Better late than never. We’ve been back a couple of weeks now and I thought I should write something about the eastern trip. And what better time to do this than on another west coast miserable soggy day. The previous 2 posts were done a while ago but never got posted then as we a) didn’t have the photos to go with it, b) were feeling lazy, c) in transit a lot, d) were feeling lazy, e) didn’t have internet (the ranch), and f) were feeling lazy. Anyway, we spent the month of September in beautiful (sorry to steal BCs adjective) Nova Scotia including the couple of days in Halifax. …
Nova Scotia – Hi, I’m Dorian
So, we had our flights booked months ago, a non-stop from Edmonton to get us into Halifax mid-afternoon. Not too long and not too much jet lag like we have with the European flights. September 7th and the late summer/fall weather should be nice. Karma. It’s laughing behind your back. Plans changed obviously. We were due to land around 3pm just as Dorian’s eye was to pass over Halifax so the airline wisely cancelled our flight and rebooked us the following day. I was a bit bummed though. After earthquakes, lightning, and volcanos in Guatemala and lightning, tornados, and exploding meteors in Alberta, I kinda thought being in a hurricane…
Interlude Alberta – The Summer That Wasn’t
It’s been a while since we’ve posted anything. I’m sure most people who’ve followed this blog (all 3 of you) are probably thinking we’ve fallen off a cliff. But no, nothing so exciting. We just hung out in Sherwood Park again for a couple of months where nothing much happens…including summer apparently. We got back from Portugal in early July, spent a few days swapping gear out of the storage shed, and then hit the road back to Alberta via Kamloops and the ranch. It didn’t start all that well as we blew the vehicle engine somewhere in Abbotsford but like a lot our travel ‘events’, things just seem to…
Bruderheim, Alberta – Model T Races
Bruderheim Model T Races, Alberta
Porto – Festa de São João do Porto
Yes, another festival. They seem to have followed us from Spain. And not to be outdone by the Spanish, Porto’s Sao Joao is the whole month of June. So, what is this you ask? It’s a festival celebrating St. John the Baptiste in Porto and Porto only it seems. The event, dating back some 600 years seems to have a lot of pagan roots but according to Wiki, the St. John part was only integrated in the 19th century. It has since become the most important celebration of the year in Porto. It’s said that it is one of the liveliest street festivals in the country although not many people…
Porto – Bike Ride
So, we did a bike ride along the south shore route all the way down to the Capela do Senhor da Pedra, an old stone chapel which is perched on a giant boulder stuck out into the ocean. The chapel was constructed in 1686 to ensure the dominance of Christianity over the superstitious local population. Originally, this precarious location was the site of ancient pagan worship where rituals were once performed and today neopagans continue to make an annual pilgrimage to this sacred site. It was a nice hot day and the ride there and back was about 40km. Very pleasant, but we were tired at the end. Portugal’s coast…
Porto – A Revisit
Porto, home of the Franceschina. (That would be one of these…) It’s nice to be back! We haven’t posted for a while and are winding down at our last stop for this year. We stayed for 3 nights in Seville between Ronda and Porto and checked out the Triana side of town which we enjoyed but, it was 40 degrees when we got there and 38 when we left. Way too HOT!!! Porto is much cooler and we like it …a LOT. We’ve been here for a little over 2 weeks now with 2 more to go. The airBnB overlooks both the Duoro river and the Atlantic and we’re…
Ronda – Good Times
We’ll were at an end here now as well. Time flies and the two plus weeks we had were very nice. Sunshine every day, warm temperatures, mountain fresh air, and great views. It’s comfortable here and because we have such a nice place to hang out, it’s hard to leave. The people are friendly, and our host Charo once again had us over for a luncheon of paella, gazpacho, snacks, and lots of alcohol. Her husband Antonio even managed to get us a nice deal on 2 bottles of local Rondan wine. Quite a bit more than what we are used to paying for wine but well worth it. And…
Ronda – Arte de Andalucia a Caballo
As part of the Romantica festival, we took in some more Art of the Andalusian Horse on the final day. The event was free, and we had front row seats, minus the seats. It was in an open area plaza next to the old cathedral and there were a LOT of people wanting to see this. The hour-long show was a showcase of dressage moves with the odd flamenco artist dancing with the horses. It was similar to the one we saw in Cordoba last year but it’s always a treat to see this and we weren’t disappointed. Enjoy the photos