Back To Portugal

Cascais Street Scene

Regis turned sixty five this year. Rather than being upset about “growing old”, she is taking a positive approach and is getting a big charge out of being able to get “senior's discount” on stuff. For this major milestone birthday, she wanted to do something special and decided to take the children and “their's” on a European vacation. Originally the plan was to go to Croatia, but the logistics of arranging for flights from people scattered across Canada proved difficult and very expensive to this location. Instead, after consulting with the flight guru Ben (Ryan's partner), it was decided that going back to Portugal was a more reasonable alternative. Our last trip to Portugal was with my sister Linda and her husband Pete, and we spent a month on the Algarve, so on this adventure we decided to explore the western coast around Lisbon and Porto.

Grilled Chicken, Portuguese Style

Now you know that I normally have very little to do with the planning of these trips as I employ a very effective travel planner, my wife Regis. She loves planning trips and spends months planning, checking and replanning vacations. Although she does an amazing job, the months and months of research and work that goes into her planning was driving me crazy – to the point that I was not looking forward to travel at all by the time we were actually ready to depart. When she said she wanted to organize this family travel adventure I said I was fine with it on the condition that I be left out of the loop completely. And I meant COMPLETELY; I did not want to be consulted at all, I had no opinions, no input, no consultations and most importantly no complaints! A bit silly (The no complaints thing), since she does such an amazing job planning that I never have anything to complain about and always enjoy the places we visit. This worked well for me. I knew that discussions, diagrams, spreadsheets, and phone calls were going on behind my back organizing the trip, but I knew nothing about where exactly we were going or what our itinerary was.

Beautiful B & B (We did not stay here)

And now I am in the town of Cascias on the Atlantic coast of Portugal in a lovely little apartment not far from the historic town centre. The flight over was smooth and uneventful, we found the Metro stop at the Lisbon airport without difficulty, got a Portuguese phone SIM, got on the train up to coast to Cascais, and sampled some delicious Portuguese food already. No problems, beautiful warm weather, and no complaints. Look for posts updating you on our adventures over the next couple of weeks. I wonder how long we are here for?

The Beach at Cascais

Cascais Town Square

Forraging . .

Berries plenty . . .

We went to a presentation in Ottawa about Urban food foraging, but have never actually used those skills taught there until this trip. Although I must admit , a lot of foraging is being done in the delightful “Historical” pubs along the canal. While we of course are visiting because of the amazing historical significance of these structures, we have also managed to forage some meals from them. We have also managed to use some of the wildlife along the route to feed our faces.

Lots of Blackberries

Early on Bill discovered that blackberries were growing in amazing numbers along the canal. He disappeared at one stop for an hour, returning with a mug of berries which went on our cereal the next morning. He became a bit of a problem from then on, and we had to constantly remind him to “get on up and open the lock and leave those berries alone”. Finally we found ourselves in a lock with no boats waiting and a huge patch of berries glowing in the sunlight beside the lock, so we left the boat in the lock and picked a couple more mugs of delicious ripe blackberries.

Today Regis made excellent use of these berries and added some store-bought mixed berries as well as a ripe pear and mixed it up in a berry crumble.

Haggis on the hoof . . .

As she was baking this delicious desert we happened to be working our way up through a series of locks with three other boats. The smell of the crumble cooking was wafting out of the back hatch, and Bill commented that as much as he was enjoying the faint smell of the diesel engine pushing our craft along, he was finding the baking crumble a delicious alternative. As well the folk form the other boat working the locks with us were suggesting that they may forgo their planned trip to the pub to come get Regis’ desert. Although we assumed this was a friendly joke, they did ask “Where did you Canadians decide to moor?”.

Not Another Bloody Castle!

Regis loves castles. She loves looking at them from afar, loves touring them, and just really enjoys visiting places that have castles. The river cruise through Europe was perfect, one day is spent cruising the Middle Rhine, and the brochures claim that “There is a castle around every corner!” is not really that far from the truth.

Castle Overlooking the Town

The day started with a tour of Marksburg Castle. This spectacular castle sits right on top of a hill overlooking the Rhine. This castle is unique, because it was never destroyed and so although sections are “restored”, it remains basically as it was in the 13^th century. The castles on the Rhine were mostly built to allow someone to control a section of the river and collect “tolls” from ships using the essential waterway, so they are built on the rocky hillsides looking down on the river. As a result, the castles are built to fit the hillside and come in many shapes and configurations, rather than your “regular” square castle with four ramparts and a central building protecting the lords and ladies. Marksburg castle wanders up and down over the hilltop with the actual rock it is built on serving as the floor in sections (Not real comfortable . . . ). It was a wonderful tour visiting the chapel, kitchen, armory, living areas, and the torture chamber.

Castle Ruin

Once leaving Marksburg, there literally seemed to be a castle around every corner. This of course makes sense. The castle sitting on the hillside could only control the section of river they could see, so as soon as one castle as out of sight another greedy robber baron could build another castle and start collecting tolls. It must have been a nuisance for the boats using the river, and indeed in time, as the central government became strong enough the practice was stopped.

Wake me at the next Castle

Unfortunately most of the rest of the castles were torn down at least once if not multiple times. The King, to prevent the collection of tolls, destroyed some. Apparently the French came in during the 1600’s and destroyed most of the castles to establish their control of the region. Some have remained as ruins, but many have been rebuilt. Our guide on the boat giving a running commentary as we cruised past these castles used the expression “Restored in the  . . . style”; in other words they were sometimes not restored, but rebuilt to suit the new owner. Some are private homes, some museums, one is a hotel, and a number are youth hostels (you sleep in bunk beds but have the BEST view). This entire section of the river has World Heritage Site designation, so most of the castles are now somewhat protected, but it really is a spectacular section of the river.

We spent the afternoon, sitting up on deck chairs on the sundeck, waiting for the boat to round the next corner and the next spectacular castle to appear. We got to the point that even Regis was saying “Oh no, not another bloody castle!”

Back To Portsmouth

Last year, during a trip to New England we stopped in Portsmouth over night. I searched Google Maps for places to eat, and discovered that Portsmouth has an amazing number of really good restaurants. However, they must also have a lot of hungry restaurant patrons, because every place I choose had waits of over an hour. One place I was interested in told me it would be at least two hours. We ended up having a decent meal in a chain restaurant in a huge mall out near the Interstate – BORING!

The Hotel Portsmouth

This year while going through New England on our way to Niagara On The Lake for another Wine Tour with the Children (We believe in demonstrating a positive parental attitude towards alcohol . . . . .), we decided to return to Portsmouth and give it another try. We booked a room at The Hotel Portsmouth, right downtown within walking distance of all the best eating establishments - really beautiful old hotel with reasonable rates, comfortable rooms and a wonderfully helpful desk clerk.

Wall Art In Portsmouth

We left early and walked downtown to Jumping Jay’s Fish Café, and had no problem getting a nice table at the window. This place had amazing reviews and it lived up to all of them. I literally have never seen such fast and efficient service. Someone here knows how to work a kitchen. We had our drinks and our shared appetizer arrived, thoughtfully served on two plates. We finished our appetizer and had barely time to chat when our mains arrived. Both dinners were cooked to perfection and delicious.

Good Seafood!

Now although we were pretty busy enjoying our meals, I did have time to spend some time “People Watching”. Sitting beside us was the oddest group. Two couples were enjoying a meal, but it was interesting to listen and observe them. They obviously were “old friends” who had gone their separate ways but got together on a fairly regular basis. Although “friends”, these two couples could not have been more different. One couple was fashionably thin, trim and stylish, the other were overweight, over dressed and out of their league. One couple ordered a bottle of chardonnay, asking the server for a recommendation; the other ordered a beer and an over ordered cocktail  - something with Southern Comfort and extra cherries . . . . . Huh?. In fact everything she ordered was a “special” order  -  “Could you blacken the fish and give me different vegetables?”. I had the meal she “changed” and in my opinion she ruined a delicious dish; man those roasted beets with balsamic reduction were “to die for”. . . . . .

Fun in Portsmouth

I am very glad I went back to Portsmouth . . . . .

April in Ottawa

Ottawa, our nation’s capital, is usually a beautiful city. Our tax dollars are used to ensure the city looks it’s best for visitors and guests. However like some great beauties she is not the best after just waking up from a sleep. It has been a hard cold winter, and in April the city is not quite ready to receive visitors.

The Ottawa River

We have experienced winter in Ottawa, and the civic workers who maintain the city have their hands full during the winter months just keeping the snow off the streets, so the daily debris from Ottawa’s busy inhabitants simply gets pushed around with the snow rather than picked up, and as the snowbanks disappear in April, months of neglect start to appear. Not only the public areas, but the little private patches of gardens and green in front of the houses are littered with winter’s debris.

Yesterday was a warm sunny April day, and fresh air and exercise was just what my stubborn cold needed, so I set off on a leisurely stroll around Ottawa, down through Centertown, Chinatown and down to the Ottawa river where I walked along the pedway below parliament to the Rideau which I followed to Summerset and finally cutting through

Tire Garden needing weeding

Elgin & Bank to get back to Ryan’s house. My walk showed me that Ottawa really is not at it’s best in April.

The Ottawa River was carrying the last of the melting river ice from upstream, but the ducks and Canada geese were dodging not only ice, but chunks of Styrofoam, logs, campfire remains and all other unsorted debris. The Rideau Canal looked no better, drained to a minimum water lever (for Spring cleaning?) with melting ice chunks still remaining, the skate changing houses sitting at awkward angles at the edges, and showing the castoff from a busy winter season of skating on the longest outdoor rink in Canada.

The River's Load

The normally pristine public walkways look the worse. Stairways corners are filled with leaves and garbage, and the grass alongside paths show the scars of snow plows and other Winter damage. I was surprised to see the amount of animal damage along the river. Many trees and shrubs were stripped of bark by hungry animals and one large tree was gnawed through and toppled by what I suspect was the good old Canadian symbol, the beaver.  The Rideau Canal walkways showed it’s use by winter skaters and the number of wet, lonely and muddy single woolen socks, mittens and hats was amazing.

A Garden?

Don’t worry, it’s only April, and on my walk I saw many little private gardens raked and cleaned with Springs flowers already poking through, and sawdust and piles of branches are evidence that the work crews have started the annual Spring cleanup. I’m sure that by the time the Canadian Tulip Festival in May rolls around, the city will be looking her usual best.

Golf Cars

Your Standard Golf Cart

Our Snowbird tour of Florida has brought us to “The Villages” a community north of Orlando. The Villages occupies an area of close to 32 square miles and has a population on 80,000, and is always growing. The concept is a series of small “villages” offering a Florida lifestyle all in one location. There are golf courses all through the communities, and although all the houses are modern the Villages each have a central area with services, stores and restaurants that has almost a  a historical feel.

Everyone in the Villages has a golf cart. These carts however are not just for getting around the many golf courses, they have become one of the primary means of transportation within the community. People may bring their cars down from the cold snowy north, but they get stored in the garage waiting to be packed back up for the return trip once the snow is gone. Some people don’t even have cars, they fly down and use their golf carts when they are here. This phenomena is not unique to the Villages, it is common in many retirement/lifestyle communities all over the south.

Golf Cadillac

Classic?

In the Villages it has been taken to the next level however. I noted that the shops selling and servicing the golf “carts” no longer call them “carts”, they now refer to them as “Golf Cars”, and they have become serious business. There are of course hundreds of your standard beige golf carts around, but slowly many are morphing into Golf Cars. You can purchase deluxe models in many colors with all the options; turn signals, custom upholstery, stereos, side curtains, mag wheels and even completely enclosed bodies. The prices raise from the standard few thousand, to well over $10,000.00.

Got some Freight you need moved?

Then there is the customizing of the carts, into not just “cars”, but luxury cars, hot rods, 18 wheelers, or pick-up trucks. You can buy custom bodies to turn your golf car into your dream machine of choice. I saw Cadillac, 57 Chevy, Rolls Royce, or Freightliner bodies. You can also add more powerful batteries or speedier electric motors, if you want, but many people use them so much that they have had to go to the gas powered option because the charges do not last as long as the owners trips do. I spoke to one fellow who said that he often put 200 miles on some days, and noted almost 8,000 miles in the first year.

City Car

There is even some movement from the Golf “Cars” towards actual “City Cars”, the tiny two passengers vehicles seen in the orient and Europe, smaller that the “Smarts”, but with all the Automobile amenities. The golf “carts” do not need any licensing and are limited to special lanes on the roads and to limited speeds, but the Cars must be licensed for road use and carry much more insurance.

I’m thinking a pale blue 1960’s Cadillac with those huge rear fins would be pretty cool conversion . . . . .   

A Sea Day

The "Crew"

Today we decided to rent a boat and tour the area around Sebastian FL from the inter-coastal waterway. After some internet research a couple of rental spots were found and some phone calls narrowed it down to one called ‘Held’s Indian River Island Adventures’. We called and reserved an 18 ft Pontoon boat with a 50 hp 4 stroke engine.

At the Wheel

Deck Fluff

Our ‘adventure’ however did not start well. We pulled into the address to see lots of boats, all complete wrecks, in very bad states of repair. A hand painted ‘OFFICE’ sign directed us to a door sorely in need of alignment and a coat of paint, and it took three tries knocking on the door to bring a weary yawning man to the door. He ushered us into the messiest office I have ever seen. A bag of cat food leaned against the wall by the door, a child’s drawing sat on a make-shift table, boat parts occupied most corners, and a bare mattress with a blanket was on the floor behind the desk. After signing an 8 page ‘waiver’ and turning over credit cards, we were directed down the road to the dock while he “Went to get gas”. Was it gas for the boat, or could he finally afford gas for his truck now that some tourists were renting his boat?

Beer Stop

Down the road, we did indeed find a dock with a pontoon boat with “HELD’S RENTALS” on the side. Not new, not shiny, seats a bit worn, but it looked mostly sea-worthy. Gary one of our friends and the ‘Captain’ for the day (also always an optimist), suggested “This is perfect; we don’t have to worry about how we treat this boat, no one will notice a few more scrapes and bangs.” No Bill, the ropes were not coiled – in fact they were so short we had to tie three together to tie the boat up at one of the islands . . . .

Now, the boat actually worked like a top, ran perfectly, was nicely set up, comfortable, and perfect for our day on the waterway. The owner was a great help, giving us a brief operating course and lots of helpful advice about attractions in the area. 

Drinks on the Island

Relaxing On Board

Dolphin Entertainment

We spent a wonderful day on the water. We visited a couple of islands and explored them, stopped at a local “Bar & Grill” where we could motor right up to the wharf to tie up, and get a nice cold beer. We visited a Manatee preserve (Didn’t see any however), and were entertained by a pod of dolphins who circled our boat playfully for fifteen minutes, jumping out of the water right beside the boat.

Although the boat was slightly less than perfect, the day was. Everyone had a great time, got way to much sun, and came home happy and tired from a wonderful day at sea.

Naples Beach Sunset

Naples Beach

Naples is a very pleasant place to visit. Our friends love it here, and have built a lovely house here to come down to the warmth and chill-out from the day to day hustle-bustle of their busy lives back home. They are here to relax, so they do not put pressure on us to “Do stuff”. If sitting by the pool all day is all we manage to accomplish, that is just fine with everyone.

They did insist on showing us the Naples Beach Sunset. This involved a drive downtown with beach chairs. Normally a lot more equipment is needed, including I was let to believe a few bottles of wine, and getting to the beach well before sunset is the normal procedure to get the best viewing location, but since our day was busy with relaxing by the pool, we did arrive a bit late, and left the wine back at the house for later.

Sailing into the Sunset

Really . . . a nice sunset

Now Naples Beach is a beautiful beach, but we quickly discovered that arriving early had nothing to do with getting a good spot, it was all about socializing, meeting friends and chatting (Discussing the sunset I am sure) over a good glass of Chardonnay. In fact the beach was in no way crowded, there was lots of room and not many people.

Fishing

As the sun was still quite high in the sky, we left our friends, with their friends, discussing sunsets and other important subjects, and we set off for a walk down the beach. We discovered that this “Naples Beach Sunset” was a serious event. There were people all down the beach, and some were obviously there to see the sun sink into the Gulf Of Mexico. There were many people with cameras, and some were setting up tripods and elaborate stop action set-ups, serious about getting that perfect sunset snap.

Sunset, what sunset?

There were also people there exercising; people more interested in each other than the sunset; people trying to catch fish; children playing in the sand; people sailing off into the sunset, but mostly people socializing with their friends as the sun announced the end to another lovely day in South Florida.

Oh . . . . the sunset really was pretty nice.

Speedbumps in Life

As our sojourn in Florida continues, we are now spending time in Naples with old friends from high school who have built a lovely winter retreat here. We picked them up at the airport and will spend a week visiting them. Since they are living here for a portion of the year, they have to arrange services, including water, power, cable, internet, phone etc. . . . .

I don't think I will swim here

When we arrived at their house he discovered that the TV was not working, and he decided that a trip to the local TV/Internet/Phone provider was in order. He warned me that it would probably be a zoo there. The provider was notorious for providing slightly less than exemplary service. In fact as we drove up to their storefront service center, he expressed relief that the line-up did not extend outside down the sidewalk.

He did warn me that I might be in for a bit of a wait, but I went along anyway, and as he waited inside eagerly anticipating his number being called, I stood around outside chatting with people as they came in for service.

This being the end of the season here in Naples and many of the “Snowbirds” were headed back north hoping for the arrival of spring in New Jersey, Chicago, Ontario, Nova Scotia, and had to return their Internet routers, TV Receivers, DVR recorders, and assorted other IT bits and pieces. I actually had a good time standing out making new friends in Naples Florida. 

First person I met was a gentleman from Ireland who had seen a condo advertised for sale in Naples on E-Bay. It looked interesting, and on a lark, he put in a couple of bids before going to bed for the night. He woke the next morning to an e-mail announcing that he was the successful bidder and now owned a condo in Naples. Our spirited conversations about visiting Ireland and Nova Scotia drew other people in and the cranky people waiting to complain and bitch about their TV, their Internet or their Phones suddenly started smiling and chatting.

One girl said she had already gone and enjoyed a starbucks coffee, but her number in line was still far enough in the future that the neighboring shop offering pedicures was starting to appeal as a way to pass the time.

Yup . . .  Southern Eatin

Then we all stopped to watch the newest arrival. A man and woman approached from the parking lot. He was clutching a red bag containing his TV receiver and Internet router, and she was clutching his arm. These were serious ‘snowbirders’ determined to spend as much of their golden years down here in the Naples warm sunshine. They slowly inched across the road in front of the office. But between them and their destination someone had installed a speed bump. He hit the bump, but his shuffling gait only got him half way up before he was bounced back. Determined to return his IT gear so it would be here for him next year he made another shuffle at the speedbump, but again was unable to make it up and over. He turned to his wife holding his arm, and she gave him a bit more push on the next attempt and with a satisfied smile he made it over and continues his journey to the shop.

Ask me if I'm relaxed yet?

Now this was extremely funny to watch, but stop and think for a minute. This guy was probably over 90, and had a very difficult time getting around, but he arrived in a car, was returning IT gear from his visit to Florida so was probably returning to someplace colder in the north, and he and his wife were doing it on their own. I say good for them!

I hope I have to tenacity to make three attempts at speedbump ascent when I am their age. Live life to the fullest while you can. 

*** Please note the pictures in the post are just general pictures from Florida - I did not take shots of the Speedbump attempts . . . .  ***

Rolling South

I don’t really like winter. I like it HOT – there is no such thing as “too hot”. I quickly get used to the heat. I also enjoy driving, so driving south to Florida is a very pleasant experience, and I enjoy each kilometer that brings me closer to warm sunny weather. Or at least that is how it is supposed to be . . . . .

Rolling South

This trip it took much longer for the “South” to make its presence known. It was bitter cold when we left, and even though it was officially spring, the temperature was -10° as we left home, and dropped to -15° as we made our way through New Brunswick. There was still snow on the ground at home, and it seemed to take forever to get rid of it. Of course it didn’t help that we were fleeing a huge storm that was coming up the coast against us. We avoided it by going in-land, but it spread snow all the way south to Virginia.

Trees in Bloom

Rolling south brings temperature changes as you progress down through the states. Normally the temperatures gradually increase, but this time it took much longer. Leaving Connecticut it was -7°, and although it did get up to 0° as the sun came up, it remained at 0° way down to West Virginia. From there it slowly came up a bit to +4°, but when we stopped in Virginia for the night Regis had to scrape not only our windshield but also the lady’s car parked next to us. She was not prepared for the -5 that morning and didn’t even own a scraper. It didn’t actually warm up until we reached South Carolina when it got up to 10°, but the real warmth did not arrive until we got to Georgia when things finally started climbing, and by the time we hit Florida it was finally up to 20°.

The other thing you look for as you roll south is the changes in the vegetation. At home everything is dull boring, brown, but as you roll south things slowly start to green. First come the farmer’s fields fertilized and prepped for the year to come. This appeared first in West Virginia, but as you got to southern Virginia even the highway mediums were starting to green up. Finally in the Carolinas the trees start to bloom and green buds appear. As we got to South Carolina even the trees started to leaf out, and finally in Florida things are actually green.

Florida at Last

Of course the other change that occurs as you roll south is the clothing. Before Virginia it was all winter clothes and boots. The first T-Shirt did not appear until Virginia, and he was pushing it in my opinion. The first pair of shorts appeared in South Carolina, and the flip-flops did not arrive until we hit Florida, where the bikinis and pink surfer shorts also made an appearance.

I’m hoping that I stay here in the warmth long enough that I do not have to roll north into freezing weather again . . . .

Doing the Snowbird Thing

We have had a pretty bad winter this year, cold, snowy, and generally miserable. Spring has arrived, but there is still more winter type weather to come. We just got word that the “storm of the year” was headed up the coast to dump more snow on Nova Scotia than we have gotten all winter. I think it is time to escape to someplace warm. Last year we went to Portugal, and spent a month is Spain the year before, but this year we thought we would stay on this side of the pond and give Florida a try. You know, do that Canadian Snowbird thing.

We discovered that we have a lot of friends who have “places” in Florida and they all seemed very keen to have us come to visit. In fact, as we started looking into this option, we discovered an excess of places we could stay – we had too many people wanting us to come south. We had friends who bought a house during the real estate crisis in the US, we had friends who had timeshares, we had friends who built their own southern retreats, we had relatives who lived in Florida, and we had friends who were renting places in the warmth. Why get our own place when we had lots of people to visit?

Regis found that she had over 20 % of her pickleball partners living down in one resort in Florida, and as one of the EDCC Pickleball ambassador  she felt it was her duty to go and see how they were doing.  Me, I am just going to sit in the sun and see if I can find some decent beer down there to sample. So my travel blog this time will follow our trip south to Florida.

Back to Bangor

Bangor Riverfront

I have visited Bangor probably more than any other city in the US. I however knew very little about the city. I recall many many years ago actually walking around the downtown, but that was probably over 30 years ago. Since then, Bangor has become a convenient stop on the way to other US destinations. It is the city where route 9 from New Brunswick joins up with the I-95, and although we might stop for cheap US gas or a meal, usually we are usually eager to make some miles and time on the interstate on our way somewhere else.

Interesting old houses

The other reason to visit Bangor is cross-border shopping and it has become a yearly ritual to take Regis' Mother to Bangor so she can do her Christmas shopping. Regis' parents came here for years for a weeks visit to get maximum customs allowance, returning with the car crammed with Christmas gifts for everyone. Since her fathers death Regis and I have been taking her mom on this annual trip. I do the driving, Regis takes her shopping. We don't come to visit Bangor however, we come to visit the malls and discount stores.

Interesting buildings

This year I went back to actually visit Bangor. On the first day, we went to Paddy Murphy's Irish Pub for lunch (Excellent little pub BTW), and while waiting for my meal I picked up a book decorating the window well by our seat. It was an old historical book about the Architecture of Bangor. I was amazed at the buildings in this city. Many of them are still here. I decided to spend an afternoon to actually see the city while the girls were shopping.

Waterways

 

Bangor is an interesting city. It is built where two rivers join, and there are many canals and waterways. The downtown area has retained many of the old buildings including the old Market area, and a walk up many of the streets leading away from the central area reveal some amazing old houses, with interesting windows and rooflines. There are many interesting little parks and the city has done an admirable job of building boardwalk along the waterways. Here are some pictures of the city.

I spent an interesting afternoon, although I have to admit I did do some shopping in some of the interesting little shops downtown. Next time you travel to the US, plan your trip so you can spend a little time in this city.

Market Square