Not so sunny California

"They say it never rains in Southern California", as the song goes. But it did drizzle a bit today, and the clouds remained grey.
My latest hostel is located right in the heart of historic Fort Mason, with views of the Golden Gate from the window by my bed. And it is a bed not a bunk - meaning that the dorm has a lot more space per person.
The train journey down was fun during the day, chatting to fellow passengers - but no matter how far a reclining seat reclines, it's not a bed, so it was a long night. Fortunately I was able to get a nice siesta this afternoon and catch up.
This morning I did what I seem to do everywhere when I first arrive - take a walk along the waterfront. I'm not sure how I'll adjust in Las Vegas - the first city I will hit that isn't on an ocean or a mighty river or a great lake.
I'll update again when I have seen a bit more of the city - and hopefully when I have a sunny photo to include.
I also did a big shop at Safeway today (Safeway is big in the US and Canada) so now I'm going to cook.

Bainbridge Island

I have lots of lists of things to visit and do in the various cities I visit, but a trip to Bainbridge Island wasn't on my Seattle list (in face Seattle was only on the itinerary because it was a convenient point between Vancouver Island and San Fransisco) but I ended up catching the ferry over there yesterday afternoon and having a lovely time. It was a glorious clear sunny day after the rain and there were fabulous views of snow capped mountains in the distance - including Mount Rainier, Seatle's local volcano. Bainbridge Island is very low key; the attendants in the tiny museum (both aged around 90) were thrilled to have an overseas visitor. But the great thing was the well-signposted walking trails along the waterfront, and through woods and delightful residential areas. (Plus a cafe serving real PG Tips)

I also ended up on the same ferry there and back as two French women teaching in Los Angeles who were in the same dorm as me and have given me their contact details to look them up when I hit LA.

Earlier in the day I'd been to the Olympic Sculpture Park (see picture) - great landscaping, but some of the artworks didn't seem to have much in the way of craft or beauty - some were excellent though.

Today the rain returned - but Seattle has the answer - an underground tour. Seattle used to be very prone to flooding, so they raised the streets and pavements up one storey and turned upstairs windows into doors but the old pavements and ground floors are still there and make for an entertaining and very different visit.

Back on the train tomorrow - this time the Amtrak Coast Starlight to San Fransisco. It's a 24 hour journey but I'm told the reclining seats are very comfy so I've not booked a berth! Next time I add to the blog I may have a stiff neck or be very sleepy.

PS - I've not been up the Space Needle in Seattle, though I've taken lots of photos of it - you can see it through the sculpture in the picture here. I decided that the Empire State Building and the CN Tower were enough tall buildings for one continent!

Back in the USA

This latest posting is coming from Seattle - home of Starbucks coffee shops. I saw the original one today.

The rain finally caught up with me on my last day in Victoria, but I still enjoyed visiting the lovely British Columbia government building (see picture) and the maritime museum.

Then I caught the ferry across the straits of Juan de Fuca into the Puget Sound and down to Seattle. In terms of border crossings it's a very pleasant and easy way to enter the USA, but I still had to explain the reason for my visit at both ends of the ferry ride.

It's been raining here too so I decided to have a morning off from sightseeing and did laundry, grocery shopping and other chores instead. My sightseeing this afternoon has been all free: the very entertaining Klondike Gold Rush experience (which counts as a national park not a museum so is free), the Pikes Place Market, and the public library - a very spectacular modern building.

This is another nice hostel, with a comfy, quiet lounge as well as the usual kitchen, dining, computer, games, laundry and library facilities, and really nice shower rooms. Here's a picture of the dormitory so you get an idea of how I'm living these days!

Victoria and around

Despite gloomy forecasts, the rain has held off (almost all the time) so I've been able to enjoy the parks and countryside around Victoria as well as the city itself. Yesterday I had a sunny walk along the Gorge - which is in fact a tidal inlet - part of the same waterway that forms the harbour in Victoria. After a traditional fish and chip lunch at Fisherman's Wharf, I was treated to a horse and carriage ride around some of the sights, as Shannon's part-time job is driving one of the carriages. That was great, as it's the sort of thing I would never normally do.

Today we drove out through some of the lovely suburbs and along the coast to Elk Lake for a walk through the woods - a chance for Shannon's hyper-active little dog Pancho to burn off some of his excess energy. And then a delicious dinner at a seafood restaurant.

Tomorrow I catch the ferry to Seattle and back to the USA!

Vancouver Island

My luck with the weather continues. It turned out bright with sunny spells for my first day in Victoria on Vancouver Island. The journey here yesterday consisted of a bus, a train, a bus, a ferry and another bus to the centre of Victoria where I was met by Shannon, who I'm staying with here, before catching a final bus to her apartment. The ferry trip through the gulf islands was very misty and atmospheric.

Today I've enjoyed the Royal BC Museum with excellent exhibits about First Nations culture as well as history after Europeans arrived, and some really good natural history stuff as well. Then Shannon and I had a walk through the picturesque Beacon Hill Park to the sea shore, and back along the waterfront where there is a delightful colony of houseboats.

The picture shows the government building.

Sad to be leaving Vancouver

Vancouver has been my favourite place so far. The excellent hostel and glorious weather have helped, but I think I'd still have like this city. It's got mountains, forests and beaches and is very photogenic.

Yesterday I went on a day trip organised by the hostel which included some of the iconic buildings of the city, a wonderful woodland walk, a picnic by a beautiful river with clear, emerald green water (photos don't do the colour justice), crossing a canyon over a waterfall on a swaying suspension footbridge, and visiting chinatown and a beautiful chinese garden. There was so much included, I've probably forgotten some of it.

Today I went over to Granville Island on possibly the smallest passenger ferry in existence - it look like something a child would play with in the bath - where I visited the market and some more peaceful beaches. Then I spent all afternoon at the aquarium which houses everything from tropical tree frogs to beluga whales. I saw the seals and sea lions being fed and the dolphins doing their acrobatic display but I think my favourite animal was the sea otter which lies on its back in the water apparently fast asleep with its paws tucked under its chin.

It's impossible to choose which pictures to include here. I'm planning to upload a much bigger selection of photos than I can fit here onto a photo sharing site and put links here, so watch this space. At least today I've managed to find one of me where I'm not wearing the same green fleece as in all the others.

Walking in Vancouver

Two great walks these last two days. Round the delightful Stanley Park yesterday, where you follow the sea wall for around five miles round a wooded peninsular, stopping to look at lighthouses, bridges, statues and totem poles en route. And today a two hour slog up Grouse Mountain. This is known as the Grouse Grind and is very steep, mainly steps. The champions do it in about 25 minutes - but that's running and would be madness. The route down is via cable car. For today's expedition I teamed up with a fellow traveller from Altrincham who happens to be going round the world in the same direction as me and who I have seen in New York and Toronto as well as here - small world.

I have been investigating the workings of this blog and have changed two settings. One should mean that people who are followers get an alert when I add something new. Please let me know if it works. The other should mean that people with the right sort of email account (and presumably that includes all the followers) can post comments - but you may have to work out how to do this yourselves as I haven't sussed that bit out yet. If anyone works it out, let me know how it works so I can tell others.

Finally, a picture to make you smile.

Sunny Vancouver!

I had been expecting rain in Vancouver but it has welcomed me today with sunshine and blue skies. It's a beautiful city. I walked along the shore, this morning and realised that - of course - it's the Pacific Ocean that was lapping at my feet.

If the weather stays like this I'll be doing plenty of walking, both in Stanley Park which is a massive urban oasis on the waterfront, and on nearby hills. But there's also lots to do if the sunshine doesn't last.

The picture shows an Inukshuck - a traditional landmark and welcoming sign.

The final day on the train was the most exciting in terms of scenery. Day one was forests and lakes, day two was farmland, day three was mountains. We hit the Rockies mid morning, and had a break at the ski resort of Jasper. To give an idea of the luxury I've been enjoying for the last few days - this is the dinng car.

On the Train

I'm not actually on the train as I type this. I'm in the station at Winnipeg where we have a four hour break. You can't get on the internet on the train.

Travelling by sleeper train is brilliant. The roomette is tiny - about four feet by six - but has everything you need apart from a shower, which is along the corridor. When the bed folds down that pretty well fills the space, but when it's up there's a seat, a washbasin and even a loo, hidden under a cover so it doesn't look too much like a loo, and lots of cubby holes and switches for lights, fans, etc.

But you spend most of the time in the seating and viewing cars or the dining car. It's like being on a cruise. Three lovely meals a day, and continuous tea, coffee, cakes and fruit. Everyone makes friends and chats. Even at the station waiting to board you are in a private lounge with free hot drinks - like flying first class.

Yesterday we spent the whole day going past trees and lakes. I'm told that today we will start to see farmland, and then mountains the final day. It's hard to get your head round how much empty space there is in Canada!

By the way - my final day in Toronto I went up the CN tower and exlpored some different corners of the city, but ended up once again on the same artficial beach as on the first day.

I've not been keeping track of news and current events much, but like everyone else in the world I've kept up with the story of the Chilean mine rescue. How great to have a happy ending to a news story!

Niagara Falls

Had a great day trip from Toronto to Niagara Falls today, including going on the Maid of the Mist boat right up close to the foot of the falls, where you get soaked. My feet have only just dried out. It's definitely one of the 1001 things to do before you die.

Yesterday was a glorious sunny day in Toronto - they're having unusually warm weather - apparently this time last year it was freezing. I discovered the artificial beach they've made down by the docks, and sunbathed! In the morning I saw an exhibition featuring some of the chinese Terracotta army who are visiting the Royal Ontario Museum. So that's another of those 1001 things ticked off, saving me a trip to China.

It was Canadian Thanksgiving Day today - a public holiday. Yesterday the hostel laid on a special Thanksgiving Dinner - turkey and all the trimmings, including stuffing, cornbreads and sweet potato mash, followed by pumpkin pie. Today I was going to cook for myself but the shops were shut when we got back from the trip so I had the hostel dinner again - basically leftovers from yesterday - so it's been a bit like Boxing Day.

Tomorrow I start my great railway journey across Canada. Four nights and three days on a train watching the landscape go by. I might finally get round to doing some work on that novel I'm supposed to be writing!

Autumn colours

Today I had my first taste of the endless expanse of the Canadian landscape as I travelled by bus from Montreal to Toronto via Ottawa (about seven and a half hours). On the way up through the northern United States from New York I was hoping to see the the famous autumn colour, but it was subdued under grey skies and rain. Today in Canada I've had a brilliant display of colourful foliage. Under clear blue skies the trees just glowed in the sunshine. All the shades of red, orange, yellow and gold contrasting with some silver-grey trees that have already lost their leaves, some pale green that have yet to turn, and some dark green evergreens.

I am in a hotel room tonight with a king-sized bed and my own bath! Back to roughing it tomorrow as I shift over to the Toronto Hostel for a couple of nights, so I'll make the most of the facilities here!

I enjoyed my second full day in Montreal, joining a walk organised by the hostel up the Mont Royal including going for a taste of the local speciality - poutine - which is based on chips and gravy, but with all sorts of delicious things piled on top!

Montreal

I had my first border crossing yesterday so I'm reporting from the second country of my tour. Montreal didn't seem very welcoming at first - pouring with rain and the walk from the station to the hostel could have been through any modern city centre. But today it's redeemed itself. The sun shone at least part of the time and I've explored the old town, the waterfront and chinatown, and crossed to the Ile Ste Helene to see the biosphere which is a fabulous building full of exhibitions and activities to do with the environment. A lot of it is aimed at children, but there were very few people around so I played on the water activities, etc. The guide who showed me round the eco-home was so keen to have at least one person at her interactive talk on pollination that she made me a free cup of tea!

The Chateau Ramezay museum which was very highly recommended is closed for restoration unfortunately, but its garden was open, and there I enjoyed an exhibition of pumpkins, gourds, courgettes and squashes, which was much more interesting than you are thinking.

I'd not decided if I was moving on to Toronto on Saturday or Sunday so I'd not booked either place for Saturday night and intended to decide when I got here. What I didn't know is that this is a big holiday weekend in Canada and both hostels are now fully booked. So I may have to treat myself to a night in a hotel - thought presumably they will be pretty busy too!

New York, New York

Went on a tour of Brooklyn yesterday organised by the Hostel, finishing with a walk across the Brooklyn Bridge back to Manhattan. After the official tour finished we also went to the World Trade Centre site and the Wall Street area. It was nice to be with a group of people, but reminded me of the difficulty of several people all agreeing what to do next! Our party consisted of a Mexican, a German, a Turkish girl, a Scot, and Chinese lad, a Canadian and me.

Today I went on the Staten Island Ferry to get the views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline. I spent a little time over on Staten Island - it seems most people just turn round and come back on the next boat, but I found a nice second hand bookshop and cafe.

Then it was uptown again to see the Cathedral of St John the Divine and the neighbouring Peace Park. In the Cathedral there was an amazing artwork which I would have missed if another guest here hadn't mentioned it to me. It's impossible to describe, other than to say it was a virtual meal on a table at which passers-by could sit. Ask me about it sometime.

Finally today I went for a cycle ride in Central Park - see picture!

Enjoying New York

Sorry to leave several people in suspense for a few days after my last post. Only just managed to get connected to the hostel's wireless connection. The later flight turned out to be a blessing in disguise - I got a window seat instead of being stuck in the middle, and there was an empty seat next to me.

New York is living up to expectations, and I'm exhausted trying to fit everything in at the same time as adjusting to the time difference. Today has included Grand Central Station, St Patrick's Cathedral, the Museum of Natural History for an exhibition about Scott and Amundsen's race to the South Pole, Penn Station to book my ticket to Montreal (I'm advised there'll be a rail replacement bus service for half the journey -seriously!) and the Empire State building at sunset (well just after sunset, after all the queues, but there was still a red glow in the sky). Spectacular!

Yesterday I walked about 10 miles down Broadway and up 5th Avenue, taking in Columbus Circle, Time Square, etc, and finishing up with a stroll thought Central Park. Tomorrow I'm going on a tour of Brooklyn organised by the hostel. The weather was glorious - great for photos, but I'm showing the only one that has me on it, taken in Times Square.

On my way

I'm on my way at last and it looks like I'm getting the glitches over with early. The flight from Manchester was so late I missed my connection and am now booked on to a later flight. So I thought I'd take the opportunity to see what it feels like to use an internet cafe to update my blog.
I hope next time I'm on line it'll be with more positive news to report.