tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90079122352811554252024-03-05T06:30:28.734+01:002014 sabbatical / de viaje en 2014We are a family of four - Josh, Esther, Lucas and Aisha - stepping out of the rat race for 8 months to travel round Southeast Asia, New Zealand, USA and Canada / Josh, Esther, Lucas y Aisha estamos de aventura recorriendo Asia y America y Oceania durante 8 meses. Qué no se acabe nunca!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17038861476992477547noreply@blogger.comBlogger294125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-82962634693338493322014-08-15T05:00:00.000+02:002014-08-15T05:00:01.233+02:00Last day away from EuropeLast day in USA. Today it was clear blue skies so we went to a nearby park with the intention of doing one last little trek through leafy New England before driving down to JFK. Unfortunately for the adults there was a playground so the kids ran straight there. Lucas met two boys and there was no tearing them away, so we just spent the afternoon there. Then we headed down to JFK where we spent 4h wiling away the time before boarding our plane.<br />
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This message comes to you courtesy of Korean Airlines. Their VIP lounge has an open WiFi network.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com1JFK Airport, USA40.6413111 -73.77813909999997640.6413111 -73.778139099999976 40.6413111 -73.778139099999976tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-25984238739814816062014-08-14T05:00:00.000+02:002014-08-14T06:34:56.306+02:00Rainy day in TorringtonWhat a wash out! We are here to trek and it just poured the whole day until 3pm. Luckily we have a kids "museum" (more of an interactive play area) next door so we spent the day there. It was packed - most parents must have had the same idea as us.<br />
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Got most of the packing out of the way. Tomorrow we have decent weather and a late flight, so we want to spend at least some time walking.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Torrington, USA41.802325 -73.12143830000002341.802325 -73.121438300000023 41.802325 -73.121438300000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-53034785410913149172014-08-13T05:00:00.000+02:002014-08-14T06:33:21.855+02:00ConnecticutConnecticut only has 5 pages dedicated to it in our guide book. A hidden gem it says, and not much else. We are here because there is some nice walking country and we are only 2h from JFK. Spent most the day driving, so we had a walk around town to stretch our legs. It looks like it has seen better days.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Torrington, USA41.802325 -73.12143830000002341.802325 -73.121438300000023 41.802325 -73.121438300000023tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-53303842403463951822014-08-12T05:00:00.000+02:002014-08-14T06:32:39.149+02:00Cape Cod<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We are sort of in the middle of Cape Cod, so that we aren't more than half an hour away from anything. Today we went towards the end of the cape, near the National Park interpretation centre, to Coast Guard beach. The name is uninspiring but the guidebook said it was nice and it didn't disappoint. The only thing is that it was really crowded, but it is August after all. There aren't any clams to dig up but the sand is absolutely perfect. It's amazing how they keep it so pristine with so many visitors.<br />
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Our neighbours has a great tower fortress going on so Lucas and I built a huge tower ourselves. We got a cool tunnel going through it but then our neighbours left and bequeathed us their construction, so we gave up on ours. However, instead of extending and expanding the empire Lucas and Aisha became barbarians and in no time the noble citadel was reduced to ashes.<br />
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Said our sad goodbyes to what is probably our last beach (excepting Fuengirola). We still don't have a proper tan though.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0West Yarmouth, USA41.651381 -70.24015450000001741.651381 -70.240154500000017 41.651381 -70.240154500000017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-78210476817773933362014-08-11T05:00:00.000+02:002014-08-14T06:22:58.746+02:00Finally manage to renew the rentalGot to Boston airport and finally renewed the rental. They were pretty clueless and I think we got overcharged, but we had two bored, tired and hungry kids so we'll have to fight that battle later.<br />
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On to Cape Cod. We had time to stop off at Sandy Neck beach. Esther is feeling the days slip away and needs to spend as many as possible on idyllic beaches. In our opinion this one was far from idyllic (we have been spoilt in Canada), and call it "sandy" must have been a similar marketing stunt to Eric's naming of Greenland (also at one end it is crawling with parked campervans). But it has tides, sandbars, hermit crabs and clams so we weren't complaining. Also, since we arrived after 15:30 the car park was free, our first bit of good luck for a few days.<br />
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Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0West Yarmouth, USA41.651381 -70.24015450000001741.651381 -70.240154500000017 41.651381 -70.240154500000017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-90178174021502644302014-08-10T05:00:00.001+02:002014-08-14T06:09:14.575+02:00More Thrifty adventuresCrossed the border with minimal hassle. Renewing the car rental is proving to be a nightmare. Again we got sent to the wrong place. The office in Portland is also a partner. Not only that, but it is closed Saturday afternoon, so I had nobody to shout at. Really miffed, tonight's hotel was really expensive (and an hour's return drive from Portland). At least I got some shopping in (mountain gear) on the way back. Now it looks like we have to get up early and rush to Boston.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Auburn, USA44.0353831 -70.26732950000001744.0353831 -70.267329500000017 44.0353831 -70.267329500000017tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-9940345736952601972014-08-09T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-14T05:59:54.428+02:00On the borderDrove through the Bay of Fundy without stopping - it is famous for having the world's biggest tides but we don't have 6h to spare. Stopped at Saint John instead, a nice town with a cool market and funky museum. Esther and I got in a much-needed hairdresser session.<br />
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Spent the night right next to the border, just before USA.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Saint Stephen, Canada45.217598741919012 -67.2183465957641645.21480224191901 -67.223389095764162 45.220395241919014 -67.213304095764158tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-60309733385202414122014-08-08T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-14T05:52:46.662+02:00Thrifty adventuresWhen we first rented the car, knowing we had to renew after 30 days, we made sure we had an office where the renewal could be done. We were told Amherst. Turns out we got bad info; not only can we not renew in Canada, but the office we were sent to was a partner, not a real office. Pretty unimpressed with the whole affair. We have now had to change loads of hotel nights and can't visit Saint Andrews by the Sea (Canada) nor Bar Harbour (USA). We will spend some time at Cape Cod instead.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Sackville, Canada45.8964218 -64.347739845.8963788 -64.3478188 45.8964648 -64.3476608tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-53221199680224070072014-08-07T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-14T05:47:27.547+02:00End of the Cabot trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Last day of our last major tourist attraction before heading back to Europe. Life sucks. We only have a few more stopovers on our way to JFK to break up the trip.<br />
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Weather still nasty so we didn't go back North to complete the Cape North detour. We just did a small loop and then headed South. Stopped at some nice rocky coastline on the way, all windswept and granitic. We had loads of fun scrambling around the rocks.<br />
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Passed by a perched eagle so hit the breaks and ran out with the camera. Such a shame the telephoto was too heavy for this trip. As luck would have it a campervan stopped behind us and out popped a guy with a telephoto. He was also using Canon and offered to swap lenses so I could get a few nice close-up shots of the majestic bird.<br />
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Tried to do a short walk but the rain and fog (and bees) put an end to that. Just drove on to Badeck, our final stop on the Cabot trail.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Baddeck, Canada46.0871384 -60.780796246.0871384 -60.7807962 46.0871384 -60.7807962tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-73584716729452277982014-08-06T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-14T05:06:06.464+02:00Turning point<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is a turning point in the trip. From today every step of our trip takes us closer to home. Until now we have been getting nearer to then go further away, but from now on we are on our way home. Quite a long and roundabout way, but it still feels like the clock is ticking. From here every night we will get closer to New York JFK, and from there we will fly to London for a week's stopover. Then we have one last week in Fuengirola in the South of Spain and then catch the train to Madrid. We still have some time before school starts, and I have a couple more weeks to look for a flat before I go back to work.<br />
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Continued round the Cabot trail, with a few stops on the way. One of those was The Bog, which is a... bog. A typical Cape Breton Highlands bog, where some hardy plants and stunted trees fight for survival in a low-nutrient environment. Because all calories count there are a fair amount of insect-eating plants round here.<br />
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We were going to go off the Cabot trail for a small detour to Cape North but the skies opened up and it started pouring down. There was no point going there as there would be no views so we just saw a small lighthouse museum on the way (only because we were waiting for our pizza) and went on to Ingonish. Here the weather was better so we had a great time at the very pretty Ingonish beach where Lucas and Aisha both has a great time battling the waves.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Ingonish, Canada46.6912291 -60.37225639999996946.6912291 -60.372256399999969 46.6912291 -60.372256399999969tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-78793517294094505112014-08-05T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-14T04:45:37.321+02:00Skyline trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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If you are going to do just one of the walks on the Cabot trail the one to do is the Skyline apparently. It follows a ridge up to a bluff by the sea through trees and meadows. The first 15 minutes are on a wide trail to take you up to the Skyline proper from the car park. After such strenuous exercise we stopped for a picnic and to see one of the rangers who was displaying antlers, footprints and poo. Round here you get deer and moose, with the occasional bear and coyote (the only adult to be killed by coyotes, a Canadian folk singer, was attacked on this trail in 2009). It is incredible to see just how big a moose antler really is. Lucas could hardly lift it, so we settled for a deer antler for the photo.<br />
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Then the path gets a bit narrower, but still pretty wide and smooth. It is also pretty level the whole way through. Sadly there are way too many people. There is a loop you can do to make the walk longer but we opted for the short version (7.5km is pretty much Lucas and Aisha's limit). The trail ends with a boardwalk (to protect the fragile vegetation) all the way to the end of the ridge and then about halfway down to the ocean. The views weren't too amazing as the day was pretty overcast, but on a clear day it must be quite something.<br />
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Stopped on the way back to learn about whales from another ranger, and then at the visitor centre. The kids completed their activity book missions and got a junior ranger diploma and dog tag, so they were pretty chuffed.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Cheticamp, Canada46.6100797 -61.014539246.6100797 -61.0145392 46.6100797 -61.0145392tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-22862992654116266472014-08-04T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-12T14:21:43.079+02:00Three beaches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Giovanni Caboto (aka John Cabot) was an Italian commissioned by Henry VII to explore the New World for England, a few years after Columbus. The first European in North America since the Vikings, he explored from Newfoundland to Maine. The scenic route round Cape Breton Island is named after him. A short detour off the route is one of his landfalls. Cape Breton is also famous for it's highlands, a granitic plateau with some pretty striking scenery and hiking trails. We are spending four days to slowly drive and hike our way around. You wouldn't even notice you are on an island - the separation from the mainland is so small it looks like you just cross a small river on the bridge.<br />
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So we set off from Port Hawkesbury North towards Cheticamp, where we are staying for two nights. Since breakfast was ridiculously early (7:45!) we had the whole day ahead of us. Our first stop was Port Hood, a nice little town with two churches and no pubs. Being Sunday we ran into a bit of traffic. There was some sort of boat parade going on at lunchtime, but we were there too early so we just went on the boardwalk and walked along the beach. All the beaches round here are amazing, with dunes, fine sand and virtually empty. On this beach in particular you had to avoid the dry sand as some sort of endangered bird used it for nesting, so we walked down by the shore.<br />
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Not hanging around for the boar parade we continued on to Inverness. This whole area was colonised mainly by Scots, with a smattering of Acadian French. There we visited the beach again; this one was more of the sitting down and making sandcastles variety.<br />
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Finally we hit the Cabot Trail and arrived at Cheticamp. We checked into the hotel and drove off to Cheticamp Island, which is joined to the main island by road. Parked and... walked down the beach. After another nice walk we met some local knowledge who told us where to go to maybe see some whales and even eagles, so off we went. We looked from the far end of the island out to sea but no luck. The scenery was nice though: a windswept bluff with tall grasses and steep cliffs into the ocean.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Cheticamp, Canada46.6100797 -61.014539246.6073547 -61.0195817 46.6128047 -61.0094967tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-35245007901149419642014-08-03T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-06T05:42:24.953+02:00Towards Cape BretonTried to book the ferry last minute this morning but they didn't have space for cars for the lunchtime route. And nothing at all for the next ferry. So we decided to go back the way we came: on the Confederation Bridge. It is slightly longer and with no ferry ride to break up the journey, serves us right for leaving it so late.<br />
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We are staying at Port Hawkesbury to break up the journey and to visit the Cape Breton / Cabot trail information centre (stocked up on info and maps). There is precious little else to do here.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Port Hawkesbury, Canada45.6245523 -61.36765479999996845.6245088 -61.367733799999968 45.624595799999994 -61.367575799999969tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-21269787163173433642014-08-02T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-06T05:31:54.535+02:00Cycling the confederation trail<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Another thing PEI is famous for is it's cycle routes. Especially the Confederation trail, which spans the whole island. Obviously we weren't about to embark on a 200km odyssey, so we settled for one of the most picturesque 10km from St Peter's Bay to Morell. This stretch is the only one that passes next to a significant amount of coastline.<br />
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We hired a couple of bikes and a trailer for the two kids. I pulled the trailer while Esther carried the backpack. The path is quite flat, but you really notice the gravel when dragging two kids along. Maybe bike seats would have been better but they really had wanted to go on a trailer since way back in New Zealand. After 20km (there, picnic, and back) I was pretty knackered. Cooled off at Greenwich beach, where I had my first dip in a Canadian sea.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0New Glasgow, Canada46.3979565 -63.33274729999999446.3979135 -63.332826299999994 46.3979995 -63.332668299999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-70377521427796219622014-08-01T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-06T04:38:33.901+02:00Tyne Valley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Bit of a driving day today, to visit the West part of the island. Didn't make it all the way though, it's too big for that. We just enjoyed the views of tree-covered hills from the car going down country lanes. Stopped for a great lunch at Tyne Valley. Later I realised I completely miscalculated the tip and only gave half, which was a shame because service was great, and we didn't pass that way again to rectify. Tyne Valley is where they do a big oyster shucking (opening) festival; in the last one they beat the world record (the previous record was also from here).<br />
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Did a little circuit, stopping at a playground, a river, a lovely beach (Aisha asleep for this one) and finally back home.<br />
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We are staying at cabins on a campsite and we have a small fire pit, so we decided to try our hand at lighting a fire. We expected the city slicker style experience we had with a chimney at a farm in Cadiz a few years ago but either the wood was drier or we have suddenly become experts - it only took one match and a bit of newspaper to get it going. I told Lucas a story about Dracula, mostly explaining how vampires work (wooden stakes, sunlight allergy, turning into bats, that kind of thing) and he lapped it all up. I think he's going to want another vampire story tomorrow.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0New Glasgow, Canada46.3979565 -63.33274729999999446.3979135 -63.332826299999994 46.3979995 -63.332668299999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-79139305547640681582014-07-31T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-06T04:17:53.138+02:00PEI National Park beaches<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of the best things in PEI are the beaches (the other is Anne of Green Gables, but since we aren't Canadian the whole thing doesn't affect us). Some of the best stretches of sand are in the National Park. We could get passes at a discount at our campsite (5 bucks a day vs 20 bucks) so we got one and off we went.<br />
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The sky is blue (most of the time), the trees green, the sea somewhere in between, and the sand red. We stopped just after Cavendish Beach as it looked a bit more interesting (and because we missed the turning). There were some nice red sandstone rocks and a few tide pools, as well as vegetation-covered dunes. We followed them along the shore up to the beach proper, where we installed our first base of the day. The kids had fun on the dunes (away from the protected bits and the vegetation) and splashed around.<br />
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Continued in another part of the park, this time to Brackley beach. Didn't find it and ended up at Covehead, which is also quite pretty and has a small lighthouse. I'm not a big believer in karma but amazingly, after loosing his kite on the Iles de la Madeleine, Lucas found a kite here. It wasn't as good, but it was completely new. The tail was still rolled up and tied with a rubber band. What a great moment for him. We immediately put it to the test and triumphantly paraded it down the beach. We now have 3 kites (plus one in Madrid).<br />
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Spent the evening roasting marshmallows with Susanne, Gus and co (they had spent the day at the theatre matinee of Anne of Green Gables) for a last goodbye. Tomorrow they are off to Madeleine and we won't see them until next time we meet.Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0New Glasgow, Canada46.3979565 -63.33274729999999446.3979135 -63.332826299999994 46.3979995 -63.332668299999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-5605245533802629052014-07-30T04:00:00.000+02:002014-08-06T03:43:43.759+02:00Back to PEI<div dir="ltr">
Ferry leaves at 8 and you have to be there an hour early, so we had quite an early morning. We hadn't headed out more than an hour when there was a medical emergency on board and we had to turn back to drop a passenger off. Finally we arrived over 2h late.</div>
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We had arranged to meet up with Susanne & Gus & co at our campsite at 5, but arrived half an hour late because of the ferry. Luckily they were still there so the kids were ecstatic. We all went out for one of the famous lobster dinners. The nearest one was quite something. Tour bus outside, massive open-plan dining area filled with OAPs, gift shop, the works. You buy some tokens for your meal on the way in - the whole thing reminded us of a countryside wedding. Luckily there was a table in the licenced downstairs room, where all the cool cats were. We had to do it, but really the whole thing is an overblown affair, quite expensive, not great quality, and with the ambiance of Mr Bean's birthday party.</div>
Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0New Glasgow, Canada46.3835256 -63.3622889000000146.2082911 -63.685012400000012 46.5587601 -63.039565400000008tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-10788961502675939622014-07-29T04:00:00.000+02:002014-07-30T15:29:37.849+02:00Pony ride<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Unlike Vietnam, if it is windy there are many things to do here if you don't kitesurf. Explored the last corner in the main island this morning, a port with a few shops. There was some sort of painting festival on. It was too windy for the kites so we had a small walk down the beach. Had some lunch on the benches there and then we headed off to the day's highlight, the pony ride.</div>
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More than a ride it was mini-lesson. The kids learnt how to lead the pony, brush him before putting on the saddle, talk to him, as well as a bit of steering. They played various games designed to get you to move round the paddock and finished by riding bareback for a bit to get a proper feel of the animal. Aisha was a bit wary at the beginning but was soon laughing her head off every time the pony was trotting. Lucas thoroughly enjoyed every second of it.</div>
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We then headed down to the South; the spit that connects the two islands is absolutely stunning - the salt marshes there look like bird paradise. We stopped for a nice coffee and cake by the beach while the kids played hide and seek and gathered stones for their "shop". After watching the sun slowly go down we leisurely drove back home for an early dinner. Tomorrow we have a very early ferry to catch.</div>
Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Cap-aux-Meules, Canada47.3794775 -61.86192140000002847.3794355 -61.862000400000028 47.3795195 -61.861842400000029tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-2537208412072259962014-07-28T04:00:00.000+02:002014-07-30T03:21:18.837+02:00Kite buggy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Esther's wrist still hurts so I had the first kite buggy lesson. The first hour and a half is purely introductory: you spend all the time just with the kite, doing various exercises to learn how to control it. I was lucky - it was two people to a kite but we were 7, so I had a kite all to myself. The main aim is to do figure-8s to one side of the wind and another, which creates the impulse to drag the buggy from one side to another (simply going downwind means you have to drag it back every 2 minutes).</div>
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After an hour and a half we began the next part of the lesson: getting into the buggy. Again I had a buggy all to myself, so I got double the practice time. I definitely needed it, it's pretty hard to get the darn things moving. And once you get going it just takes a small mistake to grind to a halt. Great fun though.</div>
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By the end of the day Esther's wrist was still not better so we cancelled tomorrow's lesson. Maybe we can do something interesting in PEI in a few days time. Looks like we have wind for a few days. </div>
Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Cap-aux-Meules, Canada47.3794775 -61.86192140000002847.3794355 -61.862000400000028 47.3795195 -61.861842400000029tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-62206525437837429852014-07-27T04:00:00.000+02:002014-07-30T03:17:14.464+02:00Beach and kites<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Went back to the shop to confirm our kite buggy lessons. While we were there we bought the kids a couple of kites - there is good wind today and the beaches are a great place to fly them.</div>
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The four main islands are all linked by road - there are big sand spits between them which makes this easy. Today we headed to Old Harry Beach, about 40km North. It's a beautiful windswept beach with a few small dunes and only a handful of people. Immediately took out the kites and got them flying. I expected interest to wane after a few minutes but the kids held on to them for ages. Until Lucas' slipped out and flew off. We both ran after it but soon it was out to sea with absolutely no change of return. He was more excited than sad about the whole adventure.</div>
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Headed back on a longer scenic route. The houses here are mostly painted in very bright colours, all different. This is because in the old days they were mostly made from shipwrecks and painted in the same colour as the original boat. We stopped at a smoking house for a few dinner tidbits (smoked clams, hmmm) and at a cheese shop (closed, but the owner, who was just leaving, opened up again for us). Then we saw some magnificent cliffs on the way home - these islands have some magnificent scenery, well worth the trip.</div>
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Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Cap-aux-Meules, Canada47.3794775 -61.86192140000002847.3794355 -61.862000400000028 47.3795195 -61.861842400000029tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-8087837766882591712014-07-26T04:00:00.000+02:002014-07-30T03:11:24.990+02:00Kayaking round Gros Cap<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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First proper day on the islands. Hadn't realised how expensive the ferry was so we were on a mission to make the most of our time here. First we went to a place where they do all sorts of wind and water sports and booked an evening kayak tour (today is the best day as the wind will pick up tomorrow). We don't have much time to do a proper kitesurf course (plus there isn't much kitesurf in Madrid) but we put our names down for a kite buggy intro + beginner course for Sunday and Monday.</div>
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Headed off to the red cliff district for a lovely walk. The combination of green grass, red sand cliffs and blue sky is amazing. We hunted for rabbits, got lost in a forest and explored some abandoned houses before heading back to the car. From there we stopped off at the pony place to book an hour for Lucas and Aisha on Monday while one of us does kite buggy. The main aim is to teach Aisha that ponies are real animals, and that even if they don't fly and aren't pink they still are a lot of fun.</div>
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The last few kayak trips have been pretty relaxed and I took the camera, but this looked a bit harder - 3 hours at sea - so this time I left it behind; having a big SLR dangling from your back means you quickly get tired because of the weird postures you take. We had two double-kayaks so at least we didn't have the kids on our knees. This was the first time I've paddled in one with a rudder, which you operate with your legs. We headed out, hugging the red-cliff coast, up to Gros Cap (where we were supposed to stay these five nights). We went in and out of a few caves along the way. It was really pretty, but hard work. Aisha fell asleep on the way back, and Esther hurt her wrist a bit. Good thing tomorrow we have a day of rest.</div>
Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Les Iles de la Madeleine, Canada47.359215 -61.91791039999998247.359173 -61.917989399999982 47.359257 -61.917831399999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-48910219874264953132014-07-25T04:00:00.000+02:002014-07-28T17:04:44.180+02:00Madeleine crossing<div dir="ltr">
Drove for an hour and a bit to the ferry port, where we boarded the 5 hour ferry to Les Iles de la Madeleine. We have loads of things to keep the kids distracted and there is loads of space on board, so the crossing was painless.</div>
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What wasn't painless was the arrival. Esther had an email confirming 2 adults and 2 children at a youth hostel on the grounds of a lovely campsite. By some glitch the system had only booked 1 single bed and they were fully booked. All we managed to get was our deposit back and the guys at the office phoned around and found us some alternative accommodation: 2 nights at a campsite cabin and another 3 at a motel. This is <b>not</b> what we wanted - worse location, more expensive, and we need to move - so we will be putting in an official complaint.</div>
Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Les Iles de la Madeleine, Canada47.359215 -61.91791039999998247.359173 -61.917989399999982 47.359257 -61.917831399999983tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-23870023220832066632014-07-24T04:00:00.000+02:002014-07-28T16:42:37.773+02:00PEI stopover<div dir="ltr">
Parted company with Susanne & Gus and co this morning. They are doing Prince Edward Island (PEI) first and then Les Iles de la Madeleine. It's the way we wanted to do it too but there were no ferry tickets, so we are doing it the other way round. Parting wasn't too sorrowful as we will see them again in a few days in PEI before they cross over to Madeleine.</div>
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We are spending the night on PEI, at Charlottetown, to be close to the ferry. To cross over from the mainland there is a huge bridge that goes on for 13km. We stopped just before at the information centre there, and gawped at the bridge for a while.</div>
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Charlottetown looks quite nice. We are in student halls again, so we stopped at the supermarket to do some shopping as we have a decent kitchen. Potato soup for the kids, lobster for the adults. After lobster at uncle Roger's we've been itching for some more ever since, and this area is pretty famous for it.</div>
Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Charlottetown, Canada46.2397076 -63.11984169999999546.239664600000005 -63.119920699999994 46.2397506 -63.119762699999995tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-48831825398623288882014-07-23T04:00:00.000+02:002014-07-28T16:24:59.319+02:00Student days<div dir="ltr">
Today is a pretty long drive: 6 hours. We broke up the trip to see Grand Falls Gorge, but were all pretty underwhelmed. Though the rocks are quite amazing and there are some cool ziplines going across. We didn't stay long, just enough to stretch our legs.</div>
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Pretty quirky accommodation this time: student halls at the local university. Must be for the postgrads, you can't spoil undergrads like this. It was pretty late by the time we arrived, but we still made it for a little walk down to Fredericton. It is the capital of New Brunswick but with no student population there isn't much going on. It was actually an hour later than we thought, it turns out we just crossed into a different time zone.</div>
Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Fredericton, Canada45.9462655 -66.64025349999997223.458400500000003 -107.94884749999997 68.434130500000009 -25.331659499999972tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9007912235281155425.post-20522137722494244552014-07-22T05:00:00.000+02:002014-07-28T16:22:49.286+02:00Quebec<div dir="ltr">
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After a marathon drive we had a picnic lunch less than an hour from Quebec. Back to hotels again after being spoilt at all these houses. At least these last hotels are a bit quirkier than the drab soulless motels we have frequented in California. This one is in the heart of Old Quebec. It even has a full-on tourist trap gift shop which doubles up as reception. The parking lot is a block and a half away; what you gain in quirkiness you loose in practicality.</div>
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We had chosen a hotel in the thick of things as we only have one night in Quebec. So no sooner had we dumped all our luggage that we headed out to explore the streets. We walked around the Old Quarter for a bit. We didn't bother with the Plains of Abraham, site of the pivotal battle which changed the fate of New France, as it was probably just... a field. Quebec is nice, very French, though some streets are of the mega touristy type filled with all sorts of pointless shops and dubious-quality restaurants. The one we chose for dinner was just a street away from one of the main thoroughfares and was a complete success.</div>
Joshua Hewitthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06585233087715109406noreply@blogger.com0Quebec, Canada46.8111044 -71.208464821.289069899999998 -112.5170588 72.3331389 -29.899870800000002