On our Australia VI and More trip in September and October 2024, we visited four countries, but only one was a new destination for us; Timor-Leste. You can read our posts about Atauro Island and Dili for a description of
Country Count Updated to 122
Jimbaran and Uluwatu on Bali
After leaving Dili, we flew to Bali and spent a couple of nights and one full day before flying back to our home in Canada. Bali (like many places around the world) is trying to address the problem of over-tourism,
Dili, capital of Timor-Leste
Upon our return from Atauro Island, we we checked back in to the Sunset Inn and spent a day and a half in Dili, capital of Timor-Leste. If you’ve never heard of the country, don’t be embarrassed. It only became
Visiting Atauro Island, Timor-Leste
When we left Australia, we were up before dawn to head for the airport at 4:00 am in order to catch one of the twice per week flight combinations that would take us from Perth to Darwin, then connecting on
A visit to Australia…and Denmark!
In late September, 2023, we headed for Australia to visit family in Fremantle, Western Australia. And while we were there, we visited Denmark! Not the country but the town of Denmark, about 5 hours south of Perth, the capital of
Country Count Updated to 121
On our “Barcelona to Berlin” trip we visited the 17th smallest country in the world, Andorra. That was our first visit, so we have updated our “Countries Visited” counter on the website to 121. We also visited the second smallest
Berlin with the Wall and more
Woke up to an unwelcome surprise, our train to Berlin had been cancelled with only 2 hours notice. Scrambled to find an alternative which ended up leaving much later and had a transit stop. Arrived late evening at our hotel
Amsterdam and Zaanse Schans
We left France by train, but not without changing stations in Paris, enjoying a coffee and croissant at a sidewalk cafe across from the Gare du Nord. (It wasn’t a real French breakfast though because we didn’t finish off with
The Bayeux Tapestry and more
After dropping our rental car in Caen we were back on the rails and took the short train trip to Bayeux. What a beautiful town! A very walkable size, and lots of scenic attractions. We were just a short walk
Mont Saint-Michel and the Normandy beaches
To begin our tour of Mont Saint-Michel and Normandy, we rented a car in Caen and started our drive through the French countryside. Very picturesque journey through the Vire River Valley on our way to Mont Saint-Michel. Stopped in Vire
Arras and the Vimy Memorial
Last week we visited Arras in northern France as a base for visiting the Canadian National Vimy Memorial. (See our earlier post.) Our first stop in this picturesque city was the “Le Beffroi d’Arras”, the belfry. Hard to imagine that
Marseille – it’s NOT Paris
As the residents of Marseille kept reminding us, Marseilles is NOT Paris! Marseille is the oldest city in France, with a history going back 2600 years, and they are extremely proud of their history and heritage. With good reason we’d
Côte d’Azur – Antibes to Monaco
Côte d’Azur – Antibes to Monaco
Arles
Man, it’s a hot one!! 🔥 🥵 Arrived by train from Barcelona via Nimes and headed into Arles old town. Gorgeous cobbled streets lined with cafes and small shops. So nice to be back in France after 10 years.
Return to Barcelona
When our walking tour guide asked if anyone had been to Barcelona before, we were the only ones who said “Yes”. “So you guys just keep coming back?” “Sure, every 44 years!” We repeated some typical touristy things in Barcelona,
“Nit de Foc” (“Night of Fire”)
Every year on June 23rd, Catalonians celebrate La Nit de Sant Joan, the evening before the feast day of St. John the Baptist. Of course this Saint’s day is celebrated everywhere in the Catholic world, but the celebrations of the
Andorra, a very tiny country
Quite a tiring flight from Vancouver to Barcelona via Toronto. Transatlantic Air Canada flight was only moderately comfortable and food disappointing. Arrived at Barcelona Airport quite exhausted, and then began a 4-hour car drive to Andorra. Scenery along the
Visiting Mont Saint-Michel
We’ve always meant to visit the Mont, but despite visiting France many times over five decades we’ve never made it that far! That changes in 2023, with our upcoming Barcelona to Berlin trip! We’re going to be in Normandy for
“Ghosts of a forgotten town”
The brown hyenas of Kolmanskop, Namibia We shared a BBC Facebook post about the only remaining inhabitants of the former diamond mining town of Kolmanskop, Namibia. You can also watch that video on the BBC YouTube channel. (Link at the
Namibia; the article that got us dreaming!
Not sure whatever happened to KLM’s iFly magazine. It just stopped showing up in our inbox at some point. A victim of COVID? But back in 2017 they published a great story about a 3-week road trip in Namibia, and