Ian goes to Island Lake Alberta

When I was a child my family lived in Edmonton.  My Dad and a number of his friends wanted to find a place to build cabins for summer holidays.  They reviewed aerial photos and selected Island Lake, which is near Smokey Lake and about 6 Km northeast of Hanmore Lake.  They found an area of sandy dune about 1 km from an existing road that ended in a small forestry campsite.  From there they built a dirt road into the area that they leased to build the cabins.

From age 3 until I was 11 years old and we moved out to Vancouver Island, I spent a large part of each summer at “The Cabin”.  I and my two brothers loved this place.  It was wild, secluded, and only friends were there.  There was a sandy beach, the water was tolerable for swimming and there were lots of pike and perch of good size for fishing. 

The place was such a part of my life and my consciousness that I have continued to dream about it all my life.  The dreams have invariably been dreams of loss where I ultimately end up at the empty cabin of my best “lake” friend Alex.  Often the dreams are “development” dreams, where I dream I return to the lake and there is a paved road running behind the cabin with condos and a shopping complex at one end of the beach.  So, it was with a great deal of excitement and some trepidation that I navigated my way back there yesterday.

The drive across the prairie north of Edmonton was familiar, with its large fields broken by stands and rows of birch and poplar.  There were many old houses, barns and sheds collapsing into ruin in the fields along the way.  I was able to find my way fairly easily.  Although Google earth wasn’t able to trace a route on most of the roads off the main highway, Google maps was at least able to tell me the name of most.  The last 5 km is along dirt roads that Google maps didn’t know about, although, when I got to them, they were actually posted (even the dirt road built by my dad and friends) as Range Roads.  Also, while the Garmen GPS (alias Gimli) didn’t recognize Island Lake (except for another lake by that name further north), it was aware of almost all the roads when I got to them.

I made one wrong turn on Range Road 610 which took me to a small church and a wolf!  The wolf was too fast for me to get a picture, but I was able to capture the church.  The wrong turn was my fault.  I had one other wrong turn which was the faulty of Google Maps. 

Google maps informed me that the unmarked road I wanted to turn off on was 6.9 KM along Range Road 157.  It turned out there was an unmarked road at this point, but since it was reasonable straight, and the unmarked road I wanted looked very windy on Google Earth I was suspicious. 

I drove the 3.5 KM down this road until I came to a place where a tree had fallen and blocked the way.  Since this was already 1.5 KM past where the next turn was supposed to be and I had come to no turns I headed back, pretty sure this was not the right road.  I was afraid I might have to give up at this point, but I drove further down Range Road 157, and after about ½ a KM another road showed up on Gimli, leaving the Range Road at the correct angle and showing the curves and windings I had seen on Google Earth.  Although this road was about 1-1-1/2 KM further than what Google Maps had claimed, it was clearly the correct road.

Cotton wood on the road near Island Lake

 Sure enough, after 2 KM on this road there was a turn off, and I followed this down to what we used to call “Main Beach” – the location of the forestry campsite that was the original end point of the road to the lake.

"Main Beach", where is the water?

I had, of course, seen the satellite images of the Lake on Google Erath, so I was prepared for changes.  The images show that the lake level has dropped and the old shoreline had started to grow in.  If not for this I certainly would not have recognized this spot.  There was once a nice little spot right on the lake, with outhouses, right by the road.  The lake is now several hundred feet away and the area that used to be lake is now meadow, young poplar, and horse tail in the damper spots.  From when I was a child until my last visit in 1976, the shoreline was stable.  The level might have varied by a foot one side or the other, but nothing like what I was seeing.  In this spot there used to be a firm delineation between lake and dry land, now it is all marsh and there is no easy approach to the water for someone in city shoes, or bare feet, which were my only options.

I stopped and tried to walk out to the lake.  I only made it as far as a small pool before it was too soggy to continue.  I did see one of the small frogs that I remember crowded the beach in front of the cabins in great number every night.

A quarter sized frog in the Horse Tail at "Main Beach"

I continued along the road until I came to the gate that blocks the road down to the cabins.  This used to be a chain, but now it is a larger metal construction that is less likely to decapitate a snowmobiler.  It was locked, of course, so I parked and continued on foot.  The section from Main Beach to the hill down to the lake is just as I remembered it.  But when I got to the fire break that became the croquet course I saw that this had become a road leading off to the right behind the cabins.  A bit like my "development" dream, but at least it is dirt!

The gate

I went down the hill and quickly saw big changes.  The road that goes off to the left towards Ridge’s and Hunter’s cabins is still there, but the road that used to go in front of the cabins down to Bean’s is gone, overgrown by poplar.  The lake shore has receded out beyond the “Reed Bed”, which is now a hillock with poplar growing on it.  This used to be maybe a hundred or so feet off shore and was a favourite place to fish.  There is so much brush and growth between the cabins and the lake that they have to clear paths through and mow them to keep them open.  Again, the recession of the shoreline has destroyed the clear distinction between land, beach and water that was always there when I was a child.  

This was all underwater in 1976

 When you get to the water, it is still sandy on the bottom, but grass and other plants grow down to and into the water, so you can see that at times the lake level has been lower even than it is now.

When I was a child it was like this:  there was a low and wide sand dune on which the cabins were built.  It is anchored by poplar trees.  This still exists, much as it did.  Below this dune there was a relatively level area of sand with a few clumps of shore willow growing here and there.  I suppose that this area was cleared when the cabins were built.  Next to this area was the road that ran parallel between the cabins and the lake shore from where it came down to the lake, turned left up to Hunter’s cabin, and right down to Bean’s cabin.  Between the lake and the road ran a low mound we called the dike.  It was covered in low brush and weeds.  It just now (on this trip) occurred to me that this dike was created when my dad and friends cleared for the road in front of the cabins.  You can still vaguely make out the line of the “dike” due to the fact the poplars growing from it are a bit taller.  On the lake side of the mound was the sandy beach.  This beach grew and shrank by a couple of feet, depending on the year, but being the true and long standing interface between the lake and the shore it was kept clear of weeds and grass by wave action.  The spot was chosen for the cabins because the beach was there, and visible on aerial photography.

An old piece of dock with one end on the "dike".

The road in front of the Cabins!

Beach access cut through the growth

When I first walked down to the shore I saw a couple of people out on a dock near the hillock that was the “Reed Bed”.  I went over and introduced myself and apologized for intruding.  I remember how much we all valued the privacy of the place and didn’t appreciate strangers visiting the cabin area.  Harvey and Marie welcomed me graciously and we exchanged stories about the lake.  It turned out they were staying in the beautiful cabin that is now built on the site our cabin was on.  The cabin actually belongs to another couple that was not there.  Harvey and Marie used the cabin for a week or two each year.  They were able to give me some information on who owns each cabin now.  Their information wasn’t 100% complete, but it sounds like the only family that is still there from my childhood days is the Desrosiers.  They had met Denise Desrosiers a year or two before (sorry Denise for misspelling Desrosiers in the note I left inside the back screen door).

The reed bed from the breach in front of our cabin.  The reed bed is now a low hillock connected to the shore.  There is grass and small trees almost all the way to the reeds, and small trees growing on the hillock the was the reed bed.

I walked down along the cabins to Bean’s old place.  The Desrosiers' looks more or less as I remember, as did the Sidle’s and the Bean’s.  I saw the railway tracks still sticking above the sand that went from the Sidle’s boathouse down to the lake.  There are small trees blocking the way now.   I walked back behind the Bean’s and found the “Lagoon” was no longer there.  The Lagoon was just a bay of the lake with lots of rushes, water lilies, and reeds where there was a dock where Alex and I used to sit and watch the muskrats and ducks.  I could vividly remember walking up the cabin steps, going into the screen porch and knocking on the door – “Can Alex come out and play?”  Just like in my dreams the cabin was empty, but at least there were no Condos beside the place.

Bean's cabin

After exploring for a bit Harvey kindly invited me in for a beer.  I signed the cabin owner’s guest book and left my email offering to share information and pictures from the “old days” and I wrote a note for Denise and left it in the screen door.  I would have left one for Alex too, but it sounded like the Bean’s no longer own the cabin.  I left “The Lake” with mixed emotions.  In some ways I wish I had not gone back and my memories could have stayed intact, but in talking with Harvey, his love of the place was apparent.  It was some comfort to know that although the place has changed so much, it is still loved by the people who go there and that the qualities of seclusion and quiet remain.

The cabin built where ours used to be.

The kitchen table in the original cabin

The Original "Carmichael" Cabin

Across the lake from our cabin window

It is hard to know what has caused the recession of all the lakes in this watershed.  There has been a drought for a decade or more, so that may be the cause.  But, there has also been a huge increase in oil and gas activity and, apparently, at least two pipelines laid along the bed of the lake.  Since other lakes in adjacent areas have not been affected so badly by the drought, t is hard to believe the oil and gas activities have not been part of the problem.  I wonder how much water is used by the industry around Smoky Lake?

May 31: Safely Home

We made it!  Alanna and I ended up taking a cab to Heathrow, only after we had made it all the way to the East Putney tube station, up the stairs, and onto the platform.  There we realized that it was going to be too difficult to make it onto the train with all of our bags. 

We both arrived in Seattle without problems -- both really tired -- and took turns napping until our 11:00 flight to Victoria.

I was thrilled to see Ian waiting for us!  We had a great trip, and I am looking forward to a speedy recovery (perhaps we shouldn't have pushed it quite so hard the last four days), and reintegration into real life.

May 30: Kensington Palace, Hyde Park & Albert Memorial, V&A Museum, Les Miserables

From the statue gallery at the Victoria and Albert Museum

May 29: Tate Britain, Westminster Abbey, London Film Museum, British Museum Part II, Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant, Hay Fever.

Another lovely day in London.  We saw the Tate Britain Museum, Westminster Abby, the London Film Museum, and the British Museum.  We enjoyed a wonderful meal at Jamie Oliver's Italian Restaurant in Covent Garden.  We ended the day by seeing Hay Fever, with Lindsay Duncan, Kevin McNally, and Jeremy Northam.  Afterward, we went and stood by the stage door, and Alanna finally worked up the courage to get an autograph!  Jeremy Northam slipped away before I managed to gush all over him.  The play was excellent!

Alanna and Freddie Fox

May 28: The Globe Theatre, St. Paul's, The British Museum, and a play

Today we saw the Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral -- we climbed to the very top! -- the British Museum, and watched the West End play Singing in the Rain, which was brilliant.  We climbed over 1500 stairs today, in a hot and muggy city, but it was well worth it!

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May 27: Sunday in London: Tower of London, Trafalgar Square, National Portrait Library, Buckingham Palace

The White Tower

We left nice and early for our East Putney tube station, only to discover that the station, and in fact, the whole line south of Earl's Court, was closed.  After being denied entry onto two replacement buses, and not being sure why, we took two buses to Earl's Court, then got the tube to London Tower.  We saw the Tower of London, including the crown jewels, then Trafalgar Aquare, Canada House, and spent the afternoon in the National Portrait Gallery.  I got very emotional looking at the original portraits of so many people I have known about for so long, including Shakespeare (his little gold earring stands out -- he was SO COOL!) and Frances Burney, who was the subject of my MA thesis. After our first real meal of the day, some really nive Italian, we walked down Pall Mall, through St. James park and to Buckingham Palace.  It is all decorated for the Queen's Jubilee, and the streets were closed to traffic for some sort of security run through.  We really enjoyed seeing St. James Park, which is very well used by the local people.  Alanna liked a black swan in the park.  We saw the Wellington Memorial -- heck, we saw hundreds of memorials! -- then began the long bus ride home.

The next three days will be long ones, since we are seeing plays on the next three evenings.  Can't wait!

May 26: Guess where we are!

Hint:

Taken from the footbridge at 6:15 this evening.

May 25: Haworth, Brontes, and Fountains Abbey

Today we drove to the lovely Yorkshire town of Haworth.  We went to the Bronte Parsonage Museum,which is in the home of the Bronte family, then walked around the historic town.  We had planned to make this the entire day, but decided that we really wanted to see one more thing before we are car-less and in London.  we chose Fountain Abbey in North Yorkshire, and it was not only an amazing drive through the moors, but a fabulous site as well.  Fountain Abbey is a very large ruin, and is set in a beautiful garden.  The Fountain Abbey Water Garden does not have fountains, but has wonderful formal pools in the water garden.  After dinner at the carvery, we cleaned out the car and repacked everything into our suitcases for carrying around London.  I wish I hadn't bought so many guidebooks!

Fountains Abbey, from the kitchen area

May 24: Wordsworth, the Lake Country, and Beatrix Potter

Today was dedicated mainly to Wordsworth and the Lake District.

May 23 Lindisfarne & Bamburgh

This is how Alanna wades in the ocean!  that is Banburgh Castle over her shoulder.

We had a wonderful trip to Lindisfarne, and saw the Priory, the Castle, and had a lovely walk around the village and the island.  Next we went to Banburgh Castle, which is still a private estate.  It was a wonderful day with lovely weather, so we enjoyed a wade in the wide sandy beach near the castle.

May 22: Melrose and St. Abb's Head

Another amazing day, our last in Scotland.  We drove from the Tweed River Valley near Yair to Melrose Abbey, the ruin of an historic Cistercian Abbey and the burial place of the heart of Robert the Bruce.  With its rich red stones and collection of styles, it is aptly referred to as the heart of Scotland.  The sun was brilliant and warm, and I made it back into capris!  We also enjoyed the lovely walled garden run by Scottish Heritage next door, and our walk around the lovely town.  We next drove back to Abbotsford, the home of Sir Walter Scott, but it was closed in an attempt to "save it".  Alanna chose our afternoon site, and picked St. Abb's Head, the brilliant girl.  This is a working seaside fishing village, and was both fascinating and beautiful in itself, but it is also the starting point for an amazing cliffside walk to see the nesting puffins, kittiwakes and razor beaks.  The sun beamed down, we could look across the North Sea to the horizon, and we had a wonderful long walk.  Alanna fell down another rabbit hole, nearly stopping my heart.  Video below.

May 21: Culloden Moor, Clava Cairns, Killcairnie

A cottage on Culloden Moor, there since before the battle.

Today we traveled from Inverness to Selkirk, and are sleeping tonight in the Tweed River Valley.  We saw Culloden Moor, Clava Cairns, and a lot of beautiful Scottish Countryside.

May 20: The Highlands of Scotland

View from a pass through the highlands.

We need to buy a thesaurus to find some fresh superlatives.  We’ve looked at each other a hundred times today and described our day as astounding, charming, gorgeous, spectacular, moving, and very very beautiful.

May 19: Scottish History and Stairs

Sterling Castle

Today was a great day, in spite of cool and cloudy weather.  We saw Stirling Castle & Bannockburn; the Wallace Memorial, Doune Castle, and walked through the Highland town of Callandar.  We will need to put up pictures tomorrow.

May 18: Cold, grey and rainy Edinburgh

Today we started at Edinburgh Castle in a cold rain so that we could experience the wind as well.  The weather didn't allow for great pictures, but it was thrilling to be in a historic place, and we appreciated the interior parts of the castle all the more.  We started down the Royal Mile, and saw the Writer's Museum, which has is a museum dedicated to Robert Louis Stevenson, Robert Burns, and Sir Walter Scott.  We next saw Gladstone's Land, which is a 17th Century merchant's house, with many original details still present. We braved the rain and went to St. Giles Cathedral, stopping on the way to acknowledge the Heart of Midlothian and Greyfriars Bobby among the many monuments that line the Royal Mile.  St. Giles simply took our breath away.  It isn't really a cathedral any more, since John Knox directed the Scottish Reformation from this High Kirk.  We passed John Knox's House and bypassed the Museum of Childhood, but spent a warm hour in Canongate Tolbooth, which houses the People's Story Museum.  It provided an interesting glimpse into the lives of ordinary Ediburgh citizens over the years.  We hoped to get into Holyrood Castle, but it was housing the Royal High Important Guy, but we got into the Queen's Gallery to see some Royal Treasures, which turned out to be an awfully good consolation prize.  We have now seen Faberge eggs, miniatures of several queens, daVincis, the real artists that the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are named for, and enough art to stupefy us!  This took us to 5:00, so after photographing the Scottish Parliament House, we went in search of a taxi, but as we were caught again in the tramway construction, not to mention the incessant drizzling rain, we decided to walk home.  After getting lost -- Alanna swears they've moved our street since last night -- we ate at a pub, retraced our steps to Haymarket Station, and walked straight home.  Our laundry is done and we are drying out, eating chocolates, and packing for an early departure.

Alanna is very excited to be in her own episode of History of Scotland.  She is also very cold.

May 17: Bowes Museum, Barnard Castle, Tibbie Shiels and Scenic Route to Edinburgh

Today we drove from York to the town of Barnard Castle.  We went to the Bowes Museum, which is one of the first purpose built museums in the world, built by the Bowes in the nineteenth Century.  It is dedicated to the decorative arts, and was filled with many lovely things -- as well as a two headed calf, for reasons that escape me at present.  We then drove through the beautiful little town to the site of Barnard Castle itself, which is a ruin.  There was an exciting half hour while I maneuvered the car out from where it had been parked in.  We then drove off to cross the Scottish Border near Gretna Green, and saw the place where the blacksmith married so many English people in the Eighteenth Century who were escaping the marriage laws of England.  We drove down the M6 and turned off at Moffat, and began a scenic journey through the border country.

May 16: York in a day (Gasp!)

Our pace has certainly increased!  Today we saw York Minster and climbed the tower; viewed the exteriors of The King's House and Saint Mary's Ruins; saw the York Museum, the Jorvik Viking Centre, Fairfax House, Clifford's Tower (aka York Castle) and the York Museum.  We also managed to fax a signature back to Canada, buy another battery, buy a suitcase at Marks and Spencer, and have a lovely tea at a Pattiserie in the Shambles.  We did this all on foot, and survived!

This is Alanna's picture of Corgi Cookies at  Betty's tea Shop.  We are still trying to figure out some way to get them home!  Perhaps on our hips?

May 15: Bolsover Castle, Haddon Hall, and York Ghost Walk

Today was Alanna and my first day without Ian, Beverley and Dorothy, and we spent some of the day saying “They’ll be heading to the airport now!”  and “They’re all in the air by now.”  I hope they have safe and pleasant trips.  Alanna and I had an intense day of visiting a castle, a hall, and a medieval town.

May 14: Lacock Abbey and a Parting of Ways

Today we finished our last bits of packing, and said a very fond and somewhat reluctant goodbye to our hosts in Tetbury, Roz and Colin, with thanks both for their lovely cottage and for their warm and helpful hospitality.  We piled into the car with the luggage and drove to Lacock Abbey, which not only had a medieval abbey converted to a Tudor home (and the location of two Harry Potter movies), but also the Fox Talbot Museum (an amazing man who made amazing contributions to the science of photography) and an exhibit of pictures by Michael Palin. 

 Next, we drove Ian, Dorothy and Beverley to their hotel in Heathrow, from whence they will depart for Canada, and Alanna and I drove up to our B&B in Stratford.

May 13: Our trip to Wales

Today we decided to forget Bath, postpone Lacock, and spend our last full day together seeing something new.  We decided to head over the Welsh border to see Chepstowe Castle, Offa’s Dyke, and Tintern Abbey. 

May 12: Saturday was Bath (England) day!

Saturday our plan was to get up early, go to Lacock Abby, then continue on to see the major sites of Bath.  Unfortunately, we got a later start than planned, as everyone had a bath this morning. Lacock Abby doesn’t open until 10:00, and we knew from previous experience that it is 20 minutes from Tetbury, so we didn’t feel too badly about our 9:50 start, especially since we had managed to see all of Gloucester in an afternoon. 

May 11: Gloucester and the countryside

 Once again I am reliant on the kindness of strangers to post / update the blog.

Today we went to Gloucester by way of two more barrows.  The first was a bit of a ruin, but had amazing views of the Severn Valley.  The second barrow, called the Ulley Long Barrow, more familiarly known as Hetty Pegler’s Tump, was much more complete, and Alanna, Ian, and I climbed on our hands and knees through the mud, which has left us looking glamourous for the rest of today.  We went into the town of Gloucester, where we did a bit of shopping, then off to the city museum, where we saw the history of the city through Roman and Medieval times.  We went briefly to the Beatrix Potter “attraction” which looked an awful lot like a store.  Next we saw the amazing Gloucester Cathedral, including the tomb of Edward II, the amazing Norman building soaring into the skies, and the cloisters, where Harry Potter was partly filmed.  We drove down the eastern banks of the Severn, and are now in our local pub, between fish and chips – chicken for Ian – and dessert.

May 10: Chedworth Roman Villa and Stratford-Upon-Avon

We got off to a nice early start today, up and out the door before 9:00.  We arrived at Chedworth Roman Village shortly before its opening time of 10:00.  It was my (Margaret’s) turn to drive, and I found driving a much larger vehicle than I have driven on the other side of the road down narrow country lanes to be a bit of a challenge.  Our first stop was Ann Hathaway’s cottage, which has lovely grounds and extremely helpful docents.  We went on to the RSC and bought our tickets, which gave us a chance to visit Holy Trinity Church, a still active Anglican Church where Shakespeare and his family are buried.  We went to “Food of Love” for lunch, then saw Shakespeare’s birthplace before wandering down Henley Street.  The production of Twelfth Night at the RST was wonderful.  Even the minor roles were so well portrayed, and one could tell the play was meticulously rehearsed.  The set was imaginative, and although most of the pieces were on stage the entire time, they were used in so many different ways in the different scenes that one never had a sense of confusion.  The image of Malvolio’s cross gartered stockings is permanently etched in my mind.  Ian drove us home through the dark – bless him! – and we arrived safe and sound.  We have just eaten the Subway sandwiches we purchased on Henley Street, and everyone else is off to bed.

May 9” Avebury and Lacock

We got a very late start today, as we had a few exhausted members of our party.  Alanna, Margaret and Ian took the opportunity of a drizzly morning to wander around Tetbury while following a printed walking tour.  By 1:30 we were in the car and on our way to Avebury.

May 8 Stonehenge and Tetbury

We have no WIFI in our cottage, but here we are at a pub, so here's yesterday's post.

May 7, 2012 - Torcello, Burano, & Murano

Today, (after I held everyone up by sleeping in until 9:00!) we had a nice breakfast and used up all of the food we’d purchased, then took the vaporetti across the lagoon to Torcello.  It is a magical place, where one can hear birdsong as one strolls along the walkway between the canal and the fields. After viewing the churches and enjoying a wonderful meal, we went on the short vaporetti ride to Burano, which has a very different personality, as Alanna said, as the buildings are vividly coloured.  After this, we made it to Murano with not enough time to see the museum, but plenty of time to spend our last Euros on lovely glass and enjoy coffee and beer on the Murano canal.  Now we are off for our last gelato before we start our packing.  We are sad to be leaving Venice, but excited to think that we will see Stonehenge tomorrow.

May 6 Venice: Galleria d'Accademia and Ca’Rezzonico

Ian writes:

Today we continued our Venice exploration by visiting the Academe and Ca’Rezzonico Palazzos and art museums.  The Academe houses artwork stretching from the medieval period to the 17^th C.  The Ca’Rezzonico houses Venetian artwork from the 17/18^th C.  The Academe is housed in a Palazzo, but is a typical art gallery, while the Ca’Rezzonico has rooms set up containing original and period furniture and other items, as well as the silk patterned fabric on the walls.

Dorothy checking out a gilt alterpiece.

May 5, Venice again!

I've decided to go easyon pictures until we get a faster connection, and then I'll add more and update these files.  It takes 20 minutes to upload a picture!  Today we started our day at the Doge's Palace.  We saw a lot of the city walking around, and then made an abortive attempt to see the Da'Rezzonico Museum, which we have rescheduled for lunch.  After dinner in the restaurant that we live above, we had a nice early morning to prepare for a tougher day tomorrow.

May 4: Museums and the Ghetto

Another great day of museums and wandering the streets. 

Alanna practicing her pedicure skills.

The Gang's All Here in Venice!

The five of us, together at last, had a great time exploring Venice.

May 2nd: Taking Care of Business in Venice

Today we rushed off to meet the agent and get moved into our apartment.  We took a 45 minute trip down the Grand Canal, which we thought would only take us about 30 minutes, and our stop is probably the most popular one in Venice. 

There is a tourist tax in Venice or 2.5 Euros per day to a maximum of 10E per person, and I had forgotten that we were paying for 5 people, so we needed to go to a bank machine and then meet the agent back at their office.  I also wanted to get a WIFI key, which I did, but it is both slow and charged for by the hour, so there may be a few fewer pictures for a while.  This is a great pity, as I walk around snapping pictures by the hundreds, as everything one looks at in Venice is beautiful.

Our apartment is blessedly cool, and we couldn’t ask for a better location.  We are a three minute walk from the San Marco Zacharetti Vaporetto stop, and our bedroom window looks right down into a leather bag store.  We really wish our friend Sharon was with us to truly appreciate it!  We have a little courtyard, and a restaurant has some tables in it, but otherwise you would not know that you are in the heart of the busiest tourist spot in the world.

We walked to the tourist office, and took the vaporetto back.  We have been for groceries – coffee, tea, and a few breakfast items.  In about an hour, we will go to the airport to meet my mom, who gets in at 5:40, and Ian’s mom, who gets in about an hour later.  Our niece, Alanna, doesn’t get in until 10:40, so we will make another trip later when both of our moms have settled in.

May 1: May Day in Venice!

It was a tough start to the day:  too hot to sleep in our room, and a 4:15 wake-up call.  It was a good thing we packed last night, because the taxi driver made it to the reception desk before we did!  We arrived in Athens at sunset, and left it at sunrise.  I was very glad to be able to buy a book in the Athens airport, and we had no troubles on our flight, and then we were in Venice.  Ian believes everyone should arrive in Venice by boat, so we had a dry run of the Alilaguna that we will take our mothers and our niece Alanna on tomorrow.  It is so exciting to see the bell towers (campanelli) emerge on the horizon.  Our hotel room wasn’t quite ready – we don’t have the apartment until tomorrow – so we went for our first Italian pasta meal, and then back to our old neighbourhood, where Ian and I stayed last time we were here.  We took the bus from the Ferrovia station around the outside, past the cruise ship terminal and between Venice and Giudecca islands.  We stopped off at San Gerogio island and saw the church with all its Tinterettos, then took the elevator up the Campanile for some great views of the Venice archipelago.  Finally, we caught the vaparetto down the Grand Canal back to the Ferovia (Railway) stop. We got gelato and then got into our sweltering room.  After a couple of cool showers, we went to wander once more around the block, found a bar with Internet, and had the best coffee we've had in weeks.

The view of St. Marks bell tower and the Doge's Palace from San Giorgio

April 30: Our last day in Athens

Today was our last day in Athens, and we spent it arranging for our trip to Venice, a day earlier than planned; visiting the Greek Agora, including the prison where Socrates died and the Hephaistion; the Stoa Museum; the Keramikos, an ancient cemetery; and the National Archaeological Museum, which is one of the best museums in the world.

April 29: The Acropolis

We were forewarned by several other travelers that Athens could be a bit difficult to schedule, since several museums are not open on Monday (tomorrow), including the Acropolis Museum; all museums close at 3:00, withe the exception of the Archeological museum, which is open to 6:00, and the fact that there is a general strike planned for the first of May, Wednesday.  We opted to see the Acropolis Museum and the Acropolis today, then when everything closed, we wandered the Plaka district for a while, picked out some things to covet, and had a snack.  Our laundry has been done in the tub, and is festooned around the room.  It was a hot and muggy day, but any day is a great day to explore a world class museum.

April 28 - Delos, Mykonos, then on to Athens

It is hard to believe that onloy yesterday we were on a ferry arriving in Mykonos, and today we are in Athens!  We went to the island of Delos today, and were thrilled to see the richly historic island, even though it ended with a sprint not to miss the last boat of the day!  We arrived in Mykonos with half an hour left to see the archeological museum there, then had a meal near the harbour, and climbed the cliff back up to our hotel.  We were delivered to the airport, had an uneventful 35 minute flight, and were met at the airport.  Ian complained that on our tour visit to Athens, we spent 40 minutes on the Acropolis, and and hour in the gift shop below.  Ironically, our hotel is a block from the gift shop he has so reviled!  After we checked in, we went for a walk and saw the Acropolis Museum -- less than a block away, and the Parthenon lit up and glowing above us.

Ian part way down the stairs and roads to the harbour.  It took about 10 minutes to go down -- and about 20 to climb back up!

April 27, 2012 – Iraklio to Mykonos

Today was another travel day.  We took the Ferry from Heraklion to Mykonos – 5 hours on Hellenic Seaways’ Flyingcat 4.  It was a smooth and uneventful trip.  We stopped in at Santorini, Ios and Paros on the way, but the ferry only puts in long enough to unload and load passengers.  One disadvantage of these conveniently fast ferries is they have no outside deck. Our hotel, the Alkyon, is located on the hill behind the town with beautiful views down on the town and out to Delos and beyond.

April 26th: Happy in Heraklion!

Although the city is ALWAYS called “Iraklion” here!  Don’t you love it when a plan comes together and you get a day with few problems? 

April 25, 2012 – Gortys and Hiking

Or Gortyn, or Gortis, or any number of variants.  Whatever it is, we ditched the GPS today.  It is proving almost worthless except for finding the bigger towns.  I suspect this has to do with spelling, but the GPS doesn’t recognize any of the versions of town names that are on any of our maps.  Fortunately, all the villages are very well marked with road signs, so if you have a decent map it is easy to navigate by tracking your position from village to village – sort of like subway stops.

April 24, 2012 – The Minoans

Today we managed, in spite of poor GPS directions and two maps with conflicting information, to see the Minoan sites of Phaistos and Agia Triada (Church of the Holy Trinity).  We were amazed to see such old ruins in such amazingly good condition.  After an afternoon on the beach, we returned to our hotel for a second blissful night.

April 23, Crete: Ready, set, nowhere to go

 “The best laid plans o’ mice and men gang aft agley.”  Our day was completely agley, but we saw some amazing countryside as the GPS led us blindly through the mountains of Crete.

April 22, Lindos, Rhodes, and Travel Highs and Lows

Today marked our one month anniversary of travel, and the halfway point for Ian’s trip.  We rented a car, and drove to Lindos, halfway up the eastern side of the island.  Although we had been there before, the unparalleled beauty of the site, and the advancement in reconstruction efforts made us very glad we had returned for another visit.  We also enjoyed a scenic drive across the island to Ancient Kámeiros, which had closed at 2:00, as do almost all sites in Greece in this, the off season.  This left us with three hours of car time and nowhere to go!  We attempted a couple of beaches, then headed off to Rhodes airport for our flight to Crete.

April 21, Rhodes: How the other half lives!

What a luxurious day!  No ferries to catch, no appointments to keep, nothing we need that we can’t live without.  At breakfast, we made arrangements for dinner at our boutique hotel.  Since we were the only guests to do so, we have a private award winning chef who is going to make us an authentic Greek meal.  We met a couple from Britain, Averil and Nick, who have spent some time in Rhodes before, and gave us many helpful hints about how to spend our day.  If ever a day were well spent, this was it!  We walked completely around the city walls in the dry moat; saw the Grandmaster’s Palace, which might more accurately be called “The Kos Mosaic Museum”; strolled the city streets and did everything touristy, from having mezedes on a street corner to following tiny ancient passageways “just because” and even eating ice cream; to exploring the archaeological museum; to soaking in the huge double Jacuzzi, each with a good book, and letting the dust from four weeks of travel wash away.  Soon we will return to the vaulted breakfast room for our anticipated gourmet dinner.  This afternoon we listened to a street performer singing the ubiquitous "Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end," and I was thinking how much less stressed I am at this point in my life than when I was young and callow.  

April 20: Kos to Rhodes

We had a wonderful day in Kos.  First we took the public bus to Asclepion – no, not the same site as we visted near Pergamum in Bergama, but another centre of healing, therefore, an “Asclepion”.   We tried to visit the restored “Villa Romana” we had seen the day before, but it has been closed since September, according to a very small sign on the gate.  We explored the town of Kos in the windy sunshine, going out on every wharf nearby, and had a meal on the harbour. 

All too soon, it was time to board our ferry to Rhodes.  The ferry ride was a bit dull and rough, but through the small salt encrusted window Ian managed to see the very Venetian looking town of Symi at a ferry stop. 

Ian had looked up the walking route to our hotel, and knew that it was only “steps”, which it must be if you don’t get lost, but I was very worried about the unique paving system – river rocks set on their sides – which I remembered from our last trip to Rhodes.  Unlike our last trip, we found the shops in Rhodes mostly locked and barred, since the cruise ships had left, although the odd shop keeper did come out and ask hopefully “You came on a ship?”  We found our hotel, in a courtyard right off the Street of Knights, and it makes up for all the luggage lugging we have done.  We got an upgrade, and I hated to leave the Jacuzzi, the big screen TV,  the elegant dining room, and even the little television in the bedroom to go out for dinner, but sacrifices must be made!  Not only is it the best hotel I have ever stayed at, it’s nicer than my house!

Dinner was delicious – steamed mussels to share, then gemista for Ian and moussaka for me, and a bridal party came to the restaurant.  We even saw a cat that looked a lot like ours.

Since we now know what “airplane seating” means on a two hour cruise, we are really excited to enjoy the six hour cruise from Heraklion to Mykonos, past Santorini, and four other islands.  really excited.

Tomorrow we explore the town of Rhodes!

The "treatment" level of Asclepion, where Hippocrates worked.

April 19: Yia Su from Kos, Greece!

The host at our hotel looked at our three backpacks, the rucksack of souvenir guidebooks, and my enormous green drag along suitcase and offered to take us to the ferry.  We did without the morning breakfast of bread, olives, tomatoes, cucumbers and cheese, that has been our daily routine for four weeks, and by 10:30 we were in sunny Kos.  We got into our hotel right away, bagged all of our laundry and had it sent out– I didn’t ask the cost, and now I’m frightened – then explored the amazing town of Kos.

Kos was a regular Greek fishing village, looking like any other, until it was levelled by an earthquake in 1933, especially the Chora neighbourhood.  People were surprised to find an almost intact ancient Greek town hidden just below the surface.  It has since been excavated, and some very interesting mosaics, frescoes, and buildings have come to light.  We also explored Kos harbour – lots of little fish – and climbed all over the crusader castle.  We saw the plane tree of Hippocrates (the medical oath guy) and the mosque and hamam that testify to the long residence of Turks in the area.  For me, the highlight of the day was sitting in a seaside café in the brilliant and too-long-absent sunshine, enjoying a Greek salad in Greece, with happy people all around us.  I have had to stop myself from saying “Thank-you” and “excuse me” in Turkish, and am working on my Greek phrases.  “eef chaer-ee-STO’!  Dinner was in the wonderful Ideal Diner, just a block from our hotel, and full and happy we are ready for a nice long sleep.  If every day in Greece is a lovely as this one, we are in for a wonderful stay.

April 18: Bodrum in the Rain

We woke up this morning thinking that we were early to rise, but we were rather later than usual, not really stirring until 8:00.  The sky was so overcast that it seemed much earlier, and promised rain, a promise that it more than delivered.  We saw the yachts and harbour of Bodrum, and we saw the Maritime Archaeological Museum, located in St. Peter’s castle, in the rain.  This museum is dedicated to finds that sponge divers and others have found in the coastal waters off Turkey, and include two amazing shipwrecks that are almost entirely intact.  We saw the remnants of the Tomb of Mausoleus in a very heavy rain, and attempted to wait out part of the storm in the thieves’ tunnel.  We then walked up to the theatre in the rain, then, soaked through, we walked back to our hotel, took a wrong turn, and ended up with a wet but scenic hike through the entire town. 

April 17th: In transit

We drove from the spa hotel near Salithli to Bodrum.  In Turkey, each driver is supposed to have a card for using toll roads -- you can't use cash.  We didn't discover this until we were at the toll booth in Izmir on our way to Assos, and were unhappy to discover that one had not been provided with our rental car.  I set the GPS to avoid toll roads, and planned a route myself that bypassed Izmir, but I missed my turnoff, and Ian had to navigate a horrible route that appeared to head in the wrong direction right through the huge city of Izmir (the second biggest in Turkey).  Eventually, we were headed in the right direction, and after an hour of rather stressful driving decided to reward ourselves by visiting the ruins of Kalaphon, but although we followed the signs, they disappeared once we entered a village in true Turkish fashion, so we didn't quite get there. 

In Gimli's defense, she did take us to our hotel, which did not have a street number, but as Ian was too busy navigating one-way streets right down in the busy tourist centre, and I was looking for a building, we missed the little sign that pointed down the alley.  Frustrated, we decided to return the car and take a taxi back, but the GPS couldn't quite find the car rental place.  We went into a travel agent, were directed down the road, and took a small walk down the one-way street that had taken us an hour to circumnavigate the harbour.  We were both very relieved to find the office.  By this time, it was nearly 4:00, and Ian doesn't stop for bathroom breaks, so I was distracted!  It took us fifteen minutes to find the rental contract, which was exactly where it was supposed to be, but I missed somehow, and then the rental agent offered to drive us to our hotel -- once he figured out that we were staying in the "Ahr-TOONCH" hotel, and not the "AR-tunk" as we pronounced Artunc.  I take back everything I have even implied about Ian's aggressive adaptation to Turkish driving, as the car company driver took our little car down alleys and over pedestrians at a pace that would have made me close my eyes, if I hadn't had the foam mattresses blocking my vision from all but the back side window!

Our host was surprised to see the foam mats, and asked if we planned to sleep outside.  We were really glad to have them to put on the mattress that is really, I fear, a boxspring.  I will be very sad to leave them behind tomorrow, but perhaps Greek mattresses are more accommodating.  

Anyway, we took a brief walk around the harbour, had a Starbucks iced coffee latte, went to the town square for a pide, sitting opposite the Burger King, and stopped at the bakery for some dessert.  I was pleased to buy a book in English (Agnes Grey, by Anne Bronte), as I have been without one for weeks, and Ian bogarts the Kindle.

This morning we are off to see the Maritime Museum in St. Peter's Castle, the Tomb of Mausolus, from which we get the word "mausoleum", and the remains of Helicarnasus, where Herodotus, Ian's hero, was born.  Ironically, we looked up the address of the ferry agent so that we can buy the remaining tickets for the Greek ferries we will be taking, and it is the same agent we burst in on yesterday.   I think we need to buy Ian a souvenir T-shirt as well, as we need laundry done, but Ian is a bit concerned about wearing a "Bodrum" T-shirt into Greece.  We'll see what happens!