Castle Howard, Yorkshire

On December 19 we left Stirling, Scotland by train for York, England and for a third time stayed three nights in our favourite flat at Emperor's Wharf.

Stirling, Robert the Bruce & William Wallace

Upon completion of our Edinburgh housesit we took the train from Waverley to Stirling - home of Stirling castle (below) and land of Robert the Bruce and William Wallace. 

Highland Lochs, Glens and Whisky

On our final full day in Edinburgh we took a one-day (10-hour) bus tour of Scotland's "Highland Lochs, Glens and Whisky" with Rabbies. 

Edinburgh - 3rd Time Around

Today marks the end of our latest housesit in Edinburgh, Scotland with Charley and Bobby.

Giant Lanterns of China, Edinburgh

We're into week two of our Edinburgh housesit and were fortunate to view the Giant Lanterns of China exhibit at the Edinburgh zoo.

Berwick-Upon-Tweed, UK

After a smooth overnight Westjet flight across the pond we had another full day's travel ahead of us from Gatwick Airport to London and then onto Berwick-Upon-Tweed in Northumberland. 

Courtesy of http://www.ness-st.co.uk/aerial_photographs.html

Campbelleville, ON Housesit With Chimo and Nukka

We're often booked months in advance for a housesit and our recent Campbellville sit is no exception. Last February Gloria and Bob posted their dates on TrustedHousesitters.com and John and I applied. A few emails and a Skype chat later with plans were made for us to meet in person in mid June. We had a lovely afternoon with lunch, laughs and of course wine, and that same day we met Nukka and Chimo.

L to R: Nukka, Chimo

Charolottetown, PEI to Cambelleville, ON

In mid-October we travelled 1750 kilometres from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island to Campbellville, Ontario to begin our next housesit. While the journey can be completed in a relatively short period of time we took our time, stretching it out over four days and seeing a few of the sights along the way. 

Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

Upon completing our Dartmouth, NS housesit on Thanksgiving weekend, we headed to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island via the 12.9 km long Confederation Bridge that connects PEI to New Brunswick. It is the longest bridge in the world that crosses ice-covered water.

Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, Halifax

While in Halifax we visited the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. It's conveniently located downtown a short walk from the ferry terminal.

Halifax, NS

Just a short ferry ride from our Dartmouth housesit is the capital of Nova Scotia, Halifax.

Mahone Bay, NS

One of our most memorable discoveries during our Dartmouth, Nova Scotia housesit was the small town of Mahone Bay. We were unaware of it prior to our arrival in Lunenburg, but upon hearing glowing reports from other travellers we decided to take a look-see. 

Easy, No Knead, Crusty Bread Recipe

We're thankful for good friends we've known almost three decades and surprise, surprise they enjoy travelling as much as we do! Whenever we get together the conversation always includes updates on each couples latest escapades and more often than naught includes wine and a home cooked meal. 

Lunenburg, NS

Another location we visited while housesitting in Nova Scotia is the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Lunenburg.

Peggy's Cove, NS

While housesitting in Dartmouth, we visited the picturesque fishing village of Peggy's Cove.

Evergreen House, Dartmouth, NS

Small, local museums are often overlooked due to time restraints, but when we're in an area more than a few days we often find they are a great resource in getting to the heart of a community. Dartmouth's Evergreen House is one such place.

Dartmouth, NS Housesit with Murphy

Each housesit is an opportunity to get to know an area and live like a local. When an opportunity arose near Halifax, we jumped at the chance and are grateful to Colin and Laura for making it become a reality. Their cozy, comfortable home in Dartmouth is a short fifteen minute walk to downtown and the harbour.

Along the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island

After visiting Louisbourg we drove along the Cabot Trail that circles Cape Breton Island.

Fort Louisbourg, Nova Scotia

When we set out on our Atlantic Canada adventure in August we had two must-see destinations in mind. One was the Viking settlement in L'Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland and the other was Fort Louisbourg on Nova Scotia's Cape Breton Island. 

Dauphin Gate

South from St. Anthony to Port aux Basques

Our final two days in Newfoundland were spent mostly on the road, as we travelled south from St. Anthony to Port aux Basques in order to take the ferry back to North Sydney, Nova Scotia.

Cow Head, Newfoundland

L' Anse aux Meadows

One thousand years before the Europeans arrived in North America Norse expeditions travelled from Greenland and established a settlement on the tip of Newfoundland's great northern peninsula. 

St. Anthony, Nfld

We stayed three nights in St. Anthony as the Snuggle Inn self-catering cottage. Our unit is on the lower level of the orange house with the red roof, shown in the centre of the photo below (to the far right of the orange airplane).

North to St. Anthony

Our next destination, St. Anthony, is 347 km north of Rocky Harbour. 

Western Brook Pond Boat Tour

When friends heard we were planning a trip to Newfoundland their number one suggestion of absolute must-see destinations was Bontours Western Brook Pond Boat Tour.

Rocky Harbour, Nfld

The drive from Twillingate to Rocky Harbour is 425 km and we found it a long, desolate one! 

Twillingate, Nfld

Our next stop after Bonavista was Twillingate. 

Bonavista's Mockbegger Plantation

The Bradley House within the Mockbegger Plantation was constructed in 1871 and owned by the wife of F. Gordon Bradley who was a prominent lawyer, politician and advocate of confederation. 

Elliston, Maberly, Sealers and Puffins

A short drive from Bonavista is the small community of Elliston (308 permanent residents) and the even tinier hamlet of Maberly with 20 full-time inhabitants. 

Cape Bonavista's Lighthouse, the Dungeons & John Cabot

Cape Bonavista's Lighthouse captured John's attention the moment he learned one of its lights came from Scotland's Inchcape Rock made famous by Robert Southey's poem of the same title. 

Bonavista, John Cabot & The Matthew Legacy

When Italian explorer Giovanni Caboto (John Cabot) first spotted the North American coastline in 1497 he declared "O buono vista" and more than five centuries his statement holds firm. The town and area around Bonavista is glorious in every language.

Dildo, Cupids & Brigus

It's no secret Newfoundland communities often have unique names and three we recently visited on the Avalon peninsula are Dildo, Cupids and Brigus. 

Clarke's Beach, Nfld Housesit

We'd dreamed of doing a Newfoundland housesit for a good many years and in late August it became a reality. We arrived in Clarke's Beach, a small community about one hours drive from "town" (which in Nfld means St. John's as it is considered the ONLY town on the island) and were greeted with open arms by homeowners, Antje Springmann and Dennis Minty.

St. John's, Nfld

Think St. John's and one immediately thinks of colourful jellybean row houses perched on steep hills rising up from the bay.

Ferryland, Cape Spear & Signal Hill, Nfld

The warm summer temperatures and brilliant sunshine during our four days in St. John's prompted us to hit the road on day one and see the coastal communities. Our first stop south was Ferryland. It was here in 1621 that George Calvert (aka Lord Baltimore) founded a permanent settlement. Prior to this it had been used as a station for migratory fishermen from France, Spain and Portugal. 

Levis, Quebec to St. John's, Nfld

After leaving Levis we stayed overnight in Grand Falls, NB specifically to see the falls, but sadly, they were bone dry. 

Quebec City, Quebec

Our first visit to Quebec City took place twenty years ago and when we returned this week I had to wonder why it took so long to return!

Pelee Island, Ontario

Pelee Island had been on our list of places to visit for a number of years and as this is Canada's 150th birthday we decided to spend a week here June 10-17. Our rental cottage was basic, but adequate and its best feature was the huge deck overlooking Lake Erie.

Springtime in North Bay

Immediately upon our arrival in Canada mid-May we headed straight to North Bay for a return housesit with Keegan.

Vence, France: Part 2

Welcome to the final instalment of our time spent in the lovely medieval village of Vence, France.

Vence, France: Part 1

Tourists flock to Vence to visit Matisse's "masterpiece" the Chapelle du Rosaire, yet this medieval hilltop town has so much more to offer and worthy of a visit on its own accord. 

Food, Glorious Food

One of the joys of travelling is sampling the food of each region and while we were in Europe this past winter and spring we did just that - in three countries: Portugal, Spain and France - and we began our culinary adventure as soon as our feet hit the ground in Lisbon.

Ristorante Caffetteria Museu Nacional do Azulejo, Lisbon

Matisse's Chapelle du Rosaire

French artist Henri Matisse considered the Rosary Chapel in Vence, France the accomplishment of his life's work. "It demanded four years of exclusive and assiduous work," he said, "and it is the result of all my active life. Despite all of its imperfections, I see it as my masterpiece."

Renoir Museum, Cagnes-sur-Mer

During our incredible 5-week housesit in Nice we were fortunate to be able to return to Cagnes-sur-Mer  to tour the Renoir Museum. 

Haut-de-Cagnes: Part 2

Haut-de-Cagnes is our favourite medieval village in France. The reasons are many, but the main being it continues to be a vibrant, thriving community. Ordinary people work and live here. They raise their families here. Haut-de-Cagnes (literal translation is the 'top of Cagnes') is not simply a tourist destination filled with art galleries, shops and restaurants - although it does have a few of each including a few hotels.  

Haut-de-Cagnes: Part 1

Of all the historic villages we've been fortunate enough to explore at our Nice housesit this past spring, Haut-de-Cagnes is our favourite.

Marc Chagall Museum, Nice, France

The Marc Chagall Museum is a short walk from our port-side housesit in Nice, France. Dedicated to this Russian born Jewish artist, it was a must see while we were in the city.

Jean Cocteau Museums, Menton, France

Our five-week housesit in Nice, France allowed us ample time to explore the surrounding area. One day we took the #100 bus (sixty minutes each way) from Nice to Menton which is the last town on the French Riviera before the Italian border. 

Exotic Garden of Eze

The town of Eze is perched high above the Med while its Exotic Garden straddles the zenith even higher still. 

Eze, France

Eze is a hillside, medieval town not far from Nice. 

Chapel of Saint Hospice on St. Jean Cap-Ferrat

The Chapel of Saint Hospice is on the St. Jean Cap-Ferrat peninsula a short bus ride from Nice.