Charlottetown, capital of Prince Edward Island (PEI) is a charming little city of around 35,000 folks. PEI consists of rolling, seemingly manicured green fields, rich brown red soil and even red beaches. Anna enjoyed visiting Green Gables where Lucy Maud Montgomery drew inspiration for her famous books. In the evening we sat outside in balmy weather at a local pub, and were balladeered by a local guitar player who enjoyed playing my songs as we are of about the same vintage (21+). Kevin is an entertainer by night, remote IBM worker by day (the only one on PEI he told us). We also visited Cows, supposedly the #1 ice cream shop in Canada, if not the world. Alas the jury's out on that.... read more

As Anna and I flew into Halifax there was thick, thick fog that hung about most of Day One. We found we had booked a wonderful B&B with lovely hosts and surroundings for a very moderate tariff. We wandered downtown Halifax over a day and a half, enjoying the Maritime Museum, Farmer's Market, many historic buildings and Alexander Keith's brewery with a great tour by folks in character from the 19th century. We also visited the graves of many the poor souls from the Titanic. On Sunday we drove in bright sunshine to the pretty Peggy's Cove and loved the many pretty small harbours on the same peninsula. Then on to the world heritage listed town of Lunenburg where our friends Ed and Esther showed us around. All in all a great time in Halifax, a ... read more

Anna needed a rest day so Darren took off from Falmouth headed for Martha's Vineyard, an island 7 miles off Cape Cod. He did a half day bus tour of the island, and managed to take in 70-80% of what the driver had to say. Each town has a distinct style. It's home to many celebrities and the population swells by 80% in summer. At the end of the tour Darren walked Oak Bluffs and enjoyed the many gingerbread house cottages that serve as holiday houses. The town seems so perfect that it could be straight out of the movie 'The Truman Show.' ... read more

We took the train on a fairly non-descript route from NYC to New Haven. Then we drove on a country road route through beautiful, lush countryside. We'd forgotten the meaning of green with our drought at home but this green we've never seen much before. It was lovely to take the slow route. We stopped at a Dairy Queen for an ice cream with mobs of junior baseballers, then in Mystic, a sea town for a wander along the streets. In a suburb of Providence we spotted an authentic looking italian restaurant. It sure was as there was no menu! Anna was not so impressed with her bolognese but my matriciana was fine. Bedtime found us in Seekonk, MA for a wonderful sleep.... read more

The remainder of our stay was most enjoyable. We checked out several museums and galleries, shopped some more and ate lots. We really enjoyed the hospitality of the Portenos (Buenos Aires residents). Although language was a barrier, their warmth still came through. The restaurants are affordable and the service always terrific. Apart from occasional pasta we were always eating barbequed something or other! The most remarkable meal was at La Cabrera, where we ordered one serve to share (always recommended) of flank of pork. For $15 aussie dollars we received five delectable pieces of pork and TWELVE side dishes!! We spent a day with a volunteer guide, Silvina, who took us to the Tigre delta region on the outskirts of BA. It was interesting to get a local's insight on life in BA. It is apparent ... read more