-
Look up, look waaaay up….
These words from the opening of the 1960’s children’s TV show The Friendly Giant certainly came to mind the past couple of days as we spent time on the Pacific Marine Circle Route in southern Vancouver Island. The height and girth of these beautiful firs, spruce, and cedars has been very impressive. And we did […]
-
There’s Something Fishy in Steveston
Had two visits to Steveston this week to check out its fishing industry heritage. What an interesting place. Starting in the 1870s and up to the 1990s, there were many salmon canning plants in this still active fishing village at the mouth of the Fraser River, at one time as many as 45 canneries! The […]
-
Bookman’s Holiday
I am sure you have heard of the term ”busman’s holiday”, which means that someone goes on vacation and ends up doing an activity not unlike their work back home. In my case, I think you would have to call this west coast trip a ”bookman’s holiday”. As some of you will know, I have […]
-
Happy Birthday to Me!
(or, How I spent my day with other old things) While planning our trip out west, I decided there was a place I really wanted to spend my road trip birthday, that being Dinosaur Provincial Park near Brooks, Alberta. The park is a Unesco World Heritage site, which consists of 75 square kilometres of hills, […]
-
Another Patio Girl on the Road
I promised the girlz, I would try to continue our stories of Patio Girl adventures on the road. After all the great posts from Gwen’s trip to Portugal, I hope I can produce something as interesting as hubby and I drive out to British Columbia. It’s been hard to decide what to blog about first, […]
-
Street Party
The atmosphere of Porto when we arrived on the holiday weekend was definitely that of a street party. The weather was ideal for it: sunny and warm. Tour guides carrying bright green umbrellas bustled their groups everywhere you looked, children played patty cake while parents lounged on the lawn in one of the squares, art […]
-
Castle of the Knights Templar
Perched on a hilltop in Tomar, is a castle built over 800 years ago by the Knights Templar. The church is an impressive circular (eight-sided) oratory modelled after one in Jerusalem. From the outside, it is an impressive sight, but from within, even more so. The castle includes the Convent of Christ complex built around […]
-
The Big Wave Pilgramage
When planning our trip I looked at a variety of accommodations, including those on AirBnB. Little did I realize at the time of booking that our accommodations in Nazare that overlook the beach would introduce us to a famous Big Wave professional. Garrett McNamara is famous for introducing Nazare to the Big Wave surfer world. […]
-
Evora: Roman ruins, a chapel of bones and a collection of nativity scenes
Evora, a UNESCO World Heritage city, was impressive. To start, the Roman temple remains, which date back to the 2nd or early 3rd century AD are thought to be the best preserved in Portugal. According to the guide book, the temple managed to survive as it was walled up to form a small fortress in […]
-
Next stop – The Alentejo region
Heading north we entered Portugal’s largest region, the Alentejo. Despite the rain, we enjoyed the landscape of rolling hills, olive tree plantations, fields of grape vines, interrupted by whitewashed villages and medieval cities that dotted our route. One such city is Beja. Although not as touristy and well known as Evora, it was a delightful […]
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Patio Girlz 