Day 59 Dubai, UAE

Our transport today from the Fairmont to the airport was in a Cadillac.  First and probably only time we will get to experience that, but what a luxurious car.  It made the trip to the airport through Toronto's gridlocked roads a whole lot more pleasant.  Toronto really has a problem with there roads and our driver thinks perhaps they need to copy America with more "fly-overs" and I have to agree.

A little hitch at the check-in counter as we were told our suitcases would go all the way to Sydney from Toronto.  We explained that we are having an overnight in Dubai so we will need to collect our cases.  If we had known in advance that this was the case we would have packed our cabin bags with a change of clothes and not worried about collecting suitcases in Dubai.  Oh well.  We will know better next time!

The plane we are boarding is the Emirates A380.  They are very comfortable and the cabin stewards are very attentive.  The food is "on demand" so for our 12.5 hour journey we have dinner and then a continental breakfast.  We have learnt over the years of travel that the best food on board your flight is food that doesn't have to be heated.  I tend to go for a soup followed by a salad and perhaps a dessert.  The food is okay on board this flight.

Sleep came easily for me but Philip said that he had a disturbed night.  I still have a head cold and took a codral night capsule that seems to make you drowsy so that probably helped my sleep. In fact I sleep so well that a steward had to gently wake me an hour before we landed so that I could order breakfast!

The transit through Dubai airport goes relatively smooth although we had both forgotten how big this airport is!  You need to board a train to collect your baggage from another terminal but it is a direct shuttle so no getting lost.  Customs and Immigration are always a hassle but they have a "tourist" visa line that is easy to negotiate and well within the hour we are at the front of the terminal and sitting in a  car that will take us to the Burj Al Arab for our overnight stay.

The Burj is everything and more.  Our travel agent suggested that we stay here as a once in a lifetime indulgence and I'm glad we took her advice.  The Burj Al Arab is the only 7 star hotel in the world and from the moment you enter through the security gates you know that you are going to be treated like royalty.  No heading to a check-in counter here. No sirreee.  You are seated in a comfortable lounge and feed Turkish dates and coffee while your attendant takes your passport and does all the checking in for you.  She comes back to us with the welcome news that our room is ready and we have been upgraded!  She then guides us all the way to our suite and takes the time to explain everything to us.  

This suite is massive.  Two stories with a very grand staircase leading to the second floor.  I have never seen anything like it in all my life and probably will never see again.  The views across the ocean are magnificent and it is hard to believe that a lot of Dubai is man-made islands.

It is very hot in Dubai today - around 37 degrees - but we decided to stretch the legs and take a walk around the outside of the building before heading inside to find a restaurant for lunch.  It is actually quite pleasant to feel the heat after two months of cold weather but we only stay outside to take a couple of photographs before heading inside to the air-conditioning.

Back inside and I stop to take some photographs of the 26 story atrium that all suites open out onto.  It is very impressive as is the "fountain" with its arches of water, that suits in the foyer.  It is all very grand.

By the time we were ready to eat it was almost 2.30 but the restaurant on the 27th floor was still serving lunch so we headed up there in the glass exterior lift.  We ordered the three course lunch menu that was absolutely delicious and I'm very pleased to say that the meals are much smaller after the monstrous meals we were served in Canada. Thank goodness!

We are now tucked up in our bed after taking shower in a bathroom the size of a ballroom, and we have just had a knock on the door.  It is our butler (there is one on each floor) with yet another plate of food.  These are truffle savouries.  I have to say neither Philip nor I are great lovers of truffle so these will go uneaten, as pretty as they are.

Our 12 hour flight from Dubai to Sydney leaves tomorrow around 10.30am and we arrive into Sydney 6.30 the following day. We then have a connecting flight back to Cairns so this will probably be the last post I make from this particular holiday.  

It really has been an incredible journey through Japan, Alaska & Canada and we have lots of great memories of places we have visited and friends we have made along the way. It all seems a bit surreal but thank goodness for this blog, that I can refer back to and recall the good times.

Days 57 & 58 Toronto, Canada

Hello from Toronto!  What a journey it has been to get to our final destination before our long haul flight home.  We are staying at another Fairmont in Toronto and this poor old building is really showing its age.  Hardly any hot water for showers and part of the shower actually broke off this morning.  But having said that, isn't this a beautiful foyer with its cedar ceiling.......

As soon as we checked into our hotel and deposited our suitcases we walked the short distance to the waterfront for a bite of lunch.  The place we found was quite good but the food was a bit lacking.  Mind you, I have a head cold so most food tastes a little bland at the moment!

After satisfying our appetites we headed back to our room for a bit of R & R before our tour the next day.  The tour was to Niagara Falls and it included a scenic route and lunch at a nice restaurant.  After confirming the time for pickup we waited outside the hotel.  And waited. And waited.  Finally I rang the tour company who told us that we were booked for JULY and not JUNE!  Bugger.  Our one and only mishap over the two months we have been travelling so we can't complain.  We will get a full refund so that is good news.  But of course that left us with the dilemma of how we were going to get to see Niagara Falls.  Fortunately a visit to the conceirge had it sorted out.  There were commercial bus lines running backwards and forward to the falls each and every day, and the terminal was only a block from where we were staying.  So, tickets purchased, off we set.

Niagara Falls are awesome, and I'm so pleased that we got to see them albeit in a little less style than we envisaged!  We walked along the boardwalk stopping at various viewpoints but I have to tell you the crowds at the falls were almost overwhelming.  So many people.  

We were actually pleased to get back on to the bus for our return journey, a journey that should take around two hours, but we hit heavy traffic as we neared Toronto that added an extra hour onto our journey.  We didn't arrive back to our hotel room until after 8am but it wasn't so bad because we can have a sleep in tomorrow morning.  Our driver will pick us up at 11.30 to take us to the airport.

Days 55 & 56 Ottawa, Canada

Ottawa, with a population of 1.5 million, is the capital of Canada in the Ontario Province and sits on the Ottawa River.  Parliament Hill is in the centre of the city and the magnificent buildings with their grand victorian architecture stand proudly on the hill and can be seen from any direction.  We are staying at the lovely Fairmont Cháteau Laurier that sits on the Rideau Canal and directly opposite Parliament Hill.  It is the perfect central position for us to take long walks.

We arrived by train yesterday that is just over a two hour journey from Montreal.  The train journeys have been a lot easier than we imagined but we were surprised that you do not check in your luggage but simply take it with you onto the train.  They are very strict with the 20kg baggage allowance per person and we had some adjustments to make to get under the 20kg.  Thank goodness we purchased a small carry-on suitcase in Victoria!

Our room was not available when we arrived so we stored our luggage and walked along Wellington Street, the Main Street in Ottawa, until we found somewhere to stop for lunch.  The restaurant prices right across Canada are very expensive and it doesn't help that you have to add a 20% tip to you bill.  Also, Canadians are taxed very heavily on goods and services and surprisingly if you purchase an item, the price on the tag is not the price you pay.  GST has to be added on, plus a tip so in your mind you have to add at least 20% onto the tagged price.  I am very glad that GST is transparent in Australia and the price on the tag is the price we pay.

The tour we do in Ottawa is Ottawa River Cruise.  It is only an hour and a half but it is very interesting.  Our young guide points out places of interest right along the river.  She points out the residence of the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who is not in residence at present as the building is undergoing renovations.

Further down the river and where we turn around are some lovey riverside homes that our guide tells us are worth a lot of money.  Can't say I'm surprised.

It is lunch when our tour ends so we make our way to the lively market area of Ottawa.  Here there are food stalls in abundance but we chose the Irish Pub because it just looks so damn pretty!

We order the Poutine for share starters that is apparently an Ottawa favourite.  It is simply fries with gravy and cheese curds topped with spring onion but I love it.  Would have been even better with a pie on the side....

Philip had the seafood chowder for main and I stayed with a prawn salad that was delicious.  We both wanted to leave room for another Ottawa favourite - Beaver Tails!  I spotted the stall across the street that sold them so after lunch we walked over and purchased two.  I don't know why they are called Beaver Tails because they look nothing like their namesake.  You can have savoury or street be we try the traditional that is dusted with cinnamon sugar.  It tastes like a donut.

We walk off lunch with a stroll to Rideau Hill and are lucky enough to arrive for the change of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It is quite the affair with a bagpipe player leading the change. They change guard every hour on the hour between 9am and 5pm daily.

We are back in our hotel room around 3pm and don't intend to move!  It's been a busy day.  We have to catch another train tomorrow (our last) from Ottawa to Toronto where we have a tour booked to Niagara Falls.  That is going to be another very long day!

As we walked back to our room we passed the Quebec Suite.  I wonder what lies beyond those doors.  I'm guessing it would be pretty magnificent. 

Days 53 & 54 Montreal, Canada

 The journey, via rail from Quebec to Montreal took around four hours yesterday but we are served coffee and breakfast on board so it was a pleasant journey but we were so cold!  They had the air-conditioning set at around 15 degrees!  We just figure that the Canadians like to feel cold.  We have two more rail journeys so we will make sure we dress warmly.

As soon as we arrived at the Fairmont Queen Elizabeth and checked into our room, we went straight back out for a walk and also to look for somewhere to eat lunch.  There are so many choices but we eventually settled for Rueben's.  Both of us love corned meat and we hadn't had any so far this trip. But we had forgotten the size of North America meals and our eyes glazed over when the waiter put this giant size meal in front of us. We couldn't eat it all of course.  What a waste of food.....

After trying to eat this we needed to go for a long walk so I found "Notre Dame Basilica" on the city map so off we set.  It was actually very warm yesterday afternoon but it is summer so it should not be unexpected.  There are 650 churches in Montreal, 200 of which are Catholic.  The oldest is the Notre Dame that was built in 1771 over the ruins of an old church.

The architecture in Montreal is interesting with its mix of old and modern and influenced by both the French and British.  Old Montreal where the Notre Dame Basilica is situated is a good example.

We continued our walk past Chinatown with its colourful red lanterns and of course in a city this size you do see the eccentric like this gentleman (probably in his 70's) with the blue hair.

The tour we chose for Montreal was "City Highlights" that took around three hours and covered a lot of Montreal.  Our driver took us past the Olympic Stadium and Olympic Village (no photos as it was raining very heavy), many museums, churches and universities.  Our guide explained the outside staircases that seem bizarre but it is to save room inside the houses that an internal staircase would otherwise use.

We stopped at a very cute inside market where we were invited to purchase coffees and produce if we wished.  It was very tempting with all the goodies but we resisted.

Our bus driver does a very good job of showing us Montreal as many of the roads are closed for the upcoming Montreal Grand Prix in a weeks time.  There are checkered flags everywhere! 

The guide explains to us the different type of building influences from the Latin Quarter, to the French Quarter to the British.  Millionaires Mile is another area that is very lovely.

Our last stop on the tour was at the Mount Royal Park Lookout but unfortunately it was very hazy so we didn't get to see Montreal at its very best from this viewing point.

By the time the tour ended around 1pm we were both hungry so we decided to head "underground".  Montreal has the largest underground shopping mall network in the world.  It would be very easy to get lost down there and when we asked the concierge what we should do if that happened and he said to head above ground to get your bearings.  

We had Japanese for lunch and it was light and delicious.  After lunch I had a much needed pedicure and I reckon it is one of the best I have ever had and the shop was spectacularly clean and tidy.  Unlike some I have visited over the years.....

So tomorrow we once again board the train and head to Ottawa.  It will only take a couple of hours so we should have plenty of time tomorrow to explore and join our tour the following day.