Barbara Smatlanek

smatlanek

Barbara Smatlanek


... here come the bucket lists ...one after the other ... until the Kyber Pass at 90!






Europe » United Kingdom » Northern Ireland » County Antrim » Belfast October 20th 2023

Belfast is Northern Ireland’s capital. It was the birthplace of the R.M.S. Titanic, which famously struck an iceberg and sunk in 1912. This legacy is recalled in the renovated dockyards' Titanic Quarter, which includes the Titanic Belfast, an aluminium clad museum reminiscent of a ship’s hull, as well as shipbuilder Harland & Wolff’s Drawing Offices and the Titanic Slipways, which now host open-air concerts".― Google And that's the guided bus tour availability in a nut shell.... Its the Titanic or the Giant's Causeway or O.M.G. the Game of Thrones filming sites. Once these... in your face attractions. ... read more
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Castle from Game of Thrones
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Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cumbria » Windermere October 11th 2023

October 5, 2023 Windemere .... 'mere' = lake it was time for the Edinburgh departure ...will not repeat again that I will not return...enough already...again and again I hear how people thik the place is great...... now....up and at it to Windemere......... -a woman going to work helped us get off the 30 at an easier stop than the one far away ... she did not mention going thru Royal Mile and then doen a horrendous number of steps to the train station level .. a kind man offered to carry my second bag down the steps... he found it heavy... and only fleetingly did I think that if he runs with it I CANNOT CATCH HIM... But he was good and I had mentioned right away that my friend was waiting for me at the ... read more
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Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » East Lothian October 7th 2023

Edinburgh, Scotland, September 29 - October 5, 2023 Well that's a visit never to be repeated....apologies to Edinburgh lovers.... Are there any other kind of shop besides ones flogging souvenirs made in foreign lands. While looking for tartan scarves one had to double and triple check that the scarf was made a) from real wool from Scot sheep and b) that it was manufactured on Scot soil. Princes Street is either missing a second 's' or an apostrophe. Some bus stops are so far apart one might as well walk. Let it be said that once the bus schedule is cracked there is enjoyment in bus travel....OK....so its on the other side of the road ...and that must be remembered when going here or there ... and even though per ride it was not cheap at ... read more
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Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Shetland October 6th 2023

Saturday, September 23, 2023, Lerwick The first workshop has been completed. It was a weaving project that once profeciency was attained could possibly produce a “snood” which in ontario english is a cowl. To get to the Sport Complex we asked the bus driver about Broch of Clickimin thinking that the two were one and the same thing. Of course the Broch is a bronze age structure and the sports centre bears its name. Let the walking begin. Luckily we had enough time for myself to hobble behind Sherry and get there in time for two o'clock. And what an impressive sports centre it turned out to be...what a pool. Children of all ages were enjoying the water slide, large swim instructing pool and the spacious snack bar sesrving soup,crisps, salads and drinks. Sherry and I ... read more
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Europe » United Kingdom » Scotland » Shetland Islands September 23rd 2023

September 21 Thursday Toronto Pearson Airport Gate 33 There was a moment when I thought I would have to tell Sherry this trip was cancelled ...luckily I could still walk with my wonky knee...but just barely. The drive down from Sudbury was uneventful except for the fact that I spilled the ice water which had been cooling my engorged left knee, all over the back seat of a brand new VW. No idea why that happened ...the seal on the ziplock bag seemed secure....what a birthday present ...hitting a big zero and falling apart immediately. The wonky knee must have happened when I was shutting down the summer house for winter. I did do the work of two days in one because of an unexpected delightful visit to a friends garage where all kinds of goodies ... read more

North America » Canada » Ontario » Sudbury April 19th 2023

Oooops .... am back in the future... presently it is April 2023 ...the water has risen...the land has flooded.... panic has set in... that's enough of an intro! Not since 2002, the Spring when the big move north was made to once again embrace the volcanic scraped-smooth rock of Sudbury, has the melt water risen higher than three feet or to be more precise, close to the lake side fence of my slumbering garden space. This year the water stands thigh high, the plastic shed has been inundated and as of April 17 the wooden shed ,close to the road and painted orange, is only 21cm/8" safe from having the floor wetted totally. Flood waters have not reached this high since 2002 the year the move was made north to a region that was never to ... read more
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North America » Canada » Ontario » Sudbury April 2nd 2023

no April Fool here .... beginning to write again after an almost three year hiatus because of covid. Not that nothing was happening in the past three years... it just did not happen by way of a wander to far flung places on the map. The ether is continuously scoured for adventurous tidbits ...zoom is a constant companion ... documentaries on tickle the grey cells ...and Poirot entertains as needles fill with knitting. A request from a friend in California has awakened the blogger in me. She and her partner are planning a trip to Norway. I had to go to my blog to jog the "little grey cells" ...OMG 2009!! That coastal trip is one I would like to do again...if there are no age restrictions ...https://www.hurtigruten.com/the-original-norwegian-coastal-express/?&infinity=ict2~net~gaw~ar~644550290579~kw~hurtigruten%20norway%20coastal%20cruise~mt~e~cmp~CA_COA_Tactical_Destination... read more
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North America » Canada » Ontario » Sudbury February 23rd 2020

its not that i have not been anywhere it is just that where i was i was too occupied to sit for hours recording my adventures. am also getting too lazy to use capitols because i have a new Lenovo laptop and the left hand shift button is half the size ... the other half occupied by the backward slash... did not spot that defect in an otherwise very nice little toy i bought myself with visa reward points. suppose i will get used to the small space with continued use. Lets hope so! The last three years have been occupied with working in my garden from May till September, and traveling from October til December-January. And each of these three year trips were to the UK. 2017 - from Land's End to John o' Groats ... read more
Fort William, Scotland
The Glenfinnan Viaduct
Red Post Box in the countryside

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Cornwall » St Ives November 8th 2017

St. Ives, Cornwall, home of Poldark, Rebecca, and the Pirates of Penzance The train to St. Ives from Bathe involved more than one change...each one successfully completed... and one change included a downpour on metal roof at the Exeter station. Now that I am back in Canada I can safely say that I encountered only sunshine, dull to drab or drizzle weather for the whole of my seventy day wander thru the UK. Out of the train and a search for the path to the hotel begins. Up the road past long term parking, over the rise, past the local bus terminal ( actually just a big parking-lot space for the buses to turn around and begin their return journey from where ever they came from) down a curved hill past a church, a tall scaffolding ... read more
View from Breakfast Room Window
Upstairs-Downstairs Flats
Stone Stone and more Stone Houses

Europe » United Kingdom » England » Somerset » Bath November 4th 2017

Aquae Sulis ... The Romans identified the goddess Aquae Sulis with their goddessMinerva and encouraged her worship. The phenomenon of waters at Bath coming hot and furious out of the ground had explanation ... worship was the solution. This blog is somewhat long. Bath was so wonderful. Definitely worth another visit. Have met a lovely couple in St. Ives who have invited me for a return and I will definitely be inviting them to dinner when I next arrive. The name 'Bath' does not seem to have quite enough elegance for such an elegant city. The train journey from Cardiff via Bristol was an adventure in itself. Football fans were on their way to an afternoon game... the beer was flowing ..the voices were raised... the spirits were high... high also was the number of passengers ... read more
Second of Two Ears of Corn
Coffee Time ... Anytime
Dutch Bonnet Santa




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