We just had 17.9 inches of snow here in Madison. Here, for your viewing pleasure are the pictures....enjoy!

This picture was taken the day after the storm, which appeared clear and cold, cold, cold! This is on Atwood Avenue looking toward Lake Monona. Since the lake wasn't frozen yet, the water was cooler than the air and created the fog you see in the background.

Don't forget.....

to take my new poll at the bottom of my blog! :0)

Seattle and Madison

Ahhhh! A nice bed in my own room, with my own shower....what a luxury! After a great night's sleep I hopped the bus and headed downtown Seattle and spent the day in the City Center.

For all you sci-fi fans, you must come and see the Science Fiction Museum near the Space Needle. They have EVERYTHING related to sci-fi: Robbie the robot, the robot from Lost in Space and R2-D2. Lots of Star Trek memoriabilia, including Spock and Kirk's shirts, and the chair from the show that the Captain sat in on deck. Phasers and other weaponry associated with sci-fi were also included, as well as sci-fi books and other movies like Planet of the Apes, Logan's Run, ET, etc.

Another exhibit was rock and roll. Walk into the exhibit and the first thing you see is a floor to ceiling display with a variety of guitars and keyboards attached. Since Jimi Hendrix is from Seattle, they also had a room displaying his travel notes, guitars and a chronology of his life. Want to chill out to Hendrix music, just have a seat on one of the benches! One room displayed guitars all the way from the 1800's and guitars bought by the likes of Eric Clapton, Eddie Van Halen, Heart, etc. Here you could also chill to a film featuring famous guitarists. I was so fascinated I was taking pictures until I was reminded that no photos were allowed in the displays. Ooops!

The cutest display were the Jim Henson muppets. Children could stage their own muppet show using the muppets provided, with parents sitting in the audience enjoying the show. They were quite awesome!

My next stop was the Space Needle. It's 520 feet in the air, was built for the Expo and the elevator takes only 41 seconds to reach the top. If you happen to stand next to the window of the elevator when it rises and falls, it can be quite an experience seeing the scenery fly by! Once at the top you can look at the 360 degree view from the outside or inside. As it was a cloudy day, it was quite windy at the top and felt cool. My last stop that day was at the Science Museum. The exhibits were awesome and the planetarium show very cool. They even had a live hands-on insect exhibit (yuck) but I did not partake as I am not a bug person.

Seattle's dowtown is one happening place, although I did not get to see the Olympic statutes park, the aquarium, take the underground tour, or see Pioneer Square or China town. I will definitely have to go back to check out all these sights and also find those darn geoducks I was told about! If you're ever bored with the city, there's always the Water Ducks (like our ducks at the Dells) and ferries and cruises to the parks across the water. So, there's always something to do in Seattle, but the one sight I highly recommend that is THE happening place to be is Pike's Place Market. Always something awesome happening there!

If I had to choose between Seattle and Vancouver, Vancouver would win hands down. Canadians are very friendly, Vancouver is easier to get around via public transportation due to it's proximity (Seattle is a long city surrounded by water), prices are much easier on the pocket book and, again, the people really make the city.

Until the next vacation....toodles everyone! Happy travels.

Seattle

After the snafu with the hostel in Seattle, I find myself here at the Sleep Inn near the airport (with free shuttle to said airport) and my very own room. Yes, my very own room! Don't get me wrong, I loved the hostel in Vancouver, but after the Seattle hostel and feeling like a homeless person carrying around my back pack most of yesterday (I couldn't check in until 3:00 p.m.) I couldn't wait to take a shower. And nothing says "tourist" like a person with a huge backpack on their back. Did I mention I had the best shower EVER! :0)

I spent most of the day touring downtown Seattle (yes there's a Starbucks on just about every corner) and found myself at Pike's Place Market. Totally awesome! My first stop was the famous fish market and, yes, I saw flying fish. It is definitely a fish market with character. There are tons of shops in and around the fish market with everything from t-shirts to produce and everything in-between.

Entertainers abound everywhere in the market area. Just across the street from the market is the original Starbucks. There were five men singing beautifully in front of the store and were drawing quite the crowd. Didn't catch their group's name, but did enjoy the music.

Another group that was drawing attention were the pirates. They were awesome. About a dozen guys dressed up as pirates walked through the market up to the street above and eventually boarded a duck boat (like at the Dells) named Moby Duck. I understand this is an annual celebration, but I do not recall the story on it. They were also giving out "pirate coins" and I did receive one. One of the pirates posed for my picture; he reminded me of the guy in the Capital One commercial. Although the market was crowded, when you heard "Pirate coming through with a sword" people moved, and fast. :0)

I also stepped out by the water's edge across from the market (well, as close as you can get in Seattle as a highway runs parallel to the water) and found a gentleman playing the bagpipes. Beautiful. After looking over my pictures from the day last night, I almost got my Seattle pictures confused with my Vancouver pictures....that's how much alike the cities are.

Today is my last day here in Seattle and early tomorrow morning I come home. Until tomorrow.....toodles!

Not all hostels are created equally

So it seems. This hostel is more like one big dorm.....people and things everywhere. NO privacy....not even your room...not even your floor! This is an old house that they just stuck bunk beds in each room...as many as they could. I have to go down two flights of stairs just to use the bathroom, and I haven't even found the showers yet. Ugh! I won't be staying here another night.

On a brighter note, yesterday I had a fascinating day people watching in Vancouver. You know how people walk their dogs (everyone has a dog in Vancouver, it seems), there was a guy walking along the sea wall with a snake! I kid you not....I had to take a second look. Further up the path there sits a guy with a green bird (macaw?), sitting on a picnic bench with his bird on his finger like it was the most normal thing in the world.

I spent most of the day at Stanley Park before heading to the train station and that proved interesting also. While sitting on a bench in the lost lagoon, I see this raccoon come up behind me, sniff around and duck into the bushes. I looked at the two men standing on the bridge who were watching with great interest as to what I would do and I asked them if raccoons bite. They shook their heads no and I went back to reading my paper. I also met a couple ladies who were not just being overly friendly, but had an agenda. That's right, they were Jehovah Witnesses. One was from Korea and the other from Toronto. After politely explaining I had my own religion, they left me alone. Whew! People are very interesting, aren't they?

The trip back on the train was very relaxing....we need a rail system in the U.S., this is the way to travel! Lots of leg room, you can get up and move around, get a snack, take pictures....sure beats flying in a cramped airplane.

Well, I'm off to check out of this place and find me another hotel and begin exploring Seattle! Until tomorrow....toodles!

Goodbye Vancouver

My last day in Vancouver....I'm sad to go! I wish I could stay longer as there is so much more that I haven't seen.

My old roommates have all gone, but I had a new roommate last night--Racqueli (sp?)--who is from Zurich, Switzerland. She is very sweet, although I haven't really gotten a chance to speak with her. She went to sleep fairly early last night as she had been traveling for quite awhile without sleeping, and we only spoke a little this morning.

Yesterday, I toured the city again on a Big Bus--for free! I hopped on/hopped off at sites I wanted to see and it was a blast. I started out at Stanley Park's rose garden, had lunch on the waterfront, and ended up at Granville Island. It all was awesome. My favorite part of Vancouver is still Stanley Park....I could spend days there just exploring it. I will definitely have to come back to Vancouver.

This has been a great leg of my journey. It's interesting, as I walk around the city, I don't feel like I'm in another country. The Canadians are VERY friendly and helpful and the only crabby person I encountered was a Big Bus driver who loved using his horn on other drivers for the slightest traffic infraction. Sheesh! Speaking of Canadian drivers, if they even get a hint that you're going to cross the road at a crosswalk, they stop and waive you on. Amazing. I have never met such kind drivers. As for bicyclists, I read an article and some comments in the Vancouver Sun yesterday and the complaints are the same as we have in Madison (same things we were griping about at lunch last week). The weather has been sunny the entire time I've been here with a nice gentle breeze that makes it so comfortable. I can see why people want to be outdoors, especially since it rains all winter and most of the spring.

That being said, I can't wait to get back to the U.S.--home--and I'm looking forward to exploring Seattle before I come home on Friday.

I'll be posting tomorrow from Seattle....toodles!

This is NOT the Amazing Race, Judi!

It's early morning here in Vancouver and I'm still exhausted from yesterday. Never made it to Grouse Mountain yesterday and had hoped to make it today, but after all, this is my vacation, not the Amazing Race! Grouse Mountain and zip lining will have to wait until another time. I'm just going to take it easy today and hop on/hop off the Big Bus and see all the city sites I wanted to see on my first tour. It's free and hey, why not? I leave tomorrow by train back to Seattle.

Went to the Vancouver Aquarium yesterday and can't wait to show you the pictures. They have two new baby Beluga whales, as well as sea otters, sea lions, and dolphins. The displays of sea life inside the building were amazing....I've never seen these creatures in my life and they were amazing! Can't wait to show you my pictures.

Part of the reason I'm so tired is I stayed up later than usual and was chatting with my roommates. We have an interesting group in our dorm, Lindsay from Minneapolis, Elka from Germany, and Nagako from Japan. Lindsay came here for a conference for her job in a research lab at the University of Minnesota and extended her stay to do some sightseeing. Elka is from Germany and had very interesting stories to tell about her parents who were young people during WWII and her former roommates in another dorm room on the same floor (they were slobs). Nagako, I don't know much about, her English isn't very good and my Japanese is non-existent, so it's hard to communicate. Very fascinating people!

I'm off to see the city....toodles!

Saturday and Sunday--Stanley Park and Lynn Canyon

Saturday I got up early (7:00 a.m., can you believe it?), ate breakfast at Starbuck's and rented a bike. Took the scenic route to Stanley Park via the sea wall and went all the way around the park. There is so much to see at Stanley Park, you would need a few days to see everything. I just caught the perimeter of the park, but it was still beautiful. I have pictures of North Vancouver (Grouse Mountain), a little hideaway that I found off the beaten path, the totem poles and Hallelujah Point. Hallelujah Point is interesting: the story goes that the Salvation Army set up there and held services when Vancouver was a new town. The congregants sang so loud they could hear the "hallelujahs" across the water to the City of Vancouver from that point.

That afternoon I took a Big Bus tour around the city and marked off places I'd still like to see. I don't think it's going to happen though....I'm running out of time! I saw the clock where they're counting down the time until the start of the Olympics here in 2010; the public library which looks like the Roman colesium (sp?) (awesome), the waterfront, including the huge Canadian building where the cruise ships come in (they're huge!!!!), and Granville Island. Near the waterfront is a clock that blows steam on the hour to a tune you mostly hear on grandfather clocks. Very cool. Our bus happened to hit that spot at 3:00 sharp and we watched in awe as the clock sent steam all over while whistling a tune. VanCity seem much smaller after taking a tour and helps you get your bearings. I highly recommend it.

Today I went up to Lynn Canyon. That was quite the adventure and my first real foray into the public transit system. I waited over an hour for the wrong bus and then had to wait another 20 minutes across the street for the right bus. But it all worked out as I met a woman named Susanne who has been EVERYWHERE (Asia, Africa, etc.). She's very British (reminds me of Dame Judi Dench) and a Scottish lady named Jean who runs a B&B near Lynn Canyon. We chatted while we waited for the bus and then headed for the canyon.

So, I bet you all want to know how it was on the suspension bridge?! It was freakin' AWESOME! Less scarier than I expected, but I was scared enough that I couldn't let go and trust myself to stand upright and take a picture down below. Hiked on a trail a bit after the bridge and found a place where there was a beach and teens jumping off the rocks into the water below. Rock on! On the way back from Lynn Canyon I got to take the Seabus (reminds me of the Merrimac Ferry). Had a much easier time getting back from Lynn Canyon, thanks to my iPhone (I was able to get the transit system link via the Internet).

It's only 4:15 here so I think I'm going to hop a bus (now that I know what I'm doing) and head down the Aquarium at Stanley Park. Shanna tells me there's a baby Beluga whale at the Aquarium.

Tomorrow will have to wait for Grouse Mountain.....zip lining here I come!!!

Life in a Hostel

Life in a hostel is a very interesting microcosm of society. I thought it would be just young people, you know the sort, party all night, etc., but boy was I wrong. Very nice, responsible, respectful young people. And not just young people, people my age and older also. I even saw a few young couples with small children.

The only draw back I think to a hostel is the lack of privacy. However, the lack of privacy out weighs the friendships you make. I met a young girl named Shanna, from Edinburgh, Scotland, who has been here for a month job searching. Unfortunately, no job offers came and she is heading back to Scotland on Thursday. But we had a great conversation last night and to tell you the truth, I just loved listening to her lilt!

The pros of staying in a hostel: kitchen to cook your own food; somebody around all the time to "hang" with; laundry facilities....it's like being at home except you don't have to clean up and you're only responsible for picking up your own stuff! I love it!

Interesting thing about the toilets here....they have two flush buttons....1 and 2....you can guess when you use which. Sorry there's no 3 when you do both so you have to decide..... :0)

The food here is fantastic! You RCers will appreciate the meal I had last night at Moxie's Grill on Davie Street.....Fish tacos! They were great, but as you know I don't like a lot of spice, so had to forego the sauce. Then I had this wonderful dessert (you know I always go for the dessert) of a dense chocolate cake drizzled with toffee and topped with toasted almonds and a scoop of ice cream on the side. OMG! It was the best dessert ever!

It is 7:44 a.m. here in Vancouver on Saturday and I'm off to plan my day. I hope to take a bike tour around Stanley Park and also jump on a sightseeing bus and take a tour of the city. Until tomorrow....toodles!

Vancouver!

I made it! It is very HOT here and no AC.

This certainly was an adventure. My plane from Chicago left an hour later than normal which meant I didn't arrive to Seattle until after midnight (2:00 a.m. CDT). Interesting people at the airport....saw a Russian man who hocked a loogie (sp?) in the garbage (I know, gross). Ugh. The people on the train to Vancouver were even more interesting. A guy played his headphones so loud that I could hear him two rows back and then he sang along! OMG! There's a German following me around....just kidding, we ended up at the same hostel and he seems very nice. (He's at the computer next to me....shhhhh! :0)

The train trip was much more interesting as I could take pictures of the beautiful scenery like the mountains and the lakes. Believe they're having a drought here as the water seems very low. I'll have to show you my pics when I return. Some of the farm land along the way reminds me of Wisconsin.

Canadians are very friendly and I'm getting used to the bus service. I made myself take a bus to the hostel even though it would have been easier to take a taxi (and more expensive). I found the train quite confusing. Will have to look into that. :0)

Vancouver here I come!