2008: Weeks 49-52

Despite my valiant efforts to write each week, the time has come to admit defeat and write a few posts to get back up to date. The last weeks of December were rather busy, filled with travel and preparation for travel.

We started the month in London, sending the last 5 nights of our trip in a nice little hotel between Paddington Station and Hyde Park. Despite constant gray skies and drizzle, and extreme tiredness we managed to fit in the Tower of London, the National Portrait Gallery, and the National Gallery. We also walked through Hyde Park, visited the Diana memorial fountain, and explored the very eclectic Victoria and Albert Museum. On the social side of things, we caught up with friends at a nice pub in Camden, and toasted our last night of holiday drinking cider with John. Then, after almost 3 months, we were on a plane and back to Canada.

Our 11 days in Merrickville were spent packing and organising, applying for jobs, and of course enjoying a bit of Canadian winter. We had an early white Christmas, and enjoyed walking around the snowy village. And we had a memorable trip into to Ottawa, trying to get around during a transit strike the day after a massive snow fall. Too soon, though, we were back at the airport, this time heading for Sydney.

After way too many hours on a plane (delayed because we had to be de-iced in Vancouver of all places), we finally touched down, and after a short wait for the plane to be be dosed with bug spray, we finally had our feet on the ground. All 4 of our large bags arrived safely, and we were soon through the gate and greeting my family. They were happy to see us of course, but there was better news to come for them - after months of secretly applying for visas and talking about where to live we finally told them that we were planning to stay.

The last week of December was filled with celebrating Christmas and my Dad's birthday and settling in to Australian life. Finally, we saw out the year eating great food and drinking great wine with some very good friends.

Best of 2008
- skiing Banff
- NYC with Lynda
- Elysa and Patrick's wedding
- Algonquin Park
- camping at Castle Mountain
- roadtrip to Vancouver Island
- Radiohead in Vancouver
- Quebec City
- Edinburgh
- Amsterdam
- white Christmas in Merrickville
- sunny Christmas in Sydney

2008: Week 46

After just a week in Zurich we packed our bags again, and caught the TGV train to Paris. A quick ride on the metro, up a LOT of stairs, and we were home for the next 2 1/2 weeks.

The next day we wandered our neighbourhood (close to the Luxembourg Garden) and picked up a few food supplies. I was very excited to find passionfruit flavoured Pim's - chocolate and passionfruit, does it get any better? We also visited our local boulangerie to buy pain (lit. bread, a slightly larger version of a baguette) and croissants.

We also managed to fit in a little sight-seeing. On Thursday we went for a very long walk across town, finally ending up in Montmartre to enjoy the view across town from Sacre Coeur. Then on Friday we had a very different view of Paris with a visit to the Catacombes, a series of underground tunnels which house the bones of thousands of Parisians - the bones were moved from cemeteries that had become over-crowded. The tunnels were also used by the Frecnh resistance during WW2. We finished the week with a visit to the flea market at Porte de Vanves, an evening walk along the Seine, and a pleasant afternoon with a good friend who was in town for the day.

Best of the week

- Finally being in a country where I don't have to ask everyone if they speak English.

- Catching up with Laurent.

- Baguettes, pain, croissants, patisseries, good cheap wine ... you get the idea.

Worst of the week

- Needing to exercise self control with all the good food.

- Wishing my French was better. There has been a lot of improvement in the last year, but there is a long way still to go.

2008: Week 45

Sunday was spent cleaning our apartment and taking care of last minute details (like booking train tickets from Zurich to Paris) before leaving our home for the last month and heading to the bus station. A bus from Amsterdam to Zurich is cheap, but fairly inconvenient. The trip ended up taking 15 hours with multiple stops in 4 different countries and a long stop at the Swiss border. But we made it at last and finally made it to my grandmother's apartment. It was weird to be there without her - oddly quiet. Last time I was in Zurich both my grandparents were there along with a few other relatives!

Our week was spent sightseeing, not the frantic kind where you rush from place to place, but more relaxed. We discovered that a number of attractions were closed for the seaon, and some of the smaller museums are no longer free, and didn't seem worth paying for. Actually, pay is exactly what you do in Zurich. Restaurant food is quite expensive, and a coffee and cake at one of the lovely cafés doesn't seem so tempting when you see the price. But not everything is over-priced. We enjoyed warm chestnuts from street vendors and plenty of chocolate!

We climbed the tower of Grossmünster Cathedral for a great view of the city, and visited the Landesmuseum to learn about Swiss history. We also visited the nearby towns of Zug and Schwytz (less than an hour by train, but very different). In Zug we tried their famous Zuger Kirschtorte (lots of cream, nuts, and cherry brandy), while in Schwytz we gazed at the Alps and saw the first contracts of mutual assistance between the states which eventually became Switzerland. The earliest is from 1291!

Best of the week

- the view from Grossmünster Cathedral

- hot chestnuts

- Schwytz, and the view of the mountains

Worst of the week

- language - Dutch has many words in common with English, but it was much harder to work out what's going on in German. At least the food is labelled in French, so we knew what we were buying .

- difficulty feeling like a local. It's a little hard to explain, but with the language and high prices I felt I was observing, rather than experiencing, life in Zurich.

2008: Week 44

I don't have much time to write this week, but I did manage to post some photographs from the three major excursions of the week, a bike ride to Haarlem, and train journeys to Utrecht and Antwerp. Hope you enjoy them!

Tonight we're off to Zurich - internet access is likely to be rather sporadic for the next few weeks, but my Canadian phone is still working if you need to get in touch.

Bridge in Haarlem

Canal in Utrecht

Antwerp Station

Best of the week
- A bike ride to Haarlem, a beautiful town just 20km from Amsterdam.
- Catching up with Kerry for the first time in a year.
- Canals below street level, and the view from the Domtoren (112m above the street) in Utrecht.
- Drinking multiple flavours of lambic in some great beer cafes.
- Sint-Pauluskerk in Antwerp, a magnificent church which still houses artworks made for it by van Dyck and Rubens.

Worst of the week
- A late train from Belgium, missing the last tram, and the 40 minute walk home on a rather chilly night.
- Getting ready to leave Amsterdam; selling my bike, posting things home, trying to use up all the food we bought.

2008: Week 40

From Carlisle we took a bus to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne. The original plan had been to take the Hadrian's Wall tourist bus, but at the tourist office we were told it was a small bus, and since we would also have had to wait three hours for a connection we decided to take a regular bus. Bad move, the regular bus was slow, still required a connection (which we missed), and didn't give us even a glimpse of the wall. We'll know better next time. Actually, next time we'll probably try a driving holiday, it seems to be the most efficient way to see many of the smaller places we missed this trip.

We finally arrived at Newcastle and made our way to our hostel which turned out to be excellent. Newcastle is of course famous for the Tyne bridge, built around the same time as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and another six bridges which span the Tyne. You can easily see all seven at the same time. Some highlights in Newcastle were a trip to Tynemouth, where we saw a beautiful old castle above the beach, Laing Art Gallery, with a small but excellent collection of local artists, and a trip across the Tyne to Gateshead where my paternal grandmother was born.

An adventurous travel option came next - we caught the overnight ferry from Newcastle to Amsterdam. This was quite a journey, with spectacular views as we sailed down the Tyne and on to the North Sea, then lots of waves throughout the night. We were very pleased that we decided to take the budget option and carry our own food as the on-board prices were horrendous (would you pay 5 pounds for a one cup plunger of coffee?). Breakfast was a sad affair though, without even a cup of tea.

We finally landed in Amsterdam (Ijmuiden to be precise), and after a short bus trip we arrived in the heart of Amsterdam. Out accomodation for the first night was a little unconventional, in a houseboat set up as a hostel. I have to admit that I'm not convinced this was a great idea. It was certainly different, but the room was even tinier than I expected, and the gangplang leading on-board was not really ideal for carrying luggage. I was not sorry to leave the next day when we moved to our long term accomodation in the lively area of De Pijp. We have mostly rested since then, with a few outings to buy food and explore the local area. The weather has been poor, but I've enjoyed spending a lot of time at home reading and relaxing after many weeks of travel.

Best of the week
- Visiting Gateshead and getting a feel for the place my great-grandparents lived, then boarding a ship and sailing away (after spending just one night on the ferry, I cannot imagine what it would have been like to sail to Australia). How would you feel as the boat left the place you were born and carried you to an unknown land half a world away?
- Segedunum Roman Fort and Hadrian's Wall. Both only visible after excavation work, but amazing all the same.
- Finally arriving in our Amsterdam apartment, home for the next few weeks.

Worst of the week
- The space between the top and bottom bunk in our houseboat cabin. Much too little head-room for my liking!
- Discovering that the supermarket runs out of bread on Saturday afternoon, and having to wait for Monday for more of the good stuff. Fortunately we could buy the bake at home variety to go with our soup, but I've already developed a habit of eating fantastic dark bread spread with blackcurrant jam - the last few slices have been rationed out today.

2008: Week 39

A quick and scenic flight from Dublin, and we were in Edinburgh. And what a change! The accomodation helped - after 4 days in a hotel we had a serviced apartment and quite a bit more space. But the real change was the city. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but Edinburgh has a magic I just didn't feel in Dublin (or Glasgow). The first evening we went for a long walk around the castle, which sits on a massive rock in the centre of town. It's a spectacular sight, an ancient walled castle sitting on top of sheer granite cliffs. The next two days were spent exploring museums, visiting St Giles cathedral, walking in Holyrood Park, and visiting the castle.

Next up was Glasgow, a short bus trip away. Lyn and her friend met us at the bus station and joined us for lunch and a visit to Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum. It was a quick visit for them; after an hour or so the bright young things ran off to do some shopping, leaving the old folks browsing the museum. Our second day was spent around St Mungo's cathedral visiting Provand's Lordship (the oldest house in town), the Museum of Religious Life and Art, and the cathedral itself.

We finished the week in Carlisle, a town just over the border into England. It was a quick visit, but we managed a stop at the cathedral and Tullie's House Museum, where we learned about the history of the region from roman times onwards (Carlisle is at the eastern end of Hadrian's Wall). We also learned about the Border Reivers, families who lived in the lawless border region between Scotland and England and waged war on one another for 300 years. I was amused to note that Matt's family (on both sides it seems) were among the reivers.

Best of the week
- Edinburgh - the atmosphere, the castle, the contrast to Dublin
- National Gallery of Scotland
- Hanging out with Lynda and Yvonne in Glasgow
- Tullie House Museum in Carlisle

Worst of the week
- Discovering that the clothes dryer in our Edinburgh apartment didn't work - the night before we had to leave!
- Dragging my suitcase for what seemed like tens of kilometres. A backpack is looking like a great investment right now.

2008: Week 38

Just a short post this week, as I'm using a shared computer at the hotel and I don't want to keep the next person waiting.

On Wednesday evening we left Ottawa, arriving in Dublin on Thursday morning. Since then we've spent our time exploring the city and also learning a little about suburban life in Dublin as our hotel is about 45 minutes from the downtown core by tram. Dublin is an interesting city, but not one I think I'd like to live in. It's old, and there are lots of lovely old buildings, but the vibe is not particularly lively. The suburban sprawl was quite a surprise, especially the strip mall I saw on the way to the hotel. Perhaps if Quebec is the most European city in North America, Dublin is the most North American style city in Europe (at least in my experience).

Best of the week
- The Book of Kells and the Trinity College Library
- The Guinness Storehouse
- The Brazen Head Bar (oldest in Dublin)

Worst of the week
- Jetlag!!!
- My grandfather is unwell :(

Manchester

The last stop on our trip was the northern city of Manchester. Why Manchester? Flying back from Manchester instead of London gave us an extra 2 days away – the official excuse, anyway. The fact that Matt is a Man City fan, and we’ve been watching Coronation Street couldn’t have had anything to do with the decision ☺

I really liked Manchester. It’s big enough that there is a lot going on, but not so big to be completely crazy. We stayed right in the entertainment district, so the street outside was busy quite late at night, but it felt really friendly. There was an excellent selection of restaurants, and plenty of nice looking pubs and bars. We spent most of our time walking around, firstly in search of a Man City jersey, and then around the downtown area and Salford Quays, an upscale area built around a series of canals. Pretty, but I prefer the older, less planned neighbourhoods.

On Sunday morning we dragged ourselves, and our slightly heavier bags, to the station to catch the train to Manchester airport. A short 8 hour flight and we were back in Calgary, and back to regular life.

Highlights
• Spotting the Coronation Street set from the windows of the Science Museum.
• Reaching a geographical high – the most northern place I’ve been.
• Awesome Indian food on our last night in Europe.

Lowlights
• The most crowded shopping street ever!
• Watching the Wallabies lose to Jonny Wilkinson’s boot – again!

Europe photos are up on Flickr!

Here.

Liverpool

Our French speaking adventures ended in Paris, and we flew back to the English speaking world, landing in Liverpool. A short bus ride, and we were in town, and checking into our hotel. We knew it was a budget hotel, but the emphasis really was on budget. The staff were friendly (although it did feel a little like a scene from Fawlty Towers) and the room was clean, but I wouldn’t go back.

Liverpool has a long history as a port town. During the days of slavery it was a major stopover between Africa and the Americas. Now there is a huge display in the shipping museum honouring the thousands of people affected by that dark period. Liverpool’s more recent claim to fame is The Beatles. We spent several hours at The Beatles Story, an excellent museum following the rise and fall of the fab four, and then visited Mathew St, home of the Cavern and a LOT of cheesy memorabilia/tourist stores.

Highlights

• Watching a Beatles cover band perform at the Cavern, the club where the Beatles regularly played before the mania started.
• Eating an authentic greasy diner breakfast, complete with beans and black pudding.

Lowlights

• Eating an authentic greasy diner breakfast, complete with beans and black pudding.
• The hotel where we stayed – minimal room, next door to a night club. On the bright side, they had a power outlet where I could charge my phone.

Paris

J’adore Paris! The busy streets, the interesting shops, and the architecture. The gardens, the museums, the food. The beautifully dressed people, the metro, the list goes on. Paris feels so alive – everywhere you go there are homes, shops, and businesses mixed together, and people on the street just going about their lives. A far cry from the strip malls and suburbia at home!

We had three nights in Paris, the longest stay of our trip, and it was wonderful to spend them in a friend’s apartment rather than in a hotel or B&B. I could really get used to croissants and coffee for breakfast! And a choice of perhaps 20 restaurants within 5 minutes walk. What else to say? J’adore Paris!

Highlights

• Sainte-Chappelle, the gothic cathedral in the heart of Paris. Possibly the most beautiful of the many churches we visited.

• Macarons from La Duree.
• Speaking French and being understood.
• The city of love with someone I love.

Lowlights
• 7 euro pints of beer! Rather a shock after Brussels.
• Hearing French being spoken, having no idea what was said, and realizing there’s still a long way to go.

Luxembourg City

From Brussels we caught the train to Luxembourg City, capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It was a beautiful journey, with many interesting towns I’d love to go back and explore, including one with the ruins of an ancient fortress high on the hill.

Luxembourg City sits between two wide gorges with sheer walls. The city was established in 963 with the building of a fort, and by the 1800s was a strong fortress in a strategic location. And not surprisingly, a bloody history. The Grand Duchy was declared neutral in 1867 and most of the fortifications were dismantled. Neutrality didn't last long - Luxembourg was occupied during both world wars, after which it joined NATO and the EU. Today the city is a financial hub in one of the richest countries in Europe.

Highlights
• Pétrusse, the gorgeous park at the bottom of the gorge.
• Walking around the remains of the city fortifications.
• Musée National d’Histoire et d’Art.
• Views from the old town into the gorge bellow.

Lowlights
• Bock casemates being closed (a network of underground passages which form part of the old fortifications).
• Ugly new EU highrises on the horizon.

Brussels

In Brussels we stayed at a very different style of Bed and Breakfast - a room in a modern apartment building! The room itself was great, with a large window and a tiny ledge, so we could look outside across the roof tops. It was pretty weird staying in someone's house though.

Brussels is an interesting city, a real mix of old and new. The city centre is sunken compared to the newer parts of town, and we mostly explored the old town. We avoided museums, and just wandered, taking in the impressive architecture. Dinner was mussels and fries, the classic Belgian dish. The mussel season had just started, so there were many signs proclaiming "Les moules sont arrivées!"

Highlights
• Grand Place – absolutely stunning architecture.
• The Cathedral of Saint Gudula and Saint Michael.
• Chocolate everywhere.

Lowlights
• Buying transit tickets, then realising we could walk everywhere.

• Negotiating the rail system - Brussels has three main train stations, and finding the ticket office was somewhat challenging. Matt did an excellent job buying tickets in French!

Amsterdam

We spent a week in Amsterdam last year, so this time it was a flying visit, just long enough to catch The Tragically Hip play (twice) at Paradiso. It’s a fantastic venue, although strangely we had to buy memberships at the club as well as our show tickets. Afterwards we stopped by Bojo, a late opening Indonesian place with great cheap food, then walked along the canals. Of course we also managed to find time for a few Heineken, stroopwafels, and pannenkoeken.

Highlights
• Exploring neighbourhoods we missed on the last visit, and watching bikes being scooped out of the canals.
• Walking through the Vondelpark, by night and day.
• Chatting with our waiter Alex at Bojo, the late night Indonesian café.

Lowlights
• A delayed flight from London, giving us 3 less hours in Amsterdam.
• Getting cold and wet after rushing to a concert without my jacket.

London again

We caught the bus back to London (a much longer trip in the early afternoon) and had just enough time before dinner to do part 1 of our Beatles tour - a visit to Abbey Rd. Stay tuned for part 2.

Dinner was with the lovely Katrina, and we decided to go to the Walkabout, one of a chain of Aussie pubs in London. Not too bad really - I had the kangaroo burger and a Crown Lager! And it was great to catch up. Even though Kat and I both make it home fairly regularly, the last time we'd actually seen each other was Christmas 2003 when she visited Ithaca!

Oxford

Our friend Kerry has just moved to Oxford, so we jumped on a late night bus from London to pay him a visit and explore his new home. Oxford is a wonderful town, with beautiful architecture, and an atmosphere that reminds me of the many English books I devoured as a teen. Not surprising, since several of my favourite authors wrote while living here.

Highlights
• Lunch (and dinner) at The Eagle and Child – regular meeting place of CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien and their friends, the Inklings. Classic pub food in the place where Narnia and Middle Earth were born.
• Walking around Christ Church college, feeling as if I were at Hogwarts.

Lowlights
• Still being jetlagged, sleeping late, and not exploring as much as I would have liked.

London

We landed at Gatwick airport VERY early, and decided to spend the day sightseeing in an effort to overcome the time difference. It worked pretty well, although I’m not sure I really took in much at the British Museum which we visited the first afternoon.

We also spent an afternoon wandering around Westminster and Buckingham Palace. I was a bit sad that they weren’t changing the guard, and couldn’t get a certain A.A. Milne poem out of my head.

London is a big city, and we really only touched the surface, missing a range of sights such as London Bridge and the Tower of London. Next time ….

Highlights
• Walking around the Monopoly board (an amusement lost on Matt, since the N. American version has different street names).
• The British Museum and the National Gallery – free!
• Finally seeing those famous buildings.
• Watching Man City play Fulham.

Lowlights
• Being shut out of the tube with alarms sounding. It turns out this is the normal method to ease congestion during rush hour.
• Jetlag – it’s never good when you fall asleep walking around a museum. And I mean literally falling asleep on my feet!

The big trip

The big European adventure has come and gone, and there are lots of stories and photos to share. After the jetlag clears I’ll be posting highlights (and lowlights) from each of the cities we visited. Photos should be up on Flickr in the next few days.