Groningen

Last day in Groningen... Let the adventure begin!
Welcome to the adventures of Jenna and Mats! Follow along on our journey with us to experience the things we saw and did.
Catch the highlights asLeer más
Groningen

We handed in our keys and had a nice farewell at Ard-Jan’s with Mao and Baukje. We even fit in a midnight celebration of Canada's 150th birthday. Thanks for the T-shirts Angelle!
Then the followingLeer más
Delft

We spent a few days in Delft with Mariska and Michiel before we flew to Portugal, which was the perfect way to catch our breath and relax a bit.
Mariska picked us up from the train station in DelftLeer más
Flying to Faro, Portugal

At 6:00 we got up and (sleep-)walked to the train station. It was funny to pass the students on the streets of Delft that were just heading home after a late night of partying. After a short trainLeer más
Why Portugal?

We went to Portugal for the opportunity to learn about <b>permaculture</b> (http://wp.me/P2OyVq-6r), something we want to experiment with ourselves. Also, it was a chance to recover from a busyLeer más
The Quinta

The Quinta (Quinta Alvorada do Ouro) is a farm in the hills of the Algarve region of Southern Portugal.
The house is made with beautiful clay walls. It stays nice and cool in the summer heat. ThereLeer más
Farming

So, what kind of work did we do?
Our main tasks each day included feeding the chickens and the cats (morning and evening). In the evening we would let the chickens roam free, while we watered theLeer más
"If you can't take the heat, ..."

"... don't tickle the dragon."
It was regularly above 35°C at the Quinta. It felt like you were standing in front of a giant blow dryer. All planning was based around the times of day. We quicklyLeer más
Water Management

Besides (or because of) the heat, water was limited. The Quinta (farm) is off-grid with no connection to a sewer or running water. Victoria has a large water reservoir that fills up in the winter andLeer más
And for fun...

Although we mostly stayed at the Quinta (the farm), we had a few outings. Beside the weekly grocery run, on Sundays we also went to some local flea markets combined with a trip to the local beaches inLeer más
Farm animals

The cats and chickens sure had some character. They deserve their very own post!
Ophelia and Fatima (the chickens) would somehow squeeze through a small gap in their cage and we'd have to chase afterLeer más
And other inhabitants

It was fun to explore the Quinta for other animals. There were some interesting bugs around, like a praying mantis, a snake, huge bees that were pollinating the passion fruit, a few types of spiders.Leer más
One last walk across the farm

In the time we had been at the Quinta, the vegetables had grown big. The water level in the river had dropped even lower but we felt like we had contributed a bit to this cool project. We got someLeer más
Seville

Our first stop of our Spain road trip was Seville. it is a beautiful, stately city with some impressive history and architecture.
Some of the highlights included:
• Street performers singing andLeer más
Cordoba

Driving through the rolling hills of Spain's countryside we left Seville to go to Cordoba. On our way we spotted a impressive Moorish castle and watched a beautiful sunset from the hills overlookingLeer más
Trouble in Paradise...

The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows, and traveling has it's ups and downs too. Social media often skews our perception of reality because we only share the positives. So we want to share thisLeer más
Italica - Dragonpit

In Seville we learned about the nearby Roman city of Italica. Only ruins were left but we were curious to explore its history.
It wasn't too exciting at first. We walked past crumbled houses andLeer más
Cadiz

Cadiz is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities, founded around 1104BC as "Gadir" by the Phoenicians. In their myths the founder was Melqart (aka Hercules).
When we arrived we were treated byLeer más
Huelva - Los Colombinos 525 Anniversary

525 years ago on this date (Aug 3, 1492), Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) set sail from Palos de Frontera (near Huelva) with three ships: the Santa Maria, Pinta and Niña. His goal was to tryLeer más
Lisbon

Santuário de Cristo Rei (Christ the King) welcomed us to Lisbon as our train rolled into the city. And we couldn't think of a better welcome than the one given to us by our AirBnB host. Pedro and hisLeer más
Cascais beach & Sintra palaces

We took the train along the coast to Cascais, a beautiful beach town. It's a great place to go for a dive and have some ice cream at the famous Santini gelato shop! We also had fun browsing a localLeer más
Home sweet home!

We flew out of Lisbon to spend 6 weeks in Calgary to visit family and support Jenna's parents through her mom's surgery. Our visit was a good mix of spending some quality time with family and friendsLeer más
The Cabin

We had two relaxing days at Opa's cabin. It was nice to journal a bit and get inspiration for building a Tiny House. We were visited by two deer and a really sneaky squirrel was looking for some food.
Boswell BC

We headed to BC for the Labour Day long weekend to spend some time with the Thygesen family at their cabin. Jenna T. is the childhood best friend of Jenna. It was an amazing weekend of good food madeLeer más
In Transit

We set out on the next part of our journey. Off to New Zealand! We would have two layovers, flying from Calgary, to Los Angeles and via Brisbane to Auckland, taking 30 hours and 20 min, technicallyLeer más