Saturday, August 30, 2008

No Vampires

Timosoara is where the revolution against Ceausescu began. When all one hears about a country is stories of horrific orphanages finding a beautiful, sophisticated city comes as a bit of a surprise. Last night we went to see Aida. It was superb -fully staged, with a full orchestra, all in open air - and free
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What's going on here? The bride hid round the corner while her 'boyfriend went into the pharmacy

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Friday, August 29, 2008

Locks and radio active baths



Nice to be here before the Russians return.

Budapest's Terror museum makes one realize that Hungary lived through 50 years of oppression. First the Nazis and then the Soviets . It was only in 2000 that the last Hungarian returned from forced labor in Russia. However, this superb museum ignores the question of why the Nazis managed to kill so many jews in the one year when they occupied Hungary
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Three and a half hours by train and 4 hours by bus just to so Marilyn can see a fence covered with locks
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Jehova Witnesses and now this


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Massive hot spring lake famous for its sulpher and radio activity
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Tuesday, August 12, 2008

Dark Knight stinks

IMG_3190What a strange place. Canada is an intelligent, friendly country but with a nasty streak that seems out of kilter. While we were there an English family were sent back to the UK because they had the nerve to bring their disabled daughter on holiday with them. You listen to the news and think that was just a miserable git at the airport and it will be put right. But no ,all the officials immediately support the original and obviously unjust decision.

Then a guy gets knifed and decapitated on a Greyhound bus!! Doubly unfortunate for the bus company because they had just finished a 'why do you never hear about bus rage' campaign

Canada is still completely unspoilt, the towns beautiful and Montreal's streets full of bars seem to have no police and no drunken people
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But the thing that amused us and says so much about Canada is the Wall Mart closed for the weekend but with tents, chairs and other stuff left outside in the car park with full confidence that they will still be there on Monday.IMG_3177

Think this hotel should have thought more carefully about this logo


Even IMAX couldn't save Dark Knight. It is a horribly violent film with a confused, illogical story. The producers had no problem in making violence real and happen to real people but couldn't be bothered to deal with the big holes in the plot


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Best teeshirt - real geeky looking guy at the cinema wearing a tee shirt saying '' I'm only here because my server is down''

Whales and disaster

IMG_287110 days of continuous rain can take the edge of even the most beautiful place. The Tadoussac tourist publiscits say it is impossible not to see whales in the summer waters. We managed it for 4 days running but on the 5th the sun came out along with the whales.
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They feed on the krill that grows where the Atlantic meets the water from the Canadian lakes. You can sit on the shore and watch them in the St Lawrence or go out on a boat to be amongst them.
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IMG_2894the man mountain who thought it ok to stand all the time and block the few from people on our side of the Zodiac

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A fascinating museum records the loss of the Empress of Ireland. A collision in fog, with a coal ship led to the deaths of 1022 people . Worst sea disaster after the Titanic but was quickly forgotten because it was 1914 and soon after everyone had other things on their minds

If you believe the captains' stories they were both stationary at the time it happened

This is a strange aspect of the disaster

The ship's cat Emmy, A loyal orange tabby who had never once missed a voyage, repeatedly tried to escape the ship near departure on May 28, 1914. The crew could not coax her aboard and the Empress departed without her. It was reported that Emmy watched the ship sail away from Quebec City sitting on the roof of the shed at Pier 27, which would later become a place for the dead pulled from the river.

Saturday, August 02, 2008

Religious Bears

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A viewing platform in the middle of the forest and we.at last see bears. We turned up at the couples house on the off chance that they would be going to see bears that night. They were but we didn't have time to find our campsite or buy food so they let us pitch in their garden and invited us for dinner and breakfast.IMG_2782
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The couple were very welcoming and even invited us to join them in prayer and their daily bible reading! They are Jehovah Witnesses

Illigal Celidhs

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Very sad to leave Prince Edward Island. A beautiful place, live music in every village, great sea food and very friendly people. And of course potatos

IMG_2759IMG_27062008 Year of the PotatoIMG_2705Only problem being a strange attitude to alcohol. How can you have a packed Ceilidh with exhilarating fiddle music and only serve up coffee and strawberry ice cream. There must be a Irish law against dry Ceilidhs

IMG_2739IMG_2703If you are going to camp you do not want to rough it

IMG_2715WallE - brilliant

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