Travel Book

UPDATE:

With the blog that was created here and some of the pictures that were taken on our European Vacation Adventure, Laureen has created a hard cover Blurb book (www.blurb.com) in 12" x 12" format.  We have it sitting on our coffee table in our living room , and I have already been through it a couple of times, just to help me remember some of the amazing things we were able to experience.  

If you would like to see the book, we also had it produced in a PDF format that you can download and look at at you leisure. Please be advised that even compressed, the PDF is a little over 140 MB (and 254 pages), so if you are on your phone or a slow connection you may not want to download the book until you are on a high-speed or wireless connection.

Enjoy!

Curt & Laureen

Curt & Laureen's Europe 2016 Book

The 30 Hour Day - Back Home

“Now more than ever do I realize that I will never be content with a sedentary life, that I will always be haunted by thoughts of a sun-drenched elsewhere.”  - Isabelle Eberhardt

Staying at the airport was a good idea (thanks to my well planned wife) because it meant a little extra sleep before we had to get up and head to the airport.

The view from our room

We left the room at about 9:00 AM and headed down the hallway to the departures area.  We already had checked in – but needed to get our bags checked.  It took a bit to get the terminal that we went to, to finally work and produce our baggage tags.  We dropped the bags (except for the Adidas bag that was purchased for the ‘overflow’) which I had the pleasure of carting around until we could potentially check it at the gate.

Laureen had passes for us to go to an airport lounge, so we made our way there after getting through security and had some breakfast.  As with all of our excursions through European airports, you have to wait until just about boarding time before they post the gate for your flight.  I am guessing that this has something to do with the fact that there are so many flights going in and out.  Finally, the gate number came up – so we grabbed our stuff and went on our way to find it.  When we arrived, there was a huge long lineup to get in.  Our passports were re-checked and then we went through the gate into the waiting area.  This is different than we do here in Canada where you wait in the area until the flight is ready to board and then they check your passport and boarding pass.

There were some delays, not unlike we heard about in the news before we left.  Not sure exactly what WestJet has not quite got ironed out with the process; but whatever it is, it would be nice if they got it fixed.  The delays added another hour and 15 minutes to the return home.  The flight was mostly uneventful with some minor turbulence along the way.  I think we flew over the polar cap as we saw some snow capped mountains a few times through holes in the fluffy clouds.

The view from 30,000 ft.

We touched down and made our way to the Nexus machines, which have a much smaller lineup.  Of course, we were over the deduction amount of $800 per person for more than 7 days out of the country.  We’ve been gone for over 30.  Laureen headed to the cashier to settle up and I watched for the bags.  It really hit me that we were home when we exited the customs area and wandered out into the general airport area.  I texted the kids and they came to the departures area and picked us up for the trip home.   There were lots of stories about their time alone as we made our way home.

Given that we left Gatwick at noon on Monday and then arrived in Edmonton at 2:00 PM on Monday, I’m saying that we had 6 hours added to our day.  That means that Monday, August 8th was actually a 30 hour day for us.  And let me tell you, we were feeling it.  At 5:00 PM we were both ready for bed (that would have been Mid-night back in England).  We struggled to stay awake until closer to 8:00 PM (Laureen didn’t quite make it – and I made it to 8:30) before we went to bed.  I have to admit – I am fully on side with the saying: “There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed”.

I’ve been asked a few times now whether the trip met my expectations.  To this I have answered a resounding YES.  Looking back, I can’t believe how many places we visited, things we’ve seen and experiences we have had.  Not only that, but we met some amazing people that we are lucky enough to call friends.  I’ve also had a few people tell me that they got tired just reading about all the things we did.  A piece of advice I received from an individual who did this trip before (with Contiki) was:

“Sleep when you get home.”

This was spot on!  If you are considering doing a trip like this, then be prepared to go, go, go!  There is so much to see in all of the places that we passed through that you really have to spend all of your waking hours checking things out.  The other thing that I was not prepared for, was the all the time you spend on the bus.  There is a lot of time just looking out the window checking out the landscape and how it’s changing.  Retrospectively, I might have stayed up later going and seeing more things and then slept on the bus a little more.

Up to "here" with traveling.  I guess it's time to go home.

I only have one regret from the trip, it was during our time in Paris when we were at the Louvre checking out the site.  We were there before it was opened and our tour did not include entrance.  We did have some free time later that day, and I wanted to go back and enter the museum to see the Mona Lisa for myself.  However, we did not make it back there.  I guess I’ll just have to go back to Paris and check it out another time.

Will we go back?  Well, not right away – but I think there are a few places that we could go spend more time in.  We would like to see more of England; check out areas around Southern France and Barcelona, Spain; Maybe spend more time on the Amalfi Coast of Italy and check out a few more of the Islands around Venice.  Monaco was cool and the Island of Capri would also be another “spend more time” location.  But maybe before that, we need to check out another couple continents south of the equator: New Zealand and Australia to visit a few of our newly made friends (and, of course, for me to pick up my honorary citizenship!).

My hat collection from the trip - one from every country (except Belgium - because there are no Belgium hats)

The Tour Group at the Coliseum 

This was truly a trip of a lifetime.  Thank-you for following along with us.

Curt & Laureen in Edmonton, Alberta (sleeping in our own bed)

PS – If you are thinking of doing this – check out: https://www.trafalgar.com/ (ask for Kassie as your Travel Director and you won’t be sorry).

Home Alone – Survival Diary (an Extra Post)

It has been a very long time since we’ve eaten a nicely cooked meal crafted by mom, however, we would like to thank our both sides of grandparents for inviting us over for a couple meals throughout these past weeks. We each took turns making food (that lasted for the first week and I was the one who ended up preforming that task), and made sure to clean up after ourselves (LOL). I ended up eating chicken and rice for the past 4 weeks, every day. The last time I had vegetables – I have no clue.

At one point we had no neighbors - both families left for holidays. We took advantage of the opportunity to play loud music and dance… alone, as our parents placed curfews and “friends coming over” restrictions were followed (YES I AM NOT LYING, NO ONE WAS OVER AND WE WERE ALL HOME ON TIME).

Every night we’d jump into our parents bed and all snuggle together, keeping each other safe and warm (no, not really).

Thankfully, nobody was ever late for work (thanks mom for waking us up if we over slept). There was a close call for myself. I was told to ensure the function of my Mom’s SUV was still good as the battery sometimes doesn’t last more than a couple weeks without starting it up. WITH PERMISSION, I was able to take it to work one day. (A few days prior I had taken her vehicle for a drive to make sure it was still working). I placed my work attire and lunch in the trunk of my mom’s vehicle and proceeded to the driver’s seat. I attempted to start the vehicle… and it was dead. I exited the driver’s seat, closed the garage door, and jumped in my car to proceed with my travels to work. My first carpool pick-up was near Whyte Ave. As I approached his house, I realized I had left all my belongings in my mom’s SUV… back at home… 90 avenue’s North. I made a few phone calls to my teammates and informed them I would meet them at work instead. Thankfully, I was able to gather my belongings and get to work in a timely fashion, sparing 15 minutes until the start of my shift.

----

As my brothers and I anticipate the arrival of our parents, we have done spot checks in every corner of every room. We slaved a few hours of our last Saturday together, ensuring the cleanliness meets the bare minimum standards our parents would expect – I guess that implies the house hasn’t burnt down.

#WeHaveSurvived #NZTEdmonton2016

(Written by Nathanial)

Dublin & London

“No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.” – Lin Yutang

Our last full day in Europe before heading home.  We spent the morning in Dublin, Ireland checking out a few more things while we are here.  It was another day where we didn’t set an alarm and just wake up when we woke up.  A quick shower and shave (with my last blade) and we made our way down to the basement where breakfast was being served.  After that, we dragged our suitcases down to the main lobby where we stored out bags for the morning.

Out the door to the bus stop so that we can get to the areas where we want to explore.  Yet again, we didn’t make it to the stop before the bus came around the corner.  After flagging him down and getting on board we rode until we made it to the stop closest to Dublin Castle.

Dublin Castle, was, until 1922, the seat of the United Kingdom government's administration in Ireland, and is now a major Irish government complex. Most of it dates from the 18th century, though a castle has stood on the site since the days of King John, the first Lord of Ireland. The Castle served as the seat of English, then later British government of Ireland under the Lordship of Ireland (1171–1541), the Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1800), and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1800–1922).  After the signing of the Anglo-Irish Treaty in December 1921, the complex was ceremonially handed over to the newly formed Provisional Government led by Michael Collins.

We walked around the courtyard and then decided to take a guided tour of the facility.  It was interesting to see some of the hidden treasures of this building.  Only one of the turrets from the castle has survived today and even that one has some instabilities as we were not allowed in it.  We saw a number of parts of the castle including some underground items as well as the State Apartments which are the most important state rooms in the country.  It was a good morning.

Dublin Castle

The only surviving turret (which needs reinforcement - we were not allowed in it)

Underground evidence of another turret.  In the base of this was also evidence of a viking settlement).

The chapel by the castle

Stately Hallway in the Castle/Palace

Thrown where Queen Victoria Sat

Room where all of the Irish Presidents are sworn in.  I stood on the spot where it happens.

Dining hall

The Fortitude gate.  A friend of mine might find this interesting.

From there we walked to Christ Church Cathedral and I took a few pictures of the outside of the building.  It was disappointing to see that they were charging to enter the building.  How can someone charge to enter the church?  I walked through some of the most prestigious cathedrals on the planet (St. Peters & St. Paul’s) on this trip and didn’t have to pay to get into them.  Very discouraging.

Christ Church Cathedral

Side entrance door.  I don't know what it is about these old doors - but I like them.

The whole building

We also walked over to St. Patrick’s Cathedral to find the same thing – an entry fee.  So – I just took a few pictures from the outside.

St. Patrick's (the Saint credited for bringing Christianity to Ireland)

The whole building

Crest on the main gate

From there we hopped back on the bus and went down to Temple Street where we found a little place to have some lunch.  A nice seafood chowder hit the spot & Laureen had a baked potato.  We stopped at a gelato place and then found a cab back to the B&B to collect our luggage and walk out to the stop for an airport bus pickup.  We were not exactly sure about the details, but we figured we could always take a taxi if we waited too long.  About 15 minutes into our wait, the bus showed up.  We hopped on board and made our way to the airport.

It took a long while for our gate number to show up on the board – so we just wandered around a little and then found a place to sit down.  This morning, I felt the start of a cold, and sure enough, my throat was now sore.  As I write this, I have Kleenex stuffed in both nostrils so that I can keep writing and not have to go blow my nose time after time.  I can’t stand being sick and it couldn’t happen at a better time (when I’m about to get on an airplane).  Hopefully tomorrow it will be better for the longer flight home.

The flight from Dublin to Gatwick was uneventful, except for the little drop we experienced while taking off.  It was quite windy when we started down the runway; I’m sure that had something to do with it.

For some reason they made us get out on the runway and take a tram over to the baggage area

Arrived at Gatwick and headed to the hotel (which is connected to the north terminal).  We had a little issue with the room as they sent us to one that already had someone in it.  Apparently we got a bit of an upgrade for that – we now have a view of the airport runways.

Tomorrow we make the longer trip home.  I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and seeing the boys.

Speaking of which, I was sent a little note from Nathanial about how they survived without us which I’ve created a second post for.  You might want to check that out.

Curt & Laureen in Gatwick, England.

A Full Day in Dublin

"Traveling – it leaves you speechless, then turns you into a storyteller.” – Ibn Battuta

Ahhhhh, sleep.  No alarm set.  No scurrying to get our bags out the door.  No early wake-up.  Just sleep.  I think it was 8:00 AM before my eyes opened.  That felt great!  Although it takes a bite out of your day, we needed the rest.

So we got up and each had a shower in the extremely small space (albeit usable) that is the shower in our room.  The floor in the bathroom is all one level with a drain in the middle of the floor (all tiled).  So when you close the shower curtain, the sink is actually in the shower with you.  Yeah.  It’s that small.  But, I would say it’s more usable than a couple of the corner showers that we had on the trip.

After the shower, I checked the clothes that we washed in the tiny sink and hung to dry the night before.  They were pretty good – but still needed some more time.  The only hangers that we had were those “wardrobe” hangers that hang on those metal hooks in the closet.  I had picked up one metal hanger from the night desk clerk and had hung one shirt outside.  It was almost dry.  So, I went down to the day clerk and he was able to find me three more hangers, enough to put the rest of the items out on the balcony.  By the time we got back to the room – the stuff was bone dry and a few items had been blown off the hanger onto the deck.  Thankfully it was all still here (would have been embarrassing to go downstairs and have to ask the desk clerk to help me gather my under-ware from off of a roof two storeys below).

We went downstairs for a complimentary breakfast (given to us upon our arrival) and it was on par with what we had seen in most of our stops with Trafalgar.  After that, we went back upstairs grabbed the items that we needed for the day (camera, phone, hat, cash) and headed out.  Laureen had found a bus stop a little ways back from where we were staying so we headed for that; but before we arrived we saw the bus coming around the corner.  He saw us running and pulled over to get us anyway.  “Harry the Hat” was his name.  A great Irish story-teller indeed.

The Guest House we are staying at (red door)

Stunning architecture in many building here

Clearly a Roman influence

Looks like a few European cities that we have been to already.

Flower Covered Building

And another...

And another...

The view from the top of the bus

We rode the bus, seeing the sights, until we got to the area near the Dublin Spire, alternatively titled the Monument of Light.  It is a large, stainless steel, pin-like monument 121.2 meters (398 ft.) in height, located on the site of the former Nelson's Pillar on O'Connell Street in Dublin, Ireland.  The spire was designed by Ian Ritchie Architects, who sought an "Elegant and dynamic simplicity bridging art and technology".  It is an elongated cone of diameter 3 m (9.8 ft.) at the base, narrowing to 15 cm (5.9 in) at the top. It is the world's tallest sculpture.  I bet this thing gets hit by lightning a lot!

The Spire

We stopped at a little doughnut place that we had seen the day before and shared something Laureen picked out along with a cold drink from Starbucks.  We also wandered down the street, checking out things that we found interesting.  Of course, a few purchases were made (not that we need anything ELSE to make our suitcases heavier)!  We also wandered down a market street – sort of similar to the farmer’s market back home.  Laureen bought a carton of Strawberries – and I have to admit – they were quite good.

The Donut Spot!

We hopped back on the bus and rode to what we thought was the Trinity College stop – but I think we were off one too early.  So we walked along until we came to the back of the college.  This was a little after lunch, so we decided to stop in an Irish pub and grab some grub.  We were told that Irish pub food is not like eating in the pubs at home; and that advice was correct.  We had a sampler plate to share and it was very tasty!

The Irish Pub Experience

After hitting the washrooms, we went back outside and walked around the back of Trinity College – looking for the entrance.  I think I was Harry the Hat, that told us in Dublin they were expanding the street car system, and it wouldn’t be done for another couple of years.  This would explain all of the dug-up streets we encountered.  After navigating the way through, we walked into the entrance to the college and were fortunate enough to arrive about 2 minutes before the last tour of the place was given.  The tours are done by undergrad students at the college and they walk you through the grounds, explaining the significance of some of the building on the campus.

Trinity College is the sole constituent college of the University of Dublin, a research university in Ireland. The college was founded in 1592 as the "mother" of a new university, modelled after the collegiate universities of Oxford and of Cambridge, but, unlike these, only one college was ever established; as such, the designations "Trinity College" and "University of Dublin" are usually synonymous for practical purposes. It is one of the seven ancient universities of Britain and Ireland, as well as Ireland's oldest university.  The Library of Trinity College is a legal deposit library for Ireland and the United Kingdom, containing over 4.5 million printed volumes and significant quantities of manuscripts (including the Book of Kells), maps and music.

Entry to Trinity College (University of Ireland)

The Bell Tower

Outside of the famous library

Inside the famous library

The Book of Kells is an illuminated manuscript Gospel book in Latin, containing the four Gospels of the New Testament together with various prefatory texts and tables. It was created in a Columban monastery in Ireland or may have had contributions from various Columban institutions from both Britain and Ireland. It is believed to have been created c. 800. The text of the Gospels is largely drawn from the Vulgate, although it also includes several passages drawn from the earlier versions of the Bible known as the Vetus Latina. It is a masterwork of Western calligraphy and represents the pinnacle of Insular illumination. It is also widely regarded as Ireland's finest national treasure.

The cover of The Book of Kells

Sample written page in the Book of Kells

I was not allowed to take pictures in there, but there are some pictures available on the web.  We spent a little time in the library looking at the amazing collection of books there.  The tour guide had indicated that the books are stored in a subject order – but then in a size order so that they could be properly housed.  We certainly noted that the small books were located on the top shelves and the large books on the bottom.  We also spent a little time in the gift shop there – picking up a couple of memento’s and I got a T-shirt.

After leaving there, we walked a little and then stopped at a coffee shop for quick drink.  They served some pretty good smoothie-like drinks, and because we were customers, we were able to use the bathrooms (there is always a method to the madness).  While sitting there finishing our drinks, we wondered what we should do for the evening.  We were looking for something not too involved and I came up with the idea of hitting a theater and seeing the new Star Trek movie.  That idea got some traction, so we walked back to the room where we dropped off our packages, and relaxed for a bit before catching a taxi to the theater, which was only 1.4 KM’s away.  The movie was fantastic (what can I say – I’m a Trekie!)

We hopped back into a cab for the short ride back to the guest house, tired but fulfilled by the days sights and activities.  Tomorrow we will make our way to Dublin Castle and maybe a few other stops before coming back and heading back to the airport for our flight to London.  We actually heard from Murray and Marleen, and there is a chance that we will be at the Dublin airport when they are there.  Who knows, we may be able to see them one more time.

Off to bed.  Another late night.

Curt & Laureen in Dublin, Ireland.

A Short Flight

"You know more of a road by having traveled it than by all the conjectures and descriptions in the world." 

~ William Hazlitt

Even without the published “Bag’s out” time, we still had to get up rather early to be able to get out to Gatwick airport for our flight to Dublin, Ireland.  I was up at 5:30 AM (Laureen is always up first) and we were waiting by the breakfast room door at 6:30 AM.  By 7:00 AM, we were in a taxi headed to Kings Cross Station where we could catch a train to Gatwick airport.  This was suggested by Kassie, our Trafalgar Travel Director.  She was even checking on us in the morning, texting Laureen to see if we made it to the airport OK.  I can’t say enough about how well we were treated on the Trafalgar trip, and especially by Kassie.

We used our Oyster cards (prepaid cards that you just need to tap on the machines) to get in and then we had to ask some locals while down on the platform how it worked.  The English are very friendly (at least the ones we’ve had contact with), and a couple of ‘blokes’ were very willing to help us out.  We had to wait on platform A for the train to Brighton.  There was an excellent monitor that showed what time out train would arrive.  There were three other trains that had to show up first, then ours appeared.  Of course it was nearly FULL when it hit our station because one of the other trains was canceled for some reason.  We crammed on with all of our bags and were literally jammed body-to-body with the group in the train.  The business people on the train didn’t seem too pleased with us.   A few stops later, most of them got off and the train was nearly empty, with just a few folks continuing to ride.  

Waiting for the train on Platform A (screen in the background)

The trip took about an hour, and once we arrived we hopped off with our bags and headed for the terminal.  It was well signed, so we were able to find the ticket counter rather quickly.  Thankfully, we had checked in already (that’s due to the super organization of Laureen of course), so we just walked up to the baggage drop counter (which was empty) and dropped off our bags.  While there, the offered to check our larger Adidas bag (bought to contain the overflow) for free.  What a grand idea.  Less for me to carry.

After this we went through airport security.  I have to admit – the British seem to have this down to a science as they were able to get us through the process far more efficiently than I have ever experienced anywhere else.  Laureen got randomly chosen to go through the body scan.  I just did the regular process.  We grabbed our things and then headed into the airport to find a departures board.  

After locating a board, we noted that our flight had not been assigned a gate yet.  I remember this from my trip to Spain last year – flying through Heathrow.  There are so many flights going in and out of that place, that they only post the gate number about 50 minutes before the flight is due to depart.   We had about 40 minutes to wait so we wandered around the shops, just looking to see what kinds of things they had.  If you didn’t know any better, you would swear you were in a shopping mall.  We also stopped for a snack before we had to head off and find the gate number.  

Once we found the gate number, we headed that direction looking for the departure gate.  3 moving sidewalks later we had arrived.  After the usual proceedings, we were on board.  We were instructed to find our seats right away but not to fasten our seat belts.  Apparently, they were fueling the aircraft, and while they do that you are not to do up your seat belt in case you have to make a quick exit.  I’ve not experienced this in Canada before. 

Aer Lingus boarding passed for Dublin

After that was all completed we were up and on our way.  I think Laureen and I both fell asleep for a short bit of the one-hour flight.  The trip has been amazing and exhausting and the same time.  We landed in Dublin and waited for quite a while for our suite cases to come out.  They have about 3 flights on each of the carousels and not all of the bags from the first flight are off before they start dropping the bags for the next flight on the same carousel.  Regardless, we grabbed our three checked bags and headed for the taxi stand.

We arrived at the stand and the first cab that was in line, the gentleman helped load our bags into the back of his vehicle and then we hopped in the back.  Laureen gave him the address, and he knew right away where it was.  He warned us that we were close to the “clubs” area and to be careful if we were out at night not to accidentally wander in one of them.  By “clubs” he meant “Strip Clubs”.  As it turns out, we were across the canal from that area, in a very nice “high class” district as our taxi driver had referred to it.  

A blurry picture of  the best cab driver in all of Dublin (and a former Edmontonian too) Eddie Peppard 

We talked with the driver for a minute, and then he asked us where we were from.  We told him that we were from Canada, in the Province of Alberta.  Right away he asked, “Are you from Edmonton”?  Slightly shocked we indicated that we were.  As it turns out, our cab driver had lived in Edmonton (and surrounding area) for about 5 years.  Now how about that!  The world is a much smaller place than we realize.  The cab driver’s name was Eddie Peppard.  Eddie, was kind enough to drop us off at our Bed and Breakfast and then wait to take us to the Kilmainham Gaol Museum for which Laureen had pre-booked tickets (about 4 months ago).  It’s a good thing too, because when we got to the door of the old prison, we heard the attendant say to the folks who were at the door looking to buy tickets for the tour that they were all sold out and the next available tickets were on Sunday (today is Friday).  Thanks again to Laureen’s exceptional planning, we walked into the front door and to the holding cell for the start of the tour.  

I can’t relay all of the history of Kilmainham Gaol, but I can tell you that it housed many Irish revolutionaries, including the leaders of the 1916 Easter Rising which were imprisoned and executed in the prison by the British (except one woman whose sentence was commuted to life in prison).  It was an interesting place to visit (but I wouldn’t want to live there).  While in the coffee shop we bought a “hop-on, hop-off” three-day pass for both of us to use while we were here.  It will be a great way to see some sights and get transported there at the same time.  We’ll use it more tomorrow!

Chapel in the Prison

After the Gaol tour was over, we stopped in the coffee shop at the prison for a late lunch.  We were both hungry, and the next ticket that we had was for the Guinness Factory.  There was no way I wanted to go in there on an empty stomach.  We hailed another cab who took us directly to the St. James Guinness Brewery entrance.  We spent about an hour and a half walking through all of the interactive displays.  The museum itself is shaped like a large glass of Guinness.  Our tickets included a Guinness beer as part of the tour.  So, at the top of the exhibit (about 7 floors up), I grabbed my very first Guinness (Laureen grabbed a coke instead).  I took a taste.  Not my cup of tea.  I finished most of it, but to be honest – I probably won’t become a regular Guinness drinker.  I just don’t like the taste.  

We checked out the gift shop, but left because the queue to pay was just far too long.  Using our newly acquired hop-on-off passes, we got on the bus and road it until stop number 7, which was close to temple street (the main shopping area).  We walked through a few of the shops, picking up a couple of things.  

Tell me, do I look Irish?

By now we were also getting hungry, so we stopped in TGI Fridays for some dinner.  It was good.  Too good.  We were both full when we left, so we walked a little more checking out the live acts and some of the other sights along the way.  

We also decide just to walk the 25 minutes to our Bed and Breakfast.  

Tomorrow will be a fun filled day using our bus passes.


Curt & Laureen in Dublin, Ireland