Travels of John and Flo – Page 13

June 1, 2013October 20, 2020

Cappadocia, Turkey

Cappadocia is a place that should be on everyone’s bucket list for places to visit before we actually “kick the bucket”. We visited at the beginning of June in 2013 for a couple of days, before heading out on a sailing trip through Bodrum, staying in the town of Urgup at the boutique hotel Meleklerevi. A nice place with great hosts (Arzu & Muammer) who gave us plenty of great ideas of what to do and see while in Cappadocia. Muammer has a map he can supply you with for all the places you should try to fit in while in Cappadocia. We were there for three days, which seems to be just about the right amount of time to get to know the area without rushing.

May 29, 2013October 20, 2020

Nice Apartment – Finally finished…

Our spring project was the purchase and renovation of an apartment in the central part of Nice, France. We returned to Nice from Mexico in January, with really no intention of buying a place in Nice, but we were getting tired of living out of suitcases and moving from one rental apartment to another. We knew we eventually wanted to get a place in France, we just weren’t sure where, although Nice was looking better and better. Well, we ended up finding a for sale by owners that offered all we were looking for, so we went for it.

April 26, 2013October 20, 2020

Apartment Buying in Nice, France

About a year ago we thought we were heading over to Europe to begin a period of nomadic travel. Well, it didn’t last long. As our daughter was attending school in Nice, we ended up setting up the town as our base to explore other towns in the area, Italy next door, and the hills behind. And through that, we ended up enjoying Nice so much that we really couldn’t think of another place we’d rather live. We knew we wanted a place in Europe at some point, we just didn’t know where and when that would happen. Well, it happened.

April 12, 2013October 20, 2020

Following Flo…

Seems wherever we go, I’m always a few steps behind Flo. Everyone now and then she’ll turn around and give me a look that says, “What, another photo?” or, “Can’t you at least sometimes walk beside me?” Can’t quite keep up to the girl sometimes…

March 24, 2013October 20, 2020

Pathways

There’s something about paths that I find intriguing and appealing in a number of ways. Where do they lead to? Who has gone on this path before me? Where would it take me? So what is around that next bend in the path? The end is usually not visible, just a portion of the journey is, and to see more you must take the path to discover what is around that next corner. And usually around the next curve of the path there is yet another one, and then another, yet again concealing what may lie ahead, beckoning and teasing one to journey onward. Twisting and turning the path draws me forward, my curiosity getting the best of me; what is around that next corner?

March 23, 2013October 20, 2020

San Remo-San Lorenzo Bike Path

Along the Ligurian coastline of Italy, just east of Nice, there’s a wonderful oceanside bike route that has been created from a previously removed train track path. This old coastal railway track operated in the nineteenth century and linked the Riviera to northern Europe, from Genoa to Ventimiglia, but was abandoned in 2001 and moved further inland. It currently runs 24 km from San Remo to San Lorenzo however it is a work in progress and when finished it will provide 70 km of great biking riding. For those who enjoy casual bike rides on flat surfaces, it’s a great excursion for everyone in the family.

February 16, 2013October 20, 2020

Sunday in Ventimiglia, Italy

It’s become a bit of a tradition now, when in Nice on a Friday and not much else is planned, to take the train over to Ventimiglia, an Italian town on the coast just on the other side of the border and about a 1/2 hour from Nice. It is quite a large market that meanders along the coastal boardwalk, featuring clothing, leather goods, scarfs and shoes at one and food booths at the other. We usually always stock up on parmesan cheese (try the samples to get the one that you like best) and wonderful salami sausages. I think it’s a decent market and enjoy going. But do avoid it in the summer months, there’s just way too many people.

February 12, 2013October 20, 2020

Back to Auron

We returned to Auron in mid’ February of 2013, but this time to ski not just to visit. We arrived on a Monday and it had been snowing all the night before and continued all the way up. We took the bus, which was a good idea as there were a lot of cars along the side of the road, and we reached Auron in 2.5 hours. When it cleared up in the afternoon we had more than 15 cm. of new snow on the hill. We took an afternoon pass (US$20), and enjoyed fresh power and sunshine. The next day they opened the other side of the mountain; so more fresh powder and even more sunshine. Not a cloud in the sky by mid’ afternoon.

January 8, 2013October 21, 2020

Sunday on Isla Cuale, Puerto Vallarta

One of my favorite places to visit when in Puerto Vallarta is Isla Cuale, an island in the middle of the Rio Cuale, a river/creek (depending on the time of year you visit) that runs through Vallarta, meeting up with the sea. Although it is in the middle of the town, there is actually very little traffic on the island, it is an oasis in a city of noise and traffic, a getaway from the hustle and bustle of what has been a town in a constant state of growth for a number of years.

December 17, 2012October 21, 2020

Lunch in Auron, France

There had been a lot of snow coming down in the mountains behind Nice lately, so we decided to go up and check out Auron, a place we’ll be skiing at in the new year. We took the #250 bus that leaves from the Nice train station, with a stop at the airport. Amazingly, the two-hour trip cost only 1 euro each. A similar trip, roughly same distance and time, from the Vancouver airport to Whistler, costs $63 dollars each. So for two euros each our transportation was taken care of up to the hill and back.