It was long overdue. It was time to welcome our good friends Cindy and Allan aboard for some sailing. They visited us in Venice for a few days during 2010 but we were in a marina then and spent our time walking around Venice rather than cruising. This time they wanted to see what “living aboard” was really like.



We told them that they couldn’t come to Greece without seeing Santorini! So they decided to fly into Athens and then go on to Santorini. Although Santorini has loads of tourists each year, it is still a must see. The island is beautiful and you can escape the crowds by staying away from the main town and visiting during the shoulder season which they were planning to do.

So they did the mandatory visit and then jumped a ferry from Santorini to Paros which is about a 1.5 hour trip.

Good thing we had discussed the timing of the ferry trip with them before they left Canada. They wisely questioned their hotel operator when they were told it would be a 5 hour trip. The hotel was going to take them to meet the ferry that would eventually get them to Poros…not PAROS. An easy enough mistake when you add accents into island names that sound almost the same.



So their first activity when they arrived aboard Onward – a swim in the Mediterranean of course!



They were surprised at how barren the islands are. We were just the same when we first saw them. After our swim, we headed out for a hike along one of many hiking paths that are around the beaches near the town of Naousa.

We selected Naousa as a meeting point as we knew we could find protection in one of the anchorages around the large harbour that sits next to Naousa.



The next day Trevor stayed with the boat (in case winds picked up again), while the three of us went into Naousa by taxi to look around. Many of the stores were getting ready to finish off the season and close their doors.

The fall of 2016 had been a windy in the Aegean. The meltimi winds did not die down as much as we had hoped and expected. We knew we had a 10 day window to do some sailing and island hopping with them but there really wasn’t the “ideal” window we wanted for first-time sailors. But they were game to take on the winds and head on to Serifos Island – the next island to the west.



We had stopped at Serifos on our first trip through these islands in the summer of 2011. I remember how surprised I was to enter the bay and see the striking white buildings climbing up the side of the hillside. We had read about the Chora (hilltop village) but didn’t expect it to be such a stunning site.

Even though it was late October, we knew it would be a healthy hike up to the Chora so we decided to take the bus up and hike back. It was a good idea!



It was very easy to just gaze down upon the island and sea!



The gardens were still blooming and the alleys amongst the buildings were free of people so were had the place to ourselves.



I don’t think I’ll ever tire of the “blue and white” structures that are particularly plentiful throughout the Cyclades Islands. They are so crisp and clean looking.




Although most buildings are white and blue, the graceful old Town Hall was a soft golden yellow. I wonder if someone was thinking of the sun shining down upon the island when the colour was selected.








After a couple of days at Serifos, we headed toward Poros Island (the island the hotel operator in Santorini was going to send them off to)! Another picturesque island, only an hour ferry ride from Athens so it very popular both with tourists and locals.

Poros Island



When you arrive at Poros, there is a narrow channel between the island and the Peloponnese which is beautiful to cruise along as you see the hustle and bustle of activity ashore.

(Note: The Peloponnese is a large body of land that is “almost” connected to mainland Greece twice! Bridges connect the Peloponnese to mainland Greece in two places. The first and most famous is at the Corinth Canal and the second is at the city of Patras (western side of Greece).

With many souvenir shops, boutiques and restaurants, it wasn’t hard to spend another two nights at the town dock here.

We were treated to a lovely meal aboard Onward prepared by Cindy and Allan while at Poros. A beautiful evening sitting in the cockpit, drinking a little wine and talking politics. Our son-in-law was awaiting election results for a federal election back in Canada. He was successful and was elected as M.P.!

Korfus



Our last stop together was another pre-planned anchorage. Again, well protected, we planned it in advance not knowing what kind of winds we would be presented with by the time they were ready to depart. We wanted a secure anchorage we could count on and that they could easily get transportation back to Greece.

It turned out almost perfectly. Korfus is a small summer resort town for the locals. It is a good anchorage with a bus that departs each morning for Athens, however it was a little “too sleepy” by late October. There was a flurry of small boats participating in a race around the harbour on the weekend and only a few restaurants remained open.

Cindy and Allan headed out on a rainy morning at the beginning of a real turn in the weather. We had been fortunate that other than wind, the weather gods cooperated until their departure. The following two weeks, there again was only a short break in the strong winds which allowed us a passage through the Corinth Canal and onto another week long wait at our next town of Itea.

It became very quiet around Onward after they left. We missed their company and friendship; they had been great guests. They left with a much better understanding of what cruising is all about and how much your plans need to stay flexible.

Situated between the North Atlantic and the Arctic Ocean, Iceland has a population of 329,100 and an area of 103,000 km2 (40,000 sq. mi.). The capital city of Reykjavík and the surrounding areas in the southwest of the country are home to over two-thirds of the population.

We decided that we since we were flying from Athens to Vancouver, it only made sense to stop in Iceland for a few days as leaving from Eastern Europe, our transatlantic flight would take over right over Iceland.

Following are a some of my favourite pictures with a few captions. Enjoy!

06/11/2015

This is the year to spend a summer back in Canada. We haven't done so for 12 years. So it will allow us to re-acclimatize to the moderate heat of Vancouver Island after having spent so many summers in the non-stop sun and heat of the Med.

We decided that flying via Norway and Iceland would split up our flight into more reasonable flight lengths and also make for new and interesting stops.



Our first morning we toured the waterfront where the boats come and go with the fjords a highlight for anyone choosing to see parts of Norway via water.



Right at the top of the sites to see in Oslo, is the Vigeland Sculpture Installation in Frogner Park. It sounded rather unique so we headed in that direction.



All sculptures are the creation of Gustav Vigeland (11 April 1869 - 12 March 1943), né Adolf Gustav Thorsen, was a Norwegian sculptor. He was also the designer of the Nobel Peace Prize medal



The Vigeland Park was mainly completed between 1939 and 1949.




View from within the park




Surrounding the modern condos are shops, restaurants, bars and cafes with marinas and canals.




We happened to arrive to a perfect evening with the outdoor bars and restaurants full of people enjoying the long evening light; one of the first such evenings of the year so naturally everyone was taking full advantage.



My source for info on the ship was WIKI.

In 1903 a Norwegian farmer by the name of Rom had dug into a large burial mound on his property, Oseberg farm, and had come across what he believed was a ship.

Under the direction of professor Gabriel Gustafson of
the University's Collection of National Antiquities in Oslo, the ship was excavated which itself took less than three months, but it took 21 years to prepare and restore the ship and most of the finds. The ship was dried out very slowly before being put together. Great emphasis was placed on using the original timber and more than 90% the fully reconstructed Oseberg ship consists of original timber.





It is believed that in the year 834, two prosperous women died. The Oseberg ship was pulled ashore and used as a burial ship for the two ladies. A burial chamber was dug right behind the ship's mast.
Inside, the walls were decorated with fantastic woven tapestries and the dead women lay on a raised bed. The women had a number of burial gifts with them. There were personal items such as clothes, shoes and combs, ship's equipment, kitchen equipment, farm equipment, three ornate sledges and a working sledge, a wagon, five carved animal heads, five beds and two tents. There were fifteen horses, six dogs and two small cows.

Both of them must have held a special position in the community to have been given a grave.


For whoever built the Oseberg ship, it must have been very important to make it a particularly handsome vessel. Beautiful animal ornamentation has been carved from the keel, down below the waterline, and up along the bow post, which ends in a snake's head of twisting spiral. Such a richly decorated ship must surely have been reserved for special members of the aristocracy.




The Vikings were very skilled and travelled far as shown on these two maps.




The Oseberg ship could be both sailed and rowed. There are 15 oar holes on each side, so fully-manned the ship would have had 30 oarsmen. There would also have been a man at the tiller and a lookout in the bow. The oars are made of pine.




The Royal Palace in Oslo was built in the first half of the 19th century as the Norwegian residence of King Charles III, who also reigned as king of Sweden. In 1905, Norway gained independence from Sweden and became an independent monarchy. Today it is the official residence of the Norwegian monarch.



The hotel is situated downtown near the pedestrian mall and parliament.



Above is just a small sample of some of the architecture. Oslo is a beautiful city.




It wasn`t hard to determine that wine and liquor sales are controlled via a state monopoly in Norway. And there is no attempt to hide the fact!



We couldn`t help but take photos of a group of nursery school children out for a walk. We didn`t hear a peep from any of them....they were enjoying ice cream cones. I loved the little guy with ice cream on his ear!


Oslo, like most of the northern European countries, is full of bikes. We found this unique bike one afternoon while walking past an outdoor cafe. A fully functional blender however you do have to burn a few calories before enjoying your blended drink!


We stopped and spoke to a Tesla owner as he plugged in his vehicle. He told us that the Norwegian government highly encourages electric vehicles with no import taxes, no sales tax, free parking throughout the entire city and numerous free charging stations throughout the city. He mentioned there are over 8000 Teslas in a city of approx. 600,000.

A little google research on my behalf revealed a few more facts:
- 10% of vehicle sales today in Norway are electric vehicles (source: WSJ)
-By most measures, Norway is among the greenest countries on Earth. It gets virtually all of its electricity from hydropower; it plans to cut its greenhouse emissions by 30% by 2020; and it has more electric vehicles per capita than any country in the world. But Norway is also the biggest oil producer in Western Europe and the world's third-largest exporter of natural gas. All that petroleum money allows Norway to subsidize its green lifestyle. (source: freakonomics.com)

I hope you enjoyed seeing a little of our trip to Norway. Next I`ll post our Iceland visit with lots and lots of photos!

It was our first time away from Onward for more than a month in the 8 years we have owned her. We decided to spend a winter back in Canada and settled in Nanaimo, B.C. for 6 months. Our stop overs in Toronto to visit with our children and grandchild also helped to break up the long 16 hours of flying time.

Onward was quietly awaiting our return and had behaved all winter. We were so surprised to see how clean she was on our return, we thought our neighbour must have washed her. But we soon learned that it was a very wet winter in southern Turkey. We were pleased to see that all our systems started just like a Swiss watch upon our return.

Onward's winter home, Finike Setur Marina. This photo was taken one day we hiked nearby.

We spent a few weeks doing regular maintenance such as waxing the deck and Trevor replaced the water heater element and repaired the wind indicator at the top of the mast.



Look way up!




Trevor repairing wind indicator

Our big project for the Spring was a new replacement dodger and new bimini. Trevor spent a lot of time designing the new bimini so that we would not have support bars going to the deck.



Jean was busy cleaning the existing stainless before the new canvas dodger arrives.



Suleymann putting the finishing touches on our new dodger.



We were able to have the new stainless hand rail and bars for the bimini made by Mehmet at the shop in the marina yard and all the canvas work was completed by Suleymann who also had a shop just outside the marina. Trevor worked alongside Mehmet.

Mehmet polishing stainless



Trevor working in shop with Mehmet


Trevor is pleased with Step 1 - new stainless handle to help support bimini



Suleymann involved us in every step ensuring we were satisfied. His English was fairly good but he repeatedly said, "slowly, slowly; montage, montage; control, control". When we look back on this project that is what we'll remember.

Our finished dodger and new bimini (with no deck supports), a very successful project.


We returned to all our regular stops in town. Fresh bread was always a big hit with us and the staff were always smiling and welcoming.

Jean baking



And for those that think we lead a life of leisure, there is the mundane "house work" to be done as well.

Laundry day is always time consuming. My washer needs to be manually filled and drained using the hose and items manually "spun" by wringing on our radar arch.








And of course, there is always vacuuming to be done too, windows to be washed etc etc.


We use propane for the BBQ and stove. It was time for refilling our tanks so while in town Trevor orders a propane tank for delivery to the boat. Thirty minutes later it is delivered on this OLD motorscooter adapted with the tank holder.

Trevor laughed as he thought of the irony of paying online via credit card on the spot while the Turkish man had to push start his 50 year old motorscooter down the dock. A bit of old with the new!




Enjoying some down time


Our neighbours, Wolfgang and Martina from Germany.

We also welcomed a Turkish couple to dinner one evening. He had previously had us to his home for dinner. When we went to his home, his wife was miles away welcoming a new grandchild and his son could not believe he had cooked dinner for guests. He told us it was definitely a first so we were honoured.

Showing off photos of the new grandchild

On June 9, we flew into Basel, Switzerland from Antalya, Turkey. We spent a day walking around the city seeing some of the sites before we rented a car and headed out on a two-week driving tour.

We were walking down a pedestrianized area when we came upon this beautiful RED building.


The 500 year old building houses the city hall and dominates the "Marketplatz" where fresh flowers, produce and gifts are sold from small stalls in the market square while tolley buses roll past the neighbouring shops. The building has ornately painted walls with scenes, carved wooden doors and decorative windows. It really is a very beautiful building.

We sat in front and had our morning coffee and croissant while watching the locals purchase their fresh produce from the vendors. We did comment to each other that produce doesn't compare at all with the lovely fresh produce we are able to buy in Turkey. We've been spoiled that past few years with the freshness and flavour of our produce.



And of course, the clock still works. You would expect nothing less in Switzerland!

As in many places in Europe, cycling is so popular and we frequently saw dedicated bicycle parking.




Above was our view from the balcony on our overnight stay in Fiesch. In the distance we could see paragliders coming down from a nearby mountaintop.

We were told by the owner of the hotel that until recently, this community would have often been cut off for parts of the winter due to the narrow, winding roads coming over the mountain pass. A new rail tunnel now enables people and cars to arrive eliminating the worst of the dangerous Alp highway.




Above is a glacier as seen from the highway on our way through the Alps to Zermatt.


We travelled through beautiful scenery on our way to Zermatt but at times the road could be a little nerve racking. You can see the "switchback" road to the right of the photo.


This was a very typical mountain chalet as we drove. We wondered what the purpose would be of the round flat stone. Later we decided possibly it would keep animals from climbing up and into the structure.

We parked our rental car at the Tasch Railway Station and finished the last 20 minutes of the journey via rail to Zermatt Village. Zermatt is a "car free" village so this was the only way to travel the last leg of the trip.



Above, the view from our Zermatt apartment balcony.

Our first day was comprised of touring the village and orientating ourselves and learning about the trails as we wanted to do a couple of hikes.






The 2nd day we hiked 11.5 km from the Village up to Furi and then up past the Zum See Restaurant to and back down. We thought this was a good "break in" hike for us.


Looks like a scene from a jigsaw puzzle!

We passed this lift on our hike. You could it to the top and then transfer to another lift and then arrive Italy.



On our 3rd day in Zermatt, we had beautiful clear blue skies. It was our day to take the train to the Matterhorn observatory platform.




The train crawls and winds its way along the tracks past 5 different stations where passengers can get on and off depending on the ticket you purchase. We purchased tickets to go to the very top and then back down to the 2nd station from the top where we had planned a day hike.

The following photos were all taken from the Matterhorn observatory platform above the Village of Zermatt.







These two St. Bernards were ready to pose with tourists (for a fee of course).


Ready, Set, Smile!







After visiting the observatory platform and taking a "zillion" photos, we jumped the train to the Riffelberg Station (2nd station from the top) where we started a 9 km hike. We had an exciting but exhausting afternoon after a very frustrating start when we couldn't find the beginning of the trail and walked likely ½ hour before finding it.


Looking for the trail?

The trail still had snow on parts of it which a couple of times gave me pause to think about how deep it might be as the land on each side of the snow was sloping down and disappeared to ??? We also added some distance to the overall hike since I had emphasized a couple of times to Trevor that I wasn't going to cross over some snow covered areas as I didn't know how deep a crevasse might be below.



We came to one snow-covered spot where we could see several recent footprints so we figured it was likely safe enough. But just in case, we put our arms out so if we did drop, we might have a chance of stopping our weight from sinking too far. That's what we learned to do on an ice covered lake. I wondered if that would have worked on snow but thought it was worth a try.




At another point, we had to almost crawl across snow as the slope was so great. When we looked down, we could see that if we lost our footing we would slide down on the snow about 100 metres before stopping on a grass covered slope. This trail would be much better to do in July!




In the end, my pedometer said we did 23,518 steps, 16.7 km in just about 4 hours. And since it was the strain of a fairly steep downhill hike, our legs were really feeling it by the bottom. It wasn't until we were at the bottom that we thought there was likely an app with electronic trail maps that would have been VERY handy!

Vevey, Gruyere and Bulle



When we left Zermatt we drove to Vevey, on Lake Geneva, where we met our niece Caley who was soon heading back to Canada having just finishing a 3 week stint working at the Nestle headquarters.



Below is Caley's hotel, a beautiful view from a lovely hotel (isn't it great when the company picks up the tab Caley!).



Caley showed us around Vevey and then we headed to Gruyere. Our friend Janet was raised in Switzerland and suggested that it was her favourite small village so we decided it was a "must do". And it was perfect!






Gruyere is a picture-perfect medieval town perched atop a small hill with yet another castle surrounded by a fortified wall.



Inside the 13th century castle is a museum and people dressed in costume wander through the castle and grounds re-enacting the daily lives and chores of the castle's earlier residents.



Outside the walls of the castle, the town is today now full of restaurants and shops for all the tourists who visit the castle.



We celebrated Caley's birthday in the nearby town of Bulle where we said farewell that evening.



Caley was off to Bern and Zurich before heading home to Canada and we were heading in a few days to Hvar, Croatia for our daughter Stephanie's wedding to Aleks. And we managed to escape Switzerland without indulging in any Swiss Chocolate!



And since Lichtenstein is such a small country and only took us an hour or so to drive through, we only have two photos!!

We entered Germany crossing the Rhine River from Strasbourg, France and headed to the mountain spa town of Baden-Baden. The German word, Baden, translates as "bathing, to bathe or baths". The springs of Baden-Baden were known to the Romans and around 1800, it was rediscovered as a spa town and included a visit from the Prussian queen to improve her health.



During the 19th century, the town rose to become a meeting place for celebrities, who were attracted by the hot springs as well as by the famous Baden-Baden Casino, the luxury hotels and the horse races.

















A walk through the gardens known as Lichtentaler Allee, you pass by elegant hotels, fountains and a small brook lined with carefully laid stones and cascading water falling quietly.









A monument highlighting the history of the gardens of Lichtentaler Allee noted: "In 1845, it was said there were 2 capitals in Europe, Paris in the winter, Baden-Baden in the summer."



In 1931, the town of Baden-Baden was officially given its double name, which is the short form for "Baden in Baden" (i.e., Baden in the state of Baden) to distinguish it from Baden near Vienna and another Baden in Switzerland.



The town escaped destruction during both World Wars and later became the headquarters of the French occupation forces in Germany. In 1952 a military airfield was constructed at Söllingen between the Black Forest and the Rhine River, 15 kilometres (9 miles) west of Baden-Baden. A year later units of the Royal Canadian Air Force were accommodated at the base and became known as CFB Baden-Soellingen.

Today Baden-Baden retains all the glamour and character of years gone by. As we walked the streets and stopped in cafes and stores, I thought I could distinguish between the tourists and the local residents. I admired women with their children or grandchildren, dressed in the best of clothing during their morning walk or casually shopping. Somehow they seemed to belong in this graceful town as though they were living in the past.

While walking through the pedestrianized shopping area, we came upon this street entertainer. He stood as still as stone until I approached and looked him in the eye. As I proceeded to walk past him, he gave me two quick "winks" and made me smile. How could I not stop and have our photo taken.


Tubingen



After driving through the hills of the Black Forest, our next three days were spent just south of Stuttgart, near Tubingen, Germany. Tubingen has a medieval old town sitting high overlooking the Nectar River. It is a university town with 1 in 3 residents being a student and as a result is the city with the youngest average population in Germany. The photo below shows a castle that overlooks Tubingen.



We spent an afternoon wondering the streets of the old town. These buildings "grew wider" as they "grew taller" with the effect that each storey higher became closer to their neighbour across the alleyway.



We stayed in a nearby small village in a hotel that was a 50 year family-owned business. The owner was the chef and 2nd generation owner of the hotel and restaurant. We thoroughly enjoyed our time and selected the local specialities for our meals which were delicious.

Bicycle trails are seen throughout the area, crossing through the countryside occasionally coming alongside the roads. It appeared to me to be wonderful area to experience a biking holiday.



Horbranz, Austria

During all of our travels, we tended to stay to the country roads and did so on our way south to Horbranz, Austria. We travelled along the length of Lake Constance (Bodensee in German) where the weekend traffic at times was heavy due to the small resort towns that are scattered along the lake. For three days, this was our base as we stayed in an apartment of an Austrian couple's home that we found on Airbnb.

Last spring a German friend suggested that we visit the Neuschwanstein Castle near Fussen in southwest Bavaria, Germany. All we really knew about it was that it is built by the Bavarian King Ludwig II and was the inspiration for the Disneyland Sleeping Beauty Castle. So we had planned that it would be one of our day trips from Horbranz.

Our day started well with another cross country trip through beautiful scenery but soon became one of those comedy scenes with a husband and wife bickering about driving and navigation abilities of each other. Several detours with poor or no rerouting signs were the source, taking us backtracking several times and several kilometers. (Thank goodness we don't have these squabbles while sailing or we wouldn't have lasted 11 years of living aboard!) But in the end, we arrived at Neuschwanstein Castle and spent a pleasant day together.

Neuschwanstein Castle
(New Swanstone Castle in English)

The castle is a 19th century palace commissioned by Ludwig II of Bavaria and was intended as a personal refuge for the reclusive king. Due to its secluded location, the palace survived the two World Wars without destruction.





HISTORY

In the Middle Ages, three castles overlooked the nearby villages. In 1832, Ludwig's father King Maximilian II of Bavaria bought the ruins of the castles and replaced them with a new palace known as Hohenschwangau Castle. Finished in 1837, the palace became his family's summer residence, and Ludwig (born 1845) spent a large part of his childhood here.

The ruins above the family palace were known to the crown prince from his excursions. When the young king came to power in 1864, the construction of a new palace in place of the two ruined castles became the first in his series of palace building projects.



For about two decades the construction site was the principal employer in the region. In 1880, about 200 craftsmen were occupied at the site. In the end, Ludwig II only lived in the palace for a total of 172 days before his death under mysterious circumstances in the shallow shore water of a nearby lake.

The castle was opened to the paying public immediately after his death in 1886. Since then more than 61 million people have visited the Castle. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Europe with up to 6000 visitors per day.




Little did we realize it was this popular and since you are only allowed through on a guided tour, and without advance reservation, we had to wait several hours for our designated tour. Even then, we opted to go on an Italian language tour rather than waiting another hour for English. (And no, we do not speak Italian!)

The castle was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle[5] and has appeared prominently in several movies including Ludwig II (1955), Ludwig (1972) and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).















As we waited to enter Ludwig's castle, we were treated to a picture perfect view. Each way we turned, the view was different but spectacular.












Photos are not allowed to be taken during the official castle tour but we were allowed to take this photo of kitchen.




While we waited for our tour time, we toured outside Ludwig's childhood residence (the castle built by his father King Maximilian II of Bavaria ). The following photo's were taken from the gardens of this palace/residence.



King Maximilian's Castle





The view looking down onto the village was very pretty.




No, we weren't here when there was snow. We took this picture from a poster, just as a reminder of what it would look like in the winter!




MAYPOLE

We saw poles like this in several town centres, sometimes with small signs attached. This particular one was in the same village as the castles. They reminded me of the "maypoles" that I read about as a young child. Upon returning from our trip, I was happy to read on wiki that it was in fact a maypole.



Per wiki: In Germany and Austria the maypole is a tradition going back to the 16th century. It is a decorated tree or tree trunk that is usually erected either on 1 May or on the evening before. This tradition is especially strong in the villages of the Bavarian Alps where the raising of the in the village square is a cause for much celebration. The pole is usually painted in the Bavarian colours of white and blue and decorated with emblems depicting local crafts and industry.


The romantic side of the Maypole

On the night of the last day of April, many young men erect small decorated maypoles in front of the houses of their sweethearts. Some attach a red heart with the name of the girl written on it to the tree.


LINDAU



Right at the Switzerland/Austrian/German border is the town of Lindau, Germany and the island of Lindau on Lake Constance (Bodensee in German). It was our neighbour for 3 days. One afternoon we visited the .26 square mile island of Lindau which is connected to the mainland via by two small bridges. It is a picturesque island town of restaurants, cafes and shopping.




This harbour was built in 1856 with the lion sculpture and boasts Bavaria's only lighthouse.


















Although we thought we left Turkey behind, we were continually seeing signs of "home". Notice the overhead sign: Istanbul Kebap Haus




Next Blog: Lichtenstein and Switzerland

We flew from Antalya, Turkey to Basel, Switzerland where we picked up a car for a 15 day tour of Central Europe before heading to Croatia for Stephanie and Aleks' wedding.

Our main focus for the next two weeks would be Switzerland, but we spent a few days in France first.

Our first stop, an afternoon in Colmar, France allowed us to walk the streets and see the canals wandering through the old town.





Yet another spot that picks up on the name "Little Venice" and the photos show why.









Then we were off to Strasbourg which known for its medieval cityscape of Rhineland black and white timber-framed buildings, particularly in the Petite-France district. The Petite-France district is nestled on an island surrounded by two arms of the River Ill (the River Ill branches off the Rhine River).

The streets and squares of this district were our home for 3 days. Our neighbour was the Notre Dame Cathedral. A Turkish Kebap House was also our neighbour and I think we likely caught them off guard when we greeted them and asked them how they were in Turkish.



A few interesting facts:

• Strasbourg's historic city centre, the Grande Île (Grand Island), was classified a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1988, the first time such an honour was placed on an entire city centre.
• The Strasbourg Grand Mosque is the largest Islamic place of worship in France.
• The port of Strasbourg is the second largest on the Rhine after Duisburg, Germany
• Economically, Strasbourg is an important centre of manufacturing and engineering, as well as a hub of road, rail, and river transportation.
• With more than 500 km (311 mi) of bicycle paths, biking in the city is convenient


The Ill River runs through the City of Strasbourg where it then flows into the Rhine


We thought we were going to leave the heat of Turkey behind and have a nice respite, but it turns out we hit a heat wave and it was just as hot for 3 days in France. We stayed in the old town section of Strasbourg in a small new studio apartment but with no a/c or ceiling fan and open windows, the sounds from the neighbouring restaurants and bars at night and the early morning garbage pickup and street cleaners didn't make for the most restful nights. However, the morning aromas from the neighbouring bakery did peak our interest!


The square just outside our hotel, The Cathedral Notre Dame behind

We were a couple of blocks from Cathedral Notre Dame. Built between 1176 & 1439, it is the highest cathedral tower in France @ 142 m.















Shopping here on the pedestrianized streets was great and we enjoyed many hours catching up on our shopping which had been somewhat deprived. The variety of brand name shops was a treat.


The Ill River, a block from our hotel







The Palais Rohan now houses three museums

As we crossed the Rhine from France into Germany, we stopped to take this photo of a canal boat. Since this is a larger canal boat, I presume it stays to the main, larger canals and doesn't get into some of the more quaint "off the beaten track" spots. I think it gives a sense to someone contemplating a canal tour on a large boat what a typical stop may look like. Maybe this group hopped a bus for a nearby tour of Strasbourg.

Possibly small canal boats charge more but are able to take people into smaller, more quaint locations??



Next blog: Our Land Tour of Germany.

Some months ago, we took a 5-day trip to the nearby island of Cyprus, an EU country and the third largest island in the Mediterranean. Unlike my other postings, this one focusses a little more on the political situation in Cyprus which in the end was the factor that seemed to intrigue us most about the island.

Having been ruled by numerous major powers throughout history, the island has been under dispute between the Turks and Greeks since the 1950's. According to international law, the Republic of Cyprus has sovereignty over the island and its surrounding waters. The Turkish-controlled area in the north of the island (calling itself the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and recognised only by Turkey), covers about 36% of the island's area but the international community considers the northern part as illegally occupied by Turkish forces.

Today, the island is partitioned via a UN created Buffer Zone which has been patrolled by UN peacekeeping forces since the 1970's, the longest deployment of UN Peacekeepers.


We didn't think about the political situation when we booked our flights to the north side of the island and later realized flights are not permitted into the south from Turkey.

We read various things on the internet and actually called the Greek Cypriot authorities to inquire about flying into the north and crossing to the south. Technically if you land on the northern side (Turkish Cypriot side) you have not legally entered the country as the Greek Cypriots do not recognize the Turkish Cypriot entry points as legal points of entry. Since Cyprus is part of the EU, for EU passport holders this doesn't present much concern but we were a little weary as non-EU passport holders. So, we weren't sure what to expect when we attempted to cross from the Turkish side to the Greek side in the capital city of Nicosia.

NOTE: We requested that our passports not be stamped upon arrival at the Turkish Cyprus airport as it could present problems for us upon entering Greece later on. Instead, they gave us paperwork that was stamped in and out of our later entry to South Cyprus and surrendered when we flew back out of Turkish Cyprus.



However, as it turned out, as we walked down Ledra Street through the border/buffer zone, we checked out of the North side via the Turkish authorities (they did not stamp our passports but the separate paperwork we requested upon our initial arrival) and a few feet later were waved through by the Greek authorities with no formalities at all.


LEDRA STREET

Walking down Ledra Street and across the buffer zone reminded us of something like a time capsule. If you look off to the side of the walk-through, you can see the actual UN Buffer Zone. Buildings and the road within the zone sit unchanged since it was created in the 1970's. Barbed wire, sandbags and signs warning not to take photos, capture the feeling that time really has stood still in this narrow corridor.



Arriving on the south side, café signs highlight the dispute still exists today.





coffee shop on south side



We also learned that renting a car on the North side to take to the South side is very cumbersome and expensive. It's complicated by the fact that liability insurance is not valid once you travel to the south so it must be repurchased upon entry and a mechanical breakdown or accident once you are in the south also becomes complicated to get back to the North.

So we took the bus from the airport to the border town of Nicosia, walked across at Ledra Street and then travelled on a shared shuttle to the south shore city of Limassol where we then rented a car at a fraction of the cost. It sounds a little complicated and certainly is not as straight forward as your usual entry to a country and car rental!

Photo of Cyprus south coast


For the next few days we drove along the south coast to the western end of the island to the town of Paphos and up into the Trodos Mountains where there was a little snow on the ground. We saw small chapels and monasteries that are scattered all over the countryside, sometimes with beautiful open views down to the blue sea below.

Mountain view



















small chapels and monasteries





Returning to the North
On the return to the North for our flight back to Turkey, there were no Greek authorities at the crossing point, only Turkish authorities who stamped our paperwork upon re-entry to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus".
But before we crossed, it didn't seem we were able to escape the obvious signs reminding us of the ongoing dispute.









Also, there was a very obvious difference between the north and south side of the town of Nicosia. The south has all the hotels, tourist shops, pedestrianized shopping streets. The northern side of the town has none of the above. In fact, most of the buildings near the north side of Ledra Street looked deserted however we realized they weren't when signs of everyday life sprung up with laundry hanging outside an entrance to a building or when we saw this large coffee grinder sitting in what we would think of as an old garage.










We were surprised as we talked to locals that they asked us about our experiences having just arrived from the north side. Both in the car rental office and in restaurants, we met locals who have not travelled from the south side to the north side in the last 40 years. One person told us, as Cypriots, they do not feel they should have to show their passport to the Turkish authorities to cross to the north. Also when the island was divided in the 70's and Greeks from the north had to leave their land and move to the south, and Turks vice versa, hence people's property (real estate) is now left in limbo in "foreign" land.

So although the island has a rich history with historical ruins etc., it was the current ongoing conflict that interested us most. Of all the Mediterranean Islands we have visited, it is likely our least favourite and would recommend many others ahead of Cyprus. However, it did remind us first hand of the personal toil that hangs over people's lives many years after a dispute seems to have "settled down". At least to us.

Did you know if you click on the map to the right (Click to see full map), you will see our current position and if you scroll down below the map, you can zoom in on a google map and "see" our current location. Hopefully I remember to update this regularly.