Pictures of Family for Family

Marj, Chris, Linda

Hillary and Alan

Edward

David and Emma (lazer surgery)

Barcelona

Early morning finds us meeting up in lobby with Thelma and Don and on to the shuttle bus to the airport. Our flight to Barcelona was at 9:15 so time for an expensive coffee and toast while waiting. This gave us time to catch up on T and D's few days in London with other family. We all were feeling a bit weary from some great visiting, and now looking forward to getting on the ship, but first a day in Barcelona. We landed to a very rainy day, once again hauled our luggage on to bus and rode to Placa d' Catalunya. I had spent many hours using google maps to walk the way from the square to our hotel but somehow when getting off I had my map upside down in my head and we headed the wrong way. We spent a couple of hours looking at maps, looking at street signs, asking non English speaking people "Where are we?" and we finally got one old man who took a lot of time to tell us how to get back to where we should be. He spoke Spanish but with many pictures drawn on a paper, us picking up a word or two , lots of nods and "Si's", we started back to where we should be. He stayed with us until he figured these dumb Canadians were going in the right direction. It is not a pretty picture of 4 old people hauling too much luggage, wearing back packs, getting rained on and very frustrated in Spain. We found our hotel called Hosteria Grau and hauled our luggage up the stairs and collapsed in our rooms. It was not long before Harvey and Don were into a cribbage game, Thelma rested and I became very frustrated with none, or very weak wireless connection. It comes in and out and I have to shut down the computer and restart to get a connection. It is now 3:00 am and I am getting a bit better signal so trying to get this done, emails sent, and doing some research for a new port.

We have had an email from the cruise line that there is to be a big strike in Athens Greece on Thursday when we are to dock there. The last one saw many riots, fires and destruction and so they will reroute to Nafplion a seaside city in the Peloponnese region of Greece. If the strike does not happen we will still go to Athens.

By late afternoon we decided to go out to Las Ramblas (a very busy tourist infested pedestrian street) to do what all tourists do. We did get to La Bocqueria, a famous huge inside food market. Very intersting as we walked amongst the 60+ food booths looking at the great variety of different meats and produce. We headed for a Tapas bar, had supper and stopped at pastry shop for some dessert, and back to hotel for an early bed time. We have now lost another 2 hours (8 hours ahead of home) and our bodies are not really sure if they like it. I guess site seeing of Barcelona's wonderful historic places will have to wait for another time.

Our Driver (everyone should have their own)

We were so lucky today, to have a driver for the day that took time out of his busy day to chauffeur us around London. Harvey and I were so amazed at the way Chris moved in and out of the traffic with easy and drove for hours on end to get us to the places we needed to get to visit with more of our British family.We were under the Thames, we were over the Thames and we were beside the Thames, we were in business areas, we were on many freeways, we were in residential areas…Some times he had to refer to his map under the dim light of the interior car light, but he got us where we needed to go. He never swore (that we heard) and remained calm at times when Harvey looked like he did not want to ever,ever drive again. We never realized how easy we have it in Sask to drive on roads that go North or South , East or West, do not curve, have yield signs and about a billion less drivers. We thank Linda and Chris for their great hospitality and the great care they gave us.

We had a great time at Alan and Hillary's where we had a great meal with a chocolate mousse to die for, and a wonderful time visiting with the family. We had not seen Alan for 19 years and Emma and Ed for 15 and so much fun to catch up in their lives. (I will post pictures if I ever get a wireless connection that is fast enough to upload)

A late arrival at the airport hotel saw us repacking for the flight and falling into bed.

Day Two London

A lovely day was spent driving out into the country and seeing some beautiful English countryside complete with thatched roofs, green rolling hills, fields of sheep, sleepy little towns and lunch at an English pub. The evening was spent at a Tapas eatery run by Thai's so we sampled Spanish and Thai tapas. Tapas are individual little dishes that are shared. We tried 7-8 different dishes and as it was just Marj and the two of us, we ate very well. Linda and Chris were having their local singing group in for their fortnightly evening of song and we returned to join them for the last one. We then spent a bit of time looking at Chris's massive collection of music books , where he was able to pull out about 10 or more Canadian folk song music books.

Today we went to visit Harvey's cousin (a few times removed) Jean and had lunch and a lovely visit with her. Tonight we are going to my cousin's son's (Alan) place for supper. We will then move to our hotel near the airport for an early departure for Barcelona tomorrow.

Early Morning London

A cup of coffee, the quiet of the morning, looking out at a beautiful green flowering garden in mid London, with my laptop on my knee...could one ask for anything more.

We had a very smooth flight from Toronto to London but sleep did not prevail. It was very frustrating listening to the snoring behind, in front and next to me but I could not go into that zone. I even contemplated laying in the aisle on the floor with my 10 inch pillow but that thought only lasted a second. We were met at the airport by my cousin Linda. We had arranged a meeting place but did not see each other for a few minutes. It had been 19 years since we had seen each other and maybe we had changed a small bit. She only lives an inch away from Heathrow on my map but it is actually 30 miles which took us about 90 minutes in London traffic. As we curved in and about the streets, Linda laughed as I kept saying .."Oh everything is so British". We arrived at her beautiful, old Victorian home with so many individual little rooms that they have decorated in such wonderful interesting ways.They think it was built in about 1850ish. Linda's Mom Marj (my first cousin) arrived a short time later to stay while we are here and it was so great to see her again. Marj has not lived in Canada for 60 years, has visited often though, but still thinks of it as home and so loves to touch base with it through us. We spent the morning at the kitchen table reminiscing and in the afternoon we went to Greenwich Park, walked and looked at beautiful views of the skyline of central London and all the buildings of
in the area such as the Royal Observatory and the Greenwich Time Museum. It was cool, and windy but was a great way to keep us awake to fight jet lag. We returned home and had an early supper before heading to bed at 8:30. At this point I had been awake 36 hours and a bed has never felt so good. I had a great 8 hours and H is still sleeping and may for a few more hours as his body adjusts. Today we plan to do a bit of touring by car, a pub lunch and more visiting.

Up, Up and Away!

Loaded down with too much stuff as usual but this picture was at the airport this morning in Regina. The flight to Toronto was a bit rough for about 90 minutes and we could not take off seat belts.....the mad rush to the bathroom when turbulence was over was a bit hectic as people filled the aisle in front of the one toilet. Oh there was another one at the front of the plane but that was for the 10 people in first class. I thought the caste system was mainly in 3rd world countries.

We are now sitting and waiting for the flight to London. We have put in 2 hours but still another 2......then sleep, glorious sleep...

Is it a Rule that Clocks need Watching?

I really wonder why when one sets the alarm to get up early for something like a plane flight or just leaving for somewhere other than work, all night long, the clock silently calls out to you each hour,"Open your eyes and look at me?"
1:00 o'clock, 2:00 o'clock, 3 o'clock....... and just what does the "o" mean in o'clock...obtrusive, objectionable, obnoxious?

ok ok I will just get up .
At least by early evening, when I need to change my body clock to London time, I may get some sleep on the plane. Planes produce sleep in DH but in me it produces activity and excitement. Too many things to do and watch....oh goody time for the pretzels, what is on the TV, where is my new book to read, oh and this time I can write silly things like this for my blog.

In a Cloud of Fog

Nineteen years ago we flew to Europe at the end of April and the night before we were to fly out, a blizzard hit, and most roads were closed . At midnight, we decided to get on a bus to Regina, as our flight out was early morning and we felt the buses would go when cars were not moving. We got to Regina, a bit dopey but we made the flight.
Today when driving through pea soup thick fog and listening to the weather report of snow and freezing rain approaching we made the decision to go to Regina a day early and avoid more grey hair. We hustled our butts and packed our things , trying to be sure all the last minute things were done and in order. When leaving my DH said "Do you have the foreign currency and the passports"? Nope.....it was still in its safe place. That was a close one.
The trip was very foggy, the roads very wet, and the temperature dropped steadily but we got to Regina safely and do not have to worry that we will miss our plane. (Well unless the fog refuses to lift.)

8 Countries in 17 Days

Our Itinerary

March 24 Flying to London
March 25-27 Visiting in London
March 28 Barcelona, Spain
March 29 Board the cruise ship
March 30 Cruising the Mediterranean
March 31 Experiencing Rome, Italy
April 1 At Sea
April 2 Walking Athens Greece
April 3 Tour of Ephesus, Turkey
April 4 Relaxing at sea
April 5 Tour of Cairo Egypt
April 6 Tour of Alexandra, Egypt
April 7 Resting at Sea
April 8 Tour of the island of Malta
April 9 Last day at sea
April 10 Barcelona and London
April 11 Fly to Regina
April 12 Arrive home

Things in my back pack

Before the age of technology one could enjoy the simple life
and travel with a only a copy of the Reader's Digest in one's pocket.

Today my carry on bag contains

1. My laptop
2. Wireless mouse
3. A long power cord and adaptor
4. Surge protector
5. Vehicle power adapter
6. Web Camera
7. 2 sets of Head phones
8. Retractable cable lock
9. Extra extension cord
10. Electrical Plug adapter for Europe
11. Digital Camera
12. Blank CD's
....really quite ridiculas....

Preparation for our Holiday

Today, this blog changes it clothes and prepares to become a Travel Journal.

I will leave my thoughts on home, lake, life and family and turn towards preparing to leave for our trip of a lifetime. This is a trip I know we will never experience again and we are excited to get at it.
Every part of the trip will have its shares of exciting things to see and do, but the highlights I think, will be.......
1. experiencing the emotions of seeing the pyramids of Egypt for the first time, (as I burst into song singing the 1950's hit by the Duprees..."See the Pyramids along the Nile").....
2. walking the paths where the apostles Paul and John walked, and the Virgin Mary lived until her death, in Ephesus Turkey,(as this is Holy Week we may find it very busy).

My belief is just as the success to house purchasing is location, location, location, …the success to a trip as ours is planning, planning, planning.

I have researched every port, I have googled maps on all places we will visit, I have joined many many forums where other travellers comment on their trips, I have read reviews, I have cut and pasted and made many files with ideas and warnings and in the process of all of this made cyber friends with others that are doing the same trip.

We are ready to go and the next few days will go fast as we do the last minute packing and repacking.
Yesterday we walked about a mile wearing our back packs weighting about 15 pounds each and found that it worked very well. Who tried to tell me a laptop and all the electronics to make it work in other countries was too heavy to take with me.

Join us and cyber travel along, as we live our dreams.

Top Of the Morning!

They say on St Patrick's Day everyone is Irish
or at least wish they were, but about 10 years
ago, I actually found out I was of Irish blood.
I had met my birth mother and she would not tell me
who my father was but gave me a few hints as to who
he may be... I researched history books, made some
phone calls and got a name. I contacted him but he denied,
and soon after he was killed in an accident.
I have met some of his family members and I do believe
my heritage to be Irish. My cousin Edith and I have been
confused for each other for 30+ years.....but until I have the
legal right to see my adoption records, I am only 95% sure.
Happy St.Patrick's Day

Poppa gave me the whole bird, I think

That was a mighty
big
drumstick
for one
little boy,

and the stuffing was so good he decided
to eat the whole serving bowl full.

Sure Signs of Spring

Slight signs of spring start to enter my view and it causes

a lightness to my step, the need to open a window, the hope

that we have served our winter sentence and the freedom from

white will soon be replaced by the beauty of green and blue.

How do I know?

Rubber boots replace snow boots

Water starts to accumulate in our driveway which in turn

will run into our crawl space if we do not point it to the lake.

The ice fisherman began to haul off their huts and buildings in

preparation of the frozen floor melting underneath them.

People that live in warm places 12 months of the year can

never imagine what we go through, what we complain about,

and what the change of seasons can feel like.

Concern over what is in our food!

I am very concerned about the amount of hormones in the animal products we consume each day. Dairy products, beef, chicken, pork, eggs...... The food these animals eat to grow, is pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones... We all know that the chicken we eat , 9 weeks ago was just an egg...ridiculous!. The theme seems to be "Make them grow faster, leaner, bigger and better tasting." But in the end these same wonder drugs end up in our bodies and maybe do the same.. The teenagers of the next generation will be giants, I fear.

Athlete's lose their Olympic medals for using steroids...is this really any different......

Oh I know I can buy organic but it is really so much more expensive and very hard to find.

I am not sure if the cheese product in the picture is available here in Canada yet, but I was pleased to see that Kraft has started a movement to use milk from cows that have not been pumped full of growth hormones. Way to go Kraft...keep the momentum going and maybe one day we will go back to using natuarally grown animals.

Removal of Music Playlist

Today I have removed the music that plays on this blog when you first access it. I have had readers say that is is very distracting when they are trying to read the updates. I do agree but I thought it would grow on me.....

I know as I blog through Europe in a couple of weeks there will be a few more followers and if it is easier to read with out the music in the background, I understand.I do not know why one can not set the volume at a very minimum but as soon as you open it the next time it blares again. I also know the reader can go to the playlist and turn it off while they read, but that is a bit of a hassle every time. So back to Nybonotes silence...ENJOY!

Two weeks, the count down begins

Tomorrow it will be 14 days until be leave on our holiday. We fly from Regina to London, where we spend a few days visiting relatives and then on to Barcelona where we will board our cruise ship for 12 days in the Mediterranean. The time we are gone is a total 19 days, we will not have access to any washing machines and it costs a fortune to have something laundered for you on the ship. We will do some of our own hand washing in the sink and they usually have a sale about half way through the cruise where they will wash all you can get in a brown paper bag size container for about $25.

How to pack for nearly 3 weeks??? It is a bit mind boggling as we will go from the cool March air in London to the heat of Egypt. We will go from the casual Capri's to the dress up for dinner attire on the ship. We will need walking shoes, sandals, and dress shoes. We will need umbrellas to sea sick pills......

This is just the start of putting a few things together that has to be packed, next will come clothes and other necessities.....We are taking two medium sized pull suitcases as well as two back packs. What you say?? Leave the laptop and accessories at home....You have to be kidding... How would you be able to follow along on my blog daily as I relate the tales of each day of our trip? I wonder if that is equivalent to watching someones home movies of their last holiday.....

My glue gun is bigger than yours

My card crafting friend has her wonderful glue

dispenser displayed on her blog today. So I too, thought I would like to share my glue tape gun that I use to make cards as well.

I have to admit the little bitty tiny ones like she uses, (the blue one in the picture), used to be my favourite but now I am using this one. It took awhile to learn how to use it but I am getting better all the time. I try to take 2 or 3 card making classes a year, at the greatest shop I have found in Winnipeg. When we go to visit our family, I always hope there will be a class available that interest me. I have learned some very neat techniques and of course spent a fortune on supplies each time. They all use this dispenser at the classes and so I too had to have one. It is quite pricey to buy at first but I never run out of glue like I do with the little ones.

The other blogger at least knows the name of her glue which is Ad Tech but I can not even remember who makes mine.....