The final count – our trip in numbers

Back in June we blogged about some of the key statistics on our trip. At first we were quite surprised with some of the low numbers, especially the number of train trips . But  the numbers look very different now – take a look:

 

1. Number of days spent travelling  = 270

2. Number of different beds slept in = 93

3. Number of trains = 121

4. Number of bullet trains in Japan = 9

5. Number of buses = 98

6. Number of airplanes = 9

7. Number of times invited to stay with locals = 21

8. Number of museum/zoo/aquarium visits = 70

9. Number of paid-for tours = 15

10. Number of sick days = 0

 

We’re home

On Amtrak for 12 hours!

By the miracle of modern travel we are now back in Birmingham, UK. Neither of us can quite believe it. Noah keeps saying ‘we’re home, we’re home’, reassuring himself that we are back and that the backpacks can finally take a break.

Unfortunately due to a lack of internet access we weren’t able to blog on our mammoth journey from Quebec-Montreal-New York- New Jersey-London-Birmingham. But it was loooooong, the journey of all journeys. For both of us the descent into London was emotional and I had to agree with Noah when he said ‘I can’t believe we did it Mum’

As Noah ran into his Dad’s arms at the airport a huge wave of relief washed over me. I had single-handedly taken my 8 yr old around the world and I had bought him back safely to his very understanding Dad. I had avoided abduction, getting lost, broken bones and not a single hours sickness (yes, I imagined the worst!) and now the pressure was off.  It was immensely liberating.

In the course of the year I had shown Noah that this world is full of generous people, beauty and true wonders. Most importantly he has learnt that with an open mind and heart this world is open to him to explore for the rest of his life. And with travelling skills far beyond his years I know that Noah will go on to see much more of this wonderful world and that he will make a big difference in it.

But for now both of us are just so happy to be back home. Neither of us has any intention to set foot on a plane for a very long time.

Thank you for following our adventure around the world – we know we have quite a few followers out there. We hope that we have inspired you to travel with your kids – to set out on your own and simply make it up as you go. Please don’t stop logging off as we have our final statistics to announce – we think the number of train journeys we took will amaze you!!

Quebec Museum Of Civilisation – the 70th on our trip

Reported by Noah - We have spent the last few days ( some of our last on our trip ) including the Thanksgiving holiday Couch Surfing in Quebec. Today we went to our 70th and last museum on our round the world trip: The Museum Of Civilisation. It was OK but it wasn’t the best. I did sit in an Aboriginal tent though which was cool. 

Also today, we tried the local dish – Poutine. This is chips covered in gravy with curd cheese. It tasted very English. Quebec is the most beautiful city that we have visited in Canada. It has a large stone wall around the inner city with many beautiful buildings as you will see from the photos.

 

Massive Montreal

definitely reported by Noah- With a population of over1.9 million people you can understand how it came to be Canada’s second largest city and North America’s seventh largest city. Montreal offers a wide variety of places to stay so we stayed two nights near the Olympic stadium ( we’ll come to that later ) , two nights in Old Montreal and two nights near Mont Royal. Now for some history, Montreal got its name from the beautiful Mont Royal ( Mont Royal-Montreal ) . Montreal also hosted the Olympic games in 1976.

Here are some of my favourite photos

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Montreal’s Underground City

Reported by Noah – Today we spent time underground in Montreal’s Underground City. It is the largest underground complex in the world with over 20 miles of tunnels. The main shopping area is called the Eaton Centre. They created this vast underground network so the people of Montreal don’t freeze in the minus 40 degree winter temperatures. I think this is a good idea but because it was sunny today we surfaced every now and then. Here is a statue of an ice-hockey player we found in the Eaton Centre.

 

 

 

 

 

Towering Toronto

The CN Tower

Having left the glitz of Niagara we travelled a couple of hours east to Toronto, Ontario. Obviously no visit is complete without a visit to the CN Tower and Noah was most impressed to discover that for a long time it was the tallest structure in the world (now beaten by Burj Khalifa in Dubai). Incidentally, the new and sadly last title photo (above) is taken from the top of the tower.

Our second day in Toronto was almost entirely filled with a visit to the brilliant Ontario Science Centre. We were lucky to go on the opening day of the new GPS and geocaching exhibit and spent an hour tracking coordinates around the globe.  It’s only when you do something like this that you realise how much knowledge kids absorb when travelling. Noah sped through the challenge, inputting co-ordinates and locations faster than a Japanese Bullet train!

The Niagara Falls Adventure Pass

 

Getting prepared for Maid of the Mist

Reported by Noah –  Having left the USA, we have made our mark in Niagara Falls, Canada. We are spending several days here before travelling onto Toronto. To make our stay worthwhile we bought the Niagara Falls Adventure Pass which enables us to experience the four main attractions around the falls.

The Maid of the Mist – Top Attraction  This is an awesome boat ride into the middle of the Horseshoe Falls – fun for all the family. Expect to get wet.

The Journey Behind the Falls – be blown off your feet whilst listening to the tremendous roar of the falls just metres away. Fun for all the family.

 Niagara’s Fury – Get drenched as you learn a bit about the falls creation in a 4D film. Most fun for younger kids.

The White Water Walk –  Take a stroll beside the rapids as you watch it foam – a short walk for older people.

 

At night

The Pass is great fun and you get to see it all. In the evening the falls are illuminated and that’s good too. (Sam adds: spread out the pass over several days so that one activity doesn’t roll into another and use the free 2 day transport ticket on the third day (walk to attractions on second) to do some walks)