Northern Lights

As the plane descended over the arctic tundra you sensed you were entering a very different world far more colourful than the black and white scene emerging through the window. Forests of pine and dwarf birch divided by areas and ribbons of pure white, stretching in all directions. A land of lakes and rivers frozen solid and topped with snow.

This Northern Lights Tour took us 350km (217 miles) inside the arctic circle to the tiny town of Karesuando which borders Sweden with Finland. It's been called a one-elk town and those of us seeking the Northern Lights - Glow Getters ! But would we see the magic in the sky of the Aurora Borealis ? The forecast was for cloudy skies and temperatures nowhere near as cold as we'd packed for or anticipated.  

What we did know was that our trip included a Snowshoe trek, an evening Forest Trek, Snowmobile safari, Reindeer camp and a Husky ride - when these were taking place was the first thing we found out on arrival at the Arctic Star Hotel. Our day-to-day planner all mapped out and everybody supplied with thermal suits and boots, the fun was about to start. See Map here

Day One: Snowshoe Introduction & Forest Trek
After being shown how to put the Snowshoes on off we all wandered across the frozen lake and through the forest and back again. A nice leisurely morning stroll in Lapland.
With the afternoon free we walked into town to see the church and then made our way over the meter thick ice of the River Muorio into Finland, just in time to find the Lapland Shop closed. Somewhat confusing Finland was one hour ahead of Sweden. As most of the activities took place in Finland we were working on their time despite actually staying in Sweden. 
The Forest Trek in the evening was up and away into the forest behind the Davvi Arctic Lodge - the other accommodation used by our travel company. The snow was falling lightly, which was picturesque and atmospheric but stopped any chance of the Northern Lights joining us.

Day Two: Call of the Wild - Husky Safari
An early morning drive of 20km into Finland, the overnight snow provided a fresh backdrop for the Husky ride. We had a briefing on how to operate the sledge with vital information on how to slow the dogs down with the two types of braking system. All set, off we went in a flurry of activity and bodily functions, our team of five huskies kicking up quite a stink, that wafted our way. It was bouncy and at times a bit 'white-knuckle', but wonderful. We switched drivers and passengers mid-way and as our video proves I thought I'd lost Margaret, off the back, at one point. See here: https://youtu.be/mHjb6JxxKBQ
The rest of our day was our own and we visited the local museum up the road from the hotel. 
The sun had appeared briefly at lunchtime, but for the rest of the day the skies remained firmly overcast and grey. Margaret found a website: http://www.aurora-service.eu and spent ages charting the possibilities of us seeing the Lights tomorrow - which would be our last night and final opportunity. (We're talking kp2 here!)

Day Three: Reindeer Camp & Northern Lights Snowmobile Safari
With nothing planned until the afternoon we wandered into town to the two shops that sold 'everything you could possibly want' before walking across the river past a snowmobile fisherman with a drill-bit, fishing through the ice. Finally visited the shop in Finland before heading back for lunch.
On the drive to the Reindeer camp the snow began falling, but soon stopped and the clouds broke up and gloriously the sun shone. Beautiful slow reindeer sleigh ride along the river as we all hoped the clear skies would last into the night.
Reindeer video - this one is like watching 'slow TV': https://youtu.be/uLpun5rfmCw

The Snowmobile safari began around 8pm. Another important briefing on how to drive these machines and a reassuring message that their speed limiter had been switched on. It was fast, bumpy and exhilarating but not too accelerating, as we buzzed off down the river in darkness, the snowmobile steering us rather than the other way around. At the half-way stage we stopped for a breather and a glass of 'glogi' and a bit of star gazing. And then it started. Bands of light slowly spread across the northern sky and began changing their shape. Green light was pulsing and dancing in the night sky. We had to get back on the snowmobiles but the Northern Lights didn't care they continued their display for the return journey swirling and twisting great green shapes above us. On our final night, you couldn't have scripted it better.
By 10pm the show was over but rather than think to myself 'right, I've seen them now', I knew I wanted to see them again.

Day Four: Ice Hotel Visit
This was an optional extra excursion. Not cheap - in fact it was expensive - but we were glad we did it. 
Icehotel 27 (the 27th time it has been built before melting and sliding back into the Torne River every Spring) is situated in Jukkasjarvi near Kiruna and the airport. 
Our final hours in Lapland were spent in the sunshine and -5c of the Ice rooms - variously themed and beautifully sculptured it was quite something.

Glossary: 
kp2 - refers to the kp index. A scale 0 to 9 used to indicate the level needed to view the Northern Lights. 
glögi - is a warm Finnish drink similar to mulled wine - with blueberries and not much wine.

Photo Gallery: A selection

Snowshoe walk on frozen lake

On the border

Other links:

Music moment >>>

Travel Company & Tour >>> 

More reindeer >>>

Huskies

21st century ice fishing

Reindeer camp

Reindeer Sleigh Ride

Group shot

Inside the Ice Hotel

And finally the proof  
- the best shot taken by one of our group of the Northern Lights.

More Vietnam: Sightseeing

A further selection of photos from Vietnam. Many involving bikes, some simply surprising, others plain funny or fascinating but mostly just ones we liked and wanted to share.


(Left: Dragon in temple courtyard - Hoi An)

Our lovely receptionist. Noble Boutique Hotel.

(And below)
- People we meet
- Dog photos
- Street scenes
- More bike pictures
- and US

Hai (friendly two finger greeting in Vietnam). Girls day out at the Hue citadel.

Cycle Ride near Hoi An. I think Margaret's practising her 'Hai' sign ?

Lady on bike 'walking' her four dogs (one half hidden)

Dog sleeping in the road. Really!

Street scene 1: Hat anyone ?

Street scene 2: Propaganda Posters

Street scene 3: Barbers shop - on pavement amongst bikes and caged birds

Lights 'n' bikes. Indoor parking and riding down a narrow alley in Hoi An

Bike haulage. If it will fit, we can transport it.

Click here

Click on the photo caption above for a short video of our bike ride over the Hai Van Pass.





And now for something completely different: a few entertaining captions we thought up….

You can't sleep there mate. Our man in Hanoi, taking a break.

Restaurant on Lang Co lagoon. Our favourite.

Banhmy Sandwich place in Hanoi. Scott's favourite.

Vietnam: March 2016

Having grown up in the Sixties to a background of news broadcasts reporting on the Vietnam War, places like Saigon, Danang, Hanoi and mention of Viet Cong forces, U.S. marines, strategic bombing and Ho Chi Minh became familiar phrases. As the decade closed, anti-war demonstrations and songs increased and in 1973 America withdrew, with the war ending in 1975. Further disruption followed in Indo-China with war between Vietnam, Cambodia and China leading to large numbers of Vietnamese fleeing the country as millions of refugee 'boat people' took to the sea as means of escape.
As a consequence I never remotely believed I'd visit Vietnam in my lifetime. 
But time passes quickly and by the mid 1990s tourists began visiting Vietnam and since then in increasing numbers. A 2001 trade agreement with the U.S. was significant and now it seems the 'Resistance War against America' is long ago. They even price goods in shops in U.S. dollars, for the convenience of visitors.

Ever since returning from our visit I've been trying to concisely sum up Vietnam. It was extraordinary and an amazing trip, but summing it up, impossible! So I've gone for a selection of panels about certain aspects hoping to capture some of the flavour of the country, or at least the parts we saw: Which went as follows -

Good Morning Vietnam - HANOI 

The traffic, the people, the activity, the smells, the language all too much for our brains affected by a long flight. My mind racing, no time to recover normal service. Buzzing to a barrage of vehicle horns. An assault on the senses. 

Overwhelming at first, our introduction to Vietnam was to be guided by my son Scott and his girlfriend Issie (who've been living in Hanoi since last April and a visit to see them had long been planned) on what to do, where to go and how to go about it. This resulted in taking most of the guess work out and made for an action packed holiday.
Hanoi is in the North, a long way from the South and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon). See map I made overlaying Vietnam on the UK. 

We spent three days in Hanoi before flying 330 miles down to Danang to spend time in what we hoped would be a warmer and sunnier part of the country.

Xin Chào - HOI AN

A short distance from Danang is the beautiful traditional town of Hoi An, where we spent a few days unwinding in the calmer surroundings of the Hoai River, An Hoi island, An Bang beach and the wonderful ancient town of Hoi An. We cycled through rice fields and dined on fresh mango and shrimp spring rolls. Visited a village for the almost obligatory cooking lesson and just wandered around the enchanting town, which at night took on a whole new atmosphere with lanterns and gently piped music along its streets. Not to mention shopping (and haggling) for jackets. Which I'm not going to mention, but will reveal all, if asked. 

Hoi An was great and we loved it but the journey from there to Hue was something special.

Le Family Riders - BIKE RIDE

I could probably write a whole blog entry, all of its very own and separate from here, just about this fantastic trip. In fact that's what I'm going to do. See this link http://mandbtales1.blogspot.co.uk/2016/04/bike-ride.html - and other map, as indicated above on main map.

Hi - HUE

This was the briefest of visits. Arrived 5.30pm by motorbike, enjoyed the hospitality of our hotel, walked to the Perfume River, couple of drinks and checked out for a 10.30 flight the next morning. The hotel desk clerk had insisted we not miss the Citadel and if we'd known would have planned to spend longer in Hue. As it turned out we had an hour of sightseeing and just as the day was warming up nicely and the sky was turning blue, we flew back north into clouds.

HALONG BAY

After an afternoon and evening back in Hanoi, we were up bright and early for our 3 days/2 nights trip to Halong Bay. Just three hours by bus we then transferred to a boat for a cruise through the bay and some of the thousands of limestone karats and islands that make up this UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Unfortunately Margaret was not feeling well and missed most of the first day but recovered for the second half spent overnight at an island resort.
This would have been very nice and relaxing if some sun had made it as idyllic as it sounded in the travel blurb at the time of booking. The weather wasn't cold but the resort was fairly basic and there wasn't much to do or a lot to discover without a boat or kayak. We choose the latter and in the low tide waters, lets just say, it proved less than a leisurely paddle. (Details upon request, if you have not already heard the story).
Travelling back the final day the mist seemed even thicker and the shadowy mystery of the scenery more remarkable. I have seen postcards of Halong Bay with blue skies and sunsets, but mostly it appears cloaked in cloud and without sounded too cryptic, perhaps that is how it is and why it is. 
Amazing place. Very popular though, lets hope it doesn't get spoilt by tourism as there were signs of this already.

Click the titles here for our videos on YouTube:  Road Crossing - Old Hanoi street shops - Taking the traffic - each one presents a different angle.

Chào buôi sang - HANOI

Back in Hanoi we settled for the last five days. Catching up with Scott and Issie and generally taking it easy after all the rushing about. Having given up on the weather totally we just went with the flow of overcast skies, misty drizzle, hazy humidity and wearing warmer clothes. The shorts would remain unworn and the sun cream unrequired.

We got to drink coffee to our hearts content (see above), cycle around the big lake 'Ho Tay', visit the Hanoi Hilton (Hoa Lo Prison), go up the Lotte Tower for a fantastic 360 view of Hanoi, wrapped in complementary blankets while drinking cold beer, sample Pho cocktails, have a massage and become semi hooked on Banh Mi (Vietnam's sandwich par excellence). 
The city was still crazy but we enjoyed it and our hotel provided an escape route to calm the nerves, charge the batteries and head out for further adventures of M&B in Vietnam.

Selfie with Ho Chi Minh photobombing us
(he died in 1969, that's his mausoleum in the background)

I've not really mentioned the Vietnamese people, who were very welcoming, hard working and enterprising, always helpful and fun. This may best be demonstrated with more pictures - which will appear in a second blog > coming very soon.

Venice

Not wishing to repeat myself but this trip to Venice for Margaret's 60th birthday (I know she doesn't look a day over 40), had a similar ring to it as our recent trip to SW Ireland. Coincidentally, I was returning to Venice for the first time in 35 years, and Margaret was visiting for the first time!
I'll even give you another quote from the journal I kept of my Europe trip in 1980: 
"As we passed over the Ponte to the mainland, I whispered a goodbye to Venice, as I do to places I know I will return to"

Much like Venice, our out-of-date guidebook appeared unaffected by the passing of time, and wisely suggested that, with so much on offer, mixing up the sightseeing and pacing yourself was a good idea. "this is a city to be savoured like a rare cognac, not gulped." 
Our plan to visit the islands of the lagoon, as well as the obvious sights in Venice, fitted well with this varied approach, aided by the simple fact that hurrying through crowds of people, dodging hotel porters transporting bags from nearby water bus stops, and travelling via these leisurely modes of travel, could not be rushed anyway.

Our seven days in 'The Floating City' -

Obvious Venice Picture: No.1 - 'Duck' 

Venice is renowned for the beauty of its setting, architecture and artwork. The city in its entirety is listed as a World Heritage Site, along with its lagoon. Containing 450 bridges over 177 canals,  much has been written about this unique place by more qualified and learned people, so what more can we add? Nothing really, except having had a fantastic time and taken lots of photos (some obvious snaps and a few captured opportune moments) we have a few thoughts and tips to share.

Bill attempting to look as learned as a TV presenter. Maybe the sandals were a mistake?

Venice doesn't reveal its treasures cheaply and some homework and research can allow you to make the most of your time and save you some money. With my 'trip advisor' hat firmly on (but not over my eyes and ears) see the veneziavero tips panels

The opposite to a water bus. The MSC Musica (a 2,500 passenger 'skyscraper' cruise ship) leaving Venice and completely masking the island of San Giorgio Maggiore, in the process.

With all this culture and history to absorb, at times it felt like a school educational (now pay attention at the back). As we learned about:

Trompe L’oeil - the art of creating an optical illusion that appears three dimensional. 

Caffi - as in Ippolito Caffi (not some frothy venetian beverage). His highly detailed paintings are admired for their brilliant lighting. His ‘veduta’ style that of renowned/famous Venice scenes by Guardi and Cannaletto.

Venice, circa 1858-60, painting by Caffi

Venice today - not a painting by Cannaletto, but a photo by Bill.

Construction - Foundation blocks made from a stone called ‘kirmenjak’ (with extremely low water absorption) line the canals, their depth an indication of wealth at the time of construction. see: https://illumin.usc.edu/130/a-look-at-venice-past-and-present/

The MOSE project - mobile floodgates, distributed among the 3 entrances to the lagoon - Lido, Malamocco and Chioggia. Looked like a work in progress though should be completed by now. May not be fully operational until 2017, information was a bit vague.

Pronunciation - how to spell our name in Italian: that's "pay  ohh  chay  ohh  chay  kapa".

Bridge reflection. Obvious Picture No.2

Go now before it sinks?
Venice has stopped sinking but due to rising sea-levels it still floods regularly, so bring your wellies or invest in a €10 pair of plastic pull up boots that you fit over your shoes (see picture below) which are not, we can tell you, entirely waterproof and hardly for the fashion conscious, but do help!

More Links:

Our B&B: http://casabaseggio.it/index.php/it/

Cicchetti Wine Tour:  http://www.urbanadventures.com/Venice-tour-Cicchetti-and-wine-tour-of-venice

Interpreti Veneziani:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKIz_3ywM9k  or  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jk1vgke6Q4 (featuring cellist 'rocker' Davide Amadio)

What a difference a day makes. Birthday picture (left). Next day (right) €10 boots in orange.

St Marks Square, final obvious picture of Venice. Final day.

Ireland 2015

Outlook: mostly cloudy with prolonged periods of Guinness later in the day and occasional musical intervals.

Margaret's mother was born in Ireland and many relatives still live there. Margaret hadn't seen them in 15 years and I'd never met them, so a visit was long overdue. I'd only ever been to Ireland once, for 6 days in 1980, 35 years ago. After that trip I'd written in a journal "Ireland - better than expected - can't wait to come again!" (Half a lifetime later, here I was)

We ‘Michael O'Leary’ed’ it (on Ryan Air), having been surprised at the cost of taking our own car and the ferry across the Irish Sea. With a nod to nostalgia I thought I'd dig out and use the maps from 1980 (figuring the towns will still be in the same place, even if their appearance may have changed).

As we drove our hire car away from Dublin Airport onto a three lane motorway, clearly not a part of my historic map, this idea appeared a daft one. This was the new 'iLand. Euro model' and we had to somehow find how to get to Edenderry and the relatives. Logic suggested we go west towards Galway and then Margaret recognised names and the sign posts did the rest in getting us there.

We planned to stay a few days, then have a few days away in the SW and to return again before leaving a week later.

There was a lot of catching up to do. There was plenty of talking, interspersed with cups of tea, making note of all the family members (26 first cousins at the last count!), hearing of their whereabouts (many still live right round the corner), all the news, stories and laughter and tea, bingo, refreshments in Larkin's pub, more talking and more donkeys minus their hind legs and finally photos* and farewells. It was lots of fun, and if personally I didn't always understand every word that was spoken, I understood the bond of families and fond memories. And we only met a small part of the family, there's lots more!
* see: http://mandbtales1.blogspot.co.uk/2015/08/family-photos.html

In between all this we spent the middle of the week in SW Ireland. Now this was for me a trip down memory lane, but for Margaret, a first. We lucked out by finding a great B&B in Kenmare, County Kerry, run by Maureen Harrington (famous Irish cross-country athlete from the Nineties) and still running all over the place. She had a beautiful house and couldn't do enough for us, even if she spoke so quickly she remained largely incomprehensible to me most of the time (and occasionally Margaret).

Maureen recommended seeing the Ring of Beara as opposed to the more famous Ring of Kerry.

Kenmare Bay, in the sunshine

So, waiting patiently for a sunny day, we set off early morning driving west in an anti-clockwise direction. Fairly soon the road narrowed and we had to carefully make our way past cyclists, but the absence of any coaches or buses (they really wouldn’t have been able to get down the road, simple as that) made for a quiet and less harrowing journey, though concentration was still on high alert. Twisting and winding through wooded and picturesque scenery, with sheep velcro’ed to impossibly steep grassy slopes the road climbed and then suddenly coastal vistas opened up ahead of us in breathtaking fashion. Despite the perfect day for it we were often the only car on the road, which added to the enjoyment. The day should also be remembered as possibly Eire’s ‘Summer’ 2015, Wednesday 15 July it was!!!

Very pretty (and tidy) towns - Eyeries and Allihies - were lovely stops along the way to the end of the peninsula where we had hoped to take the cable car to Dursey Island. 

Pretty and tidy - Margaret and Eyeries

Unfortunately, due to our leisurely pace, so many people had got there before us and due to carrying capacity and the numbers of visitors already on the island it would have meant a very lengthy queue to come back later in the day.

More fuchsia, fern and rhododendron-lined narrow roads took us back to Castletownbere, the largest town we encountered, as the south part of Beara contrasted nicely with the earlier northern drive. The central mountains looked beautiful but we stuck to the ring and arrived in Glengarriff for dinner. We missed the Healey pass and concluded this would have to be experienced another time.

The final section of our fantastic day’s drive was the wider N71 through the Caha pass involving a number of rock tunnels before returning to Kenmare just as the sun set on an absolutely Grand Day Out.

Two things emerged on this day. The town of Glengarriff, that in 1980 I had specifically noted as being somewhere I'd love to spend more time in, looked nothing like I remembered it. And in Castletownbere we found the exact bar photographed on the cover Pete McCarthy's travel book "McCarthy's Bar" that Margaret had been reading before and during our trip. See our picture and http://www.roadjunky.com/657/pete-mccarthy-mccarthys-bar-ireland-travel/

MacCarthy's Grocery & Bar - before the graphic studio doctored the name - see link.

Most other days we enjoyed the empty backroads (avoiding the busier motorways with their tolls) and noticed the litter free towns we past, as the hypnotic swishing of the car window wiper blades accompanied warnings of severe bends, which were heeded as the ‘sea-mist’ (Irish for rain) continued. The Irish do have a way with words, often describing the weather as fierce and/or desperate. A tad extreme, but all part of the fun!

Retro mac and waterfall in the rain

Another Mac Bar. Slainte!

FINAL PLUG:

Not your traditional Irish music that plays in just about every shop and bar you enter, check out a band called 'Frantic Jack' - they're from Edenderry, and they're good. Lots of videos on YouTube.