30.12.2010
After spending Christmas with family, in Karkonosze, we made our way to Prague. We've been to Prague before but 10 years ago, in the middle of summer. My observations of Prague this time around are that there are always way too many people, it was far colder than we were expecting, and the people working in the tourist areas are crazy rude. Having said that, it is a beautiful city at any time of year, and we did enjoy wandering around, especially the stops for mulled wine!
Shona
27.12.2010
My first Christmas in Poland in 25 years. We spent the holidays with family, in Szklarska Poręba, a winter wonderland. Great company and delicious food. It was a very active Christmas (to make up for the delicious food!), we tried snowboarding for the first time which was fun but, predictably, we spent most of the time on our butts. We also went cross-country skiing. And I even managed to make the summit of Mount Szrenica, despite the extreme wind and cold. And of course, I must mention the weightlifting (pint glasses!) - Na zdrowie!
Andrzej
15.12.2010
Dublin welcomed us with a huge blizzard, icy streets (people were walking around with wool socks wrapped around their shoes!), and some political protests. Fortunately, there are enough bars to help pass the time, waiting for better weather, unless you are as ambitious as Leopold Bloom. Even the worst weather in recent memory cleared up after a few days and we were able to take in the city's interesting architecture and great art galleries, as well as the obligatory Guinness visit. And, of course, back to the bars at night for some fantastic live Irish music.
Shona
01.11.2010
We needed a change of scenery, so we went to the Tatra Mountains for a few days. Winter has hit there already, with snow, wind, freezing temperatures and all that unpleasant stuff. The town of Zakopane (polish Banff) looks more colourful and "worldly" than 25 years ago, when I was there for the last time before leaving Poland. On this trip, we met friends from Canada who stopped in town on their way to Greece, Italy and other warmer and more interesting places. We had a lot of fun, and way too much alcohol and food.
Andrzej
20.10.2010
The south-eastern part of Wielkopolska (a region in Poland), where we are staying for a while, offers a lot of interesting tourist attractions. Especially for history and architecture "buffs". Picturesque Kalisz (apparently the oldest city in Poland, established 1850 years ago - hard to imagine) is the region's cultural and economic center. The only minus of this area - it's flat here!
Andrzej
28.09.2010
We just returned from a week in Karkonosze, a mountain range in the south-west part of Poland. I was born, and grew up, not that far from there so the place is special for me. The mountains are small but the weather is totally unpredictable and unfortunately we got to see that first-hand.
In the fog and wind and rain, we managed to make the summit of Mt Sniezka (highest mountain in the range at 1602m).
The mountain is very significant to me because that was the first "big" hill I climbed with my father at around 6 years of age. I remember being particularly fascinated by the border stones guarded by the stern-looking soldiers from the border patrol (where are they now?). I guess that experience was pretty influential because mountains and crossing borders became the passions of my life.
Andrzej
25.07.2010
Europe! Europe! Europe!
Andrzej
29.06.2010
Spring in the Rockies! I did some hiking already but nothing serious (lots of snow still), just "spring classics". The most interesting hikes I managed to do were; Rimwall Summit (2680 m - elev. gain 1020 m), near Canmore, and Mount Cory (2802 m - elev. gain 1370 m), in Banff. I also tried (with my friend, Peter Smolik) a ski-touring loop through three glaciers in Kananaskis; French, Haig, and Robertson, but due to the deep, wet snow we turned around at the first one.
Andrzej
26.05.2010
The Arches National Park, near Moab, is the most colourful and photogenic park in Utah (at least that's what I think). It offers a lot of well-maintained and interesting hiking trails, and rock climbing is allowed on unnamed rock formations. The spectacularly located campground is unfortunately only available by reservation and usually booked months ahead. Shame!
Andrzej
24.05.2010
The state of Utah is very often seen as a bizarre place populated by Mormons, with their many wives (officially polygamy was banned by the church in 1890), and lousy, weak beer. Well, it's more than that. It has become a centre of outdoor activities (especially the Moab area) and a mecca for adrenaline junkies. Open spaces, spectacular landscapes, and colourful, fascinating rock formations. Well worth visiting, but bring your own booze, hahaha.
Andrzej
22.05.2010
The symbol of Arizona, the biggest hole on earth (although Albertans are trying very hard to make an even bigger one near Fort McMurray) - the Grand Canyon. It's fucking huge! It makes you think about the power of "mother nature" and the fact that maybe it's not a very good idea to mess with her. Anyway, if you want to see it, try to avoid the summer season due to high temperatures and thousands of annoying tourists.
Andrzej
30.04.2010
It was hard to leave Cabo San Lucas, especially knowing that we were heading back in the direction of the cold and snow, but we did take our time and enjoyed a couple of longer breaks in beautiful spots. The first stop was in Cabo Pulmo. When we arrived there were a ton of people, and we realized that we'd arrived on Easter Monday. Fortunately, almost everyone had packed up and left by the time we had our tent pitched. Cabo Pulmo is a gorgeous beach with calm waters and is surrounded by some really cool hills and rock formations. We had the place virtually to ourselves for the whole time.
The next stop was Gonzaga Bay, which is on the other side of Baja California, on the Gulf of California. It was a nice stop, there were more people but also some services. The beach is okay, not as nice as the other side but still a decent place to spend a few days camping. The best part of this stop was getting there. There is no highway that crosses Baja California so we had to drive on a dry riverbed. 50km took us about 3 hours, lol, and we saw only one other vehicle. A bit stressful but, looking back, a highlight of our trip to Baja California. We did have one last stop before crossing into the U.S., in San Felipe, but it was crowded there, and the campground wasn't very nice, so we didn't stay long. Anyway, while it was hard to leave Baja California behind, we enjoyed our trip back north.
Shona
04.04.2010
Well, as they say, all good things must come to an end. It's time to pack up and leave Cabo, to slowly make our way back up north. It has been the most amazing 4 months, very relaxing and peaceful. We feel like new people! I hope we'll get the chance to come back for another winter, one day. It's the ideal place, in our opinion. The drive from Alberta is manageable, and the lifestyle here is perfect. And it's great to be able to say that I fulfilled a lifelong dream of living by the water, even if it was just for a few months. We do have plans to stop in some really interesting places on the way back so we're going to take our time and enjoy the journey. Our first stop will be Cabo Pulmo, which is supposed to have the most beautiful beach on Baja.
Shona
15.02.2010
The small town of Todos Santos, near Cabo San Lucas, is well known for its art galleries and shops. We went there during a week-long Art Festival, so we got to see some beautiful art, including very colourful Mexican folk art. While in town, we "had to" check out the famous, beautifully restored Hotel California (the legend says that this is the place from the famous Eagles song, in reality Henley has never been there). The food was really quite good. A small sample of the "Colours of Mexico" below.
Andrzej
10.02.2010
The main reason for the trip to the mainland was an attempt to climb the highest mountain in Mexico - El Pico de Orizaba, 5610 m. Unfortunately the weather didn't co-operate and I had to turn back about 400 vertical meters from the summit due to high winds, blowing snow, and zero visibility.
More about the climb
here.
Andrzej
05.02.2010
I needed a break from the beach (ya, I know, it's hard to believe) so I went to the Mexico City area for a week. It's probably one of the most fascinating cities in the world. This was my second trip and I think everyone should go there to experience the energy, the history, the culture, the people. It's a vibrant, colourful, chaotic place and I really enjoyed visiting again.
Andrzej
20.01.2010
Coming all the way down to Cabo was the best decision, ever! Definitely the best weather on Baja, and access to all the amenities we need, including a WalMart! There's a Costco, too, but we don't have a membership. It has been so nice here, especially since we decided to move from the camping place to a little hotel on the main road. For just $100 more per month (than camping) we're getting basically a bachelor's suite, but a big one. And we have a little balcony with views of the sea. There's a gorgeous pool set in immaculate grounds, that we're using as often as possible. Sadly, the grounds are so immaculate they won't let Felix out there, but there is an empty field by the hotel, we just have to be careful that he doesn't step on any cacti - which has already happened and it's no fun to pull out dozens of little needles from his paws. We do have to drive most places but it's well worth it, and most nice beaches are quite close, we've got a couple of favourites already. The road is great for walking/running, as long as we keep our eyes peeled for crazy neighbourhood dogs. And we can walk into the main part of town, if we want. Prices are affordable, weather is amazing, life is idyllic at the moment. Such a welcome change after the stress of work and life in the big city.
Shona
