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thethirdperiod.ca is where I write about family, travel, golf, activism, and other stuff that crosses my mind.
I’m a retired business executive with a wonderful family and a full, rewarding life.
Now, in the third period of life, I’m sharing the experiences we’re having—the fun, the discoveries, and the adventures that come with this stage. We’re enjoying our family, grandchildren, friends, and the activities that keep life interesting.
And who knows? We may even go into overtime.
Note: The image shows the original time clock from Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto
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Two Weeks in the Netherlands: Tulips, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht & an Amazing Bike Tour
Every story of our vacation in the Netherlands has to include something about tulips. This is my fifth blog post about our five-week adventure in Norway and the Netherlands. We spent three incredible weeks exploring Norway, and if you'd like to catch up on that part of the journey, you can read my previous posts here: 5 Weeks in Norway and the Netherlands: Northern Lights, Fjords & Tulips Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway: Amazing When You See Them, But Weather Changes Everyt
tgandco2
Aug 288 min read
Cycling Through Tulip Fields in the Netherlands: Our 5-Day Self-Guided Bike Tour
Our bike tour allowed us to stop at Keukenhof Gardens, which is spectacular. This is my sixth post about our amazing five-week adventure in Norway and the Netherlands. You can find the other posts here: 5 Weeks in Norway and the Netherlands: Northern Lights, Fjords, Tulips & More Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway: Amazing When You See Them, But Weather Changes Everything Three Weeks in Norway: Fjords, Mountains, Musk Oxen, and Unforgettable Hikes Three Weeks in Norway: Honest
tgandco2
Aug 288 min read
Honest Reviews of Hotels, Restaurants, Museums and Attractions in the Netherlands
The tulips are non-stop and so beautiful. You have to keep stopping while on your bike tour. This is my third and final post about our two weeks in the Netherlands. It was a fantastic trip, and in this post you'll find all the places we stayed, visited, and experienced. I'll give you a brief overview of each, along with my completely informal ratings. Hopefully, it helps if you're planning your own trip to the Netherlands. You can find my other two Netherlands posts here: Two
tgandco2
Aug 288 min read
Three Weeks in Norway: Honest Reviews of Hotels, Restaurants, Tours & Unforgettable Experiences
This is my fourth and final post about our incredible three-week adventure in Norway. You can find the other posts here: 5 Weeks in Norway and the Netherlands: Northern Lights, Fjords, Tulips & More Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway: Amazing When You See Them, But Weather Changes Everything Three Weeks in Norway: Fjords, Mountains, Musk Oxen, and Unforgettable Hikes In this post, I will review and informally rate all the services we used during our trip, including accommodati
tgandco2
Jul 2312 min read
Three Weeks in Norway: Fjords, Mountains, Musk Oxen, and Unforgettable Hikes
This is the third post in my series about our five-week adventure through Norway and the Netherlands. The first provided an overview of our trip, while the second focused on our Northern Lights adventure in Tromsø, Norway. In this post, I'll share the highlights from the rest of our three weeks in Norway. It was an incredible adventure that required both careful planning and flexibility to make the most of our time. Before diving into the destinations, here are a few things w
tgandco2
Jul 2310 min read
Northern Lights in Tromsø, Norway: Amazing When You See Them, But Weather Changes Everything
This post is the second in a series about our five-week adventure through Norway and the Netherlands. Seeing the Northern Lights had long been on Teresa's and my bucket list, and it was the main reason we decided to visit Norway. At first, we considered a cruise with Hurtigruten, Norway's historic coastal cruise line. They offer several Northern Lights cruises, some of which even come with a guarantee: if you don't see the aurora, they'll give you a shorter follow-up cruise f
tgandco2
Jul 237 min read
5 Weeks in Norway and the Netherlands: Northern Lights, Fjords, Tulips & More
Teresa and I normally plan a vacation for mid-winter or early spring. The inspiration for this year’s trip came from an article I read in the Toronto Star about the Hurtigruten cruise line in Norway. What caught my attention — besides the fact that they are the longest-serving cruise line in Norway and still provide transportation between small northern ports — was their Northern Lights cruise. In addition to sailing through prime Northern Lights viewing areas, they offer two
tgandco2
Jul 238 min read
Kyoto and Tokyo Highlights: The Perfect Start and End to Our Japan Trip
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
tgandco2
Dec 26, 202517 min read
One Week in Okinawa: 7-Day Itinerary for Beaches, Culture & Hidden Gems
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
tgandco2
Dec 26, 20257 min read
Baseball in Japan: Catching a Game in Osaka & Exploring the City
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
tgandco2
Dec 26, 20258 min read
Hiking the Kumano Kodo: Itinerary, Tips & Guide to Japan's Ancient Pilgrimage Trail
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
tgandco2
Dec 26, 20259 min read
Discover the Magic of India in Just Two Weeks and Why It Could Be Perfect for You
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
tgandco2
Dec 24, 202511 min read
Exploring India and Japan: Highlights from Our Seven-Week Adventure
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
tgandco2
Dec 23, 20255 min read
Should You Hike the Inca Trail or Take the Train to Machu Picchu?
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
tgandco2
Nov 20, 202511 min read
Australia East Coast Itinerary Tips: Campgrounds, Restaurants, Campervan, Hiking and more
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 ).
tgandco2
Sep 11, 20256 min read
The 8 Best Australia Tours We Did - Unforgettable Experiences Worth Booking
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
tgandco2
Sep 11, 20255 min read
The Perfect 5-Week East Coast Australia Itinerary: A Complete Travel Guide
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
tgandco2
Feb 23, 202510 min read
48 hours in Cartagena (and 12 in Panama City)
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...
tgandco2
Apr 22, 20247 min read
5 Best Restaurants in Phoenix
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...
tgandco2
Apr 18, 20248 min read
What to pack on the Camino Frances (and what not to pack)
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....
tgandco2
Dec 28, 202310 min read
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