That’s what the weather report said, but maybe the graphic which showed raindrops was more correct. We had a somewhat slow start today, actually sleeping in until 9:30 despite the sound of garbage and delivery trucks on the street below. The muffled sound of voices at the cafés lulled us to sleep last night but the sound of someone talking very loudly at 3:00 am wasn’t as welcome. Memories of a similar happening in London 15 years ago and the joys of staying in an older hotel without air conditioning.

We decided to do a walking tour first and then planned to watch Seigfreid by Wagner at the opera house free outdoor presentation. The tour was about an hour through the inner part of Vienna – highlighting some of the churches, fountains, and special establishments. We learned about the real Sacher Hotel, home of the Sacher Torte and Dremel’s the oldest coffee house in Vienna. We also saw the newest condos in downtown Vienna – 31,000€ per square meter. That’s $3M for a 1000 sq ft apartment. No idea what the condo fees would be monthly, but I guess we don’t need to know since the guide said all the units are sold.

Just as we returned to the Opera House, the heavens opened and the rain poured down. We spent about 45 minutes waiting under the porch for the rain to abate enough so we could get back to the hotel. George’s observation was that rain makes people happy since everyone had a grin or smile on their face as they dodged their way through the rain to the safety of our porch. Since everything was very wet at this point, we decided a rest before dinner was in order.

Dinner was traditional Wiener schnitzel at a little cafe next door. The maître d’ is out there each time we pass and we told him yesterday that we’d be back to see him one night. Tonight was the night. Vienna dining is very reminiscent of Melbourne…much of it al fresco with the requisite good natured attempt to convince you to eat at their establishment. After dinner we walked over to the Opera House and managed about 3 minutes before the rain started again. This time we decided dessert was in order so enjoyed the real Sacher Torte accompanied by coffee/hot chocolate. Now home to watch a soccer game with German commentary!

A long day of travel is almost coming to a close! Door to door, it was very close to 24 hours on the go. Our flight from Toronto to Frankfurt was pretty uneventful except for the odd screeching child. Since the plane was quite cool overnight, blanket-over- the- head was the preferred sleeping method. We managed about an hour or so. Making our way through the Frankfurt airport was also quite a challenge – about a half hour walk including at least three sets of stairs with hand baggage in tow.

Our wait times at the various transfer points turned out to be not too bad. We passed the time reading, eating and walking the terminal building. Getting a taxi at the Budapest airport was an exciting adventure. I had read on the internet about the taxi system in Hungary. There are three ‘official’ taxi companies but signs at the airport warn you about the cowboy taxi drivers who accost you before you can get out of the terminal building. We divided and conquered and in the end paid what is a reasonable fair.

Taking the train from Budapest to Vienna was a nice relaxing way to travel. We went first class, which was fortunate because second class included a large tour group of high schoolers who were very noisy. Dinner was served at our seat – George had Moroccan and I had Indian.

Our hotel is a small family-run enterprise in the downtown walking zone. We had to roll our luggage along the cobblestones about half a block. After settling in, we went for a brief walk along the main shopping street, which reminded me of Sparks Street in Ottawa – only much classier. Along the small street where our hotel is located are four or five outdoor cafés which look like possibilities for dinner. The Musik Haus – an interactive music museum – is right across the road and I’m looking forward to directing the orchestra there.

So we’ve arrived safe and sound. Now to bed and then to decide what tomorrow will bring.

Well here we are again back at Pearson Airport awaiting our flight to Budapest via Frankfurt. The purpose of our trip is the Mississauga Festival Choir European Tour, but we are doing a pre-tour trip to Vienna for five days. The choir tour will take us to Budapest, Vienna, Salzburg and Prague over the course of 12 days. The International Terminal 1 has certainly changed since our last visit here. There are hundreds of iPads set up at desks with funky lamps and high counters with stools. Use is free and you don’t even have to purchase anything. One of the men we can see from our comfy seat by the window is sipping his wine and checking email…at least that’s what I thought until I wandered by and found him playing free cell.

Since we haven’t travelled Lufthansa before, we are curious to see how good their service is compared to Air New Zealand. Our flight will be a little less than 8 hours followed by a 4 hour wait in Frankfurt before our flight to Budapest. Unfortunately we likely won’t make the afternoon train to Vienna, so there will be a 5 hour wait at the train station and then a 3 or 4 hour ride to Vienna. Did anyone say tired? I’m already looking forward to a snooze!

Every holiday comes with its quirks and observations that make for good stories when you return home. New Zealand has provided many and we thought we’d share a few through our blog.

Roads – We have travelled over 6,000 km in our five weeks here. The road system on the North Island is quite developed since the majority of Kiwis live there. There are a number of major expressways around Auckland and divided multi-lane highways in other major centres. On the South Island most of the roads are just two-lane highways. There are three main posted speed limits in NZ – 50 in town, 70 or 80 approaching towns and 100 everywhere else. The mountain roads in the south usually have 100 as the posted speed and dotted lines for passing, even on corners and hills. We often had the road to ourselves so it didn’t matter too much. In our five weeks we only saw one accident and that was a transport trailer that was going too fast around a corner, slid into the cliff face and overturned.

Kiwis are minimalists: when it comes to bridges, except in major centres, bridges (and there are many) are often one lane. A posted sign indicates which direction has the right of way. When it comes to stop signs – there are few, preferring instead to use the “give way” sign so you can just slow down and “merge like a zip!”

Signs – We were quite fascinated with the good-driving warning signs along the roads. We would often see signs about sharing the road with bicycles (there are many especially in the mountains), not driving when sleepy, and watching your speed (they have photo radar here). One of our favourites was a picture of a stylized zipper and the words “merge like a zip.” Unfortunately, good signage doesn’t extend to street signs, which were often nonexistent. An additional issue is because their major centres are built around the English suburb system, a street may change names three or four times on the way into town. Good maps are a must!

Food – We frequented grocery stores on a number of occasions and were quite surprised at the price of some items. Blueberries were $9.99 a pint. Limes were $39.99 per kilo, which seems odd since they grow lemons and oranges here. We’re not sure why they don’t grow limes. Meals served in cafés and bars were often first-class, using unique ingredients and plating styles. Jenn, I never had to experience the soft poached egg on my fish and chips but did experience it on one or two salads.

Animals – New Zealand has no native mammals, only birds. Rabbits, stoats and possums were brought in by the Brits for hunting and, since there are no natural predators, have reduced many of the native birds to extinct or near-extinct status. There is a real effort underway to increase the Kiwi bird population by placing them on controlled islands which have been cleared of pests. Time will tell if these efforts are working. Red deer were also brought in for hunting purposes and extreme measures have had to be taken to control that population. While most red deer are now farmed in paddocks, a bounty is still paid for wild deer that are captured using helicopters and nets.

In an earlier post, I wrote about the number of sheep in NZ. Many farmers are now turning their farms into dairy farms since there is more money in cattle than in sheep. This is causing great concern for the environmentalists since the runoff from cattle pollutes rivers and streams. Local Councils are beginning to consider limiting the size and/or placement of herds to ensure the rivers, lakes and oceans don’t suffer negatively from this change. We did see the effects of farming in one place – the beach down by the ocean was covered in green algae – didn’t make for a very appealing dip.

Mail – There has been some controversy while we’ve been here about reducing mail delivery given that, as is the case in many places, the volumes have dropped. In urban and small town areas, the mail is delivered by a postie on a bicycle. The proposal is to reduce delivery from six to three days per week in urban areas. In rural areas the delivery is done by van and out at Akaroa one of the tours was to go with the postie for the day on his rural delivery route.

Language – While we speak the same language, which makes travel easier, it’s interesting to see how we use words differently. Two examples:

• Slips/slides – we call them landslides, they call them slips
• entree/main – we call it an appetizer, they call it an entree; we call it an entree, they call it a main

Well folks that’s it for now. We are shortly due to board the bus that will take us out to meet our cruise ship. We’ll look forward to sharing more stories and some of our 1,000+ pictures with you when we return.

Nov 22nd – Today was our last day in Christchurch and New Zealand was crying…well really it was just raining when we woke up. We are currently sitting in the airport awaiting our flight to Auckland. Tomorrow morning we leave for Honolulu.

After packing our cases into the car and rationalizing our leftover food, we left our car in the apartment parking lot and headed downtown one more time. There were a number of things we wanted to do/see not the least of which was a ride on the trolley. George is a streetcar fan, so this was a must. We got on at the Cathedral and rode to the end in either direction before disembarking back at the mid-way point. Pre-earthquake, the trolley run was 14 stops with an additional line 6 to 8 weeks away from completion. The current run is only 7 stops and they are hoping to have the additional line up and running by March 2014. It will likely be another three years before the full original line is able to be used.

After leaving the trolley, we headed over to the Re:Start Mall. This is a story of determination and recovery. As you can imagine, with 1,000 buildings in the downtown core torn down many small business owners lost their livelihoods. Many moved away or started up in a new location, but many were determined to continue in the downtown core. The Re:Start Mall is an area of shipping containers, which have been stacked and artistically designed as temporary retail operations. It is amazing what business can be done out of a small shipping container. Fortunately, the weather is more temperate than in Canada so it is a reasonable option. We stopped at a coffee shop for a light lunch and sat upstairs (a box on top of a box) in a very narrow space with windows and an outside deck.

Obviously, there are many stories to be told by the people who lived through three earthquakes in a small space of time. There is also much to be learned, especially for the folks from Christchurch who complain about the slow pace of recovery. In the midst of the Re:Start Mall is an expo which explains why the first earthquake in December 2010 was not nearly as deadly as the February 2011 quake, even though it was more powerful. If you don’t know the word liquefaction, I encourage you to look it up. Think about mud bubbling up from underground and the impact that might have on buildings, roads and infrastructure. Another new word we have learned is munted…the definition is not the one in the Urban Dictionary! We think it may have originated in England and means destroyed, uninhabitable. Some areas of Christchurch have been declared munted.

Since our flight wasn’t due to leave until 8:45pm and we couldn’t go back to the apartment, we went for a drive in the country out to a little town called Oxford. Yet again the travel brochures described it as an English-style town, well worth the visit. Well, maybe after five weeks we’re a bit jaded or maybe the writer of that brochure got munted (as in the Urban Dictionary) the night before. English-style it was not and it’s only redeeming feature was that it had a pharmacy where I was able to purchase a little travel pack of tissues.

We were back to the airport in lots of time to have a quiet dinner and then return the car. Problem was…there are no restaurants out near the airport. It really is in the middle of nowhere. Back into the city with the same problem as last night! Fortunately, I had remembered seeing a restaurant at the Super Centre that was advertised in the Where to Dine magazine. We had a unique meal…four different types of meat, served raw, on a hot stone grill. You cook your own meat right at the table. Interesting idea!

The end of a wonderful time in New Zealand. Stay tuned for one more post of miscellaneous bits that we have been collecting along the way. We’ll try to get that posted tomorrow before our noon flight.

Nov 21st – We had been told by many people that Hanmer Springs was a great place to visit to take in the thermal pools. Since we didn’t do this in Rotorua, we thought a day at the spa would be a great way to close out our time in the Christchurch area.

Since it was a nice warm sunny day, we took advantage of the weather to cruise around downtown to get some pictures of some of the buildings that have been destroyed. Hopefully I’ll be able to have some before (scanned from a calendar) and after pictures to help people get a sense of the magnitude of change this city is going through. It was a real surprise, and brought a lump to my throat, to see the trolley rolling along Worcester Street. Today was the first day the trolley has run in almost three years!

Much of the trip to Hanmer Springs was along the road we had travelled yesterday but we had a bit more time today to make a few stops. The first one was at the Athena Olive Grove. It turns out that it’s owned by a guy from England who emigrated, bought the property, and then figured out what he needed to know about olives. We made a purchase to bring home.

After a brief pit stop in Calverdon, we arrived in Hanmer Springs in time for lunch. Since rain was in the forecast for the afternoon, we had a quick bite and then enjoyed the water for an hour or so. There are about 12 different pools ranging in temperatures from 33 – 40 degrees. Unfortunately the sulphur pools were closed for maintenance…but then I’m not much into sulphur anyway.

We have passed many golf courses in our travels – most not seemingly played too much – but we never wanted to take the time to play a round. So today was the day but it was just a small pitch and putt course. It took just over an hour for the 18 holes and you guessed it – he beat me again. The good news is that we both broke 100!

We decided to go back to the apartment to pack and do a bit of washing before heading out to dinner. Unfortunately it took more time than planned and we found ourselves heading off to the local cafe about 6:30. Big mistake…both cafés were full to the rafters with a 45 minute wait. We went back and picked up our car and headed off in another direction. Surprisingly, it is very difficult to find restaurants in Christchurch. I’m sure they have lost a lot in the downtown core. Many are in small suburbs but you have to know how to find them. To make a long story short we finally got seated in a bar about 8pm but it was just after 9pm when our meal finally arrived. Lots of apologies and a little discount helped resolve our frustration and we were able to laugh on the way home about how close we had come to dining Chez the Golden Arches which is a big no-no at dinner time in our house.

Nov 20th – Today’s trip was up the coast to Kaikoura, yet another seaside town. It is well known as a place to see dolphins, albatross and whales. We chose the whale trip. Again we lucked out, arriving to find the 12:45 and 1:15 sailings fully booked. We asked to be wait-listed for those and confirmed for the 3:30 sailing. We were quite surprised to hear our name called for the 12:45 boat. Since it was a nice warm sunny day, we were looking forward to being out on the water.

The boat is a large sea catamaran which goes out about 9 km. A number of sperm whales make the sea canyon in this area their home and the tour operators obviously know their patterns well. A sperm whale can stay down in the ocean depths for 45 – 60 minutes and will then stay on the surface for about 20 minutes. When we arrived at the spot where the previous boat had spotted a whale, they told us that another boat had indicated that the whale had been down for 20 minutes so it would be awhile before he resurfaced. They used the sonar to track his clicks and evidently when they no longer hear the clicks they know he is getting ready to resurface. Shortly thereafter not one, but two sperm whales surfaced – it was our lucky day. There was lots of excitement aboard as everyone took their spot for good photos. I was up to about 50 shots by the time he raised his tail and headed back down to his feeding ground.

After the boat trip we drove up to the lookout point which provided a lovely view of the ocean and snow capped peaks all in one view. On our way back to Christchurch, we stopped at the Nor’wester Cafe in Amberley. It didn’t have white table cloths (mother’s requirement for choosing a restaurant) but the dinner was delicious and the dessert even better. We chose parsnip and carrot cake and it was so good I asked for the recipe. Unfortunately the answer was no, so I’ll just have to try to replicate it myself.

Nov 19th – Akaroa is a seaside town at the tip of a peninsula southeast of Christchurch. Since the French were first to land here, all the street names and many of the towns along the way have very French names.

The road to Akaroa is typical here on the South Island – lots of twists and turns, ups and downs. We arrived in time for lunch and enjoyed a platter of “fruits de mer” including just about everything but oysters – phew! It wasn’t a very sunny day, but we’d been told to try the Kapiti ice cream so we licked our cones on a bench seaside and watched two guys bring back the results of a fishing adventure.

The town has become a mecca for crafters and we enjoyed strolling along the main street checking out the shops. Barry’s Bay Cheese is a well-known cheese producer in this area. We stopped to purchase some samples for dinner and had a chuckle at the sign on the big cheese wheel in the refrigerator –  “don’t play with the cheese”. The sales rep told us that it’s more for the parents’ benefit. She is sometimes exasperated by how they can ignore what their kids are doing.  Unfortunately even wine and cheese didn’t help me beat George at Scrabble. He’s now 4 and 0!

Nov 17th & 18th – Our Sunday plan was to attend church and then have a quiet day – no travel, an afternoon rest, a good book, and a game of scrabble. We didn’t quite get to the scrabble game choosing instead to walk around town a bit instead. Words cannot express the change that has occurred in this city, after three major earthquakes. At least 1,000 buildings have been torn down in the city centre with another 300 scheduled for demolition. This count includes 80 churches. Our apartment building, at seven stories, is one of the tallest buildings remaining.

As we were driving to church, we wondered why all the motels had ‘no vacancy’ signs out. We found out why on our city bus tour on Monday – they lost fully 60 percent of their hotel accommodation. The only hotel we have seen in the downtown core is the Novotel which appears to be brand new.

Our Monday morning Grand Tour (four Canadians, two Germans) took us first to the Avon River where we spent half an hour punting through the city. We suggested that doing this every Monday morning would be a great, stress-reducing way to start the work week. After a bit of a tour of some of the important city buildings that are slated for repair, we were delivered to the caterpillar at the botanic gardens for a one-hour guided tour. They certainly grow trees big in New Zealand and I don’t think I have ever seen such a beautiful rose garden anywhere. All 1200 rose bushes were in full bloom!

From there we headed southeast to the Port Hills area, a collapsed crater rim of an extinct volcano. We toured a number of beachside towns to see the changes created by the earthquakes and the rebuilding efforts. It appears that Christchurch has cornered the market on orange traffic cones – seen everywhere – and shipping containers – used as temporary measures to line road verges which border unsafe cliff faces.

A gondola took us up the mountain for a 360 degree view including lunch at the top.

Obviously the cost to the country is huge. The national government has allocated up to $100,000 per building for repairs/rebuild/replacement – the remainder is expected to be paid by insurance claims and the owner. On our walk downtown we met an insurance adjuster who works for the company that covers the Anglican diocese. He said they found that none of the buildings were insured at the proper level. We also discovered on our tour that the Anglican Bishop, Victoria Matthews, a Canadian, is not a favourite amongst the folk of Christchurch. You may have heard that the cathedral was seriously damaged and the diocese decided it should be torn down and rebuilt. People of Christchurch (most who likely don’t ever attend the cathedral) have challenged that decision in court. We also inspected the main Baptist Church called Oxford Terrace BC. It was completely demolished, and a portable building has been built as a temporary site while fundraising continues towards erecting a new building. Check out their website at http://www.otbc.org.nz for pictures and more information.

Having experienced a day of earthquake information, was it ironic that we felt a tremor as we were getting ready for bed? Just 4.6 they say.

Nov 16th – You know the vacation is almost over when you are heading off to your last stop. The quick way from Oamaru to Christchurch would be up the coast, but we’d heard from many people that the inland route is much more interesting. Why do a 3 hour boring drive when you can do a 6 hour interesting drive?

There were three stops within the first 80 km, to see some ancient wonders. Our first stop was to see the Elephant Rocks, which are massive limestone formations on private farm land. For those who are fans of C. S. Lewis, this was the location for Aslan’s camp in The Chronicles of Narnia. A little further along the road we stopped to see some fossils that had been discovered in some of the limestone rocks. Because they were just pieces and not a whole animal, they were left exposed so people could see them, rather than removing them. The third stop was to see the Maori paintings which reminded us very much of the Petroglyphs out near Peterborough.

After a brief stop at a wayside picnic area for lunch, we headed up into the mountains towards Twizel. This area borders three lakes which have all been created to generate hydroelectricity. Lake Benmore is the largest man-made lake in New Zealand; the Benmore Power Station the second largest power station after Manipouri (at Doubtful Sound). Our B&B host in Te Anau, the professional rower, had suggested we stop at Twizel to see the rowing centre which is where the National Team trains and where they hold many international events. Since it’s currently the off season, there really wasn’t too much to see.

On to Lake Tekapo which is a tiny mountain town – really a sporting centre (skiing, boating, fishing, etc.) From the edge of the lake you get a wonderful view of Mt. Cook on a clear day.

On to Geraldine, a little town that many people had indicated was a must stop. We arrived just at 4:30pm to find a very busy town square. Saturday was their annual Arts and Crafts show, which unfortunately was just closing down. After a brief stop we decided to move on since all the little shops were closing too. We’d love to go back to explore Geraldine a bit further, but we’ll likely run out of days.

From there it was an hour in to Christchurch and we were happy to find our apartment and get settled in. We are just a block away from the red zone (basically the central business district) and the view from our balcony is quite devastating, but more about that later.