BC Salmon Runs

There came a time during our last trip when, halfway around the world, we realized we knew more about the cities and towns we were visiting in Europe than much of the area we have called home for for over twenty years. It can be so easy to leave, seeking adventure, without ever realizing what was in front of you all along. As a result, we made exploring and promoting local attractions one of our top priorities for 2013.

One such local attraction, the annual Salmon Run, takes place every fall in mid-October when Salmon return from the Pacific Ocean to the upper reaches of inland rivers to spawn. Flushed a deep crimson red, the spawning salmon return to the place of their birth to lay and fertilize their eggs, they then die and the life-cycle begins again.

The Adams River, forty-five minutes from our hometown of Kamloops, is one of the most important breeding grounds for Sockeye Salmon in North America, and the major reason for Roderick Haig-Brown Provincial Park's existence. Although total numbers vary by year, with every fourth year being a dominant run, anyone attending school in the area has at one time or another joined a field trip to take in this natural phenomenon.

Unfortunately, it becomes easy to overlook even the most miraculous of natural occurrences, and I never paid it much attention until 2010, when the run, the largest since 1913, made headlines with an estimated 34 million fish entering the Fraser River near Vancouver, 3.86 million of which returned to the Adams River to spawn. In addition to impressing the countless visitors, the 2010 Salmon Run also marked a remarkable rebound from 1994 when only 660,000 fish returned.

A trip to the Adams River makes for a fantastic day. The weather in Fall is crisp yet sunny, and the leaves on the trees are still changing colour. The breeding salmon, recently turned a spectacular red, bump and jockey for room to maneover themselves and to try and lay claim to the ideal breeding location, all of which makes the Adams River Salmon Run a must-see event. 

If you will be in British Columbia, Alaska, or parts of Scotland this fall, I'd highly recommend looking into notable runs in the area and making time to check out one of these incredible occurrences. The next dominant run in the Adams River will be Autumn 2014. There are also many photography and adventure tours that focus on the natural predators up stream, mainly bears, whose presence is increased due to an abundance of food. 

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Sorrento's Secret

Some of our favorite sites while traveling are those that we've stumbled onto accidentally. The quirky locales known only to the locals that can't be found in any guidebooks. While wandering through Sorrento looking for pizza one evening (we'd been told to try Pizzeria Da Franco by our B&B owner) we were surprised to find such a site, a block off the main square and a few hundred feet below street level.

Reclaimed by nature, it's still possible to make out the rough shape of a building forgotten in the deep valley bottom while life continues only a hundred feet away. We were intrigued so, after snapping a few photos and filling our bellies with delicious pizza, we turned to the internet to answer some of our questions.

Unfortunately, as is often the case with the lesser known or forgotten sites, there wasn't a lot of information online and what we were able to find has become a bit muddled in the translation from Italian to English. It seems that at one time this moss covered building was a mill. Initially built in the 900's to grind wheat, a sawmill was eventually added for use by Sorrento cabinet makers, and finally a public wash house.

From what we can understand, the 'Old Mill' was eventually cut off from the sea by the creation of Tasso Square in 1866 and as a result humidity in the deep valley increased to an unbearable level. As a result, the site was abandoned. However this story has a happy ending as the valley bottom flora, including a rare breed of fern, now thrive in the new micro-climate.

Hoping for a better look, and some adventure, we tried to locate a way down into the valley but came up empty. From reports online, it seems the area is completely cut off from the streets above and therefore impossible to visit. Although we were a bit disappointed, perhaps it's best to leave the 'Old Mill' to nature and simply admire the site from above.

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Lisbon in Pictures

Our four short days in Lisbon were shortened by a short bout of heatstroke, and the most comfortable bed we've encountered yet (making it even harder to get up in the morning). However, even with two weeks, Lisbon has so much to see and do we couldn't have fit it all in.

What we were able to fit in - three museums, a monastery and streetcar ride, the spiciest Goa curry we've ever eaten, some shopping while exploring downtown, an enormous street market Sunday morning, and two fabulous feasts of piri-piri chicken...

A funicular and graffiti

Typical architecture in Lisbon

The Santa Justa Elevator - in operation for more than 100 years

The Carmo Convernt - roofless but still an amazing place

Lisbon has some amazing graffiti artists

Treasures at the weekly flea market

Tram 28 still makes the rounds

Praca do Comercio - one of the main squares

Beautiful architecture in Belem

Art in the Berardo Museum

A Warhol at the Berardo

Details on the Jeronimos Monastery - UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Jeronimos Monastery from afar...it's pretty big

A Portuguese take on Goa curry...tasty and spicy

Piri Piri Chicken - never, ever touch your eyes!

... all of which left us too exhausted to check our bus tickets to Seville before heading to the station. As it turned out, our bus departed at 10:00 and we realized we were at the wrong station at 8:30. Two metro rides across town and a mad dash through the station, we found the correct bus and settled in, saying good-bye to Lisbon... for now.

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Madrid by Foot - One Day Walking Tour

We arrived in Madrid around noon, our train pulled into the station amid large industrial buildings and widely spaced homes. Thirty minutes later we popped up on Gran Via, from the underground metro system, surrounded by the honking horns* of eight lanes of traffic and sidewalks crowded with tourists toting multiple shopping bags. It felt as if we'd been plopped down in the middle of Times Square without a map or any sense of where to go - although I've never been to New York so perhaps it's nothing like that at all.

Our accommodation (Hospedaje Romero) was located a few blocks down, a wonderful room close to everything that also offered some quiet from the hustle just outside. The building was lovely too and featured an antique wooden lift encircled by a marble staircase. We felt a bit too grimy for a place so nice - especially considering we hadn't had an opportunity to do laundry in quite a while, and had adopted the classic backpacker odor everyone knows and loves. That night clean clothes won out over exploration, and we headed for the nearest laundromat, which our lovely hosts promptly called around to find, just three blocks away (it's proximity to our hotel was surely a sign).

Smelling fresh and well rested after a good sleep, we set out to explore Madrid our first morning. Our hosts had provided us with a map upon arrival and had pointed out some areas of interest (I love when they do that), so it was easy to roughly map out our walking route - starting from Gran Via heading East, circling back at the Plaza de Cibeles to hit the Mercado de San Miguel (indoor market with tapas) for lunch, and ending with a visit to the Palacio Real and Madrid Cathedral. 

Below is a map that highlights the walk and some corresponding photos of the amazing architecture we saw.



View Madrid Walking Tour in a larger map

As we made our way along Gran Via we were amazed by the sheer number of architecturally stunning buildings so deserving of our undivided attention - making it nearly impossible to take everything in and simultaneously sidestep the busy shoppers that crowd the sidewalk.

We were blessed with bright blue skies early in the morning

The large neon Schweppes sign

Reflection of old and new buildings that line the Gran Via

More amazing buildings met us at the Plaza de Cibeles

The extremely photogenic Metropolis Building

Large chariot statues - are we in Vegas or Madrid?

Plaza Mayor is full of rich history and wonderfully painted buildings

Busy shopping streets throughout Madrid

Colourful tapas at the Market of San Miguel

We weren't the only ones interested in the tasty tapas!

Almudena Cathedral is one of our favorites from this walk

The Cathedral's modern interior features bright colours

We admired the Palacio Real from the outside...

...And from this lovely park across the street.

We then ventured up to the Temple of Debod

Finally wrapping up our walk in the Plaza Espana

A monument to Cervantes in the plaza

Overall, 4-6 hours is plenty of time to take pictures and sample some tapas along this route; if you want to explore any of the attractions in detail or do some shopping definitely add in a few hours. With all that Madrid has to offer, a walk like this is a perfect introduction to the city!


And... all our Madrid photos are now up on Flickr! As always, you can peruse all of our travel pictures there, just click on the Photos tab on our homepage.   

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Mother Nature's Supermodel

We stroll along the path, shaded by large spruce and fir trees, the sound of rushing water making conversation difficult, as the crisp mountain temperatures play with our senses. The steep hills covered with thick green underbrush look like home, the faint hints of musky dirt and moss smell like home, the quiet crunch of twigs underfoot sound like home, yet we are over 5000 kilometers from the nearest Canadian border and everyone we pass on the trail greets us with a nod of the head, a greeting universally understood no matter your native tongue.
 

We spent some time playing with our camera settings to try and capture the beauty of the cascading water

Plitvice National Park is unlike any area of Croatia we've explored, a remote place of peace and calm, interrupted for a few hours each day as tour buses spill noisy visitors onto the wooden walkways to snap photographs of the UNESCO protected natural park.  It's easy to understand the draw, Mother Nature's version of the supermodel, Plitivce Lakes are the perfect combination of countless waterfalls, crystal clear turquoise lakes, white limestone karst topography, and lush green foliage, the envy of National Parks everywhere.
 

The wooden walkways weave through the park like they were there since it formed

Mosses and grasses hang from the countless waterfalls

296.85 square kilometers in size, sixteen cascading lakes make up Plitivce National Park as 1.2 million visitors take in it's beauty annually. As the oldest National Park in Southeast Europe, Plitivce Lakes are renowned for their distinct colours - ranging from bright turquoise to green, blue, and deep cobalt - that appear to change throughout the day depending on the angle of the sun. In addition to their colour, the lakes are so clear you can not only marvel at the plants growing up from the sandy bottom but also recognize how many fish call the park home, both small and large! The National Park is also home to an important natural geological process, the slow creation of travertine which is the result of an interplay between water, air and plants, and forms at a rate of 1 cm per year.  

Velicki Slap (78m) is the largest waterfall and key in travertine formation

The park's trail system is quite extensive, incorporating electric ferries and buses to shuttle tourists around, a welcome relief after walking for hours. In a unique layout, optimized to give visitors the best possible views, the park's 8 km of wooden walkways weave their way around lakes, crisscrossing in front of waterfalls and connecting with trail systems that wind their way alongside fast flowing creeks. The system allows for some great photo opportunities as well.
 

The walkways seem to go on forever and get you right in the action

The light was perfect for reflections

Immaculately maintained, it's nearly impossible to tell how many tourists visit the park daily, as their footprint is barely visible. As we visited later in the season, just as the leaves were changing for fall, we effortlessly found areas where we were the only two people on the trail, an opportunity to fully take in the majesty of this natural wonder.

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