The Eagle has landed!

Well here I am in Vence.  Getting here was an adventure as most trips are.  The flight leaving Vancouver was 30 mins. late so that started the ball rolling.  My connections were too tight and as a result I was going to miss my connection in Montreal however they held the plane as there were several people trying for connections in Montreal.  Mad dash for the gate.  Even got to ride in one of those carts that they reserve for the frail, elderly or physically challenged.  Hmmmmm?  By the time that flight left we were running an hour late and when we arrived in Brussels I thought I had time to make it however the terminal was miles away and the very nice airport employee said no way, take your time you have been rebooked on the flight at 2:00 pm.  Well that was 4.5 hrs. to wait.  Arghh!  Had to find WiFi and the only one I could find was a station that you have to peddle a bike in order to generate the power to run your device and supply WiFi.  How green of them however feeling as jet lagged as I did it wasn't a pretty picture of me on this bike pedalling my ass off and trying to type a quick email to Ulrike & Klaus so that they wouldn't make an unnecessary trip to the airport.  It was definitely a test of my coordination and endurance.
Finally got to Nice which was only 1.5 hr. flight.  Beautiful view of the Côte d'Azur and the temp was around 15 degrees.  Couldn't get better than that except now I have been awake 24 hrs. and just found out my luggage has not arrived.  It's in Montreal!  Go figure.  I guess that extra $100 that I paid Air Canada for the privilege of bringing a second piece of checked luggage didn't ensure I would actually receive my luggage.  As of right now I am still wearing the clothes that I put on the morning of Jan.2nd.  How lovely is that?  Thank heaven I threw in a toothbrush and toothpaste.  Oh yeah, in my rush to make my connection in Montreal my E Reader fell out of my bag and if it does get turned into Lost & Found I have to pick it up in Montreal!  Anyone going to Montreal soon?
On the up note it is beautiful here.  Walked into Vence this morning for my Latte and croissant.  Got lost on the way back but eventually found my way.  I drive the family to the airport tomorrow.  Should be interesting to see how long it takes me to find my way back.  This picture is of the patio and that is the Mediterranean in the distance.  The picture doesn't do it justice.  Stay tuned for more adventures.

I'm on my way!

I'm at the airport at YVR awaiting my flight to Montreal.  It's just part of the journey as I will then go to Brussels and then on to Nice.  I'm sure I'll be a train wreck when I arrive but that's the price you pay for travel.

The sun is out.  It's a beautiful day in Vancouver.  Cold....it's just about freezing but the snow on the mountains is beautiful.

Sue and Steve (my sister and brother) took me to the airport and we had a lovely breakfast before we said 'Au Revoir' for now.

Countdown to Vence!

Only 12 more days until I leave for France.  I'm getting excited. The weather should be better than what we generally experience in January and February here on the west coast so I am looking forward to that!  Focusing on Xmas at this time and spending as much time with family as possible.

We felt the earth move!

Well our trip has come to an end.  We finished our trip with a final day at the beach(s) and then headed home from Bangkok.  Early morning with a stop over in Tokyo.  While we were waiting at the gate for our last flight of our journey we heard a rumbling and then the building started to shake.  Felt like a freight train coming through.  EARTHQUAKE!

 I looked at Marlene and she looked at me and its like what now?  After a few minutes which felt like an hour it stopped.  The airport reported no damage and our flight was delayed by about a half hour.  Couldn't wait to get on that plane.  Sue met me at YVR airport which was wonderful.  I love travelling but getting home is always the best part!  Stay tuned for more adventures as I will continue my blog in January when I depart for France!

Beaches, beaches, beaches!

Today Kathy arranged for her driver to take us up the west coast of Phuket Island so that we could see some of the other beaches.  There were so many and not busy at all.  We ended the day on the northern part of the island (close to the airport) where Kathy is staying for a few more nights before heading home.  We had a great dinner on the beach, sipping wine and watching fireworks set off on behalf of the King's birthday.  Heading back to Bangkok tomorrow in preparation to heading home.  Sigh!

Dinner at Patong Beach

Kathy, Marlene and I had a wonderful dinner at a little restaurant overlooking Patong Beach.  Gorgeous sunset!  Great friends, great food, great beer!  What more could I want?

Patong Beach, Phuket

Here we are on Phuket.  I never figured that this is like another Waikiki!  I thought the town of Phuket would be a sleepy little village with pristine beaches surrounding it.  NOT!  It's a bustling place with lots of people.  This is "Happy Street" which is like a cross between Vegas and New Orleans at Mardi Gra.

Our resort is amazing with 3 large pools.  We met up with Kathy who is showing us around as if she's lived here forever.  Going up island tomorrow to some quieter beaches.  We'll leave Ko Phi Phi to next time as there is too much to see and too little time.