Aaron & Caroline's Grand Adventure

Our European adventure had to come to an end sometime. The last leg of our trip was in Southern Spain, with a short stop in Lyon, France before flying home from Paris. Its been an epic 10 weeks, exploring a lot of western Europe throughout spring, as the covid restrictions were lifting and everything was opening up before us. We felt incredibly lucky and priviliged to be able to have the trip that we did. We stayed healthy, were able to see everything we hoped to, and had easy travelling with our Eurorail pass, and great weather all around!

Near Malaga, in southern Spain, on the Mediterranean Sea, was the small town of Torremolinos, where we stayed for a full week. We had a nice room, with easy access to a beautiful beach, promenade walk and nice restaurants nearby. We spent the week sun bathing, walking, reflecting on our trip and soaking up as much as we could before we headed back home. It happened to be during a heat wave as well, and we had temps in the high 30s all week long! The sea was cool and refreshing, except later in the week when a lot of small jellyfish showed up!

One of our day trips from Malaga was to Granada, about an hour away by train. We wanted to see the Alhambra, a medieval fortress on top of the hill overlooking Granada. It had a beautiful gardens, palace and ancient settlements to explore as we enjoyed the view over the entire city. It was another incredible hot day, perhaps the hottest of our entire trip, with a peak of 42 degrees C! We sauntered from shady spot to shady spot and made sure to stay hydrated and cool with all the ‘misters’ around town. We enjoyed shopping in Granada, as well as the delicious chocolate dip for our churro breakfast!

We eventually had to leave Spain, and we flew to Lyon, France for one last weekend of special events that Caroline had planned. We really enjoyed Lyon, and walked around the old town, took the funicular up on top of the hill to see the Cathedral, as well as walked along the river. We especially enjoyed the giant city park, with a botanical garden and animal zoo with turtles, crocodiles, monkeys, giraffes and flamingos to check out. As well, we checked out the Confluence Museum, and it had many amazing exhibits and displays to explore, as well as keep us cool during the hottest part of the day.

Lyon was very welcoming and friendly, as we made new friends at our hotel, as well as met many nice people walking around and eating at different restaurants. We definitely hope to come back to Lyon again, as it was a wonderful place to enjoy french culture, food and history. However, the main reason we were in Lyon, was for a Stromae concert, Caroline’s favourite music artist! The Inversion festival was happening that weekend and we had secured tickets a long time before and Caroline’s excitement built throughout our trip. Stromae put on an amazing show, playing a lot of his new songs as well as some of his best hits for a very happy audience. It definitely was a highlight of the trip for both of us.

After the concert, we hopped on our last train ride of the trip, a highspeed (300km/hr) journey into Paris, about 2.5 hours away. It was still a heatwave, and we were happy to be back in Paris, where our trip started, 10 weeks earlier. We were excited for a last couple of meals with Caroline’s family and one last museum that we missed during our first visit. We enjoyed a few last walks around the city and along the Siene, and one last chance to enjoy some amazing art. The Musée d’Orsay was very enjoyable for us, as we got to see a Gaudi exhibit, having just spent all that time in Barcelona, as well as many beautiful Neo-Impressionists as well as quite a few Van Gogh paintings.

Overall, our trip could not have gone better. We lucked out in so many ways, with so much uncertainty when we left in early April, and an undefined route and plan at the start, we just figured it out as we went along. We were flexible, but still had a few goals and key places, we got better at planning, booking and navigating. Our phones were so helpful on this trip! We went through 2 SIM cards each, but took full advantage of Google maps to plan our transit, walking and navigating around. We also used Google translate super effectively to communicate with strangers, friends and family. Making our videos and sharing our journey with all of you was also a highlight for us, and we really appreciate having these artifacts of our trip to look back on every few years. Finally, we had our flights home, on the Spirit of Canada, to take us back to Vancouver Island, a place we grew more appreciative of on our trip as it is truly a unique and beautiful place in the world.

Our route ended up being a giant figure 8 throughout Europe, and it allowed us to take advantage of the good weather, avoid a lot of the more busy times in certain cities, and see everything we hoped. We fully utilized our Eurorail passes, which gave us 10 days of unlimited travel within a 2 month period, and it worked out very well for us. We took 2 flights in Spain, which were very simple, easy and affordable. We also enjoyed renting bikes in many cities, getting to know the local metro options and regularly walking 20,000 steps in a day. We gained a few pounds, but enjoyed all the delicous meals and drinks from all these amazing places. Coming back again one day is at the top of our list, and we have so many new places left to explore that we missed this time.

Thank you for coming along as well on our Sabbatical year! Its been such an incredible adventure to explore all over North America for 5.5 months, a short visit to Mexico, some home renovations and then a 10 week jaunt around Europe. We could not have hoped for a better trip. We hope you have enjoyed the videos, pictures, blogs and more from our trip, and that you are able to get out and have an adventure as well! Adios, Au revoir, Ciao and Auf Wiedersehen!

Photos from this leg of our trip through southern Spain, Lyon and Paris:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SL7HJ9bxjhohavqL6

Here is our last travel video of our trip!

We left the coast of France, and headed back in time! Caroline had done a little research and learned about a cool little city a few hours away by train, full of ancient Roman ruins and lots of history and french culture to explore. Off to Nimes we went! We arrived to great weather and pleasant suprises, as the city was welcoming, not too busy and very easy to navigate. Our AirBnB was about 20 mins walk from the Train station and we had to walk through the center of town to get there. Along the way we discovered the amazing Arena, a cute downtown core, full of shops and restaurants, patios and fountains, and a bustling daily market we enjoyed many times.

The first touristy thing we explored was the impressive Arena, right in the center of town, and imposing over the central square. There was a great audio guide, and it educated us about the history of the Arena, the types of entertainment provided, and the different influences over the years. Currently, the Arena is in great shape, well restored and used often for Bull fights and concerts, as well as city festivals. In the past, it had been taken over with housing, was fallen into disrepair, used as a fortress, as well as its glory days during the Roman times in 70 CE. You can read more about here.

We also enjoyed the tour around the city on their “train” bus, which gave us a great overview of the highlights, history and places to check out later. Again, it was pleasantly hot, not too busy and easy to get around. We loved learning about the central spring of the city, which fed into these canals, gardens and fountains, as well as supported the textiles industry of the past, which innovated the creation of Denim Jeans, made from “des Nimes”. We walked through the beautiful gardens, saw the central spring, the fallen down Temple of Diana, and the Tower on the hill, all great examples of Roman engineering and civil infrastructure.

Across the street from the Arena, was a very modern museum all about the Roman history of Nimes, and an impressive collection of artifacts, exhibits and innovative displays like the picture above, where Caroline is demonstrating the latest in Roman fashion. We had lots of space in the Museum, as they were not many other tourists, and it was very educational, and worthy of a visit when in town. We also enjoyed many tasty and delicous meals around town over a few evenings, enjoying the local specialty, Bull meat, as it is on almost every menu! One of our meals was extra special as we were seated next to a young Scottish couple on a weekend vacation, and we spent the evening chatting and getting to know them and talking all about the similiarities and differences between Canada and Scotland!

One of our big adventures was to take a local bus to the town of Uzes, about 40 mins away, where Caroline had arranged for us to rent some E-bikes to ride out to the Pont du Gard Aqueduct, a truly impressive Roman installation that brought fresh safe water to the people of Nimes from over 50 miles away! The ride was gorgeous, as it was a very nice day, and the bike path was easy and smooth. We rode past a lot of farms and fields and through a couple small villages and enjoyed the ease of our E-bikes, speeding us along the route.

The Pont du Gard Aqueduct was an amazing feat of Roman engineering and demonstrated their technical abilities and wealth at the time. It is still special today as it is the tallest, best preserved aqueduct left in the modern world and attracts people from all over to spend some time in awe of it. There were tourists from all over the world, as well as school groups, locals and us, enjoying being in the presence of this amazing structure. We walked over it, and explored a viewpoint from the right hand side, as well as went down to the river below. Overall, it was a great day of riding, exploring and learning more about the Romans and their empire.

Nimes, France should definitely be on your list of places to visit if you are nearby. It has everything you would need, plus much more to make your visit enjoyable and informative. The people were friendly, and they had so much to do and see. We highly enjoyed our time and would love to return again one day. Check out our video below to see how much we enjoyed this area, and the photos are linked below the video. Cheers!

Check out our photos from Nimes here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/pfYZhZAzdGzMXTJH9

After our wonderful time in Italy. we headed west along the top coast of the Mediterranean Sea into France. Caroline had booked us a wonderful little apartment for a week in Villefranche-sur-Mer, a tiny little village inbetween Monaco and Nice. It had a bunch of delicous restaurants, a small beach, a market and a train station! It was warm and sunny and we thoroughly enjoyed our week there, with lots of beach time, hiking and exploring nearby.

Our apartment had a tiny little balcony, and a slice of a view of the bay, just one block away. We were on a pedestrian only little alley with a restaurant right below us, a bakery nearby and small shop for groceries down the block. We also enjoyed the bi-weekly market up the hill for fresh veggies and cheese, olives and little croquettes, a type of roasted cornish hens that we shared for dinner! Our hosts were fantastic, and the apartment had a full kitchen, washing machine, and all the beach equipment we needed.

One of our first adventures was to go explore along the side of the bay, and we were not dissappointed! We happend upon the Fete de Roses, an annual weekend festival at the nearby Rothchild’s estate and palatial gardens. It was beautiful and extra special for all the unique presentations and beautiful experiences that were arranged for the visitors. We especially enjoyed lounging on the velour pillows and listening to engaging french poetry all about roses and flowers. It was incredibly relaxing and inspiring! We also got to enjoy a syncronized water display in the fountains, and a ballet presentation before a special ceremony to recognize a retiring gardener with his own named type of Rose plant. Then they released the doves. It was a great day!

Our next adventure was to take the train to Monaco, a few bays to the east, where we arrived after a very busy weekend hosting the historical Grand Prix. There were seating stands setup all over the roads and lots of people working hard to clean up after the event. The giant yachts and helicopters were leaving en masse all day as the wealthy spectators were all leaving town. We walked up the hill to visit the Royal Palace and got to see the changing of the Guards, which was interesting, but not as elaborate as the English Royals in London. It was very hot, and we explored the city, harbour and even went to the Monte Carlo Casino, but could not gamble as Caroline did not have any ID with her!

It was incredible to see all the mega yachts, with boats inside of boats and helicopters on the back. We were gobsmacked by the wealth and oppulence of Monaco and felt very out of place. It was busy, but with mostly staff, and workers everywhere, but you could sense the wealth all around us It made us reflect a lot on the inequities of this Principality, especially as our phones would not work here and we could not even use our data to find our way around. I don’t think we will ever be back.

The changing of the Guard at the Royal Palace was a formal event every couple of hours and we were able to be there when they changed over. The soldiers had pristine white uniforms and heavy automatic weapons. I’m not sure they’ve ever been invaded here, but they certainly are ready for anything.

Our next adventure was to go west, to the next bay over to Nice, a much more reasonable city with a long beach and beautiful walkway along the front of the bay. We did a little shopping for some warm summer clothes, as we are now south enough to not need any of our spring clothing. We had a delicous meal, and had a really nice chat with a recently engaged young woman on the beach where we compared teenagers in Canada and France. We also saw the sailing school getting towed out to practice and learn on a beautiful afternoon.

So, you are probably still reading, wondering “how did you get bowled over by a moped? Well, it was when we were in Villefranche-sur-Mer and we were returning from the market with our shopping. We were near our apartment, on a pedestrian only street and our guards were down. We did not really hear the moped coming up behind us, but soon, all we felt was a giant metal object right between us, hurtling towards a store display. We both fell outwards and the moped driver was able to stop before driving right into the shop. Both of us had our arms hit, but nothing too serious, just some light bruising. The moped was a La Poste, mail delivery moped, and the driver was super apologetic, and made sure we were both ok. The entire street of people all stoped to check us out and the shop owner came out to clean up the display. It all worked out fine and we were laughing about it in no time, but we both felt it was only a matter of time before we had a moped issue, as they are everywhere in Europe! We are glad our interaction was so minor and will keep our wits about us in the future!

Our last meal in Villefranche-sur-Mer was delicious and we especially enjoyed the Moules et Frites. We look forward to some more excellent meals as we head out to Nimes, France with lots of Roman restorations and then onto Spain next. Below is our video from this part of our trip, and a link to extra pictures below that. Enjoy!

Photos from this part of our trip: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Kog6zR6mkHvExoNbA

What a busy week we had in Vienna, Florence and Genoa! These three cities were each super beautiful, fun, and extremely busy! We started off in Vienna at a hip hotel, near the central train station, and were able to slowly explore this historic town. Transit there is easy, and we were able to explore the center tourist district on foot, walking along the river, and checking out the many Hapsburg palaces and gardens. It was pleasant, warm weather and we enjoyed the chance to learn a bit more about this fantastic wealthy city,

One of the highlights was the Hundertwasser house and museum! This inspirational architect designed new forms and structures that were not rigid, but flowing, full of nature intertwined within and without. They are definitely unique and I wish that more architecture around the world would adopt some of these ideas. It was so inviting and engaging to see and explore and I recommend it as a must see if you are ever in Vienna. We also enjoyed walking around the pemanant amusement park, the Prater, and seeing all the teenagers skipping school to go on the rides around the park.

We had our first overnight train from Vienna to Florence! It was on the Austrian rail line, OBB and their Nightjet service. The cars were a little older, but it worked out great. We shared our booth with a Ukrainian couple who were emigrating to Canada. It was so special to be able to meet them, answer all their questions about Canada and to become friends for when we are back home. The car was a little loud and rattling through the night, so not our best sleep, but we were happy to arrive in Florence in the morning.

Florence was a treat! It was warm, sunny and busy, with lots to see and eat while there. We really enjoyed how walkable the city was, and the beauty around almost every corner. We explored the traditional Cathedrals, squares and markets, as well as crossed over the river many times to see the views, parks and flowers on the other side. We especially enjoyed the sculptures and frescos all around the city and the tiny alleyways interconnecting all our walks. We shopped, ate, and lounged for three days and really enjoyed our time there. It was busy with lots of English tourists, as well as Stag and Stagette parties, and there should be lots of weddings coming up this summer!

The artwork, history and culture in Florence was unbeliveable, with so many incredible works on display. The food and people were fantastic, as we had delicious meals and met many nice Italians. Our hotel was very close to the center of the city. We were able to do some laundry, and because we had our own apartment with a kitchen, we cooked some meals on our own at home, and shopped at the wonderful Mercato Centrale. The only annoying part of staying in Florence was the mosquitos! A total suprise to find out that we had them all over our apartment in the evening. It required a special bed time routine each night to get rid of them all before sleeping.

The train from Florence to Genoa was quite special. First we had to transfer in Pisa, and then take the coast all the way up and around to Genoa. We got a few nice views, but much of the journey was through long tunnels. We did get to see some cruise ships and some nice beaches along the way. Once we arrived in Genoa, we got checked into our hotel, and began exploring this ancient and vibrant port city. One of the coolest things in the Harbour was a giant Pirate ship “prop” built for the Roman Polanski movie “Pirates”. Everything on the ship was fake, but it was still able to sail!

Our hotel was very near a tiny little bay outside Genoa, called Boccadasse Bay, or “Donkey’s mouth” as it was translated. It was super cute, and a little less busy with lots of nice patios and spots to sit and enjoy the sun and the breeze. I enjoyed a delicious “suprise” pizza at a restaurant nearby and we came down each night for some Gelato and to see the sunset. The staff at our hotel were wonderful and very helpful with all sorts of tips and advice for our time in Genoa. We also enjoyed taking a city bus east along the coast to explore some more gorgous bays, beaches and tiny villages while we were there. Genoa was a great place for us and we hope to be back on day!

Below is the video for this segment of our trip and it showcases some of the best of our time there, so check it out. For many more pictures of these cities, see the link below the video! We are now off to Villefranche Sur Mel, near Nice, France!

Photos for this post: https://photos.app.goo.gl/6vu6e2ZHdZdu3Zzv5

We just had an amazing week near Dresden, Germany visiting with my family, and exploring all that Saxon Switzerland had to offer! Our week also included a ton of fun activities with Steam: Steam Train ride to Radeburg and a Steam Boat cruise up the Elbe to the Königstein Fortress. We ended our week with a wonderful picnic watching the Steam Paddleboat fleet on parade for May 1st!

Our visit to Dresden was primarily to visit with my Uncle and his family and we really enjoyed all that we were able to do with them. My Uncle toured us around to see Morritzburg, Meissen, Pilna, Radeburg, Radebeul and all around this whole region, including the Czech Republic! He was such a great tour guide! We got to see the Bastei ancient fortress in the mountains, and his old shop and favourite spots for coffee and cake!

We really enjoyed the time we had with family, exploring the region, catching up and connecting after a long time! Our personalized tours were the best, and my Uncle, who knew the whole area so well, told us fascinating bits of history and knowledge with every town. We truly appreciated all this time he spent with us and how much he was able to show us.

Learning about time in the GDR, from my family was very powerful. Because of the split in Germany after World War 2, half my family was back in East Germany and my father’s family emigrated to Canada and there was not a lot of connection for many years. It was really good to spend time, to picnic, to explore and to hear about all the events and things we missed. My Uncle and his family were so gracious and made our stay so very special and unique! We got to see so many special spots away from the tourists and busy spots. Thank you Gerhard, Petra, Eike, Stephan and Linnea!

While we were in Dresden, we also got to explore and see all that the downtown, historic city center had to offer! We especially enjoyed all the restored architecture and modern developments, the parks and the Green Vault, the collection of the most valuable and precious artifacts from the Saxon lords of the last many centuries. It was truly impressive, but no pictures allowed!

A highlight for me was to be able to go for a drive with my Uncle in his fully restored 1938 Mercedes Benz! This has been a project of his for over 6 years and it was an amazing experience to enjoy driving with him around Dresden on a sunny day! Of course this car got so many looks and admirers everywhere we went and I am so impressed with his work and abilities to bring this car back to glory. It was a special treat and a wonderful time!

Overall, our stay in Dresden was amazing! We loved it and would come back any chance we get. It was sad when we had to leave and we wish we had more time to spend with our amazing family there. The whole of Saxon Switzerland was incredible, the history, the Steam trains, Steam Boats and old cars, the food, beer and views all made this week a big highlight for both of us. We will definitel be back on day soon!

Below is our exciting and fun video from this visit, and below that, a link to some indivudual photos and videos. Please enjoy!

Photos from this part of our trip! https://photos.app.goo.gl/iKMazhLxaHAUQEtp8