Chantilly is outside of Paris zone 5 so our Navigo did not cover the train fare, but it cost only 8.70€ each way from the Gare de Nord station. Our museum Pass did cover the entrance fee to explore the château, stables and roam the very extensive gardens and forested pathways. When you arrive at Chantilly, the bus stop is about 50 yards down the street to the left as you exit the train station. It's a short, free ride through the small town and to the stop at the main entrance to the château. The Château de Chantilly is surrounded by water, gardens and a mix of statues and monuments. It was constructed between the 14th and 19th century for the Orgemont, Montmorency, Bourbon-Condé, and Orléans families. Razed to the ground during the Revolution, it ... read more

Pablo Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright who spent most of his adult life in France. Regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he is known for co-founding the Cubist movement, the invention of constructed sculpture, the co-invention of collage, and for the wide variety of styles that he helped develop and explore. Among his most famous works are the photo-Cubist Les Demoiselles d'Avignon (1907), and Guernica (1937), a dramatic portrayal of the bombing of Guernica by the German and Italian airforces. The Musée Picasso is an art gallery located in the Hôtel Salé in rue de Thorigny, in the Maria's district of Paris, dedicated to the work of Pablo Picasso. In 1968, France created a law ... read more

One of my favourite districts in Paris is Montmartre. Primarily known for its artistic history, the white-domed Basilica of the Sacré-Coeur on the summit, and as a nightclub district, including La Chat Noir and the Moulin Rouge. Near the end of the 19th century, many artists had studios or worked in or around Montmartre, including Amedeo Modigliani, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Suzanne Valadon, Pablo Picasso, and Vincent Van Gogh. Today it is still a bustling, thriving area filled with cafés, galleries, and artists roaming the squares either trying to sell their work or offering to draw your portrait. We started our day early, taking the Metro to near the bottom of Montmartre. You can either climb the MANY steps up towards the Basilica, or take the funicular, which is what we chose today. ... read more

As much forested area in BC has been lost to wild fires this year as in 1966, the worst year ever. And the hot summer season is only half over! So far, the closest fire was only about 5 km away, but was luckily brought under control in a few days, before it reached 2 hectares. But with nearly 200 fires still burning around the province, the air is frequently thick with smoke. So much so that two weeks ago all flights out of Kamloops had to be cancelled. Today, as we drove towards the Kamloops airport, the skies were again thick with smoke. As Rennie and Donna dropped us off at the departure door, I wondered if I would need a ride all the way to Vancouver. But our flight arrived and departed on time, ... read more

Paying just 9 Pounds for a Rambler ticket gets you unlimited hop-on, hop-off service on all Ulsterbus, Goldline and Metro services along the North coast in Northern Ireland. The bus stop is right outside our door here so with just a few overnight things in our daypacks we were off to tour the north coast. It was a beautiful scenic tour along the North Channel as we passed through Glenariff, Cushendall, Cushendun, Maghercashel, Ballyvoy, Ballycastle and got let off at the entrance to Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge next to the town of Ballintoy. For 5.90 Pounds each, you get access to the pathway and steep stairway along the cliffside down to the rope bridge across to Carrick Island. It's a very popular tourist attraction and the view... read more