2023
-
Kota Kinabalu
Read More: Kota KinabaluOur Air Asia flight to Kota Kinabalu was supposed to leave just after noon. However as anyone who has traveled recently knows, airlines often have other ideas. We were able to rebook onto Scoot, the low cost airline of Singapore Airlines for their 630pm flight. Ironically the original flight we booked months ago with Scoot…
-
Singapore Day 2
Read More: Singapore Day 2We ventured out on the MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) network again today. The metro in Singapore is quite comprehensive but easy to manage. Not surprisingly, smoking, eating and drinking are not allowed on the metros. A little more surprising is you are not allowed to bring durian on board. Quite a stinky fruit, durian is…
-
Singapore Day 1
Read More: Singapore Day 1Well, this was not an auspicious start! We arrived in Singapore really early this morning in a lightning storm with some pretty serious rain and wind. The flight was fine but we had to circle a bit to find a hole in the weather to land. The baggage handlers apparently don’t work in the rain…
-
Adventure time again. Singapore here we come.
Read More: Adventure time again. Singapore here we come.We are celebrating our 30th wedding anniversary this year. Instead of Europe, Dave wanted to go somewhere unusual and exciting. It is a big anniversary after all. So, we are on our way to the island of Borneo, more specifically the two Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak. But, because you can’t get there from here,…
-
Marahau to Nelson and Home
Read More: Marahau to Nelson and HomeIt was a short drive from Marahau to Nelson and we had some time to kill before our flights. The Center of New Zealand monument sits at the top of Botanic Hill, although the ‘true’ geographical center of the country is actually several kilometers southwest of Nelson in Golden Downs. The top of Botanical Hill…
-
6 Hour Cruise
Read More: 6 Hour CruiseWe saw Abel Tasman National Park from the water today on a 6-hour boat cruise with AB Charters. It was a 20 minute drive into the neighbouring town of Kaiteriteri and about another 10 to find parking at the end of Stephens Bay Road! ‘Kaiteri’ was hosting a Waka Race (in Maori canoes) and the…
-
Labyrinth Rocks and Takaka Hill
Read More: Labyrinth Rocks and Takaka HillIf they build straight roads in New Zealand, we haven’t found them yet. Today we headed up to the north end of Abel Tasman Park on another crazy twisty road. This whole peninsula is made up of limestone karst with caves, sinkholes and canyons to explore! And, of course, the geology comes with a Māori…
-
Split Apple Rock
Read More: Split Apple RockWe both woke up pretty sore from our crazy long hike yesterday, so we have decided for a low key day today. We took a quick drive through Kaiteriteri, the neighboring resort town. There are some very big, beautiful homes nestled into the hills above town with some amazing views. From the lookout at the…
-
Abel Tasman Coastal Track
Read More: Abel Tasman Coastal TrackThe Abel Tasman Coastal Track is called one of New Zealand’s Great Walks. The total trail is 60km & takes 3-5 days from Marahau to Totaranui with tent camping spots and a few sleeping huts along the way. We have decided to only do a day hike. We tramped almost 13km from Marahau to Anchorage…
-
Westport to Marahau
Read More: Westport to MarahauWe left Westport this morning heading north on another series of long curvy roads. We drove in and out (and back in and back out) of the rain all day. Now that we are out of the forest, we are driving through large agricultural areas. There are tons of sheep, of course, but also huge…
Search
Popular Posts
-
Loire Valley Wineries
The last several days have been a blur of winery visits, cafe lunches and picnics in beautiful locations! We stopped by Chateau du Petit Thouars for a tour, tasting and lunch. The family has owned the chateau and its winery since 1634. We met Sebastian, the multi-grandson, and the chateau cat, Biscuit (although he wasn’t…
-
Chinon
Today we visited the town of Chinon on the River Vienne. Chinon was the favourite dwelling place of Henri II Plantagenet and his wife, Eleanor of Aquitaine. Joan of Arc arrived in Chinon in 1429 claiming to hear heavenly voices telling her that Charles VII, the French dauphin, would give her an army to neutralize…
-
Tours to Loire Valley
We bid a last adieu to Eric (again!) this morning. We left him at his orientation picnic in Tours and headed deeper into the Loire Valley to continue our oenotourism! We stopped for lunch and a wine tasting at Chateau de Miniere, a women-run winery in the country where we had a lesson on the…
Categories
Archives
Tags
ancient (1) architecture (2) biodiversity (3) birdwatching (3) borgueil (1) brunello di montalcino (1) Chateau du Petit Thouars (1) chinon (1) Costa Rica (6) ecosystem (3) Eiffel tower (1) gardens (1) Genoa (1) history (1) Isle of Skye and Eilean Donan (1) italian (1) Italy (2) Ligurian Coast (1) Ligurian Sea (1) loire valley (1) louis xiv (1) love-fountain (1) marie antoinette (1) Orkney (2) palace (1) palazzo (1) paris (1) picnic (1) Ponte del Diavolo (1) revolutionary paris (1) Ring of Brodgar (2) Rome (1) sangiovese (1) Scotland (10) Spanish Steps (1) Stonehenge (1) supertuscans (1) treaty of versailles (1) tuscany (1) Venice (1) versailles (1) vineyard (1) vino nobile di montepulciano (1) wine (1) winery (1)