NEW ZEALAND - NORTH ISLAND

Greetings from Down Under . . .
July 26/08 -We arrived safely in Auckland New Zealand . . . Ann's flying time - 19 hours - Ottawa - > Toronto -> San Fransico -> Auckland. THANK YOU Areoplan for the Executive Class Tickets! It made all the difference.





Debbie's flying time - 30 hours - Ottawa -> Vancouver - >Hong Kong -> Auckland. Debbie says THANKS to Cathay Pacific. She was randomly selected for an free upgrade to Executive Class on the 11 hour Hong Kong ->Auckland stage of the trip. Obviously, we are kicking off this phase of our adventure in style!

And speaking of style - I am sure you're all interested in knowing just what we brought along for our 5 month trip - we each are carrying one large packsack and one smaller day pack filled with (each) 3 pairs of pants that zip off into shorts, 3 short sleeved t-shirts, 2 long sleeved t-shirts, 1 fleece, 3 pairs of shoes (hikers, sandals and a pair of crocks) , a few changes of underwear, 50 sunblock blouse and hat, 1 rain jacket and being the princess that I am, I also brought along a pair of rain pants which I have been extremely thankful for given that since we've arrived, NZ has experienced its worse winter storm in decades, +150 k winds and torrential rains with ++ flooding in some areas. In addition, we each have a large zip lock bag holding the "anti" drugs . . . anti-nausea, anti-diarrhea, anti-malarial, anti-biotics etc. etc. etc.

Auckland is a beautiful . . . population 1.4 M, it is surrounded by 48 volcanic mountains, 50 islands, 21 parks and 50 vineyards! (no wonder is has been voted as one of the worlds most beautiful cities!). Auckland a.k.a the "City of Sails" has more boats per capita than any other city in the world.

This past week (as we make our way towards the south island) has been very busy, and FUN! We visited the Antartic Expedition Centre - artifacts from Cpt Scott's expedition to the Antartic (1910-1913), spent an hour or so watching the (tres cute) penguins doing their thing (basically just standing around), attended a Maori Cultural Show at the Auckland Museum, a Thai Flower and Food show, went on our 1st winery tour (3 different wineries), and caving at the Waitomo Caves (an amazing site to see with its hundreds of thousands of glow worms hanging from the rocks).

We also visited a Geothermal Park in Rotorua, saw pools of boiling mud, cascading hot water and even examples of land coral. We topped this off with a couple of hours lounging in mud bath and sulfur water spa. It was then off to the Argodome for a very amusing Sheep Shearing show (45 seconds to shear a sheep) and the sheep shearer wasn't bad either! We also feasted on a Maori Hangi dinner (chicken, lamb, veggies baked under the earth) and a cultural show.

Today (Aug 2) we are planning to go to the Wellington Zoo before taking the ferry tomorrow to the south island.

Our impressions so far . . . NZ is a beautiful country. Though it is winter it is still very green (reminds us of Ireland) with sheep (45M) dotting the country side. The country and its people are totally tourist friendly!

Attached are some photos from our adventures in the North Island. Take care all, we'll be in touch soon.

PORTUGAL

Portugal (May 19 - June 10)

We began our trip in Faro (Algarve Region). The peaceful setting was magnificent and we enjoyed experiencing an authentic Portugese community. Our hotel was centrally located in the historic (older) section of the city. We were pleasantly surprised to be woken by the sound of church bells. Moreover, we chuckled at one of the neighbourhood dogs who howled along ‘in time’ to the bells! Storks nests were prominent in Faro. Every tower or church steeple housed one of the huge nests --- and storks diligently stood guard of their eggs.

We moved on to Albufeira where we rented a lovely condo ( http://www.vrbo.com/45775) for three weeks. This was an ideal situation. We did many day trips (Portimao, Fatima, Seville) and weekend excursions to the North (Porto, Coimbra) and Lisbon / Sintra. In between, we enjoyed long walks on the Algarve beaches and dunes / cliffs, reading novels and enjoying a relaxing ‘home life’. We sampled local Portugese wines, oranges, olives, etc. Each day, we heard CNN / BBC news about the increasing costs of fuel and food worldwide. Certainly, high prices were evident both inside and outside the tourist district. In Canadian dollars, we noted the following costs: white bread ($6.58), brown bread ($11.55), gas ($2.39 / litre), sangria ($2.88), wine ($4.95 / litre), fruit ($1.65 per piece) and beer ($2.45). Other highlights included: sampling franceszhima (traditional meal), viewing olive and orange groves (Seville has 40 000 orange trees within the city limits), rice fields, eucalyptus trees and oleander bushes, and attending a live Fado (traditional Portugese music / story telling) performance. We also enjoyed a visit to a Porto winery where we sampled Port! Did you know that Portugal recently won a court case giving them the exclusive rights (after 2012) to use the term PORT --- they are the only country that has authentic claim to that product?

Our final destination was Lisbon! Highlights: cloudless skies, warm weather, wonderful architecture etc. Oh, did we mention garbage / recycling collection at 0200am --- which resulted in very little sleep?! We returned home on June 10 and look forward to the next phase of our trip (July 23).

FLORENCE AND ROME

So, from Tuscany we moved on to Florence. We enjoyed the company of Patricia and Richard during the whirlwind trip. Highlights included: shopping at the Ponte de Vecchio and various other markets, touring Academia (Michael Angelo’s 'David'), visiting the Uffizi gallery and Duomo. Needless to say, our Gelato research continued with vigour and we tried new and wonderful flavours unique to Florence. Italian food and wines were also abundant and absolutely delicious! Pat suggested a venue (“13 Hunchbacks) featured in her Florence guide book and we enjoyed two incredible evenings of gourmet food and great company in a popular, fun restaurant.

Rome was an experience we shall long remember! We toured the Vatican Gardens and Museum (Sistine Chapel), the Coliseum, St Peter’s square and Basilica, Tivoli fountain, Spanish Steps and etc. Ann and I experienced sensory overloaded in Rome. The noise and chaos of the city is indescribable. As they say, “when in Rome, do as the Romans”. Yes indeed. Consider the pedestrian challenge, for instance. In crossing the streets, we began as polite, hesitant Canadians and soon realized that we needed to become assertive and run for our lives to beat the traffic (mostly motorcycles!). We marvelled at the locals who seemed to enjoy the look of horror on our faces as we tried to dodge vehicles traveling at lightening speed through the downtown core! All is well that ends well and we breathed a sigh of relief when we boarded the plane for Portugal (May 19).

TUSCANY

Our walking tour of Tuscany is well underway and we are having a great time. We arrived in Italy on May 3 and stayed in Pisa overnight. The walking tour began on May 4. Our base hotel is situated in Bagni de Lucca (a collection of 25 small villages near the city of Lucca). This part of Tuscany, known as the Garfagnana, is surprisingly mountainous and contains two impressive chains of hills (Appenines and Apuane Alps). Walks are 3-5 hours long and take us through the scenic countryside: Terme, II Colle Hamlet, La Villa, Coreglia (Sergio Valley), Barga, Orecchiella Natural Park, Pruno Hamlet, Corfino. We will walk a total of 37.5 km with 8982 feet of ascent / descent. We've had a group tour day and visited Pisa and Lucca. Today is 'free' day. Debbie is attending the local spa to soak in the hot spring caves and to have a massage. Ann is re-visiting Lucca.

The tour group is extremely cohesive. Our volunteer guides (Tony and Andy) are interesting. Tony is a PhD prepared Marine Biologist! Andy is a retired school teacher. They are funny and engaging. Our fellow walkers are fascinating --- well travelled, educated, engaging. We are having an amazing time connecting with them over our 5 course meals each night. The manager of the hotel (Roberto) is also the chef and the food is beyond compare. We've been indulging in Tuscan wines too. Oh, did we mention the Gelato?! Pat and I have sampled 17 flavours!

The weather has been perfect! 20-25C and sunny during the day. Cool nights.

Spring flowers are in full bloom. The landscape is covered with brilliantly red poppies, wild orchids, violas, tassel hyacinths, roses, daisies, etc. The colours are magnificent.

We think of you all often and wish you were here to share this experience with us. We are grateful for the company of our Ottawa friends: Pam, Maureen and Pat. Willa, we've missed you!
Be well.

Debbie and Ann

SAN MIGUEL, MEXICO

I started my sabbatical on March 17, 2008. What a wonderful beginning to a year of reflection and discovery. Jennie joined me for the first two weeks and we had a great time exploring San Miguel and surrounding regions.

San Miguel has a population of 140 000. There are approximately 10 000 Americans / Canadians who live there permanently so it is well set up for snow birds! Every Friday, an English newspaper (Atencion) is published. The publication outlines events for the upcoming week(s). I had the opportunity to enjoy cooking classes, Flamenco shows, movies, theatre plays, house / garden tours, hacienda tours, New Earth lectures, city tours, walking tours, Buddhist meditation courses etc.

My studio apartment was located in centertown and I lived in a lovely community with engaging Mexican families. Evenings were especially fun in the courtyard. When I arrived home, I was always greeted by the children in my neighbourhood. They would squeal, run towards me (with arms extended to shake my hand) and yell "Hi-eeeeeeee". They loved involving me in their soccer games and I did my best to impress. Despite my very limited Spanish, we managed to communicate with each other and it brought a smile to my face every time I encountered the group. I frequented the local market and discovered my own personal vendors of a) fresh produce and b) incredibly yummy roasted chickens and c) magnificent floral arrangements! It was amazing to feel connected to the community within such a short period of time.

San Miguel tourists are extremely open to meeting others tourists. I developed special friendships and will cherish the memories of deep converstations over potluck dinners and cafe (or pub) encounters. Thank you to Margo (Eastern Townships), Tom (Houston), Joy and Bill (UK) Melissa and Sally (Sudbury) and Raymond (the wanderer with no fixed address) for your loving kindness. I will always remember the happy times we shared.

Debbie