Well Folks, what an adventure we’ve had over the past 3 months. We’ve visited some amazing cities and fantastic natural wonders in what has undoubtedly been the trip of a lifetime. However as they say, all good things must come to an end and this will be our final blog from overseas as we head home tomorrow evening, arriving back in Edinburgh on Friday.
These past few days in NY have been especially memorable. As many of you will already have heard, I popped the big question to Emma in Central Park on Monday and thankfully she said yes! So it looks like we will be embarking on another amazing journey even before we get back home.
We have spent the past few days celebrating in style with some champagne in a revolving restaurant overlooking the Manhattan skyline and dining in the River Café under the Brooklyn Bridge. This was followed by a wee trip to the jewellers (you may have heard of it, Tiffany’s) to buy a ring. I don’t think we could have had a more fitting finale to our trip. Plus it also gives us the perfect excuse to return to NY which is undoubtedly our favourite city in the world (apart from Edinburgh and Dundee, obviously).
Despite being sad about the prospect of our travels coming to an end, we are both looking forward to getting back home to catch up with family and friends. Emma has promised to write a few post-trip blogs to cover any final thoughts about our travels, given a bit of time for reflection. So be prepared for a few lists covering the top five cities we’ve visited, the top five activities we’ve undertaken, the top five ways to annoy Ricky on a long haul flight etc. I am certain however that the travel blog may now turn into the wedding blog and how not to organise one!!!!
Before signing off, I just thought I’d say a few thank-you’s: to Rikki and Ali for looking after wee Ronnie for the past few months, he has been in great hands and will be very huffy to return to edinburgh; to Jim and Russell for keeping an eye on our flat (hope you managed to get a good price for it); and to Ian for keeping an eye on the Megane and my folks for putting up with having Emma’s Polo in the driveway.
So we shall say goodbye for now but we look forward to catching up with you all soon and to you helping us raise a glass to the future.
Ricky
P.S. Jim – hope Man U’s result didn’t spoil your time in Rome.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
whale of a time
Books, tv programs, experts and many other people who have been lucky enough to come into contact with whales will all tell you the same thing. They will say how amazing it is to see such huge creatures in the wild, they will tell you how at peace you feel when you see them in their natural habitat and how exhilirating and life changing the experience can be, yada yada yada.
i never actually believed it all myself until we were fortunate enough to go on a whale watching trip on friday. what an immense time we had and we saw so many, at least 24 different humpback whales all swimming around the boat in the search of food -lucky for us they dont partake in humans for their main course. Our first glimpse came when we saw the colour change in the water from dark blue to a light green and we realised that there was a whale there under the water and it was rising to the surface. when she surfaced she nearly soaked us all by blowing out a huge billow of water (we wouldnt have minded if she had), she then mosied on next to the boat for a couple of minutes before she dived again. we could have almost touched her she was so near, we have seen many things on this holiday but this will take some beating. i would have been content with just that one encounter but we got so many more like it, we really were spoiled. Apparently it wasnt a normal day on the whale watching scale.
The whale watching topped off what has been a really lovely and relaxing week in cape cod. the weather has been great and i actually got sunburnt for the first time this holiday - on my ankles of all places (such a good look). we arrived last monday after a really cool train journey from washington which took us through 10 states, the highlight of it being we went straight through manhattan (albeit under manhattan in a tunnel but we still saw the skyline before and after the tunnel). we got off the train at providence where we rented a car and drove the 2 hours to the very tip of the cape to a town called provincetown which is a very quaint and beautiful. we had a little difficulty in finding our condo and then gaining access (que a phone call to the owners) but we eventually got in and went straight to work at cooking some of our own food - we havent been able to eat home cooked food in over 6 weeks (and we both have been struggling with that a bit) so we really have made up for it whilst we are here. its not been without its quirks however, we only have a hob and a microwave and no counter space - we also have a bbq grill outside which we tried last night and couldnt get to work, a fridge which was set so cold that it froze all of our groceries after the first day including our beer (not funny), and a set of electrics which fuse every now and then and we cant gain access to the fuse cupboard which is downstairs and outside (our new best friend is our neighbour who so pleasantly lets us in every time we need to reset - as well as this we have also managed to break a lamp (well ricky did) and we locked ourselves out (well i did). it all adds to the fun of it, i can say that now after enduring ricky screaming blue murder every 5 minutes when something else goes wrong. to say we are looking forward to being back in our own flat is an understatement. the condo is really nice but its good for a week and we are ready to move on.
Cape Cod is such a beautiful place, its really relaxed after being in the city and the air smells so nice and clean. its also great to be beside the sea again, they have the most amazing sand dunes here and so many cute lighthouses. All the houses are grey and wooden and it just has a very nautical feel about it, you can almost smell the maritime history of the place. Provincetown, where we have been staying, is a gay holiday haven for americans and ricky and i have looked some what out of place on a few occassions as 1. we dont have a dog and 2. we are also extremely non creative and broke - every one here seems to be an artist, drives a ferrari and has a tiny rat like dog who wears shades and is called muffin, its a look i am sure ricky could get used to. We have done what we came for and that was to do nothing and chill as much as possible before we head to new york and then home, and we both feel really well rested and pumped up for the best that New York has to offer. we have lay on the beach quite a few times, strolled about wee quaint towns, visited some lighthouses, whale watched, played crazy golf (incidentally russell, i threw a 2 hole lead away on the 16th - i would have been so smug if i had won), done some wine tasting, ate some lovely fresh fish, been to the cinema (not sure i would recommend terminator to be honest but then again i never really was a fan) and the best of it all was, we went to a real live drive in movie theatre on friday night, where we saw a double bill of night at the museum (still as rubbish as the first one but much better when you see it in a drive in) and xmen origins (which we had actually seen in san francisco but was worth a second watch). it was the most cool, most retro american thing we have done to date and we loved it.
so our week is up and we are now heading back on the train to New York (where i am writing this from). we have some plans about what we want to do but mostly we are just going to enjoy being back in the most amazing city in the world and taking stock that this will be the last few days of what has been the most tremendous of adventures. I am not sure if i will get a chance to blog again before we head for home on thursday evening (we arrive back in edinburgh friday morning) but if i dont i will certainly be bringing you up to speed on what we got up to over the weekend. i am sure i will continue on the blog for a wee whiley after i get home to let you know how we are settling back in and to let you know when i have put the rest of our photos online. i so cant wait to catch up with all of you and hear all your news. I also want to wish my mum and ricky's dad HAPPY BIRTHDAY, sorry we cant be there to help you celebrate but we will more than make up for it when we see you guys soon.
Its been so fast and its been amazing in everyway, we have seen and done so many things that i doubt some folk get to do in a lifetime, but thats why we did and its all been worth it, now all we have to decide on is where to go next ........................................
see you all real soon xxxxxxxx
i never actually believed it all myself until we were fortunate enough to go on a whale watching trip on friday. what an immense time we had and we saw so many, at least 24 different humpback whales all swimming around the boat in the search of food -lucky for us they dont partake in humans for their main course. Our first glimpse came when we saw the colour change in the water from dark blue to a light green and we realised that there was a whale there under the water and it was rising to the surface. when she surfaced she nearly soaked us all by blowing out a huge billow of water (we wouldnt have minded if she had), she then mosied on next to the boat for a couple of minutes before she dived again. we could have almost touched her she was so near, we have seen many things on this holiday but this will take some beating. i would have been content with just that one encounter but we got so many more like it, we really were spoiled. Apparently it wasnt a normal day on the whale watching scale.
The whale watching topped off what has been a really lovely and relaxing week in cape cod. the weather has been great and i actually got sunburnt for the first time this holiday - on my ankles of all places (such a good look). we arrived last monday after a really cool train journey from washington which took us through 10 states, the highlight of it being we went straight through manhattan (albeit under manhattan in a tunnel but we still saw the skyline before and after the tunnel). we got off the train at providence where we rented a car and drove the 2 hours to the very tip of the cape to a town called provincetown which is a very quaint and beautiful. we had a little difficulty in finding our condo and then gaining access (que a phone call to the owners) but we eventually got in and went straight to work at cooking some of our own food - we havent been able to eat home cooked food in over 6 weeks (and we both have been struggling with that a bit) so we really have made up for it whilst we are here. its not been without its quirks however, we only have a hob and a microwave and no counter space - we also have a bbq grill outside which we tried last night and couldnt get to work, a fridge which was set so cold that it froze all of our groceries after the first day including our beer (not funny), and a set of electrics which fuse every now and then and we cant gain access to the fuse cupboard which is downstairs and outside (our new best friend is our neighbour who so pleasantly lets us in every time we need to reset - as well as this we have also managed to break a lamp (well ricky did) and we locked ourselves out (well i did). it all adds to the fun of it, i can say that now after enduring ricky screaming blue murder every 5 minutes when something else goes wrong. to say we are looking forward to being back in our own flat is an understatement. the condo is really nice but its good for a week and we are ready to move on.
Cape Cod is such a beautiful place, its really relaxed after being in the city and the air smells so nice and clean. its also great to be beside the sea again, they have the most amazing sand dunes here and so many cute lighthouses. All the houses are grey and wooden and it just has a very nautical feel about it, you can almost smell the maritime history of the place. Provincetown, where we have been staying, is a gay holiday haven for americans and ricky and i have looked some what out of place on a few occassions as 1. we dont have a dog and 2. we are also extremely non creative and broke - every one here seems to be an artist, drives a ferrari and has a tiny rat like dog who wears shades and is called muffin, its a look i am sure ricky could get used to. We have done what we came for and that was to do nothing and chill as much as possible before we head to new york and then home, and we both feel really well rested and pumped up for the best that New York has to offer. we have lay on the beach quite a few times, strolled about wee quaint towns, visited some lighthouses, whale watched, played crazy golf (incidentally russell, i threw a 2 hole lead away on the 16th - i would have been so smug if i had won), done some wine tasting, ate some lovely fresh fish, been to the cinema (not sure i would recommend terminator to be honest but then again i never really was a fan) and the best of it all was, we went to a real live drive in movie theatre on friday night, where we saw a double bill of night at the museum (still as rubbish as the first one but much better when you see it in a drive in) and xmen origins (which we had actually seen in san francisco but was worth a second watch). it was the most cool, most retro american thing we have done to date and we loved it.
so our week is up and we are now heading back on the train to New York (where i am writing this from). we have some plans about what we want to do but mostly we are just going to enjoy being back in the most amazing city in the world and taking stock that this will be the last few days of what has been the most tremendous of adventures. I am not sure if i will get a chance to blog again before we head for home on thursday evening (we arrive back in edinburgh friday morning) but if i dont i will certainly be bringing you up to speed on what we got up to over the weekend. i am sure i will continue on the blog for a wee whiley after i get home to let you know how we are settling back in and to let you know when i have put the rest of our photos online. i so cant wait to catch up with all of you and hear all your news. I also want to wish my mum and ricky's dad HAPPY BIRTHDAY, sorry we cant be there to help you celebrate but we will more than make up for it when we see you guys soon.
Its been so fast and its been amazing in everyway, we have seen and done so many things that i doubt some folk get to do in a lifetime, but thats why we did and its all been worth it, now all we have to decide on is where to go next ........................................
see you all real soon xxxxxxxx
Monday, 18 May 2009
Visiting the Obama's
Hi Folks,
Well after enjoying our short time in Seattle (which was only slightly hampered by the rain), we headed to Washington DC on the overnight flight via JFK. With hindsight, it maybe wasn't the best of ideas - despite being possibly the cheapest way to fly across the States.
After surviving the flight, we then endured a torturous ride in an airport shuttle bus where not only the driver was blatantly new to driving in DC, but also that he struggled to follow the simple directions from the sat nav. I lost count of the number of times the polite but firm woman said "recalculating route". 2 hours later, we arrive at our hotel feeling slightly worse for wear.
After a Dad-like power nap, we were up and about exploring DC. Unfortunately we didn't get far as it was possibly one of the warmest days of the year and with humidity levels reaching almost 100%. So we headed for a bite to eat and then to the hotel bar for a wee night cap (at $24 for two G&T's it was always going to be short and sweat).
Feeling more refreshed the next morning, we headed out to explore some of DC's main attractions: the Washington Monument, the Mall, Lincoln Memorial, the White House (which yes it is smaller in real life) and Capitol Hill. All of these were amazing and gave DC very much a London/Paris feel to it. Very un-American.
After all that walking, we went to our first ever baseball game: the Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies. We were thoroughly enjoying our first experience of baseball before DC's changeable weather struck again and the heavens opened, eventually leading to the game being abandoned. Mind you, that may have been a blessing for Washington Nationals as they giving an Aberdeen-like performance and were heading for a heavy defeat.
Having walked what felt like every square metre of central DC the previous day, we decided to head for the Arlington Cemetery which isn't too far from our hotel. It seemed very apt to visit on a Sunday and it was indeed a very moving place. It is certainly the largest graveyard I have ever seen, with gravestones appearing as far as the eye can see in every direction. The really sad thing was that there are still huge areas set aside for future graves.
Afterwards we headed in to Georgetown to stroll round possibly one the nicest areas in town. We then obviously headed to a very well thought-after restaurant as there were a few BBC journalists munching some pizza. Emma was remarkably subtle at pointing and going "Isn't that .....".
So we leave DC tomorrow morning on an early train headed from Providence. Lasting more than 7 hours, it should give us plenty of time to enjoy the scenery of the east coast. At Providence we pick up a hire car and head for a place called Truro in Cape Cod. There we've booked a wee cottage/shed for a week. Having spent a lot of time in various cities over the past week or so, we're looking forward to chilling out beside the seaside. This should provide the perfect tonic before heading back home and to the reality of work. Given the recent scandal over MPs expenses, maybe I won't be able to claim back for some our travel....
You may not hear from us for a while as I don't think our place in Truro has wifi (or electricity for that matter), but I'm sure Emma will update the blog from our final stop - New York New York!
Now I'd better get packing that case again - speak to you later.
Ricky
P.S. Jim - I hope the head has recovered from celebrating Man U's title success.
Well after enjoying our short time in Seattle (which was only slightly hampered by the rain), we headed to Washington DC on the overnight flight via JFK. With hindsight, it maybe wasn't the best of ideas - despite being possibly the cheapest way to fly across the States.
After surviving the flight, we then endured a torturous ride in an airport shuttle bus where not only the driver was blatantly new to driving in DC, but also that he struggled to follow the simple directions from the sat nav. I lost count of the number of times the polite but firm woman said "recalculating route". 2 hours later, we arrive at our hotel feeling slightly worse for wear.
After a Dad-like power nap, we were up and about exploring DC. Unfortunately we didn't get far as it was possibly one of the warmest days of the year and with humidity levels reaching almost 100%. So we headed for a bite to eat and then to the hotel bar for a wee night cap (at $24 for two G&T's it was always going to be short and sweat).
Feeling more refreshed the next morning, we headed out to explore some of DC's main attractions: the Washington Monument, the Mall, Lincoln Memorial, the White House (which yes it is smaller in real life) and Capitol Hill. All of these were amazing and gave DC very much a London/Paris feel to it. Very un-American.
After all that walking, we went to our first ever baseball game: the Washington Nationals vs Philadelphia Phillies. We were thoroughly enjoying our first experience of baseball before DC's changeable weather struck again and the heavens opened, eventually leading to the game being abandoned. Mind you, that may have been a blessing for Washington Nationals as they giving an Aberdeen-like performance and were heading for a heavy defeat.
Having walked what felt like every square metre of central DC the previous day, we decided to head for the Arlington Cemetery which isn't too far from our hotel. It seemed very apt to visit on a Sunday and it was indeed a very moving place. It is certainly the largest graveyard I have ever seen, with gravestones appearing as far as the eye can see in every direction. The really sad thing was that there are still huge areas set aside for future graves.
Afterwards we headed in to Georgetown to stroll round possibly one the nicest areas in town. We then obviously headed to a very well thought-after restaurant as there were a few BBC journalists munching some pizza. Emma was remarkably subtle at pointing and going "Isn't that .....".
So we leave DC tomorrow morning on an early train headed from Providence. Lasting more than 7 hours, it should give us plenty of time to enjoy the scenery of the east coast. At Providence we pick up a hire car and head for a place called Truro in Cape Cod. There we've booked a wee cottage/shed for a week. Having spent a lot of time in various cities over the past week or so, we're looking forward to chilling out beside the seaside. This should provide the perfect tonic before heading back home and to the reality of work. Given the recent scandal over MPs expenses, maybe I won't be able to claim back for some our travel....
You may not hear from us for a while as I don't think our place in Truro has wifi (or electricity for that matter), but I'm sure Emma will update the blog from our final stop - New York New York!
Now I'd better get packing that case again - speak to you later.
Ricky
P.S. Jim - I hope the head has recovered from celebrating Man U's title success.
Thursday, 14 May 2009
Here we are now......entertain us!!!!!
it is pouring down and we are sitting in starbucks. laws of physics (and bill gates) would conclude from this that we must be in Seattle ...and they would be correct -we are indeed in Frasier's home city and have wasted no time in acting like the locals in heading for the nearest coffee shop as the rain lashes outside (its not particularly hard to find one when there is one in your hotel but hey i am romanticising here). from what we have seen so far its a pretty cool place - especially at night when the skyscrapers are all lit up, it makes the downtown skyline quite spectacular to see when you first enter the city on a bus. we had actually intended to get the train from vancouver but unfortunately there was a rockslide on the track which halted proceedings, so we got AMTRAK's finest bus service instead. It was an excellent journey apart from the severe grilling we got from US customs officials at the border - anal and thick are the only descriptions which spring to mind which i can actually put into print. to be fair i got through no bother but mr murray obviously looked a trifle dodgy - i tried to tell them this was how he usually looks but they let him go regardless.
we were so sad to leave vancouver - we had such a great time there, it was a really beautiful, clean place and the locals were so friendly. i think we saw most of the main sights and even though we were in a city we took time to relax and made the most out of the hotel's spa facilities (even though i nearly end up with heat stroke in the sauna as i couldnt get away from a chatty local who was very passionate about what we should see in washington -i think our itinerary is going to be a busy one). On the final couple of days we explored further afield and visited Granville island and Kitsilano, 2 great and very different districts.
we took your advice jim, and visited the brewery at granville island where we were treated to some really nice (and strong) ales and lagers. I had forgotten what afternoon drinking does to you and we soon found ourselves rather steamin after probably not even 2 pints - i did mention the beer was strong didnt i ?? we then headed back to the hotel for a wee shower in order to wake up (ie sober up) before going back to the pub to watch the ice hockey on the telly - it was a really important game for the Vancouver Canucks, which incidentally they ended up losing so are now out of the cup. Maybe Ricky and I's patronage did not come at the best of times - 2 games we watched and 2 games they lost, and apparently their season was going from strength until we turned up!!!!!!! i think Canucks fans are happy to see the back of us.
the next day after waking up with rather sore heads we returned to Granville island although this time it was to visit the public market (amazing food) and the surrounding artist studios. ricky headed for a walk in order to try and clear his hangover, whilst i spent a very pleasant couple of hours just strolling about wishing i had ricky's credit card to clear. i think we have got to that point where everything is starting to fall apart and needing replaced - in the last few days i have "had" to buy a new handbag, a new watch and a new book. seriously though our clothes and shoes have taken a good bit of battering through the continual usage and crap washing facilities, so it looks as though time in new york will be spent buying some new togs so we look respectable when we get home, shame eh?
After tearing ourselves away from vancouver, we bussed it to seattle (only takes 3.5 hours and this includes a very enjoyable 1 hour stopover at the scenic US border) and found ourselves back to earth with a bump in our very non luxury hotel. It is however a really friendly place and we are only a couple of blocks to the space needle, which we visited this morning for some cool views before the rain descended. we then made our way to Pike Place market, where we scoured for some nik naks before we sampled the delights of the cafe culture. hopefully it will clear up a bit before we head out tonight, we are aiming to get to Belltown (home of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, smashing Pumkins and grunge culture - ricky is in depressing teenage music heaven) for some food and perhaps if we are lucky some live music. Tomorrow we head to washington which we are both really excited about - we are looking to catch a ball game on sat night so it would be nice if we have lost our losing curse before then.
until then i shall quote the late, great Dr Crane's and bid you.......Goodnight Seattle xxx
we were so sad to leave vancouver - we had such a great time there, it was a really beautiful, clean place and the locals were so friendly. i think we saw most of the main sights and even though we were in a city we took time to relax and made the most out of the hotel's spa facilities (even though i nearly end up with heat stroke in the sauna as i couldnt get away from a chatty local who was very passionate about what we should see in washington -i think our itinerary is going to be a busy one). On the final couple of days we explored further afield and visited Granville island and Kitsilano, 2 great and very different districts.
we took your advice jim, and visited the brewery at granville island where we were treated to some really nice (and strong) ales and lagers. I had forgotten what afternoon drinking does to you and we soon found ourselves rather steamin after probably not even 2 pints - i did mention the beer was strong didnt i ?? we then headed back to the hotel for a wee shower in order to wake up (ie sober up) before going back to the pub to watch the ice hockey on the telly - it was a really important game for the Vancouver Canucks, which incidentally they ended up losing so are now out of the cup. Maybe Ricky and I's patronage did not come at the best of times - 2 games we watched and 2 games they lost, and apparently their season was going from strength until we turned up!!!!!!! i think Canucks fans are happy to see the back of us.
the next day after waking up with rather sore heads we returned to Granville island although this time it was to visit the public market (amazing food) and the surrounding artist studios. ricky headed for a walk in order to try and clear his hangover, whilst i spent a very pleasant couple of hours just strolling about wishing i had ricky's credit card to clear. i think we have got to that point where everything is starting to fall apart and needing replaced - in the last few days i have "had" to buy a new handbag, a new watch and a new book. seriously though our clothes and shoes have taken a good bit of battering through the continual usage and crap washing facilities, so it looks as though time in new york will be spent buying some new togs so we look respectable when we get home, shame eh?
After tearing ourselves away from vancouver, we bussed it to seattle (only takes 3.5 hours and this includes a very enjoyable 1 hour stopover at the scenic US border) and found ourselves back to earth with a bump in our very non luxury hotel. It is however a really friendly place and we are only a couple of blocks to the space needle, which we visited this morning for some cool views before the rain descended. we then made our way to Pike Place market, where we scoured for some nik naks before we sampled the delights of the cafe culture. hopefully it will clear up a bit before we head out tonight, we are aiming to get to Belltown (home of Nirvana, Pearl Jam, smashing Pumkins and grunge culture - ricky is in depressing teenage music heaven) for some food and perhaps if we are lucky some live music. Tomorrow we head to washington which we are both really excited about - we are looking to catch a ball game on sat night so it would be nice if we have lost our losing curse before then.
until then i shall quote the late, great Dr Crane's and bid you.......Goodnight Seattle xxx
Monday, 11 May 2009
Out and Aboot
Hi Folks,
Well now we know why the "O" appears before anyone says Canada. What an amazing place - and we've only explored Vancouver. We've spent the past few days exploring what is without doubt one of the nicest cities we have ever visited.
Despite getting the cable car up to the top of Grouse Mountain for cracking views across the city and surrounding area, aside from staying in some amazing hotels (including the Fairmont), irrespective of exploring the huge Stanley Park on bikes (which is 20% bigger than Central Park), the highlight has undoubtedly been seeing an ice hockey game.
We saw the Vancouver Canucks play the Chicago Blackhawks in the play-offs for the Stanley Cup (which was a very generous surprise which Emma organised - honestly, it's amazing what trouble she can get up to when i leave her alone for 5 minutes). What an amazing experience it was, even though our knowledge of the sport was a 5 minute look on wikipedia and a mis-spent youth playing EA NHL on the megadrive. That didn't stop us from getting right into the game - joining in the chants of "bullshit" every time the ref made a dodgy decision and "Puck off" when things weren't going their way (unsurprisingly that was my personal favourite).
We were probably the only folk to leave the stadium happy as the Canucks lost 4-2. However i definitely think that we could get into the sport in the future.
Aside from watching sport and sampling the city's different beers, we have been putting the finishing touches to our final few weeks of travelling. We had thought of extending our stay in Canada, however a quick call to Delta soon changed our mind - as it would have cost around $2000 to change our flights to Washington!! So we head for Seattle (with my new bag in tow) by train on Tuesday night before flying to Washington on Thursday night. After a few nights there, we hope to stay in a nice wee cottage/shed in Cape Cod. Then it's off to the Big Apple to max out our credit cards before heading home.
Anyway, I'd better get back to watching the ice hockey on TV.....
Ricky
P.S. I had thought to entitle the blog "Puck Off" but i thought that might be a bit offensive. So instead I thought I'd insult the way Canadians speak.
Well now we know why the "O" appears before anyone says Canada. What an amazing place - and we've only explored Vancouver. We've spent the past few days exploring what is without doubt one of the nicest cities we have ever visited.
Despite getting the cable car up to the top of Grouse Mountain for cracking views across the city and surrounding area, aside from staying in some amazing hotels (including the Fairmont), irrespective of exploring the huge Stanley Park on bikes (which is 20% bigger than Central Park), the highlight has undoubtedly been seeing an ice hockey game.
We saw the Vancouver Canucks play the Chicago Blackhawks in the play-offs for the Stanley Cup (which was a very generous surprise which Emma organised - honestly, it's amazing what trouble she can get up to when i leave her alone for 5 minutes). What an amazing experience it was, even though our knowledge of the sport was a 5 minute look on wikipedia and a mis-spent youth playing EA NHL on the megadrive. That didn't stop us from getting right into the game - joining in the chants of "bullshit" every time the ref made a dodgy decision and "Puck off" when things weren't going their way (unsurprisingly that was my personal favourite).
We were probably the only folk to leave the stadium happy as the Canucks lost 4-2. However i definitely think that we could get into the sport in the future.
Aside from watching sport and sampling the city's different beers, we have been putting the finishing touches to our final few weeks of travelling. We had thought of extending our stay in Canada, however a quick call to Delta soon changed our mind - as it would have cost around $2000 to change our flights to Washington!! So we head for Seattle (with my new bag in tow) by train on Tuesday night before flying to Washington on Thursday night. After a few nights there, we hope to stay in a nice wee cottage/shed in Cape Cod. Then it's off to the Big Apple to max out our credit cards before heading home.
Anyway, I'd better get back to watching the ice hockey on TV.....
Ricky
P.S. I had thought to entitle the blog "Puck Off" but i thought that might be a bit offensive. So instead I thought I'd insult the way Canadians speak.
Friday, 8 May 2009
oh canada........
aaah the land of the maple leaf and of course more importantly maple syrup. we arrived this morning after a rather hair raising flight in the world's smallest plane. i tell you after this holiday i dont want to see another plane for a heck of a long time - its train and ferrys for me all the way from now on - well thats what i say anyway. we landed safely although we cant say the same for ricky's bag -it arrived in a some what disheveled state with a massive tear up the side and his smalls hanging out - oh dear. i dont think masking tape will save this one, think we will need to make a trip to the nearest shopping mall (shame eh???).
first impressions count and we are not disappointed from what we have seen so far, it is a really beautiful city and we cant wait to get out and explore more. we are just hoping the weather holds so we can get up the mountains for the stunning vistas we have been promised. at the moment its a bit cloudy and colder but we are enjoying wrapping up for a change as ricky is looking a wee bit sunburnt from our escapades in california, even the man at the front desk commented on what a wonderful "tan" he had.
we were mingling with the rich and famous alright in the california sunshine and we seen some mighty prime real estate (not to be confused with sub prime). First we took the 17 mile drive out of Monteray around pebble beach (ricky was particularly thrilled with our visit to the golf club although wouldnt bring himself to pay $25 for a cap - i dont blame him, it was yellow after all), we then made our way down the big sur coastline which was absolutely stunning and was made all the more atmospheric by the pockets of fog that kept on wafting in from the sea. we decided before hitting LA to spend a night in santa barbara, where we saw the fire raging, it had just started that day and we saw the eeriest sun set with an huge orange and black cloud and sun peeping through it - weird right enough. on wed we finished our time in california by visiting malibu for a walk along the beach and then took a drive along sunset strip, rodeo drive and santa monica boulevard, i was trying to do my best paparazzo impression but i dont think i should give up the day job as we didnt see one single celebrity. i didnt even see the hollywood sign. i must be the only person to go to beverly hills and not see that damn sign - i wasnt happy - i had my glasses on and everything.
so anyway back to canada, we are in vancouver for at least the next 4 days, ricky by mistake managed to book us into the most expensive hotel in vancouver - he says it was a romantic gesture but i know that last minute obviously offered up a decent rate as he seemed mighty shocked it had designer shops in the lobby and mumbled something about how we should explore and find a starbucks. i'm not thinking our budget stretches to the restaurant, but hey i am happy just to be eating something other than american fare. i didnt think i could ever have such an aversion to eating cheese. happily though the food front is already looking better with lots of sushi, italian and fusion places within easy reach - they also have pubs here - thank the lord - speaking of which i hear a pint of liquid calling me, i had better go and make sure it has some peanuts to keep it company, catch you all soon xx
first impressions count and we are not disappointed from what we have seen so far, it is a really beautiful city and we cant wait to get out and explore more. we are just hoping the weather holds so we can get up the mountains for the stunning vistas we have been promised. at the moment its a bit cloudy and colder but we are enjoying wrapping up for a change as ricky is looking a wee bit sunburnt from our escapades in california, even the man at the front desk commented on what a wonderful "tan" he had.
we were mingling with the rich and famous alright in the california sunshine and we seen some mighty prime real estate (not to be confused with sub prime). First we took the 17 mile drive out of Monteray around pebble beach (ricky was particularly thrilled with our visit to the golf club although wouldnt bring himself to pay $25 for a cap - i dont blame him, it was yellow after all), we then made our way down the big sur coastline which was absolutely stunning and was made all the more atmospheric by the pockets of fog that kept on wafting in from the sea. we decided before hitting LA to spend a night in santa barbara, where we saw the fire raging, it had just started that day and we saw the eeriest sun set with an huge orange and black cloud and sun peeping through it - weird right enough. on wed we finished our time in california by visiting malibu for a walk along the beach and then took a drive along sunset strip, rodeo drive and santa monica boulevard, i was trying to do my best paparazzo impression but i dont think i should give up the day job as we didnt see one single celebrity. i didnt even see the hollywood sign. i must be the only person to go to beverly hills and not see that damn sign - i wasnt happy - i had my glasses on and everything.
so anyway back to canada, we are in vancouver for at least the next 4 days, ricky by mistake managed to book us into the most expensive hotel in vancouver - he says it was a romantic gesture but i know that last minute obviously offered up a decent rate as he seemed mighty shocked it had designer shops in the lobby and mumbled something about how we should explore and find a starbucks. i'm not thinking our budget stretches to the restaurant, but hey i am happy just to be eating something other than american fare. i didnt think i could ever have such an aversion to eating cheese. happily though the food front is already looking better with lots of sushi, italian and fusion places within easy reach - they also have pubs here - thank the lord - speaking of which i hear a pint of liquid calling me, i had better go and make sure it has some peanuts to keep it company, catch you all soon xx
Monday, 4 May 2009
city of love
my feet ache - i forgot what city walking was like - after all of these days being chauffeur driven around the big attractions, i fear i have turned into an american - walk!!!!!!!!!! no no no no no!!!!!! why would i want to do that when we could take the lovely dodge called hank we have parked outside???? because ricky says 1. that is lazy and 2. no damn way am i driving in this frigging (please excuse his american dub swearing) city ever again :) i am of course exagerating, its a joy to walk the streets of san francisco (and boy have we walked), however i am not exagerating the pain i feel in my feet nor am i exagerating about ricky's hatred of city driving in the states - to be fair to him it is quite a stressful past time.
what a beautiful city. i will even forgive it, its monumental hills, for they add such a character to the place, especially when you are whizzing up them on the front of a tram car hanging on for dear life. what a ride (ricky was too chicken and actually walked up the hills - even the drivers in the tram car thought he was mad, these hills are so steep, no one wants to walk them apart, from obviously ricky). the houses and architecture are so immense and the locals are a very friendly, very laid back mix of people who have made our stay a very warm one, despite the rain that has fallen. my only sadness is that of the amount of homeless people who are wandering the street. these are not your edinburgh festival seasonal beggars with the latest nike trainers but truly impoverished people who trudge the streets with their shopping trolleys, raiding the bins and muttering away to themselves. it is really heart breaking to see them, however what i find most awful is the amount of them. there are literally hundreds and those are just the ones in the city centre, i hate to think how many more there are. you think easter house is poor, think again.
still it makes san francisco a very real place to be, one where you get the impression that every day counts, its not fake and its so relaxed and cheery, if it wasnt for those damn hills it might have had a new couple of residents (that and the cold rainy weather). we have seen so much in the couple of days we have been here - of course the golden gate bridge (which was very eerily shrouded in that famous fog), alcatraz (a very bizarre establishment - its so much closer to land than i ever would have thought), union square for some shopping, fishermans wharf, chinatown, SOma, north beach (where ricky was once again exposed to the delights of strip joints and toples bars thanks to my usual directional sense - again he didnt complain) and the castro. The castro reminded me so much of morningside in the way its lined with cafes and boutique shops although the mainly young professional gay crowd were a lot more welcoming than the usual edinburgh blue rinse brigade fighting you for the last scone. it was a really cool place to spend a couple of hours and sample some more delicious food.
the food is the highlight -people had said to me before we came the it was a gastro delight of a place - they werent wrong - so much choice and such good quality - we are at present sitting trying to decide where we fancy going tonight -its such a hard life eh???
so sadly we leave tomorrow and we will find ourselves once again hitting the road and driving down big sur (or highway 1 to those not in the know). a lot of people have tried to tell me (including ricky) that it is one of the most amazing stretches of road i will ever see. i find this difficult to believe having seen so many wonderful things over the past couple of months, i will however keep an open mind -this is the only time i wished we had got a convertible as it would seem a highly appropriate background for our best best mamas and papas harmonising (we have been practising) .... California....... California Dreamin.......
what a beautiful city. i will even forgive it, its monumental hills, for they add such a character to the place, especially when you are whizzing up them on the front of a tram car hanging on for dear life. what a ride (ricky was too chicken and actually walked up the hills - even the drivers in the tram car thought he was mad, these hills are so steep, no one wants to walk them apart, from obviously ricky). the houses and architecture are so immense and the locals are a very friendly, very laid back mix of people who have made our stay a very warm one, despite the rain that has fallen. my only sadness is that of the amount of homeless people who are wandering the street. these are not your edinburgh festival seasonal beggars with the latest nike trainers but truly impoverished people who trudge the streets with their shopping trolleys, raiding the bins and muttering away to themselves. it is really heart breaking to see them, however what i find most awful is the amount of them. there are literally hundreds and those are just the ones in the city centre, i hate to think how many more there are. you think easter house is poor, think again.
still it makes san francisco a very real place to be, one where you get the impression that every day counts, its not fake and its so relaxed and cheery, if it wasnt for those damn hills it might have had a new couple of residents (that and the cold rainy weather). we have seen so much in the couple of days we have been here - of course the golden gate bridge (which was very eerily shrouded in that famous fog), alcatraz (a very bizarre establishment - its so much closer to land than i ever would have thought), union square for some shopping, fishermans wharf, chinatown, SOma, north beach (where ricky was once again exposed to the delights of strip joints and toples bars thanks to my usual directional sense - again he didnt complain) and the castro. The castro reminded me so much of morningside in the way its lined with cafes and boutique shops although the mainly young professional gay crowd were a lot more welcoming than the usual edinburgh blue rinse brigade fighting you for the last scone. it was a really cool place to spend a couple of hours and sample some more delicious food.
the food is the highlight -people had said to me before we came the it was a gastro delight of a place - they werent wrong - so much choice and such good quality - we are at present sitting trying to decide where we fancy going tonight -its such a hard life eh???
so sadly we leave tomorrow and we will find ourselves once again hitting the road and driving down big sur (or highway 1 to those not in the know). a lot of people have tried to tell me (including ricky) that it is one of the most amazing stretches of road i will ever see. i find this difficult to believe having seen so many wonderful things over the past couple of months, i will however keep an open mind -this is the only time i wished we had got a convertible as it would seem a highly appropriate background for our best best mamas and papas harmonising (we have been practising) .... California....... California Dreamin.......
Saturday, 2 May 2009
Bearing Up
Well Folks,
We managed to make it out of Vegas with at least a few dollars left in our travel fund, despite our pathetic attempts at gambling. I've never lost $60 so quickly - mind you I don't think our strategy of getting drunk in an Irish bar in New York New York (the hotel) before heading over to Monte Carlo was such a good idea. I was very tempted to throw caution to the wind and place the keys to the Megane on the table, but thankfully I came to my senses before making an even bigger fool of myself.
Relieved to have escaped Vegas, we made our way to Yosemite which proved to be the perfect tonic after the crazy/sleazy world of Vegas. What a fantastic place - amazing water falls, stunning cliffs and endless paths throughout the valley. It was while we were strolling along one of these quiet paths minding our own business when we came across a bear!
No doubt Emma will upload a photo of the bear in due course (as I don't know how to!), but it was a cute wee thing which was just minding it's own businesses next to a river. It didn't seem to mind the small gathering of people who seemed intent on getting a close up of the bear. Now I'm no animal expert, but it seemed a slightly dangerous thing to do to aggressively follow the bear as if he was some famous Aberdeen football player. Anyway, Emma risked life and limb to get that killer photo!
After our close shave with the bear, Emma needed a stiff drink to calm her nerves. Now here's a wee tip when asking for a gin and tonic in the States - be careful when requesting it in a tall glass. Before Emma knew it she was drinking a pint of G'n'T! Mind you, it didn't stop her from ordering a second one!
Having sobered up, we dragged ourselves away from Yosemite and made our way through the torrential rain and heavy traffic to San Francisco. We're here for three nights which should hopefully be enough time to get sent to Alcatraz and then escape so we can make our way down the coast towards LA. Hopefully the weather will clear up as it is particularly Scottish at the moment.
Hope you're all doing well.
Ricky
We managed to make it out of Vegas with at least a few dollars left in our travel fund, despite our pathetic attempts at gambling. I've never lost $60 so quickly - mind you I don't think our strategy of getting drunk in an Irish bar in New York New York (the hotel) before heading over to Monte Carlo was such a good idea. I was very tempted to throw caution to the wind and place the keys to the Megane on the table, but thankfully I came to my senses before making an even bigger fool of myself.
Relieved to have escaped Vegas, we made our way to Yosemite which proved to be the perfect tonic after the crazy/sleazy world of Vegas. What a fantastic place - amazing water falls, stunning cliffs and endless paths throughout the valley. It was while we were strolling along one of these quiet paths minding our own business when we came across a bear!
No doubt Emma will upload a photo of the bear in due course (as I don't know how to!), but it was a cute wee thing which was just minding it's own businesses next to a river. It didn't seem to mind the small gathering of people who seemed intent on getting a close up of the bear. Now I'm no animal expert, but it seemed a slightly dangerous thing to do to aggressively follow the bear as if he was some famous Aberdeen football player. Anyway, Emma risked life and limb to get that killer photo!
After our close shave with the bear, Emma needed a stiff drink to calm her nerves. Now here's a wee tip when asking for a gin and tonic in the States - be careful when requesting it in a tall glass. Before Emma knew it she was drinking a pint of G'n'T! Mind you, it didn't stop her from ordering a second one!
Having sobered up, we dragged ourselves away from Yosemite and made our way through the torrential rain and heavy traffic to San Francisco. We're here for three nights which should hopefully be enough time to get sent to Alcatraz and then escape so we can make our way down the coast towards LA. Hopefully the weather will clear up as it is particularly Scottish at the moment.
Hope you're all doing well.
Ricky
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