Europe 2014: Florence-Pisa in a day

Venice-Florence-Pisa, 

The past two days have be an exploration of three different cultures found in Italy. Each distinct and each with its own personality. To date Venice has been our most favourite city; narrow "streets" and back alleys flanked by water lanes, bridges seemingly out of nowhere crossing over one small water way into a new part of the city to explore. As well, Italian rail service is fantastic! It's serviced very well throughout the country, well laid out in stations and seems to be on time, all the time. As we approach the weekend we head to Rome for the last few days of our journey before coming home on Monday. Here are some thoughts from the past few days...

1. Venice is truly as beautiful and intriguing as the pictures and movies make it out to be. The history and stories it contains make it a must see for anyone able to come, we actually wish we had stayed longer! The people we met where gracious, hospitable and a joy to interact with. We wish we spoke Italian but English is known by all Venetians in some form and feels like it has become a second language that all know. We learned a few interesting things about Venice and the country while here. Most interesting in terms of the language was the numerous dialects spoken throughout the country, and that a common "formal Italian" is used to bridge the gap between say the Venetian dialect and that spoken in Naples. As well, Venice continues to sink and while the Venetian's have a plan in place to try and stop it, the population who used to live on the island(s) has been dramatically dropping. Some think that soon the Venice we see and here about may become one big tourist museum. When in Venice a "must" is to stay on the island(s) and we can not recommend enough Hotel Pensione Guerrato a B&B style hotel, with a wonderful staff. Roberto the owner and his staff were so friendly and we had a wonderful conversation with him about Italian, English, Venice and travel in general. We have already decided we will be back! We could go on, but the last update was so long that we think it best to move on to a few thoughts on Florence and Pisa. 

2. Florence: the city is large, at times walking the old city centre is like walking through the narrow streets of Paris. Of interest is that a number of the larger building's architecture is unique to Florence versus Venice, especially the "red" concrete blocks used, that almost made it look like they were built out of cedar. The Domo in Florence is huge, the biggest we have seen to date, and the people just as friendly. But it's a big city in comparison to Venice and Pisa and the numerous tourist flooding it to see the Forenzi Museum, the Domo and walk the main corridor meant it was too busy for our taste. What we have been doing is walking outside of the tourist centres and this is where you get a feel for the Florence's regular daily life. Much more interesting and enjoyable. One regret we had is that we walked a fair way to see the Boboli Gardens (Florence's Stanley Park) but, due to last weeks strange hail and rain storm in Florence, the gardens were closed due to severe damage. Oh well, on to Pisa. 

3. Pisa: Ah the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a wonder of the world. We came, we saw but not much else happens here??? Well Pisa is small, it's grand canal is as beautiful as Florence but as we arrived at the end of the day the tourist were leaving and we had the city to ourselves to explore with the few other visitors who decided to stay here as well. We stayed the night in another interesting old original Italian building, the Royal Victoria Hotel, just along the grand canal, with large old rooms, a beautiful roof top terrace and helpful staff. We walked to the tower, both along the main walking district and outside of it and saw Pisa by day and night. We actually reached the tower from the residential side, yes, the tower is located right beside peoples' homes. We enjoyed a wonderful simple Italian meal and then called it night. A long, interesting, and enjoyable day. 

Well time to get a good night sleep. The many sleepless nights, from changing hotels frequently has Michael fighting off a cold/flu, Elaine tired and we want to be well rested for Rome. Below are a few more pictures of Venice by day, as well as a few from Florence and Pisa. We will let you figure out which is which. 

Michael and Elaine

Europe 2014: Paris to Venice by Train

We have arrived in Venice! Today has been a full travel day throughout France and Italy as we made our way from Paris via a TGV 300km speed train. Along the way we traveled through southern French country side, through the French Alps and then on to Milan. From Milan we traveled through Italian country side and we think the outer edge of Tuscany. Our day once settled, has been relaxing and a joy to experience by rail but the start, well, that's a whole other story. We learned quite a bit about the French rail system versus the rest of the world, that is, for us inexperienced English Canadians....(read below for the whole story or skip to the end for new pictures)...  

1a. Our day started off with the alarm going off at 4:45am. A quick shower, final pack and off we headed to our waiting taxi. Early morning Paris is fast asleep and the streets are empty which gave us a quick and enjoyable chance to see Paris at night without all the chaos. 

1b. We arrived at Gare de Lyon Station on time and slowly made our way to what we hoped was the correct terminal (there are a few here). Unfortunately our train was not listed on the schedule boards when we arrived and some guess work was necessary, as it was for many of the travellers on our train this morning. With a cup of espresso and a raisin pastry in hand, we settled in to the now familiar game in European Train stations; staring at the schedule boards awaiting a sign from the 'train masters' as to what track (and at times the terminal) the train would arrive and depart. All was going as planned! 

1c. Not all terminal stops are created equal! The 'train masters' finally posted our desired information at 6:20 for our 6:45 departure. At which point the masses 'fast walk' and run to board what would be the correct train, we think. The 'train masters' posted the following "TGV 9239 Milano P Garibal - TER 2, Track 15". Seems simple enough, we guessed right and were in Terminal 2, track 15 was just up ahead, so off we go walking (not running) to our train. "Wait, why is there TWO track 15 signs?? Which train is our ours?...quick check the overhead track board...oh wait they don't have one here in France at this station! Hmm, guess to the right side". So off we go, hmm, we are on coach three seats 52-53...why do all the French coaches say 2?? Ok we ask a Train attendant, NO parle English. So we show him the tickets. He points to the coach in front of us. So we go onto the train to settle in, but these seats don't seem like our 1st class tickets (we got them cheap). My gut says these seats are not right, so out I go, I look at the attendant who helped us and show him my tickets again (with Elaine waiting on the train). This time I guess he actually looked at our tickets, because out comes him pen and he rights track 15 on them. WE KNOW THAT...no stupid...the other track 15 (the other unmarked train). AHHHHHH. We grab the bags off the train, and start running half way down track 15 (the wrong side), around the train and over to the correct side (we hope) and started fast walking towards our coach. Wow that almost was a disaster! Thank you God for giving us a sense that we were not where we should be! 

1d. As we walk towards our coach. Everything says 2 on it??? I think it means the ticket class, ok...which coach is 1st class and the one we need to get on. Let's try another attendant. NO ENGLISH...just points to a coach board and points further down the walkway. So off we go, two thirds of the way down a DOUBLE TRAIN using this particular side of track 15....ask attendant #3, "Bonjour Monseuer...can you please help us...NO ENGLISH..he begrudgingly looks at our tickets and points to the other end of the track, conversation ended! Now we are running back the opposite way we came, Elaine is getting exhausted from pulling her luggage and running up and down the train track. Michael is asking loudly in English for someone to help us....anyone. 

1e. We reach the very front of the train on the correct side of the track we presume. Elaine really is not happy, yelling that she is going to faint and Michael is becoming frantic. Attended #4 says "what is the matter?", he speaks ENGLISH!!!! We show our tickets, and he points us back to the other way we just came and says RUN!! The whistles start sounding, we start running, attendant #3 is back and keeps blowing his whistle and now yelling at me. Elaine is lagging behind yelling more frantically that she is going to faint and Michael running towards #3 hoping he can magically stop a DOUBLE stacked train from taking off. Then.....exasperated and feeling sick, Michael reaches attendant #5 who speaks English, asks what is wrong, then waves Michael on to the train and says he will help out once the train leaves...IN English! Elaine is still running and attendant #3 is blowing his whistle hard and yelling at Elaine "MILAN? MILAN!?"... Michael yells she is my wife, and attendant #5 tells her, IN English to get on now, while saying something to attendant #3. 

1f. This trains pulls away from the other train at the front that is sharing our side of the track (by the way there were at least 4 empty bays when we left???) and thankfully we are on it. The comedy duo of Elaine and Michael Buckingham with the supporting cast of TGV train attendants was this morning's entertainment for those passengers already gazing out the windows. Finally, we are ready to head to our seats and sit...guess what, our seats are just through the dining car and waiting for us, right in front of where attendant #3 was when we first met! Sweaty, exhausted, too tired to be angry, we place our bags up in the coach and sit. Whew!! Did that just happen? Yes it did! But we are on our way from Paris and on to Italy. 

If you made it this far....Venice is beautiful, pictures just don't do it justice. Below are a few shots from our train ride and our first few hours in Venice.

Michael & Elaine

Europe 2014: Day three from Paris...

Day three from Paris,

We are sitting at a Starbucks enjoying a latte of all places (it is very popular amongst the French it seems and yes they are everywhere just like back home) while the city enjoys some hours of rain and cooler temperatures. Our first days of Paris have been marked with miles of walking and marvelling at the neighbourhoods and monuments the Parisians spend there daily lives amongst. Here are are some observations and thoughts of Paris and our trip as we have reached the half-way mark of our journey: 

1, Montparnasse: our hotel is in the 14th district, a few blocks from the Luxembourg Gradens. In between is the main nightlife of the area with cafe's on every corner, Parisians enjoying dinner to late in the evening and then the small narrow streets in which their daily lives are spent; patisserie's, vegetable and fruit stands, la butcherie, le fromage, la vin, etc. The pace of regular Parisian life is markably slower than the chaos of the tourist destinations in Paris and Parisian's seem to know how to slow down and enjoy life. 

2. The city of lights is beautiful. The architecture of the buildings, the tree lined streets, the enormous boulevards extending from one monument to another, the dramatic difference between day and night. It all amounts to a wonder for the senses as you walk from place to place. Each neighbourhood throughout the city has its own unique character and intrigue. We have especially liked walking through St Germine and Montamare. 

2. Language: Elaine's biggest concern on our trip was the language barrier once we left London, and, while we have 'butchered' the French language, Persians have tolerated it and have even been patient and pleasant with us. The language barrier has caused some interesting happenings at dinner time though. Michael tried to order a 2nd glass of wine but it never came! She simply took the glass and walked away. Last night, we sat down at a cafe to rest our weary legs, have a drink and order an appetizer. We asked the waiter what he would suggest is a good sharing plate. We were unsure of his suggestion and said we would think about it, yet, 5 minutes later, there is was at our table. A strange meal it was, cured meats, pate, petit pickles, mustard and bread. But we did eat all of it!

3. The people-watching is the best we've seen anywhere. There are all kinds! Paris is the gathering place for all the nations of the world and it's wonderful to see such diversity without prejudice. Even better if you happen to catch them talking to one another -- French is such a beautiful language and regardless of nationality seems to known by all. Unfortunately, public smoking is extremely prevalent in London and Paris, the absence of which we have taken for granted back home. And so we just have learned to relax and enjoy the world around us when we want to join 'the cafe life' or walk within the city. 

4. One negative; tourists in Paris are a 'nightmare' in attitude and action. If it's a famous 'something' you can be sure to be trampled over as all the cameras come out and men and women clamour to get their picture taken. The worst must have been in the Louvre and the Mona Lisa. While famous, it really is unimpressive is contrast to the amazing art throughout the rest of the the Louvre and yet hundreds every few minutes jostle into the room where the painting is and then loose all sense of decorum in order to get their picture taken next to it. We barely got out of there alive! But so it is everywhere throughout the city. 

Well, the laundry is now done and its time to wade back into the hordes visiting the city right now. We are off to the Sacre-Coeur (a wonderful Cathedral), and then an evening dinner gazing at the lights of the Eiffel Tower. 

Michael & Elaine

Europe 2014: On to Paris...

Hello from Paris, 

We arrived via the Eurostar today, travelling through southern England, the Chunnel and beautiful French country side. The past few days have been filled with a day travel to Oxford, England, a final walk through Covent Garden to Soho and then a west end show to close out our time in London (Wicked). Highlights of these last couple of days included:

1. Enjoyed a wonderful visit to Oxford supplied by the generosity of our friends Alan & Tanya Thorne. We experienced Oxford through the eyes and stories of a fantastic guide, Professor Wagner, who has lived and taught in Oxford for 50 years and personally knew Tolkien and Lewis, among others. Interestingly, in the late 70's she almost took a job teaching at SFU up on Burnaby Mountain where I went to university. 

2. Finally took a ride on a double decker bus after a long walk through Covent Garden, Leicester Square and finally through Soho. There are so many unique areas of London! The bus from the top floor was fun, even if a bit long due to the horrible London traffic. 

3. Eating outside on a London Terrace, one must be willing to endure smoke everywhere! 

4. Free Internet is not easily found. London is full of free internet as long as you register (with a user name and password) and then add a mobile to have a key code sent to you! Classic way to get key contact information, while keeping the tourists from using these systems. Ugh. Our hotel internet was so bad that, if not for the "pay as you go" mobile plan we bought, we would never have been able to communicate with home to this point. BUT then again it has been wonderful to be free of the net on occasion and the constant feeling of needing to check, surf, scan, like and respond.  

5. Exploring Europe by train has been a joy. Not having to endure driving through traffic, or the long distance journeys has allowed for more time to stay relaxed and enjoy the countries and scenery we are visiting. 

6. Get to the train station early for your "international" journeys! Apparently we forgot to account for security & bag screening, as well as passport clearance! We almost missed our train cutting our travel to the station too closely. 

Below are some pics from or Oxford tour...

Michael & Elaine

Europe 2014: Hello from London!

To our family and friends hello from London. The past few days have been busy exploring the city as well as a trip to Oxford and train ride back through the English country side. There has been so much to see and do here that we will not be able to see it all in the short time we have. Some observations and highlights to date: 

1. The British have been extremely friendly and helpful. Especially our colleagues at OCEA Alan and Tanya Thorne, who treated us to a wonderful day and dinner in Oxford. 

2. The weather has been remarkable, summer weather in late September with no rain! A special treat was walking along the Thames river enjoying the sunset and the warm summer night while the city lights lit up the sky and the church bells rang out in the distance. 

3. Everywhere you walk there is something interesting to look at! The buildings, streets, black cabs and double decker buses make you think you're on a movie set. 

4. Pubs everywhere! The Brits love to meet and hang out in pubs all over the city and with the current weather everywhere we go are large groups of people freely drinking out in front these pubs. 

5. Jaywalking or crossing the street at your own peril is a sport here in the city. There are cross lights but everyone makes a sport out of crossing long before the light comes on and the cabs and buses have no interest or desire to stop! 

6. The 'tube' or subway here is excellent and makes traveling throughout the city a breeze. 

7. Our visit to St Paul's was a wonderful experience. Elaine especially enjoyed listening to the organ playing under the central Cathedral floor (the same organ that played for princess Diana's wedding), while I climbed 528 steps to the top of dome and got a 360 degree view of the city.

Below are some of pics from the first few days (our Oxford pics will come tomorrow once we have gone through them tonight)

Michael & Elaine

Happy 16th Birthday Emily...Another Buckingham starts driving today!

Happy 16th Birthday Emily!   My how times flies, I still remember Emily as my inquisitive little girl, always wanting to go anywhere and everywhere I went.  It has been a joy to watch her grow up and create her own path, regardless of what her friends might think.  What a treat it has been to watch her faith in God grow and to watch her excitement and desire to serve Him flourish!  Just one problem, when was it allowed that your little girl could grow up to be much taller than you?! Now its on to the last few years of High School and beyond, and congrats on killing it on the driving test today...so proud of you!  

Great Ride Day...

Ride day in the Fraser Valley.  With Elaine on a Sunday shift and the girls away at camp, finally got a chance to head out for more than a short 30km.   Met some really nice people from Southridge out of White Rock and enjoyed keeping up with my friend Will.  The good, we managed to accomplish just shy of 80km in approx. 3 hours (Will and I went out 40km and then back, the rest went on to Cultas Lake) .  The bad, had to make it through a bad calf the whole ride, terrible thigh cramps near the end and feeling sick from the awful sport gel I used today.   Still worth the effort and only 4 weeks left to get ready for my annual century rides in Pentiction and the interior.  Now to just recovery.  

Sarah's High School Graduation and Awards Ceremony 2014

Congratulations Sarah!...5 years of hard work came to its completion with her High School Graduation this past Tuesday night.  Besides officially graduating from Lord Tweedsmuir Sr. Secondary, Sarah was awarded the Grade 12 Female Athlete of Year, and 2013/2014 Overall Outstanding Female Athlete of the year.  She also came home with 5 new scholarship and bursary awards to add to the UNBC Ravens Scholarship she was surprised with last friday afternoon;  Royal Canadian Legion Scholarship, Jane Forester Memorial Scholarship, Surrey Dogwood District Authority Award, B&B Contracting Scholarship and a Surrey Firefighters Goodwill Tournament Scholarship.   We are so proud of her efforts throughout her school life and are exited to see how the next chapter of her education and athletic career unfold at UNBC this fall.   For our family and friends who had hoped to attend Sarah's graduation ceremony, attached is a very brief video highlighting this very special night in her life.   

New Artitist: Michael Kiwanuka

I have been listening to this MIchael Kiwanuka for months now.  His voice is so distinct yet so inviting and his music is combination of smooth jazz, african, reggae and rock all rolled into one. He is just an excellent artist who will be around for some time and is worth taking a few minutes to listen to.  Below are three of the songs that got me hooked, one is a live performance of his song "I'm Getting Ready" with just his basss player and himself, just great stuff.  The other is a life performance of "Tell Me A Tail"  with his whole band, pure magic.  The final video is just his voice and guitar performing "I'll Get Along" and "Home Again".  Enjoy. 

=8-)

Changes to the site...

To any of our friends or family who might find their way here, I  am sorry you have found the site stripped of its content at the moment. Unfortunately, one (some) of the girls friends thought it was fun and cool to take what was our innocent family photos and turn them into embarrassing moments on Facebook, twitter etc. for Sarah. To gain access to the photo galleries and videos, simply send me an email and i will give you the permission necessary to view them again.  Thanks for your undersatnding.