Author: Greg

  • Arrival in Lisbon – February 13th

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    Greg

    We arrived in downtown Lisbon about 4:00 p.m. Laura had arranged for our Air B&B host to meet us at a nearby parkade as there was no parking provided with the rental and street parking is hard to get. We are in an old part of Lisbon and the streets are narrow and definitely not…

  • Minor Snafus

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    Greg

    No trip goes precisely as planned. Our trip to Lisbon went well but there were a couple of minor hiccups. The ticketing in Seattle went well. But in Amsterdam there was a difference of opinion between the Transfer Desk and the boarding gate. The latter wanted a boarding pass for Jasper (for whom it was…

  • Travel to Lisbon

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    Greg

    We spent Sunday night with Laura’s brother’s family in Seattle . We were well looked after by Brian, Ally, Olivia and Clare and had a good time watching the Super,Bowl ( at least the second half) with them and Laura’s, sister, Sarah, and her husband, Kevin. Our flight to Amsterdam left Seattle at 2:30. We…

  • Travelling with two small kids

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    Greg

    Jesse and Laura are well-organized, but still our carry-ons look daunting. Airport security was not busy and the little ones seem to get you some goodwill. So, we got through security fairly easily and are now waiting to board.

  • Twenty Pockets Too Many

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    Greg

    Preparing for this trip, I decided to buy a travel vest so that I could keep my passport and credit cards safely tucked away in a hidden inside pocket. I chose an expensive one because it had 26 pockets.This seemed like a good idea until it took me 6 minutes to find my passport at…

  • A good start

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    Greg

    Not sure how they did it but Jesse and Laura arrived right on time early this morning. The car was full – luggage for 5, two car seats and a stroller. I had to have my backpack at my feet. We made it to Mount Vernon for a first bathroom and feeding stop. The first…

  • Not my Dad’s Luggage

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    Greg

    My dad was born in 1889 in Bottineau, North Dakota. He came to Canada in the early 1900’s, like lots of others, to get free land in Saskatchewan and Alberta as a homesteader. He married late but by all accounts he travelled quite a bit (presumably by train and steamship) as a young man. He…

  • Lots of Time to Pack- Wrong!

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    Greg

    Earlier this week I thought that I had lots of time to gather my things and pack. It appears that I may have been wrong: I was counting on the fact that I still had all day tomorrow to finish organizing and do my packing. But, Jesse has just (late Friday night) asked that I…

  • Preparations for Trip

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    Greg

    Nothing spectacular to comment on today. I did some more tweaking of the website to adjust it for a trip to Portugal and Spain. I did pick up Euros and some US Dollars and I spent some time gathering some information on our planned destinations. Jesse and Laura are experienced travellers and like to do…

  • Change of Plans and Cancellation of trip to Chile

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    Greg

    After watching all that has happened in Chile as a result of the wildfires, we have decided to quickly change plans. Instead of travelling to Chile, we will now travel to Portugal and Spain. Jesse and Laura (mainly Laura I think!) have been scrambling to change the flights and other reservations etc. It looks like…

  • Concern re Wildfires

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    Greg

    The news of the deaths and destruction from the recent wildfires in Chile is distressing. I can’t help but think about the impact on the average people in those towns which have been affected. We will be flying into Santiago initially and will have to assess the situation once there and change our plans accordingly.

  • Pope Prays for Wildfire Victims

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    Greg

    Pope Francis prayed on Sunday for the victims of wildfires in Chile. Forest fires raging in central Chile have killed at least 46 people and the death toll is likely to keep climbing, authorities said on Saturday, as emergency services battled to snuff out flames threatening urban areas.