That’s Alastair, Stuart, Oliver and Rob.
Extremely Canadian Steeps Clinic
Tag: Travel
Just back: Cómpeta
For our last night we went to IN's home town of Cómpeta, to visit with her dad. We couldn't have asked for a better way to wind up our amazing Andalucian adventure. The next day we left AWB and IN who were heading to Barcelona. We returned the rental car at Malaga airport, and began [...]
Just Back: Granada
Welcome to the city with pomegranates on every bollard. The first batch of pics is just snaps of us exploring the city. The second batch is the glorious Alhambra. Our delightful and enthusiastic tour guide, Beatriz, shows up in a few of the pictures. Since COVID hit, we were only her 4th English-speaking tour. The [...]
Just back: Sierra de Grazalema
So long Cádiz, so long your azure sea and sky. Bienvenido a la Sierra de Grazalema y los pueblos blancos. We repositioned from the sea into the mountains, and took a tour of El Caminito del Rey: a walkway pinned to the steep walls of El Chorro gorge. Remnants of the previous, very sketchy, pathway [...]
Just Back: Itálica y Cádiz
We picked up a car and left Sevilla behind. First stop was the ruined Roman settlement Itálica a few km north, and recently famous due to its being a dragon den, or something, in Game of Thrones. Next up was the lovely city of Cádiz on the Atlantic coast, one of the oldest settlements in [...]
Just Back: Sevilla
Below please find the first burst of pics from our just completed visit to Andalucía. First batch is out and about in Sevilla, with a couple from the Catedral de Santa María de la Sede, which started, like many churches in the region, as a mosque and ended up being the largest gothic church in [...]
Just Back: Dry Creek Valley
It makes no sense: a dry creek is just a furrow, a trench, or a rut. Whatever. Although it doesn't have the high profile of neighbouring Napa valley, Dry Creek Valley is home to some pretty good wineries. We drove in from the coast, and settled in the town of Healdsburg. On the first day, [...]
Just Back: Sonoma Coast
It was our first non-working vacation since the pandemic started. We flew to California for some hiking, biking and wine-tasting. First stop was the Sonoma Coast, north of Jenner. There was a cold wind blowing at about 1000 kph during our visit to Salt Point State Park. But the flowers were in bloom, and the [...]
Not quarantined no more
It was a good week to be out and about in SW Ontario. And I’m not even talking about the fire, police, ambulance and bomb squad who arrived in the neighborhood on Saturday night to take care of a WWII device discovered around the corner from us. @Etobicoke CreekBirdhouses @Etobicoke CreekHVW + SMB @Etobicoke CreekPrep [...]
2nd Week in Quarantine
Week 2 is not unlike week 1, except I got busy and didn’t take any pictures one day. Quarantine Day 8. Work station upgraded thanks to Don.Quarantine Day 11. FaceTime training session.Quarantine Day 12. Fall mums thanks to Dan.Quarantine Day 13. Best part of Canada. (Not maple syrup, hockey, or the Hip).Quarantine Day 14. We’re [...]
1st Week in Quarantine
The rules say that if you cross the US/Canada border, then you must self-isolate for 2 weeks. So we are sequestered in a house that is just a few blocks away from our first home in Etobicoke. We left more than 25 years ago. Quarantine Day 0. At the border. Quarantine Day 1. Did the [...]
Just Back: Portland, ME
Heidi and I last visited Maine in the beforetimes (1). We camped at Bar Harbour and at Acadia National Park. Back then, we thought it was a great place. Still do. So we decided to go back, but this time, we stayed in Portland, the city of 66 thousand after which Portland OR is named. [...]
Just back: Nantucket
At work, we worry that people are going squirrely after working from home for 4 months. At home, Heidi and I are going (a little) squirrely. So we decided to get away for a few days to a place that doesn’t require quarantine. If you're fond of sand dunes and salty airQuaint little villages here [...]
Just Back (Again): Whistler 2020
I know, I know.... two trips to Whistler in one year is so indulgent. So indulge me. Andrew and Isabella came in from the UK. I took a couple of lessons to refresh my skills (only took a pic on one day). Andrew and I had a great time in some pretty extreme weather, and [...]
Just back: Whistler 2020
Just back from a week at Whistler with Mssrs. Allt and Lloyd-Davies. Much fun was had, including the discovery of an ice cave on Blackcomb Glacier that has never been accessible on any of my previous trips.
Arrivederci Roma
Apparently, we picked the worst time to visit the Vatican, so had to jostle through the galleries and the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's basilica with literally thousands of others. So it goes. I took one picture of a roped off area that seemed quite pleasant. HVW says I should have photographed the crowds. Next [...]
Two households…
Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene... William Shakespeare , "Romeo & Juliette" OK so the setting is Roma, not Verona, where we've been for a little more than a day. Andrew has come and gone. But yesterday we saw Isabella and met the Noble household. [...]
Keep On Truckin’
Today's adventure was navigating the very steep and very narrow, winding roads in and out of Villa Bordoni, which (for some reason) were much busier today. The highlight was coming grill-to-grill with a large truck in a section of road with low stone walls on each side. The truck driver decided that I needed to [...]
That’s the way (I like it)
Villa Bordoni in the morning is quite lovely. So is Sienna in the afternoon. As is the Tuscan countryside, late in the day. So, I might have gone a bit overboard with the tilt-shift effect. But I like it.
Under the Tuscan Cloud
The weather is meh today, but we have repositioned (ever so slightly) from Florence/Firenze to the Tuscan countryside. Before leaving Florence, we paid our dues by lining up for +/- 1 hour to get into the Duomo. Then picked up the rental car and, thanks to Google Maps, made it to Villa Bordoni without incident. [...]
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