Nostalgia reigned supreme during our time spent around Burniston, Cloughton and Scarborough. First off we found ourselves a B & B in Burniston which had beautiful views over the countryside and the sea with views to Scarborough Castle. I had particulary wanted to stay in Burniston as it was where my maternal grandparents lived and where I enjoyed staying with them as a child. Then it was off to Scarborough for a wander around some of the beach and entertainment area, a fish and chip dinner, a walk around some of the castle grounds, a visit to the churchyard where Anne [View Full Entry]

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We picked up another hire car at Edinburgh airport having booked it on the internet before leaving home. A walking tour of Edinburgh had us visiting Edinburgh Castle where we met Postman Pat! We did a tour of the Palace of Holyroodhouse - the Queens residence in Scotland and where they were getting ready for a garden party which is to be attended by 8,000 guests. Then it was on to the new Scottish Parliament building opposite the Palace - a really interesting building which had cost way over budget - what's new? From there we went to the Port of [View Full Entry]

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Landing in Dublin we picked up our hire car and immediately headed off into the traffic to find many diversions on the motorways, enough to make even a local get lost so that when we finally arrived in Portarlington we felt pretty pleased with ourselves!! Portarlington was from where in 1840 a Cavanagh couple migrated to Australia with the result that five generations later Kevin James Cavanagh came into this world!!! When we arrived in the town it all looked pretty miserable - it was drizzling with rain and was cold. At the time it seemed mighty obvious why they'd got [View Full Entry]

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Christopher Robin went down with Alice - well more to the point Kevin James went down with Michelle!! On our first day in London we decided to walk to Buck House through Hyde Park which took us about 45 minutes - it was a good day for walking. Passing by the entrance to the front gates of the palace we met and chatted to Joan Kane who was about to be presented with an MBE by the Queen for 40 years service to the Crown Prosecution Service. She was happy to let us take her photo, admitting she was starting to [View Full Entry]

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Two days in Boston, Massachusetts and Kev and I know a lot more about the American Revolution than we did before! We stayed in Charlestown, an area which played a vital part in the Revolution and we were within cooee of where the Battleof Bunker Hill took place in June 1775. It was Col. William Prescott who led his men in the aforementioned battle and who is reputed to have issued those orders to those know as the patriots who were fighting the English Redcoats. The result was a victory for the British, however, they suffered their greatest losses of the [View Full Entry]

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Well at least for me it is although, truth be known, Kev prefers the countryside to the city. At times like that a walk in Central Park is called for - and what a great park it is. We spent our fair share of time exploring what Central Park has to offer including a visit to Strawberry Fields, the section of the park dedicated to the memory of John Lennon. Strawberry Fields is close to the Dakota Building where Yoko Ono still lives - John Lennon was shot outside the building. There were lots of people in that section of the [View Full Entry]

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During our visit to Vancouver Chinatown, towards the end of our guided tour of the formal Chinese gardens all of us on the tour (about 20 in total mostly Americans and Canadians) were asked to volunteer to perform on a small stage in the scholars area. I was the only one who took up the challenge, reciting Dorothea MacKellar's 'My Country' - most of which I know by heart! I received a standing ovation because no one was sitting down at the time!! Thought you Margot would especially appreciate that - and it was fun!! [View Full Entry]

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“What a day this has been; What a rare mood I'm in; Why it's almost like being in love”!! AND WHAT A DAY OUR FIRST FULL DAY IN NEW YORK WAS!! Traveling from Vancouver to New York took all day as we were held up for hours at the Dallas Forth Worth airport due to an electrical storm. We were lucky really as some flights were canceled altogether due to the weather. It was after 1am the next day before we were able to check into the Larchmont Hotel in Greenwich Village so we slept in a little. After breakfast it [View Full Entry]

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After disembarking all four of us took a taxi to the Jericho Beach Youth Hostel where Kev & I were staying two nights and Martha & Becky one. We gained a different perspective of Vancouver from Jericho Beach - all four of us loved it. It certainly was different from the Central Youth Hostel we'd stayed at prior to joining the Alaskan cruise ship. Ross (and I'm not sure how many friends) apparently spent some time living in a campervan at Jericho Beach - I can see the attraction. Maybe you can tell us some of your Jericho Beach stories Ross??!! [View Full Entry]

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What a great place Sitka turned out to be - doubtless the gorgeous weather helped. The ship anchored off shore and we were taken to the dock on tenders - aka the lifeboats. I figured if we had to use them for the real thing the food wouldn't be quite what we'd become used to!! According to Wikipedia "The name Sitka (derived from Sheet’ká, a contraction of the Tlingit name Shee At'iká) means "People on the Outside of Shee," Sheet’-ká X'áat'l (often expressed simply as Shee) being the Tlingit name for Baranof Island. The town is sometimes referred to as "Sitka-by-the-Sea." [View Full Entry]

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