A NEW ADVENTURE BEGINS WITH LINDBLAD TOURING THE CANADIAN HIGH ARCTIC AND GREENLAND

I'm so excited.  Early this year I was able to travel to Antarctica and see the massive ice bergs
 and visit with the wonderful penguins, seals and whales that call that frigid place their home.  Now I'll be about to explore the Artic to find who calls this their home.  Before I get there, however, our group is meeting in Ottawa to band together to start the adventure.  Ottawa is a beautiful city in Ontario, Canada, just across the Ottawa River from Quebec Province.

Today you would not know that you are beginning an Arctic adventure as the temperature is purported to reach 40 Centigrade--HOT!  Here is the changing of the Guard at Parliament

 

This was incredibly special and the bagpipes playing were amazing.  Once we left here, we saw the beautiful Ottawa River from a cruise where we were able to learn about the city and see our historic hotel.

 

 

As you see there are locks to the canal that opens the city and the towers of the Fairmont are amazing

 

The market here is fabulous with fruits, vegetables and great lunch.  It seems that markets are important to Canada and food for lunch is amazing!

 

Ceremonies never seem to end.  As I was walking back to the hotel again I heard bagpipes.  It was a signal that the watch at the war memorial was over for the day.

 

 

Tomorrow -- Greenland, and I'll need a coat.  Please enjoy this great capital city and what is to come!

 

Saving the Best for Last

The Australia that I have seen has been amazing.  The city of Sydney, the Barrier Reef, the Rainforest and the bush--what a combination.  But honestly I have been waiting for my time on Kangaroo Island and it hasn't disappointed.  Beautiful Southern Ocean Lodge is built into a cliff and open with ceiling to floor glass towards the Southern Ocean.  The expanse of ocean is endless and the sound of the waves breaking on shore a peaceful background to all that can be seen and done.

The first introduction to this destination is a treat called Kangaroos & Kanapes where we were taken to the original homestead in the area and allowed to walk with the Kangaroos.  They have such an odd shape one has to wonder how they can travel so fast for such great distances.  Kangaroo Island is considered Australia's Galapagos.  Not surprising when you learn that there are over 750,000 animals on the island and only 4500 people.

We have had the chance to cuddle a koala but not to find one in the wild.  Today that changed as we were able to watch koalas shimmy up and down branches as they enjoyed the Eucalyptus leaves that they have adapted themselves to eat.  I can only say they are slow and oh so cute!

Next we were able to watch an Echidna scurry along using its amazing backward facing feet to till the soil.  Only in Australia do these animals exist.

In addition to the animals, the wild Southern Ocean weather and surf have combined to create an amazing landscape.  Admirals Arch provides a view of the crashing surf and the New Zealand sea lions with a perspective that lets you know this is an untamed land.

After that there are the Remarkable Rocks.  These granite formations are amazing and have existed for hundreds of thousands of years.  Nothing like these exists outside of Kangaroo Island.   

 

To end the day we were able to visit an endangered colony of Australian sea lions.  At this time of year there are pups in addition to the adults and the visit provides a view into the relationship of all of the ages.  Young ones wondering what we are; slightly older ones fighting and elders preening!

 

The Blue Mountains and Kangaroos

One of the many reasons to love Australia is the variety of experiences.  Today I find myself at Wolgan Valley exclaiming at the amazing scenery of the Blue Mountains.  Here you find Australian cattle history, amazing vistas and wildlife.  Wolgan Valley is nested between awe inspiring peaks that provide beautiful vistas as you can explore the scenery and the wildlife.

 

As you can see the accommodations are nestled in a valley with so much land to explore. One of the best ways to explore is on horseback.

Once you start to explore, the wildlife makes itself present and around every turn you see one of the many animals unique to Australia.

Would you believe this grouping is called a Mob?  And here are two up close.

Wolgan even has some very unique examples of the typical Australian animals since they have several albinos.  What an amazing thing to see in the wild!

 

What's lovely about the creatures is that they are as curious about us as we are about them and they love to pose for pictures.

 

 

 

Daintree Rainforest

Australia is the land of contrasts.  Today we were able to tour the world's oldest rainforest--the Daintree.  The rainforest promises beautiful foliage as well as an opportunity to learn about the creation of the earth and the special creatures that live within it.  First we took a cruise on the Daintree River looking of Scarface the oldest of the crocodiles but no luck.  We did find Lumpy but he wasn't going to give us his best shot.  Here's what we saw:

After the cruise we had a chance to see where the rainforest meets the ocean.  It is a great place to take a stroll and admire the beauty of the foliage:

The beach is also the perfect place to learn about the typical Australian games and fun.  First, we got to try our hand at Frisbee and then we learned how in this the magical place stones bounce.

This was all before we actually began our walk in the rainforest.  Spiders were the watch word.  The first is one that is so flat against the tree that you wouldn't know if was there unless you were told by a great guide.  She is sitting on her egg sack.  Then there were the incredible webs of the golden tree spider.

There were also plants to learn about such as the leaves that will grab you and inflect punishment.  You have to wonder how the aboriginals were able to survive as they ate seeds and nuts and avoided the dangerous of the rainforest.

The next highlight was being able to feed and pet the Wallabies.  In Australia there are so many animals that you do want to hug...

Finally just to make sure that today ended on the same high food note, we stopped at the local ice cream factory.  They grow all their own tropical fruits and make the most wonderful ice cream.

 

A Little More Beautiful Water

Today we will move to the Daintree Rainforest but before we go there is a chance for some additional exploration over some of the most beautiful water in the world.  Today our mode of transport is a helicopter to fly over several of the Whitsunday Islands.

 

From the vantage of the helicopter we can see the many islands and boats used to explore.  There are secluded beaches where you can spend a couple of hours.  There are also beautiful coves where boats can anchor to snorkel and enjoy a picnic.  Truly this is a great area for rest, relaxation and your choice of water sports.    

 

And we wouldn't want to forget the food--Macaroni and cheese chorizo balls, light battered fish and chorizo as well as the freshest salad and sirloin tacos.  It's not your ordinary lunch! 

 

 

 

 

Hamilton Island and Beyond

 

Qualia and Hamilton Island are fantastic.  This location makes the bustle of a big city seem only a dream as everyone drives around in their golf carts to enjoy the island activities.  My favorite is the Koala Hug 

 

But also great about Hamilton Island is that there is a main Street with an excellent variety of restaurants and shops. 

But really people come to Hamilton to visit the Reef and the beautiful Whitehaven Beach voted Number 9 in the world.  I thought it might also be fun to include a picture of the sea plane that took us to the Reef as well as up close shots of the Reef, some of which show the coral as it extends above the water.  I have never seen so many different species and colors of large coral as here on the Barrier Reef.

 

 

Come Explore Australia.  It surprises and captures the imagination at every turn!

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

Time to Leave Sydney but New Adventures

This morning the sun came out as an amazing two days in Sydney comes to an end.  Even in the gloom of the end of a rainy couple of weeks Sydney was amazing but this morning, the sun came out to show the true beauty.  Here are some wonderful pictures as the sun comes up!

What I still can't believe was that I was at the top of this bridge where you see the flag!  Magnificent doesn't begin to say it!

  The above shows one happy person and an amazing view!

From Sydney to Qualia on Hamilton Island.  Australia is so many things and the longer I am here the more I understand why you need to come not once but many times.  This afternoon we arrived at Qualia which is located to explore the Barrier Reef.  First as I have discovered it is all about the food!
This so far is especially true about the most amazing fresh seafood.  We even had bug ( also known as local lobster) and if nothing else this is a reason to come to Australia!

Once we had eaten more than anyone should we went to our accommodations before the afternoon sunset cruise.  Certainly the accommodations are another reason to travel here--a private plunge pool, a huge bathroom including a beautiful tub with a view and space for all the spreading out and relaxing you might want to do!
Below is a view of pebble beach and Qualia from the water.  What a lovely destination!