Something new every day

 The new Dr. Strange movie that I watched on the plane over here, is about the multiverse -- essentially the old science fiction scenario of alternate universes.  We love the concept that there is someone else out there identical to ourselves but working through a whole different set of circumstances.  That is what these last two weeks have been for Clara.

Everyone speaks a different language.  C knows a few german words and is picking up more all the time, but she started from zero.  For a girl who interacts so well with others, this problem is huge.

Routines are different.  From breakfast to sit down lunches and 4 course suppers, meals are not what she was used to in Canada.  She tried carpaccio, tartare, foies gras, sorbets, and a multitude of desserts and pastries that were all new.  She has gone to bed late and slept in late -- not what will be happening next week when she starts school.

And she has come face to face with history on such a scale as never before.  Buildings that have stood since before Canada was even imagined.  Monuments that inspire awe; gardens that stagger you with their symmetry  and precision. The rooms and wall hangings, and furniture and chandeliers and stoves and floors and dishes and glassware, and paintings and beds and......  of the very rich, seem to be from fairy tales rather than reality.  

She loves the duvets that all the hotels have on their beds, the pasty and candy available anywhere -- especially the train stations, the trains that make everything so easy to get around, even with wifi.

She says she will miss that she can walk around any time and see something different.  I think she has been bitten by the travel bug.

 

MS Andrea

 MS Andrea was a last minute fill in for MS Asara which was supposed to be our ship along the Main-Donau canal.  Asara got caught on the wrong side of shallow water and so could not arrive at her scheduled cruise, but lucky for us, Andrea had a similar problem on our side and so we got the sister ship.  We were assured that they were the same except for the colour schemes.  

She was lovely.  The cabins were more spacious than any I have had on a boat before, and fitted out with lots of shelving and drawers.  The crew is to be commended as everything about her was clean and new looking.  There was a main dining room and a small dining area which served light lunches and steaks in the evening.  We got mixed reviews on the speciality restaurant and were quite pleased to just enjoy the ambiance and delicious offerings of the main dining room.  Clara found that they had smoked salmon and croissants for her every morning and I feasted on dark break, eggs and blue cheese.  

By midweek, we realized that the kitchen was OK with special orders and so C got just the veggies she would eat and in good quantity.  Sauces were left off meat and pasta.  She got double desserts. The head chef was South African and had 2 Michelen stars.  We ate very well.

There was a quiz (scrambled german names for countries and Islands), bingo (Clara took first prize and Eva tied 2 others for second), bbq on the sundeck, ice cream sundaes and other group activities.  It was a very nice mixture of time alone and mixing with others.  We discovered they had bicycles and even the helmets needed so C felt safe riding. Cycling along a waterway is such a lovely way to travel!!

More Adventure than Expected

One can plan months ahead, check timetables days ahead and be on the platform early, but you never know what adventure lies ahead.

Today was the trip from Munich to Passau in order to board the ship tomorrow.  

I had bought the 9 euro special summer ticket back in Canada.  I checked on Wednesday at the DB office to get the best connection for the trip.  We were on platform 25, complete with snacks, at 10:10.  All good.

At Wort we needed to change transportation to a shuttle bus that would take us to Prattling for the rest of the journey by train.  I guess they didn't plan for quite so many people.  The bus was STUFFED for the 1.25 hour trip.  Clara and I were both standing with our suitcases the whole time.  But we made it to the train and then to Passau.  

We found our hotel with no problem.  Dropped off our suitcases and the baby blankets that I was carrying for a friend from church to her friend here in Passau.  We found the Glass Museum and spent about 2 hours being awed by beauty in every colour, shape, ornamentation.  Well worth the visit.

We found a pizza for supper and checked out the confluence of the Danube and Inn rivers.  Amazing colour contrast, though the Danube is not blue.

Back to the hotel and I ducked out to pick up some fruit and veg.  I got the wifi password when I came back and started to look at the emails.

TROUBLE!  The Danube water level is too low for the ship and we are being booked on a sister ship leaving from Regensburg.  Now that was going to be our destination on Sunday, so it will mean taking a bus from Passau here to Regensburg, tomorrow afternoon.  I hope my late response to them (their email asked that one respond before 6 pm and I didn't look at it till 7pm) will still mean that everything works out.  

Never a dull moment! 

Castles

Several months ago, I asked Clara what interested her about Germany.  Now, I must admit influence from her Mother and Oma, but she said 'castles and bakeries'.  Yesterday we did CASTLES.  Yes we had been to the Nymphemburg castle on Wednesday, but yesterday we visited Linderhof, and, perhaps the most famous fairy tale castles of them all -- Neuschwanstein.  

It was a significant bus trip through forest and farm landed areas to get to the start of the Alps.  We stopped at Linderhof first.  Ludwig II built this castle early on in his reign and it is modest only in comparison to what he constructed later.  It was completed and therefore overlaid with 4.5 kilos of gold leaf.  Yes, that is enough to cover just about everything in the place. The fountain burst forth shooting much higher than the castle.  It is a delightful royal retreat.

By comparison, Neuschwanstein, built on a rock a serious half hour climb above the valley, is a spectacular, come-to-life fairy tale castle.  From the gate and forecourt to the throne room with its newly refurbished 4 meter crown chandelier, it promises a grandeur which was never realized because it was not finished.  Ludwig was arrested there and six days later was drown in a lake close to Munich.  (exact circumstances of his death are unknown).  All the contracts for the lavish furnishings that had been ordered for the castle were cancelled and within 7 weeks of Ludwig's death, it was open to the public as a museum.  Particularly important for me, was the knowledge that 69 years ago, my parents took me to this castle.  At that time, one could still take photos inside.  Now that's a family tradition.  I hope that Clara will someday bring her children or grandchildren to this place to carry on the line.

Mind Blowing

 The last time that Clara was in Europe, was 3 years ago with her family in Lousanne for the World Triathlon Championships.  They did active adventures and saw some historic things, but she was 8 and not really into history.  So this trip -- Castles and bakeries -- takes her into a whole new area.

On Wed. we did the Hop-on, hop-off bus adventure around Munich.  There are 3 routes and we picked the one that would take us to the Nymphenburg Palace, on the west edge of the city.  It was the royal summer palace.  The size was the first wow.  With all the side additions, it is incredibly long, but the ornate Fest saal (feast room) had us bending our necks to view the ceiling.  The King's and Queen's chambers were interesting, but there was no kitchen tour.

However, we did get the combination ticket which took us to the Marshall hall -- think horses and everything that goes with that -- blankets, collars, ceremonial bridles, sleighs, CARRIAGES!  Yes, there were 2 coronation carriages and one can understand how Ludwig II was bankrupting his country.  His favourite colour was gold.

After a lovely lunch of Flammenkuchen, we bussed on to the Olympic site.  We had intended to just get off for a half and hour, but the European Championships are being held here in Munich and so the place was buzzing with people and activity.  We have been watching the events in the evening -- something on TV which doesn't require one to understand German-- and so were interested in the venue.  There was a kids' zone for jumping, trying a wheelchair, balancing on a board.  Clara wore herself out.  We took another of the bus routes around the centre of the city and she fell asleep.

We made it to the Marienplatz just in time for the Glockenspiel at 5 and then walked back to the hotel, stopping for some of the famous Munich Weisswurst at an outdoor cafe.  Clara is not fond of pretzels, but she has been trying new things.  I don't think she will become an adventurous eater yet, but she willingly tries new things.

Clara is the adventure

Sometimes the adventure is the time, sometimes it is the place, sometimes it is the event, and sometimes it is the person.  This is the adventure focused on Clara.  It is her '10th Birthday adventure with Oma', but a year late due to the pandemic.  

For a long time I did not know Clara.  She was the second child, and Kieran has always been a dominant personality.  When he went to Kindergarten and I had a year with just her on Mondays, I became close to this little gem.  She is thoughtful, artistic, funny, athletic and very social.  When picking her up at school, there were always a number of kids who called out to say goodbye.  In June she was one of the valedectorians for her Grade 5 class and one of the top students.  

So this year it is her turn to travel with me.  She originally wanted to go to Paris, but I don't go to France with them.  What I can offer the kids is a unique visit to Germany where I know the language and some of the things to see and do.  

Kieran and I did a cycling trip along the Rhine river, but Clara was not interested in cycling.  What she wanted to experience was castles and bakeries.  So Germany is a great place to visit.

We have some specific plans especially in the first few days while we are in Munich.  City tours and a visit to Linderhof and Neuschwanstein castles.  Then it is on to Passau where we board a ship and do an adventure up the Danube, across the canal and into the Main.  We end up in Frankfurt.  It is an area that I have not been.  That is a bonus, but the true adventure is experiencing this tour through the eyes of our Clarabelle.  Everything old is new again.

Intrepid Adventurer?

No, and  I guess I realized that about 45 years ago.  Google defines it as fearless, with fortitude and endurance. The moment of truth came when we went camping with a baby Richard at the KOA by Algonquin Park.  I spent the whole time getting things ready for him, cleaning up after feeding, bathing in a fashion which took much more time than those activities did at home.  That was no vacation.  So I decided that if I didn't have the obligations of the house and taking care of food, it would be a vacation even if I just went to the motel down the road.

However, I am not comfortable with the waiter hovering over me all the time and the maid doing turn down service.  So there must be a comfortable medium.

Tova asked yesterday if I listened to music or stories and I had to admit, neither.  I like quiet......peace and quiet.  Is it the years of being a teacher where a classroom sometimes felt like herding cats, or being a parent where interacting with kids was quite vocal at times?  I don't know, but I love quiet on the bicycle, in the garden, in the car, on a walk.  Don't get me wrong -- I love all those things with others too, but I need my quiet time to be at peace.

How does that work with travel where schedules and connections sometimes necessitate running through a train station or airport?  I try to leave myself extra time.  Ian dropped me at Pearson about 5 hours before my flight on May 11.  I had lots of time to go to the counter, drop the bags, get through security and relax in the lounge.  Thank you business class!  You have already read about the train difficulties in Germany and Switzerland, but with the extra time and flexibility of not booking in advance, I made it through with a minimum of panic. 

When I checked in on line last evening, there was a caution that security at Arlanda was extremely slow and one should allow extra time.  Well, I was leaving myself about 3.5 hours, but nothing prepared me for the lines at all the security checks.  Business class allowed me to use the Fast Track -- the guy who cut into that line in front of me in order to make his plane in ten minutes, told me that he had waited for more than 2 hours in the queue.  Horrendous!

Sitting here in the Business Class lounge, I know I am not nearly as adventurous or fearless as I had imagined myself.  It is not a thrill to make that connection, it is panic.  Perhaps it is my age, or perhaps I have always been that way.  I admire Hannah and Jennie who stride out into the unknown.  In any case, travel this way allows me to visit and be with the people who are important to me.  And I see lots of enlightening and unique things along the way, plus, there is calm in my being.   

Timing is everything

 From my recent posts about trains, I must conclude that timing is everything.  Well, if not everything, then at least very important.

On Saturday we planned to go to Furuvik -- the local amusement park/zoo.  Best way to get there is via train.  Getting ready took a bit longer than expected and we got to the train about 1 minute too late.  An hour to kill before the next one.  We wandered through the center of town, saw the lovely tulips, chased a butterfly, and picked up train treats plus a loaf of my favourite bread -- sourdough rye with sunflower seeds from Epi.  They only bake them on Fridays, so this was on the 30% off, day old pile.  What great timing.

I have managed to make it school on time with the girls every morning that I have taken them.  One day it was a bit rushed as we had been finishing Rowan's slippers, but it was fine.

This morning I finished my sweep through the gardens to pull out weeds.  The ground elder is particularly invasive from the side hedge into the flowers and the raspberries, but I got it all done and tossed in for the hens just before a moderate downpour.  Jennie and I had planted the vegetable beds last evening (it stays light till way past 9) and they had received a preliminary watering from Mother Nature overnight.  Great timing! And I cycled over to the grocery store for some stuff to take home without getting wet.

Jenn is one of those people who plans and therefore gets lots done for herself and for the family.  This afternoon I can help by picking up the girls from school and walking them over to violin class.  We have it timed!

The Double Birthday

 This day became a life-changing one for me 45 years ago when Richard was born, and 9 years ago, his older daughter was born on the same day, so May 19 is a very big deal for all of us.  And this year, it is the first time that I am celebrating with him and Tova Elise.  It is a privilege to be here and participate in the birthday traditions they have established. 

I walked the girls to school this morning, and just as they entered the gate, two of their very good friends jumped out from behind a bush and began to sing the Swedish birthday song.  How lovely! 

I made the cake yesterday and it could use some tweaking, so I guess I will need to make another when they come to visit in a month.  Everyone should try and improve.

We played a new memory board game and did a 200 piece puzzle.  The young ladies are delightfully competitive and encouraging.  Rowan gave Tova some eye makeup for her birthday.  They are both growing up so fast.  

Their house which had the basement totally flooded last summer is almost done -- better then before with a new bathroom and reworked space downstairs.  The garden we worked on last September is doing well -- even the weeds.  The rhubarb is as big as ever -- yesterday Tova and I both hid behind it during 'hide and seek'!  The four remaining hens seem happy with the buckets of weeds I throw into their enclosure.

Life is good!

The Train saga continues

I have spent a wonderful 4 days with my friend Rhonda and her husband Robert, who tolerates (bemusedly, I am sure) our laughing, playing in the garden and shopping.  They recently moved into a house in a village just west of the Rhine River.  The house took many months to renovate and there are still a number of items that need to be finished, but it is a very welcoming, open and light space.  There is decking on two levels looking over the garden and both have been very busy creating a huge garden for fruits and vegetables (Robert) and flowers, both in the ground and pots (Rhonda).  Robert is well versed in fertilizers and plant helpers of all kinds, so the garden is amazingly lush and productive after just one year.  It is their retirement project -- well, along with organizing the golf club where they both play.  It was such a treat to visit and be welcomed into their new space.

Flying to Stockholm is not easy from anywhere it seems.  The Basel/Mulhouse airport which is about 10 minutes from Rhonda and Robert's does not have direct flights and connecting in Berlin or London or wherever was of no interest to me.  But there were direct flights out of Zurich -- 12:40.  Great, there was a train from Basel direct to the airport  at 8:37 and I could catch a train at 7:26 from Habsheim to Basel  to arrive at 7:50, giving me lots of time to head over to the other side of the station where the long distance trans connected, pick up a coffee to have with my pastry and pick out a great seat.  The train was arriving at the airport at 10:04 -- lots of time to check in, get some lunch and check out the chocolate shops.  

Everything was going well until about 9:15.  I got a text that my phone account had run out of money and needed to be topped up.  It is a Norwegian SIM and when I try to pay it, there is a two step verification involving sending a code to my Canadian SIM.  Luckily, I have figured out to turn on that SIM to get the code and then turn it off again to eliminate roaming charges.  So it would be no problem to top up my account once I reached Zurich Airport. I can handle that.

Then there was an announcement -- the train was going no further than Zurich main train station due to some police action between the city and the airport.  Yikes.  There were some suggestions about how to navigate around it, but I don't know my way around well enough, so I went to the information station and was told that Tram 10 goes to the airport.  Well, it does, but it stops every 100 m (or so it seemed) and we did not get to the airport till 11 am.  Now it was dashing to check in and drop off the luggage, then head through security and up to the gates.  It was now 11:50 and we were boarding starting   12:15.  Needed a bathroom stop.  Tried to connect to the airport wifi but there was something wrong with my boarding pass QR code.  Eventually, the nice lady at information got me a code for the wifi, I connected to MyCall in Norway, got the security code for making a payment, and topped up the phone so I could contact Jennie when I got to Sweden.  Grabbed a sandwich.  At the gate, I told the checkin people about the problem with the boarding pass (I was going to need to scan it to get on the airplane) and they immediately noticed the problem and printed a new one.  12:10.  12:20 we boarded and thankfully there was an empty seat beside me at the back.  

SJ (the Swedish train system) now does las minute tickets and there were some cheap ones, the first of which left at 15:52.  I got my suitcase at 15:40, dashed up to the central station and asked if I could still make that train.  I was directed to a ticket machine which, thankfully, was fairly easy to navigate and I did make the 15:52 which should get me to Gavle about 15:56, barring some other disaster.  

This trip is certainly testing my train resolve.  Pictures will have to wait as this is on the train wifi.

Travel: the good and the bad

 Travel has always been a delight for me.  I never travelled for work, so planning a trip was always a vacation and I am all for those.

This trip was booked last September on the good hope that everything would be open and life somewhat back to what we called normal 2 years ago.  As the airlines were offering incredible deals, I treated myself to business class for the Toronto to and from Europe segments.  Going from France to Sweden is an economical 1 suitcase flight from Zurich to Stockholm direct where the suitcase was half the cost of the flight.  

So the air travel on Wednesday evening and yesterday morning was so gracious.  I spent a few hours in the premium lounge in Toronto before boarding at the front of the line.  Champagne was served before takeoff.  The meal was Arctic Char with a duck breast appetizer and Opera cake for dessert.  The seat was comfortable and I even managed to sleep for an hour.

Layover in Keflavik was only an hour, so not even worth going to the lounge there and again boarding at the front.  They served a lovely breakfast and I managed to watch a second movie.  I arrived in Frankfurt having been pampered.

Well, the summer of 2019, I had a series of train trips from Switzerland to Germany and every one was on time and easy transfers.  My cousin remarked this was unusual for German trains.  I scoffed.  Now, I apologize to him.  The 13:52 I had wanted to take was cancelled.  I got a ticket for the 14:52 which had 2 transfers -- a manageable 12 minutes between trains.  When the 14:52 arrived 10 minutes late, there were so many people to get on the train, that they said some had to get off before they could leave.  They encouraged the people going straight south to Switzerland to do so.  I went back up to the ticket people, who changed my routing to head straight for Freiburg where I would then have a 30 min. layover before getting on the train to Mullheim.  Well, that train started about 20 min. late and then there were delay issues with other trains, so I did not make the connection.  Time to go to the ticket people and get another train.  And that one finally came -- again about 20 minutes late.  I messaged Rhonda who was picking me up, so many times with changes, I'm surprised that there she was finally at just before 20:00, in the rain in a construction zone.  Negotiating 2 large suitcases is never a joy, but dragging them up and down stairs and running along platforms to try and catch a train makes it worse. 

 

I know I am in favour of public transport, and want to take surface rather than more flights, but yesterday's misadventures may have shaken my resolve somewhat.  However, it will be a train to Zurich on Tuesday morning and then another train to Gavle on Tuesday afternoon.  No prebooking!  I will get there when I get there.

Germaine and Tony

 The alternate title for this wrap-up post of our 3.5 week vacation in Ponta Delgada, could have been "What we don't want".  I have always felt that when making a decision, it is very important to realize what you don't want in order to crystalize your actions for what you do want.

The couple identified in the title are about 5 years older than me, from Burlington Ontario.  He is a retired (well to do) carpet installer, and she worked in marketing.  In December they sold their little bungalow in Burlington by Appleby Line for $1.2 million and bought a house on Sao Miguel island, on the northern coast by Fernais de Luz-- a small town close to a golf course.  Their home is a lovely looking, 4 bedroom villa on a large property with fruit trees and wonderful vista of the ocean.  That much is true, but the 'ready to live in' property that they saw, was hiding bubbling paint due to mold and so the fix/renovation started immediately after they got the house in early January.  And, it seems the trades are just as slow in the Azores as they are here.  Finish dates have been extended several times and they really have no idea when they will get the house.  So they are staying at the same hotel that Ian and I frequent, which is where we met them at breakfast when they asked where we were from -- speaking english.  Germaine was born in the Azores and so has dual citizenship.  Their only daughter will come and stay with them for a big part of the winter and during the summer they will live in a 2 bedroom annex being built at her property in Collingwood.  On the surface, it sounds idyllic.  But already they have the problems of the house renovation.  They will lease a car, as the bus goes past their gate only about twice a day.  They have opened bank accounts and are enrolled in the very generous Portuguese health care system for an incredibly reasonable amount.  They are overcoming the hurdles, but it is significantly more difficult on a number of fronts, than they imagined.

Brings me to 'what we don't want'.  That!  I love Ponta Delgada, but I love that it is a stressfree, carefree time for us.  No hassles of home ownership, not even having to clean up after myself.  No hassle of big meal prep -- with breakfast taken care of and many opportunities for reasonable lunches -- Ian had his favourite grilled squid again on Monday while I enjoyed my Mister Burger-- and a very easy option for supper.  Although we have now been there 8 times, there are still places we have not seen and of course, a number of things we like to repeat.  Both of us love being on the harbour -boat watching, walking, cycling,  and being so accessible to amenities -- buses (both long range and city), cafes, laundry, grocery stores, concerts.

So, though there is a romance of living on a mountain overlooking the ocean with my own lemon trees in the back yard, I am going to be staying at the hotel overlooking the harbour.  It was hard to leave yesterday.  We are thinking maybe stay longer next year -- or go earlier -- or both!

Also Ordinary Life

 Recognizing that most of my blogs are glowing accounts of what we find here, this one shows a bit of the less shiny side of life, evident here as everywhere.  There were specifically three things yesterday that brought out this realization.

The first, and the only one for which I took a picture, is roadkill of a little hedgehog.  Mostly what I have seen squashed on the pavement are rodents -- medium size and the other day there was a blond cat.  But this little guy reminded me that fast cars, though they may be small, are deadly to little creatures.  And a danger to big creatures.  I wear my high vis bright coral shirt when riding.  In fact, I bought a second shirt like it at Decathlon at the beginning of our trip.  The cars are considerate of cyclists, but being seen always improves the odds.

The second was a parade.  In a normal year, yesterday should have been the day for the children's Carnaval parade, but as mentioned previously, the big gatherings are not happening this year.  The parade I saw yesterday, was a small one.  It was in a small town on the north shore that I cycled through to reach the Observatory.  The highschool-aged young men were all dressed in camo fatigues and some were masked with gruesome zombie masks.  They were singing and also dragging along some iron pieces.  One greeted me politely, but the atmosphere of that parade was certainly not the fun-filled exhibition of the children's parade that we have seen in other years.

The third was the bellowing of a cow.  She was not just mooing for fun, this was distress and when I was riding up the mountain, I heard the sound and saw the vet truck in the field, I figured she was giving birth.  Sure enough, she was lying on the ground, tied very tightly at the head to a post and being attended to by some guys and a young lady in PPE with bloody gloves which reached past her elbows.  But beside her back legs lay a wet black lump which didn't move.  Cows are very important on this island and they all have at least two tags in their ears, so it is evident they are extremely well cared for, but tragedies still happen.

Look carefully in the middle of the picture.  You will see the usual way to graze young steers -- cow circles!

Ordinary life

Well, I guess one can't really call it ordinary life when we are so far from home, but I wanted to talk about what is normal for us here.

The apartment is lovely.  We have a spacious bedroom, full bath with bidet, well stocked little kitchen, dining table, living room area with a sofa bed couch, another small bedroom off the living area which faces the front of the building and a nice sized balcony with table and chairs.  The cleaning ladies will come every day, but we usually get cleaning only every second day.  

Breakfast comes with the room, and there is something very nice about having a lovely selection prepared by someone else.  There are always eggs -- one or two preparations, bacon and some grilled vegetable.  There is ham and a couple of different cheeses to go with the savouries, including a fresh -- pressed cottage cheese that Ian really likes.  Pancakes are also prepared daily and there are a variety of jams and nutella to accompany them.  There are 6 different sorts of breads including croissants, and the local bread cooked on a griddle, a couple of pastries, mixed fruit, and pineapple (the local stuff), yogurts, and juices.  There is a lovely machine that makes any hot drink you might like, and if that is not fancy enough, the serving girls will make you specialty coffee concoctions from their espresso machine in the back.  We have thought about getting an AirBnB style apartment, but having breakfast included just makes it feel more like a vacation. 

Our view of the harbour is spectacular and we comment about boats that come in.  Thanks to Google, all the boats are listed and so we know if it is a tanker or a container ship, how many beds are on the cruise boats, and where the schooner calls home.  The variety is everything from little outboard motorboats, to sailboats moored in the harbour, to some nice sized yachts, the whale watching boats, the tugs of various sizes and then the big container ships and cruise boats.  Often there is a military boat staying a few days before it is off again on patrol.  Time is money, so there is loading and unloading well into the night and the big ships manage to sneak out at night without waking the whole city.  

The hotel is on the main waterfront road and so gets a fair amount of traffic, but the soundproofing is good, and the bedroom is towards the back of the building.  The promenade along the harbour is about 3.5 km without interruption.  There are further walk/cycle paths to the east of the city, but they come after short breaks where one is forced onto the road or sidewalk.  Since we were here last, the section in Lagoa has been completed and it takes you close to the shore among the big black basalt rocks.  A dune style grass is being planted in clumps in order to help hold the path against erosion by wind and waves.  I walk about 5 km each morning before breakfast, as I get up much earlier than Ian.  Being beside the water is a lovely start to the day, though I have not braved the 16 degree water and gone swimming with the people that venture in each morning about 100 m from our hotel.  I came here to escape the cold.

As with most restaurants, masks are mandatory at breakfast when you serve yourself.  And masks are necessary any time you go into a building.  Outside, about 30% of the people are wearing them.  Other than that, there are not really any more COVID effects visible on a daily basis.  I found out today that the Carnaval activities are cancelled again this year -- no parade for the kids, no big masked ball on Saturday night, and no water fight next Tuesday.  So large gatherings are still not happening, but everyday activities are almost back to normal.  

And so we occupy our days with walks and visiting museums and gardens, shopping and cooking a simple soup for supper.  The cheese on the islands is fabulous and so with a pastry for midday snack, soup and bread and cheese for supper work very well.  Wine is abundant and priced from about 2 euros to 10 a bottle and easily accessible as it is sold in the grocery store.  We have a small satellite store of one of the big supermarkets just 2 doors from the hotel.  

I have been cycling.  I got my legs and seat used to riding again with trips along the coast to Lagoa -- about 10 km one way and mostly flat.  But going west or going north involves climbing and the low gears get a serious workout.  I don't ride on the main expressway, but do go on the secondary highways.  There are good shoulders on the roads, and not very much traffic compared to riding at home.  I got a waterbottle cage on my bike this year and so it is outfitted with just about everything I have at home.  Don't have a computer, but this isn't about going far.  

In the evenings I stitch on my delphinium tapestry where I now only have the background to finish.  We watch TV.  Netflix and Disney+ both work here.  It is quite relaxing and very low stress.  I think it is wonderful that we have found a place where both of us are comfortable and can amuse ourselves.  Sure beats February in Hamilton.

Making the best of a mistake

 So today we decided to take a bus tour to Sete Cidades -- that area at the north west of this island where there are two volcanic lakes -- one green and one blue.  We were waiting at the bus stop at 10:40 and no bus came.  It turned out that I had messed up with where to catch the bus and we missed the one we wanted.  So it was check out to see what else there was to do today, it being a nice day.

I called the cave tour people and got in for 2:30.  I cycled up there and arrived at 2.  This time, yes, they had my reservation.  I waited till 2:30 and the tour began with an American family of 4 children and 2 British tourists.  Despite the others on the tour, it was marvelous!  For the past two years I have wanted to do the long tour where one actually crawls around in the lava tubes, but two years ago there were never enough people who signed up for a long tour, and right now, with the pandemic, they are not doing any long tours.  That will have to wait till the next time.  Today's adventure was a taste leaving me wanting more.  

I have never been in a lava tube before.  The other caves that I have visited have been limestone caves where the stalactites and stalagmites grow with time due to mineral deposits.  In the lava tube, there are no mineral deposits, so the formations do not change over time.  Parts of the walls are 'glazed' due to hot lava melting the existing rock creating a smooth shiny surface.  Where the lava cooled more slowly, the rock is the familiar black basalt that one finds all over the island.  In some spots, there are vent holes to the upper lava tube where the pressure below was too great.  

On the surface, there is no evidence of the extensive tunnel system underground.  Cows graze over it, but the farms in that area are forbidden to use heavy machinery so as not to further damage the tunnels which experienced cracking when the highway was built.  

The young man who led our tour was knowledgeable and, I was told, does the long tour.  Let's hope that after the pandemic, that will start again and I can join!

Old adventures revisited

 We have been to this island eight times now, so there aren't many completely new adventures left. But, after two years away, revisiting feels new.

Yesterday it was Furnas-- that geothermal area in the middle of the island where the volcanic history is still making its presence felt in terms of boiling cauldrons and steam vents capable of cooking a meal.  As the public bus system is good, I boarded a large coach at 9 am for the almost 2 hour drive to Furnas.  Now, the island is only 63 km end to end, and there are some major highways that go straight, but the bus takes the traditional route through all the little villages on the south coast with streets so narrow that sometimes to get by another vehicle, we had to drive up onto the sidewalk and be about 10 cm from the front of a house.  But the driver must have been a rally car driver.  He zoomed around corners, passed slower vehicles on uphills and downhills and stood his ground when it came time for one of the vehicles facing off to back up.  We got to Furnas on time.  I got my 4.43 euros worth.

Not much has changed in Furnas.  The town part has the steam vents at one end and Park Terra Nostra at the other.  I had a chance to talk to the Swedish girls and show them the boiling waters and steam -- they couldn't experience the smell, just as well.  That primal activity of Mother Earth is impressive, but it was the park which really drew my there yesterday.  It is Camellia season -- February to April, and Park Terra Nostra has over 800 specimens.  They are magnificent.  Coming in colours from white to pink, to red, and even yellow, they are a large blossom with heavy petals -- an imposing flower.  And the park also features azaleas, tree ferns, magnolias, and many trees and cycads from around the world.  The climate here is exceptional and can grow just about everything.

For years I have stayed away from an activity that most of the people who visit the park, enjoy.  But this year, I took along my bathing suit and a large towel and swam in the pool of hot mineral water.  Actually swimming was so draining because of the heat, but the water felt so nice.

The bus ride home, this time going along the north shore, was just as exciting as the morning trip.  Saturday night is not a busy busing night, and most of the time there were less than 5 of us on the bus.

Today's adventure was the first cycle across the island this trip.  I had been up the mountain a few times, but never down the other side necessitating a return climb.  To my surprise, the trip going north was significantly harder than the one coming south in the afternoon.  The bike, which I got tuned up on Friday, worked beautifully -- that was a great investment of 100 euros!  There is a very nice new cycling lane in Ribiera Grande, so I guess I'm not the only one on two wheels.  There weren't many people out on their bikes, but they were friendly with a 'Bom Dia' across the road.  I'm two years older than the last time we were here, and there is always that nagging doubt whether I am still strong enough to do the climbs.  So far thankfully, the answer is yes.

The Compliments Book

 This afternoon it is raining.  No problem.  The angle of the rain is not such that it is wet on the balcony, so I am able to write or stitch or puzzle while watching the city go by, the planes come in and the ships unload.  Very pleasant.

But this morning we were able to go and check out one of our regular haunts -- the Municipal Art Gallery.  I think we have visited there almost every time that we have stayed on the island.  It has changing and varied exhibitions and although sometimes it is too far out or abstract for me to appreciate, every time there has been something on display that I admired.  

Today it was a variety of small drawings done with pen and ink.  I particularly liked a turtle that had been done with pen and ink.  Also, a sculptor had pieces on display demonstrating very good technique and some emotional insight.  I could have done without the 7 pieces of wood hinged together and painted black (4000 euros) and the multimedia items that looked like rotten cardboard and dirt that had been painted black.

But altogether, it was another very positive experience -- free admission too.  At the front they have two books -- one labelled for Complaints, the other for Compliments.  I commented in the latter.

The pop culture on the island is a real mix.  The little kids' ride on the waterfront features vehicles decorated with Frozen, Paw Patrol, Toy Story, Cars, and a bunch of items that I don't know.  The little kid this morning at breakfast had a Marshall stuffie (Paw Patrol dalmatian for those of you who don't know the series).  But so far, my favourite homage was this Jeep I saw yesterday.  

Walking to the Fort

 When we were here two years ago, I started to walk after supper.  The Fort is at one end of the harbour walkway and a convenient distance for an end of the day bit of exercise.  I googled it and it was 1.1 km away from our hotel.  It took about 24 minutes to walk there and back.

When we got back to Ontario, it seemed a good routine, so after supper, I would still 'walk to the fort'.  The corner of Upper Paradise and Rymal is conveniently 1.1 km from our house, so it was an easy transition.  

Then the pandemic hit and we were encouraged to avoid people, but I could still go for my walk as I rarely met anyone else along the way.  It was a slice of normalcy in an unprecedented time.  I walked that path hundreds of times in the last two years averaging about 5 nights out of 7.  Every time I did the walk, I reminded myself of the walk along the harbour with the lights and sounds of the boats and the city.  For those 24 minutes I was transported back to Ponta Delgada in my mind.  It was easier in the summer than in the winter when I needed to put ice grippers on my boots, but it was a breath of simpler time in all the stress of the pandemic.

So, of course, I walk to the fort every night now.  I feel blessed that I can experience the sea and the life of this city.  I also feel blessed that life has changed to the point where this is possible again. 

Vehicles

 Our balcony has a great view to the street below -- main waterfront road -- and the harbour beyond.  We watched today as two tugs did a 180 degree turn on a huge Norwegian LPG tanker that was almost too long for the width of the harbour.  We are very curious how long it will take before she unloads and heads out again.  Just love the technology that lets me type while sitting on the sea wall,  the name of a ship into a google search and find out who she is, and what she is carrying.

And the same harbour has sailboats, a three masted schooner, whale watching boats, fishing boats, a couple of snazzy looking motor boats and currently a container cargo ship and a military boat.  Yesterday there was a windsurfer zooming around and a sailing school for little boats operating at the end of the harbour.  There is always something happening.

The vehicles on land are also varied.  Most of the cars are smaller which is a good thing when you notice how narrow some of the streets are.  Motorcycles and scooters are very popular as they can run year round.  Ian loves to stop to check out all the different kinds.   There are a few pickup trucks and small flatbeds.  Yesterday they had to close a street for a concrete mixer and pumper truck that needed to get into town for a delivery.  On the day where there was a cruise ship -- one the second this year, there was a horse-drawn carriage to give the tourists a ride.  There are plenty of big buses and they manage in the narrow streets.  The island is well served by 3 bus lines and you can go just about anywhere by bus.  We plan to use it in the next few days to go to Furnas to see the camellias.

But of course, most of the vehicles are the cars.  In the past few years I had come to think that the plates on the cars reflected their age and Carolina confirmed this.  On the right ends of most of the plates are two numbers above and below a line.  It is the year (top) and the month that the car was acquired.  The oldest I have seen is about 1992.  No salt on the roads and not far you can go, so the cars last.  Carolina told us that she had just done an oil change on her car and the next change was in probably in about 2 years!

 

And don't forget the bicycles.  There are not many, but there is a bike share program which actually seems to be well used.  It rained this morning, so today was a walking day.  No problem.

Carolina

Those of you who know me well, are very aware that I do not make friends quickly.  In fact, most of the time I go out of my way not to impose myself on others.  I admire those people who can strike up conversations easily with people and I am fortunate to have married one.  Ian has an engaging manner and is often still speaking to someone, while I have already moved on.

Fortunately, we can both speak easily with Carolina.  We met her several years ago while at this hotel.  She is one of the desk personnel and when we were looking for someone who wanted to store/take and use our bicycles, she volunteered.  

While my green beauty at home is a come-apart bike and fits into a suitcase sized case, the airlines imposed heavy fees to transport bikes, just about the time that I got it.  So, it became much better value to rent bikes where we were going than try to take our own.  That was, until I looked to rent here on the Azores.  15 euros per day -- every day.  Well, when one is here for 3 weeks, that came to over 300 euros.  Yikes!  Enter Decathlon -- sport store for everything you can imagine.  And yes, they have bikes.  In fact, the basic bike I got (8 speeds) was 100 euros.  It was an easy decision and I got lots of riding out of it.  So at the end of our trip, we wanted to give it to someone who would use/appreciate it.  The lovely young lady from the front desk said she would take our bikes.  In fact, she has stored them for several years -- even for the last two when we could not come.  

Carolina and her husband live in a little row house which they have redone inside all on their own.  She said that it was basically an empty shell when they got it and I can believe it, having seen those types of properties along the streets.  They have set up the house to live on the bottom floor and have the upstairs for  their business (now finished) or storage or possibly a rental flat in the future.  It is a cozy space and still a work in progress, but she was delighted to show us around.  There is a balcony on the roof, but no garden.  We had a thousand questions, many of which had to wait till we took her to lunch yesterday as a thank you for storing our bikes.  Husband Ricardo is off working in Switzerland at a hotel, so we did not see him this time.  Being born and raised here on Sao Miguel, Carolina is a perfect person to answer questions of history and life on the island.  Much of what we gleaned from her will appear in future blogs.

Oh, the coverings over the car parks?  Sol Mar is an Azores based grocery chain and recently changed ownership.  The new group wanted to do something nice for their clients.  Now that is customer service.

What's new, Pussycat?

It was a catchy title, wasn't it.  And quite appropriate for today's post.  

One of the things that Ian especially has been waiting to see, is what has changed here since our last visit.  Not only has it been two years, but also a pandemic between our snapshots into the life of this island.

And, surprisingly, not much.  Carolina, who graciously stored our bicycles, told us that just 2 weeks after we left, basically everything on the island shut down.  This hotel where she works, was closed, as were the others on the island.   The police even drove up and down the streets telling people to stay home.  I gather it was quite like our experiences at home.

But now, the hotel is open again with some enhanced cleaning measures.  There is an interesting gadget at the front door that scans your temperature automatically.  One wears a mask inside everywhere except in the apartment itself.  At breakfast, you make your selections and serve yourself, but don't unmask until you sit down to eat.  The same routine goes for other restaurants and cafes.  There has been no checking at shops or restaurants for vax certificates.  

But we did do something different today.  We walked through a cemetery.  People are buried either in little houses with shelves for caskets inside, or, in underground crypts with large concrete slabs over the top with rings so that the tops can be opened.  The family plots are numbered and the rows designated to facilitate easy location.  And this is where the cats come in:  the place has shy felines roaming through it in greater density than we have seen anywhere else here.  

However, one item has struck us in our wanderings.  Two parking lots have been outfitted with large, heavy tent roofs above the spaces for cars.  At the grocery stores they even have lighting.  Were they to keep shoppers and their packages from the rain, or recognizing that people couldn't eat in the restaurants associated with these lots, were they for the convenience of eating in your car?  We will have to investigate further.

Looking Back

 I think this should be called, the dangers of looking back.  Especially when I now have 70 years to look back on, the tendency is to compare -- often unfavourably, the current situation with previous experiences.  I think, in many ways, we remember 'the good old days' quite differently than when we were in those times.  Perspective is a wonderful thing and a necessary thing to keep sanity and move on when going through rough times but let us remember that continually looking back, stops us from moving forward and embracing a future.  I guess that is what children and grandchildren do for us -- they keep us in the every moving present.

We are now on our eighth trip to Ponta Delgada and there is a wonderful familiarity about this hotel (5th stay),  the local cafes, the grocery stores, the fabulous gardens, and the walks, particularly along the ocean.  This trip we were upgraded in our 1 bedroom apartment to a larger apartment on the front of the building with a balcony looking straight onto the harbour 50 meters across the coastal road.  In addition, the layout of the suite has an extra bed off the living room, which I am using as a dressing area making it much easier to get dressed and go for a walk in the morning while Ian continues to sleep.  When checking in yesterday, I was given the card for this room and was somewhat apprehensive about the front of the building as it is over the main road.  But the door to the balcony is great for sound reduction and watching the harbour is fantastic.  Something new turned out even better than the old which we had really liked.  

I have to remind myself that I have not learned everything yet and positive surprises are still possible.  Looking at 70+, I am very mindful that this is now on the downward slope. But a brilliant rainbow still takes my breath away.