THE THIRD PERIOD

Sakura - Cherry Blossoms were certainly a highlight of our trip to Japan. Everywhere we went in Kyoto, we saw the beautiful flowers This is my last post about our 7‑week adventure in India and Japan. For this one, I’ve combined our visits to Kyoto and Tokyo. That’s not meant to downplay how amazing these two cities are—far from it. Teresa and I have visited both before, and I’ve written about them on the blog, so some of what we saw this time was a repeat (there are certain t

We never got tired of looking at the beautiful water in Okinawa As you may know by now, this is a post in a series about our 7-week adventure in India and Japan. Given this would be our third trip to Japan, we wanted to explore areas we hadn't visited before. Okinawa had always been on my list, and with 5 weeks in Japan, we easily fit it into our itinerary. Like all my travel posts, at the end of this article, you'll find links to related blog posts (other destinations from t

Outside the Canada pavilion at Expo 2025. As I mentioned in previous posts, our 2025 trip to Japan was our third visit to the country. On our first trip, I did a day trip to Osaka, taking the bullet train from Kyoto while Teresa was busy with her Ikebana course. On our second visit, we stayed in Osaka during plum blossom season. The plum blossoms are almost as beautiful as cherry blossoms—and much less crowded. That time, we also used Osaka as a base for day trips to Kobe and

Tanabe City Kumano Tourism Bureau is a must-stop before you start the hike. After seeing so many cherry blossoms in Kyoto, it was a bonus to see them again while hiking the Kumano Kodo. As I mentioned in my overview post of our trip to India and Japan, Teresa and I had originally planned a five-week vacation in Japan. Since it was our third trip to Japan, we were determined to explore new parts of the country. Teresa and I had previously completed the French route of the Cam

The Taj Mahal - I really can't get enough of this photo India: Not for Everyone… But Unforgettable Let me start by saying that calling India “not for everyone”  is an understatement. That’s not meant as criticism—travel is personal. But if your idea of a perfect vacation involves a month in Florida, two weeks at a Caribbean resort, or leisurely days strolling through Paris or Florence, India might come as a shock to your system. That doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it—India is e

The Taj Mahal is definitely the number one highlight in India ... Amazing! Kinkaku-ji - The Golden Temple - my favourite religious site in the world What an adventure! Two weeks in India and five weeks in Japan. It was such an incredible trip that I’m going to write about it over a series of blog posts. This post provides an overview of our journey, and I’ll then dive deeper into specific destinations—India, the Kumano Kodo, Okinawa, Kyoto, Tokyo, and the World’s Fair in Osak

I love looking at this photo over and over again ... visiting the Machu Picchu site on a perfect day gifted us memories of a lifetime I am definitely behind in updating my blog. I have yet to post about our trip to India and Japan in the spring. Those posts are coming, I promise. However, given that I have just returned from hiking to Machu Picchu, I thought I would write an article about my most recent trip while the memories are still fresh in my mind. In some ways, the dec

The 12 Apostles on the Great Ocean Road Teresa and I spent five amazing weeks in Australia. It was our first visit, and we chose to drive the east coast—starting in Cairns/Cape Tribulation in the northeast and finishing along the Great Ocean Road near Melbourne. We spent most of the time in a campervan and treated ourselves to two gorgeous Airbnbs in Sydney and Melbourne. This is my third post about our trip. The first post is an overview of our 5-week itinerary (link here ).

Teresa and I recently returned from five amazing weeks in Australia. It was our first visit, but not our last. Given Australia's size, we realized we could only see part of it. We chose to drive the east coast, starting in the northeast, Cairns/Cape Tribulation, and finishing at the Great Ocean Road/Melbourne. I have posted three articles about our adventure on my blog. Our Amazing 5-Week Itinerary in Australia - click here for an overview of our trip. I hope it will give yo

Spectacular sunrise at Cape Tribulation. Just one of many beautiful experiences during our 5 weeks. Australia has always been on our list of travel destinations. After COVID and family obligations, we were lucky to be able to go in the fall of 2024 - spring in Australia. I am going to post three blogs about our 5 weeks Down Under. This one will be an overview of our trip, how we developed the itinerary, our mode of travel and overall impressions of the areas we visited. The s

One of the amazing examples of street art in Getsemania I know that title might sound like a movie but it was a real-life experience. Two...

Hamachi grapefruit and avocado from Hai Noon ... delicious! Best is a very subjective word. It is better to say I am writing about the 5...

Here is my Osprey Farpoint 55 knapsack that I carried for 779 km on the Camino Frances. It is a fantastic bag which I highly recommend....

Teresa and I at the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela after completing the 779 km Camino de Santiago Frances. What an incredible...

Gite Bidean in St Jean Pied de Port was our number one ranked Albergue (and the first one we stayed at) during our 779 km trek across...

Teresa and I just returned from walking the Camino de Santiago Frances (walking doesn't accurately describe the experience but more on...

You have probably never heard of the "fan grand slam". That makes sense as it is a term made up by our middle son Kevin, who has a...

I don't feel the need to visit the same place year after year or even frequently, but California is an exception. Teresa's sister has...

So many amazing views in Hawaii! We have been fortunate to travel to Hawaii a number of times. In addition to the fact that Hawaii is...

I should start by saying that Teresa and I were not planning to visit Scotland this summer. With summers in southern Ontario relatively...