beentouring

Today, we took the same route as yesterday, getting off one station later. The temperature and humidity were steamy. We walked a few blocks to the Museum of African Art . One could characterize it as modern African Art, because most of the pieces were much more contemporary than, say in the British Museum. Many of the pieces were huge! Outside the building was a colourful metal sculpture of fabric tossed by the wind. Inside we walked through a high, light lobby down to the galleries. Immediately we were drawn to From the Deep , an exhibit by Ayana V Jackson , a contemporary artist, exploring the oppression of women from slavery, interpreted as the women and children who were thrown overboard when transport... read more

To drive to her uncle's place in Vermont, Trish recommended driving through Canada, by-passing Montreal on the relatively new toll road. Thus, the scenery soon enough became the verdant landscape of the Eastern Townships. We were glad to have the GPS guide us around a long traffic tie-up caused by a stalled truck. Near the end of the four-hour drive, we crossed the border. Trish avoided the major crossing, took one glance at a backlog at the Stanstead crossing, and drove on to a small crossing in Beebe . Several cars were ahead of us, an unknown circumstance to Trish, and we acknowledged while we waited that this was Friday afternoon on a long weekend. The quite-friendly border guard spoke only to Trish and sent us on our way after examining o... read more

We took the On It bus to Banff, which I booked a month in advance, getting on downtown near City Hall. By the time it picked up additional passengers at the Crowfoot LRT station, the bus was full, mostly of tourists. Rolling into Banff about 11:00, I was shocked at the seemingly endless parking lots on the outskirts – both passenger vehicles and RVs. I did expect the crowds of site-seers in the town centre. Several blocks on Banff Avenue and connecting streets had been pedestrianized, complete with patios for restaurants. We stopped for coffee at Good Earth , which opened into the lobby for the Elk+Avenue Hotel (address of the corner). From there we wandered down Banff Avenue , window-shopping with everyone else. By happenstance, a bench ... read more

About twenty minutes from Calgary, the Sheep River curls through the town of Okotoks. With the spring thaw-freeze cycle aggressively underway, we strapped on our icers, essential even on paved paths. Since the temperature was slightly below zero, the run-off melt was slippery from ice accumulated overnight. In the lowest areas, what might have been temporary ponds in the afternoon were veritable skating rinks in the morning. We strolled through the dappled sun of scattered aspens, poplars and evergreens, where snow still covered the undergrowth. A few birds looked at us, and a single Canada Goose stood proud in the centre of the ice-covered river. Several mallards swam in tight circles or snuggled on the stone edge of a tumbling creek, protected by tangled branches put there by human hand. Mounted to delight passers-by, a numbe ... read more

Last night, instead of bird song to lull me to sleep, it was voices and clatter in the narrow street below, coming through the slatted windows. Did not keep me from going to sleep immediately. Our walking tour of Stone Town started at the hotel’s door, a few steps from the Old Fort . Taib related its history: the Omanis had already established a dynamic spice trade in Zanzibar by 1503 when Vasco da Gama defeated them. For 200 years the Portuguese controlled the country until about 1699 when the Omanis reconquered Zanzibar. Power went to the strongest navy in those days; both Portugal and Oman, being small countries, suffered from not being able to hold on to what they had conquered. The Old Fort was built by Omani Arabs as a defense against future Portuguese, ... read more