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.