Friday 24th
Early hours of Friday morning we have a layover of a two hours. Thankfully enough time to find our next departure gate and time to spare. We hop onto our last flight for some months. It is only and hour and 40 mins, but it was 45 mins leaving. We arrive in France mid afternoon. We have lost a few hours crossing time lines. We gather our luggage and head for the taxis to go to our next lodgings. Our driver is quite animated with the traffic, and I think it is a good thing we don't know to much French, as after one outburst, he asks of we speak French. We get to our motel, and it looks a bit ummmm, ordinary, shall I say. We go in, check in, find our room, and take in our surroundings. Yep, it's small, it has the smallest lift I have ever been in. Bob had to make two trips to get our suitcases to our room. But really, all we need is somewhere to sleep. After some catch up sleep, we venture out for a walk. Turns out, our room is only 500 mtrs away form one of the major landmarks of Paris, the Arc de Triomphe. And just a few streets away from one of the most desirable shopping areas, Champs Elise. We take a selfie at the Arc de Triomphe and then have something to eat and head back to the room for sleep.
Wednesday, 29 May 2019
28th May 2018
Monday 20th
Early start to the day, as we are leaving Calgary today and flying to Toronto. Our flight is at 10.30. We make the air port in good time and drop the car off to the rental compsny. Bob disposes of his hair shampoo as we are taking our smaller cases on board. We go through customs, Bob is cleared, but I have forgotten that my wet pack is in my small case. So I have the ladies go through my stuff, and we have to dispose some of my things. Conditioner, face cream, night face cream, clenser, toner, nail polish, and assorted other things, as I can only take what can fit in a 1 ltr bag. Lesson learned. I get through that, and Bob is waiting patiently for me. Just as well we were a little early. We get to the flight gate, and board our flight. Arrived in Toronto, we get a taxi to our place and meet the hosts. The wife is from Bolivia and she shows us the unit. It is nice and there is space. After a little rest, we take a walk to find something for tea. Well we survey whst is about and Tim Hortons was the best we could find. I guess being a public holiday limited choices. There were some interesting people in that place. But we eat, and head back to the room, stopping at a convenience store to get some things for breakfast. Interesting fact, today was a public holiday because the Canadians celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday.
Tuesday 21st
Today was a rest day. Did venture out and purchased some replacement items, and found a nice Italian Resturant to have for our evening meal.
Wednesday 22nd
We are going to Niagria falls, so we use Uber to take us into Toronto to the appointed pickup place. The bus comes and we go around and pick up other folks and head of to the falls. I had no idea that there was an actual city there. There are lots of things there, like an amusement park, lots of restaurants, hotels, shops of all description. We join the line up to get onto the boat, and get issued with raincoats. The boarding station is high above where the boat is, so we descend down the cliff side in a cable car.
Once on the boat, we go to the falls, and get throughly drenched. There are 3 falls, the American falls, Bridal veil falls and horseshoe false, which are the biggest ones of the 3. Absolutely amazing. 2.2 million litres per second fall at the horseshoe falls. On the other side is the United States of America.
There are some beautiful gardens around and lots of tulips coming into bloom.
We lunch at the Sheridan, and then boared the bus to see more landmarks around the area. First stop was the whirlpools, and watched the areocar go from one side to the other. The next stop was the largest floral clock, then the smallest chapel in the world, and finally we have a wine tasting. A good day was had.
Thursday 23rd
We go into Toronto and do some sight seeing, take pics at the Nathan Phillip Square. There are some great old building here. We leave Toronto this evening, heading to Munich then on to Paris. Our flight leaves at 6.25, we get a taxi to the airport, and do the mandatory stuff. Board or flight, and leave Canada and glee into the night. Canada has been a most wonderful place. Like australia, one needs so much time to see this place. But we have covered a fair chunk of it.
Early start to the day, as we are leaving Calgary today and flying to Toronto. Our flight is at 10.30. We make the air port in good time and drop the car off to the rental compsny. Bob disposes of his hair shampoo as we are taking our smaller cases on board. We go through customs, Bob is cleared, but I have forgotten that my wet pack is in my small case. So I have the ladies go through my stuff, and we have to dispose some of my things. Conditioner, face cream, night face cream, clenser, toner, nail polish, and assorted other things, as I can only take what can fit in a 1 ltr bag. Lesson learned. I get through that, and Bob is waiting patiently for me. Just as well we were a little early. We get to the flight gate, and board our flight. Arrived in Toronto, we get a taxi to our place and meet the hosts. The wife is from Bolivia and she shows us the unit. It is nice and there is space. After a little rest, we take a walk to find something for tea. Well we survey whst is about and Tim Hortons was the best we could find. I guess being a public holiday limited choices. There were some interesting people in that place. But we eat, and head back to the room, stopping at a convenience store to get some things for breakfast. Interesting fact, today was a public holiday because the Canadians celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday.
Tuesday 21st
Today was a rest day. Did venture out and purchased some replacement items, and found a nice Italian Resturant to have for our evening meal.
Wednesday 22nd
We are going to Niagria falls, so we use Uber to take us into Toronto to the appointed pickup place. The bus comes and we go around and pick up other folks and head of to the falls. I had no idea that there was an actual city there. There are lots of things there, like an amusement park, lots of restaurants, hotels, shops of all description. We join the line up to get onto the boat, and get issued with raincoats. The boarding station is high above where the boat is, so we descend down the cliff side in a cable car.
Once on the boat, we go to the falls, and get throughly drenched. There are 3 falls, the American falls, Bridal veil falls and horseshoe false, which are the biggest ones of the 3. Absolutely amazing. 2.2 million litres per second fall at the horseshoe falls. On the other side is the United States of America.
There are some beautiful gardens around and lots of tulips coming into bloom.
We lunch at the Sheridan, and then boared the bus to see more landmarks around the area. First stop was the whirlpools, and watched the areocar go from one side to the other. The next stop was the largest floral clock, then the smallest chapel in the world, and finally we have a wine tasting. A good day was had.
Thursday 23rd
We go into Toronto and do some sight seeing, take pics at the Nathan Phillip Square. There are some great old building here. We leave Toronto this evening, heading to Munich then on to Paris. Our flight leaves at 6.25, we get a taxi to the airport, and do the mandatory stuff. Board or flight, and leave Canada and glee into the night. Canada has been a most wonderful place. Like australia, one needs so much time to see this place. But we have covered a fair chunk of it.
Tuesday, 28 May 2019
25th May 2019
Friday 17th
Spent the day wondering around Banff, after we have been to the chiropractor that Bob has made an appointment with.This is the first time we have experienced some cold weather since we have been away, big coats and beanies have been bought out of the suitcases. It was wonderful to look at all the different things and shops, as most of them are targeted for tourists, with souvenirs, and gift items. Lots of eating places also. While I was waiting for Bob, I stopped into a shoe shop, and got talking to the sales girl, who happened to mention that a Cafe called White bark, does good coffee, as I was telling her about my quest for finding a good coffee. Turns out she is from Australia,( from Qld from a place called Goondiwindi), like so many of the sales people about the region here have come from Australia, and she has been told by other Aussies that this is the place to go. So when the chiropractor appointment is finished, we make our way to this place. It has got the better tasting coffee I have had since we have been in Canada
Saturday 18th,
It is still cold out, and a bit of rain has happened over night. Banff, was a really beautiful place, with so many different people, and everyone being happy. We leave Banff, and head for Calgary. The country side is so beautiful, and mountainous. Added bonus, is we see that there has been snow fall through the night, and it is so beautiful on the trees. Was not a heavy fall, but just enough to cover the trees lightly.
We get to Calgary and navigate our way to our next BnB. Rick and Dawn. We arrived a little early, but they let us into out accommodation. What a wonderful place, nice to be able to stretch out a bit, and spread out. After some rest time, we take a drive, to see whats about. And we find the biggest one in Calgary. One thing I have noticed in Canada, particularly in Vancouver and Calgary, and everywhere in between, there are lot of pick up utes, but not just small ones, 350 Ford's, Rams, Chev and GMC, and all v 8. Apparently there is not fuel crisis over here.
Sunday 19th,
So today we are on a journey to Edmonton. This is a 5 hr trip, to meet a guy that has the same name as Bob. He had been in contact with Robert Hockey for some time. The road from Calgary to Edmonton is as straight as a gun barrel. 5hrs of dead straight road. There was a a bit of traffic on the trip, but I guess as this was a long weekend for Canadians, so they were out and about, like us aussies do. Bob and i share the driving, again with the driving on the wrong side. But I am getting better. And I get to drive through Edmonton, with all the traffic, how bad could this get, lol. So after following the directions with gps, we find the required Resturant and find Robert Hockey. The Resturant Red Robin, is a nice place, casual, and much like
We sit and chat for around 3 hrs or more, asking questions and him asking us things also. He did say that when he thinks of Australia, he thinks of the spiders we have. I find this amazing when they have bears, and moose and all sorts of larger animals. So after our rendouvus , we head back to Calgary. Still take 5 hrs, and still just as straight. When we get back to our lodgings, Rick and Dawn are sitting in the bask yard with the neighbour having a a couple of drinks around a fire. (How very australian of them ). They invite us to join then, so we do, but we do have some washing to do, and get sort of organised as we are leaving in the morning.
Spent the day wondering around Banff, after we have been to the chiropractor that Bob has made an appointment with.This is the first time we have experienced some cold weather since we have been away, big coats and beanies have been bought out of the suitcases. It was wonderful to look at all the different things and shops, as most of them are targeted for tourists, with souvenirs, and gift items. Lots of eating places also. While I was waiting for Bob, I stopped into a shoe shop, and got talking to the sales girl, who happened to mention that a Cafe called White bark, does good coffee, as I was telling her about my quest for finding a good coffee. Turns out she is from Australia,( from Qld from a place called Goondiwindi), like so many of the sales people about the region here have come from Australia, and she has been told by other Aussies that this is the place to go. So when the chiropractor appointment is finished, we make our way to this place. It has got the better tasting coffee I have had since we have been in Canada
Saturday 18th,
It is still cold out, and a bit of rain has happened over night. Banff, was a really beautiful place, with so many different people, and everyone being happy. We leave Banff, and head for Calgary. The country side is so beautiful, and mountainous. Added bonus, is we see that there has been snow fall through the night, and it is so beautiful on the trees. Was not a heavy fall, but just enough to cover the trees lightly.
We get to Calgary and navigate our way to our next BnB. Rick and Dawn. We arrived a little early, but they let us into out accommodation. What a wonderful place, nice to be able to stretch out a bit, and spread out. After some rest time, we take a drive, to see whats about. And we find the biggest one in Calgary. One thing I have noticed in Canada, particularly in Vancouver and Calgary, and everywhere in between, there are lot of pick up utes, but not just small ones, 350 Ford's, Rams, Chev and GMC, and all v 8. Apparently there is not fuel crisis over here.
Sunday 19th,
So today we are on a journey to Edmonton. This is a 5 hr trip, to meet a guy that has the same name as Bob. He had been in contact with Robert Hockey for some time. The road from Calgary to Edmonton is as straight as a gun barrel. 5hrs of dead straight road. There was a a bit of traffic on the trip, but I guess as this was a long weekend for Canadians, so they were out and about, like us aussies do. Bob and i share the driving, again with the driving on the wrong side. But I am getting better. And I get to drive through Edmonton, with all the traffic, how bad could this get, lol. So after following the directions with gps, we find the required Resturant and find Robert Hockey. The Resturant Red Robin, is a nice place, casual, and much like
We sit and chat for around 3 hrs or more, asking questions and him asking us things also. He did say that when he thinks of Australia, he thinks of the spiders we have. I find this amazing when they have bears, and moose and all sorts of larger animals. So after our rendouvus , we head back to Calgary. Still take 5 hrs, and still just as straight. When we get back to our lodgings, Rick and Dawn are sitting in the bask yard with the neighbour having a a couple of drinks around a fire. (How very australian of them ). They invite us to join then, so we do, but we do have some washing to do, and get sort of organised as we are leaving in the morning.
Thursday, 23 May 2019
Canada Update Final
We flew WestJet, a subsidiary of Air Canada, from Calgary to Toronto and had an exciting ride in the taxi from the airport to our lodgings. The taxi driver was devotee of car racing video games and was putting all his skills to a test. He went well - we survived!
Our AirBnB in Toronto was fine with enough space for us and a good location to shops and restaurants. The major reason for Toronto stopover was to visit Niagara Falls.
We had organised a tour to the falls and were picked up in the city for the day. The coach driver was also th guide and he was very good, excellent knowledge of the falls and surrounding area.
The falls have been a bucket list item for me for years and they did not fail to impress. No pictures, videos or movies can do justice to the magnificence of Niagara Falls. The US / Canada border splits the 2 main falls with the Canadian one slightly higher.
After descending the cliff face in the gondola we boarded the Lady of the Mist cruise boat complete with our free and obligatory rain coat and hood. Me being from Australia put it on backwards at first but a kind US lady sorted me out and for the rest of the cruise and lunch payed out on me.
The cruise around the lake, up to and into the mist of the falls was great and the rain coats plus hood works about 60% - we got very wet, but worth every drop. The volume of water coming over the falls is astounding whether expressed in litres per second or tonnes it is a lot - 567,000 litres per second for the American falls and 2,271,247 litres per second for the Canadian "Horseshoe Falls". The water is moving between Lake Superior / Lake Huron / Lake St Clair / Lake Erie, over the falls to Lake Ontario, through the St Lawrence River (seaway) to the North Atlantic Ocean.
We had lunch at Sheraton Niagara, visited Pillitteri Winery and visited the smallest church in North America - all 5 seats of it. Cruised back to Toronto very satisfied with our final day exploring Canada.
The next day it was a reasonably early start for the airport and our flight to Paris. Dropped off our bags, boarded our Lufthansa flight through Munich to Paris. All good.
Our AirBnB in Toronto was fine with enough space for us and a good location to shops and restaurants. The major reason for Toronto stopover was to visit Niagara Falls.
We had organised a tour to the falls and were picked up in the city for the day. The coach driver was also th guide and he was very good, excellent knowledge of the falls and surrounding area.
The falls have been a bucket list item for me for years and they did not fail to impress. No pictures, videos or movies can do justice to the magnificence of Niagara Falls. The US / Canada border splits the 2 main falls with the Canadian one slightly higher.
After descending the cliff face in the gondola we boarded the Lady of the Mist cruise boat complete with our free and obligatory rain coat and hood. Me being from Australia put it on backwards at first but a kind US lady sorted me out and for the rest of the cruise and lunch payed out on me.
The cruise around the lake, up to and into the mist of the falls was great and the rain coats plus hood works about 60% - we got very wet, but worth every drop. The volume of water coming over the falls is astounding whether expressed in litres per second or tonnes it is a lot - 567,000 litres per second for the American falls and 2,271,247 litres per second for the Canadian "Horseshoe Falls". The water is moving between Lake Superior / Lake Huron / Lake St Clair / Lake Erie, over the falls to Lake Ontario, through the St Lawrence River (seaway) to the North Atlantic Ocean.
We had lunch at Sheraton Niagara, visited Pillitteri Winery and visited the smallest church in North America - all 5 seats of it. Cruised back to Toronto very satisfied with our final day exploring Canada.
The next day it was a reasonably early start for the airport and our flight to Paris. Dropped off our bags, boarded our Lufthansa flight through Munich to Paris. All good.
Monday, 20 May 2019
Canada Update 2
After dropping Tom back at the camp we turned further east toward our next stop at Kamloops. We had planned a stay in Kamloops as that was where Tom was working prior to him moving into camp.
While at Kamloops we had a number of firsts; went shopping at Walmart (just a big K-Mart), ate at Denny's which we found was great food, service and prices. Roberta was still struggling to find a "real" coffee.
We took a drive up to Paul Lake (where Tom lived) and on to Harper Mountain (where Tom worked). Beautiful countryside and lots of snow. We also drove on up to another nearby ski resort, Sun Peaks, which was very large, many condominiums and no people. It was between the high ski season and the coming summer season. It was cold and wet and like a ghost town, very little was open.
Kamloops is a busy industrial, mining (gold) and agricultural centre. It is a key rail centre and a major Rocky Mountain Rail hub in the west of Canada.
Our journey from Kamloops to Banff followed a lot of the Rocky Mountain rail route. On the way were many interesting towns, many of whom were snow bound during the winter months with impassable roads in all directions.
Banff again is a very ski tourist city with hotels, ski shops, restaurants and bars everywhere as well as a liberal dose of the "beautiful people" in their trendy apres ski gear - Roberta and I fitted in perfectly. I attended the local chiropractor to get my back "tweaked" and all was good again in the world. It was cold so some more of our "cold gear" was utilised. The highlight of any trip to Banff is of course Lake Louise. This amazing place is formed from the snow and ice melt of 3 nearby glaciers. Although very cold there were tourists everywhere snapping all sorts of pics. The lake was still partly frozen so the intense blue colour of the water was not there but the lake with the snow covered peaks at their distant shore and the magnificent Fairmont Chateau hotel at its mouth. This has been a big "bucket list" item for me and it did not disappoint.
The following day we travelled by car to Calgary and as there was snow falling overnight the countryside and the trees were covered in a dusting of fresh snow. It was Christmas magic and a wonderful sight which mad the trip memorable. Calgary is a busy city acting as a "T" junction on the the trans-Canada east-west highway and roads to the north especially to Edmonton, which we travelled. The country between Calgary and Edmonton introduced us to the "plains" country. Up to now we had been in the Rocky Mountains and now it was flat and straight. The highway was dangerous as it had dead straight stretches of up to 50klms with nothing to look at other than - nothing!
We went to Edmonton, a 4+ hour dive, to catch up with mt Facebook friend Robert Hockey. I have "spoken" to Robert for some years so I wanted to meet face to face. We caught up at another of Canada's eateries, Red Robin, and had a great chat about him and his work and family and me the same. Robert lives in Grand Prairie, a city some 5 hours north-west of Edmonton. He calls it 40-40 country - minus 40 in the winter and plus 40 in the summer. We discussed genealogy, families (he has no children), my children, and generally had a great few hours chatting. Then back on the road to Calgary. The next day it was away with the rental car, on the plane and another adventure in Toronto.
While at Kamloops we had a number of firsts; went shopping at Walmart (just a big K-Mart), ate at Denny's which we found was great food, service and prices. Roberta was still struggling to find a "real" coffee.
We took a drive up to Paul Lake (where Tom lived) and on to Harper Mountain (where Tom worked). Beautiful countryside and lots of snow. We also drove on up to another nearby ski resort, Sun Peaks, which was very large, many condominiums and no people. It was between the high ski season and the coming summer season. It was cold and wet and like a ghost town, very little was open.
Kamloops is a busy industrial, mining (gold) and agricultural centre. It is a key rail centre and a major Rocky Mountain Rail hub in the west of Canada.
Our journey from Kamloops to Banff followed a lot of the Rocky Mountain rail route. On the way were many interesting towns, many of whom were snow bound during the winter months with impassable roads in all directions.
Banff again is a very ski tourist city with hotels, ski shops, restaurants and bars everywhere as well as a liberal dose of the "beautiful people" in their trendy apres ski gear - Roberta and I fitted in perfectly. I attended the local chiropractor to get my back "tweaked" and all was good again in the world. It was cold so some more of our "cold gear" was utilised. The highlight of any trip to Banff is of course Lake Louise. This amazing place is formed from the snow and ice melt of 3 nearby glaciers. Although very cold there were tourists everywhere snapping all sorts of pics. The lake was still partly frozen so the intense blue colour of the water was not there but the lake with the snow covered peaks at their distant shore and the magnificent Fairmont Chateau hotel at its mouth. This has been a big "bucket list" item for me and it did not disappoint.
The following day we travelled by car to Calgary and as there was snow falling overnight the countryside and the trees were covered in a dusting of fresh snow. It was Christmas magic and a wonderful sight which mad the trip memorable. Calgary is a busy city acting as a "T" junction on the the trans-Canada east-west highway and roads to the north especially to Edmonton, which we travelled. The country between Calgary and Edmonton introduced us to the "plains" country. Up to now we had been in the Rocky Mountains and now it was flat and straight. The highway was dangerous as it had dead straight stretches of up to 50klms with nothing to look at other than - nothing!
We went to Edmonton, a 4+ hour dive, to catch up with mt Facebook friend Robert Hockey. I have "spoken" to Robert for some years so I wanted to meet face to face. We caught up at another of Canada's eateries, Red Robin, and had a great chat about him and his work and family and me the same. Robert lives in Grand Prairie, a city some 5 hours north-west of Edmonton. He calls it 40-40 country - minus 40 in the winter and plus 40 in the summer. We discussed genealogy, families (he has no children), my children, and generally had a great few hours chatting. Then back on the road to Calgary. The next day it was away with the rental car, on the plane and another adventure in Toronto.
Friday, 17 May 2019
17th May 2019
13th May. Tom's birthday,
Well today we take Tom back to his camp work life. The weather has been perfect while we have been with Tom, in fact, we have had great weather so far. We say our goodbyes to Tom, and head towards Kamloops.
Kamloops is a major city in a regional area. After checking into our accommodation, we go for a drive to get a couple of things. One of which was a map of Canada, so roads can be marked off from where we have been. After asking at the reception where might be our best bet, the suggestion was Wal-Mart. Oh my, our first experience with a Wal-Mart. I am sure we have all seen the pics on social media about wal mart, so here we go. Wal-Mart is a very large shopping center which is just like a Woolworths and Big W combined. There are all sorts of things all under the one roof. We wonder around and find what we want, plus a little more, then go back to the room and retire for the evening.
Tues 14th,
After breakfast, we decide to go for a drive to see where it was that Tom starting his Canadian adventure, Mount Harper. We drive around Paul Lake, a pretty spot, with a few homes dotted on the shore line. Amazing places to live, lakes that have mountain coming right down to the water. Then we advance up Harper mountain to view where Tom first worked. Everything is shut down for now, as the snow around this area has gone. Some of the mountains transform into mountain bike rides. We leave this area, and head of to Sun Peaks resort for a look around. We decide the road less travelled, as the maps gave two options. We drive for a while, the road gets a bit smaller, but is still bitumen, then it turns to gravel, but it looks well used. We start to notice signs like, No Shooting, No trespassing, then the road gets a lot smaller, we make a decision to turn around, although the map said we only had 30 mins to go. Hmmm. So we retrace our tracks and follow the well used road and find Sun Peaks resorts. There is lots of new building happening, but most of the shops were closed. We found a place and had a coffee, ( I have given up on finding good coffee ) so we head back to Kamloops. I have got a bit of a head cold, so rest is the order for the rest of the afternoon. Later on we venture out to find some throat lozengers. The drug stores here are not just for drugs/medication. They also have lots of other things, like milk, general groceries, greeting cards and many other things. There are Pharmacies and drug stores on this side of the world, and they are exactly the same. I also find a Canadian post shop, and send a couple of things away.
We find a lovely Chinese Resturant a couple of streets away and have a meal while we are out.
Wed, 15th.
A quiet day today, just rest and sleep, as I still have the cold. We go out for a late lunch, and have another first, we eat at Dennys, an American style diner. Food was good, as was the service. The day is spent sleeping. Bob is starting to come down with the bug now.
Thurs 16th.
We leave Kamloops, and head on our way to Banff. Some beautiful scenery, and Bob and I share the driving. I am feeling much better. This is a 5 and a half hour trip, we come across some road works, and realize that road works must only be able to be done at certain times due to the snow and ice on the roads. On our way to Banff is Lake Louise. This is on Bob's list of things to be ticked off. So we go into the lake area. What an amazing place. Even though the lake was still mostly frozen, it was still beautiful. And busy, lots of people from every different country. One can only imagine how busy this place will get in the next few months. After we leave Lake Louise, and heading onwards, I happen to see a brown bear, eating grass as we go past. That was so wonderful to see.
We arrive at our accommodation, check in and decide to take a little drive around to find a place to eat. Man this is a cute place, much like the Whistler Village, w eat and head back to the room. But I know I will be exploring this place better tomorrow. Bob is the worse for wear from the head cold.
Well today we take Tom back to his camp work life. The weather has been perfect while we have been with Tom, in fact, we have had great weather so far. We say our goodbyes to Tom, and head towards Kamloops.
Kamloops is a major city in a regional area. After checking into our accommodation, we go for a drive to get a couple of things. One of which was a map of Canada, so roads can be marked off from where we have been. After asking at the reception where might be our best bet, the suggestion was Wal-Mart. Oh my, our first experience with a Wal-Mart. I am sure we have all seen the pics on social media about wal mart, so here we go. Wal-Mart is a very large shopping center which is just like a Woolworths and Big W combined. There are all sorts of things all under the one roof. We wonder around and find what we want, plus a little more, then go back to the room and retire for the evening.
Tues 14th,
After breakfast, we decide to go for a drive to see where it was that Tom starting his Canadian adventure, Mount Harper. We drive around Paul Lake, a pretty spot, with a few homes dotted on the shore line. Amazing places to live, lakes that have mountain coming right down to the water. Then we advance up Harper mountain to view where Tom first worked. Everything is shut down for now, as the snow around this area has gone. Some of the mountains transform into mountain bike rides. We leave this area, and head of to Sun Peaks resort for a look around. We decide the road less travelled, as the maps gave two options. We drive for a while, the road gets a bit smaller, but is still bitumen, then it turns to gravel, but it looks well used. We start to notice signs like, No Shooting, No trespassing, then the road gets a lot smaller, we make a decision to turn around, although the map said we only had 30 mins to go. Hmmm. So we retrace our tracks and follow the well used road and find Sun Peaks resorts. There is lots of new building happening, but most of the shops were closed. We found a place and had a coffee, ( I have given up on finding good coffee ) so we head back to Kamloops. I have got a bit of a head cold, so rest is the order for the rest of the afternoon. Later on we venture out to find some throat lozengers. The drug stores here are not just for drugs/medication. They also have lots of other things, like milk, general groceries, greeting cards and many other things. There are Pharmacies and drug stores on this side of the world, and they are exactly the same. I also find a Canadian post shop, and send a couple of things away.
We find a lovely Chinese Resturant a couple of streets away and have a meal while we are out.
Wed, 15th.
A quiet day today, just rest and sleep, as I still have the cold. We go out for a late lunch, and have another first, we eat at Dennys, an American style diner. Food was good, as was the service. The day is spent sleeping. Bob is starting to come down with the bug now.
Thurs 16th.
We leave Kamloops, and head on our way to Banff. Some beautiful scenery, and Bob and I share the driving. I am feeling much better. This is a 5 and a half hour trip, we come across some road works, and realize that road works must only be able to be done at certain times due to the snow and ice on the roads. On our way to Banff is Lake Louise. This is on Bob's list of things to be ticked off. So we go into the lake area. What an amazing place. Even though the lake was still mostly frozen, it was still beautiful. And busy, lots of people from every different country. One can only imagine how busy this place will get in the next few months. After we leave Lake Louise, and heading onwards, I happen to see a brown bear, eating grass as we go past. That was so wonderful to see.
We arrive at our accommodation, check in and decide to take a little drive around to find a place to eat. Man this is a cute place, much like the Whistler Village, w eat and head back to the room. But I know I will be exploring this place better tomorrow. Bob is the worse for wear from the head cold.
Wednesday, 15 May 2019
Canada Update 1
Well as we come to the end of our first week on our Journey it is time for a catch-up, and what a week we have had!
On a 13 hour trip flying Premium Economy with Air Canada was great. Super seats, good service, excellent food and drink; I even got a reasonable sleep between movies.
Vancouver, Canada, arrived just after 7:00 on Tuesday, just 3 hours before we left Brisbane - time zones do my head in. Checked into our accommodation and had a quick nap, then off to the city centre via the 2 bus from 41st Street along Knight Street. Looked just like a city!!
Wednesday and Friday we did the Hop On Hop Off bus thing. Enjoyed Stanley Park, Totems and the ice cream. Vancouver a a major cruise ship centre for the Alaska cruises. There were about 6 departures in those 2 days. Vancouver is clean and green and a pleasant enough city and amazingly multi-cultural - talk about a "melting pot" of cultures. Picked up our Nissan Rogue hire car from Hertz for our driving adventure on the wrong side of the road.
Fun Fact: Nissan are the 4th largest car seller in Canada behind Ford, Toyota and Honda. Mostly medium sized SUVs and Pick-Ups. Have you seen a Honda pickup?
First on our road trip was to pick up my baby boy, Tom, from his workplace at Camp Summit near Squamish, an hour and a half north of Vancouver. The Camp offers Spring, Summer and Fall camps for 7 - 17 year olds, boys and girls. Lots of nature, walks, camp-side sing alongs, education - right up Tom's alley. Tom gave us a tour of the Camp and introduced us to the owner, who had kind word re Tom's contribution to the camp, especially at the sing alongs- the kids think he is great.
After loading up his backpack and guitar we headed off to Whistler. We kept Tom away from the car boot as his birthday present was inside. Whistler was reached followed by a minor glitch re the accommodation. We booked through Booking.Com but the entry code did not work. After some anxious moments and finally contacting the owner we found the booking was cancelled and we were "home-less". After phoning around we found a suitable hotel which worked out better than previously arranged. It was within walking distance of the village and the ski lifts. Dinner was secured at a local restaurant and all was good. As we had found in Vancouver and Squamish most of the wait staff were either Australian, Kiwis or English - hard to spot a Canadian.
Next day, Sunday, we decided to take the chair lift to the snow. Roberta had never been to the snow and Tom was in anguish. He wanted to snowboard but it had a cost plus he was with us. So after offing a birthday present of snowboarding off we went to hire some gear - board, boots and waterproof pants.
Whistler was not on my bucket list and only went there because of Tom and his birthday. WOW was I wrong!! The gondola ride up the mountain was a spectacular climb through the forest then the snow. Views increasing as we rose from spectacular to unbelievable. At the top Tom immediately headed down the slopes and we headed into the lodge. Amazing facility with a wide range of foods and drinks, souvenirs, and timber. Timber magnificently used everywhere in the building, furniture, walls, ceilings and floors. All the ski and snowboard beautiful people everywhere and did I mention the views - snow-peaked mountains 360 degrees around. We had an amazing day watching the scenery and the passing parade of people. Tom had a ball and completed a good number of runs.
Side bar: When Tom left Australia he left his be-loved Gretsch electric semi-acoustic guitar. He had left it in a guitar shop for them to sell. He could not take it with him and he needed the cash. He had some crazy offers but did not accept them. With his birthday we hatched a plan. As we were going overseas we told him the guitar had been sold and I would bring him the cash to him. We gave him the cash on arrival.
After dinner we went down to the car to get "something". When we got there we opened the boot and revealed a guitar case. Tom asked if there was anything in the case - we said yes. He later said he had no idea of what was inside. When he opened the case and saw the Gretsch he got very emotional. He gave me a big hug and said he really loved the guitar. A great result for our effort.
The Monday, Tom's birthday we took him back to the Camp, said our goodbyes and headed off to Kamloops.
On a 13 hour trip flying Premium Economy with Air Canada was great. Super seats, good service, excellent food and drink; I even got a reasonable sleep between movies.
Vancouver, Canada, arrived just after 7:00 on Tuesday, just 3 hours before we left Brisbane - time zones do my head in. Checked into our accommodation and had a quick nap, then off to the city centre via the 2 bus from 41st Street along Knight Street. Looked just like a city!!
Wednesday and Friday we did the Hop On Hop Off bus thing. Enjoyed Stanley Park, Totems and the ice cream. Vancouver a a major cruise ship centre for the Alaska cruises. There were about 6 departures in those 2 days. Vancouver is clean and green and a pleasant enough city and amazingly multi-cultural - talk about a "melting pot" of cultures. Picked up our Nissan Rogue hire car from Hertz for our driving adventure on the wrong side of the road.
Fun Fact: Nissan are the 4th largest car seller in Canada behind Ford, Toyota and Honda. Mostly medium sized SUVs and Pick-Ups. Have you seen a Honda pickup?
First on our road trip was to pick up my baby boy, Tom, from his workplace at Camp Summit near Squamish, an hour and a half north of Vancouver. The Camp offers Spring, Summer and Fall camps for 7 - 17 year olds, boys and girls. Lots of nature, walks, camp-side sing alongs, education - right up Tom's alley. Tom gave us a tour of the Camp and introduced us to the owner, who had kind word re Tom's contribution to the camp, especially at the sing alongs- the kids think he is great.
After loading up his backpack and guitar we headed off to Whistler. We kept Tom away from the car boot as his birthday present was inside. Whistler was reached followed by a minor glitch re the accommodation. We booked through Booking.Com but the entry code did not work. After some anxious moments and finally contacting the owner we found the booking was cancelled and we were "home-less". After phoning around we found a suitable hotel which worked out better than previously arranged. It was within walking distance of the village and the ski lifts. Dinner was secured at a local restaurant and all was good. As we had found in Vancouver and Squamish most of the wait staff were either Australian, Kiwis or English - hard to spot a Canadian.
Next day, Sunday, we decided to take the chair lift to the snow. Roberta had never been to the snow and Tom was in anguish. He wanted to snowboard but it had a cost plus he was with us. So after offing a birthday present of snowboarding off we went to hire some gear - board, boots and waterproof pants.
Whistler was not on my bucket list and only went there because of Tom and his birthday. WOW was I wrong!! The gondola ride up the mountain was a spectacular climb through the forest then the snow. Views increasing as we rose from spectacular to unbelievable. At the top Tom immediately headed down the slopes and we headed into the lodge. Amazing facility with a wide range of foods and drinks, souvenirs, and timber. Timber magnificently used everywhere in the building, furniture, walls, ceilings and floors. All the ski and snowboard beautiful people everywhere and did I mention the views - snow-peaked mountains 360 degrees around. We had an amazing day watching the scenery and the passing parade of people. Tom had a ball and completed a good number of runs.
Side bar: When Tom left Australia he left his be-loved Gretsch electric semi-acoustic guitar. He had left it in a guitar shop for them to sell. He could not take it with him and he needed the cash. He had some crazy offers but did not accept them. With his birthday we hatched a plan. As we were going overseas we told him the guitar had been sold and I would bring him the cash to him. We gave him the cash on arrival.
After dinner we went down to the car to get "something". When we got there we opened the boot and revealed a guitar case. Tom asked if there was anything in the case - we said yes. He later said he had no idea of what was inside. When he opened the case and saw the Gretsch he got very emotional. He gave me a big hug and said he really loved the guitar. A great result for our effort.
The Monday, Tom's birthday we took him back to the Camp, said our goodbyes and headed off to Kamloops.
Monday, 13 May 2019
12th May 2019
Mothers day, Sunday. What an amazing day.
After we had breakfast, Bob tells us he has decided what we are going to do for the day, go up the mountain. This is a great idea. So we make our way to where the gondolas are. Tom mentioned yesterday that he would love to snow board on the mountain. As you can predict, Bob tells Tom that he will shout him the hire and ticket to do this. Tom is very excited by this, and goes to the hire shop to suit up, then on we go to the gonola. At this point, I start to freak out a little. It's really really high at the top of the mountain and I am not good with heights. But I must do this, how could I not go up whistler mountain. We board up, and start our journey up. It is so quiet, and I have been on one of these things before, in Vietnam. It's amazing seeing the snow on the ground, and the tall pine trees. Up at the top, we unload from the ride, and take in the views. They are absolutely incredible. Mountains all the way around, with snow on top. It's not as cold as I imagined it to be, and I am made to go and touch the snow, ( I even made a tiny snow ball ). Bob and I are the odd ones out. Both wearing our Akubras and me in my Ariats. We are definitely not skiing. People are wearing snow boots or snow boarding boots, all rugged up. Tom goes of to have a few hours of fun. We go inside and seek out the viewing deck. Wow, wow wow. Amazing, overwhelming. I am in awe, and blown away by where I am at this very moment. Bob and I spend time here having a bite to eat and wait for Tom.
We go back down the mountain, I do some washing and rest for the afternoon.
After we had breakfast, Bob tells us he has decided what we are going to do for the day, go up the mountain. This is a great idea. So we make our way to where the gondolas are. Tom mentioned yesterday that he would love to snow board on the mountain. As you can predict, Bob tells Tom that he will shout him the hire and ticket to do this. Tom is very excited by this, and goes to the hire shop to suit up, then on we go to the gonola. At this point, I start to freak out a little. It's really really high at the top of the mountain and I am not good with heights. But I must do this, how could I not go up whistler mountain. We board up, and start our journey up. It is so quiet, and I have been on one of these things before, in Vietnam. It's amazing seeing the snow on the ground, and the tall pine trees. Up at the top, we unload from the ride, and take in the views. They are absolutely incredible. Mountains all the way around, with snow on top. It's not as cold as I imagined it to be, and I am made to go and touch the snow, ( I even made a tiny snow ball ). Bob and I are the odd ones out. Both wearing our Akubras and me in my Ariats. We are definitely not skiing. People are wearing snow boots or snow boarding boots, all rugged up. Tom goes of to have a few hours of fun. We go inside and seek out the viewing deck. Wow, wow wow. Amazing, overwhelming. I am in awe, and blown away by where I am at this very moment. Bob and I spend time here having a bite to eat and wait for Tom.
We go back down the mountain, I do some washing and rest for the afternoon.
10th May 2019
FRIDAY, we caught the 22 bus into downtown Vancouver, have a spot of breakfast, change some currency, and make our way to where we have been catching the Hop on Hop of buses. At the usual place where we have been catching the bus, there is much congestion, and even police directing the traffic and pedestrians. All due to the huge criuse ship that has docked in the harbour, the Ruby Princess. We have decided to do a couple of things from the tours. So we head to the new locating of where to board the hop on hop off bus. First was the electric boat tour. Our captain on the little boat was a very knowledgeable fellow, with a good sense of humour. It was an interesting tour of the bay, and a close up view watching the sea planes take of and land.
Next we go to Stanley Park, and take a walk along the beach to the next point of interest, the Totem poles. Lots of people at this site, and it was cool to see the Totem poles. We then get the hop on hop off bus to the next point of interest, Prospect point. This was a good place, we got to get a close up view of the Loins gate Bridge, and then we had ice cream. A single serve was almost the equivelent to 2 serves back home. It was so yummy. Then we got back on the bus, which was a bit warm, due to it was not an open one, and there was no air con, and the window didn't open. We ride this until out next chosen point of interest, the steam clock. An interesting item, which plays a tune on the hour and every quarter hour.
After we finish looking at this interesting peice, we head back to the bus 22 bus stop and head back to our accommodation. We have had a very full on day.
Saturday, we pack up our room, and set of on our next league, The RENTAL CAR. Oh my, I think we are both a little apprehensive about this, one, because every drives on the wrong side of the road, and two, the cars steering wheel is on the wrong side. This will be an adventure, and I have already mentioned to Bob before we left Australia, that I will be a difficult passenger, due to the before mentioned issues. So we finally find the car hire company at the airport and get the keys and find the car. Let's do this. I know Bob has driven in Europe before, so it's not that bad, until he tells me, he has a habit of going to the right side, so now I am charged with reminding him calmly, yeh righ,t that's going to happen. Ok, we are on the road heading out of Vancouver to Squamish and I am now navigator. Thank goodness for technology. Without to many hassles, we find the town of Squamish. This place is a mecca for mountain biking, and all other sorts of outdoor activities. Travelling on to Camp Summit, we find Tom and have a look around were he works. This is a pretty cool place, a camp for school kids. After we leave there, we head up to Whistler, and find our accommodation upon which, is no longer operating. 😢. After some phone calls we find this out. So into Whistler to find a motel that's not going to cost the earth. And all is good. We now have suitable lodgings. It is truly amazing seeing the snow on the mountains. We have a walk though Whistler Village and have some tea. The village is just amazing. People everywhere, all of them happy, smiling and many cultures mingling with each other. Back to the room for a welcome sleep.
Next we go to Stanley Park, and take a walk along the beach to the next point of interest, the Totem poles. Lots of people at this site, and it was cool to see the Totem poles. We then get the hop on hop off bus to the next point of interest, Prospect point. This was a good place, we got to get a close up view of the Loins gate Bridge, and then we had ice cream. A single serve was almost the equivelent to 2 serves back home. It was so yummy. Then we got back on the bus, which was a bit warm, due to it was not an open one, and there was no air con, and the window didn't open. We ride this until out next chosen point of interest, the steam clock. An interesting item, which plays a tune on the hour and every quarter hour.
Saturday, we pack up our room, and set of on our next league, The RENTAL CAR. Oh my, I think we are both a little apprehensive about this, one, because every drives on the wrong side of the road, and two, the cars steering wheel is on the wrong side. This will be an adventure, and I have already mentioned to Bob before we left Australia, that I will be a difficult passenger, due to the before mentioned issues. So we finally find the car hire company at the airport and get the keys and find the car. Let's do this. I know Bob has driven in Europe before, so it's not that bad, until he tells me, he has a habit of going to the right side, so now I am charged with reminding him calmly, yeh righ,t that's going to happen. Ok, we are on the road heading out of Vancouver to Squamish and I am now navigator. Thank goodness for technology. Without to many hassles, we find the town of Squamish. This place is a mecca for mountain biking, and all other sorts of outdoor activities. Travelling on to Camp Summit, we find Tom and have a look around were he works. This is a pretty cool place, a camp for school kids. After we leave there, we head up to Whistler, and find our accommodation upon which, is no longer operating. 😢. After some phone calls we find this out. So into Whistler to find a motel that's not going to cost the earth. And all is good. We now have suitable lodgings. It is truly amazing seeing the snow on the mountains. We have a walk though Whistler Village and have some tea. The village is just amazing. People everywhere, all of them happy, smiling and many cultures mingling with each other. Back to the room for a welcome sleep.
Friday, 10 May 2019
9th of May 2019
Prior to our leaving for Canada, found us finishing packing house up. FRIDAY, travelling to Rockhampton to watch my neice, Hannah, do her formal drive and walk though. And also to last chance to say goodbye to my sister and her family. Try as we both might, with the threat of mascara running, we both got teary. It's hard not to, when you love family and know you won't see them for a long time.
SATURDAY, back to Old Mill Road to do final cleaning, until Bob said that was enough. We head off to Sam and Marnie and Angus for our last few days in Australia for 11 mths. The little hire car will never be as full as it was when we loaded up everything we had to take. Luggage, esky with the drinks and frozen food from our fridge and freezer, a couple of plants,
Sunday was a lovely day, as little Angus celebrated his first Birthday, and was also Baptised aswell. So a big day for him.
Sleeping in is proving difficult still as the mind is still geared up from everything we have been doing. I do hope that eventually I can manage to sleep past 5.30.
Monday morning, we had a breakfast catch up with one of Bob's mates and his wife, then later in the day to the airport to pick up another one of Bob's friends. We meet up with other friends and spend time with them before we leave the country. Tuessday morning we go back to Sam and Marnie, for our last night. Starting to get a bit exciting now.
Wednesday morning we leave Sam and Marnie and Angus and head to the airport. With 2 large suit cases, and 2 small ones and some other things. Got through customs and Bob realizes he still had hire car keys in his pocket. Both of us had forgotten to hand therm back, so Bob had to go back and sort that one out. Finally we get to board, and the excitement kicks in as the reality hits. We are actually doing this. We leave on a Wednesday and arrive on Wednesday morning.
Well here we are in Vancouver, 2nd day here. Yesterday was an extrodinalary long day. Arrived in Vancouver at 6.45 after a 13 hrs flight from Brisbane. We flew Air Canada, and has a good flight. Service and food was excellent. All the concerns of going through customs and baggage handling was misplaced, as I tend to do. After we check into our accommodation and rest for a couple of hours, which was supposed to be an hour, we catch a bus into downtown Vancouver. One of the things we need to do is get some phone credit. Mission accomplished, then we walk about, exploring the area. Los of eating places seem to be under ground. Checked out the hop on hop off buses, and decided to use them tomorrow. Went to bed at 8 pm and the sun was still shining.
Thursday, we used the hop on buses to decide what we want to further explore. There are two loops for the buses, one a city loop and then the park loop. Experienced the Tim Horton food, must say, not a huge fan. Still searching for good coffee. After we finished with the buses, we got the bus back to our accommodation, and rested for a while, then found something to eat. It is now 9pm, and still daylight, not sure what time the sun goes to bed.
Thursday, 2 May 2019
What a massive couple of days Bob and I have had. Tuesday saw the removalist arrive and take most of our worldly goods to the storage container. Also the ladies arrived to start assisting with cleaning. Thank goodness the weather was kind, and no rain hampered the guys with the furniture and it was not overly hot.
Wednesday was another day of cleaning.
We have sorted out the placement of vehicles in the shed, it took a bit of doing last Friday, with shuffling and moving cars that don't go. But mission accomplished.
It's starting to look like we are going somewhere with only 5 days to go till wheels up. The gardens are looking lovely again, with my chrysanthams putting on a splendid showing.
Friday finds us travelling to Rockhampton to be with family for the day.
Wednesday was another day of cleaning.
We have sorted out the placement of vehicles in the shed, it took a bit of doing last Friday, with shuffling and moving cars that don't go. But mission accomplished.
It's starting to look like we are going somewhere with only 5 days to go till wheels up. The gardens are looking lovely again, with my chrysanthams putting on a splendid showing.
Friday finds us travelling to Rockhampton to be with family for the day.
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