When I was a kid living in Vernon, we traveled by train quite frequently to visit family in Calgary. The absolute best way to travel I thought, as my brother and I could run up and down the cars creating havoc as small children sometimes do. Good Times! Then, somewhere along the line everything changed and taking the train became a thing of the past. That was until and few years ago when my husband and I were traveling home from Saskatoon and decided to spend a couple of days on the train.

One train ride and we were hooked!

For our first trip we had our own personal cabin which consisted of a couple of bunks, which folded down at night and up during the day to create space for seats, a sink and a toilet. 

This is a pic of a First Class cabin. Absolutely, a refined way to travel. The L shaped sofa would be folded down at night to create a bed. These luxurious cabins are complete with a fully equipped 3 piece bathroom and TV, while the Second Class cabins are smaller, no TV or shower and more simplistic. There are showers to use on the train for those of us not traveling in First Class.

This past summer we traveled home from Saskatoon by train again, but this time with our two kids. Instead of two cabins, we booked four Bunks. The pictures above show the bunk situation. During the day they are folded up to create head space and seats, while at night they fold down with an extra mattress on top for comfort and concealed behind heavy drapes that snap shut for privacy. Upper bunks are reached by a small ladder so consider this if you have mobility issues. We had both the upper and lower bunks booked so all the seats were ours. During the day the seats are easily slipped down so you can have a quick cat nap if you like. Also notice the space under the seat for luggage storage.

After this type of arrangement, your next step is a seat in economy class, but in economy, you lose the use of the dining car. 

Before you book your train ride, you must check out the last minute deals that come out every Tuesday on http://Via Rail Tuesday Deals. This is where we purchased all of our tickets and managed to save a bit of cashola.

Here’s What to Expect When you get on Board the Train.

If boarding at night or late evening like we did in Saskatoon, don’t worry, your car attendant will greet you, help with your luggage and show you to your quarters. The beds will already be made up with a pillow that is adorned with a chocolate treat and a complimentary shower bag. If your not quite ready to hit the sack, there are plenty of places to hang out and enjoy the ride.

After a cozy sleep in your bunk, and a quick freshening up in the morning you can head to the dining car for brunch. This is also when you will book your time for dinner that evening. Meals on the train are fabulous with a great variety to suit many dietary needs.

If you feel like just a quick snack early and prefer to wait for a later brunch, muffins, snacks and drink are available throughout the day in one of the lounging cars.

To stay entertained while traveling, you can enjoy the view from the observation car,

play some complimentary board games in one of the lounging cars,

enjoy live music performed by various entertainers or take in a wine tasting.

Of course you can always hang out in the bar car, have a drink and socialize while charging your electronics. Keep in mind alcohol is not included in your fare so have some cash on hand if you wish to indulge.

A completely stress free way to travel while still taking in the beautiful countryside that Canada has to offer.

Image Courtesy of flickr

Oh, and we may have tried a strudel or two.We visited the Court Church which houses the tomb of the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I who requested his place of rest be surrounded by his heroes and ancestors. For this reason, there are 28 lifelike bronze statues of kings, queens and persons of legend surrounding Maximilian’s tomb. The tomb itself is decorated with scenes from Maximilian’s life. We also took the ride up the Hungerburg Funicular and Gondola on what turned out to be less than ideal conditions. First shot is the view from the gondola as we made our way up the mountain while the second photo is at the top of the mountain range. Not sure if you can tell from the photo, but it was a little chilly on top of the mountain so after a few photos we headed into the restaurant where we could enjoy the view of clouds and fog from the warmth and comfort of our chairs while sipping hot chocolates.While we visited Innsbruck’s Olympic Ski Jumping facility we were fortunate enough to witness a ski jumper in action. Holy Crapoly, is all I have to say about that. Never in my life, would I, or could I, make myself go down that ramp and launch myself into the air with a couple of planks strapped to my feet. On top of watching the ski jumper, the facility also offers great views of Innsbruck and a restaurant. We however, did not indulge in the restaurant as we found it too pricey. Keep in mind though, that Paul opted to save .50 cents Canadian by not having air-conditioning in our vehicle on a 1 1/2 hour drive in the heat of Sri Lanka. Trust me, we only made that mistake once and we still tease Paul about that one.
After Innsbruck, we made our way through Germany on the legendary Autobahn to reach the town of Strasbourg which is situated right on the border of Eastern France and Germany. Here we spent two nights at an Equestrian school. Lydia loved being surrounded by horses again and this guy was her favorite due to the stache he was sporting.While in Strasbourg, when we were not with the horses, we visited the Notre Dame de Strasbourg and made the dizzying climb of over 300 hundred steps on a spiral staircase to the top where we were met with outstanding city views.We also went on a quaint walk through La Petite France which is a very historic and beautiful part of Strasbourg.And a lovely boat tour of the city. The vessel itself was pretty high-tech and as I sat behind the Captain and watched him man the ship, I began to wonder if I was actually on the S.S. Enterprise. All we needed was Leonard Nimoy (AKA Spock) narrating on the headsets. That, and maybe one or two less sleeping seniors on the bridge.After a couple of nights in Strasbourg, we headed North West to the town of Verdun where we stayed in an old house in the french countryside. Paul’s favorite thing about this place was the record player and the hundred classic albums to choose from for his listening pleasure.The Verdun area is filled with WWI history and during our 3 night stay in the area, we decided to check out some historic battlefields, monuments and Museums. On our second day we decided to take a 9 km hike through a battlefield site. When we researched the trail system online, it said that the trails were not well marked, but you know, we figured an old Park Ranger and a Navigational Officer for the Coast Guard should be able to fare quite well, so off we went. Alas, our intended 9km loop trail turned into a 5 1/2 hour, 20 to 25 km excursion into the woods. The kids were real happy with us. To further add to the kids pain, the following day we did a 15 km loop trail through the french countryside that went past historic churches, farmland, small villages and WWI bunkers. I can’t tell how happy the kids were when we came around the bend and saw the church where we had parked the car. 
After Verdun, we drove to Paris and spent the night by the airport. Early the following morning, with two very excited kids, we hopped on a plane headed for home. First though, we would make a stop in Iceland for the day to spend some time at the Blue Lagoon.Absolutely fantastic way to spend the afternoon and just for the record, this is the one and only shot you will ever see on this website of me in a swimsuit. So, I wanted to leave you with a shot of Lydia eating her long awaited White Spot burger which she did have at the Vancouver Airport as soon as we landed, but after 2 bites of her burger, she fell asleep on her backpack. I guess 20 hours of travelling wiped her out. So instead, I leave you with a shot of Greenland that Callum took from the Plane while we flew over.

Extraordinary family adventure for the right amount of time. We were all ready to hop on that flight and be back home surrounded by places and people we love.

Of course no trip would be complete without trying the baked goods.

On the third day, we made our way to Florence by train where we literally walked around the city for over 7 hours. So much to see and do here. Here are a few shots we took while taking in the sights of Florence.

Kids favorite statue in Florence and quite possibly all of Italy was in the Boboli Gardens. Oddly enough, it is a statue of the god of wine. Not sure why he is riding on the back of a tortoise.

After a long day in Florence we were all pretty exhausted, so the next day we decided to make the low-key 45 minute drive to the quiet little mountainous town called Volterra. Neat little town and for those that are not huge Twilight fans, I will tell you that this is the town from which the very powerful Volturi Vampire family comes from. I know, I know, nobody else was excited about this but me. I even wanted to have a twilight movie night after our visit…everyone said no.

Nothing scary about this little town except for the Torture Museum. Lydia and I decided to hang at the cafe and visit with some of the local pets while Paul and Callum checked out the museum. A bit too gory for us gals. Froofy vampire movies are one thing, but real life means of human torture…no thank you.

Volterra also has the remains of an ancient Roman Amphitheater. Too Cool! Can you imagine what went on here back in the day?

We kept it pretty low-key again the following day and went to the nearby town called Vinci. This town is home to the Vinci museum and the church next to the bell tower in the photo is where Leonardo da Vinci was baptised in April 1452. The small farm-house where Leonardo was born is 3 km up the road from the museum.

The museum is filled with models and drawings of Leonardo’s inventions.

Last on the agenda was a drive through Chianti region and a visit to Siena. As with many Tuscan towns, it is like stepping back in time when visiting.

Tuscany was everything I was hoping it would be. Beautiful countryside, Cypress tree-lined estates, sprawling vineyards, romantic castles and historical sites. What else could you ask for.

After 10 days, we now have to say arrivederci to Italy and Hallo to Innsbruck, Austria where we will hang our hats for 5 days.

Cadaques is just lovely. It all starts with a winding mountainous climb and descent through olive groves and ocean vistas. A beautiful little town that one could meander around for days and days. Uniform whitewashed buildings with terracotta tiled roofs, gorgeous beaches, quaint seaside restaurants and amazing little shops. Of course I would be remiss if I did not mention that Salvador Dali had his home here and spent much of his life in this charming area. The Dali home, has since his death, been turned into a museum offering a peek into the personal life of this Spanish Artist.The Dali studio inside his home. Two paintings stand unfinished.
The exterior of the house where one could easily describe as outrageous and sometimes downright bizzare. I would expect nothing less.

A fantastic week with fantastic friends.

Now we are on our way back to France as we make our way towards Italy.

The last I left you, we had finished our week on the Canal Du Midi. From there, we drove to the Country of Andorra in the middle of the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain where we were welcomed by our friend and gracious host Christina.

On our first day in Andorra we decided to head up into the Andorran Mountains for some Alpine trekking. We got out of the car touched the snow, which we had not seen in well over a year, shivered a bit, took a few pictures and then hopped back into the warmth of our car. After a full year of sunshine and hot, hot weather our bodies went into shock with this new climate. My Sri Lankan cotton top and Balinese scarf were just not cutting it so we decided to drive down the mountain for a hike without the white stuff.

Ah, now that’s more like it for us ill-equipped fair weathered folk.

Christina lent us a book on identifying local wildflowers for our hike which turned out to be a hit with Lydia. she loved looking up every flower we came across. Which, by the way, were plentiful.

On one of our excursions we came across a couple of stone buildings. I got out of the car to grab a few snapshots accompanied by Lydia, who quickly decides she wants to go inside and check out the buildings. Uh uh…mama aint going in there. The buildings were pitch black inside and to top things off, there were some clothes stacked in the window, which at first glance, I thought was a large doll…too creepy for this gal. When I get back into the car I tell Paul and Callum that Lydia wanted to go in, but I was too scared to take her. Well, being the Macho, Macho Man that Paul is, he says “Too scared! Bwah, I`ll go in!”. So Paul gets out of the car, slowly walks up to the smaller of the two buildings, has a quick peek inside the door, does an about-face and heads right back to the safety of our vehicle. In the end, no one entered the buildings, but we came up with some really creepy scenarios as we drove away.

Andorra is filled with beautiful villages, landscapes and fresh mountain water that cascades through the towns. No need to buy water here, just bring your water bottle with you and filler up as needed.

On one of the days while we visited Andorra, we went to the village of Arinsal where our good peeps from Nanaimo used to call home. We also spent some time in the Modern Centre of Andorra which is quite beautiful with loads of shopping, both new and historical buildings and interesting monuments. Unfortunately, for our trip into the town of Andorra we forgot the camera. I know right!

Thanks Christina for a wonderful stay in Andorra. We had a magnificent time with you, your family and friends. Preciosa!

Next on the Agenda we head to Spain to meet up with friends from home.

Our home on the water, rented from Nicole’s, was well equipped with two bedrooms, bikes, BBQ, lawn chairs, fully stocked kitchen and of course, a complimentary bottle of wine.

Testing out the equipment

Now it was just us and the Canal for the next 7 days and 116 km to Port Lauragais.

Along the way we saw many beautiful towns,

including the famous fortified town of Carcassonne which dates back to the Roman Empire (3rd and 4th centuries),

gorgeous homes,

bridges and aqueducts,

and stunning vistas of Frances countryside.

We also saw a few animals on route. Lydia and Callum loved feeding the birds from the boat as we made our way along the Canal.

While enjoying all the beautiful scenery, we also had to get through 61 locks. The original purpose of the Canal was to link the Mediterranean Sea with the Atlantic Ocean. A huge vision and undertaking, especially for the times. After some intense planning and construction the Canal was filled with water and officially opened for transport in 1681. Since it’s opening, amazingly, the Canal has operated uninterrupted for more than 3 centuries.

Once we arrived at the lock stations, we would pull over so I could jump off the boat and then meet the family inside the lock.

Here’s the family bringing the boat into the lock. Once inside, Paul and Callum would toss me the bow and stern lines to ensure the boat was safely secured while the water rushed in. In this lock we were alone, but a lock station can hold up to 4 boats and depending on who was travelling with you, these stations could be quite entertaining. Lets just say they have good reason to put fenders all around the boats. We told Nicole’s that Paul worked for the “Canadian” Coast Guard so they gave us a couple extra precautionary fenders. Joking of course…in reality, Paul did a stand up job navigating the canal and the locks.

The majority of the locks we went through had a lock keep that controlled the gates, a station house and sometimes a little shop to buy local wine. We never wanted for wine that’s for sure.

Some of the lock Keeps added a bit of personal flair to their stations.

We also met some furry friends while we waited for the locks to fill so we could carry on upstream.

Everyone got an opportunity to man the wheel and Lydia even brought the boat into one of the locks.

Callum’s big request was to have one really fancy dinner while we were in France and it was here that he decided to try Lamb for the first time. Shocking to me, it was a hit!

And with that, I leave you with my favorite picture of Paul from our travels so far. A bike, a basket, a baguette and a bottle of wine. Living the dream Paul…living the dream.

We have now left France and are staying with a friend in the Beautiful country of Andorra.

Our first stop in France was Paris for 4 nights. Our little cottage on the canal ( https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1487419 ) was outside the city centre, but all the sites of Paris were easily accessible by train. We loved having the canal in our backyard where we could go for strolls or ride the complimentary bikes provided by the owner of the cottage. When we were not at the canal, we were out exploring some of the highlights of Paris.

Notre Dame

The Locks of Paris where sweethearts profess their undying love, put the lock on bridge and throw the key into the Seine River.

The Louvre where we saw Mona Lisa’s Smile.

Making our way towards the Eiffel Tower.

And finally reaching the Eiffel Tower.

Me and my boy

For me, the Palace of Versailles was truly magnificent with all the fabulous architectural details and furniture styles that have continued to influence the world of design tremendously. So much history at this Palace, it is remarkable to me. We saw the very door where Marie Antoinette, wife of Louis XVI, made her escape when the angry mob reached the Palace during the French Revolution. Alas, even though she escaped that night, the outcome was the same as Marie’s head said farewell to her body by means of Guillotine on October 16, 1793 in front of a very pleased crowd that much like the Queen of Hearts from Alice in Wonderland, yelled “off with her Head!”…only I imagine they were speaking French of course.

And after you are shuffled along through the Palace, shoulder to shoulder with all the other visitors, you enter the wide open gardens. Beautiful!

After Paris, we hopped in our rented car and headed west for the countryside and a little stone cottage (http://www.vrbo.com/1036718a) in the heart of Normandy where we would call home for 1 week. Driving around France has gone relatively painless with the help of Gartha Periwinkle Sampson (also known as an in-car navigation system or GPS). Seriously, with all the roundabouts and narrow country roads I think Paul and I would have killed each other by now if it wasn’t for the GPS. So thank-you Gartha.

Visiting the animals around the cottage.

Visiting the towns around the cottage. Saint Sever was the closest town and where we bought all our necessities, but bigger centres like Avranges and Villedieu Des Poeles complete with castles and medieval courtyards were close by.

Mothers Day at Mont St Michel.

One of the reasons for staying in the Normandy area was to visit Juno Beach and the Canadian run Museum. Upon arriving at the museum, we were greeted by a young man from Vancouver. Paul jokingly asked if there was a Whitespot close by which lead us fellow British Columbians into a lengthy conversation about how we were all hitting the Spot for a burger as soon as we hit Canadian soil. The young Canadians hired to run the museum and tours are fabulous. We did a tour of the site and while we visited, the tide was out, much like it was the morning of June 6, 1944 and it was clear just what a challenge the soldiers faced trying to find cover from enemy fire.

Inside the German-made bunkers.

We spent an emotional day learning history and paying tribute to all the Soldiers that fought then and today to preserve our lives as we know them.

We also visited the Abbey of Hambye which dates back to the 12th century. The Abbey is a wonderful insight to the life of a Benedictine Monk during 12th and 13th Century France.

A 13th century fresco on the wall of the Chapter House depicting Jesus washing the disciples feet.

A 15th century statue which was made of wood and painted.

Much like Marie Antoinette much of the abbey did not survive the French Revolution. Most of what is seen today has been restored to its original form with the exception of the Cathedral Hall itself which still stands as a ruin and a beautiful example of Norman Gothic Architecture.

The Chateau de Pirou, the oldest castle in the Normandy area, dating back to the 12th century.

As the French legend goes, the Normans attacked the castle and in order to escape, Lord Pirou and his family used a wizards book to change themselves into Geese. While they were successful in escaping their Scandinavian foes, they were not successful in changing back to human form and spent the rest of their days as geese.

La Roche Aux Fees or The Rock of Ferries are huge rocks set in place during the Stone Ages to form a Dolman or portal grave. At this particular megalith site the stones are so large and heavy that it is said they had to be put in place by ferries.

After a week in Normandy we have moved South. We are now staying at a beautiful house on the Canal de Garonne (https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/1266466). About an hour South East of Bordeaux so you know what that means…Wine Country. Any weight I may have lost in the heat of Asia has now found me again. The baguette, cheese and wine diet is killer on the waistline, but oh so pleasing to the palate.

Boating down the Canal de Garonne.

Next on the agenda is a week living onboard a boat while we float down the Canal Du Midi.

and the fellow selling Simit (similar to sesame Bagel) off the top of his head.

As we sat people watching in our new environment and enjoying our complimentary Turkish Tea at The Vintage House Apartments we were a little surprised when a flock of sheep made their way through the narrow streets along with people, cats, dogs and cars. Welcome to Istanbul!

The view from our apartment.

The front door to our apartment complex.

Everyday during our 8 day visit in Istanbul, we headed up to Taksim Shopping Plaza with the hordes of other tourists and shopped, ate, hopped on transit bound for new destinations or loaded up on the kids favorite treat in Turkey…Turkish Delights.

Turkish food is absolutely incredible.

Of course while in Taksim, we had to stop and see the iconic sites of St. Anthony of Padua, the largest Catholic Church in Istanbul and the Galata Tower.

To cross the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus Straight which separate both Taksim from Sultanahmet and the Asian side from the European side, we tried it all from walking across the bridge, hopping on a ferry or taking the train. All of which proved to be equally viable options for getting around in Istanbul.

While in Sultanahmen we checked out the Grand Bazaar, one of the biggest and oldest covered markets in the world. There are over 3,000 stalls in the Bazaar and somewhere between 250,000 to 400,000 shoppers…crazy busy! We did not buy a thing from the market as we were told “things” are cheaper elsewhere. We also checked out the Spice Market, where I did have to buy a few “things”.

And no trip to Istanbul would be complete without a visit to the famous Blue Mosque, the Sophia Hagia and the Aqueducts.

Sorry my Hofman friends, we found out Holland is not the Tulip capital of the world as we once believed.  We visited Istanbul during a beautiful time when millions of Tulips are in bloom and every park is set aglow with colour.

Next I give you some random shots of Istanbul.

Local women enjoying the sunshine on a warm spring afternoon. With 99.8% of the population registered as Muslim in Turkey it is very common to see women wearing the Hijab. As our family has been travelling the world, we have seen many different Hijab styles and I have to say, some of the Turkish scarves are true works of art. Traditionally, Turkish women wear the hair in a high bun under the scarf which elongates the head. The scarves are an opaque material usually made from silk or satin and sometimes adorned with beautiful patterns. They almost always fall to a point in the middle of the back. Super High Fashion in Istanbul and the hijab style reflects that.

Also on our travels, we have seen a number of stray cats and dogs and that trend continued in Istanbul. The noticeable difference in Istanbul however, is the condition of the animals. I mean elsewhere, we have seen some animals in really appalling condition, but in Istanbul all the strays seem to be well taken care of and by that I mean a bit portly. So much so in fact, that at first I did not think they were strays. Everyone in the community seems to take care of the animals and we jumped onboard that wagon and fed the cats while we made our way around Istanbul. Lydia loved that!

The government has a catch, vaccinate, spay/neuter, tag and release program in place in hopes of decreasing the number of stray dogs in Istanbul. You can see the very noticeable tag in the dog’s ear.

And with that, I leave you with this guy. Not sure what is going on here, but it gave us all a good chuckle.

As soon as we hit the grasslands inside the park boundary we could see the lovely Sri lankan Sambar Deer grazing and were even treated to a close encounter by the trailhead.

Before you enter Horton Plains National Park you have to pay the entrance fee of 20 American Dollars. The preservation of this National Park is extremely high and this is clearly evident when all persons and bags are searched in order to weed out any plastics (aside from drinking bottles) or flammables. Beware smokers, this is a nonsmoking trail and they do confiscate all lighters and matches upon entry. Obviously not an issue for us, but could result in some not so thrilled hikers.

The 9 km loop trail is a mixture of surfaces and scenery through montane grasslands and cloud forest. Often the clouds and mist role in by early afternoon so it is best to get an early start to the day as the views are amazing when clear.

The huge drop and scenery at Mini World’s End and World’s End is truly breathtaking.

Other animals we saw while visiting were the Horned and Green Lizard. You have to look real hard to see the Green Lizard, both in the wild and in this photo.

One more look at the Sambar Deer before we leave the Park.

Make sure to stop and visit Ambewela Dairy Farm on your way back to Nuwara Eliya. If you don’t have time to visit the farm, just grab some fresh yogurt to go…trust me it’s worth the stop.

After our stay in Nuwara Eliya we drove down through the mountains towards the town of Tissamaharama (Tissa). We chose this location due to its close proximity to a couple of National Parks that we wanted to visit.

As you make your way from Nuwara Eliya to Tissa, the town of Ella is a nice quiet village to break for a coffee and snack. Quite a touristy spot, so though small, there is a good variety of food options here. We stopped at the Good Cafe and had the best coffee we’d had in days. Another spot of interest just outside of Ella, is Ella Falls. The picture above is the view of the falls from the highway.

And as you are cruising from place to place in Sri Lanka, don’t be surprised at what you will see on the road.

On one 94 km drive we counted 126 dogs on the side of the road. Surprisingly, given the driving scene in Sri Lanka, 125 were alive. Trust me when I say drivers here are crazy! A common element it would seem, across Asia.

We stayed at Elephant Stay Guesthouse (http://elephantcampguest.blogspot.com.tr/) in Tissa for a few days while we explored the nearby Udawalawe and Yala National Parks. Our host family was truly wonderful and prepared some of the best home cooked meals I have ever eaten, including Water Buffalo Curd drizzled with Coconut Honey.

While the main drag of Tissa is quite busy, the side streets offer a much more relaxed, mellow experience. One thing is for certain in Sri Lanka, if there is a body of water, there will be people swimming.

To visit the National Parks in the area we booked jeep safari trips through Ajith Safari Tours (http://www.yalawild.com/).

Our first jeep safari was to Udawalawe National Park. We loved this early morning safari through the park and this is where my dreams of watching Elephants in the wild were realized.

Watching the females and young Elephants was truly magnificent and I could have observed them for hours. The big males, on the other hand, were a totally different experience. This is the last picture I captured of these two males as the one closest to the road started to charge the Jeep. From that point on I was too busy looking backwards to see where the jeep was going in reverse as quickly as possible. We happened to be visiting while the males were in musth (looking for females) and during this time they can be very aggressive and unpredictable. A real threat, as on average 50 people are killed a year by Elephants in Sri Lanka. Okay, so we laughed about it afterwards, but I have to confess, my heart was pounding out of my chest when that bull was coming at us and even though the Asian Elephant is smaller than its African Cousin, those suckers are HUGE!!

As well as Elephants, we saw a variety of wildlife including; Fish Eagles, Serpent Eagles, Hawk Eagles, Bee Catchers, oodles of Peacocks, Crocodiles and Spotted Deer.

We also watched this Long tailed Macaque walk around on his hind legs in the grass. Our guide figured he was on high alert due to snakes which are not only deadly for monkeys here, but people as well.

On top of the wildlife, the scenery at Udawalawe is beautiful.

The following day we went on our second early morning jeep safari to the coastal Yala Natioanl Park. At Yala we saw more Elephants and other wildlife, but sadly no Sloth Bears or Leopards were to be seen.

Much like Udawalawe, we saw a variety of birds and crocodiles, but at Yala, we also saw Wild Boar…

and Land Monitors. The burl on this tree makes a perfect home for a young Land Monitor.

After Tissa and exploring the parks, we headed towards to the fort city of Galle stopping at Mirissa and Tangalle beaches for a dip and a rest.

We also stopped to see a Buddha that was constructed after the Tsunami of 2004. This Buddha was built specifically for the people to visit and mourn the lost and pray that nothing like that will happen in Sri Lanka again. I truly hope their prayers are answered.

Then we reached Galle Fort which is where we would call home for the next 3 nights. The guesthouse we stayed in was 125 years old and was built by the grandfather of our host family. One morning here we tried a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast of Coconut Sambal (top left), Hoppers (middle), Dahl (bottom right), Wood Apple Jam and my favorite, Vadai (bottom left).

The town inside the Galle Fort is gorgeous and rich with history and is now considered a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort was first built in 1588 by the Portuguese who were then defeated in the 17th century by the Dutch who extended its fortification. Subsequnetly, the Dutch were defeated by the Birtish Empire who maintained control of Galle and Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) until Febuary 4, 1948.

Inside the fort the roads are narrow and quiet. Great for walking around and discovering all the nooks and crannies of this historical town.

On top of being a perfectly quiet spot, Galle Fort is also close to many beaches like Unawatuna where one can escape from the summer heat. Absolutley gorgeous beaches in the area!

With our time in galle at an end we headed for the train station to start our trip North towards Colombo where we would catch our flight to Turkey and say farewell to Sri lanka. Such a wonderful visit to a wonderful country. For an island about double the size of Vancouver Island and a population of 20.48 million, Sri Lanka has done a wonderful job at preserving their natural habitat.

Good-bye Sri Lanka, I hope we shall one day meet again.

Paul and the kids, including Sophie, gave presentations about themselves to a group of approximately 75 year 1 and year 3 students.

One of the best things about visiting the schools is meeting the students.

Our final night in Kuala Lumpur was spent with family and was highlighted by Chelsea, who seemed to be smiling from the time we arrived until the moment we left. Chelsea just finished another round of chemo a few days prior so it was such a blessing to see her natural demeanour before we departed.

Saying good-bye to Malaysia, we hopped on our four hour flight to Colombo, the capital city of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka for me is paradise, though we did arrive in the middle of summer so Colombo was at its hottest, highs of around 32-34 daily. Our apartment was in a perfect location, close to Viharamhadevi Park, Race Course Mall, The National Museum and lovely little cafe’s like The Barefoot Cafe and shop.

Viharamahadevi Park (also known as Victoria Park) is a well used park in the heart of Colombo. It was one of our favorite stops in the middle of the afternoon to sit under a shade tree and escape from the heat of the day. Lydia loved spending time with the ducks, but there were loads of other sites to take in at this park.

Hordes of big Fruit Bats in the trees. I mean these suckers are huge…they put our little Swallow sized bats in Canada to shame. Luckily, they only eat fruit and never fly low to the ground. Sadly, we did see a baby bat that had fallen from the tree that would surely perish, but apart from hand raising it ourselves, there was nothing we could do. Our guide said the mother will never come down to save it. Sad for the little fellow, but no shortage of fruit bats let me tell you.

Ant nests in the trees. These ants don’t bite, but if you touch the nest, they all swarm to that location.

The Sala or Cannonball Tree is a beautiful tree that has great importance in the Buddhists community. It is believed that lord Buddha was born, enlightened and died under this type of tree. If you look closely at the flower, you will notice the very recognizable dome in the centre that is commonly used in many buddhist structures. The top half of the flower curves over to protect this dome from all the outside elements. We also found a Cinnamon Tree and every part of that tree smelled good enough to eat!

Of course no stay in Sri Lanka would be complete without watching a Cricket match by the Race Course Mall.

The National Museum was under renovation so many of the exhibit areas were closed, but what we were able to see was very cool. All the exhibits were written in English which was great for us, but unfortunately for us, it was not air-conditioned, so not the ideal location to hide from the heat like we were hoping.

The taxidermy portion of the museum was a little ghoulish, complete with a two-headed, four-footed goat.

Most of the exhibits in the taxidermy section appear to have been done in the 1960’s. It was like taking a step back in time.A fresh glass of house made Ginger Beer is a must if visiting The Barefoot Cafe in Colombo. The shop is filled with Sri Lankan made goods, but alas limited space kept purchases to a minimum again.

In jogjakarta it was the Becak, in Vietnam it was the Cyclo, now our new mode of transport is the Tuk Tuk.

After a few nights in Colombo we boarded a train to Kandy. Turns out we were travelling during the Sri Lankan New Year so the train was packed, but we did manage to score some tickets in first class. Even though it was assigned seating, it was complete mayhem when we boarded. All of our assigned seats were taken and the people occupying them down right refused to move. I noticed a man in street clothes at the back of the car that everyone appeared to be yelling at so I assumed he worked for the train. I showed him our tickets and explained that people were in our seats. He told me “they would simply have to move”. I said, “I know they had to, but they were not”, so he had a go at it. A bit more successful than us, he at least got 3 of the 4 seats back. Nobody had the heart to move the elderly lady in my spot so I sat in the seat beside her.

I love this sign at the Kandy Train Station.

Our place in Kandy was a perfect spot for us and it even came equipped with a family of monkeys. It was a two minute stroll to Kandy Lake and a lovely walk around the lake to the Sacred Tooth Temple.

No walk around the lake would be complete without a couple of Water Monitor sightings.

The Sacred Tooth Temple in Kandy is said to house an actual tooth of Lord Buddha. The Temple was very busy while we were visiting due to the Sri Lankan New Year, but we timed our visit between special ceremonies when it was less busy.

Flower offerings for Buddha.

Just as the Temple was busy due to the New Year, the town of Kandy was super quiet. Most of the shops were closed for the holiday with an additional one day of mourning for a revered Chief Prelate Buddhist Monk that had passed away mid April 2015. The streets were adorned with orange cloth in memoriam.

Another shout out to my pals at the Salvation Army.

It seems fire crackers are in order when celebrating the New Year in Sri Lanka so we got into the festivities and fired off a few of these bad boys ourselves.

Our favorite street food in Kandy was Veg Samosas and Naan wraps served in reused sheets of loose leaf paper. Looks like math homework to me.

Our big outing from Kandy was a 2 hour drive North to Sigiriya Rock. According to legend, King kasyapa built his palace on top of this rock and named the area the new capital of Sri Lanka in 477 – 495 CE. About half way up the rock the king had a giant lion gate built around the entrance. Today, the only remnants of the lion are the feet.

The climb to the top of Sigiriya after the Lion Gate.

The Frescoes or paintings at Sigiriya would have at one time covered a large portion of this rock, but have since been lost. There is still however, some paintings left on the ceiling of Cobra Hood Cave. All you have to do is climb a spiral metal staircase attached to the side of the rock to get to it. For two fellows afraid of heights that is no easy feat, but both would agree, well worth it.

At the base of the climb we came across a snake charmer.

After Kandy, we moved along to Nuwara Eliya and the famous Sri Lankan Tea Plantations. Along the three hour drive we stopped to see some beautiful sites.

A tour of the Glenloch Tea Factory. This was once a Scottish owned Tea Factory established in the 1800’s, but has since been turned over to the people of Sri Lanka.

A wee spot of tea to complete our visit.

We stopped to watch these guys collecting Avocado’s on the side of the road. What you don’t see is the guy way, way up in the tree. He picks the avo’s and tosses them down to the guy with the white material strapped to two sticks who then catches them. A couple misses…instant guacamole, but overall pretty affective. Paul said of all the jobs of the three guys down there, he’d take the one of the guy sitting on his bike texting.

The stunning Ramboda Falls and valley.

At the end of the steep climb we completed our drive in Nuwara Eliya at Misty Mountain Villas ( http://www.mistymountainvillas.com/ ). Upon arrival we were greeted with some lovely tea and ginger snap cookies.

We had a quiet, secluded sitting area with a great view of the town below. Reyal, our host and owner of Misty Mountain Villas was fabulous. He Made sure all our needs were met and arranged safe drivers for all our outings.

We all love Sri Lanka. Based on its natural beauty alone would be enough reason to visit this country, but the people are just so very lovely. I could not say enough wonderful things about Sri Lanka. We love, love, love it!

Over the next week we will visit some National Parks in the Southern portion of the Island and then head West for the fort town of Galle.