How Far Have YOU Been?... by Barbara (Ruth)

It's an interesting question, and reminds me of a question my Dad used to ask to see if I was paying attention: "Is it faster to New York or by bus?"

The question "how far have you been" of course lacks some relativity, for it all depends on where you started.

I love to pop this question out at dinner parties, usually with the variation "how far north, south, east, and west have you been?" I've been challenged just about every time with "what's your starting point?", and so I've now added "using zero degrees longitude and latitude as starting points". (I hang out with some very picky people.)

It's a pretty neat exercise, and may just help you decide where to go next. I've had the fortune to travel to many wonderful places, but I have never been south of the equator. I came pretty close when in Uganda, but still I was "north".

Go ahead and get out your atlas. Or, check out this site to type in a city and find out the latitude and longitudes. I'd love to hear "how far you've been". Here's my list:

North: Helsinki, Finland

60° 10' 32" N / 24° 56' 3" E

Me with my nieces Marjorie (L) and Jennifer, in front of Tuomiokirkko, the Lutheran cathedral. (2008)

The bustling, busy, and beautiful city centre.

The Sibelius monument (tribute to the composer of Finlandia), appears to resemble
organ pipes. It is said on a windy day it makes different sounds.

South (and East): Entebbe, Uganda

0° 3' 51" N / 32° 26' 48" E

Entebbe is the city in which the airport is located. My colleagues Russell, Cathie, Michael
and I stayed in Kampala, which is still at 0 degrees N, but 18 minutes vs. 3 in Entebbe.
SO close to being south of the equator. (2009)

With a local shop-girl in the Kampala market.

With my process improvement class.

With my colleagues Athar and Cathie, and the executives of the
Uganda Public Service.

East (2nd place): Kritsa, Crete

35° 10' 0" N / 25° 39' 0" E

I felt the need to include Kritsa, not only because Crete is one of my very favourite places I've visited (I posted about it here), but also because it seems unfair that Uganda claimed two titles: South AND East.

Kritsa's market.

The nearby town of Agios Nikolas. 

Every staircase and doorway was picture perfect.

West: Maui, Hawaii

0° 48' 0" N / 156° 20' 0" W

The sunsets of Maui beat out those of Santorini, IMHO.

Mele Kalikimaka! (Dec 2011)

The big waves at the north shore.

Te Au Moana... by Barbara (Ruth)

One of the things I have wanted to do since, oh say 1972, is to go to a luau in Hawaii. Why 1972, you ask? Well, does this picture ring a bell?

Yes, that's right. In September 1972 the Brady's went to Hawaii. It was all very exciting, with Greg finding the tiki that was "taboo", Peter almost getting bitten by a tarantula, Alice throwing out her back while learning the hula, and the whole fam damily going to an exotic luau. Ever since then, I wanted to go to a Hawaiian luau too.

Tonight I finally went to one! It looked nothing like the pictures above. Instead, we were at the Te Au Moana (which means "the ocean tide") luau at the Marriott here in Wailea on Maui. We were at huge tables in a gorgeous seaside landscape at a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Belinda, Me, and Melissa

A luau is the Hawaiian name for a big feast, and we are told that they are done to celebrate just about anything - a birthday, a wedding, or a graduation. A group of us was there to celebrate Belinda's completion of her Masters in physiotherapy - an amazing and inspirational accomplishment! So we got our tickets ahead of time, and arrived shortly after 4:30 to settle in, absorb the ambiance, and get ready for the feast.

The sun sets early here in Hawaii, with the first glow starting at about 5:30, and the real show starting after the sun dips below the horizon. The sky goes from periwinkle to orange to fire red and then to dusky grey, and people gather at the sea's edge to watch. Tonight's was the 4th sunset I have witnessed here, and it was truly the most spectacular I have seen anywhere in my travels - beating out even the sunset over the caldera in Santorini!

The sunset was the opening act of the show, and although no one applauded, there were many "oohs and aahs". Afterwards we were led to the buffet tables, and treated to a feast of pulled pork (which had been wrapped in banana leaves and cooked in hot coals under a pile of dirt for hours), teriyaki steak, asian spiced chicken, molokai sweet potato, pineapple coleslaw, and dozens of desserts, all having pineapple, coconut, chocolate, or all three. And I shouldn't forget poi. It's traditional, and basically made from a root (taro) into a starchy and tasteless paste. But I tried some. (Because the Bradys did.)

The coal pit for the pig. Kind of creepy, really.

The little brown driddle in the upper right corner is
poi. It was really unremarkable.

Finally came the show. Some singing of traditional Hawaiian songs, the telling of the story of Maui through dance, the hula, and of course the fire dance (which is actually Tahitian). It was a terrific show, and surpassed all my expectations! I was expecting totally tourist cheesiness. It was definitely for tourists, but I enjoyed every minute of it.

Mahalo, Te Au Moana!

Where the Deer and the Antelope Play ... by Barbara (Ruth)

I am just back from a whirlwind trip to the West and back, the goal of which was attendance at my nephew David's graduation from the University of Calgary. Rather than fly out to Calgary directly, I decided to shake things up again, by flying first to Saskatoon for a couple of days, and then hitching a ride with my sister and brother-in-law as they drove across the prairies.

Aside from the graduation ceremony, I was really looking forward to seeing the prairies. Now stop rolling your eyes - it's a beautiful part of our country's landscape, and I wanted to see it! The drive is less than 7 hours, and on a beautiful day, it is truly BIG SKY country. 

Of course it rained.

Saskatchewan's Highway 7 is an undivided highway that travels across to Alberta (becoming Highway 9 at that point), and passes through towns with fantastic names like Crystal Beach (there's a beach in the middle of the prairies?), Flaxcombe, Cereal, and my favourite, Zealandia. 

There are gorgeous fields, historic grain elevators, tree "islands" (trees planted around farm houses to give variety to the landscape), buffalo and deer (but we didn't see any antelope, actually). The road is dead straight, ending as a pinpoint on the horizon.

Now the Jean in Barbara Jean is ticked at me for not getting out of the car in the rain to take proper pictures. It was just miserable, and I didn't have the heart to ask my bro-in-law to stop while I tried to get a great shot on the side of the road. I did however, take a few through the window. When you look at them, imagine the sky being a gorgeous pure blue. I managed to pretend for a while, but I think I'll have to go back to see it for real.

The Nicest Place I've Ever Been...by (Angela) Jean

This week's joint topic was chosen by Ruth and I've had a little more than 24 hours to mull it over. I've been running through all the exotic places I've traveled....cough-none-cough...trying to find a beautiful place to tell you all about.

I considered telling you about when I went to this place.

Buckingham Palace

It was pretty monumental...but the nicest place I've ever been? Nope.
I'd be crazy if I didn't consider this place.

Banff Centre for the Performing Arts

When I was here in 2000 to visit Shawn during his residency, it felt like every direction I pointed my camera was post-card worthy. It was my only time out west and my first time seeing real live mountains. Still not the nicest place I've ever been.
I have some favourite places I'd love to tell you about. Like here...

Grand Bend, Ontario

where I've been going since I was a kid, and where the sunsets over Lake Huron never cease to take my breath away.

Or here...

view from Centreville on Toronto Island

a place I only started going to as an adult, but am now able to experience through the eyes of my kids.

Or what about all the special memories I have of this place?

Like my first time in 1997, sitting in the very very back row seeing a pre-season game against the Oilers. Or watching the 3rd- last game ever played there, when Max and I had seats in the golds behind the net to see the Bruins....great, great memories, but not the nicest place I've ever been.

I was really at a loss. What about all the amazing places I wish I had been? You know, the places on my bucket list. Like....here

Noordwijk aan zee

where my mother was born, or here

Montefalcone nel sannio

where my father was born.
Listen, I'd be a liar if I pretended I was some kind of world traveler. I wish I was, but so far my life hasn't gone that way. After much deliberation, I have decided that the nicest place I have ever been is 76 Grenville Street, Toronto ON, 3rd floor, L&D room #6. I've been there twice.
Once, in 2007.

and once in 2009...

I don't know if you've ever been there. They don't even deliver babies there any more. The room was small and cramped, the decor seriously outdated. No breathtaking views...and as far as I recall no windows at all. No high tech TV screens or jacuzzi tubs. Nothing fancy at all, but still, by far, the nicest place I've ever been.

The Nicest Place I've Ever Been... by Barbara (Ruth)

On Mondays Angela and I each write a post on the same topic, and this week it is my turn to pick. I thought the idea of "the nicest place I've ever been" had great scope, given that I’ve traveled to 23 different countries and I have oodles of pictures. But then I started to think – are any of those places really nicer than the family cottage right here in Ontario? What to do, what to do…

So today I mentioned this week’s title to a colleague at work, and he looked at me and said, “you’re going to write about either Greece or the cottage.” I was nonplussed (GW)! Clearly I talk too much about my vacation time.

But he was bang on. I could write about the cottage, but I know I’ll have ample opportunity to do that this summer when I hear that first call of the loon. So for now, I will write about my favourite vacation destination, which is Greece, specifically, the island of Crete.

At 260 km long and with 600,000 people, Crete is the largest island in Greece, and the second largest in the Mediterranean (after Cyprus). Unlike the smaller but more popular island of Santorini (which is only 18 km long with 11,000 people), it has bustling cities and a robust economy based on agriculture rather than tourism.

Typical scrub and low trees
en route to Elounda

Five years ago I stayed in a small fishing town called Elounda. I had booked the hotel using Expedia and found a well recommended place with pretty photos and a great deal, but I really was “flying blind” and had no idea what to expect. On the ride from the aiport, the cab driver said “Oh, you’re staying where the rich people and celebrities stay.” Despite this remark I still didn’t have high hopes as the road traveled up hills and along winding trails bordered by low trees and lots of scrub. Not exactly picturesque.

 Then we rounded a corner and I was stunned by the bluest water and sky I had ever seen. The Elounda Bay Palace was indeed a luxury resort, and although we were staying in one of the cheaper rooms, we were treated like royalty. No matter where we went, the Cretans were gracious, friendly, and welcoming. The travel books said that the people in Greece are friendlier the farther away from Athens you get, and this was as far as I could get without being in Africa!

Looking out over Elounda Bay

I was only in Crete for 5 days, but in that short time I was charmed by the villages of Kritsa and Agios Nikolaos (which is known as the Saint-Tropez of Greece). Around every corner was a postcard photo waiting to be taken, the sun was warm, the food was amazing, and the water silky and inviting.

Kritsa town square - this gentleman made
us buy a lottery ticket from him before we
took his picture!

The town of Agios Nikolaos

This Kritsan villager sold peeled oranges for a euro

I’ve seen beautiful places in Estonia, France, Sicily, Uganda, and Russia. I think the difference for me in Crete was the richness of the colours, the contrast between vibrant bougainvillea, cracking whitewashed walls, and azure skies. Combine that with genuine warmth of the people there, and it just can’t be beat.

One of the workers at the hotel, a concierge of sorts, could not do enough for us and made a point every day of seeking us out and chatting with us about our plans. When she found out we were going to Santorini she gave us really helpful tips, made some arrangements for us, and then had to tell us why she loves that island and why we had to go to the town of Oia to see its most famous tourist attraction - the sunset. I will share her story with you – I found it so charming and warm:

“I went to Santorini with some girl friends, and we went to Oia to watch the sunset. I went for a walk alone because I was sad. (At this point she made the motion of wiping tears from her eyes.) I had boy trouble, and I walked and I was crying and I thought everything was bad and that no one loved me. But then I turned around and I saw the beautiful sunset, and I thought, ‘God loves me’.”

There's no Trevi Fountain in Crete, but no matter. I'll be back.