Flashback Friday - Africa 2021

Everyone struggled at lot during the pandemic, I certainly had some tough stuff.  In the grand scheme I managed well, with a steady job. But one of my biggest blows was I had a flight booked to Africa for March 21th 2020. I cancelled it on the 16th.  I was lucky to get a fair amount of money back, and some generous airline credits.  So about a year and a half later I planned to go again.  The pandemic was in a downswing, and my sister was still working there and happy to host.

My sister was working in Mozambique for several years, and I have cousins in South Africa so I was very excited for this long planned trip.   I was very lucky to start when booking my flight. Travelling with Ethiopian Airlines I got a business class ticket for about what the European airlines would have charged for economy! They had a really great deal on for Johannesburg which helped a lot as it was 13 hours to Addis Ababa and then five more to Cape Town.

I landed in Cape Town in the evening and checked into the lovely Cape Heritage Hotel.  I was absolutely exhausted, as I sleep badly on planes.  Even in a lie flat seat.  I was just looking forward to falling into bed.  I did have a peak at the mini bar, though I know it’s never worth it.  A quick bit of mental math with the conversion rate and I realized a bottle of beer was $3 Canadian.  So I popped the top and crawled into bed to wind down for an early night. 

In the morning I had booked a private tour with a local photographer guide.  We started early enough to watch sunrise over Table Mountain. He had some fun tips about looking for different angle. Next we drove up to a lovely beach, which I later realized was where some of my family lived!  It was a beautiful spot, with a large tidal pool for swimmers. 

We continued driving up the coast to Boulder Beach and the penguin sanctuary, where I got some amazing photos, before going to Cape Point and the Old Cape Point lighthouse.  Driving around the Cape Point Nature reserve, and the Cape of Good Hope was just stunning.  My guide was very knowledgeable about the local flora as well as photography.

We then stopped for lunch, saw an ostrich farm and then drove back along a coast road with lots of stops for stunning landscapes.  Back in Cape Town he gave me some tips for safer areas to explore near my hotel.  He recommended walking a few blocks of the Bo Kaap neighbourhood.  The houses are all painted bright and beautiful colours.

I had dinner by the hotel that night, and an early evening.  I wasn’t too keen about wandering Cape Town alone after dark.  As well I still pretty tired from the trip out! So I had a local gin and tonic at the bar before heading back to bed.  At least in the morning I didn’t have to be up before sunrise!

Alex’s Advice - Is Business Class Worth It?

Short answer no.  Long answer, sometimes.

I really can’t justify business class, it is so expensive for what is.  The roomier seats are nicer, especially if you get a lay flat bed.  The food is better, the lounge is nice.  But it is ridiculously expensive.  I definitely love it when I have travelled that way, but I am a champagne woman travelling on beer budget.   There are times though, where I decided I was on a long enough flight it was worth trying to work the system of upgrades.

My first time flying business was paying full fare.  I was super lucky though, travelling to Southern Africa I found a deal with Ethiopian Airlines where the business class was actually cheaper than economy with the European Airlines.  So definitely shop the airlines and look for deals.  At the time the economy flight was $500 Toronto to Johannesburg.  It was definitely worth it as one leg going there was 13 hours, and coming home it was 20 hours. 

The other way to upgrade is bidding.  Usually in cash, sometimes with airline points, if you buy an economy ticket you can put in a bid for business.  I find with flights just around Canada or across the Atlantic, business is still over priced.  There is an option for premium economy that is worth it for transatlantic flights, but I wouldn’t bother just crossing North America.  It’s pretty much the same seat as economy plus. 

For a 13 hour flight home from Australia I tried the bid.  It was a bit of a gamble of course, but I bought the cheapest ticket I could, and then put in the max bid.  I have the most experience with Air Canada which gives you a range to bid.  If I don’t care as much I’ll do a low bid.  For this flight I really wanted the upgrade so I did the maximum amount.  I happily won and spent the long flight with the relatively comfortable lay flat bed.

My credit card also has eupgrade options, which are cheaper but harder to use than just the usual bid.  I have used them a few times, and an instance recently where I retracted by bid.  It can be important to pay attention to the fine details of your flight.  Heading to England, my plane was empty.  I could see I would have an entire row to myself, I could tell I wasn’t going to get Business.  The waitlist was longer than there were seats.  I was going to get the upgrade to premium economy.  Which was going to be completely full, as well as the hard arm rests.  Despite some fancier food I knew I would be much more comfortable in economy.  So I cancelled my offer and stayed put and probably got more rest that way.

There are things I love about Business Class, and let me give one warning, once you go fancy it is soooo hard to go back.   As my sister says though - if you spend money on the upgrade that is less money we can spend on the trip itself! Until I win the lottery, it’ll be mostly economy in my future.  With maybe a few bids for the long hauls. 

Flashback Friday - Greenwich Park 2018

The weekend had arrived, and the family and others for the wedding would be arriving.  I still had one day of exploring before meeting the family for dinner.  I stayed close to the area and explored more of Greenwich.  Part of it was I was really just getting more into photography and I had some interesting ideas I wanted to try at Greenwich Palace with the shadows crossing the columns there.

I started with a walk along the hotel grounds. As mentioned in previous posts, it was once part of the Royal Naval Hospital and had a small cemetery on the grounds.  Next door was the National Maritime Museum, and beside that was Queen Anne’s House.  The house was built by James I as an apology to his wife for swearing at her, after she accidentally shot his dog.  It’s a beautiful little palace that is now entirely a museum at the bottom of Greenwich Park.  

I enjoyed exploring the palace that had some amazing details, and it was home to a version of the painting of Queen Elizabeth I and the Spanish Armada, which was interesting to see in person.  There is a beautiful spiral staircase with blue tulips for the banister design as Queen Anne was French.  They also had some modern art on display that I found absolutely stunning.

I walked up the hill next, to the Royal Observatory.  The scientist here did thousands of calculations to determine the Prime Meridian, which is zero degrees longitude and divides the east and the western hemispheres.  It was also a big part of setting time zones - which is why its called Greenwich Mean time.

On top of the building is a small pole with a bright red ball, at 12:55 every day it begins rising to the top of the pole.  At exactly 1:00pm it drops.  This is visible from the Thames and allowed mariners to accurately set their watches.  Knowing the exact time helped with navigation around the world.  There is so much more to learn about the history of time and astrology at the museum.  I found it really interesting.  And no visit is complete with out standing with one foot in either hemisphere. 

Next I walked back down to Greenwich Palace and took more photos outside.  I was quite fascinated with the shadows cast by the various columns around the buildings.  

Then it was time to meet up with the family! We started with drinks at the hotel, with cousins from around the world coming to the wedding. Including a beautiful young woman I hadn't seen since her first birthday.  It makes one feel old to be the one suddenly saying "I haven't seen you since you were this tall!" and waving a hand at knee level.

It was great to catch up with the various cousins and my Aunt and Uncle.  I was really happy to have been invited to the wedding and get a chance to see everyone.  Saturday was of course very busy as well, though for me there was mostly staying out of the way and waiting to see if I could be helpful.  At the wedding proper - which was in a gorgeous venue by the Thames, there were even more cousins of my fathers generation over from Ireland.  So it was a wonderful chance to meet people I'd only ever heard about.  

Sunday was a slow day, recovering from the previous night!  The family gathered for brunch at at pub on the grounds of the Palace and spent some more time catching up and telling stories.  Most of the travelers headed home that afternoon.  I had one more night myself before my flight.

There is not much to tell of my last day.  I had the morning before I had to head to the airport.  So with no time to do anything really interesting I went for a jog around Greenwich Park.  In those days I was a bit of a runner.  So I did a 5k loop, stopping for a few interesting sites.  There are some old Roman ruins on the hill, and a 500 year old oak tree, which has mostly fallen over, that is said to have been a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I.  Legend goes she was reading a book under the tree when told of the death of her sister Mary I and her own ascension to the throne. 

Flashback Friday - Stonehenge 2018

 The day began early as I headed out to meet a tour for the day.  I had chosen an archaeologist guided tour that went to the Stonehenge complex, Salisbury and Avebury.  I was really excited.  I had heard Stonehenge was a bit of a “tourist trap” but I still wanted to see it, and I was so excited to hear all about the great Neolithic monuments with such a knowledgeable guide.

We were picked up by the Victoria and Albert Museum to start, it was a small group but included another single woman so we became friends for the day to have someone to chat too.   The bus ride out of London was a bit boring, but likely why we had to start early to be able to get out easily!

The first stop was Woodhenge in the same area as Stonehenge.  The wooden poles have of course all rotted away, but the complex pattern was discovered through the post holes they left in the ground.  The site is interesting to see has it now has short concrete posts to show where the tall logs would have been. It is connected to Stonehenge with its proximity to a large pathway that runs along from the Avon, and Woodhenge, to the great stone monument.  

There are theories about the wood vs stone representing birth vs death and other mystical aspects of Neolithic worship.  Right beside the Woodhenge site we also saw the Durrington Walls, which was a settlement site and speculated to be where the builders lived.  There is evidence of a lot of activity around the winter solstice, showing that the importance of the sites may have more to do feasting during the shortest day of the year than the more publicly known summer solstice that attracts the modern pagans to this day.

Next was the great Stonehenge.  It definitely has its huge visitors centre and long circular route.  But even the end of June I didn’t find it too crazy.  There were a lot of people, but I was never jostled or had people blocking my photos.  The stones themselves were so interesting to see, and to have the small details, like the ring ditch that is what gives it the ‘henge’ name, pointed out just made the trip.  We didn’t stay for the gift shop, and just a quick peak at the rebuilt Neolithic huts, before we headed to Salisbury for lunch.

In Salisbury we also visited the Cathedral which was built in the 13th century when the church decided they wanted to relocate the main church from the near by hill fort of Old Sarum. It has the tallest bell tower in England, the oldest working medieval clock, and a copy of the Magna Carta.  As well the building and the grounds are just stunning.

We explored the medieval town and my new friend and I had lunch in the town square, before getting back on the bus for the next stop.  Driving through the countryside, we stopped to see a Neolithic long barrow, that is right beside Silbury Hill.  The hill is the second largest man made hill in Europe and no one knows what it’s for.  There has never been any remains or structure discovered within, and studies seem to show it likely took decades to be built.  It’s just a big cone in Wiltshire. 

We drove past the chalk figure of the white horse carved into a hillside, which was one of the inspirations for the device for the Riders of Rohan.  Our last stop was the town of Avesbury, which is the only English town built inside a Henge.   The massive bank and ditch would have been carved entirely with antlers.  Within are dozens of standing stones.  Many are still in their original location, but many were thrown down but the Church in days past.  Some were restored by antiquarians.   As well some concrete markers have been installed where there was evidence a stone had stood in the past.

The town itself is beautiful, and interesting to explore.  We didn’t have much time, but I did have a quick half pint at the Red Lion- “the only pub inside a Neolithic Henge.”  It also has the dubious attraction of an ancient well that is now used as a table, and “contains the remains of at least one unfortunate villager.”  Charming!

We got back to London a little late, so it was pretty much right back to the hotel for me!  I was a little frustrated trying to find somewhere to eat, all the more traditional pubs in the area had stopped serving food and the only things open were cheap takeaways.  I did not fly to London to have cheap takeaways!  Although yes, I ended up having some cheap Chinese food.  At least it was pretty good!

Flashback Friday - London 2018

I talk a lot about England in this blog, as I have been a few times.  So this trip I won’t go into quite as many details, but I will talk a bit about the special things I did this time.  I flew to London in the summer of 2018 for a cousins wedding.  That part of the trip was just wonderful, as I got to see family from all over that came for the day,  it was really special and unique.  Most of that part of the trip won’t be interesting so I’ll gloss over that part.

I flew into London on a Wednesday morning. I was staying at the Devonport Hotel in Greenwich.  It was a very interesting hotel which is also part of the University of Greenwich now.  It was a large mansion, that in later years also was the nurses residence for the Naval Hospital.  The hotel is situated right beside the Naval Museum, the Greenwich park and Greenwich palace.  It also has an old cemetery on the grounds that includes monuments from the time of Lord Nelson’s engagements.

Greenwich is an amazing part of London, the old Greenwich Palace is now part of the University of London, was once part of the Royal Naval College.  While there has been a royal palace on the site for centuries, not much remains.  It was called the Palace of Placentia in the days of the Tudors. On the hill behind the palace is the Greenwich Observatory, which is where Greenwich Mean Time started.  One of the original places to think of standardizing time.  There are also many telescopes and examples of early astronomers there.  As well there is a line demarking the Prime Meridian, which isn’t exactly 0° anymore, but that was one of the first places it was discussed. 

On my first day in London, I arrived about mid day and was exhausted from the overnight flight.  I was able to drop my bags at the hotel and push through. I started by exploring Greenwich Palace and had been told by family there was a restoration happening in the Painted Hall.  For a bit extra one could take a tour of the restoration work.  I was a little reluctant, but I am glad I listened to my uncle who pushed for it.

This was an opportunity of a life time I think.  The ceiling of the hall had been done in the era of William and Mary II.  The entire ceiling and all of the walls were painted in beautiful and complicated designs.  As part of the restoration, a scaffolding had been build to just about 7 or 8 feet below the ceiling so the tour went right up close to see the art and the restorers at work.  Some of the design was done with different perspectives, so seeing them up close was remarkable.   

I explored a bit of the grounds of Greenwich Palace next, it is a beautiful building that is featured in plenty of movies from era pieces to elves blowing in up in a Marvel Thor movie.  As it sits along the Thames it was also an excellent place to have a gin and tonic and enjoy the summer sunshine.  While I was walking along the river I noticed a funny little hut by itself.  It turned out to be the entry way to a pedestrian tunnel that runs under the Thames. It opened in 1902 so workers could more easily access the Isle of the Dogs and the docks on the north side of the river.  It was closed during WWII as it was damaged during the Blitz and become unsafe due to threat of collapse.  It is open now and still a popular access point - but check the website before going.  It is a long way down and if either elevator is not operational you might have a lot of stairs in your future.  Especially if one is just going across for a peak!

I had an early night that night, I wanted to be rested and ready for the next day as I was doing a guided tour that included seeing Stonehenge and other neolithic monuments near by.  I had chosen a tour guided by an archeologist and I was excited to learn more about the history of England.

Flashback Friday - The Pacific Coast, Costa Rica 2017

We had a really neat drive down to the coast, stopping for lunch a river that was filled with crocodiles, really with some long plains and interesting trees the spot reminded me a bit of an African Savannah.  They used to feed the crocs for the tourists entertainment, that isn’t allowed anymore but they still cluster around the bridge which is by the little shops the tour buses stop at.  Maybe they are waiting for someone to trip.

Next we arrived at the town of Quepos.  Small little town up on the hills beside the ocean.  We had a nice little hotel, along a line of restaurants and hotels to visit.  It was a simple bus trip down to the beach and to Manuel Antonio National Park, which is supposed to be another beautiful place to see wild life.

I think this is where we were offered a chance to do a night walk, it was here or the cloud forest, and I turned it down.  I do not like spiders and other unmentionables.  While I can handle seeing them and know they are around, a night walk makes me shudder.  You don’t realize how close they are till a flash light hits so you can’t even be prepared!

That night a few of us went for happy hour at one of the little bars along the road.  Turned out to be owned by a Canadian who had packed it all in for warmer climes.  It was fun to chat about various life stories from him and the group.

In the morning a number of people decided to do a tour of the Park, but I was a bit peopled out.  So I had a slower start to the morning and took myself down top the beach.  I ran into our guide in town, as she had just dropped the group off, and we had breakfast at a nice spot by the beach.  Then I went to a little shop to stock up on drinks and snacks and found myself a nice little spot along the beach for the day.  It was pretty overcast, still lovely and warm which was all I needed.  I had a quiet morning to myself and then met up with some of the group to play in the surf later in the day.

In the evening we went to dinner at El Avion, an 1980s era plan that is now a restaurant in the forest.  Abandoned by the Americans in the wake of the Iran-Contra affair, it was bought by a businessman who relocated it to Quepos and used the fuselage as the restaurant.  It was a really neat experience, having a meal in a rustic old plane!  The ambiance was very well done, and a beautiful spot.

The next morning, and our last full day, dawned hot and clear.  Thankfully we only had a couple hours in the morning by the pool, since even with a few layers of sunscreen, I got absolutely burned!  We then drove back to San Jose for one last night at the hotel, before everyone scatters back to where they came from.

I remember this trip very fondly, I would highly recommend Costa Rica as a beautiful and interesting place to visit!  I really should go back there sometime……

Flashback Friday - The Cloud Forest, Costa Rica 2017

We had started the day by taking a boat ride across the reservoir from La Fortuna, and then drove through the hills into the cloud forest by Monte Verde.  A cloud forest is similar to a rainforest, but at a higher elevation so it exists within the clouds.  It’s a fairly unique ecosystem accounting for a very small percentage of rainforests.

After arriving at Monte Verde, a few of us chose to go to a local plantation where they grow cocoa beans and sugar cane.  We got to try incredibly raw chocolate, so bitter, and help make sugar, very delicious, and also were given a shot of rough guard liquor.  Which the guide told us after his girlfriend uses as nail polish remover.

We stayed at an incredible little hotel, my roommate and I were lucky enough get a really large room with a gorgeous deck with a hammock.  It really was just a lovely spot, with a fun bar that made a fun frozen drink using a local liquor made from sugar cane.

The next day, we went on a tour of the national forest, and learned about the ecosystem of the cloud forest. There we saw so many birds, some type of small cat that darted across the path, and a sloth.  Sloths are interesting, because they move so slowly, they can be hard to find in the trees.  There is no flash of movement to catch ones eye.  However, once one is found, the guides can usually keep an eye on him for several days before he changes position and the hunt starts again.

In the afternoon we went zip lining.  I had never done it, and had a bit of an irrational fear from a ridiculous scene of a medial drama.  And a little fear of heights.  It was an absolute blast though, we started small by crossing between trees, before finishing by zipping across a massive canyon and back.  The grand finale was a Tarzan swing.  You can feel the bungee pulling at you as the guides say they will count to three and then shove you off on two.  I still remember the primal scream of the initial drop, then switched to delighted screams for the swings.

It was a free evening, and the one group of friends wanted to have dinner at the Tree House restaurant, and welcomed me to join them as it looked amazing.  This entire restaurant was built up around a massive tree.  The centre was open so we could hear the rain pattering down the leaves as we ate.  The tree itself was really well lit too.  The food was great, but the atmosphere was incredible. 

It was really a special spot, I would definitely recommend Monte Verde to anyone.  But tours gonna tour and the next day we moved on to the next town.  It was a drive down from the mountains to the Pacific coast for the last few days.