Ecuador
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Christchurch Walking and Tram Tour
Read More: Christchurch Walking and Tram TourToday we explored Christchurch. We got a day pass to ride the 1900’s vintage sight-seeing trams that run through the Central Business District making 18 stops on their figure-eight route. Each driver offered up a running commentary about local sites often with some humor added. Our first stop was Victoria Square. New Regent Street is…
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Auckland to Christchurch
Read More: Auckland to ChristchurchUnfortunately, air travel is often still a messy experience. We have done tons flights and have learned never to trust that things will just go as planned. When Air New Zealand moved our flight back a day it meant we couldn’t check into our Auckland-Christchurch leg on the day we left Vancouver. When we weren’t…
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A Day in Auckland
Read More: A Day in AucklandWe enjoyed our overnight flight from Vancouver into Auckland although Air New Zealand’s business class seats are a little odd. They fold into beds but are kind of narrow and don’t face the windows. It felt a bit like sitting sideways on a bus! Still that’s way better than the usual economy seats so we…
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Kia Ora
Read More: Kia Ora“Kia Ora” – a Maori greeting meaning “be well and healthy”. After 3 years of cancellations and changes due to CoVid restrictions, we are finally on our way to New Zealand!! Our original trip slated for October of 2020 was going to take us to the North Island but in February 2023, just as we…
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Trying out VanLife
Read More: Trying out VanLifeWhen our boys were little we thoroughly enjoyed weekend ‘camping’ trips in our motorhome. In 2013 our family desires changed and we sold it. But we always figured we’d buy another for longer exploration trips when we retire. Over the years we’ve toured a couple of larger coaches and kept tabs on the industry. “VanLife”…
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Argentina – Estancia El Ombu & Gaucho Show
Read More: Argentina – Estancia El Ombu & Gaucho ShowLucia and Felix picked us up from the hotel this morning for a tour of the Argentinian pampas near the small town of San Antonio de Areco. The word pampa is Quechua for flatness or flat space – it makes great grazing area for cattle, sheep and horses. Estancias (ranches) all over the countryside have…
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Argentina – Buenos Aires city tour & Tango Show
Read More: Argentina – Buenos Aires city tour & Tango ShowEl Zanjon Granados is a mansion dating from 1830, originally built by a wealthy family in the San Telmo neighbourhood of Buenos Aires. During a renovation of the mansion and some surrounding buildings, an ancient zanjón (ravine) was found running under the whole block. The tunnels that were used to channel water from the stream…
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Argentina – El Chalten to El Calafate to Buenos Aires
Read More: Argentina – El Chalten to El Calafate to Buenos AiresAfter a leisurely breakfast we packed and drove back from El Chalten to El Calafate. The mountains were so clear this morning, we had to stop several more times to appreciate them! Then it was off to the airport to return the car and head back to Buenos Aires. It was raining and dark when…
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Argentina – Cerro Torre Hike
Read More: Argentina – Cerro Torre HikeWe woke up to light rain and snow. Not unexpected but not what we wanted either. After a morning of relaxing the weather cleared up a bit and we decided to do the Cerro Torre hike. At 3128 meters, it is a gorgeous and snow-covered spiky mountain ‘beside’ Fitz Roy. There were still a few…
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Argentina – Fitz Roy Hike
Read More: Argentina – Fitz Roy HikeThe Patagonian icefield covers most of the south end of the Andes mountains. More than half of the glaciers here spill into lakes, rivers or fjords. The sediment released from the glaciers causes the milky blue-white colour in the lakes and rivers. Despite it being towards the end of the earth, Patagonia has been settled…
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Orleans
On our way back to Paris, we stopped in Orleans, one of the oldest cities in France, to learn some of the history of Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc (nicknamed the Maid of Orleans) turned the tide of the Hundred Years War – she and the French troops forced the English to withdraw from…
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Marais de Taligny
Having had enough of wineries for this trip, we took a nature walk at the Marais de Taligny just up the road in La Roche Clermault. This is one of the largest wetlands in the Loire-Anjou-Touraine Park. The 4.5 km walk took us beside a pretty stream, through marshland and past the local crop fields.…
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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…
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