Merry Christmas!

 It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks since we got home.

We definitely arrived back to very different weather than Spain!

Pat got to take Jasper to the Raptor's game, and we had a birthday party for Ellis.

We went to visit Great Grandma Beaton for her 89th and Ellis' first birthday. 

We took in some Christmas parties and played out in the snow.

We spent Christmas eve and Christmas morning at our house in Kincardine with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Scott.

Jasper is starting to understand Christmas, so it was a fun day.

Uncle Scott had a big boy headache, but he still got up early to open presents with the kids (then took a nap).

 During nap time on Christmas day, we drove to Milton to see the McIlroys and Parrs.

There is lots of snow in Milton, and the kids have enjoyed playing in the backyard.

It has been nice to see so many people in such a short time, but it still doesn't feel like we're settled in at home yet.

Day 64: Back in Canada

We are back in Canada! It was a really long day of travel, but all things considered, the kids (and adults) did very well. 

 Jasper had fun exploring the stores and playgrounds in the airports and both kids slept for about 3-4 hours on the transatlantic flight. For some reason, they turned all the lights on about 90 mins outside of Toronto and served us breakfast at 9pm. That woke the kids up, but they were happy and alert even though it felt like 2am to them. All of our luggage arrived and we were treated to snow and -10 degree weather when we left the airport.

Jasper is excited to play in the snow, but we're making him wait until the sun comes up.

Day 63: Dunas de Maspalomas

It was a rainy cold day today on our part of the island, so we decided to drive to the south to the sun. We went to Maspalomas to see the sand dunes and were treated to sunny 22 degrees, but also to pelting sandstorms at times.

 The dunes are on a nature reserve right in the middle of miles and miles of package-deal hotels full of Brits and Germans. There was a bunch of German seniors drinking and singing songs by the toilets for some reason.

 There are a few short hikes you can do to get down to the beaches, but the sand was blowing pretty hard so we stuck near the boardwalk.

The kids had fun just playing in the sand right beside the path. Grandpa gave Jasper a special "desert hat" because his kept blowing off in the wind.

When Jasper first saw the dunes he announced that he wanted to "king kong" (knock over) the hills. He didn't have much success with that.

After a picnic and an ice cream snack, we were treated to a rainbow on our drive back to the north of the island.

It was still rainy and cold at our house, so it was a good choice to go away for the day.

It's hard to believe that tomorrow we will be getting on a flight home to Canada!

Day 62: Playa de las Canteras

Today we went back into Las Palmas to go to the beach. Playa de las Canteras is a 3 km long beach right in downtown Las Palmas.

Our first stop at the beach was a cafe, where we were able to find Jasper a muffin, so he was very happy.

It was a chilly 14 degrees when we left our house in the hills, but it was sunny and 22 at the beach (although a bit windy).

This beach is unique in that it has a natural breakwater about 100 m from shore, that makes for a calm shore and also provides a reef for fish and sea creatures to live on. We were there at low tide, and got to swim out to the reef to see the fish.

The kids were perfectly happy to play in the sand. Ellis especially liked when someone would dig her a hole, then she would crawl over and climb backwards into it.

We ate a picnic lunch on the beach. The only way to keep Ellis from dipping everything in the sand was to keep her strapped in the stroller.

When we were about to leave, Jasper finally decided to check out the water. The fish were close enough to shore that he could see them without swimming out.

Once he got in, he didn't want to get back out. He became a seaweed farmer, and even caught a crab inside of his bathing suit (by accident).

Day 61: Baloncesto

Today we went to Las Palmas to see a professional basketball game. Pat has been researching and looking forward to this game since we started our trip in Madeira.

 The arena is located in a huge sports complex in the outskirts of Las Palmas, next to the soccer stadium.

Our tickets were way up high, so there wasn't too many people sitting there. Pat bought one ticket in the first row, two in the second and two in the 4th row behind another family.

 Being near the top of the stadium worked out well, because Ellis and Jasper had some space to run around. Ellis liked to clap, even when the other team got points and Jasper preferred to constantly yell "Boom Shak-a-lack-a". He was pretty jazzed about having a seat in the front in a row all to himself.

The home team ended up winning the game, and by enough points that the last 2 minutes didn't take an hour.

After our last Sunday lunch at 100 Montaditos, the clouds rolled into the valley and the sun just peaked through over the hills.

Ellis got to play walnut farmer all by herself while Jasper took an extended nap. We thought he might be sick, but he seemed to perk up later in the evening.

It's hard to believe that we only have 2 days left on our trip!

Day 60: Bye bye Aunt Kate

Today was Aunt Kate's last day with us on the canary islands. After a bit of walnut farming, we drove to the east coast to go for a hike around a caldera.

 

The hike was a bit more strenuous than I'd expected, and I ran out of gas in Ellis' motorcycle. I need to eat more in the morning on days we're carrying the kids around.

 The caldera was a collapsed volcano,and the hike was well marked with interpretive signs. The uphill sections were tricky because they had gravel that slid back when you walk, kind of like walking in sand or snow.

 We had a picnic lunch once we made it around the caldera, and the kids had fun crawling around and rolling in the volcanic gravel.

We then drove into a nearby city for snacks and supplies. All of the shopping centres here seem to have kids playgrounds. This one was in and outdoor courtyard.

We said goodbye to Aunt Kate at the mall, and went back to the house. Grandma and Grandpa took her for tapas and then drove her to the airport. It's easier to say bye knowing that we'll see her again in Toronto on Thursday. Thanks for joining us on our trip, Aunt Kate!

Day 59: Artenara

Today we went to see the caves in Artenara. After a coffee and snack stop in the plaza, we went to the Museo Ethnographico Casas Cuevas (Museum of Cave Houses).

 The museum was located right on the edge of the crater and had a great view. Jasper's favourite part was the cage full of little birds and the black cat that liked to watch the birds.

 The museum had 7 different cave rooms, showing how people lived in cave homes in the past. It was very well done and had interesting interpretation cards available in lots of languages. Jasper got to try on some traditional dress in the first cave.

 The houses were very small, but cozy and it said that they stay at 20 degrees Celsius year round, which would be appealing in a place with such variable weather. 

Jasper really wanted to take his picture with this little tiny corn for some reason.

 We went for lunch at a vegan restaurant where Ellis occupied herself by sorting oranges. The food was delicious and even included gofio, a local food we had learnt about at the museum.

After lunch, we took the kids back to the house for nap and the others went to see a cave church and have coffee at a cave restaurant.

We had a simple dinner of frozen pizzas, which Ellis really enjoyed. A bath was necessary after that meal.