Oh Canada, eh!

Multi cultural days at the Dhahran Women's Group draw the biggest crowds of the weekly meetings. Some friends and I had agreed to make a presentation this fall about Canada.

We gave an overview of Canada coast-to-coast, then focused on Alberta and Calgary. We all call Calgary home in one way or another, although we originally hail from southern and northern Ontario, BC and Alberta. Each of us still has kids living in Calgary.

We decorated the room in red & white with balloons, napkins, tablecloths, posters, and other stuff we'd brought back here in our suitcases. We gathered information, made slideshows and PowerPoint presentations, and had a trivia quiz with prizes. We served matrimonial squares, butter tarts, and nanaimo bars of course. The aprons were going to be my Christmas gift to each friend, but they got them early for our day.

I'm sure we boosted Tourism Canada with our presentation about our "Home and Native Land".

Preparing the food

The Presentation

Lynne, Cathy, Pam & Michelle

Central Europe Trip

Druing the Eid holiday in September we headed off to Central Europe with friends Don & Lynne. Brian was our trip planner & co-ordinator, and he did a fantastic job of balancing majestic cities, scenic countryside, and cultural opportunities. We started in Prague, then drove through the countryside of Czech Republic and followed the Danube Valley into Vienna. We continued along the Danube to Budapest, Hungary for a few days. From there we drove through Slovakia and Poland into Krakow. We completed the loop by continuing to drive through Poland back to Prague. It was a great trip!

I love to take pictures of people, particularly photos that capture 'real life'. Here are a few.

Making the most of our way home

It's about time I updated this blog. Here are a few photos of our travels on our way home last summer. We stayed a few days in Germany with a couple we'd met last year while trekking in Nepal. We also visited some beautiful cities and World War I battle sites in Belgium and France.

Doing what we like to do on our trips - Brian confirming the route and its history, and Pam collecting photographic memories.

What is Belgium known for? Waffles, chocolate and lace. We did our best to support the local economy, and it was certainly no hardship.

Bruges, Belgium is one of the most beautiful cities we've ever visited.

Sunset at Dunkerque

Every Canadian knows the poem "In Flanders Fields" and everyone from my generation can recite it from memory. "In Flanders Fields the poppies blow...." We visited the site where John McCrae wrote this immortalized poem and Pam signed the guest book.

Brian is reviewing the history of Vimy Ridge, where Canadians beat the odds and the enemy during the battle here in World War I.