India 2017

India - October/November 2017


Sunday October 22 - Tuesday, October 24
        We are finally off on our Indian adventure after so many months of planning and talking about it.  Peter picked us up and we were off to the airport.  It was a nice day in Edmonton and Toronto.  Zurich was rain and fog when we first arrived, but as the day progressed, it looked warmer.
        We arrived in Delhi after midnight.  It took us over an hour to walk to and and then to complete customs.  We had to be electronically fingerprinted, and that took a long time.  Once out, we were met by Harjeet who took us to our vehicle and we were off to our hotel - the Holiday Inn Mayur.  The ride was fairly long, at lest 30 minutes, but we drove past the India Gate and the President's Palace as well as Embassy Row.  There was lots of traffic, but it all flowed together with honks to warn of oncoming cars from behind.  The air smelled of coal smoke and smog and the hanging fog was a reminder of the poor air quality here in Delhi.  Twenty-eight million people live here in Delhi.
        We collapsed into bed and awoke for an amazing breakfast buffet before heading back to bed.
        Outside our 9th floor room, we can see a large field.  There have been packs of dogs, herds of cows and people playing cricket all day.  Motorcycles are parked along the road and cars are everywhere!  Tomorrow we will start to explore.

Everything stops for cattle here.

Wednesday, October 25
        This is another relax day before our tour begins tomorrow.
        The temperature for yesterday and today has been in the mid 30's.  There is no predicted rain, but we did see evidence this morning of wet ground.  The smog continues to be a haze over the city.
        The city is very security conscious, so we must go through metal detectors at the hotel, at the metro and our bags are either x-rayed or visually checked at temples, hotel and metro.  At the metro, there were two lines - one for men and one for women.  The men will not touch the women, so there are women security guards for the women's line.  There is also a "women only" car on each metro train and a "women only" waiting area on the platform.  Women may go into any car, but men may not go into the "women only"car and area.
        We walked to New Ashok Naga metro station to go to the Lotus Temple, a Ba'hai faith temple.  Cars and tuktuks were going everywhere, with people walking on the side of the road.  The river we crossed was full of litter.  At one intersection, there was traffic, people and a cow, all trying to go in different directions.  The metro was very easy to navigate.  Once out, we had difficulty finding the temple, so we started walking in a park,  We ended up at the ISKOT Temple before we were able to get directions to the Lotus Temple.
        The Lotus Temple was built in the shape of a lotus flower.  It is surrounded by beautiful gardens.  We were ushered into the sanctuary, after removing our shoes, to meditate and reflect.  The temple welcomes all faiths in unity and harmony.  The sanctuary was very plain, with many chairs for the people.  The top of the ceiling was fashioned into a star.  We were two of only a handful of Caucasian tourists at this temple, so we're the subject of many surreptitious selfies.

The 'Lotus Temple' in Delhi built by the Ba'hai faith.

      We then headed to a different, closer, metro station to return to our hotel.  We had planned to go to Connaught Place (the downtown area), but walking in the heat made us very tired, so we headed back to our hotel to relax.
        We enjoyed the Indian buffet for dinner.

Thursday, October 26
        Today was the first official day of our tour.  We met Suda at 9:15 this morning with our driver.  Our first stop was Jama Masjid.  This Muslim Mosque was built by the emperor Shah Jahan in 1658.  It is one of the largest mosques in India with a seating capacity of more than 25,000.  The bulbous domes and minarets were built of marble while the walls were made from red sandstone.  Marble slabs on the floor were to keep feet from burning as it is cool to the touch.
        We then walked through the market area of Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi.  This area had once been the living area for the wealthy families of Old Delhi, but is now shops and hotels.  We walked narrow alleys where cars could not go.  Some of the doors and building fonts were still from affluent times.  Suda said the house would have had the wall and door out front, opening onto a courtyard with rooms around it.  The second floor would have been for the women and family.  We saw spice stores filled with chills, cumin, tumeric, cinnamon, almonds, dates, raisins, walnuts, peppers, cardamom, and tea.  We saw beetle nut leaves that people chew and spit out like snuff.  We walked down the alley with wedding and party supplies before taking a rickshaw around the Red Fort.  We picked up our driver again and headed to Raj Ghat, the Mahatma Gandhi memorial.  This is the spot where he was cremated after his assignation In 1948.  From there we stopped at a carpet craft factory that is keeping the craft alive.  We saw many beautiful carpets that were made by families in the Kashmir region.
     Our final stop was the Akshardham Temple.  Built in 2005, this Hindu Temple was amazing.  Because it was built to look like traditional temples, every inch of the walls and columns was beautifully carved with animals, flowers, leaves and symbols of the Hindu way of life.  Elephants, important to the Indian people were carved on the base of the temple and then surrounded by ponds, filled with holy water from various sources.  Angkor Wat would have looked like this when it was new.  The difference is that this temple has modern conveniences like gift shops, restaurants and toilets.
     Driving here is interesting.  Lines to indicate lanes are looked upon as guidelines, and it was not uncommon to have 6 lanes of vehicles on a 3 lane road.  Most of them were going the same direction, too.  The trick to to keep easing ahead until you block someone and they have to give way.  Of course, honking the horn is important in case they don't know you are there.  One of our guides on the trip gave us some words of wisdom for driving in India:  You need Good brakes, a Good horn and Good luck!

Friday, October 27
     We headed out at 9 am to try and beat the traffic, however we were not successful.  It took us a while to arrive at our first stop, Qutub Minar.  As usual,  at some points there were 6 lanes of cars on the 3 lane road - all within inches of each other.  Add to this were tuktuks  (motorized rickshaws), motorcycles, buses, bicycles, people walking on the road, cows and dogs.  All gave way when needed and we got to our destination.
     Qutub Minar is a tower or minaret, built to commemorate the first Muslim rule in India in the 10th century.  The tower has five levels, each a little different in shape and decoration, with bands of writings from the Koran at periodic levels.  It is surrounded by a garden and mosque.  The mosque was a large open square with the screen that indicates the direction to Mecca, as did Jama Masjid yesterday, however, this mosque is so old it is not longer in use.  It was built of red sandstone.  In the center of the garden is a 4th century iron column.
     Our next stop was the government buildings.  Built in British times, the current Presidential Palace was once the home of the British Viceroy.  The last was Lord Mountbatten.  Around it are, wide, straight roads that resemble the Pall Mall in London.  The road is flanked by identical buildings on either side of the road, used now to house government offices.  There are several columns to commemorate the other British colonies (Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc.). This main road (called Ragpath Avenue), leads to the India Gate.  The gate looks like the Arc de Triumph in Paris, and was built to honour the British and Indian soldiers killed in WWI.  On January 26, India Day, parades and parties are held to celebrate Indian independence.  Today, the gate also houses the tomb to the unknown Soldier and the Eternal Flame.
    We moved on to Humayan's Tomb, a forerunner of the Taj Mahal and a love tomb.  This tomb was built by Humayan's wife to honour his memory as the 2nd mogul emperor.  It was started in 1562 and completed in 1565.  The tomb building is set in the centre of a geometrically arranged garden, divided by paths and streams of water.  Pools of water in either a square or octagon shape were strategically places to finish the symmetry.  The four parts of the garden are said to resemble paradise.
     Both Qutub Minar and Humayan's Tomb are world heritage sites.

Saturday, October 28
        We had an early start because of our 11:15 flight to Udaipur.  Flying in, we saw fields of wheat and hills.  Udaipur grows a lot of wheat, plus it mines marble and zinc.  There are two lakes here that were created by damming the river in the 15th century.
        The traffic was crazy because school had just been let out, tour buses were arriving, and people were out purchasing the supplies needed for their dinner, and all were vying for that quick route through the narrow streets.  Udaipur is a city of about 500,000 people.  After an aborted attempt at the shortcut to our hotel, we took the circuitous route and finally arrived at Fateh Niwas on the opposite side of the lake to the City Palace.  The hotel was once a colonial mansion and is now a property that celebrates the that period.  Kerry just could not keep his eyes off of a restored 1927 MGB that sat in a prominent place in the lobby. 

Drool, drool .....

There were beautiful carvings, both wooden and marble, on tables, and a lovely old world charm in the air.
        We didn't stop to admire the room, dropping off our luggage and then heading out to drive around Pochola Lake, on our way to meet our guide and take a boat ride on the lake.
        Deepak was or guide, and what a character he was.  Full of knowledge and language skills, he knew all of the tour guide tricks, and loved to talk politics and philosophy, so we really enjoyed our time with him.
        The boat ride was a one hour tour of the lake-side view of the City palace and the Lake Palace, before making a stop at Jag Mandir, the other Palace in the water.  The Royal Barge was in the water, so we got to enjoy watching her  float in state.  Some of the James Bond movie, "Octopussy" was filmed on this lake in and around the three palaces.

The scale of this palace is just decadent.

This a hotel today out on one of the islands in the lake.

        We ate dinner on the rooftop of our hotel.  The night was warm with no wind, and all of the other users had been delayed in transit, so we were the only ones there to enjoy the view of the City Palace across the lake, the Monsoon Palace in the hills, and the lights of the city.  It was Saturday night during wedding season, so we also enjoyed loud music and two sets of fireworks, set off to celebrate the nuptials.  While all of this was going on in the Hindu section of the city, we could also hear the call to worship in the neighbourhood mosque.

Sunday, October 29, 2017
        It was a busy day of touring today.  What was supposed to be a half day, ended up being a full day because Deepak was having so much fun with us.  We started at the City Palace Museum and saw how the Maharajas lived for many centuries.  There were the gardens and the courtyards.  The coloured glass from Italy, and the tiles from Holland and England adorned the walls of many rooms.  Beautiful glass from Murano was showcased in Windows where the light shown through to give colour.  We saw the coronation garden and the wall where the elephants would compete in games of tug-of-war as entertainment for the nobles.  The second floor contained the family area where the Maharaja and his Maharina and consorts lived.  You can always tell that area because the windows are covered with beautifully carved screen that allowed the ladies to look out, but the "lustful eyes of men" could not see them.  The Maharina's room had a steam-powered fan to cool her off on picnics and in the summer.  We also enjoyed a miniature art gallery that displayed the best of what Udaipur is famous for - pictures that depict amazing detail of stories, painted with the hairs from squirrel tales, and displaying individual hairs on beasts and beards.  The shading was amazing as was the colour and use of gold as a paint.  We finished off with the sculpture gallery and the silver gallery to admire the silver palanquins and cradles.
        At one point, we saw a line of Indian tourists, the men grouped together at one end of the line and the women at the other end.  They were resting against a wall.  Kerry got a quick picture, but the lighting was poor.  We moved to a better spot, but a security guard moved them along before we got the shot of the trip.  Oh well, next time.
        We walked from the Palace down to Jagdish Temple, a Hindu temple where the priests and the people were in the middle of the second service of the day.  Women were sitting in the centre courtyard, singing and dancing while the priests attended to the gods.  After we left the inner sanctum, we walked the outside courtyard, in a clockwise direction in order to bring our thoughts back down to earth and everyday life.  To do this we enjoyed the carvings of elephants, soldiers, flowers and trees.  We ended our visit to the Temple by admiring the intersection in front of the Temple where there was a big chase sequence in the Bond movie.
        On our way to lunch, we circled a statue of the horse made famous in a battle where he was disguised as an elephant in order to get close to the opposing maharajah.  The soldier on the horse injured the elephant and was able to slay the attacking Raj, and so saved the city from defeat.  The soldiers of Udaipur never gave up their city to attack.
        There is something about eating lunch in a garden, under a tent roof that is very civilized.
        We next toured Sahelion-ki-Bari or the Women's Garden.  Originally set up to house 28 young maidens who were given to the Raj as part of a dowrie, in 1734, it was made officially into a women-only garden until the late "80s when a flood made it imperative to open the garden for repair.  That was the first time any man had seen the garden.  Now, it is a lovely garden with a summer side and a winter side, plus a courtyard with a pool where the women used to bathe.
        Our next stop was a women's coop where they sold textile products.  Dame Judy Dench and the other stars of "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel" had stopped in for photos and support during the filming of that movie in Udaipur.
        We finished the day at the vegetable market. 

This market is just so colourful!

What a colourful, noisy, bust, happy place.  We saw life as it is lived every day by the locals in that market as we wandered.  The village people gathered together after their shopping, waiting for their return ride in the back truck bed.  The trucks were jammed to the top with people and stuff.  They all had smiles and were so happy.  We saw women purchasing the spices and the sugar cane juice and the vegetables.  We saw women making baskets for sale.  We saw vegetables we had never seen before.  This market was the highlight of the day.

Monday, October 30
        Today is a traveling day.  We are headed to Jodhpur with a stop at the Jain Temple in Rankapur.
        Along the way, we stopped to admire the bats sleeping in the trees.  There were also several water wheels in use.

Irrigation.

  The energy used to operate the wheel is supplied by a team of bullocks and their driver.  They are attached to a spoke and walk in circles to turn the shaft that turns the wheel.  The wheel was a belt with paint cans attached.  The cans dipped into the pool of water and then rose to dump the water into a trough at the upper end.  This water was used to irrigate the fields behind it.
        The route we were taking was very scenic.  The road followed the contours of a deep valley between the mountains.  The vegetation was full of animal life - monkeys and parakeets were in abundance.  We stopped to enjoy a fruit break from the market yesterday, and were quickly joined by families of monkeys.

Black faced monkeys are found in the countryside, while red faced monkeys are found in the cities.

  We were luckily done when it got too busy as the big boys were starting to move in.  We continued on and saw camels hauling grass for the villagers to use to feed their cattle.  When the farmers did not have camels, they hauled the grass on their heads.  The interesting thing is that the farmers were all members of the family - men and women.  The women were dressed in their "work sarees" and looked very colourful as they toiled.
        The Rankapur Jain Temple is the pilgrimage temple for Jain devotees.  An offshoot of Hinduism, they are very earth-bound, and walk everywhere, not believing in using modern transportation.  They are also strict vegans.  Their priests are either dressed all in white or naked.  The priests we saw were clothed.  The temple is gorgeous.  It has 29 halls and 20 domes.  The roves are supported by 200 columns, all uniquely carved and aligned - with the exception of one.  It is slightly askew to symbolize man's imperfection.  This temple was built in the 15th century.

This Jain Temple was amazing!

        Our driver explained symbols of marriage to us as we drove the last stretch to Jodhpur.  In Dehi and and other cities, the married women wore a red streak in the centre part of their hair to show marriage.  In the villages we drove through, married women wore bangles - always a pair, one on each arm.  Unmarried women did not wear bangles.  Our Jodhpur guide explained that married women also wore a toe ring.  They believed that the toe is connected to the heart through the womb, so the ring gathered the energy to allow for healthy births and menstrual cycles.
        We finally arrived at our hotel, the Harem part of a palace, about 6 pm.  To make good use of the market time, we threw our luggage in the room and headed out to walk the market before it closed at 8 pm.
        The Sadar market is located in Old Jodhpur.  Narrow streets and jostling of cars, motorcycles and people made it a lively place.  You buy everything from soup to nuts and wedding supplies as well.  The entrance to the market has a beautiful clock tower that was purchased in London.  Dubbed "Little Ben", it was made by the same company as "Big Ben" and looked very similar.
        Dinner was in the restaurant in the courtyard of the hotel.  We enjoyed music form a group of men playing instruments and dancing as we ate.  What a great day.

Tuesday, October 31
        Our first stop of the day was at Mehrangarh Fort, the only fort that is still owned by the local Royal family.  The other forts were handed over to the government of India at the time of independence.  The fort is on the top of the hill, and looks like it grew from the granite.  Inside, we saw brightly decorated rooms, elephant carriers, cradles, swords and daggers and paintings.  From the back wall of the Fort, we looked down to see the blue-painted homes in the old part of the city.  These buildings were painted this colour to celebrate the god, Brahama, and are the reason Jodhpur is called the "Blue City".

Jodhpur, the blue city.

        We then toured Jaswant Thada, another love tomb built by the wife to memorialize the Raj in 1899.  The marble used is the same as the same marble used at the Taj Mahal.
        Our afternoon was spent in a jeep, driving the trails in the countryside looking for peacocks, blue bull antelope (the largest antelope in India.  They have a similar shape to horses).  We also saw Chikka (the smallest antelope) and grey pheasants.  After seeing the animal life, we headed to 3 small communes.  The first was a master potter who demonstrated his skill on a manually-turned potter's wheel.  The second was a guru who demonstrated how men made and drank optimized tea in days gone by.  The third was a master weaver who made rugs on floor looms.  All three lived in traditional Mud huts with thatched roofs and dung-hardened floors.

Wednesday, November 1
        We drove the four hours to Pushkar this morning, arriving at our tent hotel about noon.  The drive was uneventful until we had an altercation with a panicked cow on the highway.  Our vehicle was damaged, and the cow was all right.
        The tent hotel was interesting.  Very portable, it is used only at festival time in Pushkar when the population swells.  We were greeted with marigold garlands and a red forehead blessing.  We were assigned number 55, a tent near the fire ring and the dining tent.  The room was amazing.  Equipped with a king-seized bed and sitting area, with an air conditioner to keep it cool during the day when the Seders gets really hot.  We also had our own attached tent bathroom with toilet, sink and shower.
        We met our guide after a vegetarian lunch, and headed to the Fair.  We walked the streets of the bazaar and headed down to the holy lake to sit on the stairs of the ghat.  There are evening ceremonies every day here, as this is a holy city for the Brahmans.  We then headed back to the festival arena to pick up our camel and cart to tour the grounds and see the horse market, the camel market and so on.  Many nomads had set up camps on the outskirts of the area so we got to see those, as well.  We waited for the sunset on Sunset hill before returning to our hotel.
        We were entertained by a magician and a family of dancers before our vegetarian dinner and bed.

Thursday, November 2
        This was a much-needed rest day for us.

Friday, November 3
        We drove to Mandawa - a small town on the way to Jaihpur.  We checked in to our hotel - the old Mandawa Castle.  The integrity of this heritage building has been maintained in its renovation, so we really enjoyed wandering the grounds before we went it with our guide to explore some of the 55 haveli.  Haveli are houses that the rich had decorated with frescoes of stories, animals, flowers and gods.  The houses are now mostly empty, but plans are being made to restore some of them to revitalize the town and bring in more tourists.

Our hotel in Mandawa was amazing as it was an old fort on top of the hill.

Saturday, November 4
        Today was a driving day to Jaipur.

Sunday, November 5
        We started the day early by meeting our guide, Jittendra, at 8 am.  Our first stop was Hawa Mahal or the Wind Palace.

Wind Palace .... too cool.

  It is closed to visitors because it is being renovated, but we got to enjoy the outside facade. The building, built by Maharajah Pratap Singh, was designed to look like Lord Krishna's crown.  It looks like honeycomb because of the thousands of tiny windows.  The windows are covered in lattice work that allows the breeze to flow through and keep the palace cool.  Behind us was a snake charmer who played to the camera.

We learned the snake has had it's fangs removed.

        We then drove through Old Jaipur, where all of the buildings are painted oink and is listed as a world heritage site.  Our destination is the Amer (Amber) Fort.

Amber Fort

        The Amber Fort is a magnificent Palace and Fort on the top of the hills.  It is surrounded by big, thick walls and guarded by the Jargarth Fort which sits beside the Amber Fort and is connected by a secret tunnel.  Built by the Maharajah Sawai Man Singh, it depicts artistic Hindu architecture with its large entrances and cobbled pathways.  It is four stories high, and is built from red sand stone and marble.  Elephants have been carved at the tops of most of the columns, with each courtyard being uniquely decorated.  One courtyard has a garden with fountains designed to cool the area.  (Original air conditioning).  We rode an elephant up to the Fort entrance.  Her name was Goda, and she was a circus elephant that was put out to pasture before being retrained to carry passengers.  She said hello to us with her trunk and spoke a welcome.  To cool herself as she walked, she would take a big drink before the walk and spray herself and us periodically.  She was constantly waving her ears to help fan her body.  We sat on top in a carrier and rolled as she walked carefully, one foot at a time.  Her driver sat on her shoulders.

This was not the most comfortable ride we had ever been on.

        The Summer Palace, or Jal Mahal is located in the middle of Man Sagar Lake.
        Our next stop was Jantar Mantar.  This world heritage site is a place of science -astronomy specifically.  Built by Maharajah Jai Singh in 1727-1734, it is one of several observatories, but is the last to by built, so is the most accurate.  Singh was an educated man and loved astronomy, so he gathered together many experts in the world, at the time, to build him sun dials and sky maps to track latitude, longitude, position of the sun in all seasons, etc.  The dials were accurate to the minute!!
        Our final stop of the day was the City Palace.  This Palace is also the residence of the current Rajah.  This palace became the official residence of the Royal family after they moved from the Amber Fort during British rule.    Rajas, today, have the luxury of part of the palace, but none of the power.  It had the usual array of courtyards, buildings, temples and gardens.  It also houses the City Palace Museum where we saw Raja and Rini ceremonial clothing, polo equipment, billiards  and chess boards.  These sports and games were invented in India, and tweaked by the British to make then what we have today.  We also saw two gigantic silver urns, built to hold Ganges water for the Raja's trip to England.  The urns are listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the larger silver objects.

Amazing architecture, this is not paint, but stone colours.

        We drove by Albert Hall on the way back to the hotel.  This museum houses pictures and sculpture.  It is named for Prince Albert, Victoria's son.

Monday, November 6
        We were on the road by 8 am to get to Ranthambour and the National Park to visit tigers.  Our first safari was in the afternoon.  The hotel, The Tigress, was situated outside town, and was a gorgeous complex.  We were forced to take an upgrade to a royal suite, so enjoyed a hotel room the size of a one-bedroom apartment, with 3 gardens.
        The jeep and guide arrived to pick us up about 2 pm.  We collected two other couples, and headed to zone 2.  We did not see a tiger, but we saw a sloth bear, 3 black-footed mongoose, money's, blue-bull antelope, samba antelope and spotted deer.  We also saw kingfishers, parakeets, peacocks, pond herons, cormorants, and 2 sets of owls sleeping in tree knots, plus crocodiles sunning in the water and on the banks of the water holes.

We thought these two were just playing, but it got rather serious.

Can you find the owls?

        The evening dinner was on the rooftop of the hotel with music and dancing from a troop who also had dancing puppets.

Tuesday, November 7
        Our second safari started very early - at the park by 7 am.  No tigers, again, but we saw the usual from yesterday.  We were more in the trees this time.  Our jeep-mates were 2 couples from England.

Driving around in the open jeep was fun!

        Our final safari was in the late afternoon.  We picked up one of the same couples from the morning, so really got to know them better.  Again, no tigers up close, but we did see a tiger on a cliff a ways away in the final minutes of the park.  We weren't the only ones to be robbed of a close view, judging by the reaction of the people in the vehicles who also saw the same tiger.  Those tigers are very good at the hide-and-seek game!
        So no tigers, but our sightings of 2 sloth bears and 6 black-footed mongoose was very rare.  Oh well - another reason to return to India.

Wednesday, November 8
        We are headed to Agra today.  On the road, we had been seeing children, dressed in brown uniforms, heading to government schools.  Our driver stopped at a school by the road and took us in.  We were welcomed by the teachers and students and enjoyed the tour.  The school is very poor, but supplies teachers, textbooks, notebooks, pencils, uniforms and lunch for every student, paid for by the government.  For some of these children, that lunch is the most substantial meal they will get that day.  Each classroom had no desks - the students sat on mats on the floor with their school bag as the desk top for their notebooks. They were so excited to show how much they had learned, and the teachers were equally pleased.  After, we spent a pleasant 30 minutes enjoying tea and conversation with the science teacher about teacher education, mutual education issues, hopes and dreams.
        We arrived mid-afternoon, picked up our guide, and toured Fatehpur Sikai - a world heritage site Fort built in the 16th century, built by Akbar, the third mogul King.  He inherited the crown after his father, Humayan, fell down a set of stairs in Delhi and died.
        Akbar built this Fort after making a trip here to see a holy man about blessing him and one of his 3 wives with a male child.  Shortly after the trip, his Hindu wife bore a son, so Akbar moved to this village and built the palace.  It was early in the mogul reign, so the design is quite plain, but the  Muslim wife's apartment was richly carved, but small.  His Christian wife's apartment had frescoes of Christ, but was very small.  HIs Hindu wife's apartment was gigantic - a full courtyard and apartments.  Akbar liked to play games with his concubines, so he had a human-sized parcheesi board built in his courtyard and the girls were the pawns.  He also played Hide-and-seek with them.  During his spare time, he meditated about religion with scholars of the time and took what liked of each religion to make his own with him as its supremes br=Ewing.  The religion, surprisingly, did not last after his death.

Thursday, November 9
        Because of the heavy pollution and smog, we were not up at dawn, but went mid morning to the Taj Mahal.  We walked up to the gate and got our first glimpse of the dome of the monument.  Mid gate, you see the dome and the minarets.  At the end of the gate, the view opens up to the full mausoleum and the garden.  The Taj does not disappoint.

Simply an amazing experience!

  It is of such a grand scale and is set with such accurate symmetry, that you are immediately impressed and awestruck.  Built by Shah Jahan, it houses the body of his beloved second wife, Mumtaz Mahal.  She died in childbirth after 19 years of marriage and several children.  Work started in 1631, and took 20,000 craftsmen, working 24/7, twenty-two years to complete it.  It is made from white marble brought from Jaipur, but cut and inlaid with semi-precious stones in Agra.  The tomb is decorated inside and out with beautiful carvings of flowers and vines.  There are also many inlaid flowers and vines done with lapis, mother of pearl and carcoscesae (an orange, opaque stone).  The mother of pearl twinkles in the light and looks like stars.  The Coffin of Mumtaz is in the exact centre of the dome and the garden.  Her husband, Shah Jahan, was later buried beside her, and is the only thing that is not symmetrical on the site.
        We then drove across the river to Agra Fort and the place where Shah Jahan spent the last 7 years of his life as a prisoner of his third son, an ambitious man who took the crown any murdering his 2 older brothers and imprisoning his father.  Built by Shah Jahan in 1565-1573, it has a moat that would have been filled with water, crocodiles and poisonous snakes.  If marauders made it passed that, there was the defensible entrance with high walls where arrows and boiling oil could be rained down.  Once inside, there were three small palaces for Jahan and his two daughters.  It was in one of those Palaces where Jahan spent his final days, gazing across at the Taj.  There is also a small mosque, called Moti Mahal inside the Fort.
        We drove back to Delhi in the afternoon, and were surprised how the air quality had deteriorated even more while we were away.  Schools were closed for at east a week, and the government was trying to mandate an even/odd driving schedule that many ignored.  Plus, the farmers in the are were burning stubble and the air was still because it was winter.

Friday, November 10
        We said our final goodbye to our driver of 2 weeks.  He was such a nice man.  We battled traffic and made it to the airport with lots of time to spare to catch our flight to Varanasi.
        Our guide met us and took us down to the Ganga (Ganges River) for the evening ceremony of celebration of Shiva and the sun.

  The ceremony takes place at Ganga Ghat and is called Ganga Aarti.
        Offered every day of the year, the seven priests give thanks to first Shiva, then the Ganga for life and all of its important elements - air, fire, earth, water and spirit. The priests acknowledged each of the elements by waiving fans (air), dipping their hands in water, waving lanterns and lamps (fire), sprinkling marigold petals (earth) and waiving incense (spirit) in total unison.  Bells rang and people chanted and sang during the complete ceremony.  It was a real party atmosphere.  On the river, some people experience the river on boats, and sent out wishes to the gods in the form of paper bowls that housed flower petals and candles lit onto the river.  Thousands of people were there to witness the end of the day.  Many of them were pilgrims who have traveled from all parts of India to purify themselves.

Saturday, November 11
        We met our guide and driver at 5:30 am to go back to the river for the start of the day.  This is an auspicious time for Hindus and so we witnessed many bathing or swimming in the river to purify their spirit.

Bathing in the Ganges.

  We were in a small boat, and were rowed up the river to see the Ghats and the rituals going on.  We could also see the various palaces that had been built over the centuries by the rich so they had their spot on the Ganga. We then turned and headed down river to the cremation area and witness three cremations at various stages, plus a body waiting.

Hindus believe that the soul can not be released until the body is burned.

        Once off the boat, we walked the streets to get out of the old city area, through wood sellers for the cremations, temples, stores, etc.  The city was starting to wake up and get on with the business of the day.  We stopped for masala tea and looked at the gold dome of the monkey temple before returning to the hotel for lunch and a rest.
        The final tour was to Sarnath and the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon to his 5 disciples.  We first toured the current Buddhist temple and saw the group of Japanese people who are staying oat our hotel.  They were taking part in religious teachings under the trees, just as Buddha would have done it.  We then went over to the ancient site where the ruins are located.  In the ruins is part of a large column that held a topper and wheel.  The topper is in the museum beside the ruins, and is dedicated to Buddha.  This topper is now the symbol of India and was chosen because it is so old and represents the long history of the country.  A picture of the topper is on the Indian money (rupee).  There was also a statue of Buddha from the first century.  Great treasures.

Sunday, November 12
        Today we fly home.  Our first flight is to Delhi, then a long wait until we board at 2 am for Zurich and then Toronto and home - another 36 hour travel time.  It has been an amazing trip - we will definitely  return.

United Kingdom 2017

United Kingdom - June/July 2017

Wednesday/Thursday
31 May and 1 June 2017
Out flight on Iceland Air left at 6 pm.  We arrived Keflavik about 6 am and had a quick turn around before our flight to Manchester.  After arriving there, we were able to easily get a train ticket to Liverpool and a mediocre bacon bap before the 1 hour train ride to Limestreet station.  There, we took a taxi to the marina.  Ed met us there and took us to the boat.  After depositing our luggage and a quick chat, we headed to the Albert Dock and The Pumphouse for supper. 

The 'Pump House' pub in the center!

We returned and hit the sack.  It was a long two days.


Friday
2 June 2017
The weather is sunny, but windy.  The waves are quite high in the Irish Sea, so we are still in Liverpool. 

The ferry crosses back on forth across the Mersey.  It is painted like this as apparently in makes it harder to bomb for the German pilots during the blitz in WWII.

Today we got our major shopping complete - trains at the Mattel Store, beads at Pandora, soccer jerseys at the Liverpool FC store.  We also did some damage at Tesco before heading to the boat for a drink and supper.

Saturday
3 June 2017
The weather has not changed, so we are touring the city.  We ventured up to the Liverpool Cathedral and went up the elevator and steps to the top of the tower to see the city.  On the way, you get to see the big bells.  They are the heaviest ring in the country.  The biggest bell is Big George, weighing in at 15 tons.  It is only rung at Christmas, Easter and special occasions.  We then stopped on the third floor to see the embroidery exhibit of altar clothes and priestly drapery.  Beautiful!  We stopped at the Philarmonic Pub for a sharers plate and a drink.  We then toured the Catholic Church, dubbed "Paddy's Wigwam" and enjoyed the floral exhibit.  On down to the waterfront for a pint at the Pumphouse before heading back to the boat.

Sunday
4 June 20117
Ed was up early  to ring at a church.  We all headed to the Cathedral for Evensong and bell ringing in the afternoon.  Ed rang for 90 minutes, but there was no Evensong.  So down the hill we went to get a picture of the Beatles statue

Liverpool's favourite sons .... The Beatles"!

and to see the Pilot's house museum, a house set up as it was in WWII when the three other houses beside it were bombed. We then did the Customs exhibit, the Emmigrants exhibit and the Pilots' exhibit in the Maritime Museum be fore heading back to the boat.

Monday
5 June 2017
The weather has really socked in - heavy rain and Gail-force winds.  The boys did a couple of odd jobs while Pat cross-stitched.  There is to be no change for many days so we are planning a trip to London via car rental.  We will also fit in a visit with Nick and Chris who will be on their narrow boat in Lincoln on Friday.  Back Saturday.  If this continues, we may also fly to Dublin for a few days.

Tuesday
6 June 2017
Still lots of rain and gale-force winds so we are again on the boat.  Three more odd jobs were completed by the boys and Pat stitched.  The butterfly is coming along.  By afternoon the rain had let up but the wind continues.  Off to London tomorrow.

Wednesday
7 June 2017
 Ed was up early and out to pick up the rental car.  Then we were off to London via Milton Keys for a leg stretch. We arrived in about 6 pm and had a supper at the local Wetherspoons before arriving at our 'air bnb' for the night. The host couple are really cute. He is a curious East Indian and she is an Iranian. She works at the children's hospital in London.

Thursday
8 June 2017
It is cloudy and breezy but reasonably warm. We took the metro in to Kensington South and walked the couple of blocks to Royal Albert Hall for our 11 am tour.

The Royal Albert Hall build by Queen Victoria for her husband Prince Albert.

What a beautiful building. In the round, we started on the concourse and saw the pics of performers like David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and the Beatles. The stage was set up for a performance  by Phil tonight.  We viewed the main stage area from the box next to the Royal box. Really nondescript looking. We then stepped across the hall to the Royal reception room that has pics of the royalty and spouse since Queen Victoria and Albert. Off the to the Royal entry hall before taking the main stairs to the top where there is standing room only tickets for performances. From here we could see the parasol baffles and the organ pipes - all 9999 of them. The dome is covered over for sound and light.

It was then over to the V&A museum, a block away, to see all of the stuff. We started with an overview your of the Chinese and Japanese galleries and then over to jewelry and pictures by Constable. We then wandered the statue gallery and the furniture gallery along with Victorian daily life. We enjoyed lunch in the museum cafe a novelty when the museum was built. By now it is getting late so we made a quick stop in the museum of math and science next door to see the ship pictures and the airplanes, as well as the clock exhibit.  Then it was a reverse trip back on the metro, super at Wetherspoons again, and back to our room to see the results of the national election after the polls closed at 10 am.  We didn't bother to wait up, so found out the next morning that the Conservatives had won with a minority govt.

Friday
9 June 2017
We are now on our way to Lincoln or close by to see Nick and Chris Seager in their narrow boat.  On route, we stopped at Bletchley Park to see the Decoding Museum that was made famous by the movie "The Imitation Game".  Here, brilliant men and 1 woman tried to and broke the German Enigma code and helped to shorten and win WWII.  What a fabulous place! 

Bletchly Park

German Enigma machine

Then it was off to Torksey Lock where the Seagers were moored.  It was great to see them again.  We had a great catch-up before heading to the White Swan pub for dinner and then back to their boat to spend the night.

Saturday
10 June 2017
Rain and wind are the order of the day.   We headed back to Liverpool and the Seagers went on to Lincoln.  Our route took us through the Peak District and over the Pennines and Moors, always great to see.  Back to the boat and a lazy afternoon.

Sunday
11 June 2017
The boys completed a few jobs while I stitched the butterfly picture for Keira.

Monday
12 June 201
The wind is finally settling down.  With a bit of sun, we headed into town to get a few groceries and see the slavery museum and maritime museum (Lusitania, merchant marines).  Back for supper and sleep.

Tuesday
13 June 2017
Today we are off, but cannot leave until around 2 pm because of the tides.  We are heading north to Fleetwood, then on to White Haven and across to the Isle of Man and Ireland before heading  to Islay.  That is the plan.

It is now 9:30 pm and we have just moored up to a buoy in the channel outside of the marina at Fleetwood.  It is low tide, so there is a lot of sand around with boats in the mud.  The rise of the beach is very steep.  In the distance we can see little cottages that are painted bright colours.  This looks like an interesting village, but we are in the water so no exploring.

Sunset as we were moored to a buoy just outside the harbour at Fleetwood.

The trip here was interesting.  We went through the lock at exactly high tide.  Once out on the Mersey River, we joined a couple of large tanker ships.  As we headed to the Irish Sea, another couple of large sea-can ships were turned around by tugs and followed us out.  They were huge Goliath's to our David.  They were really moving, so quickly passed us as we hugged the line of buoys.  They ships all headed to the left and the Atlantic while we turned right and the northern coast of England.  The waves were fairly low (half metre swell) but soon rose to at least a metre high.  Once we turned to head towards land, the wind was behind us so the rolling was front to back rather than the side to side of the main leg of the journey.  We now head to Whitehaven  before the weather socks in again for a couple of days.  Hopefully the stay is not as long as the stay in Liverpool.

Wednesday
14 June 2017
The boys were up early so that we could leave Fleetwood as the tide headed out.  The water was twice as deep as when we arrived the night before (2m deep instead of 1m).  The trip to Whitehaven was uneventful.  The waves were low so the trip was not full of rocking and rolling.  We did see one seal and three Dolphins.  The cliffs near Whitehaven are high.   

Whitehaven harbour entrance.

This was once the third busiest port in the country, but is now a small Marina. 

Whitehaven marina.

The coal, tobacco and sugar that once went through this port are now gone as it is too shallow for big ships.  John Paul Jones and his crew did try to attack the port in 1778 on behalf of the US Revolutionary government, but were foiled by the rain, a fuse that wouldn't light, and the pub.  His men went to get new fire at the pub and forgot to come back for the battle.  This city is the coastal jumping off point for the Lake District.  All of this information was given to us by two delightful old men as they sat on their bench at the marina street exit.  One was a non-stop talker and the other interjected comments that were mumbled.

The marina area is divided into the old quay and the new quay.  The marina is in the old part.  Once we were moored, we walked the cliffs to see the remnants of the coal industry and a bit of the original downtown.  It is supposed to start raining in the night, so we will probably be here for a couple of days.

Thursday
15 June 2017
We are weathered in at the moment. It is warm and sunny in Whitehaven, but the seas are quite rough.  We can see large whitecaps.

So we wandered the town and toured the excellent Beacon Museum which gave a good overview of the history of the area, with stations to interact with on the 3rd floor, and an excellent understanding of how nuclear power plants work and how the one in this area is being decommissioned on the 2nd floor.  The top floor had some miners specimens and an etching, we met the education curator and he explained the area to us.  We then wandered through the big church that burned down in the 50s.  The grounds have been turned in to a little green space for the locals.  Rain began about 6 pm, so we tucked in for the night and watched a tv show about the seven great British inventions.  People were asked to phone in and vote on the greatest from tv, steam engine, jet engine, concrete, fridge, antibiotics, and the smartphone.  Antibiotics were the final winner.  Great fun.

Friday
16 June 2017
The boys did some work on the boat and I stitched because it wasn't very nice out.

Saturday
17 June 2017
The seas were supposed to be calmer today, so we headed out for about an hour.  Unfortunately, the seas were not as predicted, so we headed back to the Whitehaven Marina and our same berth.  Kerry and I did a bit of shopping and then the three of us toured the Rum Story, an old Jefferson's Rum warehouse, now made into a museum about the history of rum and its trading.  It included how rum is made, the slave trade for workers on the plantations, the navy and its rum tot and prohibition in the US.

Sunday
18 June 2017
Happy Father's Day!  The seas are calmer, and the sky is bright blue, so we are off to Peel on the Isle of Mann.  It was a bit rough at the start, but soon calmed right down.  The north end of the Isle of Mann is quite flat and sandy.  The cliffs build up and the farms look lush as we headed south on the west side of the island.  Peel was interesting.  There were at least 10 boats waiting to get out of the harbour, and at least that many, if not more, waiting to get in at the tidal hour of 5:30 when the harbour was to open.  The outward traffic was dispersed first, and then it was a mad rush as the sailboats all wanted to get in quickly.  The harbour master had everyone go in in the order they had called in, so order was restored.  In the marina, however, it was poorly numbered, so a sailboat took our spot and we headed to the other side.  After discovering the mistake, they moved and then we had to move back to number 13.  Once in, all was well.

Peel Marina.

Peel Marina from inside the castle.

Monday
19 June 2017
It is a bright, sunny day, so we are off to explore Peel.  The town is situated in a small valley that extends up from the harbour.  We start there and walk up the hill, past a few shops to the old St George church and on to the St George Cathedral, built in the 1990s.  They did take the windows, etc out of the old church and relocate them to the new one.  Very reminiscent of the Welsh church we visited two years ago, but much more light.  They have a display cabinet full of communion sets from the ages.  The oldest dates back to the time of Charles II.  Then is one from each of the George's time, plus a few private home sets.  We headed down to the beach, which has lovely sand and is quite wide.  There we found a small place selling Isle of Man ice cream.  Delicious.  The owner is a talker, comedian and magician, so he entertained us with tales of the town, magic tricks and jokes.  He claims that the BeeGees were originally from Peel and then moved to Manchester before heading to Australia.   Robin Gibb apparently owned a house here until he died and his widow sold it all.

We then headed over to the Peel Castle on St Patrick Island, which is now connected to the harbour by a short causeway and also houses the breakwater.  The castle is very old and has many parts from the 13th and 14th century.  It was renovated during the English Civil war to modernize it (a quote from the castle literature).   

A view of Peel Castle.

You can walk around the outside of the castle and maybe see a basking shark in the shallows, scooping up small fish and krill. It is a local that can grow to the length of a bus, but is harmless.  We did not see any, but we did play on Fennine Beach and find several small tide pools and lots of Queen Scallop shells.

Scallop shells on Fennine Beach.

Yet more Scallop shells on Fennine Beach.

Onward to a pub which sold Isle of Man brewed beer and fresh crab baps.  Then we headed over to the Manannan Museum and wandered the gift shop for a picture.  We wandered down to Moore's Kipper Museum and Store, but the museum was not open.  Sure smelled like smoked kippers, though.

About 6 pm, we looked out to the breakwater, and a tall ship was sailing in under full sail.  It did a big turn and brought down the sails before it announced that it has arrived with a cannon shot.  We headed over after supper to admire it.  It is Russian and is a replica of a 1703 ship that was Peter the Great's private yacht. Very pretty.

A replica of Peter the Great's toy yatch!

Tuesday
20 June 2017
It is sunny, butt we are on the move again because it is supposed to rain tomorrow.  We are headed to Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland, and are traveling across the Irish Sea.  It is quite choppy.  The way is dull until we get to the inlet that leads to Belfast Harbour. 

Kinda looks like St. John's, Newfoundland?

Carrickfergus Marina is on the edge of that inlet and fairly close to Belfast.  We plan to tour the area for a couple of days while we are weathered in.

Wednesday
21 June 2017
 Today is warm and cloudy.  We are exploring Carrickfergus.  This is an old town where a castle was built by the Normans in 1177.  It had an small keep and wall area, but was enlarged and refurbished several times.  It was used as a fortification until after WWII and as a prison until the Crumlin Road Jail was built.  Because of its active duty, the castle is still in excellent shape and so the tour from Jackie was interesting and informative.  We also walked by the town wall and through one of the gates.

Carrickfergus Castle enterance.

Defending the castle in Norman times.

Slightly more modern armament.

Thursday

22 June 2017
This is Belfast day.  We took the 10 am train in to the city and then did the city sightseeing bus (red hop on bus) to see the sights and hear the history.  We started at Great Victoria treat and moved on to Dublin Road and the 5 Points Bar and Laverty's Bar.  We drove passed Queen's University where John Kelvin studied and Liam Neeson and Margaret ?, a former prime minister studied.  We then moved into east Belfast where it is obviously Unionist (Irish Catholics).  Here are many murals painted on buildings commemorating battles and people who died for causes like WWII and the 30 year Uprising. 

Unionist mural.

Hunger strike leader mural.

A terrible time .....

This area is mainly Falls Road.  We then drove passed the International Wall Murals that have pictures of local and world events and issues. 

This wall kept the two factions apart.

Then we passed onto Shankill Road and the Loyalists area.  Here there are British flags and bunting everywhere as they prepare for July 12 and the celebration of the winning of the Battle of the Boyne by William of Orange over Richard of Scotland that made the Protestants the

Unionist mural.

Another Unionist mural.

Such a sad story in human history.

Then on to the Cathedral Quarter before having to change buses at Central Place.  We waited 40 minutes before we off again past the big fish and then into the Titanic Belfast Museum.

This museum is really well done.  It is shaped like the prow of 4 ships in the 4 directions of the compass, and starts off with what Belfast was like when the Titanic was built in 1907. 

Titanic Museum.

It took 3 years to build at 11 hours a day for 6 days a week by thousands of men.  There was a ride that took you through the steps of the building and then placards describing it in detail before you look at the slip where the Titanic was launched into the water.  This a window in one of the bows that point at the slip.  Then you walk past an example of a 1st class cabin, a 2nd class cabin and a 3rd class cabin and then you get to stand on a 1st class deck and look out to sea.  The nest area deals with the disaster, the calls on the radio, the sinking and the rescue of the people in lifeboats and the  retrieval of the dead and identification.  It finishes with the Hollywood movies of the event and then the finding of the wreckage in 1985.  We all left very happy with the visit.

We continued on to the Parliament buildings on the Stormont Estate.  What a beautiful presentation.  It is a 1 mile drive up a straight avenue to the white building on the top of a hill.  Canada gave the Parliament the light standards, so they all have gold coloured moose on them. 

Northern Ireland's parliament buildings.

After a quick fish and chips we continued on passed CS Lewis Square to commemorate the Narnia author, through Lower Newtownards Road and more murals, then by the beautiful City Hall and we were done.  Ed headed to the airport to get a car for tomorrow and to do some bell ringing.  We walked to Central Station and took the train back to Carrickfergus.  A great day!

Friday
23 June 2017

Today we had a car and so we headed north.  After taking every small road we could until we reached the M2, we were soon at the ‘Dark Hedges’.  This is a straight road that goes for about 750 m.  It is lined with 300 year old beech trees that make a tunnel, and is considered to be one of the top 5 tree tunnels in the world.  It has been used as a set for the tv show "Game of Thrones", so many people, world-wide know this place as the "King's Highway".  The road had many people of many different nationalities, walking its length, taking photos.  Kerry texted a photo to Cam, Kyle and Cory, and they were thrilled.

In Northern Ireland this area is known as the 'Dark Hedges', but to much of the world it is the 'King's Highway'!

Our next stop, only a few minutes away, was the original old Bushmills Distillery.  We took the tour and then were given a sample of the 5 yr, the 10 yr, the 12 yr and the Black Bush Blend.  Our favourite was the 12 yr, so we purchased a bottle to take home.

The next stop, 5 minutes away, was the Giant's Causeway.  It has changed considerably since we were there 10 years ago.  Now, the National Trust has taken over running it, and has built a large parking lot and visitors' centre.  The car rental agency had given Ed a heads-up about parking and a side entrance, so we saved the 40 pounds and parked on the road, bought a quick sandwich at the souvenir store, and headed through the gate and down.  We didn't get to use the bus down and up, but I did manage the walk.  The hexagonal stones are still beautiful, despite the throngs that are now there.

The 'Giants Causeway'.

Such a beautiful place!

Carrick-a-rede was supposed to be our last stop. We were half way down the 1 km walk, when a coastguard helicopter flew up to the island and had to airlift a couple of people out.  It was getting late and there was going to be such a backlog to get across the bridge, that so we headed back up and out.  That place is definitely way busier than it was 10 years ago.

Carrick-a-rede, life is always an adventure .... see the helicopter?

On the way back, we drove past, and then stopped at a round tower that was with the Catholic Church in Armoy.  It was very reminiscent of Saul Church in Down Patrick.

Saturday
24 June 2017
Today, we were hoping to go to Dublin, by train, stay the night, and return tomorrow.  However, it is Gay Pride weekend, and hotel prices have skyrocketed.  Tourist bus routes are also being hindered, so we decided to stay putt and get more odd jobs completed.

Sunday
25 June 2017
Ed went off to church this morning, hoping to ring.  No luck.  We stayed put and worked on odd jobs.

Monday
26 June 2017
The tide and winds were perfect of an 11:30 am departure to Campbeltown, Scotland.  It was the best crossing ever - smooth as glass the WHOLE way.  We were blessed with the sightings of dolphins, twice, along the way.  There was very little traffic.  Kerry was driving when we were on a collision course with a ferry.  His skill kept us out of the ferry's way because they move really fast, and we slowed down.  Might is right on the seas.

The coastline around Campbeltown is high hills with steep cliffs!  The harbour is in a small inlet, protected by an island.  There is only one way around the island because the other side is dry ground at lower tides.  We arrived at half tide, and it was dry.  There are 3 distilleries here.  Tomorrow should be fun.

This was the view from our mooring in Campbeltown, of course there is a pub in the Royal Hotel!

Tuesday
27 June 2017
We woke up to pouring rain and low tides.  The ground beside us was bare, so a small grey heron was looking for fish beside us.

The boys found a couple more new leaks and worked on the water in the bilge again.  They are hopeful that the problem is now fixed (maybe).  The wind was howling, so we moved the boat ahead when our forward neighbour left.  I saw some amazing jelly fish hiding in the seaweed attached to the pontoon.

We took a walk to the Tourist Information to get the scoop.  We walked over to the Whiskey Store to admire their product before going to Tesco to restock the cupboard.  By the time we returned to the boat, we were all soaking wet.  After a quick change and lunch, we walked over to the Ardsheil Hotel Whiskey Bar to sample a local fight and a smoke flight.  The lady running the bar was very knowledgeable so it was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon.

Wednesday
28 June 2017
The weather has cleared, so we headed north Tarbert.  The harbour is naturally protected.  We got our spot and then headed out to explore the tiny village.  They have a great Scotland Tourism shop and an old castle called Tarbert Castle.  It is on the hill and a ruin now, with sheep wandering over the grass and down into the Glen (valley) beside it.

Tarbert Harbour viewed from the castle hill.

Tarbert castle ruins.

Bah, bah black sheep.

Thursday

29 June 2017
The weather would drench you again, so we are waiting.  It cleared a little later in the day so we headed to a pub.  Kerry and I stopped often to admire all of the different jellyfish, but none were as spectacular as the one I saw yesterday in Campbeltown, until we saw a big, ruffle peach coloured one on our way back to the boat.

Friday
30 June 2017
The sun is out and the sea is calm.  We re off north to the Crinan Canal. 

The 'Crinan Canal' near the top.

It is a 9 mile canal that shortens the trip to Oban because it cuts throughout the isthmus that a we have been following.  We had to wait a while for the sea lock to fill with boats before we could get into the first canal lock.  We met Kate and Les, briefly, before suggesting they go through with the French boat while we waited for the Swedish boat to come though the sea lock and join us up the first 4 locks.  The Swedes were in agreement because they didn't know what to do in a lock station.  We immediately struck up a friendship with Katarina and then met Dennis and Nicholas after we docked for the evening.  We met for drinks at the hotel, but it was not conducive to conversation so they came over to Ed's boat after supper.  The talked flowed until late.

Saturday
1 July 2017
Happy Canada Day!!  The sun we shining as we headed out a 8:30 am with Kate and Les through the next 5 locks.  They are a great couple, and another friendship was born.  We arrived at the end of the canal, and moored while the Morss's went through the last, manned lock.   The gates broke right after, so we were trapped until it was fixed. We met for tea before they headed through at slack tide to Oban and their mooring.  The Swede's arrived from upstream and moored in the basin below us.

Ah to be a Scottish Laird!

Yes, even a minor laird!

Section of beach in Crinan.

Sunday
2 Jul 2017
Rain again.  Smer rain, according to Megan, the wee Scottish lass who ran the middle locks.  The lock gates were temporarily fixed last night and the crew is out today to do the final fix.  Divers and engineers were there, so we headed to the hotel and around before ending at the coffee shop for scones (the best we had ever had) and tea with the Swedes.  We decided that we should get together again, and the invitation came soon after from Katarina.  She had lived in Montreal with her first husband for 5 years.  I asked them if they were game to play a dice game and she said yes.  They are big fans of "10 thousand" they call it.  We played 2 games.  Ed and Nick won, Kerry and I were the big losers.  Oh well, lots of fun.

Monday
3 July 2017
The sun is shining and it is warm. The big coal powered barge is loading with coal and needs the lock to get each side filled. We waited for them to load the port side and then the lock staff sent us through the final 2 locks. 

Loading up with coal.

The Swedes head out an hour before us, heading for Port Ellen (Islay) with a stop somewhere else for the night.  We are heading right to Port Ellen.  On the way, we saw the distillery on Jura then we went by, Ardbeg, Lagavolan and Laphroig.  They are within easy walking distance of the town.

Ardbeg distillery seen from the water.

We also went by Texa island on the way in to the harbour.  It is one beautiful place. 

Tuesday
4 July 2017
The rain was pelting down, so we called a taxi to take us up to Kilchoman Distillery on the north side of the island. 

On the way, we saw cows walking across the beach to their favourite eating grass.  We did the tour and wandered the sales shop before calling another taxi to take us to Bowmore town and the distillery.  Once there, we decided against a tour and went to the tasting room for a couple of wee drams.  Needless to say, we brought again. 

We wish it was this one!

We then hopped the bus to Laphroig so that Ed could claim his rent on his 1 foot square plot of Laphroig bog land.  On the way, we could see areas where the peat had been cut out and piled, ready to go to the various distilleries and the big malting plant at Port Ellen. Kerry signed up as well, so we went out to post the Canadian flag on the plots. 

We then bought some whiskey.  We walked the half mile back to Port Ellen on the 3 Distilleries path.  The sun is now shining a bit and we are done for the day.

Wednesday
5 July 2017
The weather is great, so it is time to head north.  We were blessed with a couple of seals as we travelled.  For the night, we moored on a buoy in an arm of the Sea of Jura.

It is just so beautiful!

Thursday
6 July 2017
Weather is holding, so we continued on to Oban.  We moored in the marina and took the ferry across to the town. 

Oban marina.

What a change from the last times we were here. 

Oban as seen from the ferry coming from the marina.

Oban at sunset!

It has grown from a tiny town, 20 years ago, to a bustling travel hub for the Hebrides and on.  Lots of new stores - 5 souvenir shops, 3 whiskey shops, 4 outdoor clothing stores.

Friday
7 July 2017
Still in Oban.  The weather takes turns being sunny or raining.

Saturday
8 July 2017
We awoke to clouds and rain, so stayed on board until 3 pm when we took the ferry across to Oban and went in for a walk in town.

Sunday
9 July 2017
Pouring rain and cool all day.

Monday
10 July 2017
Rain

Tuesday
11 July 2017
Took the train to Manchester today.  Sun was shining. It was great to see some of the familiar sights in Glasgow where we changed trains.  In Manchester the hotel picked us up and all was great.

Wednesday
12 July 2017
As we flew over Greenland, there was no cloud and we could see the land. Covered in snow.  It was quite mountainous.  On the west side of the country, in the water, we could see the new ice bergs clearly.  It was a sight to behold!

Icebergs off the west coast of Greenland.

A glacier that empties into the Greenland Sea.

Tuna Glacier