Travel Blog

You can’t come to Spain and not visit the Sagrada Familia. The construction of this church began in 1882, 134 years ago. It is designed by Antoni Gaudi, one of Spain’s famous sons. It is the Basilica and Expiatory Church … Continued

Saturday 23rd July – Barcelona continued This afternoon we decided to go our own way for an hour and have a bit of a wander around the shops. Ian is more focused on sports apparel than I am! We decided … Continued

Barcelona has surprised us. What a wonderful, bustling city. It is so much busier than I imagined. The architecture is a combination of Renaissance and Baroque (influenced by Italy and France) and Modernism. The buildings are majestic, the streets wide … Continued

Friday 15 July Today was one of those days that in hindsight we will regale with great stories over dinner and a glass of red wine. However, the reality was somewhat more challenging and stressful than we would like to … Continued

GPS systems are great- except when the route you are taking is not on the mapped roads. Our ride today took us off the beaten track and through some beautiful landscapes. We biked by the Aveiro lagoon for quite a … Continued

10-12 July Porto They came out of nowhere. Caped crusaders filling the streets and cafes. Portuguese flags tied around necks and draped over backs, billowed in the evening breeze and green and red warrior stripes adorned cheeks. Children, the young … Continued

Lisboa (Lisbon) 8th and 9th July   Yesterday we walked to Alfama, the historic quarter. Alfama is the oldest city in Europe according to our Tuk Tuk driver and guide. We started our day with a mild 32 degrees. And … Continued

The cruise ship went into three ports. The first of these was Juneau. Juneau is the fourth largest city in Alaska with a population of 40,000 people. What makes it so interesting is that it is land-locked. There are no … Continued

As a first-time cruiser, I found the whole experience quite fascinating. I have just spent a week on a large boat with 1499 other passengers 600 employees, four restaurants, a casino, numerous jewellery shops, a movie theatre, a demonstration kitchen, … Continued

Grouse Grind: Vancouver Tuesday 28 June The Grouse Grind is a gut-busting 2.9-kilometre hike up Grouse Mountain. It has 2830 steps, an elevation gain of 853 metres (2800 feet) and has a 52-degree incline. Training for this hike should include … Continued

Osoyoos – Friday 24 June The name Osoyoos rolls around your mouth and slips off the tongue like a Hershey’s toffee. It’s the southernmost town in Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. It borders Washington State at Oroville so part of … Continued

Wednesday, June 22nd: Stanley Park  

Tuesday 21 June : Vancouver Mr greasy, a grey pony scraped back over his balding pate asked us for money as we waited to cross at the traffic lights. He looked quite smart in navy blue shorts and a white … Continued

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for … Continued