Oh, just one more thing ... the last entry for this trip, I promise ...
We’ve made it home to Launceston, to find trees in blossom - spring is well and truly here. After a 6 hour flight from Toronto to Los Angeles (where we saw the terrible bushfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in the LA hills), and then 15 hours to Melbourne, we had 6 hours to kill before catching the final connecting flight to Tassie, so we caught the bus into Melbourne city for a few hours.
Walking through yet another huge multicultural metropolis (we’ve walked through quite a few the past two months), it struck us that Australia really is a beautiful place, and after all we’ve recently seen in so many pockets of the world, our home country has just as much to offer as anywhere else. We may not have buildings built in the 12th century, but Melbourne is as unique and beautiful as Paris, London, Dublin or Toronto. So is Tasmania - with Cradle Mountain, Coles Bay, Mt Wellington and the Tamar Valley matching southern France, the Ring of Kerry or British Columbia. Aussies are as warm and friendly as the Irish, French and Canadians. Soccer and ice hockey is replaced by Aussie Rules footy. But, you know, we are all essentially the same.
And the Australian accent was oh so sweet to our ears after two months away. When we returned to Melbourne Airport from the city to catch the seemingly tiny plane across Bass Strait, we had to collect our bags that we’d put in storage, and we rang for someone to come and open the storeroom. The disembodied voice on the phone said “Yeah, no worries, mate. I’ll be there in two shakes.”
We knew we were home
Tuesday, 23 October 2007
Monday, 22 October 2007
Toronto, Canada
It was time to bid “farewell” to this chapter of our lives, and head for home. It has been an amazing two months. We are so grateful to everyone who has visited our travel blog. We really had no idea how it would go, but the number of people who bothered to visit did astound us. We had over 600 visits to the blog website – that’s ten visits every day for the entire two months. By the way, I was able to keep the blog updated because I took my laptop with me. I wrote a journal every few days and regularly downloaded digital pictures from the camera. The laptop may have been a pain to carry around the world, but I think it was worth the inconvenience.
Asking ourselves the question “What was the best part of the holiday?” … too hard to give just one place. Honestly, everywhere we went had something interesting to look at, lovely people to meet, fascinating history to learn and culture to experience. No one place stood out, but for us Mirepoix in the south of France was special. It was our choice for Anne’s birthday, but being able to share such a gorgeous French village with such special friends from home made Mirepoix the most memorable. (Who’s idea was that? – they’re a genius!) If you’re interested in experiencing Mirepoix for yourself, contact Suzanne and Ralph Norton at suzanne@pubtek.com.au, or 0417 595 018. Also, thanks for all the birthday good wishes and gifts from our friends on Anne’s birthday.
Our holiday was full of coincidences, incredible strokes of luck that a Travel Agent could have never organised. But then again, you make your own luck, and we think we did this by driving ourselves through France and Ireland, and British Columbia with Mike and Denise (see www.ferriswheels.com.au for their adventure safaris). Some awkward moments, getting lost, language difficulties, airline problems … it all adds to the adventure.
We will never forget the people we stayed with … Jean and Andy’s family near Toulouse; Claudine and Serge in Mirepoix; our B&B hosts Armand in St Emillion and Ros and Chris near Amiens; Stijn, Gaia and Lauran in Belgium; Vince and Niamh’s family in Cork; Aunty Rose and Aunty Annie in Northern Ireland; and of course our ever-reliable Toronto “home-away-from-home” hosts Jill and Walter. These people have been so kind to us, and opened their homes with warmth and hospitality. Hopefully, one day, we will be able to return the favour.
They say that two things broaden the mind – education and travel. We’ve had a good dose of both on this holiday. Bring on the next one….
Asking ourselves the question “What was the best part of the holiday?” … too hard to give just one place. Honestly, everywhere we went had something interesting to look at, lovely people to meet, fascinating history to learn and culture to experience. No one place stood out, but for us Mirepoix in the south of France was special. It was our choice for Anne’s birthday, but being able to share such a gorgeous French village with such special friends from home made Mirepoix the most memorable. (Who’s idea was that? – they’re a genius!) If you’re interested in experiencing Mirepoix for yourself, contact Suzanne and Ralph Norton at suzanne@pubtek.com.au, or 0417 595 018. Also, thanks for all the birthday good wishes and gifts from our friends on Anne’s birthday.
Our holiday was full of coincidences, incredible strokes of luck that a Travel Agent could have never organised. But then again, you make your own luck, and we think we did this by driving ourselves through France and Ireland, and British Columbia with Mike and Denise (see www.ferriswheels.com.au for their adventure safaris). Some awkward moments, getting lost, language difficulties, airline problems … it all adds to the adventure.
We will never forget the people we stayed with … Jean and Andy’s family near Toulouse; Claudine and Serge in Mirepoix; our B&B hosts Armand in St Emillion and Ros and Chris near Amiens; Stijn, Gaia and Lauran in Belgium; Vince and Niamh’s family in Cork; Aunty Rose and Aunty Annie in Northern Ireland; and of course our ever-reliable Toronto “home-away-from-home” hosts Jill and Walter. These people have been so kind to us, and opened their homes with warmth and hospitality. Hopefully, one day, we will be able to return the favour.
They say that two things broaden the mind – education and travel. We’ve had a good dose of both on this holiday. Bring on the next one….
Friday, 19 October 2007
Toronto, Canada
In contrast to the previous 7 weeks, we are familiar with this part of our journey, Toronto, having spent two weeks here in 2000 when we brought our children here to stay with our dear friends Jill and Walter, Steffa and Helena. Our daughter Dayna now calls this city her home, and it will be so nice to see her again and spend some time with her, and to meet her friends. We plan to relax here for this week, and catch up with Dayna, and Jill and Walter, before heading home next weekend.
Dayna picked us up at the airport, in a cheaply rented hire car, courtesy of her current employer, and we headed for Jill and Walter’s home where we would stay for the next week. On the way, however, Dayna received a call from a “damsel in distress” – her friend Madison had a flat tyre, somewhere in the city, and needed help to change it. After quite some time finding Madison in the dark – of course, she had to be down a dark alley – I found myself getting my hands dirty changing someone’s tyre. We’d only been in Toronto an hour.
The welcome we received from Jill, Walter and daughters Steffa and Helena was so wonderful, it was like coming home. Certainly the next best thing, after being 7 weeks away from home.
Day 58, 19th October – We enjoyed a very pleasant week in this lovely, huge, metropolitan city. Being able to call Jill and Walter’s house as “home” made it even more enjoyable. Dayna had some days off and has been able to take us around, and meet with some of her friends. Some of these friends are actually ex-pat Tasmanians, who have met up in Toronto. We met them at an Irish bar, and discovered that three of them had appeared in recent Uni Revues onstage, which we only saw a few months ago. I recognised them as they walked into the pub. It was such a strange coincidence.
We can see why Dayna likes living here - this is a very livable city, even though it’s one of the largest cities in the world. For us, after recently seeing London, Paris and Dublin, Toronto is a much more modern city, with glass towers that form canyons downtown as the highrise buildings reach skyward. Public transport makes it easy to get around, while the people are so friendly, and fun.
Perhaps the three defining icons for Toronto are the Rogers Centre (a huge baseball stadium with a retractable roof), the CN Tower (which gives a fantastic view of the city from one of the highest lookouts in the world) and Lake Ontario, on the shores of which the city is built. Lake Ontario is fed from Lake Erie via Niagara Falls, and is the final lake in the Great Lakes series before going out to sea. You can stand on a beach just minutes from the city and look out over an open sea. There is no land in sight to the horizon. Waves come crashing ashore like they would on any other open sea beach, but then you realise that this expanse of water is a fresh water, and even then it is the smallest (in area) of all the five Great Lakes. It’s hard to imagine just how much fresh water the whole Great Lakes system contains. Indeed, it is the world’s largest freshwater lake system. Lake Ontario is so large that it affects the weather here, just as an ocean would, for example causing Toronto snowfalls in winter.
A highlight for me was the Bruce Springsteen concert on Monday night, with Jill, Walter and their friend Mary Lou (Dayna paid for my ticket – ain’t she sweet?) while Dayna and her mum went shopping (have a guess which cost more – the concert or the shopping?). The concert was held in the Air Canada Centre, which is the main ice hockey stadium in Toronto, seating capacity about 20,000. The ice was completely covered for the show, as it is frequently for basketball as well. A great concert, too. I actually sat behind the stage, which was a tad strange but gave a unique perspective.
Dayna picked us up at the airport, in a cheaply rented hire car, courtesy of her current employer, and we headed for Jill and Walter’s home where we would stay for the next week. On the way, however, Dayna received a call from a “damsel in distress” – her friend Madison had a flat tyre, somewhere in the city, and needed help to change it. After quite some time finding Madison in the dark – of course, she had to be down a dark alley – I found myself getting my hands dirty changing someone’s tyre. We’d only been in Toronto an hour.
The welcome we received from Jill, Walter and daughters Steffa and Helena was so wonderful, it was like coming home. Certainly the next best thing, after being 7 weeks away from home.
Day 58, 19th October – We enjoyed a very pleasant week in this lovely, huge, metropolitan city. Being able to call Jill and Walter’s house as “home” made it even more enjoyable. Dayna had some days off and has been able to take us around, and meet with some of her friends. Some of these friends are actually ex-pat Tasmanians, who have met up in Toronto. We met them at an Irish bar, and discovered that three of them had appeared in recent Uni Revues onstage, which we only saw a few months ago. I recognised them as they walked into the pub. It was such a strange coincidence.
We can see why Dayna likes living here - this is a very livable city, even though it’s one of the largest cities in the world. For us, after recently seeing London, Paris and Dublin, Toronto is a much more modern city, with glass towers that form canyons downtown as the highrise buildings reach skyward. Public transport makes it easy to get around, while the people are so friendly, and fun.
Perhaps the three defining icons for Toronto are the Rogers Centre (a huge baseball stadium with a retractable roof), the CN Tower (which gives a fantastic view of the city from one of the highest lookouts in the world) and Lake Ontario, on the shores of which the city is built. Lake Ontario is fed from Lake Erie via Niagara Falls, and is the final lake in the Great Lakes series before going out to sea. You can stand on a beach just minutes from the city and look out over an open sea. There is no land in sight to the horizon. Waves come crashing ashore like they would on any other open sea beach, but then you realise that this expanse of water is a fresh water, and even then it is the smallest (in area) of all the five Great Lakes. It’s hard to imagine just how much fresh water the whole Great Lakes system contains. Indeed, it is the world’s largest freshwater lake system. Lake Ontario is so large that it affects the weather here, just as an ocean would, for example causing Toronto snowfalls in winter.
A highlight for me was the Bruce Springsteen concert on Monday night, with Jill, Walter and their friend Mary Lou (Dayna paid for my ticket – ain’t she sweet?) while Dayna and her mum went shopping (have a guess which cost more – the concert or the shopping?). The concert was held in the Air Canada Centre, which is the main ice hockey stadium in Toronto, seating capacity about 20,000. The ice was completely covered for the show, as it is frequently for basketball as well. A great concert, too. I actually sat behind the stage, which was a tad strange but gave a unique perspective.
Sunday, 14 October 2007
Toronto, Canada
I'm sitting in our friends Jill and Walter's home in Toronto on this Saturday afternoon, using their internet, and pondering over the last week of our journey to come. We left Mike and Denise in Vancouver yesterday, as they were about to head home back to Sydney. When we arrived back in Vancouver on Thursday after our "bear expedition", our luggage was waiting for us at the hotel - British Airways obviously didn't know that they'd done their job and delivered it a day after we'd left for up north. So we were mislead by their daily telephone reports of our luggage still being missing. Chalk it up to another "adventure" along the way. Along with us running out of fuel driving back into Vancouver. How lucky was it to be able to coast downhill to a gas-station? Of course, Mike took all the credit for planning it that way.
My impressions of British Columbia - I thought Tasmania had lots of wilderness and forests and mountains. They got nothin' on BC! There's not enough superlatives to describe it. With a constant backdrop of the snow-covered Rockies in the distance, the entire landscape is so beautiful. Unfortunately we didn't see Vancouver properly because of rain and mist, but the city is modern, clean and a pleasure to stay in. And (again) sitting at the foot of such spectacular mountains, the scenery has to be seen to be believed. And we've seen it. Wow!!
We are familiar with Toronto, having been here in 2000, but daughter Dayna now calls this city her home, and she obviously knows her way around it. We plan to relax here for this week, and catch up with Dayna, and Jill and Walter, before heading home next weekend.
My impressions of British Columbia - I thought Tasmania had lots of wilderness and forests and mountains. They got nothin' on BC! There's not enough superlatives to describe it. With a constant backdrop of the snow-covered Rockies in the distance, the entire landscape is so beautiful. Unfortunately we didn't see Vancouver properly because of rain and mist, but the city is modern, clean and a pleasure to stay in. And (again) sitting at the foot of such spectacular mountains, the scenery has to be seen to be believed. And we've seen it. Wow!!
We are familiar with Toronto, having been here in 2000, but daughter Dayna now calls this city her home, and she obviously knows her way around it. We plan to relax here for this week, and catch up with Dayna, and Jill and Walter, before heading home next weekend.
Thursday, 11 October 2007
Vancouver, Canada
Tuesday 9th
After getting up at 5.30 and driving 30 minutes to Telegraph Cove, we learn that the tours had been cancelled due to “hurricane force winds” later in the day. Hmmm … bad luck, so we decided to start heading south (and back to Vancouver by Thursday), and try out another “Grizzly watching tour” at Campbell River, about two hours down the road, for tomorrow. Making Campbell River and booking the tour for tomorrow, we also decided to treat ourselves with a resort for two nights. We chose a fully self-contained cabin at the water’s edge at the Tsa-Kwa-Luten resort on Quadra Island, which is a ten minute ferry ride from Vancouver Island. The strange name for the resort comes from the original inhabitants of the area, also called First Nation, who have built the resort themselves on their own land, and allow us to stay. Sitting in our loungeroom, we watch the sun set while a seal plays in the water in front of us, with Campbell River just on the other side.
Wednesday 10th
What an amazing day … we’ve seen such scenery and wildlife today that it seems that the cancelled trip yesterday was fate for us to experience today. It starts with a bald eagle sitting on the jetty just in front of our cottage as we have breakfast. As it flys away, its huge wingspan on display, it’s a taste of things to come.
With a lucky dip at the weather (a good day) and $340 per head, we set out from Quadra Island marina with Gary on his boat. There are over 70 islands in the area that separate mainland Canada from Vancouver Island (called the Discovery Islands), and so many channels and inlets give rise to many regions of turbulent water where fast-running tides meet at the confluence of two or more channels. The result is some of the fastest and most dangerous rapids in the world, on a stretch of water over a kilometer across and hundreds of meters deep. We witnessed first hand huge whirlpools many meters across, and actual drops in water level where the tides create a fall of over a meter in no distance at all. In other areas the water looks like its boiling. At either side of the channels are hills and mountains covered in trees and mossy rocks. Bald eagles are easily spotted in the trees because of their white heads, and are often sitting in pairs. The female is easy to pick, as she is the larger of the two. Before long, the high mountains have snow-covered tops, the air takes a decided chill, and you know you’re heading for some serious Canadian wilderness.
We eventually arrive at Orford Bay, which is a busy logging port with log trucks, heavy machinery and huge logs of red cedar floating in the water. The strange thing is, this place is completely inaccessible by road, it is in utter wilderness. Everything is delivered by barge. There is a twin-rotor helicopter pulling freshly cut trees out of an incredibly steep slope and dropping them into the water, where the logs are stripped and prepared for transportation by barge to the mill downstream at Campbell River. It is cheaper to use a helicopter for logging than to build roads into this mountainous terrain, and the old-growth trees here make it profitable. Gary estimated two million dollars worth of red cedar just sitting in the water at Orford Bay.
We hop on a bus and drive four kilometers up a rough muddy track. Every kilometer there is a viewing platform that overlooks the river, and at each one we wait for up to half an hour for grizzlies. And we see them, lazily walking beside the river, not a care in the world and unaware or unperturbed that they’re being watched. The closest encounter happens when a big grizzly is spotted on the other side of a small tributary to the main river, and we stand on the opposite bank as this beautiful animal slowly sits on the river bank, looking around, then strolls into the water and finds a piece of dry land mid-stream where he lies down and has a nap. We watched him for over half an hour, from no more than ten meters away. To see such a wild animal in its natural habitat, so large and famous – it was worth traveling so far to see.
The journey back to Quadra Island was more mountains, trees, cliffs, bald eagles, sea lions and rapids, but the close encounter with the Big Griz was foremost in our minds.
After getting up at 5.30 and driving 30 minutes to Telegraph Cove, we learn that the tours had been cancelled due to “hurricane force winds” later in the day. Hmmm … bad luck, so we decided to start heading south (and back to Vancouver by Thursday), and try out another “Grizzly watching tour” at Campbell River, about two hours down the road, for tomorrow. Making Campbell River and booking the tour for tomorrow, we also decided to treat ourselves with a resort for two nights. We chose a fully self-contained cabin at the water’s edge at the Tsa-Kwa-Luten resort on Quadra Island, which is a ten minute ferry ride from Vancouver Island. The strange name for the resort comes from the original inhabitants of the area, also called First Nation, who have built the resort themselves on their own land, and allow us to stay. Sitting in our loungeroom, we watch the sun set while a seal plays in the water in front of us, with Campbell River just on the other side.
Wednesday 10th
What an amazing day … we’ve seen such scenery and wildlife today that it seems that the cancelled trip yesterday was fate for us to experience today. It starts with a bald eagle sitting on the jetty just in front of our cottage as we have breakfast. As it flys away, its huge wingspan on display, it’s a taste of things to come.
With a lucky dip at the weather (a good day) and $340 per head, we set out from Quadra Island marina with Gary on his boat. There are over 70 islands in the area that separate mainland Canada from Vancouver Island (called the Discovery Islands), and so many channels and inlets give rise to many regions of turbulent water where fast-running tides meet at the confluence of two or more channels. The result is some of the fastest and most dangerous rapids in the world, on a stretch of water over a kilometer across and hundreds of meters deep. We witnessed first hand huge whirlpools many meters across, and actual drops in water level where the tides create a fall of over a meter in no distance at all. In other areas the water looks like its boiling. At either side of the channels are hills and mountains covered in trees and mossy rocks. Bald eagles are easily spotted in the trees because of their white heads, and are often sitting in pairs. The female is easy to pick, as she is the larger of the two. Before long, the high mountains have snow-covered tops, the air takes a decided chill, and you know you’re heading for some serious Canadian wilderness.
We eventually arrive at Orford Bay, which is a busy logging port with log trucks, heavy machinery and huge logs of red cedar floating in the water. The strange thing is, this place is completely inaccessible by road, it is in utter wilderness. Everything is delivered by barge. There is a twin-rotor helicopter pulling freshly cut trees out of an incredibly steep slope and dropping them into the water, where the logs are stripped and prepared for transportation by barge to the mill downstream at Campbell River. It is cheaper to use a helicopter for logging than to build roads into this mountainous terrain, and the old-growth trees here make it profitable. Gary estimated two million dollars worth of red cedar just sitting in the water at Orford Bay.
We hop on a bus and drive four kilometers up a rough muddy track. Every kilometer there is a viewing platform that overlooks the river, and at each one we wait for up to half an hour for grizzlies. And we see them, lazily walking beside the river, not a care in the world and unaware or unperturbed that they’re being watched. The closest encounter happens when a big grizzly is spotted on the other side of a small tributary to the main river, and we stand on the opposite bank as this beautiful animal slowly sits on the river bank, looking around, then strolls into the water and finds a piece of dry land mid-stream where he lies down and has a nap. We watched him for over half an hour, from no more than ten meters away. To see such a wild animal in its natural habitat, so large and famous – it was worth traveling so far to see.
The journey back to Quadra Island was more mountains, trees, cliffs, bald eagles, sea lions and rapids, but the close encounter with the Big Griz was foremost in our minds.
Wednesday, 10 October 2007
British Columbia, Canada
Friday 5th
And so we leave Ireland after 11 magic days. My impressions of the place … as I sit in Dublin airport after just having my shoes shined by a big, friendly Bulgarian guy. The Irish are fiercely patriotic, and love the colour green – it’s everywhere - the national airline Aer Lingus’ planes, the Irish rugby team shirts, their city buses, etc. We didn’t sense that patriotism in the north, however. Lots of references to Ulster (which are the six counties that make up Northern Ireland, but also include three counties in the Republic … hmmm, a bit confusing). The north is also very Scottish, and English (Union Jacks flying everywhere), but Sinn Fein offices and posters can be seen around towns. The north has BBC Radio, and Radio Ulster. The south has RTE and Irish stations. Belfast cherishes the Titanic, George Best and Van Morrison, Dublin has U2, The Corrs, Thin Lizzy, several famous writers (like George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swifte and Bram Stoker), Croke Park (seats over 80,000), Trinity College and Guinness. And of course Daniel O’Connell, who lead the revolution that formed the Republic.
We drank in a Dublin pub called Fagan’s, and were told that the Irish Prime Minister Bertie A’hearn drinks there regularly. He only lives up the road, it’s his local pub, and he was only there the night before. His minders sit in the corner, leaving him standing at the bar talking to the locals and drinking Guinness. I can't see John Howard or George Bush doing that. (Fagan’s is in Drumcondra Road, in Drumcondra, if you’re interested.)
We’ve just met a guy in the airport carrying an Aussie football. Turns out he was a member of the Irish Aussie Rules team, heading to Denmark to play them in a game of Aussie Rules. He was also in the team that toured Oz last year playing exhibition games, including a game at the MCG.
A tour guide told us that a very high percentage of the Irish population are under 25 years of age, and 75% go on to tertiary education. You sense that this is a country surging ahead and staking its claim in the European Union, while at the same time very conscious of its history and tradition. The Irish (or Gaelic) language is compulsory in schools, and all road signs are in both Irish and English (not so in the Northern Ireland) but only 12% of the adult population speak it. I admire them for persisting with it, and hope they succeed.
And so we leave Ireland, an hour's flight to Heathrow and 9 hours later we arrive in Vancouver, Canada. Unfortunately, our luggage didn’t. A major stuff-up by Aer Lingus in Dublin. Oh well. We left British Airways to sort it out, and they gave us $120 Canadian, and we got on with our holidays. After being met by our Sydney friends Mike and Denise at the airport, they whisked us off to an ice hockey game – the Vancouver Giants vs Chilliwack Bruins. Quite an experience – only a small crowd with just over 6,000 people – but with all the usual showbiz elements – loud rock music, big video screens showing instant replays, and as many references to the sponsors as possible. But seeing the game live shows you how fast it really is, with ten players and three referees on the ice at any one time, all traveling very fast in all directions. By the crowd reaction, this is a very popular pastime in Canada, and a perfect introduction to the country for us. We felt a world away from Ireland – which we were.
Saturday/Sunday 6/7th
Rain. Boy, did it rain today. It bucketed. Unperturbed, we set off for the north, having a look around Vancouver first, including Stanley Park. This large area is both parkland and forest, right in the middle of Vancouver city. The forest was very thick, amazingly dense. The city skyline across the river would have looked spectacular, if the rain had not created a dense mist to block it out.
Heading out of the city and suburbs, we came to Horseshoe Bay, where a ferry takes you across a large coastal inlet to the other side, so you can continue your journey north. A cheap overnight hotel at Porpoise Bay (near Sechelt) and then on the road again, heading north. The road came to an abrupt end at the water’s edge, but there happened to be a ferry to allow you to continue your journey. Soon we found ourselves driving through areas of forests, with scenery so breath-taking that it’s hard to describe. Essentially, what you’re looking at are three elements in abundance – mountains, lakes/waterways, and trees. The mountains are all around you, and the ones to the right are part of the famous Rockies. The water comes from the jagged coastline that form huge inlets and bays. The trees are everywhere. Forests and plantations of pines that stand so perpendicular that they look like silent soldiers standing at attention. Covering every mountain, and right down to the water’s edge, and the roadside. The occasional non-pine tree is starting to change colour, giving the forests a colourful range from greens to browns, reds, orange and yellow. While driving along, we were constantly on the lookout for the local wildlife – moose, caribou, bear, cougar, deer, raccoon and skunk. Quite different to an Aussie drive in the countryside.
We found accommodation in Powell River, and spent the last bit of the day exploring as far north as we could. At the very end of the road, we ended up in a tiny village called Bliss Landing, which consisted of a few houses and a small marina. All around was forest, and water. There was no denying how this place got its name. While we watched two seals at play in the bay right in front of us, a head popped up from a yacht moored at the marina to say “hello”, and we got chatting to the yacht owners, Jack and Dianne, Americans who sail their “mobile home” around the world. They had decided that they were getting too old for this lifestyle, and planned to settle down and build a house, choosing Bliss Landing for their retirement home. Couldn’t blame them in the least. Heading back, we stopped at a little fishing village called Lund for a meal in the pub. We sat there all evening, watching the sun set into the water to the west, drinking, eating, conversing with the locals, and watching the seals frolic in the bay.
Monday 8th
Another ferry – this time over to Vancouver Island. Our aim was to get to the northern most town on the island – Port Hardy. The scenery was …. well, perhaps best described a “very B.C.”. Each bend in the road gave us the view that you’d see for any picture postcard from British Columbia. Mountains, water and trees. And all three were simply magnificent. Our goal for this trip was to see some Grizzly bears (sadly whale season only recently finished, so we couldn't see them up close), and so we booked for an adventure tour over to mainland Canada to see Grizzlies up close.
Tuesday 9th
Up at 5.30 for the 30 minute drive to the Grizzly tour departure, only to find it cancelled due to a hurricane-strength storm later in the day. Oh well, the Grizzly is proving elusive for us. So we're sitting in a Subway with wireless internet available, having breakfast and disappointed about the Grizzly tour no-show. And it's pouring rain. And still no luggage. Life sure does happen to you while you're busy making other plans.
And so we leave Ireland after 11 magic days. My impressions of the place … as I sit in Dublin airport after just having my shoes shined by a big, friendly Bulgarian guy. The Irish are fiercely patriotic, and love the colour green – it’s everywhere - the national airline Aer Lingus’ planes, the Irish rugby team shirts, their city buses, etc. We didn’t sense that patriotism in the north, however. Lots of references to Ulster (which are the six counties that make up Northern Ireland, but also include three counties in the Republic … hmmm, a bit confusing). The north is also very Scottish, and English (Union Jacks flying everywhere), but Sinn Fein offices and posters can be seen around towns. The north has BBC Radio, and Radio Ulster. The south has RTE and Irish stations. Belfast cherishes the Titanic, George Best and Van Morrison, Dublin has U2, The Corrs, Thin Lizzy, several famous writers (like George Bernard Shaw, Jonathan Swifte and Bram Stoker), Croke Park (seats over 80,000), Trinity College and Guinness. And of course Daniel O’Connell, who lead the revolution that formed the Republic.
We drank in a Dublin pub called Fagan’s, and were told that the Irish Prime Minister Bertie A’hearn drinks there regularly. He only lives up the road, it’s his local pub, and he was only there the night before. His minders sit in the corner, leaving him standing at the bar talking to the locals and drinking Guinness. I can't see John Howard or George Bush doing that. (Fagan’s is in Drumcondra Road, in Drumcondra, if you’re interested.)
We’ve just met a guy in the airport carrying an Aussie football. Turns out he was a member of the Irish Aussie Rules team, heading to Denmark to play them in a game of Aussie Rules. He was also in the team that toured Oz last year playing exhibition games, including a game at the MCG.
A tour guide told us that a very high percentage of the Irish population are under 25 years of age, and 75% go on to tertiary education. You sense that this is a country surging ahead and staking its claim in the European Union, while at the same time very conscious of its history and tradition. The Irish (or Gaelic) language is compulsory in schools, and all road signs are in both Irish and English (not so in the Northern Ireland) but only 12% of the adult population speak it. I admire them for persisting with it, and hope they succeed.
And so we leave Ireland, an hour's flight to Heathrow and 9 hours later we arrive in Vancouver, Canada. Unfortunately, our luggage didn’t. A major stuff-up by Aer Lingus in Dublin. Oh well. We left British Airways to sort it out, and they gave us $120 Canadian, and we got on with our holidays. After being met by our Sydney friends Mike and Denise at the airport, they whisked us off to an ice hockey game – the Vancouver Giants vs Chilliwack Bruins. Quite an experience – only a small crowd with just over 6,000 people – but with all the usual showbiz elements – loud rock music, big video screens showing instant replays, and as many references to the sponsors as possible. But seeing the game live shows you how fast it really is, with ten players and three referees on the ice at any one time, all traveling very fast in all directions. By the crowd reaction, this is a very popular pastime in Canada, and a perfect introduction to the country for us. We felt a world away from Ireland – which we were.
Saturday/Sunday 6/7th
Rain. Boy, did it rain today. It bucketed. Unperturbed, we set off for the north, having a look around Vancouver first, including Stanley Park. This large area is both parkland and forest, right in the middle of Vancouver city. The forest was very thick, amazingly dense. The city skyline across the river would have looked spectacular, if the rain had not created a dense mist to block it out.
Heading out of the city and suburbs, we came to Horseshoe Bay, where a ferry takes you across a large coastal inlet to the other side, so you can continue your journey north. A cheap overnight hotel at Porpoise Bay (near Sechelt) and then on the road again, heading north. The road came to an abrupt end at the water’s edge, but there happened to be a ferry to allow you to continue your journey. Soon we found ourselves driving through areas of forests, with scenery so breath-taking that it’s hard to describe. Essentially, what you’re looking at are three elements in abundance – mountains, lakes/waterways, and trees. The mountains are all around you, and the ones to the right are part of the famous Rockies. The water comes from the jagged coastline that form huge inlets and bays. The trees are everywhere. Forests and plantations of pines that stand so perpendicular that they look like silent soldiers standing at attention. Covering every mountain, and right down to the water’s edge, and the roadside. The occasional non-pine tree is starting to change colour, giving the forests a colourful range from greens to browns, reds, orange and yellow. While driving along, we were constantly on the lookout for the local wildlife – moose, caribou, bear, cougar, deer, raccoon and skunk. Quite different to an Aussie drive in the countryside.
We found accommodation in Powell River, and spent the last bit of the day exploring as far north as we could. At the very end of the road, we ended up in a tiny village called Bliss Landing, which consisted of a few houses and a small marina. All around was forest, and water. There was no denying how this place got its name. While we watched two seals at play in the bay right in front of us, a head popped up from a yacht moored at the marina to say “hello”, and we got chatting to the yacht owners, Jack and Dianne, Americans who sail their “mobile home” around the world. They had decided that they were getting too old for this lifestyle, and planned to settle down and build a house, choosing Bliss Landing for their retirement home. Couldn’t blame them in the least. Heading back, we stopped at a little fishing village called Lund for a meal in the pub. We sat there all evening, watching the sun set into the water to the west, drinking, eating, conversing with the locals, and watching the seals frolic in the bay.
Monday 8th
Another ferry – this time over to Vancouver Island. Our aim was to get to the northern most town on the island – Port Hardy. The scenery was …. well, perhaps best described a “very B.C.”. Each bend in the road gave us the view that you’d see for any picture postcard from British Columbia. Mountains, water and trees. And all three were simply magnificent. Our goal for this trip was to see some Grizzly bears (sadly whale season only recently finished, so we couldn't see them up close), and so we booked for an adventure tour over to mainland Canada to see Grizzlies up close.
Tuesday 9th
Up at 5.30 for the 30 minute drive to the Grizzly tour departure, only to find it cancelled due to a hurricane-strength storm later in the day. Oh well, the Grizzly is proving elusive for us. So we're sitting in a Subway with wireless internet available, having breakfast and disappointed about the Grizzly tour no-show. And it's pouring rain. And still no luggage. Life sure does happen to you while you're busy making other plans.
Thursday, 4 October 2007
Cork, Ireland
Oh dear, it's been a while since we've had a place where we could update the blog, but we've got a spare hour in Dublin, so here is the entire Irish leg ... so far.
Monday/Tuesday 24, 25th
A short flight to Dublin on Aer Lingus, paying 80 euro in excess baggage, found us in Ireland, armed with a hire car and GPS. We headed south to Cork, and our first Irish hosts, Vince and Niamh (I met Vince a couple of years ago through my work).
We immediately noticed the countryside was very green, in fact spectacularly green. Quite incredibly green. And today we only had our second day of rain – which is pretty good after a month on the road.
The next day, we explored Cork, and first up was Blarney Castle. A gorgeous old castle, some of it ruins but enough intact to climb to the top, and the option of kissing this dam stone. Anne did – sort of, it’s not that easy to reach. The castle and grounds were quite beautiful, but perhaps spoilt by the hundreds and hundreds of tourists – mostly American (but there were at least two Aussies!!). Then on to Midleton, and the Jameson Whiskey Distillery. How whiskey is made is a fascinating story (specially Irish whiskey), and it became evident that there is a distinct rivalry between the Irish and Scots for who makes the best whiskey. Irish is triple-distilled, Scotch is only double, and we're told that it was the Irish who taught the Scots how to make whiskey in the first place, many centuries ago. Here we also saw the largest copper still in the world, built over a century ago and ceased operation in 1970. A huge, empty copper vessel.
Wednesday 26th
After advice from Vince and Niamh, we decided to see southwest Ireland on an overnighter, so we packed an overnight bag and headed for the Dingle Peninsula. Before long the scenery changed from densely overgrown forests or cultivated farmland, to vast open plains of obviously poorer soil that form the foothills to some spectacular mountains. These mountains are the highest in Ireland, rising over a kilometer in the air, and are totally nude of trees, while the foothills are dotted with farmhouses and chequered with paddocks separated by stone fences. Most of the buildings were also made of stone, as are bridges, barns, retaining walls, churches … in fact, stone is a dominate feature throughout Ireland. It is everywhere. You can see these rocks embedded in the ground, and there is no shortage of them. The coastline consists of either sandy beaches or sheer rocky cliffs (reminded us of Tasman Peninsula and Eaglehawk Neck).
The township of Dingle is a gorgeous place, centered around its fishing port. Very touristy, with many merchandise shops selling Aran wool garments (this is a large island off the coast that grows very thick wool, because it’s so cold, I guess), and all the other Irish garb. Lots of pubs and bars. What struck us was the colourful rows of terraced houses along the narrow streets, very pretty. The movie “Ryan’s Daughter” was filmed in the Dingle area.
Thursday 27th
After an overnight B&B in Killarney (and an Irish stew in a traditional Irish pub, entertained by some live traditional music), we decided to spend 25 Euro each and take a 6 hour bus trip around the Ring of Kerry (with lots of stops). It was nice not to drive for a day, and the bus gave great views from high up, and most importantly, we avoided driving on some VERY narrow roads. Have no idea how the bus driver did it, but he did.
The Ring of Kerry is a circuit around a peninsula, across the bay from Dingle, that offers scenery that we have never seen the likes of before. Mountain ranges that fall into the sea, absolute blue waters leading out to the Atlantic Ocean, and incredible views from high vantage points. Every bend in the road presented a new panorama. The Tom Cruise movie “Far and Away” was filmed around here, as well as in Dublin.
We saw locals harvesting peat from permanently wet bogs and putting it into storage for fuel over winter. We saw a sheep farmer at work, with two Border Collies who followed his every command in rounding up his flock. The Americans in the group were amazed at the training of these dogs – we Aussies just nodded in full knowledge that Australian sheepdogs are just as clever. An interesting thing we learned is that sheep have no predator in Ireland (the only danger are foxes who take young lambs) so farmers let their sheep roam all over these hills and mountains at will, and then use their dogs to round them up over long distances.
Nearly every building and front yard in this area (which is in County Kerry) was flying green and yellow flags. We learn that these are the colours of County Kerry football team, who won the Ireland County final in Gaelic football two weeks prior, beating Cork to win the title for the 2nd year in a row. Obvious bragging rights for another year.
Friday 28th
We farewelled our friends Vince and Niamh (who have looked after us so well – we hope to repay the favour one day) and left Cork to drive north-west to Limerick and eventually Galway for the night. The country roads are so different to home, with fences made of stones. That is, every fence, going on for miles. And the moss, lichen and ivy growing over them indicates how old they must be. Speaking to locals, we learn that the fence stones surrounding each paddock most likely come from the paddock itself, when the farmer ploughed the field to ready it for cultivation. Goes to show that Ireland is a very rocky place.
Wonderful Galway – a town that immediately captivated us. Plenty of pubs and bars, with traditional Irish music emanating from every one. Music is obviously a driving force here – there are as many shops selling CDs and instruments as there are pubs.
Saturday 29th
Galway to Donegal. More farmland, stone fences, and sheep. A Magic Moment … driving out of Galway, listening to the local radio station and they play Eric Bogle’s classic song “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”.
Donegal was a delightful little town, again driven by music. We did a bit of a pub crawl here – a pre-dinner Guiness and cider in pub number one, dinner of Irish stew in number two, and after-dinner Guiness/cider in pub number three. Here we met a local guy called Garry, a builder and regular in this pub. He was building a house up in the hills, and was fighting with the local council over a building permit. The problem was that the water table was so high that the septic tank would not naturally flow out. High water tables in Ireland is not surprising, given the rain they obviously get.
Sunday 30th
Donegal into Northern Ireland, and today we witnessed first-hand the rain that gives Ireland its greenness. It poured and poured. But we don’t complain, as this is our second wet day in over a month of travels. We visited Donegal Castle, built in 15th Century. Quite small by what we’d recently seen, but still quite extraordinary.
We journeyed east and crossed the border at a town called Strabane (albeit unannounced – not a notice anywhere that we were leaving Ireland), and immediately noticed speed limits in miles per hour, and prices in pounds/pence. We found our home for next few days – Aunty Rose’s place near Ballymoney in the north of Northern Ireland.
Monday 1st October
Only half hour’s drive from Aunty Rose’s place is one of the most famous and incredible geological features in the world. The Giant’s Causeway was created by a lava flow 60 million years ago that solidified and then cracked in certain directions to create hexagonal columns, that were then pushed up by earth movements into steps that jut out into the Atlantic Ocean. Quite amazing to see. The coastline is incredible as well – sheer cliffs that fall into the sea from flat green pasture above. Further along the coast is an island connected to the mainland by a rope bridge, and if you’re brave enough, you can walk across it to the island. We have photographic evidence that we were brave enough, high above the raging sea below.
You can drive right along this north coast (the Causeway Coast) with superb views out to sea. Portrush and Portstewart are just two towns nestled on the coast that attract a lot of people to live there, for obvious reasons – the scenery is beautiful.
Tuesday 2nd
A day spent in Belfast. We did a bus tour of the city, which took us to such places as Stormont – the political headquarters of Northern Ireland and a beautiful palatial building sitting in hundreds of acres of gardens and manicured lawns. We drove past Belfast’s local airport (not its international terminal) which they have recently renamed after their most famous son, and perhaps the most famous English footballer born in Ireland – George Best. In fact, they help his funeral at Stormont, and more than 100,000 people turned up. We drove past the Belfast dockyards that are today virtually empty, with large areas of vacant land, weeds and concrete. But early last century 30,000 people worked there, building ships, and the most famous of all was the Titanic. Today, the slipway where the Titanic was built is covered in weeds, but the city is making a concerted effort to re-develop the docks area, and will have it full of hotels, restaurants and museums by 2012, to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Two huge yellow cranes in the dockyards dominate the skyline, you can see them all over the city.
We saw evidence of this being the birthplace of the Titanic all over the city – they obviously take much pride in building it. They say that it had an English captain, a Scottish engineer and it hit a Canadian iceberg, so they take no responsibility in its sinking.
We also drove through the troubled spots in Belfast, and drove across many lines that have Protestants on one side, Catholics on the other. While we did not see any direct evidence of the troubles, we saw many consequences. Buildings surrounded by ten-foot high explosion-proof fences, cameras on every traffic intersection, fences running through housing divisions with gates that are opened and closed at curfew times. I think we ended up feeling pity for Belfast – a city with many lovely buildings, fascinating history and friendly people, but unfortunately tainted by recent history since the 1960s. What we found encouraging is that school children are now going to integrated schools – Protestants and Catholics together, and more and more people from both sides are living and working together. The hope is that the problems will be solved within a generation, as this generation grows to accept each other’s ideals.
Wednesday/Thursday, 3/4th
We sadly said goodbye to our friends in Northern Ireland - such warm and wonderful hosts - headed south, back into Irealnd and to Dublin.
Monday/Tuesday 24, 25th
A short flight to Dublin on Aer Lingus, paying 80 euro in excess baggage, found us in Ireland, armed with a hire car and GPS. We headed south to Cork, and our first Irish hosts, Vince and Niamh (I met Vince a couple of years ago through my work).
We immediately noticed the countryside was very green, in fact spectacularly green. Quite incredibly green. And today we only had our second day of rain – which is pretty good after a month on the road.
The next day, we explored Cork, and first up was Blarney Castle. A gorgeous old castle, some of it ruins but enough intact to climb to the top, and the option of kissing this dam stone. Anne did – sort of, it’s not that easy to reach. The castle and grounds were quite beautiful, but perhaps spoilt by the hundreds and hundreds of tourists – mostly American (but there were at least two Aussies!!). Then on to Midleton, and the Jameson Whiskey Distillery. How whiskey is made is a fascinating story (specially Irish whiskey), and it became evident that there is a distinct rivalry between the Irish and Scots for who makes the best whiskey. Irish is triple-distilled, Scotch is only double, and we're told that it was the Irish who taught the Scots how to make whiskey in the first place, many centuries ago. Here we also saw the largest copper still in the world, built over a century ago and ceased operation in 1970. A huge, empty copper vessel.
Wednesday 26th
After advice from Vince and Niamh, we decided to see southwest Ireland on an overnighter, so we packed an overnight bag and headed for the Dingle Peninsula. Before long the scenery changed from densely overgrown forests or cultivated farmland, to vast open plains of obviously poorer soil that form the foothills to some spectacular mountains. These mountains are the highest in Ireland, rising over a kilometer in the air, and are totally nude of trees, while the foothills are dotted with farmhouses and chequered with paddocks separated by stone fences. Most of the buildings were also made of stone, as are bridges, barns, retaining walls, churches … in fact, stone is a dominate feature throughout Ireland. It is everywhere. You can see these rocks embedded in the ground, and there is no shortage of them. The coastline consists of either sandy beaches or sheer rocky cliffs (reminded us of Tasman Peninsula and Eaglehawk Neck).
The township of Dingle is a gorgeous place, centered around its fishing port. Very touristy, with many merchandise shops selling Aran wool garments (this is a large island off the coast that grows very thick wool, because it’s so cold, I guess), and all the other Irish garb. Lots of pubs and bars. What struck us was the colourful rows of terraced houses along the narrow streets, very pretty. The movie “Ryan’s Daughter” was filmed in the Dingle area.
Thursday 27th
After an overnight B&B in Killarney (and an Irish stew in a traditional Irish pub, entertained by some live traditional music), we decided to spend 25 Euro each and take a 6 hour bus trip around the Ring of Kerry (with lots of stops). It was nice not to drive for a day, and the bus gave great views from high up, and most importantly, we avoided driving on some VERY narrow roads. Have no idea how the bus driver did it, but he did.
The Ring of Kerry is a circuit around a peninsula, across the bay from Dingle, that offers scenery that we have never seen the likes of before. Mountain ranges that fall into the sea, absolute blue waters leading out to the Atlantic Ocean, and incredible views from high vantage points. Every bend in the road presented a new panorama. The Tom Cruise movie “Far and Away” was filmed around here, as well as in Dublin.
We saw locals harvesting peat from permanently wet bogs and putting it into storage for fuel over winter. We saw a sheep farmer at work, with two Border Collies who followed his every command in rounding up his flock. The Americans in the group were amazed at the training of these dogs – we Aussies just nodded in full knowledge that Australian sheepdogs are just as clever. An interesting thing we learned is that sheep have no predator in Ireland (the only danger are foxes who take young lambs) so farmers let their sheep roam all over these hills and mountains at will, and then use their dogs to round them up over long distances.
Nearly every building and front yard in this area (which is in County Kerry) was flying green and yellow flags. We learn that these are the colours of County Kerry football team, who won the Ireland County final in Gaelic football two weeks prior, beating Cork to win the title for the 2nd year in a row. Obvious bragging rights for another year.
Friday 28th
We farewelled our friends Vince and Niamh (who have looked after us so well – we hope to repay the favour one day) and left Cork to drive north-west to Limerick and eventually Galway for the night. The country roads are so different to home, with fences made of stones. That is, every fence, going on for miles. And the moss, lichen and ivy growing over them indicates how old they must be. Speaking to locals, we learn that the fence stones surrounding each paddock most likely come from the paddock itself, when the farmer ploughed the field to ready it for cultivation. Goes to show that Ireland is a very rocky place.
Wonderful Galway – a town that immediately captivated us. Plenty of pubs and bars, with traditional Irish music emanating from every one. Music is obviously a driving force here – there are as many shops selling CDs and instruments as there are pubs.
Saturday 29th
Galway to Donegal. More farmland, stone fences, and sheep. A Magic Moment … driving out of Galway, listening to the local radio station and they play Eric Bogle’s classic song “And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda”.
Donegal was a delightful little town, again driven by music. We did a bit of a pub crawl here – a pre-dinner Guiness and cider in pub number one, dinner of Irish stew in number two, and after-dinner Guiness/cider in pub number three. Here we met a local guy called Garry, a builder and regular in this pub. He was building a house up in the hills, and was fighting with the local council over a building permit. The problem was that the water table was so high that the septic tank would not naturally flow out. High water tables in Ireland is not surprising, given the rain they obviously get.
Sunday 30th
Donegal into Northern Ireland, and today we witnessed first-hand the rain that gives Ireland its greenness. It poured and poured. But we don’t complain, as this is our second wet day in over a month of travels. We visited Donegal Castle, built in 15th Century. Quite small by what we’d recently seen, but still quite extraordinary.
We journeyed east and crossed the border at a town called Strabane (albeit unannounced – not a notice anywhere that we were leaving Ireland), and immediately noticed speed limits in miles per hour, and prices in pounds/pence. We found our home for next few days – Aunty Rose’s place near Ballymoney in the north of Northern Ireland.
Monday 1st October
Only half hour’s drive from Aunty Rose’s place is one of the most famous and incredible geological features in the world. The Giant’s Causeway was created by a lava flow 60 million years ago that solidified and then cracked in certain directions to create hexagonal columns, that were then pushed up by earth movements into steps that jut out into the Atlantic Ocean. Quite amazing to see. The coastline is incredible as well – sheer cliffs that fall into the sea from flat green pasture above. Further along the coast is an island connected to the mainland by a rope bridge, and if you’re brave enough, you can walk across it to the island. We have photographic evidence that we were brave enough, high above the raging sea below.
You can drive right along this north coast (the Causeway Coast) with superb views out to sea. Portrush and Portstewart are just two towns nestled on the coast that attract a lot of people to live there, for obvious reasons – the scenery is beautiful.
Tuesday 2nd
A day spent in Belfast. We did a bus tour of the city, which took us to such places as Stormont – the political headquarters of Northern Ireland and a beautiful palatial building sitting in hundreds of acres of gardens and manicured lawns. We drove past Belfast’s local airport (not its international terminal) which they have recently renamed after their most famous son, and perhaps the most famous English footballer born in Ireland – George Best. In fact, they help his funeral at Stormont, and more than 100,000 people turned up. We drove past the Belfast dockyards that are today virtually empty, with large areas of vacant land, weeds and concrete. But early last century 30,000 people worked there, building ships, and the most famous of all was the Titanic. Today, the slipway where the Titanic was built is covered in weeds, but the city is making a concerted effort to re-develop the docks area, and will have it full of hotels, restaurants and museums by 2012, to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Two huge yellow cranes in the dockyards dominate the skyline, you can see them all over the city.
We saw evidence of this being the birthplace of the Titanic all over the city – they obviously take much pride in building it. They say that it had an English captain, a Scottish engineer and it hit a Canadian iceberg, so they take no responsibility in its sinking.
We also drove through the troubled spots in Belfast, and drove across many lines that have Protestants on one side, Catholics on the other. While we did not see any direct evidence of the troubles, we saw many consequences. Buildings surrounded by ten-foot high explosion-proof fences, cameras on every traffic intersection, fences running through housing divisions with gates that are opened and closed at curfew times. I think we ended up feeling pity for Belfast – a city with many lovely buildings, fascinating history and friendly people, but unfortunately tainted by recent history since the 1960s. What we found encouraging is that school children are now going to integrated schools – Protestants and Catholics together, and more and more people from both sides are living and working together. The hope is that the problems will be solved within a generation, as this generation grows to accept each other’s ideals.
Wednesday/Thursday, 3/4th
We sadly said goodbye to our friends in Northern Ireland - such warm and wonderful hosts - headed south, back into Irealnd and to Dublin.
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