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Switzerland

Day trip to Titlis Mountain

While in Zurich we decided to take one day and explore the Titlis mountain. So we took the train to the beautiful and rustic village of Engelberg.

Ray and Shelley on the train heading to Engelberg Switzerland.

Engelberg is known for its skying in winter and hiking, mountaineering and cycling in summer.  One of the other features in Engelberg is that it is also an access point to reach the summit of Titlis mountain.  We arrived in the morning and walked the small distance to the cable car system. We took a cable car and rode up to the first stage of the cable car system. It is known as the middle station.  We then continued to the next level where we switched to the revolving cable car and proceeded to the summit. 

Cable car for the first level of the system to Titlis mountain top.

The next stage of the cable car system is the world’s first revolving cable car.  It transports you from the middle station to the summit station located 3,020 metres above sea-level.

RotAir rotating cable car Titlis mountain

We got into the cable car which allows for standing only.

Shelley in the Cable car to Titlis summit

During the five minutes or so it takes to reach the summit the car slowly rotates giving us beautiful panoramic views of steep rock faces, deep crevasses and distant snow-covered mountain peaks. 

At the summit we were able explore the area. There were several interesting features and attractions. One was the glacier cave which is lit in a turquoise-blue light. We went into the cave and walked the 150-metre-long walkway which descends ten metres below the surface of the glacier. The walls are smooth and solid ice. It was an amazing to think we were inside an ice glacier that is over 5,000 years old.

Glacier cave in Titlis mountain

We went to check out the cliff walk which is a suspension bridge that stretches over 100 meters long.  The walkway is just one meter wide and the views into the abyss below are breathtaking.

View of the cliff walk on Titlis mountain.

The suspension bridge swayed when we were walking on it and hangs 500 meters above the ground. The views from the middle of the bridge are spectacular and worth the walk out.

Ray in the middle of the suspension bridge at Titlis mountain.

View from the suspended bridge at Titlis mountain

We then walked along the glacier itself and slowly made out way to the glacier park. There it was possible to slide on the snow of the glacier. We decided to skip this activity, as Canadians we have done our share of sliding on the snow.

Shelley and Ray on the glacier area of Titlis summit.

The last part of our time at Titlis mountain we went into the restaurant and enjoyed a meal while looking out over the alps and the glacier.  It was a spectacular way to end our time at the summit.

“Die Welt ist ein Buch und wer nicht reist, liest nur eine Seite.”  -St. Augustine

Switzerland

A few days in Zurich

We went to Zurich for a few days before heading on to Tanzania. We wanted to check out this beautiful city and explore the area.   Today we decided to explore downtown and the old centre of the city.

Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland  and is located at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich.  The lake provides a beautiful backdrop to the city and the Alps in the distance.

View of Lake Zurich

We walked through the old town centre exploring the narrow streets. There were plenty of shops, restaurants and unique stores.

We did some window shopping but did not go into this particular store. 

Ray looking at the Rolex watches in Zurich

The old town is quite quaint and we enjoyed exploring the area. There were lots of beautiful views along the way.

Fountain in the old town area of Zurich
Section of the old centre of Zurich where a band was playing traditional music.

There are some nice park areas along the Limmat river which flows through the city. We walk along the river and explored some of that area.  

One of the walkway areas near Limmat River in Zurich
Shelley and Ray in the park near Limmat River Zurich.
View of the building all along the river.
Ray along the edge of the Limmat River

What we found interesting was the large number of cyclist and bike lanes in the city. It reminded us of Amsterdam, in a way. Lots of people on bikes and bike lanes on almost every street. The city is very green focused and the public transit system is awesome. There is a great bus, tram and boat system that connects the city as well as surrounding towns.  You can buy a ticket for 24 hours for a little over 8 Francs and use all the  systems as many times as you want within the 24 hours.  

One of the parking areas designated for cyclist. It is located next to a major Tram section in. Zurich city centre.
One of the trams that run throughout the city of Zurich.

We took the tram to some of the areas of the city. We also enjoyed a boat ride across lake Zurich admiring the views. It was a great way to spend time seeing the city. 

Shelley and Ray waiting for the boat transit system to cross the lake.
One of the boats used in the transit system of Zurich.

 

After exploring the city for several hours we decided to have lunch and take a break. 

Ray and Shelley at Molino Restaurant in old town Zurich.

After dinner we headed back to our hotel to rest up and plan our next day. It was a great first day in Zurich. 

“Bleiben Sie bis zum nächsten Mal sicher und gesund.”

Canada, Spain

Busy Summer

It has been a busy summer but a very rewarding and fun time. We went to Canada for a visit with friends and family. Ray was able to finally visit with his uncle, (first time since covid). They played some games and enjoyed quality time together.

Uncle Adrien and Ray playing shuffleboard.
Uncle Adrien and Ray enjoying the day

We were able to rent a beautiful cottage on the Ottawa River. 

Ray enjoying the view and a Timmy´s coffee

We spent a fabulous week there and enjoyed some relaxing time by the water.

Shelley enjoying the view and calm of the Ottawa River

One of the highlights of the cottage was that we were able to entertain and reconnect with close friends. Overall it was a great week at the cottage and the weather was quite nice during the week.  

Shelley at the waterfront of the Ottawa River

We went to Ottawa on July 1st and we celebrated Canada Day with family. It was raining but we had a Barbecue anyways. 

Keenan in the rain doing the Bar-B-que

Our grandson Keenan was a sport and did the barbecue cooking. The rain stopped later in the day and the sky was clear for the fireworks. We headed to the park and watched the fireworks celebrating Canada day.

Canada Day celebration fireworks in park in Ottawa

It was a great last day in Canada before we headed back to Spain with our Grandson. The next day we drove to the Montreal airport and flew back to Spain with our Grandson Tyreese.

The next few weeks in Spain were very busy. Tyreese was able to experience Spain for the first time. It was such a joy to show him around and try out new adventures with him. Each day we tried new things and had many adventures, below are only some of the activities we did during out time in Spain. We hiked up to the Castle of Santa Barbara and explored the 11th century castle. 

Tyreese at the turret on the castle of Santa Barbara

There are some amazing views from the castle and we would stop to take in the vistas and beauty of the area.

Shelley and Tyreese at the Castle of santa Barbara
Tyreese and Ray at the castle of Santa Barbara
Tyreese at the Castle of Santa Barbara

One day we explored and walked some of the beaches in Alicante.

Shelley and Tyrsse overlooking the Postuget Beach in Alicante

Along the way we would stop and enjoy a cool drink at one of the many chiringitos along the beach. 

Tyreese enjoying a refreshing drink

Each day we tried new things including Go Cart racing and we had a great time. 

Ray had the best time but Tyreese was disputing the winner outcome. All and all Karting Alicante was a lot of fun.

Tyreese at Karting Alicante
Ray and Tyreese of the race podium

We went parasailing and we had a great time. We enjoyed the best views and flew along the coast at 150 meters high. The views of the city of Alicante from the Mediterranean Sea  were amazing. 

Shelley, Tyreese and Ray getting ready to start our parasailing.
Shelley Tyreese and Ray 150 meters parasailing along the coastline of Alicante

Each morning Shelley and Tyreese were out for an early bicycle ride. 

Tyreese and Shelley heading out for daily bike ride

We took Tyreese for some surfing lessons and he loved it. Both Shelley and him spent the day surfing the waves. 

Shelley and Tyreese getting first lesson for surfing.

 

After spending two action packed weeks in Alicante and area we went to Madrid to visit this amazing city before he went back to Canada.

Tyreese and Shelley in front of the Almudana Cathedral in Madrid
Tyreese in front of the Royal Palace of Madrid

In Madrid we met up with a friend of Tyreese’s. Monica who was a Spanish student that lived in Ottawa as an international student for a year.   She took the train to Madrid to meet with us and spend the day.

Tyreese and Shelley at the Madrid Train station waiting for Monica to arrive.
Monica and Tyreese in front of the iconic bear and strawberry tree statue in the Puerta Del Sol in Madrid.

We explored the city of Madrid with Monica and enjoyed the day.

Monica and Tyreese in El Retiro Parque in Madrid.

The Next day we took Tyreese to the airport and said our goodbyes. It was time for him to go home.

Shelley, Tyreese and Ray saying goodbye at the Madrid Airport.

It was a very busy and enjoyable few months with lots of adventures and memories being made. These are only some of the activities we enjoyed during our busy summer. 

“El mundo es un libro y los que no viajan leen solo una página.”- St. Augustine

Andorra

Andorra

We drove through the country of Andorra which is located in the pyrenees mountains between France and Spain.

Andorra is the sixth-smallest state in Europe, with an area of 468 square kilometres and has a population of approximately 79,000.  The drive through the Pyrenees was very beautiful with winding road and high reaching mountains.

The road was winding throughout the base of the mountains and we eventually drove to the top of some of the mountains. 

Along the way we came to several small towns that were quaint and beautiful. 

 Andorra is the world’s 16th-smallest country by land and 11th-smallest by population. We drove to the capital of Andorra which is called “Andorra la Vella”. It is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres (3,356 feet) above sea level.

The Capital had some modern buildings and was quite nice looking.

Raised walking platform in the capital of Andorra de Vella
View of the Capital- Andorra de Vella
Metal statues of farm animals along the road near Andorra de Valle

It was an enjoyable and an interesting drive through the 16th smallest country in the world.

“The most beautiful in the world is, of course, the world itself.” – Wallace Stevens

 

 

France

Carcassonne France Medieval city

We went and explored the historic fortified city of Carcassonne in the southern part of France. We began by walking along the Roman bridge towards the fortified walled city.

View of the walled city from the Roman bridge.
View of the fortified city

Carcassonne was of a key strategic importance  between historic trade routes, linking the Atlantic to the Mediterranean Sea.  It has a very long history that dates back to around 3500 BC when the first signs of a settlement was established.  In 100 BC the Roman empire recognized the strategic importance of the area and began fortifying the hilltop. The hilltop eventually became a rural settlement and later under the control of Julia Carsaco. Eventually the name changed over time to Carcassonne.

The main gate entrance with draw bridge behind it.

The castle itself possesses its own drawbridge and ditch leading to a central area of the castle.

The draw bridge section into the main fortified city.

The fortified city consists of two outer walls with a total of 53 towers and fortified outpost to prevent attack. The walls consist of towers built over the years.

View of the outer wall fortification with a sentinel tower

We could see the different styles in the construction some were Roman and is notably different from the medieval walls.

One of these towers housed the Catholic Inquisition in the 13th century and is still known as “The Inquisition Tower”.

We explored the inner city and enjoyed walking along the narrow streets with unique shops and restaurants. 

One of the many narrow streets inside the walled city

We walked the walls of the city exploring the different towers along the way.

Shelley and Ray on the walls of Carcassonne
Shelley and Ray on one of the sentinel lookout towers in Carcassonne

We had great views of the surrounding areas of the city.

View of the outer wall and the rolling hills of the countryside

There was views that overlooked the outer areas of the fortified city while other views overlooked the inner city. Both were tremendous and beautiful in their own way.

View of the city of Carcassonne
View of the Cathedral from the walls of the city.
View of the inner portion of the walled city.

We spent the entire day walking throughout this amazing walled city. There was so much history and unique things to see. There was even a Roman Amphitheater within the walled city.

The Amphitheater in the walled city of Carcassonne

We thoroughly enjoyed this UNESCO world heritage site . It is an outstanding example of a medieval fortified town, with its massive defences encircling the castle. Here are a few pictures of the castle and walled city. It was well worth exploring this city.

“Certes, voyager est plus que voir des sites touristiques ; c’est un changement qui s’opère, profond et permanent, dans les idées de vivre. “– Miriam Barbe