Final Blog

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We are looking forward to coming home and seeing our friends and family. We have had a wonderful 10 weeks abroad and visited fabulous distant lands.
Before we sign off with a brief listing of our favourite cities, meals etc... we'd like to give our general impressions from our time away.
We started and ended our trip in Europe (save for the last week in St. Maarten) and love the area for many reasons. Least of all, the food, architecture and culture are lovely and most importantly we both have strong family and friend ties to the region. Thank you all who took good care of us and made us feel welcome!
Landing in Morocco and being whisked through the medina of Fez was probably the biggest culture shock either of us has ever experienced. We didn't wade into the Muslim world, we were thrown into it! From the 5 daily calls to prayer (first at 04:30) to the bustling souqs (markets) to the sheep being escorted all around us, we absolutely loved it. There were language barriers, bargaining 'issues', roads that led nowhere, roads that were washed out and camels who didn't want to be ridden but that just adds to the experience.
Egypt was another story... we can honestly say that while the tourist attractions are world class, we simply did not get a good feel for the locals and the country due to the government management of tourism. One cannot rent a car and travel must be accompanied by tourist police and with permission from local officials. The country is not a democracy and the people are very poor which makes interaction with them difficult; we were walking dollar signs there and harrassed constantly. We can only hope that Mubarek is thrown out of office and Egypt can one day take its rightful place as a leading African nation.
Similarly, Jordan offers some spectacular sights (Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea) however, unlike Egypt, travel is easy and the areas very accessible due to their proximity to one another.
We loved Turkey as it perhaps offered the best of Europe and the middle east. Not surprising really given its geographic position. Istanbul is a wonderful city and easily one of our top favourite big world cities. It is beautiful, clean and easy to get around. We felt safe, enjoyed good food and got on well with the Turks.
Skiing in the Dolomites, and we imagine Europe in general, was a great experience. The infrastructure and attention to detail is amazing. We could see ourselves returning one day.
Thank you to all who have sent us comments and well wishes along the way; it was nice to feel connected to home while being so far away. We trust you enjoyed reading our blogs and viewing our photos as much as we enjoyed presenting it all to you! See you soon, Jason & Sabrina.

Favourite City: Bruges, Belgium
Least favourite City: Cairo, Egypt
Best Meal: Paris, France
Worst Meal: Dead Sea, Jordan (although we didn't know it was our worst meal until 2 hours later!)
Best Street Meal: Fish in Istanbul & Calamari in Cairo
Best Hotel: Cote Canal (Bruges) & Dar Melody (Fez)
Worst Hotel: Hotel Champs Elysees (Cairo)
Best Hotel Value: Dar Meloday, Fez; $80/night (with a delicious breakfast and wonderful hosts)
Worst Hotel Value: Random hotel in Paris; $150/night for a dirty basic room
Best Tourist Attraction: Valley of the Kings (Luxor, Egypt)
Best Night Out: Petra at Night (Jordan)
Favourite Mosque: Blue Mosque (Istanbul)... because we could go in and see it! (most we weren't allowed)
Favourite Church: Basilica di San Domenico (Siena, Italy)
Hottest: Abu Simbel (33C)
Coldest: Val Gardena (-14C)
Highest point: Tichka Pass (Morocco) 7413 Feet ... also Seceda (Dolomiti, Italy) 8261 Feet
Lowest point: Dead Sea (Jordan) -1385 Feet
Distance traveled: 37,812 km
Number of flights: 20
Modes of transportation: Donkey, Horse, Camel, Car, Bus, Boat, Chairlift, Cable Car, Funicular, Gondola, Plane, Skis, Train, Felucca, Street Car, Carriage
Canucks Record during our absence: 25-7-4

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Comments

[Mischa]

Amazing!
Hey guys, that really sounds like an AMAZING trip!!! Wondering about your favorite and least favorite airlines for those 20 flights, or did you mostly stick to one? Enjoy St. Maarten, a little Dutch (and french I guess) gem in the Caribbean. Mischa

[Jason and Sabrina]

Re: Airlines
Hi Mischa, Thanks for your message. That's a good question about airlines...we'll have to think about it and get back to you. We didn't stick with one preferred company, instead booking with whatever option worked best for our plans and at the best price....