These pictures do not look too good to me, but I hope they'll improve once I complete this message. SR flew in from Dawson this weekend for a visit. I haven't seen him since Christmas, so it was good to see him. We went to Natasha's birthday party and saw all the relatives on Friday. Saturday, we went to see the Davinci Code at the theatre (it is EXACTLY like the book) (and long, but good). And I bored him on Sunday with pictures of my vacation, then he took me out to dinner. He is working at his dad's gold mine (Ross Mining) about 2 hours outside of Dawson City. He is always working...in fact, this was apparently his first day off from the 1st of May, so he's learning a lot. It was great to see him. I drove him to the airport this morning (what a good mother I am...he had to be at the airport at 6:15 AM!!!!). Driving out of Granger, the sun was shining on Heckle Hill and with the fresh snowfall, it was picture perfect. Unfortunately, I remembered to take my coffee with me and not my camera. So when I returned home, I grabbed the camera and drove out for pictures. Now the blog site seems to be acting up, so it is difficult to see the snow on the top of the mountain, but it was really there - and on June 5th! We have had rain all weekend and it is expected to last until Wednesday. Of course, I am trying to get all the yardwork done before the operation on my hand (June 14th) but the weather is sure slowing me down. So there you have it - my son was in town and it is snowing on the mountains. And that's the news from the north.

It's hard to believe that a week ago I was standing in Europe. This is a shot of the island of Chios at 6:00 AM from the NEL Ferry on my way to Lesvos. That was one crazy ride - overnight with a boatload of Greeks on their way to their Easter weekend with family. All cabins were taken, all seats were taken and the rest of the people (including myself) were camped on the floor on sleeping bags, sheets or whatever they could find to sleep on. As Debbie said, it looked like a refugee ship. What a way to start our holiday. We had many unique experiences and many laughs along the way. Certainly a trip to remember. Back in the old home town once again - trying to catch up on gardening, lawncare and summering up the house (if you remember I left in a blizzard, so lots of winter things to stash away), and still sorting through 6 weeks of mail. Heather and Len (Andrea's sister) are on their way to Whitehorse - they are in Victoria right now, so they should be here in a couple of weeks. And for all you sports fans out there, don't forget the World Cup of Soccer starts June 9th. Here is the link to the Fifa World Cup website if you are interested: http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com/06/en/index.html or if you want the TV sched, here it is: http://soccer.sportsnet.tsn.ca/TV/ You'll know my schedule too if you check out the TV site. Now it's time for me to put my holiday pictures away and start taking new pictures for the site. Ciao.

I can't believe it took me this long to actually see the leaning tower of Pisa. It was one (of the many) highlights of my trip. Construction of this tower began in 1174 and it started to tilt after the completion of the first 3 stories which, they discovered, was because it was not built on solid rock, but water-soaked clay. Eventually it was completed and if straight, would measure 180 feet tall - the tilt is about 14 feet from perpendicular. The tilt worsened and in 1990 was closed to the public. It is now stabilized and tours now continue (maximum 35 to 40 people at a time ) at a cost of about 30 Euros. It is quite the site to see.

A while back, while on the island of Naxos, Debbie and I met two women from New Orleans (Diana and Nancy). They filled us in on the the politics of the hurricane in the area, of the president of the country and many many other U.S.A. topics. It was all very interesting. Before we left the island, we all went out to dinner at an excellent restaurant which George (our hotel host) recommended. Of course, the Greek meal was wonderful.

, Just a quick blog to let you know we are still alive and happy in Italy. We rented a car - darn, they upgraded us which is what we did not want in Italy - and just started driving in Tuscany. We found Agritourismo was the way to go for accommodations. The first picture is a room we had in Luginano, in the home of Cristina, Dino and Mamma. The house was very old and they made their own wine and olive oil - of course we not only sampled their wine but took some with us. The next picture is a house we rented from Claudio and another Mamma. This one was in Ferrone, just outside of Imprenatta. We stayed there for 3 days. From there, we toured Chianti Country and it is just as beautiful as Francis Mayes writes in her books, Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany. We are currently in Milan - by Malpensa airport actually, and will fly home tomorrow, so will put some more pics on the blog once I am on my own computer. Ciao for now.

Ah Venice! A Mother's Day celebration in St Marks Square. Debbie and I deserved it. There is music around every corner. This fellow was singing opera in a small campo, his voice resounding off all the walls. We had a great time. The weather was perfect. We even had a thunder storm but it was in the middle of the night! Perfect. Alas, all good things come to an end and we boarded a train today and are now in Florence. It is even hotter here than in Venice. Tomorrow we are on our way to Pisa to see if that tower has fallen over yet, then renting a car for a drive about. Our holiday is soon coming to an end, only 10 more days!!!

OK, just to prove Debbie and I are alive and well, here we are in Naxos on our last day there. Since that day we went to Glyfada, Athens, a town we would not go to ever again (but now we know), then flew to Venice. Four glorious days there and are now in Florence, the home of Pinnochio.

We are now out of greece and into italy. Venice is just as beautiful as I remembered. The weather is sunny and hot (still) and we are going to a baroque concerto in a lovely old hall tonight. Over to Murano tomorrow to see them blowing glass then a couple more days of hanging out in Venice .. which is not too hard to take. I now have to brush up on my Italian and try to forget my Greek .. which I was just catching on to. So, ciao for now.

The wind has finally stopped and now we can feel the sunshine. We go every other day to our local baker who bakes his bread on a wood fired oven (pictured above)...and I must say it is the best bread I have ever tasted. His father owned the bakery before him and now his son works there too as well as his wife. .80 euros for a loaf. The other picture is one of our local bars, which we visit in the late afternoon for our ouzo or Alpha beer. I love the young man who serves us and waves to us every time we pass his place during the day. Well, we're off to the beach now and later will dine with the two women who are in the same family hotel as we are now staying in. Life is good! Yassas....

Naxos

We found the island of our dreams - Naxos. This first picture is of the temple they started building but never finished - they got the door frame done ONLY...the island is that layed back and no cruise ships so no hoards of tourists invading all the time. Last night we went to a jazz festival in a section of the castle that used to house the prisoners. This building is 800 years old and above is the room used for the festival. The walls are made of granite and marble which was from the original acropolis of the island. The mortor is a mixture of volcanic ash (shipped over from Santorini), sand and crushed marble, and the ceiling is made of cedar and juniper wood, seaweed and straw. The accoustics are phenominal. On Saturday, we are going to hear classical music in this same room. During intermission, they serve you wine or the liqueur of the island Citron which is made from the leaves of the citron tree (between a lemon tree and a grapefruit tree). And possible on Sunday we will hear modern Naxos music and at the end, learn how to Greek Dance. Our hotel is right beside the most beautiful sandy beach - now we are waiting for the winds (apparently from the Black Sea) to stop blowing so we can enjoy the beach and the sand. Since we are here for a week, we will possible rent a car and drive the island (apparently you can do that in one day, although we have found that buy the time you stop to drink your greek coffee and a gyro and stop to check out a castle or cathedral we do not accomplish as much in one day as most people seem to!!). Next week, will be Glafada (beside Athens) for a couple of days before our flight to Venice. So for now, we are sitting back, relaxing and enjoying the island and all the friendly people. Yassas.

Mykonos

We have now been in Mykonos for 5 days. We find it VERY touristy compared to Lesvos. Time to move on - so are leaving on the fast ferry today for the island of Naxos. We know absolutely nothing about this island so it should be an adventure. Mykonos reminds us a lot of Skagway - lots of little streets lined with stores (esp jewellry). This is a very popular cruise ship stop, so sometimes the town is drowning in foreigners...of course, we don't include ourselves as foreigners! And a lot of beach resorts. It is still the scenic whitewashed town I remember from 30+ years ago - just a lot bigger and faster. Next blog may be from the mysterious Naxos. Kalineekta.

Just have to share another of our favourite restaurant people with you. Don't know his name but he was soo friendly and his mother made goulash for supper (which I had and he was so happy) and we saw him every day and he was always smiling. Here is a pic of his establishment and of him smiling. Loved him and loved the area. Now in Mykonos and will send pics soon!

We drove through Agiassos (forgive me if the spelling is wrong-- Debbie was the navigator and I was the driver) and pictured above is Yanni. We stopped for coffee and Yanni is 80 years old and his father owned the coffee shop before him. He gave us his Greek coffee then more as a gift. We were wired on caffeine when we left. Driving through Lesvos in spring is fantastic!! All the wild flowers are in bloom. As well, there were vans full of birders. Apparently, Levsovs is the place to be now for bird watchers -- the migratory birds from Africa pass through here at this time. In Skala Kalondis, the birds were so thick, we could hardly sleep from the chirping!!We passed this field of poppies and were stunned.

We drove through Lesvos -through roads you won't believe, but we made it. Our favourite spot was Molyvos. Pictured here is the Hotel Sea Horse, which we stayed in and loved!! We loved Demitris, (pictured here) and we loved Molyvos. The people were sooooo friendly and every time we ordered something from a hotel, we got something free. Free ouzo, free walnuts, free.... This island was fantastic, now that we are in Mykonos, we see how un-tourist oriented this island is. The weather was sunny, the people were friendly and we could hardly find anything to buy as there were hardly any stores but the people made the island. WE LOVE LESVOS!!!

Still in Molyvos. We love it here. This is our dinner, drying in the sun. Took a trip to the petrified forest - a 3 million year old forest, pertrified in volcanic lava and ash..turned the trees to a rock like substance in many colours. The road in the north of the island is all mountain roads, barely 2 lanes with a multitude of very narrow hair-pin curves. Quite the ride. Tomorrow we're going to the hot springs to dip in the springs, then into the sea, then into the hotsprings. Going to our local taverna now to eat (dinner is 9-10 PM) then going to watch Barcelona and Milan vie for a spot on the Champions Leaque. Kalispera for now.

Greece

We arrived into Greece! Business class is the only way to go. Stayed 3 days in Athens, to visit the Acroplis, the Plaka - Syntagma Square, Amonia Square, all the old haunts. It was very very hot and our hotel was was very very hot too. Little did we know that Greek Easter is one week after our Easter, consequently, the ferries were all full. We took the cattle run to the island of Mytilini on the island of Lesvos. Debbie and I couldn't believe it. It was like a refugee ship with people (including us) sleeping in the hallways of the ship. The only saving grace was that we were on the top deck and if the ship went down, we would have been the first off. Almost all the shops are closed due to Easter and the early season but our hotel on Mytilini was fine, we could find tavernas to eat in and our rental car is CUTE. We stayed in the port city for a day and planned to drive north on the island but ended up driving south -- oh well. We are now in Molyvos (on the north of the island) (the first picture). It is the village of our dreams. We LOVE it here. The people couldn't be friendlier - we have have free food and ouzo at any of the tavernas we have frequented so far. The roads are the smallest we have ever driven on - one lane for two way traffic, so that takes some getting used to, but we are. The 2nd picture is of Chios, the island before Lesvos at 6:00 AM from the ferry. With the sun just rising on the village it looked beautiful and if we hadn't been sleeping in the halls of the ferry, we would have missed it. Molyvos was FULL during the Easter weekend, with all the Greeks travelling, music, singing, eating, lots and lots of fireworks. It was kind of fun seeing all of this. I'll try to keep up a blog, but this one is very very slow so we'll see how it goes.

from Athens Greece

Made it to Athens. Business class is the ONLY way to travel. Athens is as I remember it - huge, busy, smoggy. Did visit the Acropolis, and walked the streets and now it's time to go to the island. We are leaving on tonight's ferry. The weather is hot - 26 C - but bearable. The ferries are all full as the Greek easter stretches all week, so we were lucky to get one of the 7 available seats. Talk again from Lesvos. I have emailed my picture site to some family and friends. If you too want to see my pics, email me and I'll put you on the list. If you are on the list and have problems, email me and I will try to fix them.

The day before I leave

OK, honestly, I will stop complaining now. Here is a picture of the walkway to my front door and of my driveway with the drifts surrounding my neighbours van. Walking into the backyard, the snow was about 2" above my knees. The next pictures I hope you will see will be of Greece! If I publish more pictures like this, it means I am snowed in, missed my flight and you will also see tear drops falling down the lense. Yassou!

Well, I wasn't planning to blog before I left but... Tomorrow I leave early early in the morning. Today, I could hardly get out of my house. It snowed ALL day yesterday, and it is still snowing now. This is a picture from my upstairs bedroom. The roof was black shingles on Thursday - it is now snow drifts. So, I went out to shovel. Luckily, my neighbour has a four-wheeler with a plough and he came by to help me with my driveway. Even with that I shovelled for 1-1/2 hours. My other neighbour said it reminded him of those news cast pictures you see of them digging out in Newfoundland. Oh well, it's a good way to meet my neighbours and to build my muscles before I put on that bathing suit!

Just a sign-in before I sign-out. Next week at this time I will be climbing to the top of the Acropolis in sunny (I hope) Greece. Should the Greek (and in the last 2 weeks Italian) gods be with me I will blog from Europe, but no promises.
Spring is here although it is the most frustrating time of year. I look out the window at the beautiful sunny day, then go outside to a brisk cool wind necessitating a winter coat and gloves. The snow is melting slowly and the ground is still frozen. That is why I'm looking forward to leaving and returning when I can actually garden and go for walks without watching for mud and huge puddles and when I wash my truck, it may stay clean for more than one day.
I must have spring fever. I cannot seem to accomplish anything, yet start everything. And I feel like napping a lot, yet when I try, I'm not tired. I do take full advantage of dinner offers, theatre and the cinema though and on that note, went to the Arts Centre last night to watch Quartetto Gelato. Like Cynthia Steljes from the group says, Quartetto Gelato is from Toronto, and if you are not familiar with the word, Toronto is a Huron Indian word meaning City Everyone Loves to Hate. I was introduced to their music two years ago by Steve Gedrose (Rose Music) and have loved them ever since. They played a lot from their newest album "Quartetto Gelato Travels the Orient Express" (lots of Hungarian music in that one). My only regret was that Peter DeSotto had laryngitis and couldn't sing. If you have not heard of this quartet you can click here to connect to the Amazon site and when there, about 1/3 of the way down the page, you can listen to samples of their music.
Next, if you want a slow (boring) movie to watch (perhaps you can't sleep one night this will fix that) watch Capote. If you want a good movie to watch (and this suprised me) it is Inside Man.
That's about it from the north. Hope to talk next from the "old countries". Ciao.