My Copilot Is A Troll

For some inexplicable reason, I had an alarm set on my phone for 8:30pm on a Saturday. So, here I am, wide awake at 4:30am on a Sunday. I can't go back to sleep because we have to get up at 5:15 anyway to head to the airport for the next leg of our journey. Visiting Pompeii was fulfilling the dream of a lifetime. I have always had a passion for ancient history, mythology and archeology. To see any kind of ancient ruins is a thrill, to see Pompeii is next level! I'm not sure I will even be able to find the words to adequately describe the experience. I'm really glad that we chose to do a tour for this. We were all given little bluetooth speakers that hooked on our ear so that we could hear our guide without straining and easily block out all the other guides and their groups. To walk along 2000 year old streets and see ruts in the cobblestones from thousands of cart wheels and the pottery soup vats in shops for ancient "take away" really brought home the sense of a

Taking the train from Venice to Naples was incredibly simple and straightforward. No security checks to go though, ample cafes and shopping while you wait. You could sit in the sun on the steps overlooking the Grand Canal if you wanted. Everything is clearly labled and we had assigned seats so no stress. They served beverage and snacks on board with the option of buying sandwiches and such in the dining car. There were even phone charging ports between the seats. I should have known I was being lulled into a false sense of security! Our B&B had detailed instructions on how to find them from the trainstaion. It took a few tries to figure out the actual Naples transit trains, but everyone is super friendly and helpful. A lovely young woman guided us to the right gate and through security.  At this point we were in a total different environment than Venice. Venice is very much a tourist town. Everything is laid back, most of the people you encounter are other tourists and people worki

After a very slow start to our adventure of a lifetime, our first full day was amazing. A quick stop at our local café for Americanos and croissant and then to the newsagents to buy transit passes. We were able to get a 48 hour pass, which was perfect. The sweet lady at the newsagent didn’t speak any English, but she was quite determined to make sure we knew where we were going and took the right bus. Transit was actually so easy, is good, since it’s been almost 30 years since I’ve used transit. There was a bus stop around the corner from our hotel, and all the places we needed to go, took the good old #5 bus. Airport to hotel - #5, hotel to island tour meeting place -#5, hotel to train station - #5. In addition to the buses, we also had to take water buses to get to the touristy part of Venice. They have floating bus shelters and everything! Our timing was perfect. We found the meeting place for our island tour with plenty of time to explore the street markets and have a cappuccino. O

 Here I am, wide awake, ready to start today's adventure. But since it's 5:30am; my adventure companion, and probably most of Venice, are sound asleep. So I will eat my cold, leftover, real Italian pizza, organize my photos and write! Although it was bucketing down rain when we arrived yesterday afternoon, by the time we had our post-travel naps, the sun was out and it was a glorious spring day. Janis and I headed out for a walk, to get the lay of the land. We chose our hotel primarily by it's proximity to the airport and that it was on a bus route. It was also far more affordable to not stay on the main island of Venice.  We are in a residential area with small, family owned businesses. On our stroll we encountered all local people, not a bunch of other tourists. People are very friendly, especially the ones who are walking their dogs, but they don't smile and nod as they pass, like we do at home. So we get some odd looks, Everywhere we go, there is a small group of ol

 It has rained 100% of the days we have been across the pond.  Our flight from Calgary to Heathrow was uneventful. Discovered that with today's technology, on an international flight, there is a vast array of entertainment available. Movies, TV shows, games, music and even meditations. It was an overnight flight, so I was really hoping to sleep. That hope was in vain. We had a nice 4 hour cushion for a layover, noon to 4. Despite all the horror stories I have heard about Heathrow airport, we found it extremely easy to navigate. Little LRT trains take you from terminal to terminal and the signage is very clear. There is ample opportunity to window shop (Harry Potter store!), lots of food choices (cucumber sandwiches), and people watching I was tired to the point of being non-functional, but the next flight is only two hours. I can handle that.  Got our gate number, bit of a hike, so off we go. Get to the gate.  Attendant tells us the gate has been changed, gave us very good directio

 Only One Day Away!!! Leif & Saga - Check Camera & Tablet - Check Passport - Check Currency - Check Clothes packed - Check Reservation Numbers - Check Audio Books Downloaded - Check Batteries Charged - Check Earbuds, Charging Cords, Power Adapters - Check Emergency List for Boys- Check Stocked up on Pet Food & Kitty Litter - Check Stocked up on KD, Icheban and Cereal - Check Seedlings Delivered to Plant Sitter - Check (not going to leave the fate of my tomatoes and peppers in the hands of an 18 year old boy!) Successfully packed a week's worth in carry-on Saber likes her little lean-to in the closet Gotta go to work now, it's going to be a busy day! The next time I post, the adventure will have begun! Stay tuned.

Many women I know would go shopping for new clothes and shoes for a big holiday. I go shopping for gadgets and accessories! Planning international travel for the first time, right around Black Friday sales, what more motivation do I need! New luggage - my set of suitcases was bought for me when I was 14. It's still in good shape, but they are from and era before wheels and handles. We decided to pack only carry-on because we will be moving cities every 3-4 days. Between multiple planes and trains, I don't want a bunch of unwieldy baggage to tote through airports and train stations. I also needed a personal item bag. With the allowable dimensions being 13x16x6 inches, we didn't own an appropriate sized bag. Security purse, backpack, collapsible water bottle, air pressure ear plugs, regular ear plugs, sleep mask and sanity saving notebook Sleep Aids - We have some long flights and train journeys. Some are overnight. Plus, we are sharing close quarters for 3 weeks. Noise cance

 I am slightly less than two weeks away from the most amazing adventure that I could have ever dreamed of. It all started in November with a text from Janis, "What do you think of Scotland?" Janis bought a raffle ticket for a fundraiser and won two airline tickets to anywhere the airline flew, and I am the very, very, very lucky person that she asked to join her! We had 4 days between Christmas and New Years to plan this journey. Neither of us has travelled overseas before. I've only booked hotels a handful of times. I think the last time I booked a flight myself, it was at the Student Cuts kiosk in the Student Union Building at the U of A in the mid 90s. The terms of the prize were pretty simple. We had to fly in and out of the same airport. We had blackout dates, like long weekends. We had to use it before September. We chose to travel before May Long weekend, since we are both gardeners and it's an easy time for both of us to book off work. Turns out that West Jet