Top Travel Moments: So-Far (so Good!)

I have traveled around a bit.  Put on a few miles (and probably pounds too!).  Ahh the memories.  Though most of them were with the constant companionship of my bear wrangler which quite frankly got annoying with the camera always on the go - like having your own papparazo,  But I digress.
On to the best moments:

Field of Dreams - Rocky Harbour, Newfoundland

We were staying in Rocky Harbour while visiting Gros Morne National Park.  The park itself is worth checking out for Fjords, interesting rock piles, and a mountain that someone will climb for you. 

We were driving around town, and someone in the group saw a lighthouse at the other end of town (think 5 km away, tops!).  So we drove there.  Walking from the parking lot to the lighthouse I started imagining things!  I started to imagine that I was walking across a field of teeny tiny berries, that were being squished by my paws.  The hallucination was so vivid, I was even smelling the berries.  Without thinking I lifted a paw and was immediately transported to home and Mom's strawberry freezer jam! The TASTE!  Oh the joy of it all!  If only it were real!

Well, it was!  I looked around and somehow I was in a meadow that was not covered in grass but covered in tiny wild strawberry plants.  As far as the eye could see!  To top it all off, they must have known I was coming because the put up this lovely "reserved" sign for me! (Dum-Dum didn't take any photographs of the berries of course!)






Lessons in Marzipan - Toledo, Spain

While traveling in Spain, the guidebook made several references to Toledo, and that it was famous for a several things. Don Quixote, Steel (swords), the Castle, the Cathedral, rip-off bistros that do not accept credit cards, and Marzipan (ears up).

I knew the Norther European version of Marzipan, which is the sugary, sticky almond paste, often sculpted and coloured into various shapes and animals or sold in "bricks".  This stuff is almond-y, sugary goodness!

Imagine my surprise and delight in learning that in Toledo, Marzipan refers to a sort of almond puff-pastry.  It is baked, goes all fluffy and is stuffed or filled with chocolate, jams, jellies, sweet!  I bought me a bag of that goodness for the train ride back to the hotel in Madrid!





Driving a Train - National Railway Museum, York, England

What young bear doesn't dream of driving a train!  They are big, go really really fast, and in Europe they almost always have a bar car or food service with yummy snacks!  BTW most train stations in Britain have counters that sell Cornish Pasties!  I recommend the Steak & Guinness ones!  They sure are filling and great to eat on the train.

So I went to the railway museum where I could get a closer look at some of my favourite things about trains!  They had all kinds of trains, including a bullet train from Japan, and several steam trains, and even one used by Queen Victoria!  They also had a replica of Stevenson's Rocket, one of the original trains.

I begged and pleaded to drive any of these trains but they said I was too small to see out the window while I was driving.  Then a nice lady (British people apparently like talking to stuffed bears) told me that there was a small train out back and that if I was really well behaved I might just get to drive it.

I have never been so well behaved in my life! (although the small train had no snacks, I got lots of free cookies on the big train going to Edinburgh)





Wineglass Bay and Peninsula Hike - Freycinet National Park, Tasmania, Australia
 
While visiting the park we stayed at a cabin connected to Freycinet Lodge, which is inside the national park,

The main attraction of the trip was Wineglass Bay Beach, which was recently listed as one of the top 10 remote beaches in the World.  While heading towards the beach, my bear wrangler got it in his head that we would first go to the Wineglass Bay Lookout (lots of stairs and uphill=BAD idea) and then hike down the the beach, cut through the peninsula to another beach, and head back to the lodge.

Well, you can see what a good idea THAT was.

It was on the return hike that we stopped for lunch, and the sun came out from behind the clouds, and except for the cool breeze and fleece sweaters required, you could swear you were in the Caribbean!  It was at the second beach that we ate the box lunch prepared by the lodge which included delicious chocolate chip walnut cookies.  By then I had forgotten about the lookout fiasco!

My Bestest pub night ever - Le Mouton Blanc - Maastricht, Netherlands


Sometimes when you are traveling in a strange place, and you don't know where to go, you leave the guidebooks behind and you opt for the pub or the bistro across the street.  In the case of Maastricht, this was easy enough to do.  Our room faced onto a pedestrian zone of sorts, and a pub / bistro that seemed to have good enough food.

The man that was serving us also showed me a traditional folk dance that I think translates to roughly: "Where's my Dessert?"

And then they appeared!  Desserts!  Yummy Desserts!  The Dance Worked!

Chocolate covered strawberries, Berry cheesecake, and Crème Brûlée!

That dance only worked once though.

So those are five of my favourite travel moments so far!  I am sure there will be more.  Stay tuned...

~Biff~