Bridges and Canals

Well, it’s been a while since I returned from my trip and I still haven’t posted about Venice. Many changes have happened in my life in the last 4 months: I have retired early, taken a huge trip, downsized my stuff by about half, moved back to Vancouver Island, rented out my Grande Prairie home (have a property management company in control), and am now looking for work in the Nanaimo area to supplement my drastically reduced pension. LIFE IS GOOD.

So . . . . back to Venice:

Arriving in Venice was a magnificent experience, with the ship arriving into the Venetian Lagoon that has many islands, including those of the city. We passed alongside Piazza San Marco and we able to look down at it and the other squares, canals, bridges and buildings from the 12 floor of the ship. I hadn’t realized that Venice is an island, or rather, many islands - about 120, inter-connected by over 400 bridges arched over them.

We took a water taxi from the Piazzale Roma down the Grand Canal, past the Piazza San Marco, at water level this time, and down a myriad of interior canals right to the dock next to our hotel.   I was really amazed at how easy it was to walk almost anywhere within the city and our hotel was so magnificently located. and very reasonably priced.  (I’ll take full credit for the research on that.) Hotel Canaletto was between the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco, with quick and easy access to most of the city.

Of course we walked to the traditional sights, already mentioned, but we also found the beautiful outside spiral staircase of the Palazzo Contarini del Bovolo, and some nice restaurants on the side streets between our hotel and San Marco that were reasonably priced and had excellent food. (I got my cannelloni.)

We also met up with one of the women that we met on the cruise for a day trip to the islands of Burano and Murano. There is a vaporetto route that goes from San Marco, around to the outer islands and the Burano & Murano. I absolutely loved Burano, where the traditional Venitian lace has been made for centuries. I would love to return one day for a month or two and learn from one of the old women, just the basics of their skills. We may not have this handmade lace for many more generations as few women want to spend their lives doing this anymore. It was a beautiful, magical little island with colourful houses and lovely people. We also stopped on Murano which is known for their blown glass works. Beautiful stuff here too. Between these two islands and my previous shopping my Christmas shopping was complete by August 4^th!

My favourite part of the city of Venice was the area we found on our last day there. We took a vaporetto and walked to (and through) the Cannaregio. It is the area of town that had an old foundry, ‘geto’ in the old Venetian dialect, and where the Jewish people in the area were forced to live from the early 1500s to almost 1800. This is where the word ghetto originated as the neighbourhoods of isolated minority groups. It was lovely, quiet, peaceful and felt miles away from the bustling, crowded, noisy, touristed areas of the city.

Our last views through Venice were also spectacular. The canals were empty and silent (except for our boat motor)as we made our way in the predawn through the canals and across the lagoon by water taxi. A beautiful farewell to a beautiful city.

Interacting with Ancient History - Blown Away!

Walking in the ancient city of Ephesus has to be the highlight of my trip! It was the port I was most looking forward to and not only did it live up to my expectations, but it has surpassed them by so much. I am truly in awe!

Ephesus was a major port city of 100, 000 people, that was nestled in a valley and which provided the major link for the transportation of goods between Asia and the Mediterranean.

The bus dropped us off at the end of the city that is higher in the valley and we began to walk down the main street. This upper portion of the city was where the upper class were with
the basilica, a small theatre used for meetings of the senate as well as performances. The street itself, is made of large marble blocks, I can't believe that I am walking on the same stones that the Ephesians walked on 2000 years ago!

As we continue down the street there are actually many intact sculptures. One of the most beautiful buildings in the city is the Celsus Library, with its two

storey facade it is magnificent. We then walk Across the hill to the stadium,which is a massive amphitheatre set in the side of Mount Pion, and the spectators would have looked out over the harbour. In addition to the amazing world history of this place, there is also the importance of this place in Christian history and I got to interact with it, not just observe it.

I stood on the stage where Paul stood when preaching to the Ephesians, and I sat in the seats where the people sat to listen to him. Then we walked along the shopping square for the regular folk before we turned back for a look at the entire stadium.

We also went to two other sites,
the first was St. John's Basilica, another beautiful ruin with a gorgeous view out over a valley that would also have included a view of the sea.

It also looks over the only. remaining piece (a column) of the Temple of Artemis, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The second was Mary's House. It is thought to be the place where she came with John after Christ's death & resurrection, and where she spent her last days.



I know I said this in my last post but, the more I see and experience of Turkey, the more I want to live here for a few years. I really love this place.

Let's Talk Turkey

I'm standing on my balcony, watching as Sultanahmet appears and gets closer on our approach to Istanbul. The views are amazing of the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Topkapi Palace and the wall around this area of the city that was Constantinople. I feel so blessed to be returning to this place for a 2nd time (and within 6 months)! Since I did have a job offer in Istanbul, there is also a feeling of welcome to this city.

Last time I was here, I did not go inside the Blue Mosque or Hagia Sophia, nor did I visit the Grande Bazaar, as I knew that one of the Princess tours did these and they were what Linda wanted to see. They are both amazing inside! The Blue Mosque is a functioning mosque filled with amazing blue tile designs inside. Haga Sophia has been rebuilt a couple of times but by the entrance are some of the ruins of the original cathedral from the 6th century. After its time as a cathedral in Constantinople, it has been repurposed into a mosque, and then as a museum which is what it remains today.

Thank goodness it is a midweek day today for visiting theGrand Bazaar. When I was here in February, I tried to navigate the much smaller spice bazaar on a Saturday and was totally overwhelmed with how packed it was. The Grand Bazaar is much larger, and one of the oldest and largest covered markets in the world. It has 60 streets and about 5000 shops! Needless to say we saw only a portion in our short time there.

I must say, I love Istanbul a little more with each visit, and I am So excited to apply for a job here again next year!

Just a Taste of Greece

We just had a lovely 3 days on board the ship. We chose not to go ashore to Rome or Pompeii since Linda has been to both before and I would rather give Rome, as well as Pompeii & the Amalfi coast the time they deserve on a later trip. Staying on board on a port day is wonderful because it feels like we have the whole ship to ourselves and a few other people. There are good poolside loungers available all day, no trouble finding seats for meals, and a chance to talk with some of the staff because they aren't so busy. I love it. Then we had a day at sea, these are nice for the variety of activities that are available but you are aware of how many people are on board.

Our next port was Mykonos but it was a short visit since it is quite a distance to Istanbul, too far for just overnight travel. This is too bad because it is an island that I think I would like to explore further. I will  have to try to get back there again and explore the less touristed towns. This was the first time that I have been tendered from the ship to the port and I'm really glad that we were, because it landed us at a wharf right in town instead of having to pay for a shuttle from the port to town over land.

It was beautiful! All the pictures we see of white walled buildings, blue staircases and blue water are absolutely true. Linda and I just walked the town, first up to the windmills and then back down through all the winding and very narrow streets, knowing we were headed in the right general direction but having no idea where we would come out by the shore. We stopped at a cafe for a drink across from the bay and watched people go by as we checked our email on their wifi (since it is sooo expensive and sooo slow on the ship). We then picked up a few trinkets for ourselves and others before heading back to the ship.

I'm loving the refreshing station that Princess offers when returning to the ship at each port,

where they hand out cold, damp facecloths (today's were actually partially frozen, Ahhhh) and drinks of cold water. So pampered! I could get used to this.

The Tower, Not the Meal - Pisa

My first taste of Italy! Today we are going in from the port to Pisa and Florence in a small group tour arranged with folks we met on the Cruise Critic website. I don't usually book excursions to other towns with anyone but the cruise line since if you do, and you are late returning to the ship for any reason, it may leave without you. I was very thankful that my mom and I were on a Princess excursion in Guatemala, when the bus broke down and we were two hours late, to see the ship waiting there for us. That said, the group booked some excursions with SPB who provide smaller group excursions in the Baltic and now the Mediterranean, and they have a return guarantee that they will get you to your next port if there is a delay, so we will try two excursions with them.

My first impressions are how beautiful the landscape is here with fields of sunflowers along the way.

Pisa was interesting and great to see but it is now a "been there, done that" location for me. We drove through the town a bit and then went to the cathedral. The leaning tower is the bell tower for the cathedral. Apparently it took more than a hundred years to build. It started straight but when they got to the third floor after the 5th year, it started to lean so they stopped building it and it wasn't until 100 years later that someone figured out a plan to shore up the foundation and build the remaining part in a curve to maintain balance. A huge lead counterweight was added in the 1960's and then it was closed for a decade at the end of the last century to be anchored and stabilized.

We then drove to Florence, I really liked this city and, although I don't need to go back there, if it were on an itinerary I would be glad to return. We first went up the hill to a viewpoint with a beautiful panoramic view of the city, and then down to the town centre. Our driver/guide dropped us off near the cathedral and suggested a walking route that would take us to most of the sights and bring us back to where we would be picked up. The 3 sets of doors to the baptistry of the cathedral are sculpted bronze, and those on the east side were called by Michelangelo, The Gates of Paradise. They really are amazing.

After the cathedral we wandered down to the Piazza della Signoria. We had a nice, but expensive (since we were on a touristy plaza), lunch as we looked across at the Palazzo Vecchio ("old palace" or town hall) where the statue of David stood for many years (it has been moved to the Academia museum and a copy stands in its place). There are also many works of art in the plaza in a covered but open area called the Loggia dei Lanzi.

We then headed to the river, and the Ponte Vecchio ("old bridge"). It is the only bridge that survived the second world war in Florence. It's a two-storey bridge above the arches with shops on the street level and the upper level being part of a private covered walkway between the Palazzo Vecchio and the Palazzo Pitti, which was the home of the ruling family, the Medicis.

We then headed back up to the Piazza della Republica, the actual centre of town and the location of the forum in ancient times, resisting the many shopping opportunities along the way. for some real gelato - YUMMM - while we watched the carousel and waited for our driver.

Parlez Vous?

Well, I won't have any pictures for this post until I get to Venice (or at home?) because the computers on the ship are internet only! Only the keyboard and a monitor are accessible at each station, with no USB access, so I can't access the photos on my camera. I will have to update the post with the photos at a later date. I will also make sure to take a number of photos on my phone as we go on, so that I will have pictures to post on my upcoming shore visits.

The lovely town of Seyne ser Mer is east of Marseilles on the French Riviera. Our tour went inland to  the Domaine Souviou vineyard that straddles two wine appellaions (regions), Bandol and Cote de Provence. We tasted their three Bandol varieties (white, rose & red), Bandol rose wines are the most famous of their varieties. As I try more and different wines, I am really beginning to appreciate the less sweet whites and rose types. This winery's rose was really nice, a perfect summer afternoon wine. They also have 6000 olive trees and produce three varieties of extra virgin olive oil which we also got to taste. A couple of their trees are estimated at over a thousand years old!

We then drove to the walled, hilltop village of Castellet, where we were shown the old church and an arched doorway in the wall called the women's window with a railed ledge with a beautiful view across the whole valley. We then had an hour to explore the small streets and shops on our own before the return trip to Seyne ser Mer and the ship.

Well here are the photos. I'm going to have to figure out a plan for if I don't have computer access on future trips.

Barcelona

Well, after a very long day, I finally met up with my friend Linda at our hotel in Barcelona where we stayed up until the wee hours, comparing our respective travels in the previous two weeks. 

Our hotel has a small rooftop infinity pool with amazing views of the city.

The next day we relaxed and wandered in the narrow streets of the Gothic quarter, finding an early supper in a small square. We didn't realize that our dinner came with a floor show. Four different restaurants have outdoor space in the centre of the square each defined by 2 large canopy umbrellas and imaginary lines on the pavers. We watched as one particular restaurant's staff kept moving and adjusting their tables & chairs to expand their space right up to the neighbouring ones and pointing out to the other staff (our restaurant's in particular) where the imaginary line should be drawn and that some of the other's chairs were actually over the imaginary line by a few inches. Then the respective managers had to be brought into it, discussing the relative boundaries and size of their respective service areas. Our waiter answered our questions, telling us that this is an ongoing discussion. I suggested the application of flouresent duct tape. When we were ready to leave, I wanted to stand, applaud, and yell "Bravo"!

We used the 'Hop On Hop Off' busses over the next day and a half to tour around the city, Stopping to take pictures and start my Christmas shopping. It was great to see some of the things that I had missed last time I was in Barcelona, when I was not feeling well.

We went to 'torre salta mar' for a pricey but fabulous dinner by a well respected chef. Both the views (of the harbour & city) and the food, were spectacular! We had the smaller of two Chefs Dinners and added the wine pairings option. It was a seven course tasting menu (smaller portions, so you can get through all seven courses), each with a different glass of wine (also small, so we could still walk). The taste combinations of the artistically designed dishes were mind blowing, as was how they blended with, or altered, the qualities of the paired wines! We left 3 hours later, fully satisfied but not stuffed, and totally amazed by the flavour profiles we had experienced. I had also had some firsts which I was surprised that I liked as much as I did, including duck fois gras and black truffle.

The following evening was quite opposite. We wandered 2 blocks over from our hotel to La Rambla, the famous, mostly pedestrian, street that connects Plaza Catalunia, in the centre of town, with the harbour. There are many to tourist stalls and restaurant patios down a central boulevard, with a single line of traffic allowed on either side. We found a nice place for tapas (small plates of sharable food) and sangria while we chatted and watched all the people walk by.

The next morning, we packed up, checked out, and headed to the port to embport to embark on our next adventure: a 12 day cruise from Baralona to Venice, with stops in France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey!

El Tiemblo

My second week with Vaughan Town is near the town of El Tiemblo by the Gredos mountains west of Madrid. It is at Campo Puerto Nuevo "New Bridge Campus", it was originally built as a village for workers of the hydro electric plant in the early 1900's. When that was no loonger needed it was converted into a conference centre, each of the 25 houses were converted into 4 or 5 individual rooms and the buildings housing the school, grocery store and cinema became meeting rooms and a restaurant. There is also a social club with a bar, an outdoor swimming pool, and gym. They kept the stone structure of the residences so it is much like a very old town.

The make up of the volunteers is very different this week from last. This week there are 3 Canadians, all from Alberta [last week I was the only one], there are about 6 from the US again but this time there are no Brits, instead we have 2 ladies from Ireland and Brian is here again from Scotland [he was in Pedraza with me last week]. It's amazing how much that changes the flavour of the week.

Here are some shots of our entertainment activities, but the best part of the week is getting to know each other and the conversations that we had. I think that I have a few good friends that I will keep in touch with in the future, and I definitely do want to come back and do this again. 

Pedraza

My first week volunteering with Vaughan Town is in Pedraza, a small walled village, about 1.5 hours north of Madrid. It is sooo amazing! There is one door / gate into the town and hardly any tourists here during the week, but I understand that it gets very busy on the weekends.

It Is a beautiful medieval village on the top of a hill with a small castle. The buildings have stone walls, big wooden doors, and wooden beamed ceilings. This is my room with a lovely Juliet balcony.

We are up at the crack of 8, with breakfast at 9, and then from 10 - 2 there are 1 to 1 conversations. We are free to talk about anything we want and to roam anywhere in the village, as long as we are back in about 50 minutes to meet with our next partner. Lunch is at 2 with free time / siesta till 5, then more sessions from 6 & 7, and an entertainment session at 8. As the week progresses, the sessions include telephone conversations, conference calls (with pre-determined topics), group activities, and rehearsals for that evening's entertainment. We are each slotted in to the schedule so that we do a bit of everything. It's sort of a cross between summer school (for the Spaniards) and summer camp for adults. Because the conference calls involve 3-4 Spaniards and only 1 Anglo, we get some extra blocks of free time to rest, explore the village, or whatever we want.

 

I have met some amazing people from all over the world and had a great time. It was well worth a week of my life as I had a great time and am looking forward to a second week in El Tiemblo starting tomorrow.

Off to Madrid

After about  26 hours of travel, I am checked in to my hotel in Madrid. Thanks to long layovers in Calgary (4.5 hrs) and Frankfurt (5.5 hrs), it took as long to get here as it does to India!

I'm staying north of the city centre, out of the tourist areas. I have a 1 bedroom apartment with a full kitchen for 60€ per night (about $90). I met another Anglo volunteer for supper, Sandra is from London. We found a lovely cafe just 2 blocks over, very typical, very inexpensive and with good food. I love being in Madrid again!

I went to bed at 9 or 9:30, slept till 2am, was awake for an hour and then slept through until 1 in the afternoon! After being up for 32 hours, it was sorely needed. We had a welcome tapas reception where all the Anglo volunteers could meet each other and the organizers before we set out the next morning.

Transitons

Well, I have changed my life. I have retired and am heading off to Europe for 5 weeks. 

The immediate plan is to rest, relax, and recuperate for the rest of 2015. When I return from Spain and the Mediterranean, I will pack up my house, rent it out, and move back to Vancouver Island. I'll find some part-time work there until the end of the year (or later) and then look for English teaching work abroad, likely in Turkey.  Both offers that I turned down, indicated that they would be happy to consider me again. 

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety-Jog!

To India, to India, to get some new clothes,
Home again, home again, jiggety-joes.

To Arabia and Turkey, to find me a job,
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog.

Well, about 17,400 miles flown, and over 46 hours in the air on my big adventure. I visited 11 countries, 10 of which were first time visits. I interacted with elephants, monkeys, camels and a falcon. I traveled by plane, train (regular & small gauge), bus (local, intercity & double decker), metro, cab, rickshaw, boat (Dhow cruise), foot and elevator. (Does 143 floors make it a vehicle?)

Here is a map of all the places that I have been, to date. A total of 24 countries on 5 continents - can't wait to add more (and to explore more fully, some of the countries that I have only had a taste of).

I am now having Skype interviews for positions in Malta, Bogota Columbia, Ethiopia and Istanbul. I turned one down for Dubai. I'd welcome a position elsewhere in the UAE or in Oman or Qatar, but not Dubai, it's just too big, busy, and rushed.

Can't wait to start my next adventure in the summer. Think Mediterranean!

Icelandic Horses

A really quick stopover in Reykjavik on the way home. I booked an evening tour at an Icelandic Horse Theatre performance. It was really good, they portrayed the history of the breed and the many roles these horses have in Icelandic culture. We then were able to meet a couple of the riders and get up close and personal with some of the horses in the stables. They are beautiful creatures with the most amazingly calm & friendly temperaments.

They also demonstrated the different horse gaits including the 5th gate (fast pace) which is unique to only this breed. Wow, they are fast!

Another lovely hotel room, this one on the 5th floor, with a rounded corner and windows all along the wall! The next morningI had a late breakfast, a bowl of soup at a lovely cafe across the street where I picked up supper for on the plane. Then off to the airport for the final leg of my epic journey.

Two for the Price of One - Denmark & Sweden.

The hotel angels are watching out for me, another great location! I'm right in old Copenhagen, 1/2 block from the harbour, 3 blocks from a canal and a Hop On/Off bus stop, with numerous cafes & restaurants within a 5-10 min walk. The sightseeing bus here has limited routes and reduced hours during winter but it still gave a good overview. The afternoon I arrived I just settled in, walked around the area & had one of Denmark's famous open-face sandwiches. These are my kind of sandwich - lots of topping / filling with a small slice of a hearty (rye?) bread underneath.

The next day was my tour day, saw the mermaid statue (underwhelming), the old fort, Tivoli (said to be Walt Disney's inspiration for Disneyland) and many other sights. Love the old European architecture. Another smorrebrod (sandwich) for lunch and fabulous (but very expensive) sushi dinner at a restaurant right next door to my hotel.

The following day, I went to Sweden for lunch! Molmo is just a 1/2 hour train ride from Copenhagen. I wandered around the town centre, found a large park, a few canals and a few squares. Had a lovely lunch, wandered some more, bought a semla (puff pastry filled with whipped cream) to bring back to the hotel for later, and returned on an afternoon train. With another supper in the neighbourhood it makes for a lovely day.

As I got ready to head to the airport, I realized what had been lacking the last 2 days, I missed hearing the call to prayer from the mosques, I had used them to give me a sense of time during the day since I haven't worn a watch for a couple of years. Here in Copenhagen, I have had to pull out my phone to find out the time.

Cheers to Istanbul!

I arrived at the airport on the Asian side of Istanbul early in the morning and it was almost a 90 min drive into Cheers hostel in the old city. They made me welcome, gave me breakfast, and were able to have my room ready by 11am. After a nap, I wandered around the maze of little streets by the Hagia Sophia & the Blue Mosque for a bit. Then back to Cheers for dinner. They do a grilled dinner (chicken wings & beef kebab) once a week for a reasonable price. About a dozen of us participated and it was fun getting to know a few of the others.

I took the Hop on Hop off bus part way around the route and then got a taxi to a plus size clothing chain that I had found online. Woo Hoo! The store I went to happened to be their outlet store! I bought a coat, slacks & a shirt for just over 300 lira ($150 Cad). I then got a cab to Taksim Square (another Big Bus stop) and tried to find one of the English schools that I have been corresponding with, without success. After lunch, I continued the tour to the Egyptian Spice Bazaar - way too crowded on a Saturday afternoon! So, back up to Sultanahmet (the old city, formerly called Constantinople).

For dinner, I went to a restaurant that was having a Whirling Dervish Ceremony. It was amazing! I actually felt uncomfortable finishing my dinner since it was so obviously a form of worship. There was a real sense of awe, power & prayer in the ceremony / performance!

Sunday was a brighter day so I got on the tour again to do the portion that I had missed which included going over the bridge to the Asian side of town. Boy, the wind coming down the Bosphorus from the Black Sea was cold! This time I got off at a different spot and walked to Galata Tower. Because there was a long lineup, I didn't go up the tower but I had a lovely lunch on the plaza before walking down the hill.

The spice bazaar was much more manageable today, still busy but not like sardines in a tin like yesterday. After a lovely dinner and a walk back through Arasta Bazaar and past the Blue Mosque & Hagia Sophia lit up at night I visited a bit back at Cheers before heading back to my room to pack.

I really like Istanbul and the climate is moderate (not as scary as summer in the desert), I am looking forward to my 3 Skype job interviews for Istanbul when I return home.