After we left Greenland, we had a mixture of at-sea days and port days. We had two days in Atlantic Canada: St. John’s, Newfoundland and Halifax, Nova Scotia. Between these two ports, we made our way briefly back to France when we visited St. Pierre. It felt surreal to step [...]
Read MoreAfter our early departure from Iceland, we spent a day sailing straight for the fjords of Greenland. We took shelter in the calm waters of the fjords for two days instead of doing the two extra days in Iceland. We saw tons of icebergs, glaciers, mountains, and waterfalls as we [...]
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Hello, we’re Micheka and Jon and we live in London, Ontario where we are pursuing our respective careers in the fields of forensic engineering and transportation engineering.
Since 2009, we’ve travelled to Europe seven times – for backpacking, for lounging, to get married / honeymoon, to cruise, and to have family time! In 2023-2024, we return for our family sabbatical year!
Follow along as we continue our journey!
Read MoreToday, we dug into our adventurous side and booked a paddleboard outing with a guide in the Douro Valley. For those who aren’t aware, the Douro River is the famous waterway connecting inland Portugal to Porto and the Atlantic Ocean and it is gorgeous! We were very fortunate to have an amazing guide, Pedro from Enjoy Douro to lead us […]
We heard a song at Waldorf this year that the Grade One class sang at an assembly that is just too perfect for where we are staying in Portugal. And yes, we sing the song regularly while we hike the mountains! Everywhere we look around us, there are mountains. And they are indeed so high they reach the sky. Yes, […]
After a couple of lazy days around Tabuado, we woke up feeling a bit restless this morning, so we decided to try something new. While we still need to do many of the typical chores from back home – groceries, laundry, cooking, etc. – it is nice to have the flexibility to follow where the day or the mood takes […]
For well over a decade, we have always clung to one specific mantra while travelling. Always trust the locals. And today was no different! We have heard nothing but amazing reviews about the local restaurant here in Tabuado, Ze Ligeiro. Don’t even try to pronounce it, I guarantee you won’t be able to! After a couple of very active days, […]
While our Canadian friends and family were sleeping, we continued with the hiking theme this Sunday morning and headed northeast through Casal Godinho for a hike up the nearby mountain to start our day. One common theme everywhere seemed to be large boulders. Of course, the girls climbed a few of them as Micheka and I cautiously watched but thankfully […]
We did a day trip into Porto on Friday, which was a 45 min walk to the train station in Marco de Canaveses, followed by a 1 hr 10 min train ride into Porto. A lot longer than the Uber we took from Porto when we got here, but also a fraction of the price! We made it into Porto, […]
Thursday marked the beginning of our two-day, 35,000-step trek (more on that from Micheka). As a test run for our day trips, we decided to walk into the nearby Marco de Canaveses town. It was a 40-minute walk (mostly downhill) to get into the valley, then up some 60-degree inclines back up into the town centre! While I did feel […]
For our first full day in Portugal, we decided to take a walk to a local boutique winery, Sapateiro. It’s less than a 15 min walk from our apartment. We booked a “tasting”, which we naively assumed would be like one of the many tastings we have had in Niagara and other places. We were completely mistaken! First off, they […]
So far, the start of our sabbatical time has been pure decompression. Over the past few months (and especially the final week ahead of the trip), we have been building up to our departure last Sunday – things to do, people to see, etc. And, after nearly a full day of travel and subsequent crash, we find ourselves just taking […]
We have had a dream since 2010 that we have worked so hard to make real. Our original target date was 2020 to allow time for our pets to all live their best lives and pass away, rather than abandoning them for a year. In 2015 when we got pregnant, we pushed it back to 2022 so the kids would […]