Gorgeous day hike on a small section of the Peaks of the Balkans trail

This week seems to have flown by. We probably should have stayed here two weeks! But, we've already booked our onward accommodation in the capital city of Pristina and so we head out tomorrow.

Yesterday, we made arrangements to do a hike with David and Mircie. We have a car, so they left their van at a secure parking and hopped in the car with us.

High on the cliffs of the Accursed Mountains

We had done a via ferrata route in Norway back in June and really enjoyed it. Myself more than Ruth, but she was sure proud of herself when she accomplished it. And we wanted to do another one. Again, myself more than Ruth, but although she was hesitant, she didn't say no.

So we met with our new friends David and Mirsie at the Balkan N Adventure location just at the entrance to the National Park where we rented the safety equipment for the day.

Puppies, waterfalls, caves, bats, and new friends!

We had a 10:00am rendezvous set up with David and Mirsie, a couple from Scotland who have been following this blog and are currently in Kosovo with their van. We were meeting at the parking lot of the short hike to the Withe Drin Waterfall.

But while the waterfall was nice enough, the real surprise was the nearby cave that we hadn't planned on!

Checklist to follow when you travel by air

Traveling by air is one of the most widely used forms of transportation for long distances. It's not only fast but also safe. The process of traveling is seamless when you plan properly. This guide will highlight some things to add to your checklist before your flight. 

Amazing history and paintings at the Patriarchate of Peja Monastery

Another gorgeous blue sky day. Would have loved to go up into the mountains again, but we're here for a week so we have lots of time. Besides, we needed to give our legs a rest from the hike the day before. So we decided to stay in town and see what there is to see. That still involved some walking, but at least it wasn't uphill.

First stop was the Rugova Canyon visitors center. They have four different via ferrata routes in the canyon and we want to do some of them. We really enjoyed when we did the via ferrata in Norway and have been looking forward to doing another one.

What a great welcome for a couple of tourists!

It was after 10:30am when we set off through the city of Peja and up into the hills behind the city.

There are sooo many hiking trails to choose from. We're going to have an active week here! But we haven't done a decent hike in quite a few weeks, so we figured we'd start off with a fairly short one. It didn't turn out that way though!

Welcome to Kosovo, country number 54

It was a long driving day! We were on the road just after 8am in order to get up to Tirana airport to drop off Tony and Helen for their flight back to England. Then at the airport we were switching cars (more on that below) and then doing the three hour drive from Tirana, Albania to Peja, Kosovo.

But first, a quick stop at the beach!

Wonderful day trip to Osumi Canyon

This was the third time Ruth and I have been to Osumi Canyon. The first time, we did a river rafting trip. Then the next day, we drove back to explore the top of the canyon. It's a really pretty part of Albania, and we wanted to show it off to Helen and Tony.

And, it was a beautiful blue sky day!

Hmm. This is kind of creepy.

We managed to get out for a nice walk in the hills behind Berat despite the threat of rain. And in fact it did rain for a fair bit of the afternoon. It looks like that is all done with now though as the sunshine and blue skies have returned for the next week.

5 Essential Practices for Safer Travels

Traveling can be an enjoyable and eye-opening experience. However, don’t let yourself get swept up by the excitement and forget about security and safety considerations on your vacation, especially if you’re taking an overseas trip. This is even more important if you’re a first-time traveler. After all, it could cause you more than a few headaches and negatively impact your adventure. To that end, here are some essential practices to keep in mind when traveling abroad.

Here's where we're going next!

Yesterday was supposed to be a rain day, and actually it was... it just didn't start until later than they forecast. So we did end up walking up to Berat Castle with Helen and Tony and showing them around a bit before Ruth and I headed back down for our 11:00am dentist appointment.

Nobody likes going to the dentist. But if you have to go, this kind of experience makes it a little more likeable.

Return to Berat... but where next...?

Yesterday morning we did the three hour drive from Gjirokaster to Berat. Mixed weather the whole way with a few rain showers and a high of about 22C (72F).

Ruth and I have spent quite a lot of time in Berat. We were here for two weeks in the spring of last year and almost three more weeks when we were here with Max last November.

Upcoming travel decisions

Yesterday was a busy work day, so Ruth and I didn't even leave the house. Which was okay in the morning because it also started off being a rain day! Helen and Tony managed to get out for a walk around the village though.

Besides doing some internet work, I was also doing some future travel research and planning. The problem is that we can't decide where to go!

Busy day with some beach time

We were up and on the road just after 9am Monday morning. Lots of exploring to do. They were all to places Ruth and I had been to before, but we wanted to show Helen and Tony some of these attractions.

It was about a 45 minute drive through the mountains to the popular Blue Eye. Ruth and I had been here in April of last year and it's an interesting natural geographical feature. What a lot of changes in a year and a half though!

Tepelena and the Peshtures Waterfall

Ruth and I had visited the Peshtures Waterfall a year and a half ago. It's known as the most beautiful waterfall in Albania, and both the drive up and the hike to get to it are pretty spectacular as well. 

We were worried that we might get up there and there wouldn't be any water at this time of year!

Gjirokaster, and dinner with the lamb master!

Really enjoying the weather. Beautiful high of 27C (81F) in Gjirokaster yesterday, although in the morning we drove up into the mountains at 4,000' and it was certainly a bit cooler up there.

Ruth and I had done a drive and hike up the mountain when we were here last year. The views are spectacular, and the mountain road is a fun drive.

We love these kinds of travel experiences!

We woke up to absolutely perfect blue sky and sunshine and it stayed that way all day. With a high of 27C (81F). No complaints here!

It was supposed to be a relax day where we just went for a walk in the area, and it pretty much was except for one detour Tony and I took to go investigate an old monastery well hidden in the forest.

Long scenic drive to our next destination!

We were up and out of our apartment at 8:00am yesterday morning. It's only 235 kms (146 miles), but most of it is on a twisty windy narrow road leading through the mountains. And there is no direct way. So it's about a five hour drive!

But we broke it up with a couple of stops along the way, including a long lunch break in the town of Permet.

The three borders area of Albania, North Macedonia, and Greece

Yesterday, we hopped in the car and did a day trip to the area where the borders of Albania, North Macedonia, and Greece meet. 

The actual border point is located in the center of Lake Prespa.

Day trip to North Macedonia. Country number 53

There is a monastery complex located just across the border between Albania and North Macedonia that Helen and Tony wanted to see, so we drove the short distance to the border, and walked across. 

We could have driven the rental car across, but we would have had to pay €40 extra for insurance coverage so we didn't feel it was worth it.

It's always good to stop and smell the roses

We were all up early as we looked forward to sitting on our balcony patio to watch the sun come up over the mountains.

Pogradec is a popular beach town in the summer, even though the beach is on a lake and not the sea. Beach season here has pretty much passed though because Pogradec gets a little cooler by October whereas the seaside is still warmer.

We're on holiday for the next two weeks!

Sunday morning, we were up at silly o'clock (3am) for the two and a half hour drive from Tony and Helen's place to London's Gatwick airport in order to make our 9am flight to Tirana, Albania.

What a great day to be leaving England. It rained most of the way to the airport and was pouring down as we got on the plane.

We had a fair bit of travel expenses for the month

Well, another month has gone by and here we are at October 1st!

Just a recap... we started September in Nova Scotia and then flew to Ottawa for a ten day visit. From there, we flew Montreal to Amsterdam and then Amsterdam to London. We spent 4 nights in London, then took the bus to Leeds where we bounced around for just over a week. Then took the bus to Bristol and spent a week in the village of Keinton Mandeville.

5 Fun Activities to Do in Ontario During the Fall Season

Summer may be over, but that doesn’t spell the end of great outdoor activities in Ontario. The province boasts plenty of fun things to do that are specific to the fall season. 

Discover a few of the awesome activities autumn in Ontario has to offer!

We love visiting castles!

So with our new English Heritage pass in hand, Helen drove us all over to Old Wardour Castle near Tisbury, England. 

Just to give you some basic history of the building... Old Wardour Castle was built in the 1390's. It was partially destroyed and abandoned during the English Civil War of 1644. 

What's a castle without a moat?

We had been to the town of Sherborne before... when we visited Helen and Tony way back in 1987. But that was 35 years ago! So we wanted to return.

Tony is still working this week, but Helen took us for a drive. Our first stop was the old castle ruins. We have a few photos from when we were there in 1987, and it probably hasn't changed at all, but we like castles.

The cliffs on England's Jurassic Coast

England's Jurassic Coast is a 95 mile (153 km) stretch of cliffs on the south western coast of England. It is so named because of the number of fossils and rock formations that date from the Jurassic period around 150 million years ago.

There are a lot of walking trails in the area, in fact you can walk the entire 95 miles if you wish, staying at accommodation in villages along the way. 

Good news, and glorious views!

We'll get the good news out of the way first! The tax refund credit for our new laptops that we bought in Norway finally came through. 

One of the reasons we bought our laptops in Norway was because we could claim back a credit of the big 25% tax rate there. It turned out that because of the forced involvement of a third party company (Global Blue) that supposedly makes things easier, you only get back a portion of what you should have got back. But it was still enough to make the final purchase price better than what we would have had buying the same items in Canada.

Great food and lots of laughs

Sunday was roast lunch day, so we spent the morning visiting with Helen and Tony and their son Stu and his girlfriend Harriet. Then their daughter Kelly showed up with her boyfriend Wayne.

The roast pork was smelling delicious and we were all hungry when lunch was served!

I had just about given up

On Saturday, we did the long bus ride from Leeds to Bristol. But first, we had to get from the village of Wyke back to the city of Leeds. So at 9:45am we said goodbye to Steve and Glen, and their daughter Claire and her husband Richard. We had a great week, thanks again for having us! We wonder when and where we will meet up again!

Our bus came on time and it was £2 ($2.95 CAD, $2.20 USD) each for the one hour ride back to the Leeds city bus station.

Sights around Halifax, England

The four of us were on the bus just after 9:30am heading east to the small city of Halifax, Yorkshire (pop 88,000).

On the outskirts of Halifax is an estate property called Shibden Hall. The original part of the house was built in 1420, and it was continuously occupied for over 500 years from 1420 to 1933.

Reuniting with Max

It was a rain day yesterday, and I had to work for a couple of hours so we never left the house. Even sat and watched a few trivia game shows on the television in the afternoon! 

But, I also got our trip back to Germany organized.

A good day sightseeing around the city of Bradford, England

We went with Glen and Steve yesterday morning and took the local bus into the city of Bradford. It's £2 per ride, but they have a full day pass for £4.50 ($6.85 CAD, $5.10 USD) each so we bought two day passes with the idea that we might do more than two rides.

We started off with a walk in Peel Park, then a wander around the central downtown area, then lunch out, then a walk up to Lister Park and Cartwright Hall.

You have to watch out for these things

So we're out for another walk yesterday afternoon and a young guy rides up on a bicycle and asks directions to somewhere. He's got no backpack or things with him, so he's obviously local. 

My immediate response was to say "We're not from here, sorry I can't help you". 

But there was no way I was taking my phone out. 

The curry capital of Britain

It was a bit of a drizzly morning here in Wyke, England and with the Queen's funeral taking place it seemed like a good time to do some computer work while glancing up at the television every now and then.

It was interesting watching the procession running through areas where we had been walking only a week or so ago.

Back together with Glen and Steve

Cousin Beryl cooked up a nice English breakfast for us... bacon and sausage and eggs and beans and toast. Nice to set off on a full stomach, and we wouldn't need much lunch. 

Our bus to Leeds left at 10:15am, but that gave us a few minutes where she could drive us around town for a bit of a sightseeing tour before dropping us off at the bus station.

A quick trip to Hull

We took the train from Leeds to Hull yesterday. About an hour ride, and the cost was about £7 ($10.60 CAD, $8 USD) each. Given the choice, we do enjoy the train more than the bus, but the bus is often cheaper. 

We were in Hull to meet up with my mother's cousin Beryl and some of her family. I don't have many relatives on my mother's side of the family since she was an only child, so it's good to keep in touch with the more distant relatives.

This was unexpected...

We had been told of a different kind of walking tour here in Leeds called the Leeds Owl Trail. Apparently there are at least 25 different owls located around the central area in statues and often well hidden in ornamental displays. You can download a map, which I did, but it was difficult to follow, so we stopped by the tourist info office where they sell you a paper one for £1.

So we set off looking for owls.

London to Leeds by bus

I had bought our bus tickets back in mid July. Very often there are some good discounts involved when you buy that far in advance, and that was definitely the case this time. We paid only £7.14 ($10.75 CAD, $8.15 USD) each for the four and a half hour ride with Megabus. And that included £2 each extra for reserved seating so that we were guaranteed to sit together.

Departure time was 11:00am from Victoria Coach Station in downtown London. We left Auntie Nice's house just after 9:30am and that gave us lots of time to get to the bus using train and underground.