the turquoise trail

Week 2: My favourite part.. Going lobster fishing! Total miles.. 880 Day 5: Richmond, QC to  Rivière-du-Loup, QC 274 miles It was an early start for some this morning, as a water pipe was leaking from upstairs. I, however, managed to sleep right through it. Breakfas t at 7:30 included an interesting but surprisingly edible combination of porridge, peanut butter and bacon. Our Sunday church meeting was half English and half French, and proved to test just how rusty my French has gotten.  After a delicious lunch of spaghetti and caesar salad, I headed out towards Quebec City. It was a gorgeous day to be on the road, a sentiment echoed by the sheer number of bikes on the road (I counted 227). I arrived on Ile D'Orleans shortly before 4, where I had the opportunity to pull over for a minute. Unfortunately, that led to the discovery that the front straps holding my box on had broken. I decided I had best find a  hardware store before they all closed,...

{Wednesday October 8th} We got up around 7a for breakfast at 8a again this morning. We were served a delicious pancake breakfast with fresh fruit at our table overlooking St Finans Bay.  We left the B & B shortly before 9a, and headed around the southern part of the Ring of Kerry. We passed by Muckross House again, and decided to see if the timing for a tour would be any better today.  Ring of Kerry Sights It was, so we had a quick look around the gift shop and then began our guided tour of the house at 12p.  The house was built in 1847. We started our tour in the Victorian-era Dining room. The elaborate drapes were a gift from Queen Victoria when she visited in 1861, along with a large hand-carved, commissioned head board. The dining room table measures 6m x 2m.  All chandeliers in the house are Irish Waterford crystal, and many of tables and desks are traditional Killarney inlay furniture; they have very intricate designs inlaid in diff...

{Tuesday October 7} We got up around 7a this morning to get ready and have breakfast at 8a. The lady of the house here is very nice and offered us quite a selection of breakfast options. I had an apple and pear green tea (delish!), strawberry peach yogurt, and Irish soda bread with black currant jam.  We left our bed and breakfast around 9a to frosty window's and a chilly 4 degrees, and headed toward Mizen Head. We saw lots of rugged landscape, cows, and the end of the rainbow! We arrived shortly after 10a; the signal station and lookout points didn't open until 10:30a, so we walked down the road and through a field to admire the coastline. Thankfully it had warmed up to 12 and was quite nice for a walk.  Mizen Head When it opened, we bought our tickets and headed towards the signal house. We saw a couple lookouts and crossed the bridge which was extremely high. The shoreline was very steep, tall cliffs around the point and up the surrounding coastline. ...

{Sunday October 5th} We got up around 7a this morning to get ready and head back to the airport. We checked out of our room and called the airport to confirm that the bag had arrived, which it indeed has...  always a good sign.  We got to the airport shortly after 8a and I dropped Paul off to go and get the bag. It a was about 8:40a by the time we left the airport, but we were glad to have the bag back.   From the airport, we worked our way towards the south end of the city, passing through some very nice neighbourhoods  and past Aviva Stadium. We found a little newsstand/deli to get some breakfast, which was a bagel with some bacon (peameal), sausage and cheese on it. It was a little sketchy, but it tasted delicious and fit in with our quest to not eat anywhere "recognizable".   Dun Leary Pier From there we continued on towards Brighton Hall and got to Laura and Elliott's for church around 10a. We were able to borrow a pair of scissors ...

Since all Canadians know that summer isn't complete without a cottage getaway, I decided I would write a quick post about my favourite cottage destination ever.. Just north of Muskoka, Pointe au Baril is located amongst the 30000 islands on Georgian Bay, Ontario.  If you're unaccustomed to this Canadian summer tradition, I have compiled a checklist for you.. .. a boat ride out to the bay to watch the sunset: .. sleeping in, and waking up with a view like this: ..starting the day off with a hot cup of tea/coffee & reading on a deck like this: ..in general, taking in views like this: .. Muskoka chairs are a must; no experience is complete without them.  Also, a running jump off of a dock like this: .. those Georgian Bay sunsets, though.. just take it all in, possibly in the company of a good campfire, or dockside yoga: Other items of notable attraction.. .. Hole in the Wall - a short boat ride from Pointe au Baril, this is a narrow channel t...

{Sunday November 3} We got up at 5:30 this morning so that we would have time for breakfast before we leave at 6:30. The guy at the restaurant told me I can't take anything out of the restaurant when I tried to fill my water bottle with tea, but then he said that he just has to say that because there are cameras and he let me take it.  We left the hotel at on time at 6:30. Some of the others put their luggage on the bus too so that they wouldn't have to carry it on their flight. We have 830km to go today; Dr. T says it's 12 hours but I don't think it will take that long, especially since half of it is on a main highway.  Landscape en route to Istanbul We stopped around 8 for a quick bathroom break, and then stopped again shortly after 10 for a snack and a little longer break.  We stopped at a bakery where they were making all kinds of fresh breads, and got a plate of assorted bagels and buns. And of course.. cucumber, tomato and olives. Our driver needs...

{Saturday November 2} I got up around 7 this morning, had a shower and then we went to the dining room for breakfast. I was quite excited to see French toast this morning. After breakfast we went for a little walk out to the back of the hotel, where there is a really nice pool area.  We met our group at 8:15 to get our day started. We will have a very full day today so hopefully we can keep on schedule.  Fairy Chimneys of Goreme Our first stop this morning will be at the fairy chimneys of Goreme. The chimneys were formed by a volcano (2005m high) that erupted basalt stones and volcanic ash thousands of years ago.  The elements consumed the ash, but basalt is very hard so it remained.  The Christians carved out the rocks, forming churches and living in the rocks between the 4th and 14th century.  It is extremely unique landscape and really quite stunning. I feel like we barely had enough time to take it in, but most of the stops have been a whirl...