Old Montreal and the solar eclipse

April 11, 2024 / edebock / 4 Comments

The conference that I attended in Montreal last weekend ended late Sunday afternoon. Realizing that making it to the airport in time for a return flight to Edmonton that evening would be tight, another Alberta patient and I arranged to stay over and fly home the following evening. That gave us most of Monday to do some sightseeing.

The last time I was in Montreal was over 20 years ago, but Amber had never been and I knew right away that I wanted to show her Old Montreal. Our first stop would be the majestic Notre-Dame Basilica which was built between 1824 and 1829. Since it was located just 1.5 km from our hotel and the weather was gorgeous, we set off on foot.

The exterior of the church is undergoing major restoration that isn’t expected to be finished until approximately 2040, but the interior is truly a sight to behold. I think a person could take 100 photos and not even begin to capture every detail! Here is just a taste of what we saw.

Our next destination was the Old Port and La Grande Roue de Montreal, a 60 metre high ferris wheel, the tallest of its kind in Canada. We knew that the sky was going to darken later in the day due to the highly anticipated solar eclipse, so we wanted to ride the ferris wheel early and enjoy the views of Old Montreal and beyond in full daylight.

In the next photo, you can see Bonsecours Market in the foreground and Mont Royal with its 33 metre high cross overlooking the city in the background. After our ride, we wandered through the many boutiques in Bonsecours Market.

If you look closely at the following photo, you will see a long lineup of people stretching the entire width of the photo. That’s just a fraction of the crowd who were lined up to get solar eclipse glasses that were being given away free! Thankfully, there was no line up waiting to ride the ferris wheel. Each gondola can carry up to 8 people, but we had one to ourselves!

Before going to Montreal, even though I knew that the city was in the path of the total eclipse, I had little interest in actually seeing it. In fact, I had thought that we might just sit it out in a coffee shop somewhere, but Amber was having no part of that! She was determined that we see it and, in retrospect, I’m so glad she was. There was, however, no way that we were going to waste our limited time in Montreal standing in that endless line to get the necessary glasses. On our way to the ferris wheel we had stopped into a couple of shops to see if we could buy some, but those that had had them were completely sold out. Then, just as we approached the area where people were lining up to get the free glasses, we encountered a young man selling them for $5 apiece! Perfect!

After stopping for lunch in a lovely little Italian restaurant housed in a building where Charles Dickens apparently wrote notes for A Tale of Two Cities while visiting Montreal in 1842, we wandered the streets of Old Montreal and began taking glimpses through our eclipse glasses as the moon began to block the sun and the light started to fade. Crowds of people were gathering everywhere!

We were on cobblestoned Rue Saint-Paul, the oldest street in Montreal, as the clock approached 3:26 pm, the time of the total eclipse.

Though the light was odd, with less than 10 minutes to go, it really didn’t look like it was going to get completely dark. Then, within minutes, the sky darkened and the streetlights came on!

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When the moment arrived, the moon covered the sun completely and for a very short time, we could look at the halo with the naked eye. A cheer erupted from the many thousands of people gathered throughout the area! We tried to get pictures, but the best we could do was this one that Amber took on her phone.

In less than two minutes, the excitement was over. The sun began to emerge again and the sky became light very quickly. Amber and I made our way back toward our hotel where we picked up our luggage and caught a taxi to the airport. We had walked 8 km, had a once in a lifetime experience, and made some amazing memories!

Downtown Montreal

April 10, 2024 / edebock / Leave a comment

I’m back from a whirlwind trip to Montreal where I attended a three day Canadian Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (CNETS) conference. More about that in Friday’s post, but today I want to share a bit of that beautiful city with you.

After my plane was delayed for four hours by a major snowstorm, I finally arrived late in the evening and checked into the downtown Fairmont Queen Elizabeth Hotel where the conference was being held. Entering my hotel room, I was awestruck by the view from my window overlooking the ornate Basilique Marie-Reine-du-Monde (Mary Queen of the World Basilica), a smaller replica of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City.

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The following pictures of the basilica were taken on one of my walks after the weather cleared.

While the statues on the facade of St. Peter’s depict the twelve apostles, at Mary Queen of the World thirteen statues represent the patron saints of the parishes that form the diocese of Montreal. Carved of wood and clad with copper, each statue is 9 feet tall. They were completed between October 1892 and October 1900 by Quebec native, Joseph Olindo-Gratton.

I was thankful to able to slip inside the basilica for a quick photo of the interior.

Downtown Montreal is home to many old stone churches. This one is Christ Church Cathedral and has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

As always, I love the juxtaposition of old architecture and new. Here are a few other structures that caught my eye as I walked. The first is Windsor Station. Formerly the city’s Canadian Pacific Railway station and headquarters of the CPR from 1889 to 1996, it has been redeveloped into an office complex that also houses some restaurants and cafés. I can’t tell you anything about the others.

Though there is no end of old architecture to enjoy in Montreal’s downtown area, there’s also something new to see. Suspended between two buildings, 30 metres in diameter and weighing some 23,000 kilograms, The Ring hovers over the staircase of Place Ville Marie’s Esplanade directly across Rene Levesque Boulevard from the Queen Elizabeth Hotel. Installed in June 2022, The Ring serves as a window to more than 200 years of history, establishing a direct line of view from the hotel and Place Ville Marie to McGill University, the former Royal Victoria Hospital, and the illuminated cross on Mount Royal.

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A week in paradise

January 27, 2024January 27, 2024 / edebock / 10 Comments

When we travel, I usually do all the planning myself. I book our flights and accommodations and make all the other necessary arrangements without the aid of a travel agent. We tend to be active travellers who enjoy sightseeing, visiting museums and historical sites, walking the streets and marketplaces of foreign cities, and exploring out of the way places. This time was different though. After the challenges of the past few months I knew we needed to get away for some much needed rest and relaxation, but I also knew that I didn’t have it in me to do the work. I needed help.

When I contacted Pam at Beachbums Travel, I told her that we were looking for a week at an all-inclusive resort. Location wasn’t a priority, but we preferred a direct flight and for me, a beautiful beach was an absolute essential. I needed some ocean time! We wanted good food, good service, and a place where we wouldn’t be hassled about buying a premium membership or touring a timeshare. Pam came through with a list of possibilities and we chose a Sunwing vacation to Hotel Riu Dunamar on Mexico’s beautiful Playa Mujeres just north of Cancun.

The only thing that Pam couldn’t control was the weather. She says that her memo didn’t reach the heavens in time! The wind blew incessantly and there was lots of cloud, especially early in the week, but the ocean is beautiful in every light.

For those of you who are familiar with the beach flag warning system, the flag was red all week which usually means stay out of the water. Wading and playing in the waves close to shore was allowed, but nothing beyond that. Even there, the power of the waves could easily send one for a tumble. We’d hoped to do some snorkelling and sea kayaking, but that was, of course, out of the question. There was also some rain almost every day, but those were quick showers and did nothing to dampen our time in paradise.

Our days quickly fell into routine. After breakfast, we headed for the beach to claim a couple of lounge chairs. It didn’t take long for the beach to begin to fill with people!

We relaxed, we read, and at some point every morning, we headed off on a long beach walk past several other resorts, including some still under construction. Those walks, often with the waves lapping at our feet, were the highlight of my day.

I did take more than one swimsuit with me, but it seems that I’m wearing this one, my favourite, in all the good photos!

While at the beach and on our walks, we enjoyed watching pelicans fishing for food. I was amazed by the way that they could somehow spot their prey in the turbulent surf, hover overhead momentarily, and then dive bomb into the water to catch what they were looking for!

At some point during most days, when we’d had all the wind we could handle or needed to get out of the sun, we’d move up from the beach to lounge beside the quietest of the adult only pools. There, there were overhead screens that could be opened or closed to provide shade (or shelter from a quick cloudburst one afternoon!)

Late in the afternoon, we’d go back up to our room to shower and dress for dinner. We didn’t need to spend any time at the gym. Those beach walks and climbing the three long flights of stairs (60 steps in all) to our fourth floor room several times a day were all the exercise we needed. We nicknamed the stairs Mount Dunamar! There are elevators, but they were a long way from our room and taking the stairs was much more direct.

We loved the location of our room on the quiet side of the hotel away from the central courtyard. Our patio overlooked the jungle, but also had a view of the ocean. I loved listening to the wind in the trees and the distant sound of the ocean waves. With the patio door open, I slept so well!

The grounds of Riu Dunamar are impeccably maintained and the entire facility is kept spotless inside and out. Of course anywhere that has flowers blooming in January looks beautiful to me!

On hot, sunny afternoons, iguanas come out to soak up the sun and nibble the grass.

I called this one Grandpa because he was the biggest of the many that we saw and always perched in the same spot as if he was looking over his territory.

During our final meal there, at lunchtime yesterday, we had to initiate an iguana rescue operation when we noticed that one of them had somehow gotten itself into the partially enclosed eating area outside the main buffet restaurant and couldn’t find it’s way out. It could see through the floor to ceiling windows and was desperately trying to push it’s way through. Hubby alerted the staff and after trying unsuccessfully a few times, one of the waiters finally managed to pick it up and release it outside. Iguanas may look like slow moving creatures, but that one took off like a shot the moment it’s feet hit the ground!

We ate all our breakfasts and lunches in that outer eating area where we developed a great rapport with Ady, the waitress who usually served us there. For dinner, we tried all four of the smaller restaurants, none of which required reservations. Two of them were also buffet style and the other two were a la carte. Those were our favourites and we went back to both of them a second time. All but one evening, when there was a rain delay and we decided not to go back out, we took in the main show at the outdoor theatre. Some were better than others, but overall, they were enjoyable.

We didn’t go on any excursions. In fact, the only time we left the resort at all was when we went on those long beach walks. Had we been there any longer, I would have wanted to book something because the wanderer in me couldn’t have taken much more of the lazy life in paradise, but it was exactly what we needed this time!

Now we’re back home. The suitcase is unpacked, the laundry is done, and the summer clothes are put away, but the memories will be with us for a long time!

At the beach!

January 26, 2024 / edebock / 6 Comments

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Following Augustine has been at the beach this week for some much needed rest and relaxation. As I write this, I’m sitting on the balcony outside our hotel room listening to the wind in the trees below and the ocean waves in the distance. A full moon is peeking between the clouds above. It’s comfortably warm and humid, such a dramatic contrast to the cold, dry winter at home!

When this post is published early tomorrow, we’ll be enjoying our final morning here and preparing for a flight back to reality! I’ll have lots of photos to sort through and material for two or three posts, but as much as possible, I’ve stayed offline this week and simply enjoyed life at the beach.

See you soon!

Sixteen years of blogging!

December 7, 2023December 6, 2023 / edebock / 15 Comments

I published my very first blog post sixteen years ago today! It was also the shortest post I’ve ever written; a brief message announcing that hubby and I had just accepted positions teaching conversational English in Japan. The blog was meant to share that year-long adventure with friends, family and anyone else who might be interested. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that it would still be alive and well sixteen years later!

The title, Following Augustine, no longer fits the blog as well as it did in those early days, but since it’s what I’ve been known as in the blogosphere for more than a decade and a half, I hesitate to consider changing it. You can read about why I originally chose the title here.

Though I probably already had neuroendocrine cancer (NETS) when the blog was born, I didn’t know about it until several years later. When I finally received a correct diagnosis, blogging became a helpful way to process what was happening and to share the journey with friends and family. I also use the blog to raise awareness of NETS. I’m sure that this will continue to happen as I’ve recently become a member of a newly formed Advocacy Advisory Board that will report to the board of directors of the Canadian Neuroendocrine Tumour Society (CNETS).

When I started the blog, writing about fashion was the farthest thing from my mind. Several years ago, however, I starting following several fashion blogs and began to develop a greater interest in the topic. It was then that I decided to add the weekly Fashion Friday feature. At times, I find it a challenge to come up with a new fashion related topic every week, but it’s been a great way to connect with other women and to ensure that I post something at least once a week. Fashion Friday has a fairly small, but loyal following of interested readers, so I as long as I can continue to think of engaging content, I plan to keep the feature going.

As an avid reader, it was my passion for books that prompted me to add the latest feature to the blog, a monthly book review that first appeared at the beginning of February this year.

I refer to Following Augustine as a lifestyle, travel, and fashion blog, but in recent years, there hasn’t been as much travel content as I would have liked. First, the pandemic and then a number of other health issues, both mine and hubby’s, have limited our ability to spend as much time away from home as we would like, but our brand new ten year passports arrived in yesterday’s mail and we hope to be able to put them to good use in the future. If that happens, the blog will once again chronicle our wanderings.

Following Augustine will probably continue to undergo changes from time to time, but at this point, I don’t see it coming to an end anytime soon. Over the past sixteen years, I’ve published over 1400 posts and I expect that I’ll continue adding to that number until I’m no longer able!

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Book of the month – October 2023

November 1, 2023November 1, 2023 / edebock / 2 Comments

Iris & Ruby

Rosie Thomas

9780007173549-l 19-year-old, Ruby, driven by her difficult relationship with her mother, runs away from her home in England and seeks refuge with the grandmother she hasn’t seen for many years. Her unexpected arrival on Dr. Iris Black’s doorstep in Cairo brings life and disorder into the elderly woman’s house.

After a lifetime of independent living, Iris recognizes in herself the early signs of dementia. Lovingly cared for by her servant, Mamdooh, and her cook, Aunty, she has become increasingly reclusive, but the arrival of her granddaughter changes that. An unlikely bond forms between the two as Ruby attempts to help her grandmother record her fading memories.

Iris & Ruby is a richly textured story of love, loss, and the power of family relationships.

Through Ruby’s experiences and Iris’ memories, the novel moves seamlessly between present day Cairo and the same city during World War II. Thomas’ writing is wonderfully descriptive drawing us into the glittering parties and the devastating wartime losses of the 1940s; the sights, sounds, and smells of the crowded marketplace of today; and the timeless and relentless desert that surrounds them both.

I was drawn to this novel by the fact that I would love to visit Egypt someday. While preparing to write this post, I discovered that Literary Tours in Egypt actually offers a Rosie Thomas’ Iris and Ruby 2-day tour of Cairo! What a cool idea!

Another Miquelon September

September 17, 2023 / edebock / 6 Comments

We spent several days this week camping at Miquelon Lake Provincial Park, less than an hour and a half from home. We’ve camped there several times in the past, always in September.

It’s definitely not the lake that keeps us going back. Shallow, saline, and shrinking rapidly, it’s a small fraction of the size that it was a century ago. In fact, we’ve seen the water level drop significantly over the past few years. No, it’s the well-maintained hiking trails that keep us returning to Miquelon..

The “knob and kettle” terrain consists of hummocky mounds (the knobs) and water-filled depressions (the kettles). Hiking trails wind up and down, around and between the ponds and at this time of year, colourful foliage adds to park’s natural beauty. Here in Alberta, we don’t get the wide variety of fall colours that are found in eastern Canada, but Miquelon seems to be an exception! Is it any wonder that we love to go there in September?

Over the past few days, we hiked a total of 26.5 kilometres (16.5 miles). As we made our way up and down the “knobs”, we definitely felt muscles that don’t come into play as much when we walk the level ground around home! Thankfully, our legs are in pretty good shape though. With just over 6 weeks to go, I’m only 32 km short of my goal of walking and/or hiking 350 km between May 1 and Oct 31!

With our bear bell ringing, we didn’t see any of the larger wildlife, including deer, moose and elk, that live within the park, but there was clear evidence of their presence along the trails. Plenty of fresh hoof prints and droppings, including bear scat, told us that they weren’t too far off. We did see rabbits, squirrels, one garter snake, several grouse, and numerous other birds including an abundance of waterfowl. It was also clear that industrious beaver have been hard at work.

The campground was very quiet during the week, but we were surprised to see how many rigs pulled in on Friday. Obviously, we aren’t the only ones who enjoy fall camping!

There were even a few hardy souls sleeping in tents. It must have been pretty chilly with nighttime temperatures dipping close to 0ºC (32ºF). We were toasty warm in our trailer bed though, except for the one night when the propane ran out and the furnace stopped running! Thankfully, fixing that problem was as simple as switching over to the second propane tank.

We’re hoping to fit in one more short camping trip before winter and I have no doubt that we’ll be back to Miquelon again another September.

Rowley, an Alberta ghost town

July 21, 2023 / edebock / Leave a comment

We spent several days camping this week and as a result, I don’t have a Fashion Friday post ready for you today. Instead, I’ll share one of the highlights of our short time away from home. After a horrendous storm Monday night, we woke to sunshine on Tuesday morning, but the wind was still much too strong to go golfing or kayaking and we’d already hiked the 6.5 km nature trail around a nearby lake. We didn’t want to spend the day sitting in the trailer though, so what should we do?

Hubby suggested a road trip to Rowley. In its heyday, Rowley, Alberta was an agricultural town of approximately 500 people, but at last count the population was 9. Yes, that’s right, 9 people and perhaps a few stray cats! Apparently, some of the residents don’t really like their hometown being referred to as a ghost town though that’s what it’s usually called. They take pride in the place and have worked hard to preserve the few remaining buildings and to turn it into a tourist destination. Once a month, the community association, made up of residents and people from the surrounding area, host a well-attended pizza and pub night to raise funds to help with the cost of maintenance.

As the ROWLEYWOOD sign at the turnoff on nearby Highway 56 suggests, the movies Legends of the Fall, The Magic of Ordinary Days, and Bye Bye Blues were filmed in the hamlet.

So, come walk with me and I’ll show you around Rowley, Alberta.

The Lion’s Oil Garage, complete with its old style gas pump, is a reconstruction of the building that originally stood on this site.

Walking down Main Street past Sams Saloon and the Rowley Trading Post, it’s easy to imagine ourselves transported back in time to the wild west. I could easily picture a couple of horses hitched to the rails and women strolling the boardwalk in old fashioned dresses. Built in 1920, the trading post was where Rowley residents purchased their dry goods and groceries until 1973 when it was the last business in town to close its doors.

At the end of the street stands the beautifully preserved CNR train station. The station master and his family likely lived upstairs.

At one time, every little town on the Canadian prairie had its wooden grain elevators, but very few of these stately sentinels remain today.

The Prairie School Museum is typical of the one room schoolhouses that dotted the prairie in days gone by.

If you came to visit Rowley in the early days, you might have boarded your horse at H. Swallow’s livery barn. While some of the smaller structures around it are falling down, the barn still looks pretty sturdy.

Circling back to the upper end of Main Street, we find this stately old house, weathered by time but still beautiful. Hubby and I thought that perhaps it had once been the town’s hotel, but after doing a bit of research I discovered that it was originally used as a hospital.

Across the street, the old municipal building has obviously undergone some fairly recent renovation. Though I’m happy to live in the day of indoor plumbing, we thought the backyard biffy was cute.

The Rowley United Church remained active until 1969 and continues to be used for the occasional wedding.

Like at least one other building in Rowley, not shown here, the funeral home across the street from the church was constructed specifically for the filming of the movie, Bye Bye Blues. Afterwards, the residents decided to turn it into a pool hall for their own enjoyment, but kept the front and signage intact.

When we were there, we had Rowley almost entirely to ourselves and were content to peer through the windows at the artifacts housed inside the buildings, but should you wish to take a closer look, the Rowley community association hires local summer students to give free guided tours inside the buildings Thursday to Monday during July and August.

Museum of Aboriginal Peoples’ Art & Artifacts

July 15, 2023July 15, 2023 / edebock / 4 Comments

We spent a few days this week camping, hiking, and kayaking in Sir Winston Churchill Provincial Park near the small town of Lac la Biche, about two and a half hours northeast of Edmonton, Alberta. When I read that the Portage College campus in Lac la Biche is home to the Museum of Aboriginal Peoples’ Art & Artifacts, I knew that we had to go into town to see it. I recognized the names of well-known artists like Bill Reid, Alex Janvier, and Norval Morrisseau and was eager to see their work.

Arriving at the college, I expected to find a gallery showcasing the works of these and other Indigenous artists. Instead, the extensive collection of traditional and contemporary works lines the hallways of the school and we were free to wander and enjoy them. With only one class in session while we were there, it was as quiet and serene as any traditional gallery would have been.

Little Mothers – Daphne Odjig

The Portage College museum features the world’s only permanent collection of works by the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc., also informally known as the Indian Group of Seven. The group was formed in 1972 after a series of gatherings in Daphne Odjig’s craft store and gallery in Manitoba and later incorporated as an attempt to be taken seriously as professional artists and to advocate for Indigenous art to viewed as fine art and to be included in galleries across the nation. The museum on the Portage College campus began in 1978 as a teaching collection for the college’s Native Arts and Culture programs and grew from there.

While I was impressed by most of what we saw, amongst the Group of Seven it was the work of Eddy Cobiness (1933-1996) that really stood out to me. Cobiness, of Ojibway descent, was born in Minnesota and raised on a reserve in Manitoba. Though I had not heard of him before, his art is held in many prominent private and public collections.

Hoop Dancers – Eddy Cobiness

Feeding Herons – Eddy Cobiness

Mother Muskrat – Eddy Cobiness

Untitled – Eddy Cobiness

These three colourful designs by Jackson Beardy also caught my attention, probably because their style is somewhat similar to that of the Indigenous artists of the Northwest Coast that I love so much.

Thunder Dancer / Metamorphosis / Thunderbird – Jackson Beardy

In addition to showcasing the work of the Professional Native Indian Artists Inc., the museum also features Northwest Coast and Inuit art. Bill Reid (1920-1998), was a prolific Haida artist, perhaps best known by many for his giant sculpture “Spirit of Haida Gwaii” on display in the international departures area of the Vancouver airport.

Haida Killer Whale – Bill Reid

Haida Bear – Bill Reid

Other coastal artists whose work is on display in Lac la Biche include Tony Hunt Sr. (1942-2017) who was the hereditary chief of the Kwa-Gluth people and Robert Davidson who is of Haida and Tlingit descent.

Southern Kwa-Gulth Moon – Tony Hunt Sr

I am You, You are Me – Robert Davidson

I thought this piece by Richard Shorty of the Tuchone Kwanlin Dun First Nation in the Yukon was absolutely exquisite. According to Northwest Coast tradition, the hummingbird represents love and beauty.

Lily of the Valley / Song of Solomon – Richard Shorty

In addition to the framed work lining the corridors of Portage College, there are numerous glass cases containing carvings, baskets, beadwork, ceremonial clothing, moccasins and mukluks, headdresses, masks and more. Due to the reflective quality of the glass, it was difficult to get good photos, but I did manage to get one of this perfectly preserved Mi’kmaq porcupine quilled basket from the late 1700s or early 1800s.

While I was thrilled to be able to spend a couple of hours enjoying this amazing collection of Indigenous art and artifacts, it saddens me that it’s hidden away in a remote location where few Canadians or visitors to our country will ever have the opportunity to see it.

Dress codes for travelers

July 14, 2023July 13, 2023 / edebock / Leave a comment

Whenever you travel to a foreign country, it’s a good idea to learn a bit about the culture and traditions before you go. It’s also wise to know what to pack so that you don’t get into trouble by wearing something inappropriate or possibly even illegal.

It may not surprise you to know that modest attire is usually expected when visiting religious sites such as churches, temples, and mosques. Visitors to Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat temple complex and to the Vatican are required to wear pants or skirts that fall below the knee and shirts that cover their shoulders. Sleeveless and low-cut garments, shorts that end above the knee, and miniskirts are not allowed and men entering the Vatican must also remove their hats. Some religious sites may require women to cover their heads, so it’s always a good idea to pack a scarf just in case.

Afghanistan is the only country that requires women to wear a burqa in public today, but did you know that there are countries where these garments are forbidden? That’s right! It is illegal to wear a burqa or a niqab in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Cameroon, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Niger, and parts of Russia. In fact, face coverings of any kind including masks (with the exception of those worn to prevent the spread of Covid and other respiratory illnesses), scarves, motorcycle helmets, and balaclavas are illegal in France, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

I was surprised to discover a long list of countries that forbid the wearing of camouflage. Leave your camo at home if you plan to visit Barbados, St. Vincent, St. Lucia, Antigua, Grenada, Jamaica, Nigeria, Oman, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Trinidad and Tobago, Zambia, or Zimbabwe.

For your own safety, you aren’t allowed to wear sandals while driving in Spain and those who hike the steep, hilly terrain connecting the five villages of Italy’s Cinque Terre are prohibited from wearing flip-flops, sandals or high heels. High heels are also forbidden at some historic sites in Greece such as the Acropolis and Delphi to prevent damage to the ancient monuments.

Most dress codes are a matter of modesty and what is considered appropriate differs greatly from place to place. All women in Iran must cover their hair or wear a hijab in public areas. Women must have their arms and shoulders covered at all times in Oman. Swimwear is not allowed except at the beach in Majorca, Croatia, Maldives, Turkey, and some cities in Spain including Barcelona. In France, men must wear speedos in public pools. Boxers aren’t permitted! In Thailand, one must wear a shirt while driving and must always wear underwear in public (although how anyone would know if you weren’t, I’m not sure!)

Perhaps Saudi Arabia and Sudan have the strictest dress codes. In Saudi Arabia men are required to have their shoulders and legs covered at all times. They’re not even allowed to go shirtless at the beach! Women must dress modestly at all times, covering both their knees and shoulders. Sleeveless shirts, short dresses, loose tops, shorts, crop tops, miniskirts and bikinis are all forbidden. In some places they must also wear a headscarf. Similarly, in Sudan, men cannot wear makeup, shorts or sleeveless shirts and women cannot wear shorts, pants, sleeveless shirts, anything see-through, or skirts shorter than mid-calf.

I’m not sure why anyone would want to visit North Korea, but if you do and you’re a woman, you need to know that you can’t wear pants there either.

And I saved the funniest for last… it would be a good idea not to wear clothing with Winnie the Pooh on it near schools and playgrounds in Tuszyn, Poland. Apparently Pooh’s uncertain sexuality and indecent exposure (he doesn’t wear pants!) are proof that the loveable bear is “wholly inappropriate for children.”

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