gypsy beggars.

Memories of Greece include sailing in 40 knots of wind, listening to gunshots (a possible Albanian revolution?) on the beach at night on Nissos Patros, James, Kate and Meagan bein g hoisted up the mast on the bosun's chair, eating 'meze' and octopus, wantering the cliffside at Santorini, and following a fisherman down the dock in Rhodes while he used a spear-gun to catch his dinner. Also, our sailor's pilgrimage to the Temple of Posseidon. James remembers all the portside playgrounds, including the big bug climber he fell off of at Nisos Spetsai (left a really big bruise). David will remember eating Gyros and playing on the boats, seeing schools of porpoises bounding over the waves towards the boat, and watching the beautiful tumbling sea from the bow.

Our trip so far has been amazing. We are almost half way through the 22 weeks of travel. There are days we miss home, and all our friends, but mostly we are excited about the next part of the adventure. We have met so many nice people who have been very kind to us, especially to David and James; we hope this trend continues as we work our way back West.

New Pictures!!

Finally some new shots of our adventure. Hope you enjoy!

Athens

Sadly, we have finished our time yachting in the Greek Islands. Our excellent skipper, Steve Hooker, left us at 3:30am to catch his flight back to Kos. Steve was great to sail with; he taught us a lot about handling boats, and took us to some amazing sites, including ancient ruins, beautiful towns and secluded coves. We stayed one night in a bay by the island of Dhokos, where Jacques Cousteau found a 3000 year-old ship which was still full of cargo. An amazing place where we were lulled to sleep by the sound of the bells around the goats' necks on shore. The sailing was great. We finished yesterday reaching across to the harbour accompanied by the local Optimist sailing fleet - young kids training to be the next generation of Olympic sailors.

We checked off the boat at 9:00am and are now at the Hostel Aphrodite trying to deal with VISA over a non-functioning credit card. The frustrations of travel! David and James are cruising the net as I type, and Deirdre is searching for the next places we'll stay on our way back to Paris. We really only have one day in Athens, and will try to see the Parthenon and a few other sites near our hostel.

Thanks Lynne and Brett for the text message - we got it on Steve's phone and are glad to hear you still have 'boat head' from rocking in the waves. Our little Bavaria handled the seas very well, but was not nearly as luxurious as the cat! Glad the plate made it home...

Good ship Fortuna

Hello from the island of Poros. Lynne, Brett et al have left us and it seems very quiet with them gone! We had a great 2 weeks on the boat with them and visited many amazing places. James is quite heartbroken not to have Meagan to fawn over. He has been busy telling us about when they get married, how many children they will have, and how nice they will be to their kids...

We liked the sailing so much that we arranged another boat for 6 days ( a Bavaria 41) and have headed out to explore the Peloponnessos. Very different from the other Greek islands and coast. Our boat sails very well, and we are enjoying sunshine and warm temperatures. Poros is beautiful - the harbour is loaded with luxury yachts - however, the water really stinks as there is no sewage system! Yuck! This morning we were rudely told to move our boat as our anchor was near the town's fresh water pipe. Turns out it was; I can see how they'd be upset if the harbour water got into their drinking supply.

We are back to Athens on Wednesday, and will explore there until the 6th of May when we head back to Italy. Sounds like Spring is arriving in Calgary - get out and enjoy it while it lasts!!!!

Greek Islands

Hello from the island of Ios - hippy backpacker centre of the ancient Greek world. We have had a great first week on the boat with our skipper, Steve, and have visited many excellent places. We've also dealt with the super high winds of the Meltami, and no wind at all. Very nice to stay in the ancient port of Rhodes, and to share the caldera harbour in Santorini with cruise ships that are actually floating! While there, we had a bit of a thrill as our bow line let go of the mooring bouy at about 1am. Fortunately, we werer still sitting up having a nightcap on the back deck and managed to re-tie. Didn't sleep as well after that, though. Yesterday we had an excellent sail - reaching across in a rare East wind to Ios, going 8-9 knots the whole way in the sunshine. Very nice sailing.

In our last week on the Agean, we will be heading north towards Athens, visiting Naxos and Mikanos on the way. The big cat Sparanza sails really well off the wind - we've been up to almost 14 knots at times. However, sailing upwind is a bit of a chore. Today, we're back into the wind... Good thing the kids have found their sea legs.

Sorry to hear about the Flames going down. Sounds like it was bound to happen. Must head back to the boat now to get underway.

Agean Voyage

Good day from Greece. Brett and Lynn, Kate and Meagan arrived last night and are stoked for the strong winds of the Agean. Our Cat, Sparanzia (Hope), is stocked with frosted flakes, chips, Mythos beer and Ouzo. Our skipper is Steve Hooker from Australia and he is tolerating the kids well so far (first day).

Over the next two weeks we will be in and out of small towns and ports. I haven't been able to update pictures recently but will do so as soon as I am able. We have enjoyed Kos, and have visited ruins and the tree supposedly planted by Hippocrates. with his blessing, all will be well with us on our voyage. We certainly hope that we will not end up like the cruise ship at Santorini. The story around here is that the owners ordered it sunk on purpose so they could collect the insurance money... Scandal in Greece...

Thanks for the messages - GO FLAMES!

Umbria and Kos

Hello blogwatchers - we have been relaxing with Deirdre's cousin Ann and family in the hills of Umbria, and are now in Kos, Greece, where the weather is sunny and the winds are strong. As I write, we are in a pub having a Mythos and gazing across the channel at Turkey. Nice to be here.

To backtrack, thanks so much to Ann, Allen, Joshua and Serena for a wonderful visit. Their Casa is built on a site used as a convent 300 years ago. On Easter Sunday, we were treated to a lunch of roast lamb cooked in the fourno (outdoor oven) by Allen. I must say all the food was amazing, but even more so the friendly company. Conversation around the table with all the relatives was a mix of Italian, French and English, with many jokes and a lot of laughter. A grand time. David and James had a great time getting to know new cousins and can't wait to see them again in Dublin in June.

Yesterday, we drove to the Airport Roma early in the morning, dropped the car and flew to Athens. We had a 2 hour lay-over and discovered the Athens airport is the most expensive place in the world. 4 Euro for a slushy??!!! That's 7 bucks!!! Then we boarded a smaller plane
to Kos and were met at the airport by Deirdre's Aunt Susan, who lives in Turkey. We are all staying at Hotel Yourgos right beside the yacht basin and are looking forward to our sail charter aboud the cat with Lynn, Brett, Meagan and Kate starting Saturday. The boys are well, and now trying their Italian on the Greeks... Always a step behind when we switch countries so fast... You can get a look at the boat we're on by googling Istion Yacht Charters and checking out the Lagoon 440.

The sun is shining and the wind is blowing. It is 24 degrees today and the locals are swimming in the sea. Far away from snowy Calgary, but we are missing the gang back home. If anyone would care to update us on the Flames, David would be happy. Deirdre has also realized that she no longer has her address book, so if anyone wants a post card, please sent us your address to robanddeirdre@shaw.ca Thanks Becky for your updates - you rock, even though you're getting a dog.

Opa!

Chianti

Sorry for not posting in a while - we have been busy. Since arriving in Italy, we have spent some time by the sea, and visited many interesting sites and cities. We started at the Marble quarries of Carerra - deep in the mountain where Michelangelo selected the stone for many of his most famous sculptures. The hostel we stayed at in Marina da Massa was an Italian villa taken over by the Nazis in WW2, and then converted to a hostel. A grand beach house made entirely of marble with NO CENTRAL HEATING!! We slept with 5 blankets each, but enjoyed the time there. On our last night, we were joined at the hostel by 14 Italian bikers from Rome. Nice guys, but really loud Harley D. bikes...

We also spent a day at Cinque Terra where David and James did some fishing with a very old man. They each landed a fish, and thought it was really cool. We have visited Lucca, Pisa, San Gimignano and Firenze as well. So far, our favourite spot is the small town near our farm house in Chianti - Radda. It is beautiful here, and the people are very nice. Francesco and Elinora, who own il Paggino, have done a great job of restoring the old stone farm house. They have about 10 ha of land, a pool, and a playground! There is an English family on vacation here as well. They have 3 children age 6 - 11 so the boys are happy to have made some friends.

I will try to add a few more pictures of our adventure if this computer will let me. We are doing well on our adventure, and looking forward to seeing Deirdre's cousins over the weekend. Also looking forward to sailing in Greece, and seeing Lynn, Brett, Kate and Meagan there.

Sorry to hear about all the snow in Calgary. Sunny and 20 in Chianti today.

Last day in Valencia

We have been having a good time learning about the city and all the goings on of the 32nd America´s cup. We visited the harbour and met Ross Halcrow for a tour of the BMW base. Very cool boats - lots of € being spent around here on the habour, the race. We spent today at the science centre here. The building is spectacular, and the displays are good. David and James are starting to get a bit weary of museums, but fortunately there are playgrounds and big spaces in which to run!

One of my favourite observations of our time in Spain is the interaction between Spanish teachers and their students. There is very little when they are on field trips for sure! Today, we spotted a group of 14 year olds having their sandwich lunch by the fountain. Their teachers were over by the tour bus enjoying their lunch with a bottle of wine and a smoke. This seems to be normal everywhere we´ve gone.

Tomorrow we fly to Italy where we have secured a hostel room North of Pisa, and then a cottage in Chianti for a few days. Don´t know how many posts we´ll get in, so I´ve added a few pictures to this one.

Happy Birthday to Kathy, Grandma Pat and Jill. Best wishes to Craig and Maureen and their family over the next few days. Hope all is well with everyone - send us a note to let us know what´s going on.

Sun shining, looking for a place to stay at Easter in Florence...

Hola - we went to and incredible playground yesterday - the Gulliver is a strucure with slides and climbers which is in the figure of the character, sprawled on the sand - all 110 feet of him! The boys spent an hour climbing all over, sliding and having fun. The playground ha its own first aid station with two full-time first-aiders. Fortunately, not required by us.

We also spent several hours at the aquarium, which is fabulous. The weather is warm and sunny, but we are indoors at the internet spot trying to figure out and apartment for Florence the week before Easter. Not an easy thing to do...

On Monday, we hope to see Ross Halcrow (former 11A Street resident and member of BMW Oracle yacht team) for a tour of the base before he heads out for more practice sessions. Looking forward to seeing the yachts up close.

Valencia

Hola - we arrived in Southern Spain after a lovely relaxing train ride down the coast. As we were pulling into town, we saw ll the towering sails o the America´s Cup yachts bent over in the stiff off-shore breeze. A very exciting visual for our first day here. We found our apartment with no trouble. The owners are very nice, and the place is beautiful - large rooms with high ceilings and lovely tiles on the floors. We went for a walk and found a playground with the biggest spiderweb climber, I´m sure, on the planet. And of course, the nearby cafe which serves the playground offers ice cream, beer, gin and tonics, etc.

Today we of to find the Oceanarium, and of course, more playgrounds. Over the next few days, we hope to play on the beach (25 degree weather), see some of the big Yachts in action, and generally enjoy the Spanish lifestyle. I´m beginning to see why Sean Connery chooses to live here...

Sights of Barcelon

Hola Amigos,

The playgrounds just keep getting better here. The one at the zoo was excellent, but today we found one which rated a 10 for the parents near the botanical gardens. Not only was the equipment good, there was a bar/patio attached where we bought cafe con leche, Fantas and beer! In a glass! There was a large group of Spanish kids playing, their ´supervising´ teachers were sitting back enjoying a few smokes, some conversation and some drinks. The playground bar also serves wine, whiskey, etc. I think we need this at Riley Park... Also some good notes for the Ecole King George playground/garden committee.

In the garden, we found a large hedge maze which entertained for about an hour. We pretty much had the place to ourselves in spite of the fact that entrance is free on Wednesdays.

After, we went down to the beach for a final visit before moving on to Valencia tomorrow. We saw a fashion photo shoot featuring a female model in very skimpy underwear, and a totally naked guy who went for a swim in the chilly ocean!

Also, we have seen some great architecture yesterday and today - the Sagrada Familla and the cool appartment designed by the same man (genious) Gaudi. We want a house that looks like that.

Thanks for comments. Will update pictures soon.

Cheesies are good in Spain

Hola from Barcelona. We are into our rental place by the beach for a few days now, and really enjoying the summery weather here - up over 25 degrees a few times. We had some problems getting into our place - agent never answered his phone - and some problems when we got in - drains were plugged and there was a flood - but we have managed to overcome, and the place has turned out to be nice and convenient. We are in the neighbourhood known as Poblenue, near a metro stop and a 5 minute walk to the Med.

So far we have strolled the beach, visited the Olympic harbour, the aquarium, the Museo Picasso and the Museo Maritimo. Today we spent 5 hours at the amazing Barcelona Zoo. David has really liked the attractions, James´s favourite spot is at the top of a very tall play structure on the beach. He has learned to say Hola to all the other kids and quickly engages in whatever game (pirates, bionicles, etc.) they are playing. We have figured out the transit system and will have time for a few more adventures before heading off on Thursday to Valencia, home of the America´s Cup Yacht race.

Again I am unable to attach pictures as I am at an internet outlet that won´t let me pug in. I´ll try to get some new shots up soon.

FYI - we are not checking our hotmail address too much as our shaw account is working fine. Please send messages to robanddeirdre@shaw.ca

We are all well, and starting to think that maybe 5 months in Europe might just be do-able after all!

Back to Carcassonne

Short entry - back to drop off the car and visit the old Cité one last time. It is now summer here -25° in the sunshine. Tomorrow off to Narbonne and then Barcelona on the train. The boys are excited because it's a TGV. But, we have to be up at 0600 to catch it. Always the rub....

Try for new pictures today

Yesterday, we took a trip down to Collioure near the Spanish border, in the shadow of the Pyrénées. It is a beutiful harbour town first established for trade by the Phonecians. It also boasts a massive Templar fortress built right on the edge of the harbour. I'll try to load on some new pictures today of some of the cool sights we've seen. In 1905 Matisse started experimenting with blotching colour on paper to create images and art that were new and somehow impressionistic here. Some of his earliest works are on display in the fortress.

Today we hope to see some caves near Carcassonne, and then maybe play boules in the square. The day after tomorrow, we are heading by TGV down to Barcelona. Our lack of ability to really speak an Spanish at all is freaking us out a little, but we've been assured by many people we've met that it won't be much of a problem.

Thanks to those who have left comments on the blog, especially Hilary Martin for leading us to he blog with the text of her award-winning speach!

David and James are evaluating the playgrounds of Europe for an upcoming publication. The playground on the beach at Colliure rated an 8.5 for scenery, quality of equipment and proximity to the sea.

Hillbillies of the Haut Langedoc

We have been enjoying our tour of the ancient Cathar towns of the region. A couple of days ago, we went to find a hotel on a high bluff overlooking the area, and the Med. However, it turned out to be one of the creepiest places we've ever seen, and was run by a couple with very questionable personal hygeine... The room was like a cave and smelled of mold; Deirdre and David began wheezing instantly, and the two Newfy dogs were freaking James out, so we left, weird banjo music ringing in our ears. Deirdre started figuring out how much it would cost to just go straight home...

However, we are excellent travelers, and by staying calm, being brave and waiting for the signs, we located Maison du Parc (www.maisonduparc.com) in the town of St. Chinian; it is so beautiful here, and the owners, Michel and Pascal, are very nice. They have cooked for us, and let us know about great local destinations. They have a very nice dog named Clovis after the first King of France, and a 75 year old tortoise named Lulu who came with the house when they bought it. Their garden is gorgeous and it is springtime here. Cherry blossoms are out, and we are seeing orange and lemon trees.

Today we are headed for the beach. Hope all is well with everyone back in the real world...

Expoling Southern France

Today started rainy whih was ok because we had to go to the airport to pick up our rental car - an Opal Corsa Deisel. We took a drive south to Esparenza to see the local Dinosaur Museum which was small, but really well laid out. They have made some significant discoveries in the area, and even have some displays about the famous Burgess Shale from BC and Alberta! After visiting there, we took a look at the Chateau Cathar at Rennes, which is high on a hill over-looking vallies and vinyards, and has views of the snow-covered mountains to the South.

We returned to Carcassonne for dinner and a beautiful clear sky followed by a dazzling sunset. Sadly I cannot add pictures of Carcassonne on this computer at the hostel. If you'd like to see more, go to www.carcassonne.org

Carcassonne is cool

We left London after a train adventure to Stansted airport. Ryanair is cheap - so cheap that the tube/train fare to the airport was much more than the flight! David and James enjoyed the 90 minute flight to Carcassonne where the airport is a dead ringer for the one in Kelowna, but with more palm trees.

A short bus ride through town took us to the Cité - the large ancient fortified castle origionally settled by the Romans. The history here is intense as this was a commercial cross-road of Europe and the former border between France and Spain. The ancient culture here had their own language known as 'Oc' - therefore the name of the area - Languadoc.

Our Hostel is within the walls of the Cité, just outside the gates of the Cathar castle. The streets are narrow, cobble-stone and full of interesting shops and bits of history. We have explored the old and new parts of town, and are getting a rental car tomorrow so that we can see more of the region.

David and James are doing well but Deirdre and I could use some more sleep! What else is new...

Hopefully a good picture of us all

Short post today - went to British Natural History Museum and saw many stuffed animals on display and lots of Dino bones too. Felt vaguely like Alberta, except for the MASSIVE CROWDS OF PEOPLE FROM MANY DIFFERENT COUNTRIES WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET OUT OF ANY ONE'S WAY... Sorry - was that out loud?

the Victoria Line

David & James have now memorized the station stops on the way in and out of Jill's line (Victoria) on the tube. Spent the day with Deirdre's cousin Chitra & Jill visiting the London Eye, touring the town by open-top bus, and in the Burrough Market. Had a great lamb shoulder dinner (which couldn't be beat) complete with purple potatoes and greens. Bought apples, but it turns out they're from Washington State.

Tired, but mostly over our jet lag now. Off to the National Gallery tomorrow, we think.

Can't say we're missing the snow in Calgary, but maybe a bit of the powder in the mountains...

RK

Hanging out with Jill in London

Had a great day yesterday taking the bus (riding on the top!) down to Stratford, and then the train under the Thames to Greenwich. Lovely day for strolling and playing in the park. We found that the clipper ship Cutty Sark is under repair and restoration until October 2008! But the Maritime Museum was open, so we did manage to see some great Nautical stuff. Also, the Royal Observatory with its famous clocks, and of course the Prime Meridian. James wanted a picture of Gumby and Pokey on either side of the hemisphere divider... We took a very relaxed boat cruise up river, past all the new development along Canary Wharf and then on under the Tower Bridge to Westminster. We managed to catch a lot of great views in the setting sun, and be on the tube in time for full Thursday evening rush hour. David fell asleep; James was chatting up a rather posh looking young woman, telling her about Calgary and how it is so snowy there...

Jill roasted a chicken for dinner, and her fellah, Tom came over. He brought a race-car set with a variety of Le Mans style racers which were a just bit of a hit with the boys. Hours of Jackie Stewart/Sterling Moss fun...

We hope to go to either Hampton Court (former home of King Henry the 8th) or the Science Museum today. It is sunny and warm, and there are flowers coming up everywhere.

London - day one

Left cold snowy Calgary at 6pm local time - overnight arrived Heathrow 9:45am. Saw Northern lights over Baffin Island on the way. Stacking up with the dozens of other huge planes over London was wicked fun - big lazy circles in formation with a British Air 767 over the city with great views of the the Thames, London Eye, St. Paul's, the Millennium Dome and the Parliament. Probably one of the most thrilling rides we'll have!

Jill met us and we had a downright scary taxi van ride back to her place in Walthamstow. Settled in, and then rode the tube down to Green Park. Daffodils are up everywhere. We visited the Canadian War memorial (nice fountain with scattered bronze maple leaves), checked out Buckingham palace - apparently missed seeing Queen Liz leaving in her car by about 10 minutes. We hung around thinking she'd just popped out for some beer or a loaf, but she didn't return. No changing of the guard when she's not at home! Lazy sods...

Visited Trafalgar Square before heading home on the tube for pizza dinner. Both David and James sound asleep on the tube... Experienced the truth of travel with kids as someone really had to go to the bathroom on the increasingly fast walk back...

Thanks Becky for the ride to the airport and the cookies this long morning ago! Thanks Jill for taking such good care of us on our first of 155 days of travel! Hopefully our energy will increase as we overcome our jet-lag, and we will see many more sights in London over the next few days.

Will post pictures as soon as we figure out how...

Rob

Last few days of adventure planning

Thanks to Iris and Neil for the great going away party last Thursday. The theme wines were particularly excellent - espicailly Spain! Can't wait to get there to taste more! Thanks to everyone else who has been helping us to ready for this trip - Becky and Colin for doing their stuff, Sue and Steve for offering to feed us as we stop stocking the fridge, Bob for being our house manager, and the Men of Kensington for buying me a couple of beers at the pub last night.

We are leaving Calgary on Tuesday Feb 27th, flying to London. In early March, we will be in SW France - Carcassonne and area - then we will move on the Barcelona and Valencia. In early April we will be in Tuscany, and will make our way to Salerno and Pompei. We fly from Rome to the Greek island of Kos in mid-April, and will be sailing back to athens on a chartered Lagoon 440 cat with our pals Lynn Brett, Meagan and Kate. We'll then be touring southern Greece, and fly from Athens to Milan in early May. We then are heading North to Courmayeur and take the gondola to France, arrving in Chamonix. We will be in Paris May 15-22, and then in Normandy. We fly from Nantes to Dublin May 30th and will have three weeks to visit with Deirdre's many Aunts, Uncles and cousins. June 32rd we are flying to Aberdeen and will be touring northern Scotland, including the western islands of Jura and Iona. We hope to visit the Isle of Mann, and will head back to Wales and to London in late July. If all this goes according to plan, we will be at Heathrow for our return flight to Calgary on August 1st, just in time for some group camping in Kananaskis?

Those wishing to make contact during the trip can do so through comments on this blog, or by sending e-mail to keithadventure@hotmail.com

We'll keep you posted...

Balzac Billy

So, our favourite holiday has come and gone - Grounhog Day. It's not just about the Bill Murry movie, or the prediction of early/late spring. This is Alberta. There is no such thing as spring; just chinooks, dry heat, cold and sometimes snow at any thime during the year. Sometimes all on the same day. No, what I like is that there is in fact no groundhog in Balzac, Alberta, so a guy dresses up in a gopher suit and pretends to see his shadow or not. What a country we live in! After clearly predicting an end to winter, we are looking forward to -20 degreeweather and more snow. Which is ok, because of the need to do more skiing, especially traction-kiting, if possible.

I wish I had a gopher suit to ski in.

Trip plans continue. We have added Barcelon and Valencia to our destination list, are are pleased that Jill will likely be joining us in bothplaces, and maybe on the yacht in Greece too!

Snowy Day

The red car is back in action. Busted timing belt and needed a new water pump. May have another 250000km's left in her yet. So, not so blue as a couple of days ago but still a bit blue, thinking about Sheena. Went to see the Ecole King George assembly this afternoon to celebrate the outgoing 'virtue' of organization, and February's incoming virtue of "Love". Boy, there's a whole lotta love there...

Read a comment in the paper about blogs, that they're nerdy and self-indulgent, and can rank the death of the family cat on par with that of the Pope. I guess that may be missing the nerdy point about sharing a journal; we don't know the Pope. This is really for David's class when we go wandering.

Fresh snow means possible traction-kiting on the weekend, or maybe just a romp in the powder of the Rockies. Gotta go - RK

January Blues

January comes to an end and it has been a sad last couple of weeks. The death of our dear friend Sheena Lennox has left us feeling very hollow. David and Deirdre flew to Winnipeg for Sheena's memorial. On the way back from the airport in Calgary, our red car died. So many endings at the moment. This page has been created to help us communicate what's happening while we are away on the BIG ADVENTURE. Hard to get geared up for it as a result of recent events, but we'll get there.

We've been thinking about Captain Greg Sager a lot reently too. He has just sold his beautiful schooner, the Passing Cloud, and is a captain with no ship at the moment. He is planning a beautiful retirement in Europe (not unlike his hero Captain Haddock of Tintin fame) but in our minds he is always linked to the sea and his beautiful ship.

We hope to communicate through writing and pictures what's going on as we travel. We leave Calgary Feb. 27th and fly to London to see Jill. From there, we fly to Carcassonne in the South of France. We'll update events from there.

Meantime, we'll try to post some pictures and make this thing look nice. - Rob, Jan 29, 2007