Flying Grandmas

Canada Day 2005 found me jet-lagged after far too many hours without sleep and far too few hours of sleep, sitting on Calgary's version of Rome's and London's Metro/Underground system, thinking that this was the slowest possible train in Canada. After the rollicking speed of the metro trains in Italy and England, jet aircraft may be considered slow but, in this case, believe me, Calgary's LRT trains literally crawl by comparison. When a Roman metro train pulls into a station, everyone hangs on for dear life as the G forces deccelerate so quickly. When a Calgary LRT train leaves the station, it probably comes close to the above mentioned deccelerated speed. If a Calgarian transit driver moved to Rome, he'd probably have a heart attack the first day of work! If a Roman metro driver moved ... read more

Once again the menu above does not give enough choices...most frustrating. The Passchendale Museum and Tyne Cot Cemetery are incredible. A lovely home, rebuilt post WWI in the 12th C style of its origin, was turned over to the government to be made into a museum and it is lovely. The organization of the rooms allows for easy flow of people and a sequential understanding of events in the Ieper (Ypres) area from 1914 to 1918. Historical and anecdotal books are available for sale, too, which is nice for us history buffs. Today a couple of classes of schoolchildren went through, ate lunch on the lovely grounds, played on the playground, and filled the air with the laughter of freedom, an appropriate sound in those surroundings. Tyne Cot is the largest British cemetery in the world. ... read more

We are still in Lille...wish there were more options in the city department in the menus on here. Driving success for sure; we are very proud of ourselves. Carolyn navigated and I drove and we not only found Armentieres and many, many cemeteries but I used roundabouts without getting lost and without hitting any other cars or any pedestrians. In two countries, yet! Bedford House cemetery is easy to find; MapQuest gives good directions. Seeing hundreds upon hundreds of graves of young men, all under 40, the majority under 30, and many under 20 is startling. Cemeteries always have many graves but only war cemeteries have graves almost exclusively for young men, graves filled in the span of 4 years. We found the grave of my dear grandmother's beloved Freddy and I placed on it the ... read more

Nous sommes arrivees! I drove and did not do anything all that odd....unless you count getting lost as odd; which I do not. Short note today as I am having difficulty adjusting to the French keyboard that is very different from English and Italian ones. Sola Nonna et Carolyn... read more

Bonjour mes amis, Demain matin nous allerons a la France. Okay, so I probably ruined the French language with that sentence, especially since this computer won't let me change languages, thus preventing me from adding the appropriate accents to the French words. Pardonnez-moi, s'il vous plait. Hang on, I'll see if I can add some Italian to the mix and mangle another language, too...(sorry, Eileen). Tomorrow, June 23, my cousin and I head out on another adventure. Although our train does not leave Waterloo until 10:30, we have to get out of Wiltshire much, much earlier. Drivers who enter certain areas of London during peak traffic times have to pay a "congestion fee", so we will be dropped off at Heathrow around 7:00 a.m. and will hop on the tube to get to Waterloo, with only ... read more

We got a call today from Thomas Cook travel agency with whom we had booked the train tickets. The travel agent was most apologetic: she had received the information as to the cost of two return rail tickets and had translated that as being the cost of one return rail ticket so had inadvertently overcharged us. All has been rectified now and the return cost per person is 77 GBP, a much more affordable price. I am especially pleased because my lovely little camera that is about 7 years old seems to be having a hissy fit of some kind and is going to need repairs precisely at the time I need it most. However, I have found a store here in England (Argos??) at which I can get a little Olympus or Kodak for under ... read more

Remember how fit I felt when we left Italy? Forget it. Gone down the tubes. Italian pasta and pastries have nothing on British scones with strawberry jam and thick, thick cream. I've not had real scones and cream in 6 years and am making up for it this week. I hope my kids have the NordikTrak set up when I get home: I am going to need it very, very badly! Either that or a trip back to bella Siena and another "facile e corte" walk in Chianti. Travelling from beautiful and friendly PEI to England is actually harder on the system than flying from Calgary, AB to Rome, IT. The flight is long enough to stiffen the back but short enough that sleeping is almost impossible. Jet lag coming here is far, far worse, even ... read more

Some of our public seem to be a little confused about where the Grandmas are these days, so this is to let you all know what's up. The Grandmas are flying solo now. Margo is in PEI making a presentation at a conference. Her plans are to return to England soon, meet her cousin Carolyn, and travel with Carolyn to France and Belgium to visit WWI battlefields and cemeteries - more research, personal and academic. I'm sure she'll keep you all informed in her unique style. As for me (Les), I'm back home in Calgary. Jack and I are planning a trip mid-June to Saskatchewan, "land of the living skies", touring in the south and visiting family in the Qu'Appelle Valley. From ancient Rome to medieval Siena to Renaissance Florence to New World prairie in 2 ... read more

First of all, congratulations to my parents, Archie and Phyllis Husby of Calgary, Alberta, as they celebrate their 58th wedding anniversary today. As always, Mom and Dad, you remain an inspiration for everyone who knows you, especially your grandchildren, and soon to be 8 great-grandchildren. You two holding hands is still one of the most beautiful pictures in the entire universe. Sola Nonna is in Prince Edward Island, enjoying the great beauty of place and people in her home country. Tuscany is gorgeous; anyone who has visited there will say so. But, after a couple of days of driving--NOT walking-- around this tiny, beautiful province, I have to say that its beauty definitely rivals that of Tuscany. The green of PEI grasses and trees, the deep red of the soil, and the variegated blues of the ... read more

There are times when I wish priests would wear signs so we know whether we are addressing priests, cardinals, bishops, monsiegnors or whatever. Why do I think this might be helpful? Well, I am not certain, but I may have startled someone important yesterday. While en route home from picking up a rosary for a friend, I did what Les and I have done since we got here and have needed something blessed...I stopped a priest and asked him if he would bless the rosary for me. He looked quite taken aback, actually, which is highly unusual. He was wearing a grey shirt with his clerical collar so his startled response made me wonder if, perhaps, he was an Anglican or Lutheran priest, someone who is not accustomed to being asked to bless rosaries. So I ... read more