Happy Canada Day!!

Steve and I spent a happy June 30th Canada Day at Trafalger Square. Apparently there is usually a huge street part on July 1st each year outside the Canadian Maple Leaf Bar. We were planning to head there on the 1st, but heard that they have cancelled it due to resource requirements on some other festivals happening at that time. Guess it’s not too high up there on the priority list. We went by Trafalger square after work and it was filled with red shirts and maples leafs. They had a stage and Canadian singers/bands representing the different provinces. It became quite clear that we are not to clued into the music scene, in particular the Canadian music scene as we did not recognise the names of any of the performers, nor the people in the video clips of ‘famous’ Canadian singers. Well actually I take that back, it did include Jan Arden and the Barenaked Ladies, so not totally hopeless. Ron Sexsmith was there and apparently has won two junos! He was really good! The Canadians seemed quite stereotypically Canadian. Beer was consumed, but bottles all went in the garbage, people were happy and toe tapping, but totally in control. As one participant put it …’everyone is so … civil’. The folk like 'Canadian' music probably did much to create this atmosphere! Anyhoo, it was great to celebrate Canada day with others that care! And we did get quite homesick looking at the lovely scenery and familiar places on the big screen! Thinking of you all and the beautiful country we will always refer to as home! Happy Canada day!

Eastern Euope Wandering

Krakow, Poland
Our travel ‘style’ has shifted in the past few years and possibly due to old age or because we are a bit more seasoned on the travel front our travel ‘style’ has shifted in the past few years. Generally we would write down the hot spots, the must sees, make a plan, set a schedule and upon landing .. your off! Our style now is more like, consider where we want to go see where they are located and then pick them up between and begin wandering. This includes a lot of café sitting, people watching and of course our all time favourite, sampling the local delicacies …














Krakow is a lovely city, the centre is traffic free and a fabulous place to wander. I especially enjoyed the market square, the man musicians and the crafty stalls which were filled with wooden products – necklaces, boxes, chess boards and beads galore. They also sell lots of amber jewellery and other local crafts. There was a great ‘art wall’, numerous beautiful churches and of course great dining experiences. While Krakow is touristy, it doesn’t have the same feeling as travelling in Prague where you feel like you are going to get ripped off every second purchase you make. On the menu … sidewalk pretzel stops, borsht, lots of perogies (Costco perogies used to be one of my favorite foods!) and cabbage rolls! Yum! Warm and homey food. Steve also bought one of these …. We thought they were pastries and were pretty shock to find we’d purchased a large chunk of cheese!!



Auswitch and Birkeneau


Initially I did not wish to go to the world war II nazi concentration camps, but after reading advice from travel writers and from previous visitors we decided to check it out. It was a sobering experience and a bit surreal, still can’t quite believe how humans can be capable of something so horrible, but I guess it’s not the first time in history this has happened. What was shocking about Auswitch and Birkeneau was the size and scale of the site and to learn that the first phase of the plan was not even completed and that a second phase was planned is just a bit too much to consider. Over 1.5 million individuals… people died at this place, the majority of them Jews. The most shocking part for me was learning about the cold, calculated and detailed planning behind everything and the intention around leaving ‘nothing to waste’. One of the exhibits brought a permanent lump to my throat when we viewed it. It housed many of the items that were found when the prisoners where liberated by the soviets. Large glass cases of bleached hair, piles of suitcases with family names written on them, heaps of glasses and shoes, all sorted and made ready to be shipped back to Germany. The hair, shaved off new comers before being sent off to work or off of the dead bodies coming from the gas chambers, was cleaned, bleached and sent to Germany to be made into material and knitted into items like socks. Left feeling a bit stunned, it was not enjoyable, but definitely an important experience. The trip ended with a view of a memorial set up at Birkeneau. This inscription is engraved in marble in a multiple languages …

Zakapone
The ‘Whistler’ of Poland, a lively tourist centred town that sits at the bottom of the Tatra Mountains and serves as a gateway to hiking and skiing opportunities. The Tatra’s are part of the Carpathian mountains which straddle Poland and Slovakia. We spent one day in Zakapone and hoped to get in a few small hikes. We took the gondola up to the top, but unfortunately were met by a big white cloud that hid all the beautiful scenery. So instead of stumbling around in the fog we settled in the cafeteria for a mug of borscht! The fog never cleared and the best views we go were of the postcards in the shop! Sure looked beautiful! We spent the rest of the day poking around the small vehicle free town – there were lots of crafty market stalls and coloured beads – hurrah!


Bratislavia, Slovakia

We left Zakapone the next day as we needed to get to Bratislavia where we would fly home from. We had trouble actually finding an efficient way between Zakopane and Bratislava and managed to find a bus/train combination. By the time we got to the train, we were so happy things were working out that we hopped on the wrong train! To make things worse two girls from Ireland followed us. Oops. After much gesturing and nodding and finger pointed by some friendly locals we managed to figure ourselves out and made it to Bratislava.

Bratislava is like an old city that has just had a refresh .. a modern face lift. It’s a very small and pretty city and good for a wander. They have a castle, which is now a museum and a big UFO tower that is a restaurant. They also have the cleanest, most modern toilets I have seen for a while in Europe. It is quite touristy and the first thing you notice in Bratislava …. there are a lot of men … a lot of groups of men – mainly ones on stags! Bratislava is known for it’s beautiful women and cheap food/beer, so not to hard figure out why this occurs.

Back to blogging ...

Hi ... it's been while ... but 2 computer meltdowns (1 unrecoverable!!) and quite a few guests later ... we are still in London and back on the blog ....

Life has been good but busy busy! We have had a slew of visitors from home which has translated in to a LOT of good eating and LOTS of good times! Joanne (steve’s sister) and first time overseas tourist 3 year old Wyatt came for a visit in early March. Wyatt said, “Mommy, I love London!”, he is also apparently in love with ketchup, chicken McNuggest and in particular the double decker bus! It turns out there is lots for kids to do in London and it was interesting to see London through the eyes of a 3 year old.

Soon afterwards my cousins Lauren (first trip to Europe), Ellena (2nd trip to London since we came!) and Lauren’s friend Kate dropped in for a two week visit. They brought with them lots of energy and some mighty shopping power! Lauren was especially into bargaining at the markets and got some great deals! I was treated to a viewing of their daily purchases each night! We managed to squeeze in a day trip to Canterbury and to the rainy and cold cliffs of Dover, but yes the rest of the time was all about shopping!!

Holly (Steve’s sister), husband Clement and little Ethan (8 months old) were next for a visit. Ethan is one cute little boy. Very smiley, interactive and happy! Although he did develop a huge dislike for car trips (hope that didn’t translate home!) Half way through their trip, Steve’s mom and dad arrived, fresh off of their whirlwind tour around Europe! Nice to have some home cooking compliments of steve’s mom!! We took a trip with Ethan, his parents and grandparents to the Cotswalds, where we staying in a very cute place in Bourton on Water and squeezed in a day trip to Bath. We ate a lot of dessert. Oi!


Steve's new friend!

A day after steve’s parents left, my parents dropped in for their visit. They had a good time visiting all their old haunts when they lived in London and taking in some of the new things that have developed since. We took a great trip up to Wales with them and were treated to some lovely scenery in the Brecon Beacons, a very nice bed and breakfast, a day trip out to Hay on Wye, our first 'boot' sale and a visit to Tintern Abbey.

Hay on Wye has the largest 2nd hand bookshop in the world, plus 30+ other second hand book shops. It’s quite a small, but there happened to be a literary festival that day and the place was just packed – quite enjoyed that place!

We've also had a chance to catch up with Bernie (who came to Europe with his 40 students!), steve’s ex-UBC co-worker Howard and my ex-BCH/Burnaby North mate, Wendy who all passed through! THANKS everyone for the visits, REALLY great to catch up and to explore London and beyond with you! After all that good eating … we are going to take this pause in visits to detox and get back to the gym!!!