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Europe In The Spring

April - May 2019
Fifty four days, four countries, no schedule. Read more
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  • Europe In The Spring
    Day 43

    I Love Paris Every Moment...

    May 13, 2019 in France ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    Every moment of the year ...

    This was my third visit to the city of light and I was no less wonderstruck this time than I was the first go around in 2007.

    There are so many iconic buildings, monuments and places here, it's hard to look around and not see something of beauty. To name a few, the Eiffel Tower, The Opera, Le Grand Palais, City Hall, Les Jardins de la Tuillerie, l'Arc de Triomphe, all standouts. But those landmarks aside, even the row upon row and block after block of six storey apartment buildings, with their wrought iron balconies, give you a clear indication of which city you're in.

    We spent our first couple of days here hanging out with Carhy, one of Brenda's friends, who traveled here from Nantes to share some time with us. We ate, drank, wandered aimlessly through different arrondissements and even did the touristy Seine cruise on Sunday afternoon, that turned out to be most enjoyable and very informative.

    On Monday, we had a brush with fame. Another of Brenda's friends, Patrice Romedenne, who she met in Vancouver many moons ago, is now a well known writer and TV journalist. He invited us for coffee at Le Cafe de l'Homme, which offers probably the best view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris. I have to admit, I was glad he picked up the tab because the three scoops of sorbet that Brenda ate and the very delicious, but tiny apple tatin I chose were both priced at €15.00 each. I hate to think how much his chicken caesar salad cost!

    On Tuesday, Brenda and I picked up a bottle of rosé, a few spreads, falafels and vine leaves from Le Marche des Ternes and, of course, a baguette (from the bakery that won 4th prize for the best baguette in Paris in 2004), all of which we gobbled down while sitting in the sun on a park bench in Parc Monceau.

    In a city where real estate prices, like Vancouver, have skyrocketed in recent years, it's great to be able to find a large green space amidst all the concrete

    So now we say au revoir to Paris and fly off to our first English speaking destination of this trip: Dublin, Ireland.

    I've been to Paris in the fall and in the summer when it sizzles. Now I've been here in the spring and have only to visit her in the winter, when it drizzles, in order to be able to have lived the song lyrics.

    Why, oh why do I love Paris? Because my love is here. (Or at least she's with me every time I've been).    Read more

  • Europe In The Spring
    Day 48

    Dublin

    May 18, 2019 in Ireland ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    We arrived in Dublin on Wednesday and were greeted at the airport by Brenda's ex-coworker, Gerry. She and her husband, Eddy, were kind enough to offer us lodging during our stay and took the time out of their schedules to act as tour guides.

    On Wednesday afternoon, Gerry drove us out to
    The Wicklow mountains, where we visited Hollywood (the original) and Glendalough, which contains the ruins of a sixth century monastery. As we drove the different cycling routes that Eddy frequently rides, we were treated to breathtakingly beautiful vistas.

    Since this was my first time in Dublin, Brenda and I bought a two day Dublin Pass, that granted us admission to more than thirty local attractions, including the Guinness Storehouse and the Jameson distillery.

    We managed to get good return on our investment by doing a complete bus tour of the city and visiting the Dublin Castle, Jameson, Christ Church Cathedral, Dublinia, Teeling Distillery and Guinness.

    The church is very strong in Ireland and, according to our bus tour guide, there are 651 churches in Dublin. When you consider that 25% of the country's population (1.5 million) is concentrated there, the number sounds reasonable.

    However, one institution of contemplation outranks even the church since there are 851 pubs in the city. With statistics like that, it was easy for me to cross the "Drink a Guinness in Dublin" item off my bucket list. And yes, it's true: the Guinness is better in Ireland.

    And now we fly back to England to embark on the last leg of our European vacation.

    Exciting times ahead!    Read more

  • Europe In The Spring
    Day 49

    Birmingham

    May 19, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Our flight from Dublin got off the ground an hour late and then, due to a missed communication, we had to wait half an hour for our Airbnb host to show up. So, in the end, our visit to Birmingham became nothing more than a whistle stop.

    We did, however, get out to celebrate Brenda's birthday with a meal and bubbles at Ba-Ha Vegan restaurant, which unbeknownst to me when I reserved, was just a stones throw from where we stayed.

    And now we're off to Bromsgrove to catch up with family I haven't seen in 47 years!    Read more

  • Europe In The Spring
    1
    Day 50

    Bromsgrove

    May 20, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 13 °C

    When traveling for nearly two months it's always difficult to choose one event or destination as a favorite.

    After all, we've been to so many beautiful, historic and storied places, had fabulous meals, reconnected with old friends and tasted wonderful wines.

    Who would have imagined that one of my highlights of this journey would have started in the little English hamlet of Bromsgrove?

    Yesterday we arrived here and immediately made our way to meet with my 94 year old Aunt Roma, who, the last time I saw her was half that age! As soon as we walked into the room where she was waiting, even Brenda, who had never met her before, picked her out of the crowd. The family resemblance to my sister, Dena, and my late mother is uncanny. My Mum left us much too young and Roma gave me a glimpse of what Mum would have been like had she lived to a ripe old age. Roma is spry, witty and charming and recounted many tales from her youth about my Mum. It was a wonderful visit.

    My cousin Phil and his wife Pauline then arrived to drive us all to Worcestershire where we had lunch at cousin Richard and his wife, Jude's home along with my cousin Trevor, his wife, Claire and their two children.

    Jude went above and beyond to meet our vegan and gluten free dietary requirements with an awesome choice of vegetables, potatoes, rice, vegan chili and even homemade gluten-free pie and vegan meringues accompanied by mountains of fresh berries. Everything was amazing!

    Dinner conversation was lively and included a video chat with my sister Dena and her husband, Ed.

    When all was said and done, we all vowed that we wouldn't wait another 47 years to get together again.

    What a wonderful day!    Read more

  • Europe In The Spring
    Day 50

    Bath

    May 20, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    For the penultimate stop on our journey we spent two days in Bath Spa. As the name suggests, the Roman's built baths and a temple here in 60 AD because of the hot springs that emerge in the center of the city. More about that later.

    We came here to meet up with Brenda's friend, Laurie, who came from Wales to spend Monday with us. Unfortunately, our train from Bromsgrove was cancelled and, by the time alternate arrangements were made, we arrived ninety minutes behind schedule. So much for the efficiency of British rail. We nonetheless made the most of our time with her and she brought us around to areas of the city we likely would not have discovered had she not been our guide.

    I had no idea what to expect from Bath and was astounded by how beautiful it is here. Many of the Georgian style buildings date to the 17th century and some are even older than that. The Gothic abbey was founded in the 6th century and was rebuilt in the 12th and 16th centuries. It is a very impressive structure, although we didn't find time to visit it on this trip.

    And why were we so short of time? Because my beautiful and generous wife treated us to a day at the Thermae Spa baths that included three hours of soaking, sweating and chilling followed by a 50 minute spa treatment. Aaaaaaah!

    By the time we had showered, changed and de-pruned, it was after 6:00pm so we went for our first pub meal at the Grey Fox pub. The therapist at the spa suggested I take in plenty of liquids to replace those I'd lost, but I'm not sure he included a pint of stout in his recommendation.

    We wrapped up our day wandering through the streets and enjoying our very relaxed state.

    Now we're off to London for our last stop outside of Canada.    Read more

  • Europe In The Spring
    Day 54

    Homeward Bound

    May 24, 2019 in England ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    Well I'm sitting in a railway station
    Got a ticket for my destination...

    Ok, I'm sitting in an airport, but you get the idea.

    Brenda and I spent the last two days enjoying the beautiful weather London offered us and wandering through the streets and shops.

    We got into the city around 1:00 P.M. on Wednesday and Brenda immediately snagged us two tickets for Come From Away, my first London theater experience. Another item crossed off the bucket list. The show is a rousing musical based on the hospitality shown to seven thousand stranded airline passengers by the residents of Gander, NFLD on September 11, 2001. It made me proud to be Canadian.

    After the show we dined at Norman's Coach and Horses, a vegan English pub, where we had Tofish and Chips, marinated tofu, wrapped in seaweed and deep fried in beer batter. Incredibly delicious.

    Thursday was much of the same. A late lunch scheduled with a friend was cancelled and we found ourselves with time on our hands in one of the worlds great cities.

    We ended up browsing through the shops, shaking our heads at the crazy prices in Harrod's and eating some vegan street food for lunch on Tottenham Court Road at Enter the Eden. We ate so much, so late there that dinner was a very simple sandwich and crisps (potato chips to us Canadians) purchased at Sainsbury's, where we also stocked up on some gluten free treats to take home for Brenda.

    This morning we took the tube out to Heathrow and immediately made our way to World of Whiskey, where we filled our one liter per person alcohol quota with two lovely bottles of Scotch. Of course, the samples of several high proof Scotch Whiskeys on a relatively empty stomach went straight to our heads and I can only hope the ones we bought are as good as I thought they were.

    And so this wonderful journey now comes to an end. It's been one of discovery, reunion and relaxation. Of great food, wonderful wines and, surprisingly, a plethora of vegan and gluten free choices.

    As much as we enjoyed our travels, the constant moving around was not usual for us, nor was it something we'll likely repeat. We've decided that on our future lengthy journeys, our minimum stay in one place will be one month. Even though we travelled very light the constant packing, unpacking and organizing point to point travel becomes quite wearisome. Live and learn.

    As we prepare for take off, all I can say is: Arrivederci, au revoir and TTFN.    Read more

  • Europe In The Spring
    Day 1,136

    My palace in Tomar

    May 10, 2022 in Portugal ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C

    I'm staying at the Central Family Palace in Tomar, an authentic 18th century palace owned by 9th generation family. The palace is huge and I almost need to leave breadcrumbs just to find my way back to my room.

    There are common areas for all guests to use and the owner has strived to maintain the historical feel with the furniture and decor. Overall, a charming place to stay, but dang, the keys to the palace didn't fit into any of my pockets!    Read more

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