Florence and London, 2014, Hong Kong and Chiang Mai, 2015

SPECIAL MOMENTS FROM OUR TRAVELS

Florence and London, Autumn, 2014.
Missing Joan and Ron, our best friends from Hong Kong (and needing to get away from the hundreds of boxes sitting in the middle of the living room).
The conversation went like this:
D (in Toronto) - We hope to be moved into our condo by the 5th of November.  Where will you be the following week?
J (in London) - We'll be in Florence!  Wanna meet us there?
D - Sure!




Eating chicken adobo at Brown Sugar.
Almost as good as their Filipina helper made in Hong Kong.












Sightseeing, and ogling the food market.








Some serious sites: San Lorenzo and the Michelangelo-designed Laurentian Library.  A busman's holiday for me!

Hanging out near the Duomo.









Climbing the Duomo in the morning, and returning to climb Giotto's Tower in the afternoon.

More wonderful food at the Mercato Centrale (my idea of fast food), and my favourite snack on the street.

Time for cappuccino and lots of conversation.

Ron took us to his favourite Church - the 14th century Brancacci Chapel - to see its incredible frescos.  In my previous visits to Florence, I had never crossed the Arno to explore the wonderful sites on the "other" bank.  What a treat.

 Happy campers

Old street art

New street art

Giant Florentine Steak at Il Latini.  Even the bones were delicious!

Fabulous art at the Bargello.

A cooking class at the Mercato Centrale

Rubbing Porcellino for good luck!

On to London, where we stayed at Joan and Ron's beautiful home in Chelsea (alas, without them, but Eloise and Chester welcomed us warmly.

A whirlwind few days in London:  the V&A, London Walks (Secret London), the Royal Hospital Chelsea, and the Chelsea Physic Garden.

Lunch with John and Margaret (hiking buddies from HK), coffee with Linda (another HK hiking buddy), and dinner at Nopi.

We walked and walked, and had a wonderful time.  This short trip certainly invigorated us for the unpacking that was to come once we returned to Toronto.

Hong Kong - Chiang Mai - Hong Kong, Winter 2015
A few days in HK before heading to Chiang Mai for a restful month.

Thank you Susan and Art for hosting us.

Oh how I've missed seeing those red Ferraris on a daily basis!

Uncle Jeff enjoyed meeting baby Celine, Christy and Rambo's beautiful daughter.

A fabulous month in Chiang Mai at the Grand Napat.  Jeff joined the local bridge club, I joined a Boot Camp (I Am Fit - visit them on FB!), and I also hiked with the Chiang Mai Hiking Club.  We met a lovely couple, Sonja and Neil, from the Netherlands, and enjoyed hanging out with them at the pool each afternoon.  Thailand is stress-free.  Horrible traffic never unnerves the drivers (however, it did unnerve us when we tried to cross the road), and you never hear horns honking.  People smile and greet you with a bow and "sawadika" wherever you go.  And the food!!!  Always a delight for spice-lovers like us.

Things you don't see "back home":

A sign next to the elevator in our apartment hotel.

A broom seller.

Three girls on a motor bike - all texting!

We took a side trip to Chiang Dao Nest, about an hour north of Chiang Mai.  The "Nest" is a rustic retreat in the countryside that boasts award-winning cuisine.  One restaurant serves Western food, and the other serves Thai food (and refreshing Thai beer).

But there's so much more to a weekend in Chiang Dao:  

Wat Tham Pha Plong (a working monastery).  We climbed 500 naga steps up
to the monastery set in a cave.

Lots of great hiking trails, some with no way out.  Luckily we were able to backtrack the few kilometres we had trekked.

Chiang Dao Cave - small spaces for Jeff to squeeze through.  The mummy was the highlight of the cave.

Weekly treat - Sunday farmer's (organic) market near our apartment.  Complete with local entertainment, and the most delicious bbq'd chickens cooked in big vats over charcoal.  We made sure to get their early, since the chickens were usually all sold in the first hour.

Life sometimes had its little problems ... like the time we left our clothes in the washing machine, and returned an hour later to find it flooded.  However, there was another laundromat across the road, so a happy ending was in sight.








The annual Flower Show was a delight.  Not quite the Parade of Roses, but still beautiful.

A fun bicycle ride in the countryside (SpiceRoads).  We visited an umbrella factory, a cemetery, a temple, and a wood and metal factory.   

At the end of the 50 km ride, we climbed a very steep road, but there was a reward - the hot springs, where we soaked our sore feet!

We spent a few days in HK after our month in Chiang Mai.  Thank you to Charlotte and Garth for hosting us, and for preparing such a wonderful dinner with good friends.

Chinese New Year decorations at the Landmark!  Always a feast for the eyes.

We've been relatively lucky in all our travels - rarely a VERY delayed flight.  Unfortunately ... our return flight was delayed 16 hours.  We begged to be re-routed through Vancouver, and got the last two seats on the plane.  However, the plane arrived late in Vancouver, and we missed the connection to Toronto.  We finally arrived in Toronto - at the exact same time as our delayed direct flight!