Annabelle the Travel Camel's blog @annabellecamel - Tumblr Blog

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Goodbye to Montreal. Hello again to Alberta!

With a Saskatchewan sunrise along the way...

Camping in Cypress Hills. Annabelle is so industrious. What would the humans do without her?

#travelcamel #saskatchewan #alberta #cypress hills #camels have unexpected skills

A camel in Disney World

Where the magic happens...

Annabelle does the half marathon, with a little help from her friends.

Exploring other parts of the galaxy.

Annabelle stops for a break with the kitchen sink sundae - almost bigger than she is!

Learning art...

Visiting old friends in Arendelle.

#travelcamel #disney world #may the force be with all travel camels

And we explore Quebec

Wandering around Quebec City...

...where there are random unicorn sightings! More than one! Because of course.

Many little churches. So many churches.

Drive along the coast.

Such beautiful fall colours.

We greet the dawn, then go for breakfast and a view!

And back home to enjoy autumn in Montreal.

#travelcamel #quebec #montreal #have a pain au chocolat with that sunrise

Farewell to Georgia

Photos from a couple more winter hikes in Georgia before I moved to Montreal in early January.

It’s only been two months since I took these photos, but it feels like they’re from another world now. Back in December, most of us thought the world’s biggest challenge in 2022 would continue to be COVID and its related disruptions. That seemed bad enough. My imagination did not stretch this far, and war was not a factor in my decision to return to Canada. Mostly I was just tired of traveling during a pandemic.

I wrote most of this in Dec/Jan. I’m not sure I could manage the same cheerful tone now. But I still want to publish the post; Georgia is beautiful.

My thoughts are with the people of eastern Europe and particularly Ukraine. You deserve better.

________________________________________________

The ruined fortified city of Samshvilde and its canyon.

Hiking in Birtvisi Canyon (all remaining photos in this post are Birtvisi, captioned or not):

An old church:

Our guide wasn't sure what history was attached to this church; he commented that there are tons of ruins like that all over the country and little attention is paid to preserving or researching them, which is a bit sad. There is something romantic about the countryside just being dotted with random mysterious medieval ruins though, I have to admit.

Arsena's Castle:

This little fort predates Arsena, but he did make use of it, so the locals named it after him as he was quite popular. He was a sort of Robin Hood figure in the 19th century, and fought against Russian rule.

Hiking back out...

We took a shortcut through an unfenced farmer's field (with bonus piglets!) and were picked up in a tiny hamlet.

#travelcamel #georgia the country not the state

Road trip from Tbilisi to Paravani Lake

Dashbashi Canyon. We admire the tourist glass bridge under construction in the distance. Humans are so ingenious.

#travelcamel #georgia the country not the state #for some reason camels are not allowed on construction sites

Hello Georgia!

Hiking through the beautiful Juta Valley.

#travelcamel #georgia the country not the state #caucasus

Goodbye Qatar

On a beautiful Saturday in November, Annabelle bids a fond farewell to Doha for the last time.

It was a good five years. But all things must come to an end...we close one chapter of life, and open another.

Next: we return to Tbilisi!

#travelcamel #tbilisi #goodbye qatar

Tbilisi - Take 1

One more month until we bid Qatar farewell (perhaps forever?), and head back to Tbilisi for a much longer stay! But first, the tale of our trip to Tbilisi during the Eid break in May.

...

Away from the desert warmth - keeping warm with a traditional Georgian sheepskin hat.

Up to the National Botanical Garden.

Hello frogs!

The obligatory scenic old castles and churches...

(brrr, Annabelle should have brought that hat!)

Off to enjoy the forest...

With a stop to snack on mushrooms.

A pretty day for wandering around Roman ruins...

Hanging out at the Russia-Georgia Friendship Monument.

Bilingual Georgian/Russian menu, with random occasional bits of English tossed in for flavour.

Delicious Adjarian khachapuri...the real reason we have to go back!

#travelcamel #tbilisi #georgia the country not the state #goodbye qatar #off on a new adventure

Off to the races - the camel races that is

We all attend responsibly masked of course. Annabelle wishes to set a good example.

Annabelle makes friends wherever she goes!

And hangs out with her fancy cousins just before the race.

The Saudi camel comes in last, having decided to walk the final bit.

#travelcamel #doha #more camels #camels are fast #except sometimes Saudi camels who decide they are too tired #seems sensible

Winter is coming

It's finally cool enough to walk outside at sunset on the beach behind my complex!

Only 37C.

#travelcamel #doha #outside #outsiide #outsiiide

Annabelle emerges from isolation and...

...goes to a restaurant! For the first time in four months! SO EXCITING.

and the best part...

N.B. No camels were harmed in the course of this activity. Measures were taken to ensure no humans were harmed either. Restaurant has distanced their tables and is limited to 50% capacity, and on top of that, only about a third of the tables were occupied. It was all much more socially distanced than the grocery store!

#travelcamel #doha #staycation #market by jean-georges #actual restaurant #actual outing #actual socializing #NOT AT HOME

Hello to new Doha apartment!

Annabelle enjoys the view of the sea from new apartment balcony.

View of new apartment building and its friends, from the other side, at dawn (when it is cool enough to go outside...only 35C!)

Bridge over canal on the walk back to apartment.

#travelcamel #doha #staycationing

Cape Town, part 2 - wildlife

Can't go to South Africa and not do a wildlife post. Time for road trip!

Or maybe boat trip.

Onward to the seal colony!

Back on dry land, up to Chapman's Peak.

African penguins! Hanging out, like you do...

Hello to random side-of-the-road ostrich.

And random coast ostrich.

Side-of-the-road baboons.

Annabelle braves the wind to perch on the famous sign.

#travelcamel #cape town #penguins #ostriches #baboons #seals

A Cape Town Christmas...

Christmas carol concert picnic at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens.

Very, very not socially distanced. 2019 was another time.

Off to Table Mountain on the cable car.

All glammed up for afternoon tea.

#travelcamel #cape town #annabelle the stylish camel

Saying goodbye to downtown apartment

Watching the sun set over Doha from the thirtieth floor.

Coming soon: new neighbourhood, new apartment! So exciting! Annabelle has so far narrowly escaped being packed up in a box, and wishes it to be known she is not a box camel.

(Also still coming soon: Cape Town photos from ye olden days of actual international travel)

#travelcamel #doha #perhaps a new apartment counts as travel now #be safe

Travel camel on enforced hiatus

You know, sometimes it’s nice to hang out with the glass camel at home.