We started our two cruises by heading to the airport, taking a connector flight from Victoria to Vancouver. We had a four-hour layover, so after clearing US Customs, we found the lounge and started our vacation 

Do Not Try This At Home

This is the first time we have taken a red-eye flight to a cruise. If all goes to plan, we would get to Fort Lauderdale at 8:30 AM, head to the cruise ship terminal and then be on our cruise. If there is a delay, then we have to make our own way to the next port of call. So, we strongly suggest you do not try this at home! It’s really not the best plan; too much can go wrong. Weather delays, lost luggage, airport closures, and 100 other things. It does happen that people miss their ship and have to get to the next port of call, but it is a challenge. 

In the end, it went like clockwork and we were at the ship by 10:30. So, if we are saying “don’t do this at home”, why did we do it? Well, it all comes down to dollars and cents. Simply put, a flight the day before was about five times as much. We rolled the dice and came out on top. If we had not, one night hotel, some meals and a flight to Nassau, would have been less than the additional cost of flying a day earlier. But, we can’t stress enough…do not try this at home!

Heading to a New Ship

Once in Fort Lauderdale, we arranged for an Uber and headed to the ship. The drive was uneventful and we both slept for most of it. Boarding the ship was very smooth. Meg had pre-registered us and all they needed was a scan of our passport as well as a photo. The camera they use was an automated one, similar to the many Border Services use at the airport. We were on the ship at 11:00 and headed to the buffet – a true veteran cruiser move.

For those of you who have cruised, going to a new class of ship can be interesting. This voyage combined a new cruise line and obviously a new ship. There were many of the same things, but also some things were completely different, with a very European flair. 

Two of the most notable differences were the buffet and main pool located on the lower level of the ship on deck 8, as opposed to being on the top decks. This was very foreign to us and took some getting used to.

New Elevators – a Challenge for Some People

The other major difference was the elevators or lifts. When you press the call button for the elevators, you select the floor you want before you get on. Then the nice machine will tell you which elevator will be going to that floor and it also indicates how long it will be until the elevator arrives. When you enter the elevator, you do not press any buttons. Being trained to press the button when you get in is ingrained. It took a few days not to want to press the button when we got into the elevator. The display indicates what floor you are on and what floor(s) the lift will be stopping on. This also took a bit of getting used to, but after a few days, we absolutely loved it. 

This system has dramatically reduced the number of elevator-challenged people from getting on and saying “is this elevator going up (or down)”. Maybe this is not the case, perhaps all of the 5,000 passengers on board are gifted in the use of elevators…nah, who are we kidding.

In all seriousness, the system seems to work well. The announcements are in multiple languages, English is first. 

Setting Sail

The cruise departed as scheduled, after everyone had checked in for the safety drill. Dinner that night, and in fact most meals, were better than recent offerings from either Princess or Celebrity. The activities were pretty much the same: trivia, exercise classes such as line dancing, pool sports, etc. The Captain’s address offered some free adult beverages. 

One thing we did not like was our dining time, which was assigned to us for 5:30PM. Now this did not mean we ate at 5:30. By the time you get settled and your order is taken, you don’t start eating until 6:10. Your main entrée arrives around 6:30ish. When we asked if we could change to the 7:45 time, the Maitre’d told us there were some 200 people on the waiting list for late dining. 

MSC is an Italian line, with a heavy Mediterranean influence. Given so many of the passengers are European, it is not surprising that later dining is preferred. 

It’s Better in the Bahamas

We did not start with a sea day, instead we visited Nassau, Bahamas for our first full day. We did not book any excursions and simply walked off the ship to explore. Meg had done some research and found a number of places to check out. Starting with the ‘Queens Staircase’, a series of 66 stairs that were carved out of limestone in the early years of Queen Victoria’s reign. It is a very popular tourist attraction, however we were fortunate to get there during a lull with no other people around. The hoards were only 100 meters behind us, so we took our pictures quickly and carried on. 

From the Fort, we wandered around town and explored, trying a local adult beverage on a public beach. We really didn’t find a lot to see or do, and the guidebooks don’t list a ton of things. One thing they do mention, and we did, was the John Wadding Distillery. Being on the Islands, rum is the specialty. A quick seven-minute tour, which really didn’t cover a lot, takes you into the sample room where you could purchase tasters of different aged rums or other drinks. 

A Historical British Fort

The stairs take you towards Fort Fincastle, which had a $3 admission. Once inside the Fort, we joined a tour that explained so much about both the fort and community. The way the fort was designed and how things were carved out of limestone allowed for ventilation of the magazine. It was the original air-conditioning and highly effective. The view from the top of the fort was the best you could get in the Bahamas, which makes sense as it is on the highest point.

Not being big rum drinkers, we departed and wandered about. Nassau has a definitive British feel. The King is still the Head of State, similar to Canada. Everyone we met was very pleasant and we left thinking it was a nice place. 

Cozumel, Mexico

Our next port was Cozumel, Mexico. We like Mexico. As we wandered ashore, with nothing planned or booked, we met some Touts and settled on a 2-hour snorkel tour on the reef. Cozumel has the second largest reef in the world, after the Great Barrier Reef. The tour was in a glass boat, not just a glass bottom boat, but a completely clear fiberglass/acrylic boat. This allowed for wonderful viewing of the ocean floor as we headed out to the reef. 

Once we got to the dive point, we all headed out into the water and looked at fish and coral. The current carried us along and after 30-minutes, we were sheparded back into the boat to return to land. To be honest, the fish viewing was not the best we had ever seen. 

Once back on shore, we wandered around the town and headed to the Mercado where we created our own food tour, based on suggestions we read. The food was fresh, reasonably priced and excellent, what more could you ask for?

As we headed back to the ship, we stopped in for some tequila tasting. Now I (Cam) do not like or drink coffee. Imagine my surprise when I tasted coffee tequila. It was incredibly smooth, to the point of being dangerously good in that it was so easy to drink. Our tasting place was on the main drag and, the prices were, in our opinion, very inflated. We decided to pass on buying any and will look for this product in other stores, just to see if we can get it fairly priced.

Belize

We then had a sea day before arriving at Belize. Our plan was to take a tour of the caves, which we would do by floating on an inner tube. We met a few touts, all of them offering the “best” price. In the end we settled on a tour and headed out. A one-hour drive took us to a touristy trap place where we got tubes, helmets and a briefing. A 20-minute up-hill walk took us to the starting point and we entered the water where we boarded our tubes and floated down the river. 

The caves were truly inspiring. The stalagmites and formations were interesting and after about five-minutes of drifting down the river, it was pitch black, except for our headlamps. Our guide had us turn off our lights and we could not see anything. Our tour was about an hour in the caves and when we exited, we carried on down the river in daylight for another 30-minutes. We were back to the ship in good time for departure. 

MSC’s Private Island

As we sailed overnight, we headed to MSC’s private island. We were a bit worried about it, thinking it may be similar to Icy Point Strait, which is totally manufactured. Everything has been built on the Island, from the 5,000 planted palm trees to the shrubs. Normally there are places to eat on the island, which are included in your cruise, however on the day we were there, all food venues were closed. 

We managed to find two lounge chairs and some shade. Setting up our home for the day, we looked out at the ocean and, between swim breaks, read our books. While there was no food on the island, all the bars were open, however the queues were horrendous, so we passed. While the island was certainly not the highlight of our MSC cruise, the colours of the water, along with the soft sand beaches, made a for a postcard perfect picture. 

Winding down

As we left the private island, we returned to Miami. Our impressions of MSC were so favourable we booked another cruise for the spring of 2026. We will head to Europe, MSC’s playground, to visit the Baltics.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave comments or reach out be email on the links below.

Friday November 8, 2024

Crossing a bridge from Spain into France, we did not have to clear customs.  We were coming over land within the European Union. Leaving our commuter train, we walked 200 metres to the Henday train station. Our Henday Spain to Bordeaux France train was showing on time, departing in one-hour. We found a park bench and had our picnic lunch in the November noon time sun. 

The French train left right on time and we arrived in Bordeaux as scheduled. From the train station we took the local tram and then walked five-minutes to our new apartment. After checking-in, we visited the local market and picked up some supplies for the next few days.

Moroccan food in France…why not?

As we were wandering, we passed a Moroccan restaurant which sounded appetizing for dinner. At our apartment, we checked it out. Despite having good reviews and scores, the last two reviews commented on seeing a mouse. Fortunately, there was another Moroccan restaurant nearby that actually had better reviews. This was a place that you did not leave hungry. 

The restaurant was a prix-fixe. Your only choice was the main course. The options were many. Just about every tagine you could imagine, from lamb to kofta, to veggie. Once you chose your main, you could go up to the appetizer table. There were at least 30 appies. Salads, hummus, olives, breads, and so much more. One trip to this appie bar was not enough for either of us. The waiter watched as we, along with everyone else, made multiple trips to the salad bar. Once it appeared we were done with salads, our main courses came.

There were delicious and filling. For me, there’s something about slow cooked tagines, with dried fruit, nuts, spices, herbs and meat that is irresistible. Finishing our mains, we headed to the desert table. Oh my. There were at least 40 different deserts as well as cut up fresh fruit. How could you try all of them? I settled on a number of them as well as baklava. We certainly left full and satisfied. 

Saturday November 9, 2024

We started with an early morning walk around Bordeaux. Not much was open at 9AM. Even most coffee shops were closed. We had the place almost to ourselves. In the afternoon, we took a wine tasting excursion to Saint Emillion. 

Ahhhh, wine in France. It is almost a religion. In fact, during the Middle Ages, we learned Abbey’s had to welcome pilgrims with wine. Maybe that makes up for the lack of plumbing  We headed out on our tour and drove the hour to St. Emillion. There, we had tour of the town and then some time on our own. It seemed logical to do a tasting on our own which we did.

Then the tour took us to an estate where we toured the facilities and learned about their process. Then…you guessed it…we did a wine tasting on the estate. We sampled two of their house made wines. 

This tour was really well done. It was put on by the Bordeaux tourist centre. As a half day tour (13:30 – 18:30) it was great time wise and you really didn’t need much more. Returning home, we picked up some take-away food and ate a relaxing meal in our apartment. 

Sunday November 10, 2024

Fresh off our wine tour, we decided to learn more about this delightful drink. We headed over to the Cite du Vin centre. It is advertised as a place where you can “Embark on an interactive and sensory experience”. They were accurate on that. We spent over four hours there (the suggested time is one hour). There were displays on grapes, the wine regions of France as well as other wine areas. They highlighted food and wine pairing. Displays on the history of wine, from the Pharos to the Middle Ages to today. The audio guide was in various languages, so we understood everything. At the end you travelled up to the eighth floor where you had a tasting of a wine of your choice enjoyed with a panoramic view of the historic city of Bordeaux and the river.

Dinner that night was a local restaurant that we found online, despite being the off-season, reservations were essential. As we arrived, we noticed the sign out front said ‘complete’ (full in English). We had a scrumptious three course meal that left us very full. Walking back to our apartment, under a ¼ moon, we were certainly enjoying our time in Bordeaux. 

Monday November 11, 2024

We marked today with reflection of what November 11^th means. About half of the business were closed today. Bordeaux, like all of France was occupied during the war. After liberation, things started to return to normal, including the production of wine. 

We then headed to the river to take a scenic cruise along the Garonne River. Being France, the cruise came with a glass of wine, which was most welcome on a cool windy day. Sailing down river towards the Atlantic Ocean, we learned about the buildings, ships and history of the city. The view from the water was quite different than the shore and we enjoyed our tour.

We spent the rest of the day getting ready for our travel to Tours, about two hours away by train.

Tuesday November 12, 2024

We went for a walk in the morning and then we returned to our apartment. The host arrived at 11 and we talked for about 10 minutes and then headed to the train. After the five-minute walk to the tram station, we saw a tram pull up, which was good timing. The tram took us to the train station and, after struggling with ramps, underground passages et al, found our coach. We did not pay to reserve seats, so in the morning, we were assigned seats in a quad group. While we both had windows, we were facing each other. That meant one of us faced backwards. 

As I was tired, Meg took the view seat and I ended up falling asleep during a podcast 

Friday November 15, 2024

The Loire Valley is known for its Chateaus’. There are too many to visit without being “Chateau-ed out”. Reading about the choices, we decided to visit Charmeanu first. It is the quasi essential French Chateau. It’s on the river, has the classic arches you see in post cards, large grounds and of course, history.

We had looked at buying tickets online as there was notations on some websites they sell out some times. There are blocks of 70 tickets for sale, every 15-minute has a block. The first block, for 9:45 had 66 tickets left. There were 70 tickets for each block after that until 14:30 when there were only 65 tickets. Considering the time of year, we didn’t see the need to pre book.

As we arrived, we walked down the main street leading to the Chateau and there was not a sole in sight. This made for excellent pictures. Given that there would likely be more people later in the day, we raced through the Chateau to get pictures without others in the background. As we finished our first pass of the Chateau, a tour bus pulled up and there were a few more people about. 

Every Chateau has an in-depth history

Taking an in-depth look, we discovered and learned a lot. This Chateau, which is on the river, played a essential role during WWII. The river was the line of demarcation between Vichy and Free France. The Resistance used the Grand Hall of Chateau, which was an enclosed bridge that crossed the river, as a way of moving equipment across. Of course, this had risks and some were caught. 

During Great War, the Chateau’s owner, at his own cost, converted the Grand Hall to a hospital. There, the injured were treated and convalesced. By the end of the war, some 2,600 soldiers had been treated there.

There were a number of paintings and tapestries. Most of these were originals and, surprisingly, they were, for the most part, not behind glass. Some of the tapestries had seen better days, however being 300 – 800 years old, that is understandable. Tapestries were mobile art back in the day. When the Royal court moved, the tapestries moved with them. They would then be hung up on the wall of the temporary lodging, be it a Chateau or other suitable place. Then, when the group moved on, they were taken down, packed in cabinets, and moved to the next location. 

The Chateau also had vines in various places. This is France of course and that means wine. Today there is still a small winery on the grounds. As any good winery would have it, they offered tastings. The tasting were done in the cave, which has been storing wine since the 1600’s. All three of the selections, rose, white and red were wonderful.

Saturday November 16, 2024

Today was a planned down day. Laundry, walking, talking and taking it easy were the aims of today. Window shopping as well as visiting stores to take in the local scene. A long walk along the river gave us the view of the Loire that great. 

Sunday November 17, 2024

Our plan for today was to visit Amboise Chateau, the local chateau. This residence is not actually on the water, it’s a bit up from the river. The elevated height gives it a commanding view of the river in both directions. All the better for collecting tolls back in the day. Remember, there are only two things that are certain in life, taxes being one of them. As we bought our tickets, we asked the clerk how busy the Chateau was. He told us that he had only sold six other tickets that morning. 

As we entered the Chateau, the ‘Keep’ or entry room, had a roaring fire going. This was very welcome as it was an unseasonably cold day with clouds. The Chateau was very well done, and although it was the smallest of the three grounds we visited in the Lorie valley, it was charming. All of the rooms we visited were done up in period. There was furniture and displays. We were provided with an iPad that allowed you to virtually see the room as it was in either the 1500’s or 1800’s, depending on which room. 

Technology meets history with interactive iPads.

Once inside the room, with the iPad activated, there were characters who provided further information on the meaning of the room. Back in the day, the Chateau owner held meetings, banquets, et al. Of course, no one wanted to be outdone, so the banquets were grand affairs. 

On the exterior terraces, we were fortunate enough to get a burst of sun for some pictures. In the distance we noted an open-air market, which we thought would be a good place for lunch. Heading down the equivalent of about five or six flights of stairs, we were back into the city. 

Once outside, we headed home for to warm up and then off to the market. Similar to other markets in France, this one ended at 13:00, which was the time we arrived. There were still some merchants selling, but most were packing up. Despite this, we managed to get some treats and vin-a-chaud to warm us up. 

For dinner, we disagreed on where to eat. In the end we decided to have a tagine as it was still cold. Regrettably, despite the restaurant’s positive reviews, this was likely the worst meal we had. Not only in France, but on our entire trip. Bland chicken with about 40 olives and one small piece of potato. We skipped desert and headed home, knowing you can’t always hit a home run.

Monday November 18, 2024

I headed out at 8 AM to find some baked goods for our breakfast. Similar to the restaurants, most bakeries were closed on Monday. I passed one that was open, however, based on reviews, I had been trying to avoid it. After walking around the small town for 20-minutes, I gave up and went to the poorly rated one. 

For the record, this bakery was rated 2.4/5 on Google, which is pretty low. Reading the comments, most people said the food and pastries were good, but the service was horrible. The reviews were 100% accurate. I would call the middle-aged lady who was working there “Grumpy-puss”. She was so dour. I purchased our pain-au-raisins and bolted. 

We headed off for Chateau Chambord, the largest chateau in the region. The drive was about 55-minutes on pleasant rural French roads, with very little traffic. Similar to other Chateaus’, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. While there were people around, most times, if you waited a minute or so, you could have the room to yourself. 

We spent 3 ½ hours touring the Chateau. There were a number of highlights. The double helix staircase in the centre of the chateau was interesting. To truly see it work, Meg went up one set of stairs and I went up the other. There were windows every few steps and we waved at each other as we climbed up the levels. 

Art is alway appreciated in France

Another highlight was two paintings by Botticelli. Now I do not profess to be an expert on art, nor do I know “who’s who” in the art world. That said, both paintings were of the Virgin Mary holding a young Jesus, who was reaching out to a young John the Baptist. They didn’t do it for me, however I can say I’ve seen them.

We returned to Amboise, where we warmed up our pizza we had bought the night before. Since most places were closed on Monday, we ordered a takeaway pie night before. The pizza warmed up was amazing. We could only imagine how heavenly it would have been had we eaten it fresh. It was one of the best thin crust pizzas’ I’ve ever eaten.

Fortunately, we ordered a large pizza, and that, along with fresh baguette with cheese, was a great dinner that evening. I don’t think I needed to mention the French wine… And that, was our time in Amboise. A delightful town, however heavily geared towards tourists. 

Thanks for reading, feel free to leave any comments or reach out through the contact page below.

Saturday November 2^nd, 2024

Travelling by bus from Pamplona to Bilboa, we had to change buses in San Sebastian. The bus terminal there is total chaos, but in an organized way. Buses pull in and passengers get off. Within 15 minutes, a new load of passengers gets on and the bus takes off. As we travelled along the highway, I managed to get some work done and Meg looked out the window. 

Arriving in Bilboa, we walked the 10 minutes to our hotel and were happy with the room assignment. A large room with two large bay windows overlooking a park and the theater. Exploring on foot, we wandered along the river to the Guggenheim Museum and found “The Spider”. For those who are unaware, there are a number of huge spider statues throughout the world. Some are permanent and some are rotating. We’ve seen three of the permanent ones. Ottawa, Tokyo and now Bilboa. There is one in Doha, Qatar, that we somehow missed when we were there in January. I guess it’s a reason to go back. 

Needing a break from restaurants, crowds and noise, we ordered take-away for dinner and ate in our room. Having the window open with warm air flowing in was delightful. We listened to the music from the park and the general happiness of the warm night. It was certainly not gourmet, but it was just what we needed. 

Sunday November 3^rd, 2024

Bilboa was a hold out during the Civil war and some of the fighting took place on “the hill”. There is a funicular up the hill and we decided to get to it early. Going up at 8:30, we were the only people in our car. No one got in the way of our selfies! Once at the top, we saw Bilboa from above and watched the city come to life as the sun creeped over the mountains. 

After exploring the mountain top, we returned down and found a pastry shop for breakfast. Then we wandered the town and enjoyed the overall atmosphere.

Later in the day, towards sunset, we returned to the funicular and headed back up the mountain to see it during golden hour. It was neat to see the sun fade and all the lights come on. 

Monday November 4, 2024

We left Bilboa and headed to the famous San Sebastian. While the bus ride was only an hour, we enjoyed travelling along the coast line, seeing numerous villages. Once in San Sebastian, we settled into our apartment and headed out to explore. 

We were only a two-minute walk to the boardwalk and beach where we could see the Bay of Biscay, green trees covering the local hills and wonderful architecture. 

Tuesday November 5, 2024

Our first full day in San Sebastian and we had lucked out with the weather. The high was forecast at 24C, 7C above normal and not a cloud in the sky. We did a walking tour to learn what about the area and history. This was one of the best walking tours we have ever taken. 

Discussions about the Spanish Royal family, the history of the Basques, the Civil war were all intriguing. The Basques have a distinct identity. Not Spanish and not French. They are Basques -and proud of it. During the years of Franco, the culture was repressed and speaking the Basque language was an automatic execution. Things have improved since then. 

The Basques have always been excellent sailors. They also know their way around the kitchen, as is evidenced by the great restaurants and pinchos you find on every corner.

When our tour was over, we found some recommended pinchos, away from the tourist area. Then, I headed to the beach for a swim. The water was “refreshing”, but in a good way. It is pretty impressive to be swimming in the Atlantic Ocean on Nov 5^th in northern Spain. While the water was not as warm as I might have liked, I certainly was not the only one swimming. 

Wednesday November 6, 2024

We were up early today and after taking pictures of the high tide, headed out on a hike. Urgull 

Hill was the highest point and main fortification of San Sebastian back in the 1500’s. There are still cannons, and old walls on the mountain. Climbing up, we got amazing views of the harbour and two of the beaches. 

Later in the afternoon, we headed out on another pincho run. This time to a cider house. Basque cider is unique. It’s not carbonated, so they have developed a trick. The bartender took our glasses and held them about 6’ from a huge barrel of cider. Then he opened a small spigot and let the cider come flying out into the glass. Hitting the glass, the cider “foamed” up, giving it a hint of bubbles. The glasses are not filled very high, necessitating frequent visits to the bar where gossip is exchanged. It works for them. 

Thursday November 7, 2024

We ventured to Getaria today. It’s a small town, about an hour from San Sebastián. There are local buses that run on a regular schedule between all the cities in the Basque area. We tried to use our Bilbao transit card, but it would not work, despite the web page saying it would. 

When we arrived, we headed into the town and were impressed by the huge church. Then we explored the town, which didn’t really have much to it. Deciding to get a better view, we hiked up the local hill where we saw great views. In the distance we could see some of San Sebastian’s buildings as well as the Atlantic Ocean. 

Returning down the hill, we stopped for a pastry on the main street and watched life go by. The locals certainly have their routines. Since we did not bring our swimsuits, we were not able to take advantage of the beach and we headed back to San Sebastián. 

Friday November 8, 2024

This was our last morning in San Sebastián and I headed out for an early morning walk to the palace and gardens. The city was just waking up and there were the customary lines at coffee and pastry shops. The promenade was busy with early morning walkers and joggers and I found the beach almost totally deserted. 

Walking along the beach, I made my way to the gardens. As it was November, there were not really any flowers, mostly grassy lawns with bare earth patches where flowers likely are in season. There were a number of signs about the palace, the Royal Family et al. The building is now a city asset and used for the film festival in September, as well as other official events.

On to France!

We made our way to the local train station and then took a commuter train from San Sebastián to Hendaye France. It was a 35-minute train ride and once we arrived, we found the French train station, only 200 metres away. Our Henday – Bordeaux train was showing on time, departing in one-hour. We found a park bench and had our picnic lunch in the noon time sun.  

Our thoughts on Spain, this time…

Several people had told us not to judge Spain based only on Barcelona – which we don’t particularly care for. (Much as Canada shouldn’t be judged based only on Toronto). We are so glad that we took their advice and explored a different area.  We would love to return to the Basque country, but there are also so many other areas of Spain to explore.  The bucket list only seems to grow!

Thanks for reading. We’ll post about France shortly.

If you have any comments, please feel free to use the form below or send us an email.

Cam and Meg

Monday October 21, 2024

Arriving in Madrid, we cleared immigration and retrieved our luggage. We had a taxi arranged to take us to our pension (hotel). Checking in after arriving, we were disappointed to find out how small the room was and even more disappointed to see the size of the bed. It was certainly not a double. False advertising on the web page….grrrrrr.

Leaving our bags in our room, we set out to explore and found neat things here and there. Spain is all about Tapas and Sangria. We wasted no time in finding a bar that served them. Although Madrid is touristy, the area we stayed in was not really a tourist area. There were a lot of locals and we ordered three dishes which turned out to be way too much (Spanish lesson #1 – “raciones” are not tapas size!). Of course there was wine to help it down. 

Wandering around the town, we marvelled at the night life and how it seemed to be a party. 

Tuesday October 22, 2024

Our pension (hotel) did not provide breakfast, so we headed out to find a local eatery. The coffee everywhere is excellent and the pastries were on par with France. We took a walking tour and learned a lot about the history and people of both Spain and Madrid. 

For lunch, we found a new snack, pinchos. These are similar to tapas, but smaller. A tray of eight delicious snacks, with vino tinto, seated outside in an open square, was a delightful lunch.

Wednesday October 23, 2024

Our tour guide from the previous day suggested the nearby city of Toledo as a place to visit for a day trip. There are coaches running as often as every 15 minutes depending on the time of day. You just buy a ticket and get in line. When there’s room, you get on.

The drive is about an hour and once in town, we took a taxi to the centro. It was about a 30-minute walk, but it was all uphill, so a taxi made sense to us. Once there, we found a “jamon” place. There were only about 75 of them to choose from. 

Jamon, of course, is ham in English. It is an art form here in Spain. The various jamon places will finely shave the jamon and put it on a very fresh baguette or bun. You can request cheese as well. Interestingly, I never saw any mustard offered. That’s fine for me as I have a minor intolerance to mustard, but I’m sure many folks would have wanted it. The jamon was wonderful and did not need any accompaniments, other than cheese. 

Touring Toledo

Another walking tour followed, where we learned about the history of Toledo. There were battles, attacks and history. Toledo became the capital at one time, only to lose that title a few years later to Madrid.

When the tour was over, we doubled back to the Jesuit church where we were able to climb up the bell tower. It was a long climb but we were rewarded with stunning views of the city and countryside. Knowing there would be a queue for the bus back to Madrid, we decided to have a late lunch/early dinner in a traditional restaurant. The owner was gracious and our three-course meal was accompanied with local Rioja wine. 

With our late lunch finished, we wandered the town and marveled at the similarities to Sienna Italy. In Sienna, tourists, mostly from Florence, flock to town for the day. Inside the city walls, it becomes almost too crowded. Toledo was not really different and the non-stop buses from Madrid validated that. We certainly enjoyed the town more once most day-trippers had fled. If we were to come back, we would likely spend a few nights in Toledo, and perhaps day-trip into Madrid.  

Interestingly, most of the tourists were Spanish. Our walking tour was the only one, of about 25, that was in English. The rest were in Spanish.

Retuning to Madrid, we wandered around the congested city and reaffirmed our preference for smaller, quainter cities.

Thursday October 24, 2024

Today was a lighter day, in preparation for our big evening Flamenco show. There are a number of places putting on Flamenco shows. Each claims to be the most authentic. We chose the one we went to on reviews and ratings.

We were given a choice of drink at the show. Being in Spain, Sangria seemed like a natural choice. We were then led downstairs to a three-row theater with about 50 chairs. As it was open seating, we sat in the front row. Our guide gave us a 15-minute lecture on the history of Flamenco, the migration of people and instruments. Then the show.

I did not know what to expect. In the end, I was blown away. I might describe it as a cross between figure skating and tap dancing. By the end of the show, the dancers were sweating from their hard work. Their feet moved so fast you could not keep track, and all in time. It was certainly a great show. We then found a nice restaurant and had a relaxing dinner. 

Friday October 25, 2024

Leaving Madrid, we took a four-hour bus ride to Logroño, our next Spanish stop. The buses in Spain are highly efficient and very cost friendly. I’m not sure why I picked Logroño as a place to visit, but I’m really glad I did. When we arrived at our apartment, we were blown away by the size, especially after Madrid. The building was close to 200 years old. There were exposed wooden beams and brickwork. We had a small balcony, which overlooked both the Cathedral and the main piazza. That night for dinner, we cooked in the apartment and ate on the balcony, watching the comings and goings and a bit of tomfoolery. 

Saturday October 26^th, 2024

We were not able to find an English walking tour in Logroño, so we improvised. Reading multiple blogs, we crafted a plan and then went to the Tourist Information (TI) centre for further ideas. The TI was most helpful and offered a number of places to visit.  The host highlighted the history of wine and suggested a number of wine related places to visit. 

We started with the history of wine in Logroño. How the city had so many wineries and did a booming trade in wine was fascinating. As you might expect, a lot of the wine was sold “out the back door” to locals. People have been lining their pockets forever. Exploring more, we saw parks, rivers and parts of the Camino trail. There are a number of hostels in town that cater to pilgrims who do the walk. We were fortunate to be able to walk a portion of the trail.

A Pincho walking tour

As evening came, we prepared for our pincho tour. Normally we try to do an organized tour, but in this case, the tours were all starting at €150 and going up from there – and usually in Spanish. We looked at what you got and decided we would do a “self-tour”. There were a number of suggestions and we simply followed our noses. For just over $60 CAD, we were able to have some amazing pinchos’ accompanied by various wines. This also included a stop at a wine bar where we were able to try a local wine along with some local queso (cheese). 

We could not have been happier with our evening. We looked like locals as we bellied up to the bar, pointed to our selection and then added “dos vino tinto”. The host would gather our items as I pulled out my credit card. I then tapped and we munched. The food was so good. Each place had a speciality as well as other choices. You don’t go to one place, but to a few bars. The locals, when they go out, toss money to one person. That is the “orderer” and that person goes and deals with the hostess. 

We did our tour on a Saturday night and it was PACKED. We knew it would be busy and we did start early. The picture of the street shows absolute chaos, but in a good way. 

Sunday October 27, 2024

After a long pincho night, we wanted to know more about the wine they were serving us. A tour of a winery made sense. Over the years, we have likely toured more than 30 wineries. When I saw there was a winery in the centre of Logroño, I was intrigued. Arizcuren Bodega & Viñedos is a small winery producing 25,000 bottles/year. However, they do it the “old way”. Grapes are brought down from the mountain and processed in the city. This is what they did 100’s of years ago and Arizcuren is trying to bring this back. 

A city wine tour – unique but so worth while.

Having been in some of France’s most exclusive wineries, Arizcuren really struck a chord with me. The winery consists of:

Four staff (not a type-o). 

True passion. 

100% commitment. 

From crushing grapes, to aging in oak casks, to hand corking each bottle. Yup, hand corking 25,000 bottles/year. In Canada, their wines are only sold in Ontario and Quebec. If you are able to sample them, I don’t think you would be disappointed. 

The tour provided generous samples. Due to the popularity, we could only get in for the 10:30 tour. As they say, you can’t drink all day if you don’t start early. Here is their website if you are ever in Logrono. https://www.arizcurenvinos.com/en/ Feeling the effects of the wine after our tour, we walked around and exploring some local parks and monuments.

Later in the evening, we saw a huge bonfire. It is the end of the harvest and a few weeks ago there was competition of floats. The best float is selected and it gets to be burned. I’m not sure what happens to the others. Before the fire, there are fireworks and then, under the supervision of firefighters, the float is torched. To me, it is a bit counter-intuitive to win and have your float burned, but who am I to question local customs?

Monday October 28, 2024

As it was our last day, we took it easy today and decided to visit some of the sites we enjoyed. In the evening, we did a modified pincho run, stopping at only two places, but we were richly rewarded.

Monday October 14^th, 2024

After buying Cam’s Aran Island sweater, we took a roundabout route to Donegal. We lunched in the town of Westport and were very glad we did. It had been cloudy all morning. Our weather luck continued to hold as the clouds broke and sun came out as we pulled into town. Finding a park bench by the canal, we ate our picnic in the sunshine and then met a very famous Bear. 

Westport had been chosen as one of 23 towns to get a Paddington Bear bench with a statue of Paddington on it. Other towns included Paddington Station in London, Dublin and other centres. The bench, with Paddington sitting on it, had been installed that day. We were among the first to get our picture with him, complete with his marmalade sandwich!

It was then off to our hotel for the night, Locke Eske Castle. This was truly a castle that had been restored and was now a five-star hotel. Pulling up, we were greeted by staff who took our bags, parked our car and showed us to our 500 square foot room. The building, the facilities, the bed, the bathroom were all first rate. We were offered a chance to dine in the main dining room, but we thought the €150/pp price tag was a bit much.

Hoping on a bike, I headed down to the lake and toured the local area. We popped into town for dinner and a pint before coming back. The bed was comfortable and we managed to sleep in to 8:00 AM.

Tuesday October 15^th, 2024

Today was our anniversary. We are both so proud of ourselves for making it to 36 years, which was part of the splurge for the castle. Breakfast was a feast to behold. There was a menu with the usual suspects including eggs benedict, made different ways such as traditional, salmon, vegan, etc. To the side was a buffet with a full ham and omelets made to order. As much fresh fruit, cheese and cold cuts as you could imagine were also there. It was a wonderful brunch for our anniversary. 

Heading into town, we visited Donegal castle and did a tour. Fascinating history of building, raiding, burning and rebuilding. The town is not really a tourist town and the shops did not sell the typical magnets and t-shirts. We did manage to see a weaver using a 150-year-old loom to make fabric. That store had some of the nicest sweaters I had seen and I was sorry I had already bought one.

When we arrived back at our castle, we did a hike around the grounds and then celebrated our anniversary with a bottle of prosecco, which was followed by another bottle that the hotel provided us for our special day. One of the nicest things about prosecco, at least for us, is that we do not get hangovers! We had a light dinner and then lounged in the “great room” in front of a roaring fire that Cam tended.

Wednesday October 16^th, 2024

Departing the castle after another huge breakfast, we headed into Northern Ireland and the town of Derry or Londonderry. After checking into our BnB, we went to the heart of town and did a walking tour. Learning of the “Troubles”, the medieval walls and the role Derry played in WWII. It was a really well done tour. 

Although it seem a bit sacrilegious while in Ireland, we had dinner at the Spaghetti Junction. A highly rated local Italian place that was recommended by our B&B. It did not disappoint. Then we entered a pub where we ended up being kidnapped.

A True Irish Pub

Pedar O’Donnells is a pub that is written up in many books and was recommended by our host. They play live music nightly and tonight it was traditional or “Trad” music. We were lucky enough to find a table for two and after a bit started talking to the couple next to us. They were Scottish and she was there on business. Then, without warning, she got up and left, returning a few minutes later with a beer for everyone and four shots of tequila. Ummmm….what?

We thought it would be rude to say no, so we snapped it back and drank the beer. As we were chatting, the couple on the other side heard our new friends talking. It turns out they were also Scottish. Here’s where we were kidnapped. The new lady did a disappearing act and came back with beers for everyone. Being by far the oldest of the group, we wondered how this would end. The music was louder and everyone was drinking and laughing. A while later, Meg managed to pull a disappearing act and returned with drinks for everyone. 

At midnight, we said our goodbyes and managed to escape from our good-natured capturers, all of whom now have a great opinion of Canada. I mentioned earlier that prosecco does not give hangovers. Tequila and beer is a different story…especially at our age. 

Thursday October 17^th, 2024

After a slow start, we wandered into town, capturing a picture of the Derry Girls mural. Even though we had never seen the show, it seemed the right thing to do. Touring the Tower Museum, we learned more about the Derry Girls as well as the city. There is a fascinating past. 

A quiet dinner in the B&B and then back to a pub. Although we looked into some other pubs, the only one with music was O’Donnells. As our Scottish friends had all headed back to Scotland, we knew they could not kidnap us again . The music was more of the rebel song variety and the crowd was not as ‘into it’ as the night before.

Friday October 18^th, 2024

Heading down to Athlone, we encountered our first real rain. That did not stop us from visiting two historical sites. The Beltway circle is a Henge, similar to Stonehenge, but with smaller stones. The signs estimate it was built about 2,000 – 1,500 years ago. Somehow, these ancient people knew how to line things up as the winter solstice rises through two particular stones. I find it amazing that, without computers or written records, they could know where the sun would rise. Even more amazing, how often could they see the sun actually rise, versus being blocked by clouds? Ireland is green for a reason: it rains a lot!

Arriving at Athlone, we checked into a nice B&B and then wandered the town, walking along the Shannon River. We found a brewpub for dinner which, unfortunately, was likely the worst brewpub we have ever visited. A completely uninspiring beer menu and limited food. You can’t win them all.

Saturday October 19^th, 2024

Rising early, we left our B&B, where breakfast was not provided unless you paid an additional €15/pp, and we visited Clonmacnoise. This was probably the best ruins we visited. It is managed by the Office of Public Works (OPW) and there were videos, signs and handouts to guide you. The original site was dated from 556 AD and rests on the Shannon River. Over the years it was continually raided by Vikings, Irish and English. It was abandoned in the 1500’s by decree of King Henry VIII when he did away with all the monasteries. 

It is in good condition and was well worth seeing, the brilliant sunshine was an added bonus. This was followed by lunch and a hike. Our evening had us dine in a local pub and then call it an early night. 

Sunday October 20, 2024

We headed into Dublin and after checking into our B&B, we set out for our tour of the Guinness Storehouse, or brewery. It was a self-guided tour and a bit pricy for what you got. Us being us, took way longer than suggested. The tour ended up on the 7^th floor where there were sweeping views of the city. A pint of Guinness was part of the package. 

Dinner was next at a revered restaurant in the Temple Bar area. I had made reservations and we were able to pass a number of folks who were waiting for a table. As it was our last night in Ireland, we both had Guinness stew, which filled us up. We were glad for the 30-minute walk back to let dinner settle. 

Monday October 21, 2024

We returned our rental car and almost ran into a problem. There was a slight nick in the passenger tire and the first clerk said it would require a damage report. I balked and she got her supervisor who told her no, it was not reportable. 

Checking in for our flight on Iberia Express, a budget airline, we departed a bit late for Madrid and started our Spanish adventure.

I’ll post more about Spain at a later date.

Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave any comments or contact us through the contact form below.

Cam and Meg

Arriving In Ireland

Monday October 7 and 8, 2024

Arriving in Dublin, we picked up our rental car and headed for Kilkenny. The route we followed and the sites we saw for the first 7 days is captured in this Google map.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1ygm2k0DnVa4OuRByNi_vDApEaxojXVk&usp=sharing

We had an amazing BnB for two nights with a wonderful and engaging hostess.  During our first full day there, we headed south and visited some ruins, small towns and did a short hike. The historic significance of the different ruins is amazing.

To fully capture the history of Kilkenny, we did a walking tour and learned the history of the community and how things came to be. Restaurants were plentiful in town and we dined at Kytelers. This is a pub that goes back to the 1300’s. The original owner was married four times, each time her husband died shortly after they were married. Not surprisingly, she became richer after each husband passed. Her fourth husband was a widower and his children were none too pleased he left everything to her.

Through influence, the children from her last husband arranged to have her tried for witchcraft. After the evidence was presented to local noblemen, the sentence was for her to be burned at the stake. Being wealthy, she managed to escape to England and was never heard from again. Of course, as we were visiting near Halloween, the place was decked out with witches’ garb and we took a photo in the requisite hats.

Wednesday October 9, 2024 – Heading to Killarney

Moving on south, we headed to Killarney. Here we stayed in our first Manor, the charming Cahernane House Hotel. We had a beautiful room with a small patio on the ground floor that overlooked pastures and cattle. The Manor is set back from the road by 500 meters, which limits road noise. We were encouraged to book dinner reservations at the manor, however, being tired, we politely declined.

Our first afternoon we headed into town and wandered around. The town is 100% a tourist town. There was no shortage of businesses that would sell you sweaters, hats, beer and anything else. It was very quaint. When we had seen enough, we returned to the hotel to rest and then walked to a nearby brew-pub. Both the beer and pizza were great.

Thursday October 10, 2024 – The Ring of Kerry

We were up early and had a great breakfast in the dining room. Our plan was to drive the Ring of Kerry. Leaving at 08:30, there were a few stops along the way. In the end, we drove 22km of the 175 km as we simply spent too much time at each of our stops!

We started at Ross castle. It was not yet open for the day, however we saw the spectacular early morning sun on the building. Carrying on, we explored the Muckross Friary – a beautiful, unrestored but abandoned stone building. Like so many other Friary’s in Ireland and England, it fell into disrepair after King Henry VIII shut them down. As it was still early, I managed to capture a stunning shot of the sun coming through a small window. I reflected on how many times in the past 1,000 years the sun come had come in that window.

Finding stops on the Ring of Kerry

Our next stops were at a waterfall, followed by a stone circle. We ended up in Kensame for lunch and then headed out to see a sheep dog demonstration. Both the sheep and dog know the rules. The dog runs like the mad hatter and sheep head in the direction they are told. At times the dog will nip at the sheep’s hind legs, so there is respect. A few years back, some farmers tried to get rid of the dogs and use drones. 

This worked well the first time, however sheep are not as stupid as one may think. After a few times, the sheep figured out that drone would not nip at their heels. Then, the sheep ignored the drone and went where they wanted. The dogs were brought back in and everything returned to normal.

We considered our options after the sheep dogs. Seeing as the next site of interest was over an hour away and it was 2:30, we decided to return to our Manor. It was a good call. A group who were staying at the Manor had arranged for a falconry demonstration. We watched as falcons, hawks and owls were brought out.

We dined in town at a local restaurant. 

Friday October 11, 2024 Bunratty Castle

With a bit of a later start, due to the Manor grounds being so charming to walk around, we headed off to Bunratty. Arriving at a standard B&B, we ditched our bags and headed over to the castle. It was a 1KM walk down a very country road. There we took part in the Medieval feast and celebration. It was a very enjoyable experience and well worth the money. Interestingly, some guide books say to skip it as it is too touristy. It was a bit of history of the castle, a show, a four-course meal with unlimited wine or mead and a musical presentation. We very much enjoyed ourselves and sat next to some locals.

Saturday October 12, 2024 Galway via the Cliffs of Moher

It was onto Galway via the Cliffs of Moher.  On this day the Cliffs were WINDY! Arriving around 10 AM, there were very few tourists and we wandered around. As the morning progressed, coaches continued to arrive and it was time for us to leave. Galway was next and after checking into our accommodations, we took the bus into town and wandered about, walking back to the hostel. Based on our level of activity the last few nights, it was an early night. 

Sunday October 13, 2024 – Galway

We headed into Galway to find a laundromat and caught up on laundry. Then, returning to the hostel, we returned to town for a walking tour. Normally walking tours are great and they provide a lot of history. We both agreed this one was a let down. The guide, during our 1 ½ hours together, provided only a bit of history. He focused more on pointing out his favourite bars.

There was a microwave at our Hostel and we took advantage of it to have a lighter meal from the supermarket. Then we headed out to a local pub but were not able to find any music. One pint later we returned home.

Monday October 14^th, 2024

We did another look at Galway and bought an Aran Island sweater. We had planned to go over to the Aran Islands, however the timing was too tight. The wind was supposed to pick up, which could cancel the return ferry. Not wanting to get stranded on the Aran Islands, we passed. 

We will publish Part II of our Irish tour soon.

Thanks for reading, please feel free to leave any comments below. You can contact us on the form below.

Cam and Meg

Why visit the West Midlands to see Football?

In 2017, I was selected to attend a course on crowd control in England. The course was held in the West Midlands and as part of our training, we oversaw a West Bromwich football game. I’ve wanted to go back ever since, to be a fan. They were relegated to the Championship league a few years back, however I still follow the Baggies. 

As I was putting our fall 2024 trip together, there were many moving parts. Travel switched around as new ideas were discussed. In the end, the cruise through the Panama Canal would get us to Miami and from there we would travel to Ireland. The issue became Miami to Dublin airfare – ouch! Some diligent searching found Miami to London was waaaaayyyyy cheaper. Then I got the idea to see if the Baggies would be playing around the time we would be there. 

Scheduling works in our favour!

As luck would have it, they were playing at home on the Saturday. In the end, we decided to travel to London, then on to West Bromwich. We would see a football match on one day and a tour of the country side the next, before heading to the Emerald Isle.

Then the hard part started. How to get Baggies tickets? In Canada, you just go online and reserve. The Baggies don’t usually sell out, so it should be pretty easy, right? Not so fast. Remember, the West Midlands Police do crowd control at the football matches for a reason. English football hooligans are well known throughout the world. To keep a check on fans and in order to buy tickets, West Bromwich Albion requires you to have an account. All your personal details are required.

Can Baggies fans buy tickets?

I duly opened an account and then I installed the app. Single game tickets for our match did not go on sale until September 23^rd. We were at sea at that time, on our cruise and I didn’t have wifi. When I did get wifi, I found there were no tickets available. I tried the re-seller board and other areas, but no luck.

When our cruise ended in Florida on October 4^th, I had not yet secured tickets and was getting worried. One thing did concern me. A new friend we met on the cruise grew up in the Midlands. He told us when Millwall played West Brom, it was typically a rough game, with shenanigans and fighting in the stands. Had Millwall fans bought all the tickets? Was there going to be a dust up?

Overnight travel to England

We flew Miami to London overnight, landing at 7am Saturday October 5. We then took a 3 ½ hour bus ride to Birmingham. While the train is faster, it would require two transfers (Gatwick to the Victoria tube Station then to Euston Station). After an overnight transatlantic flight, sleeping on a bus sounded better than schlepping luggage through the London Underground. 

We arrived at our West Bromwich hotel around 1:30 PM and then walked the 30 minutes to the ‘Hawthornes’ – the home stadium of the Baggies. We found the ticket sales office and I noted people were buying tickets. I went to the counter and asked to buy two tickets and was told “there were no general sales”. This seemed a bit confusing as others were getting tickets.

You have not bought tickets, you can’t buy tickets

Off to the side was a desk marked ‘ticket enquiries’. I headed over there and enquired why I could not buy tickets. I had an account, so what was the issue? The clerk told me games against Millwall were ‘restricted’ and only account holders who had purchased tickets previously could buy tickets. I tried to explain we had just flown in from North America, we were Canadians and didn’t even know who Millwall was. She just smiled, but did offer a suggestion. If we could find someone with an account, they could possibly buy tickets for us.

We need to find a fan who can buy tickets

We looked at each other and talked about finding someone to buy us tickets. Heading outside, right in front of us were two dads, each with a 10-year-old boy. I wasted no time in approaching them to tell them our storey. When they confirmed they had accounts, we asked if they would get us tickets. They could tell we were not locals, our Canadian accent stood out, and they agreed to help us. A few minutes later, under another account, I bought two tickets to the match. As we were parting ways, they suggested, if we wanted to the full experience, after the game we should go to Vines for some curry and to re-hash the game.

We then headed into the stadium. It’s a bit different than going to a game in Canada. At West Brom, you queue up at a gate. About ¼ of the fans are searched by a full “pat-down”. Then you go past the turnstile, which is truly barely wide enough if you squeeze it all in. Once inside the stadium, we must have looked like a deer in the headlights. Someone came up to us and asked “is this your first footie match?”

Locals help out first time fans

Having blank stares, he asked for our tickets and then pointed which way to go. As we were walking, another person came up and said “do you know where you are going?”. We said no and, looking at our tickets, he walked us into the stands and took us to our seats. They could not have been more helpful or polite.

The pre-game warm up was on, then there were the typical young players on the field as the teams came out. I wasn’t really paying attention, but all of a sudden, the game was on. There was no anthem. The scoreboard flashed “COYB”, as did the signs all along field level. This I learned, stands for “Come On You Baggies”. Everyone was chanting and, unless you knew what they were saying, you could not understand. 

The first 45 minutes were dominated by West Brom, with 90% ball possession, however the score sheet showed 0 – 0 at the half. The second half only had 70% possession for the Baggies, but the score sheet remained 0 – 0. The game was a draw, despite West Brom leading in all categories. Our first English League game was a scoreless affair, but was still enjoyable.

Post match pub visit

Exiting the stadium, Vines was our destination. Once inside, we learned it was a Mecca to the Baggies. We ordered drinks and dinner, listening to the locals chat about what was wrong with the game, team and how they could fix it. As we were finishing, a gent, with his grandson, asked if we were from Zimbabwe? We told him we were from Canada and he told us why he liked Canada. His Son-in-Law joined him and we talked for about 45 minutes. 

It was a great to get such insights on West Brom, its history, the back story why Millwall is a difficult team, etc. He could have easily been a tour guide with all the information he passed on. Birmingham is the UK’s second largest city and was created out of the Industrial revolution. Coal and iron were plentiful in the region, so it was natural that factories were set up there. Each community was known for an item. West Brom made springs. All shapes and sizes.

Heading back to our hotel in the dark, we were very pleased with how the day turned out. We traversed the ocean, carried on to the Midlands, saw a football match and tried a new pub. A great start to our English trip.

September 4, 2024 – Victoria, BC

The Daily Musings have ceased since we returned to Victoria back in March. My logic was that we weren’t doing anything overly interesting or different.  I have been asked however what it is that we do now that we aren’t travelling.  So, since you asked, I will tell.

Of course we needed some time to decompress after travelling for six months – and remember, we had moved into our house in Victoria shortly before we left the country last September.  Once we returned, there were many hours spent trying to locate various items we expected to have – not knowing for sure whether we had even kept them through the downsizing.  Over these past few months those moments have lessened, but they still have not disappeared.  Just this morning I was trying to locate a stress ball…didn’t find one. Our lifejackets are AWOL; shot glasses, MIA.

Besides the everyday existing, we have scraped and painted the exterior trim, replaced siding, had the kitchen and bathroom cupboards repainted, and built garden beds.  The house is 75 years old – some projects need doing, but are kind of terrifying.  I’ve watched enough home renovation shows to know that there are always issues when big projects are started in these older homes.  For now, painting is about as much work as we want to take on. We will tackle the interior painting at some point in the not-too-distant future. This is not our long-term home, but for now it is a great landing pad for our inter-travel time. 

Around all this work, we have spent a lot of time exploring and experiencing our new city.  We have hiked, biked and walked a lot.  Attended festivals, concerts, parades and markets.  Supported local theatre and galleries.  Explored parks and historic buildings.  Tried rowing, explored the intertidal zone, taken a few dance classes (many more needed!), I even won an e-bike at “Go by Bike Week”.

On July 31, I managed to break two bones in my right hand.  Five weeks in a splint ended today.  Thankfully, two of those weeks were on a cruise ship with someone else doing the cooking and cleaning.  I did find that more passengers talk to and remember you when you are wearing a huge splint – and most wanted to know whether I had injured myself on the boat.  I guess they were worried that it could happen to them. 

I have been amazed at how many mundane tasks require the use of two hands.  Many I managed to find work arounds for (like putting toothpaste onto the brush), some I just decided not to do (like type posts for this website) but some proved impossible to ignore or adapt.  Cam has had to tie my shoes and zip up my jackets for the past month.  

Despite all this activity, we have found time to plan another lengthy trip.  Not six months, but almost three.  We will be home for Christmas.  Stay tuned for Musings starting mid-September – Meg

A continuation of my (Cam’s) time in Pearl Harbour

July 4th – the United States Holiday

July 4^th fell on the harbour phase and that was a “day-off” for most people. We were told to enjoy the local area because when the exercise started we would be 24/7 with very little time off. Hawaii is a special place, however they have many of the similar issues every other community has. As we were shy of things to do on July 4^th, we reached out to a number of local organizations and asked if they had any need for a large work party. In the end we spent ½ a day at Maunawila, which is a traditional Hawaiian place that had fallen into disrepair.

About 25 of us drove an hour north to the small village of Maunawila. We were given a tour of the ancient grounds, then learned some of the traditions and cultural beliefs. After doing this, we pitched in and spent 2 to 3 hours, moving a load of gravel and rebuilding a wall in a traditional house. It was a lot of physical work but an truly amazing experience and extremely rewarding. The head of this organization told us it would’ve taken them two months or more to complete what we did and they were most grateful for our efforts. The picture is of me sitting on the wall we built from scratch that morning. I did ask and it was perfectly fine to sit on the wall. 

Stopping to enjoy the ocean

On the way back to the base, we stopped on the North Shore and went swimming in the ocean. We were back on the Base in the evening, and of course, the fireworks on the military base were exceptional. It was a great way to spend the Fourth of July as a guest in America. 

RIMPAC goes “Live”

The operational tempo picked up after July 4^th, and did so daily work load. We went through a “crawl, walk, run” program that allowed us to develop the skill set needed to accomplish our mission. On July 8^th the ships started to sail, it took three days for all 39 military vessels to leave Pearl Harbour, including the aircraft carrier with its 60+ combat aircraft.

I managed to get a few days off during my time in Hawaii. Snorkelling, hiking and wandering were the ways I found to pass my days. There is usually someone around who will also be looking for something to do, so finding a friend to tag along with is pretty easy. I was able to tour the Battleship USS Missouri, which is docked along Battleship row. The Missouri is docked in front of the USS Arizona memorial. The Arizona was the only Battleship not raised after the Japanese surprise attack of December 7^th, 1941. 

It wasn’t always fun and games…

Now, before you judge and think “wow, that’s a paid vacation”, I should point out some of the not so glamours things that took place. My normal start time was 06:00, however that got changed after a few days when things were adjusted. My new starting time was 05:30 which means a pretty early start to the day. I would usually be done by 1 PM, however sometimes I was there as late as 4PM. During the day I was working on Ford Island, the focal point of the December 7^th, 1941 attack. 

The Pacific Warfare Centre was my workplace and I was inside a large building with no windows. Cellular phones and other similar devices such as smart watches, iPads, cameras, etc. were not allowed inside due to security. I would sneak outside once in a while to see the sunshine and the water around Pearl Harbour. Our location provided a first-class view of ships entering and leaving harbour when we could get outside. 

Evening relaxation

In the early evening, I would often go for a swim at the outdoor pool or the beach on Hickman side of the base. The beach may not have had the views of Waikiki, but it lacked the throngs that were on Waikiki and was safer than being on a military base. 

Having a sunset dinner on the beach at Pearl Harbour

In less than a week, my time in Hawaii will come to a close for this trip. I can’t believe I’ve been here for over five weeks already! I’ve learned a lot but I’ve also missed a lot. Summer is the best time to be on Vancouver Island. Missing the festivals, concerts and outdoor activities was not ideal, but necessary to be on this deployment. 

Thanks for reading and stay tuned. Our fall trip is coming up where we’ll be heading to some fantastic international destinations!

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For those who know us, it is no secret that the Navy is pretty important to us, more so to me than Meg. It’s where we met some 40 years ago. No, that 40 was not a type-o. 

Cam is going to Hawaii!

When we returned from our six-month “Grand-Adventure”, in March of 2024, there was a message waiting for me from the Navy. In short, they were asking if I would be willing to go to Hawaii, for RIMPAC, the largest naval exercise in the world. It would be for about six weeks, from late June to early August. It sounded too good to be true, but it was in fact true.

When I reached out to confirm I was available the staffing person laughed and told me I was already going. So much for volunteering. In the Navy, we call it being “volun-told”. The timings and date of travel changed a few times and eventually I headed to the land where palm trees sway on June 24^th. Myself and about 200 of my newest closest friends were flown on the Air Force’s new (to Canada) Airbus. It was a pleasant flight with in-service meals and in seat entertainment. In case you were wondering, there was no bar-cart. Once we landed and cleared our in-routines, we were driven to our accommodations. I was billeted on the base at Pearl Harbour.

My Accommodation while in Hawaii

The US Navy, who run the base, have a number of hotels on the base for use by in-transit personnel. I have a large bed with a fridge, microwave oven, dresser, wardrobe and desk. It is functional. 

The building is called Hale Alli and it is a Hawaiian word meaning “House of Chiefs”. There is a large Bar B Q area at the building with a number of picnic tables. We often gathered in the evening to have a joint Bar B Q and some adult beverages. Many team building functions were held here and the best part is most of us live in this complex so no one has to drive. 

The building I’m located in is near Pearl Harbour’s “Destroyer Row”, where frigates, destroyers and light cruisers berth. Within a five-minute walk there is a McDonalds, a Navy Exchange store where you can buy various items such as clothes, snacks and alcohol. A 30-minute walk, or 10-minute drive is a large grocery store and various restaurants such as Panda Express, Subway, a poké place and others. All of the above is located on the base. To counter the effects of the above noted restaurants, there are a few gyms, with excellent facilities, a 50-yard outdoor pool, tennis courts and other fitness activities.

Starting Our Work

Our first day was an “adjustment” day. We settled in and explored the surroundings getting sorted for the exercise. The next day we had an “all-hands” meeting where we learned the objectives of the exercise and our expectations. Then we started to get ready with computer account creation, access passes, etc. Somewhere along the line we were issued a number rental cars for the group. There were various work sites, mine was about 3 km from the accommodation and was on Ford Island, requiring exiting and entering at another gate.

RIMPAC involves 29 nations and over 40 ships with 180+ aircraft. In total there are around 25,000 people who are participating. Canada sent three ships as well as aircraft and about 600 people, 300 on ships and 300 ashore. I am in the latter group.

To coordinate something this large, there is a formal Sequence of Events or SOE. This overarching document was developed through numerous meetings over two years and details where and when things happen. My colleagues and I reviewed the SOE and noted there was a reception every night, held on board a ship and hosted by a different country each night.

July 1st – Canada hosts RIMPAC nations on our newest ship

Not surprisingly, Canada’s reception was on July 1^st. I was invited to that reception, which was held on the newly Commissioned HMCS Max Bernays. In all there were likely 600+ people at the reception and a delightful assortment of food and beverages were put out for guests to enjoy. For myself, it was the first time I had been on this class of ship and, similar to a new car, it had a new ship smell. In reality, the diesel fuel simply has not had the time to seep into every crevice. 

I was fortunate enough to attend receptions held on Chilean, Indonesian, German, French and Japanese ships. Each country put on a good spread and had libations to encourage discussions. Naturally the German beer was very good and the Chilean wine was delightful. The Indonesian food was great and Japanese had set up tempura stations where they made fresh tempura for guests. The highlight, for me, other than making the connections I did, were the French deserts. There were out of this world. 

The Exercise in Pieces

The exercise, which is the reason why we are here, has three phases, 

1. Harbour, 
2. Build up and 
3. Live.

When the harbour phase finished, the ships sailed to their respective operational areas, joining Task Groups. This is when the exercise started in earnest. From the landside, where injects and scenarios are created and implemented, events were simulated that require taskings. My team and I would make recommendations to direct a ship to carry out tasks. For security reasons, I’m not going into details. My role was within current operations and I supervised staff that focused on events from “now” until 48 hours out. Beyond 48 hours was future operations. 

I’ll post more shortly.

Thanks for reading!

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