Singapore in March

First stop, Vancouver...drizzly and cool, but then it's Vancouver!

However, the forecast for Singapore is sunny and 30, so a drizzly breakfast at the Premium Lounge won't daunt my spirits. A stop over in Hong Kong is next, after a movie and a clock resetting nap. Pix at the HK airport to follow.

Well, Hong Kong airport is vast, and of course, where the plane disembarked was a train ride and then a good long walk to the transfer gates that I needed. But the Plaza Lounge is right there, only up two more levels. Scotch never tasted so good!

The comfy couches are most welcome! I have a few hours to burn before the next leg of the trip to Singapore and after the 13+ hours flight, a few hours sitting soft will be most welcome. 

Singapore airport is beautiful, filled with art and plants, many of which are the countries #1 horticultural export, orchids! A couple of snaps taken while heading to the customs area.

Amazing French Bulldog sculpture-glazed mâché I would hazard a guess!

Arrival time was very late, so this is the only snap I took from the limo on the way to The Elizabeth...they drive on the Brit side of the road! This huge Ferris Wheel gives a wonderful view of the harbour. 

Now, to sleep in a very welcomed horizontal position!

A great last day in Quebec

Wonderful weather has made this walking day so very pleasant. The weather has been fabulous! First, breakfast and a couple of crepes were most definitely in order!

Day-starting stop... Parliment.

Everything at the Citadel is enclosed in 20 ft stone and earthen walls. 

Two Guardsmen stood at attention to the entrance to the Citadel

Have I ever mentioned how much I dislike 'selfies'?

Approaching the Plains from the Citadel

And so ends my time in Quebec...steeped in Canadian history where battles, building, settlers and ghosts fought each other, invaders and the elements.

A night with the ghosts

After such a great day, what could be better than hearing a little history and walking the streets and alleys down through the old town. First comment-does this city ever have a lot of canons! 

Our guide, dressed in period clothing and painted up to look very corpse-like, entertained us with crime and punishment from the days when the stocks, hanging in the public square, breaking a confession on the wheel and drawing and quartering were the way crimes were handled.

The 90 minute walk ended in Place Royale, which looked quite different than it did earlier in the afternoon.

The moon was still big, bright and full and looked amazing over the St. Lawrence

This time up, the Funiculaire called my name and the ride up, avoiding the stairs was more than appreciated - and one MUST ride the Funiculaire at least one time! My story-sticking to it...

Tomorrow, after breakfast, the Citadel and the Plains of Abraham.

Checked in

A bit of a break to check in and cool down a bit...it's 32 here today!

The St Lawrence in the background

The Citadel and the Plains of Abraham....right outside my hotel...this is the view from the 20th floor!

And on the other side of the hotel...I think I'm on 'restaurant alley'!

I'll go here tomorrow...tonight I have a 90 minute walking Ghost Tour of Old Town!

Quebec City

A couple of days of sight-seeing in beautiful Quebec. First, a delightful breakfast at the Hotel Frontenac.

Spent the morning and early afternoon walking around Old Town, both upper and lower. Visited a couple of museums and numerous art galleries. What a gorgeous city this is! 

Sometimes it's good to be short!

A bust of Louis XIV in the centre of Place Royale

Someone must shop at Walmart...best use of Walmart goods I've ever seen!

Staff in period clothing were seen everywhere

A playground in lower Old Town

Art? Or decoration????

Tuesday - Wendy's birthday

My last full day in St. John's so we had to make the most of it! Richard made breakfast (after all...it was Wendy's Day) and then we drove around to a few city spots.

Walked up and down and up again on The Battery - Middle and Upper Battery for a spectacular view of the mouth of the harbour.

View inwards

One of the murals on the retaining walls

A pretty narrow entry, but the cruise ships make it!

During WWII, Newfoundland's ports and shorelines were VERY well protected - steel netting kept U-boats out, not to mention LOTS of mounted guns. Most of them are gone and there are only the platforms left...but this one is still standing on guard! Interesting "Spin Them Guns Around" mechanism.

The amazing St John's basilica.

Before heading back for birthday festivities, we also did a flash-tour through The Rooms - St. John's new art gallery and museum - a fantastic building and impressive collections. The gallery was featuring a Rockwell Kent exhibit at the time, which was something to see. There was even a first edition Moby Dick on display - Kent did the original illustrations for the book.

And then it was Happy Birthday Wendy time....it was great to be there and to be part of it all!

Monday - a thrill a minute

Sunday - Dog Show day and had a great time. Saw some lovely dogs and awarded Best In Show to a Labrador Retriever.

And then it was on to more sight-seeing in beautiful Newfoundland.

The lighthouse on the most easterly point of Canada

Me at the lighthouse - so you all don't think I just paste internet pics!

A Newfoundland original - Fish and Chips with Dressing and Gravy! 

Wendy, Richard and me - Rockin' our survival suits...hot or what! We took the whale watching tour in a Zodiac and it was absolutely thrilling

There are 22 types of whales to be found in and around Newfoundland waters and while We saw quite a few whales, even a few families of three swimming together, we only saw two types - Fin (the second biggest whale) and Humpback. First we saw a couple of Fins but as soon as they flashed their tails, they dove deep and disappeared. Then we found two different families of Humpbacks and they were much more willing to flash their tails a couple of times.

Sometimes when they breech, they just spray and then roll their body up out of the water, but a few times they got high enough to flip us their tails!

And then we zipped across to Gull Island and did a little bird watching...lots of different types of gulls, and the provincial bird...the Puffin!

Can you spot the Puffin trying to get up off the water?

The island is a protected sanctuary and unless it is for scientific reasons, no one is allowed to step foot on.

Monday night - Wendy and Richard hosted us to a Lobster FEAST! Delicious doesn't begin to describe!