Feb 12, 2020 - All the Way Home

We were up early today and had breakfast in the Neptune Lounge. We returned to our room to await the disembarkation call. This soon came and we went downstairs and straight off the ship - quite a contrast to the chaos of the end of the last cruise. We picked up our luggage and cleared US immigration - at least he looked at our passports and compered our faces with the picture, unlike the previous time. We went outside and were directed to the shuttle which was waiting. We were the only passengers and were soon - too soon - at the airport...

Feb 1, 2020 - Vancouver (In Transit)

@@@@@@@ KAPOORS ON THE ROAD At first we balked at the idea of leaving Victoria in the middle of the afternoon when our flight out of Seattle wasn’t until shortly after midnight on Feb 2nd. However, I pointed out to Anil that we would be awake all day anyway so we might as well be on the move. Besides, by starting in Victoria instead of flying a day early to Seattle, we were able to take another suitcase with us at no extra charge. In fact, we could have each taken one, but we didn’t have that many stuff to pass along to family in...

Feb 1, 2020 - Time To Hit The Road Once Again!

@@@@@@@ KAPOORS ON THE ROAD When we’ve flown to Asia in the past several years, we usually try to leave from Seattle (it’s easier to find points tickets from there – and the taxes are lower too). We like to leave a day early and spend the night near the airport because it can be tricky getting off Vancouver Island because of winter storms. The flights between Victoria and Seattle utilize small planes and they are often grounded if the winds are too strong. Ditto with the ferries. However, after booking our tickets to Delhi out of Seattle,...

Jan 30, 2020 - Vancouver Is a Perfect Summertime Destination

Vancouver, British Columbia is a Canadian city that comes alive in the summer. Whether you're Canadian, or from over the border, it's worth giving it a visit or even designating it as your chosen vacation getaway. There's a lot to see and do, both indoors and outdoors, so here's a taste to pique your interest. What can you expect? The Beaches Taking a beach trip is a summertime staple, and Vancouver does not disappoint in this arena. Most of the waterfront was reclaimed by the city, so it is kept accessible and pristine, and many beaches...

Jan 24, 2020 - Taking a Family Trip to Rainy Vancouver

I recently took a family trip to Vancouver. If you are at all familiar with the weather there, you are probably not surprised that it rained a lot of the time. Fortunately, we were ready for this. Our preparation and research helped us to enjoy a full vacation even with the less-than-ideal weather. It may not be sunning on the beach, but visiting Vancouver in the rain can be a lot of fun. Getting Ready To Travel This is where your vacation to Vancouver can be made or broken. Obviously, packing weather appropriate clothes is important....

Jan 14, 2020 - Frozen departure

January 14 We woke to a radio programme asking listeners to take a picture of the temperature displayed in their car, but only if it were below -30. I think the winner was one showing -43.5. Needless to say, we were not relishing the prospect of the trip out to the airport, but that was overshadowed by the prospect of Toronto being just below freezing and Florida being in the mid to high 20s. We did the last minute things around the house, turned off the water, set the thermostat to hold the same temperature 24 hours a day, unplug the water...

Nov 23, 2019 - Start out the right way

We left home and headed to the airport. Our wonderful friend Kylie got us a room for the night at the Renaissance Hotel at the Edmonton International airport. Once settle in we headed down to the Halo lounge for dinner. We had caesars to start then I had tomato soup that was excellent. Elton had the butter chicken, which was great. Then bed time. The rooms are wonderful and the beds are the best.

Nov 13, 2019 - I ♥ Victoria!

@@@@@@@ KAPOORS ON THE ROAD It’s always good to come back to our island home after time travelling overseas. We love Victoria’s little airport, even now that it’s not as little as it was when we first started coming to visit our daughter Adia. We are grateful for the fresh air on the west coast, especially after having to spent a week in Delhi during what was one of the city’s worst pollution events ever. It was so bad that news agencies around the world were reporting on how awful it was. Fortunately, we had a couple of days in Mumbai...

Nov 13, 2019 - Vancouver (In Transit)

@@@@@@@ KAPOORS ON THE ROAD After seven weeks away, it was great to be in striking distance of ‘our island home’ in Victoria. We had a couple of hours between flights which meant we weren’t feeling rushed to get through immigration and customs and make our way to the domestic departure gates. This was the very first time that we had to interrupt our travel plans because of unforeseen circumstances. Once we are settled and over our jetlag, I will try to make a claim on our Trip Interruption insurance provided through our credit card. Fingers...

Oct 31, 2019 - Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont

We left Wells, Maine to drive # a along the seashore as far north as Portland, Maine. Trees were all shades of red, yellows and green. They had not lost their leaves. In many places houses lined the shore. A pparently Canadians make this area their summer home particularly those from Quebec. We had awakened to cloud that soon lifted. The majority of the day was spent in sunshine. Today we both drove. I had not driven since Nashville. At Portland we turned inland to drive through the Appalachians. They are not as high as the Rockies. Still...

Oct 20, 2019 - Last blog - Reflections on our journey.

When I travel, I find it is important to spend time reflecting on my journey and what I learned and experienced. So here are some of my thoughts and reflections I would like to share with you. Terrorism and Security - At all historic sites in both Paris and Italy, there was a heavy police and military presence. These were armed men who strolled among the crowds. This is part of the EU’s security compliance requirements. At all sights we had to go through security screening similar to our airports. On the one hand, it was reassuring to see....

Oct 17, 2019 - My 5 Recommendations for your next trip to Toronto

To kick off my first contribution, I’m giving my 5 must see recommendations for your next trip to Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Skating at Nathan Philips Square Toronto takes a lot of heat from us for its cold winters; rightly so. However, visiting Toronto in the winter is actually an amazing experience, and also a beautiful time to see the city. On my last trip I stayed at the Sheraton, just a block from Nathan Philips Square. A friend of mine brought me a spare pair of skates and we spent the better part of an evening enjoying coffee and the...