We didn’t have anything in particular planned for today, so we decided to go for a leisurely drive. Jan suggested we head up to Arrowtown, a historic gold mining town that has been updated and turned into a local tourist attraction. We discovered later that today Arrowtown was hosting a NZ Gin Festival, where you could taste up to twenty different local varieties of Gin. I like Gin, but this did not sound like a good idea at 11:00 AM when I still had to drive back to Queenstown. We decided against attending the festival (good thing too, as it was sold out) but the traffic made driving through town looking for parking our first “adventure” of the day. Google maps wasn’t much help so we were about to give up and head out of town when we spotted the perfect parking spot pretty much by accident.
The main business street of Arrowtown has been restored and now houses museums, local craft stores, restaurants, and bars. Some of the original houses have also been restored, like these.
Arrowtown historic houses
After a pleasant stroll through he shops, we had lunch at a local pub in a building that had originally been the stables. I mentioned earlier that I had to drive in the afternoon … on the left side of the road … so a pint of the local brew seemed like a bad idea. I decided to do some market research and try a local non-alcoholic beer.
I was about to say that “I did not hate it” but decided that wasn’t fair. It actually wasn’t too bad, but I’m still having a real hazy ale while I’m writing this post.
While we were eating lunch, the local birds were keep a close eye on us, hoping for crumbs.
Chaffinch
After lunch, it was back to the hotel to pack for tomorrow, and to take one more walk along the lake into central Queenstown. This time we took a detour through Queenstown Gardens, giving me an excuse to take more nature pictures.
Bees enjoying the flowersHedge BindweedWhitebeamFigs
There were also bee hives in the gardens – about 20-30 hives enclosed in a wire fence, presumably to keep idiot tourists out. The bees were very obvious, and I had no desire to go closer … though they were fascinating to watch from a safe distance.
Bee hives in Queenstown Gardens
Tomorrow we drive to Te Anau. We head south along Lake Wakatipu, and then west toward Te Anau, where we will spend the night before our visit to Milford Sound. Here is a picture showing where we will be headed tomorrow.
I titled this post “Wandering and Wondering”, because we have already started wondering when we will be back again.
In a comment to yesterday’s post, Stu suggested that we should drive up “The Remarkables” and tried to sell the idea by mentioning narrow winding mountain roads without guardrails. So I was amazed when Jan said “let’s do it”. And that is how we found ourselves enjoying views like this.
The View from The Remarkables
And yes, Jan came with me on the drive. I insisted on taking a picture as proof.
Jan, still smiling after the drive up The Remarkables
I mentioned yesterday that I had a surprise activity for today. Remarkably, I wasn’t referring to the drive up The Remarkables. (Sorry, but I couldn’t resist.) The surprise activity was this…
Paragliding
That isn’t me (I had a much better landing) but I definitely went paragliding. And here’s the proof.
I had a ball! Fifteen minutes of pure joy. I was worried that I’d be frightened before I got used to it, but not at all. I’d gladly go again. And I was so enthusiastic about the experience that I think Jan might actually join me the next time.
After my paragliding adventure, we walked into Queenstown to investigate options for dinner. (Being within walking distance of downtown is wonderful.) We had trouble getting a last minute reservation – it’s a Friday night during NZ summer break … silly us. But we finally managed to find a place right on the lake, sitting outdoors. We had a fantastic dinner (probably the best rack of lamb that I’ve ever had) and Jan had delicious local salmon, all the while checking the weather at home … snow, snow, and more snow. During dinner, Jan had an amazing view of The Remarkables, watching the changing light as the sun set.
After a solid night’s sleep in Auckland, we had a two hour flight to Queenstown today. I selected a window seat, because I was hoping to see New Zealand’s lush green landscape. Instead, for the first hour I saw featureless cloud cover. And when the cloud cover finally dissipated, I saw…
Lush green landscape??????
It was beautiful in its own way, but not what I was expecting. Fortunately, after a breathtaking approach to Queenstown airport (with mountains towering over us, just outside the plane window) we checked into our hotel with this view.
The view from our hotel
At home today, school buses were cancelled because of a snowstorm. Here, we changed into shorts and a t-shirt and walked along the lake to head into town. The path took us through a small park.
Queenstown seems to be a small town, but it’s definitely a pretty town with restaurants, shops, and … fabulous weather.
Jan, enjoying the sun in Queenstown
Jan has been looking for a hat to wear in the sun for a while now, but she is having trouble finding something she likes. Finally, she found one today. Good timing too, since there is a lot of sunshine here. Then we picked up groceries for a light dinner and breakfast in our room and headed back to the hotel, with Jan wearing her new hat. You can see the mountains in the background … but you see that everywhere here.
Jan’s new hat
If you follow this blog, you know that I love taking pictures of flowers and tropical plants, especially when we’re missing a snowstorm at home. Today is no exception.
And then, it was time for a malt beverage on balcony outside our room. Jan had rose, of course.
Ahhhhh…
When we were in Lisbon last fall we met a couple who said they loved visiting Queenstown, and told us there was one thing that we absolutely had to try when we were there.
The mystery activity?
You’ll need to come back tomorrow to see what the mystery activity is, and if I was brave enough to try it.
The original plan was to leave Vancouver just before midnight. But the incoming flight was delayed, and boarding was slow. By the time they closed the doors, finished de-icing, and taxied to the runway, it was after 2:30 AM. We were very glad we’d had a chance to eat in the lounge so that we could immediately try to sleep.
I had more luck than Jan – I got a solid seven hours. I’m told there was no doubt that I was sound asleep because I was snoring … loudly … loud enough to be heard over the cabin noise. I can neither confirm nor deny this.
I can tell you that after I woke up, I ate the airplane dinner, which had kindly been set aside for later. Then I spent the next five hours listening to Bob Dylan’s albums, in order. Watching “A Complete Unknown” got me interested enough to focus on just listening to his music. Of course, being stuck on a plane helped. But after seven hours of sleep, dinner, listening to six albums, and having breakfast, we still had two more hours to go…
Are we almost there yet???
We finally landed, cleared customs, got our NZ SIM cards and checked into our hotel. Then we went for a walk outside in the perfect summer weather. Along the way we passed posters highlighting all the exciting things to do in New Zealand.
South IslandNorth Island
At this point we started to worry that five weeks wasn’t enough time. I guess we’ll need to come back again.
Then it was time for a welcome drink overlooking the Auckland airport. It’s Wednesday here so our Wednesday afternoon pub day arrives early.
We’re on our way back to New Zealand for another visit. This time, we decided to break up the trip with a few days in Vancouver. A fourteen hour flight to Auckland is exhausting enough on its own, without having a five flight from Ottawa and a four hour wait in Vancouver tacked on the front. Besides, it’s a nice transition in other ways – the time zone is half way between Ottawa and Auckland and the weather is also somewhere between the two. And it gave us an opportunity to start training for the hills we will find in New Zealand.
The view on our walk – more hills…
When you go for a walk, the best thing to do is check out a local micro brewery. There are so very many in the Vancouver area.
So Many ChoicesJan and Big G
In addition to an impressive and unusual lineup of brews (the Christmas Tree IPA had spruce needles), this pub also had two cask conditioned ales… so of course I had to try both.
An impressive flight
My sister generously offered to let us stay with her, and agreed to pause her dry January for our visit. We make such incredible sacrifices for our siblings.
The sacrifices we make for family…
Then we stayed with friends we met on our river cruise in 2023. They live in White Rock, with streets that are a little like San Francisco. Okay, okay, a very small version of San Francisco, but work with me here.
White Rock BC
It was lovely walking weather (+5 Celsius and sunny … with no hint of snow) and more views of the mountains.
The view in White Rock
We walked along the waterfront with our friends.
It was a lovely sunny day, with the sun reflecting off the water.
The view from White Rock
The water fowl were out in force. These are Surf Scoters.
Surf Scoters
After a late lunch along the waterfront we took in a movie (A Complete Unknown – I highly recommend it) and then headed to the airport. The bad news is that our flight is delayed almost two hours. The good news is that we have lounge access, so we can have dinner here, and then try to sleep as soon as we get on the plane … at 1:30 AM. Fortunately it’s only 14 hours till Auckland and the start of our NZ visit!
I know this is supposed to be a travel blog, but you could also think of it as an adventure blog. And a vintage ale tasting that spans two decades is definitely an adventure. A once in a lifetime adventure.
Jim and Bill … with the evidence
We aren’t experts. We aren’t even close to experts. But we know people who are experts, and we invited them to join us. The attendees included a brewer, an assistant brewer, a brewpub owner, and a recent graduate of a college-level beer tasting course.
Identifying the subtle notes in this vintageDocumenting it for posterity
And then, there were the rest of us…
Enjoying an impressive lineup of vintage ales
The first challenge was deciding the tasting order. Youngest-to-oldest or perhaps, oldest-to-youngest. But then Evan had an idea. Save the youngest and oldest for a side-by-side tasting at the end, and start by tasting the second-youngest through to the second oldest. It was a brilliant idea … but we decided to do it anyway.
The next challenge was deciding what we were looking for. The obvious theory was that as the beer aged, the flavours would fade in intensity, but integrate into a richer whole, much the way a good stew mellows but improves with age. But while preparing for this tasting I came across another theory. As a vintage ale ages there are many chemical reactions competing with each other. Some are good and improve the flavour, and some are … not so good. As a result, you see a flavour cycle … better … worse … then better again. In a tasting like this, it would depend on exactly where you were in the cycle.
We were curious to see which one of these theories was correct. I’m sure you’re dying to know the answer. What … wait … you aren’t? Well, too bad. I’m telling you anyway.
The answer is … both are actually true. Overall, the flavours did fade and integrate. But at the same time, there was a definite cycle with sweet and bitter flavours intensifying, then fading, then intensifying again.
In the end we couldn’t agree on a single favourite vintage … it was a tie between the oldest and the youngest. The oldest had all the flavours fully integrated and in balance, and the youngest was fresh and lively, but also in balance. And the conclusion was … I have no idea what the conclusion was, but it was a fun evening.
Dead soldiers at the end of the evening
Here is the crew who joined us for this epic tasting.
Monday Beer Club
I opened this post by noting that this was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Of course, having said that, we have no choice but to try to repeat it next year.
Most beer is intended to be consumed when it is young, and in many cases it’s at its peak on the day it’s released. But this isn’t always the case. Some beers hold up very well with age, and a few will actually improve with age. Fuller’s Vintage Ale is one of these.
Fuller’s Vintage Ale – 2024
Fuller’s Vintage Ale is brewed once a year, in limited quantities, and released in the fall. I started collecting these ales years ago, and I now have a reasonable collection reaching back nearly a decade. Once a year, I usually get together with friends and have a vertical tasting, to see how the ale changes with age. This year I proposed this lineup.
Vertical Tasting Lineup
And then Bill offered to add a few from his collection…
Expanded Tasting Lineup
When we put them together, our tasting will span two decades, with every second vintage from 2024, all the way back to 2004.
This is going to be an epic tasting, and I’m looking forward to this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
We woke up early to have breakfast at the hotel and then walked over to the airport. Today involved a lot of time sitting, eating, and drinking, so it made sense to get as much exercise as we could. Once we were through security, we looked out the window at the green grass and warm weather, knowing we were going to find something very different at home.
Lisboa airport
We spotted a tray of Pastel de Nata and decided we needed to try one last taste before leaving Lisboa. Although airports aren’t exactly known for good food, these were delicious, and still warm.
Pastel de Nata
As we were walking into the airport we were notified that our flight was delayed, but fortunately it was only for 20 minutes. Once we were through security, I was tracking the incoming flight on FlightAware, so I knew when our plane was landing. I managed to get a picture as it was coming in.
Our ride home
The winds must have been favourable, because even though we left late we arrived early. Unfortunately that just means a longer wait in Montreal, but that isn’t all bad.
My drink as I write this blog
That’s all for this trip. I’m unlikely to post much, if anything, until our next trip in late January. That will be New Zealand. See you then.
Our trip is almost over – we fly home tomorrow morning. We didn’t want to worry about early morning traffic getting to the airport, so we booked an airport hotel for tonight, and as a result we had a quiet day with very little walking. On our way back from dinner last night (walking, of course) we stopped at a scenic lookout and admired the view out over Baixa, Lisboa.
Lisboa at night
We checked out of the apartment at noon, and by the time we arrived at the airport hotel our room was ready. After a limited unpacking we walked over to the airport to check out the route for tomorrow morning – we wanted to see if we should take the shuttle (usually very crowded) or walk. It’s only a seven minute walk and even with luggage in tow, you won’t be surprised to hear that we’re going to walk.
During our stay in Lisboa we saw more and more Christmas decorations being put up. Very few lights yet (thankfully) but still… it’s not even the middle of November. And when we checked into the hotel today we were greeted with this!
Seriously???
This is just wrong.
Tomorrow we’ll be flying all day, and then it’s back to our own bed. At least until our next trip.
We had a plan. It was a good plan, but you know what they say. Even the best of plans never survive first contact with reality. We got away from our apartment early, at least by our standards. If you’re wondering, our apartment is on the far left, second from the top, with the red walls. An all you can eat Pizza Hut is on the ground floor – we haven’t tried it.
Apartment hotel in Lisboa
But back to the plan. Over the past two weeks we’ve seen many references to the Lisbon earthquake of 1755, which destroyed the city. I have to admit I’d never heard of it, so when I learned there was a museum dedicated to the earthquake I wanted to know more. It turns out that the museum is close to the place where the Pastel de nata was created, and where you can still purchase them. This is also just across the street from the Belem tower, which we tried to see earlier in the week. When Jan figured out how to order tickets to the Belem tower online, we had a plan – Belem tower without the queues, pastel de nata at the original shop, and then the earthquake museum. It was a good plan. It really was.
We took an Uber to Belem tower with tickets on my phone, expecting to beat the crowds. That was when reality hit. Turns out that even when you have tickets, you still need to queue for the tower. When we arrived, the queue was already two hours long. We immediately lost interest, and decided that strolling along the river on a beautiful Sunday was a much better plan. So many unusual things to see, like this cart selling “wine to go” for your Sunday in the park. I love European liquor laws.
Wine with a view
And then this, which was so out of context that it left us with vertigo. On the other side of the van it was advertised as an “authentic Canadian experience”. We were almost tempted to try some, since we’ve never actually ordered it at home.
WTF
Our random walk brought us to the Monument to the Discoveries. It hadn’t been part of our plan, but it should have been.
Monument to the Discoveries
This monument was built when Portugal was still ruled by a military dictatorship and still maintained many of its colonies. It was intended to show pride in the conquests of empire. While some of that remains, there is now also a sense of the impact it had on other peoples, and to recognize this, there was a special exhibit of family photo albums from Africans living in Portugal. These were people whose ancestors came from former colonies. It was very moving, and I think, a fair attempt to try to balance perspectives.
As an added bonus, the queue for this exhibit was less than ten minutes. We decided to add it to our revised plan for the day and check it out. We were very glad we did. From the top of the monument (reached by an elevator, thankfully) we had a great view of Belem tower, where we could have been still waiting in the queue.
Belem tower, seen from the top of the Monument to the Discoveries
Here is another picture taken from the top of the monument, showing a convent (old religion?) and in the background, the football stadium (new religion?). I almost missed the juxtaposition, so thanks to Jan for spotting it.
Religion, old and new
After the monument, we walked to the Earthquake museum, through lovely parks, of course. Much of the damage from the quake of 1755 was because of the tsunami it caused. This sign was a reminder of the danger. The fact that the evacuation route led you to an underpass (going down to escape a tsunami doesn’t seem right) made sense when you realized that you had to get across the train tracks before you could get to higher ground. We both enjoyed the Earthquake museum and would recommend it.
Use an underpass to escape water???
Then it was time for the pastries. The original shop is called Pasteis de Belem, and the egg custard tart pastry is called by the same name if it is from this shop. The generic name is Pastel de Nata, or Pasteis de Nata. We wanted to try the original, until we saw the queue in front of the shop…
Pasteis de Belem
This picture really doesn’t do it justice – the line was far worse than this makes it look. We were ready to leave when we noticed there were actually three separate queues. One was for table service, but the other two were for take away. We picked the shorter queue and five minutes later we had our pasties which we ate on a shaded park bench. Unfortunately I have to tell you that the originals are annoyingly tasty, and better than the ones we have had elsewhere. Alas, it is worth queuing to get them.
We considered heading home at that point, but it was such a lovely day that I suggested we go back and check the queue at Belem tower. It was much better – half an hour, but only if you’d already purchased online tickets, which we had. So we decided to visit the tower after all.
We were glad we had the chance to see inside the tower, but to be completely honest, I’m not sure I’d recommend it. The best bit was the sunset from the tower, and if we had visited midday we wouldn’t have seen that. The next best was the view from outside, which anyone can see for free.
On our walk back we spotted this along the river – children taking sailing lessons, towed along behind a boat, looking like baby ducks learning to swim behind their mother. Very cute.
Learning to sail
Then it was time to take the tram back to the apartment. This time we made sure we caught the right one that took us back all the way to Baixa.
If It Was Today... 