The Lesson I've Learned in 2014

For three months of my life I carried on my back everything I owned, in those three months I had a total of 10 different outfits and out of those 10 used probably 6. I learned what it means to pack light and picking exactly what I truly needed. This trip changed my life in a subtle but big way, I have learned a lot of things about my life and what I valued. Here are some of the lessons I learned: 

• Lesson #1: There are two types of people in this world: the people who are eager and interested in your stories and travels and the people who resent you for your experiences. Ever since I have come home I have noticed this trend in the people I’ve talked to.   Most people are always excited and asking about the trip and what was our favourite part and what we did etc. Then there are the people who ignore the topic completely and mostly ignore me. This is unsurprising really, these are the people in my home town who also have showed no interest or were resentful when topics of living elsewhere for school would come up as well. I am not saying that I sit there and demand the attention for going on a trip like this one but to come home and realize that people are still very much stuck in a high school mentality makes me dream of the hostels and engaging with strangers who are more interested in my story than the people I grew up around.

• Lesson #2: Life is not about material items. When everything to your name is in a backpack and you have no computer to kill time, no TV to watch Four Weddings or anything great on TLC, no knick knacks to fill your space. We had a small selection of clothing options, little options for entertainment and we certainly did not have a lot of material items. With one month left in our trip I was asked for my Christmas list and I was drawing a complete blank. What did I need/want for Christmas? What was it like to have things like an endless supply of books, DVDs, or Wi-Fi? It was in that moment that I realized that I had moved away from needing senseless things for Christmas and really focused my list on things I really needed.
• Lesson #3: Never take for granted that you have your own space, own bed, own couch, own shower etc. There is nothing more nerve racking than sleeping on a bed where you have no idea on who was in the bed before you, whether or not it had been sterilized properly. Then there were the bathrooms and shared showers where in some cases were coed ones. You develop a thick skin on what you think is sanitary and you learn to ignore some of the dirty things. Since I have been home I have found sanctuary in my queen size bed, own bathroom and my endless supply of clothing. You think that the very basics of life wouldn't be such a relief but they are and never take for granted what it means to be comfortable in your own space.
  
• Lesson #5: Never take for granted any friends or family. When you are only with one person for 96 days straight and only have that one person you tend to go a little crazy. There were very few moments where we were able to make friends due to the fact that we were already in an established social circle and no one was willing to make friends with the couple. The fact too that we are not big drinkers really dampened any chance of making friends because a lot of people who are in these hostels are usually there to drink and socialize. That being said never take for granted the people who you surround yourself with. Never ignore a friend or brush of family because as good as alone time feels too much and it gets a little depressing. You have complete control over who you allow in your life and I learned that you need allow and welcome as many kind, happy and healthy people you know.   
• Lesson #6: The reality of life is that you are a small speck in the grand scheme of life. We have visited the biggest cities in Europe and we stood in the middle of Times Square as hundreds of people walked around us. There is nothing like seeing all these people and places to know how small you truly are and put life in to perspective. Although you are one in billions I have realized that you need to make as much as you can out of the one life you are given. 

I find that since I have come home I have had the strong desire to learn more about the places I’ve been and learn more about what else is out there. I have already looked into what it means to go elsewhere in the world and how much it would cost. Most of all though the biggest change this trip has made in me is that it has made me revaluate what I want out of life and what it is I want to do with my life. I always saw myself coming home and now I don’t know if it is the place for me anymore.  We will see where the next few months take me but one thing is for certain this eskimo is not nearly done seeing the world, up next: New Zealand. 

It's All Greek To Me

The one thing the Greeks have mastered is their ability to fat jab people constantly all the while maintaining a straight face. Our adventures in Athens and Santorini were often lined with beautiful clothing with me often inspecting them. They never once failed to point out that they had "bigger sizes" or that the clothes were "stretchy" or had "elastic". Now I am not in any denial here knowing where the fatness lies but that is no way to sell your shit. I swear if I heard one more time that they had bigger sizes I would grab my belly and pull out my dads old stand by: bought and paid for and just walk away, what a bunch of skinny ass hats. 

So not only have the Greeks mastered the fat jabs we can also thank them apparently for democracy and theatre. A little history lesson from my travels on Greece taught me that Ancient Greece specifically Athens is much older than Ancient Rome (well Rome the power house) and developed a lot of things that are still in use today, on top of the aforementioned democracy and theatre but apparently it is in Athens the reason behind the marathon. Apparently the Athenian soldiers defeated the Persians in a battle and to avoid the potential of surrendering to the Persians maneuvering to  the Port for battle one solider ran the 26.2 miles after a long battle to send the news to the troops within the city that they had won. The solider died of exhaustion but with his last dying breath he was able to say victory (in Greek of course) to avoid the surrender. All this resulting in the marathon run as you know it, the name coming from the place of Marathon to city center. Clearly they were too busy creating things like democracy and theatre when they could have seriously used an invention like smoke signals. 

So Greek mythology has always been an interest of mine always trying to find our more about the myths, the gods and all the mere mortals that all went with the legends. Now there is also the fact that I am die hard Disney so while we were walking around Athens all that was going through my mind was the soundtrack of Hercules (Disney version) which got louder when entering the temple of Zeus. Europe is known for its extravagant cathedrals, churches and basilicas so it was nice to go where we can take a break and visit temples. For those who don't know ancient Greeks believed that if you were to give offerings to the gods that they would help you. So around Athens there are a couple of temples still up all dedicated to a different god. Each temple similar but also different in the tiny details according to Greek mythology you were to forget a God you would be punished. That is where most myths come from one God being upset because they were being ignored and would punish people. I wish that was life right now, I would punish anyone who forgot to offer me cake. 

Athens on the side of beggars, annoying men selling shit was slightly more subdued. Where there weren't men selling stupid selfie sticks there were children on the train playing the accordion. This was hard for me cause they have no issues invading your personal space making it impossible for me to keep a straight face. This seemed to make them try harder leaving me almost laughing saying no. Apparently in awkward situations I've developed a laughing reaction adding to the ever present bitch face. Not only are there awkward children but also old ladies with roses. Their trick is to give you a "free" Rose and when you do decide to take it they demand money from you. We witnessed a poor man who had to almost fight off this old lady as she was shoving the rose literally at the guys neck. The sad part wasn't the man trying to avoid the lady or the lady trying to force this man to take the Rose but the fact that the man had to be saved by none other than his wife. My travel partner chose a different tactic he decided to jump up at the last minute when the rose was being presented causing the rose to fall to the ground making a huge commotion and with the final result of the lady calling him crazy down the street. Again I resorted to laughter to such an awkward situation trying to distance myself between me and "the crazy man".

It was so great to see a city with ruins the dated before Christ and to have a city full of people so proud of their beginnings that it sucked to leave Athens. From Athens we went to Santorini. A beautiful island with houses built into the Cliffside sailboats sailing on the Mediterranean Sea and no commercialism anywhere in sight. The island is composed of different communities scattered and a bus system that is so sporadic that you would be lucky to catch a bus within five hours. We managed to pick the very best time to go to the island with little to no people around. We went to a beach that is normally crowded with chairs and people and we were one of the few there, oia  which is said to have the best sunset in the world had only 10 tourists that we could count (during the day). Because I like to torture myself apparently we decided that it was necessary to Rent-A-Car, if there is ever a bad moment for backseat driving it is driving along the cliff in a foreign country in a smart car. The sad little smart car was definitely put through its paces with me at the wheel and my travel partner at my side. My beautiful Red jeep Loretta would've made the cliffside her bitch. There are moments where you would be driving along the cliff and it would look as though your car was going to right over the edge, I am surprised the Smart car still has a floor considering my travel partner was definitely trying to put his foot down to stop us Flintstone style. The obvious and most simple solution to all of it would just be my travel partner getting a license. There is nothing like saying do you know how to drive to end an argument so maybe you can hold off a little bit longer. 

The island was pretty much closed down for the season all hopes of making good money off a tourist gone with the last hot summer days. Although it was a good +21 on the one-day you were lucky to encounter any open shops or restaurants. Considering that were broke and can't afford restaurant food or luxurious clothes this didn't phase me too much. Going when we did we were able to see the island for what it was a beautiful place along the wide-open sea without the gimmicks that usually get when visiting a place this beautiful. I've seen pictures where the island is wall-to-wall people how do you get to enjoy a place like that when for the most part you're seeing the back of peoples heads trying to get a good view. We did a day trip to a volcano and hot springs. Being a northern Canadian you hear Hot Springs and you picture yourself waiting into the liard Hot Springs apparently Hot Springs in Greece means jumping off a boat and swimming to brown water that is colder than the Bluewater you left behind. To add insult to injury your swimming in salt water so it tastes disgusting and you're trying to awkwardly swim with your mouth out of the water although that doesn't provide any kind of efficiency. Seeing as my travel partner doesn't know how to swim I took this venture solo. We had plans of him wading in the shallow area while I went for a swim but that all changed when we learned that you had jump off the boat into water 10 metres deep. I don't think his mom would have liked me making her swimming illiterate son jump off a boat into the water for "the experience of it". So in I went and it tasted awful and was no where near warm. 

Santorini was a constant uphill exercise, full of stairs, hills, strategically avoiding donkey shit, and trying not to die going up the steepest hill climbs. Every minute there was an adventure even if people still managed to get their fat jabs in. It is definitely a place for couples or even for singles looking to couple up, it is romantic in every way an island can be romantic. Between the white houses topped with blue roofs, manicured beaches, sunsets where the sun meets the sea, hell they even managed to make the donkey rides look like a romantic adventure. Santorini is a must see.  It is a lot different from the island we hail from. 

We are currently in Barcelona where the beauty is not in nature but in the architecture. Our first day here being a whopping +21 it appears our summer has not quite ended. I know my friends and family at home might not like to hear this but we have experienced a 6 month long summer and are ready for some winter. We still have Madrid and Portugal so we shall see if we will ever get to cool down. 

When In Rome Do As The Romans Do

We arrived in Rome from Florence on a very hot October day. This has been the longest summer we have encountered and I understand that there are people dealing with snow at home but I just want WINTER. So sick of sweating buckets while carrying the packs, let's just hope it is just my extra fat sweating off. 

On my previous adventure to Rome with my sister it seemed a little ghetto but still beautiful. Well apparently in the two years I have been gone apparently it has gotten more ghetto. We were warned constantly about pick pockets, beggars and men trying to sell garbage every where. We also had a roommate in Prague that told us about how someone CUT her purse and stole it without her noticing. This just resulted in me giving the shifty eyes to anyone who dared coming near who looked suspicious my arms ready to go in karate mode at a moments notice.  There were these men all over the streets who are selling these stupid selfie sticks - a stick device you hold out with your camera or phone attached giving you the best picture. I have a pretty big camera so there is no use for one and I strongly believe  you look like an idiot with one I was not their selling audience. Despite my obvious bitch face these men still came right up to your face and try and sell you this stupid stick all the while saying selfie. The worst of it is that you say no to about ten guys and there are still ten more coming towards thinking that you will suddenly change your mind and purchase their more special selfie stick. I have a good idea for the placement of those sticks but it is not somewhere these men would like. Oh they would be lucky all right. 

Our first full day in the city we booked a tour to do the Colosseum, Palatine Hill and The Roman Forum. This was an interesting tour that allowed for some historical information on the power that was Ancient Rome but you need to have a great imagination to have the ability to picture everything. The biggest problem in picturing anything is that they built building on top of other buildings. Now you're thinking "so?" right? Well the problem is that all ruins are there for your viewing pleasure with vague descriptions of what is what. So you see Ancient Rome ruins of a social square underneath a church, it makes the brain hurt a little. While on this tour we went to the basement of the colosseum where they held Gladiators, wild animals and props. They used a very intricate system when doing these shows with trapdoors lifting the animals out and underneath tunnels where the men running around by torch light organized all of it. It was undoubtably an inhuman form of entertainment but you got to appreciate their attention to details. 

The colosseum was half under scaffolding due to the pollution of passing traffic making it a very dirty black. I didn't even realize that was a possibility but it really obstructed the beauty of the building as a whole. Now if you ever find yourself in Rome I would very highly suggest going on this special colosseum tour if you can get over the tour guide's not so subtle hints for conservation donations. It gives you a different perspective than just regular entrance. I am very disappointed that I missed my chance to recreate The Gladiator scene with Russell Crowe screaming but I am sure I will get a chance another time -- most likely while teaching. 

Our weekend in the city was mostly uneventful mostly just exploring the city. We made plans to see the Trevi fountain, the most famous fountain in the city. The fountain that when you throw coins in determines your return to Rome. Well after making the 25 minute journey there we discovered it was CLOSED!!! It so happens that they are doing restoration work on it and it allows you to walk on this runway to allow you to get a closer look on the picture of the fountain covering the work. The most confusing part is that people were actually lined up to see this picture, hands down the most disappointing point of our trip. The rest of the day we just went through the city exploring different alleyways and different routes of the city. We went to the park called Villa Borghese and it was massively green and quiet. The one thing that I am envious about the European is their idea of leisure. There were dozens of people laying around with picnics, lawn games, family and friends having fun. This is something that you would be hard pressed to find back at home, Sunday Funday meaning something completely different. 

Monday was Vatican day. The best way to do the Vatican is to do a guided tour with the Vatican. This we soon learned that having this guided tour meant that we had priority. We had a very small tour guide when I can remind you of your feistiness grandmother and she maneuvered the crowds like a boss. She even went as far as to tell other tour guides that they were being too loud and that they should move because we were with the Vatican and we had priority. At one point she was an entire hallway length away from us maneuvering the crowd like it was nothing all we could see of her was the her museum flag. Now if you find yourself at the museum make sure you go in the afternoon the morning crowds are just ridiculous. You are trying to appreciate the art and history and the religion in each of the rooms but really you're just trying to not invade someone's personal space. Also be prepared for people who no regards for the rules in the Sistine Chapel where you are  supposed to be quiet there are people talking as loud as if they were yelling. The teacher in me was trying really hard not to shush everyone, instead I was giving the judgemental head shake. There is so much to describe the Vatican City it's hard to do in just one post and even then it's really hard to truly get the beauty of the city. As a result I'm not even going to try, is one of those things that you have to see for yourself. 

We left rome in an early flight to head off to Athens. The true challenge of Greece will not be the non existence subways that my travel partner is worried about but it will be the Greek alphabet that will be where the real fun is at.  

A Castle Here, A Castle There, A Castle Everywhere.

My oh my what a busy couple days it has been. Since I missed out on all the turkey we ventured from Vienna to Munich and now we are currently in Zurich. In the span of less than a week we managed to visit not one, not two but three castles/palaces. 

Our first palace being Schobrunn palace which was described in the previous blog. With the extravagance and elegance of the place you couldn't help be envious of the people who got to live there. It is said to be a smaller Versailles, something I will get to actually compare as we are going to Versailles in late November. I can't understand how it could be a smaller Versailles considering it had 40 rooms we were allowed to see and who knows how many more we weren't. It would be the absolute best place to play what I could imagine would be the longest game of hide and seek. 

From Vienna we went to Munich where we didn't get much chance to actually explore the city itself as we went on two separate day trips. The first day trip followed the castle path of king Ludwig the second. If there was ever a man over compensating for something it was Ludwig. We went to his first castle where he spent the most of his time: Linderhof castle. This castle was for lack of a better word: gaudy. To give some context this "castle" was in fact not really a castle, it was  small but inside made up for it. Some of the highlights of this place include: 300 porcelain vases, two porcelain mirror frames that framed a mirror taller than two of me, a table that dropped - you know to avoid Ludwig to have to engage with his servants - 5-6 kilograms of gold leaf plastered on wooden carvings throughout the entire place and the most extravagant piece: an ivory chandelier from India.  You leave the castle speechless trying to comprehend and put comparisons to the things you've seen but there are none. 

A quick drive led us to the best place in the world: Neuschwanstein Castle, Ludwig's second castle. This castle was downplayed significantly but where it didn't have the extravagance of Linderhof it made up for it in size. This castle was exactly that: a castle. It was the castle that inspired Sleeping Beauty's castle and was massive. The inside of the castle was a dedication to the opera composer and musician: Richard Wagner. Now Ludwig made sure that all the rooms were a dedication to different operas created by Wagner with beautiful paintings surrounding all the walls within the third and fourth floor of the castle. Ludwig died before the completion of the castle so as a result only the third and fourth floors were completed. Either way it is a beautiful castle rightly contributing to Ludwig's nickname: the fairytale king. It was a one of those days that you know you'll never forget. 

I feel that my patience is running thin with the people around me. I have never been an overly social person and often considered snobby or not cool by some. The reality of the situation being that I have never mastered the art of subtlety with my dislike often plastered on my face. 

The behaviours of people that have left me banging my head on the wall include: roommates in multibed dorms having little consideration to the fact they are sharing a room with other people. We had a man who thought it was okay to slam the bathroom door in the middle of the night multiple times and my anger boiling over to the point where I was snapping my fingers at him in the dark whisper-yelling at him to not slam the door. Another roommate thought it was necessary to constantly close the window in the stuffy room, she had pants and a sweater on as she slept. I get it she was cold but keep your overly dressed self under the blankets well the rest of us are barely covering up due to the heat desperate for the coolness of the opened window. She also was the roommate who would knock on the wall of the man who snored too loud instead of ignoring it like the rest of us. If you are going to knock might as well touch buddy, it was dark like he would know who touched him in the night just avoid eye contact in the morning. Finally the woman on our day trip who thought it was a good idea to walk away from our bus to the bathroom after already being 5 minutes and trying to take sneaky pictures with her phone in the places it wasn't allowed. The angle in which she was taking them I couldn't understand the point, I could picture her conversation now: if you squint and turn your head to the right you could see the painting of Jesus. The logic of some. 

There are a lot of times where we try to blend in but our mannerisms make us obvious tourists. If you don't want to stand out as a tourist I would suggest against these few things: 1. large amounts of PDA. My travel partner and I have always been that couple that people often throw looks of disgust to unable to be proper in the display of our affections. What can I say our love is so strong. Eww, jokes. Another tip: avoid playing games. My travel partner can often be seen playing games of our own creation including a game where we stand behind a large object and guess what side the other is going to exit from, another a game of who can tackle hug the other the hardest often leaving people assuming we are abusing one another. My favourite standby game being the death drop. This involves me throwing myself at him and dropping dead weight in hopes he would catch me. 3. Don't try and talk to the animals. I've always been that person who pays more attention to your pet more than you and that is something that doesn't happen often here. The dogs are indifferent to my attempts of affection and the ducks only coming to me for the chance of food not my calling quacks. Also avoid using phrases like: let's get our day started. Apparently no one in Europe feels the need to have phrases for life but I like my phrases: respect is key, bad life choices and my new favourite to the annoyance of my travel partner: let's get our day started. Finally do not wave your hands obnoxiously to avoid the cigarette smoke. Europe has yet to join Canada in the anti smoking campaign with children who look like they belong in junior high smoking. So by waving your hands to avoid inhaling secondhand smoke people know you don't belong here. 

Saturday we are off to Venice, the city of the canals. I am excited about this, I enjoyed Venice before even though it smelled terrible. One thing i am hoping for is that there is enough pasta to fill up my travel partner to avoid a subway conversation. If I have to eat one more sub I swear...

Turkey Day But I'm So Far Away...

October 12, thanksgiving weekend in the motherland. There is something about spending a holiday away from home that leaves you pining for some kind of familiarity. My family was never one to make a huge deal out of thanksgiving, each parent giving their own version of the holiday dinner. With my mom it meant praying before the meal and the sheer joy of a family dinner evident in her face, a smile that wouldn't come off her face for weeks. For my dad it is helping him often cutting up the vegetables for salads discussing things we have spent hours already discussing usually catching up on gossip. 

Thanksgiving is a holiday in which we give a moments thought and express what it is we are grateful for. My family has always been a fairly tight knit family never needing to voice that we are thankful for each other because it has always been something shared expressed usually in the comfort of just being with each other. The beauty of growing up with five siblings in cramped quarters, long summer vacations and cozy holidays you have no choice but to be close and thankful for one another. 

This is the first thanksgiving that I am away from family and it brings to the surface the feelings of being homesick. In the first years of college my dad always made the effort to come see me and bring me wherever he was spending the holiday weekend, once I hit university it meant spending it with my mom and step dad with one fun occasion of drinking my first terrible martini. 

It is the funny the places life seems to take you and having a holiday abroad forces you to sit and reflect on what family means and why must we be thankful for it. After giving it some thought I say that I am spending this holiday sans family but really as I sit on this train I am not without family. The natural course in life allows for the dependency and comfort of family to transfer to the dependency of a partner, the beginning of a new family. There will never be a point where I will not need my family but there seems to be a transition in my relationship with my travel partner that gives a glimpse on what the rest of our lives will look like. We are transitioning from being simply boyfriend and girlfriend to being partners, friends and most importantly family. This of course being nothing new in the grand scheme of life, it is something that was bound to happen sooner or later. I am thankful that at 23 I am so lucky to be so sure of something. 

Our travels in the past week have consisted of Praha (Prague), Wien (Vienna) ans we are currently en route to Munich. Prague offered a kind of beauty that to describe would not be enough. The street lined with a variety of shops selling everything from jewellery, marionettes and absenth. It is a city that uses any chance to boast its beauty with huge spotlights lighting up the city to give it a new look once the sun went down. You could spend hours on hills looking out onto the city, the view never getting tiresome. 

In Prague there was a ice pub which is exactly as it sounds a pub made of ice. I was contemplating asking my travel partner to go there but his response would undoubtedly go something like: "you want to go an ice pub? When we get home I'll just throw you outside with a beer and it will be the same thing." 

We ventured from Prague to Vienna where we booked a private suit. Now the hostel seem to take our desire for a private suite quite literally as we weren't even in the same building as the hostel. We were housed down the street and around the corner in a converted apartment building. 

We seem to be experiencing a little bit of burn out. The constant walking, trying to learn as much history and context as possible are leaving us mentally and physically exhausted. It doesn't help that apparently the people of Austria do nit believe in restaurants. For two little fatties not eating right on schedule often leads to a kind of hostile environment that can only be cured with food. True to fatty form we spent the majority of our time looking for food. 

The highlight of Vienna was Schobrunn Palace the palace of the last holy Roman emperor. On the grounds was immaculate gardens, massive fountains and a zoo. My travel partner who talked non stop about the zoo and the pandas was disappointed by the refusal of the pandas to turn around and look at us. Here's hoping for better furballs in Madrid. 

We are on our way to Munich and set to see Dachu and Cinderella's castle. Wishing family and friends a very turkey filled thanksgiving and a relaxing long weekend. 

What I've Learned So Far...

Ending in Prague wraps up roughly a third of our trip and there is a lot that I've learned from exploring this part of the world that have given me great insights on this thing we call life, 

1. There Will Always Be That One Assshole/Weirdo/Jackass 

This lesson has been learned through our various adventures in the hostels we have been staying in. In Liverpool we were lucky enough to have buddy who thought it was okay to hover over people's beds in the middle of the night but he also thought it was okay to put his hands down his pants, honestly buddy. There was never a moment before in life that I have been more mortified to be in a space. In Dublin and Berlin we were blessed with the worlds largest idiots who thought coming in at three in the morning and being as loud as humanly possible was okay. I had to get my teachers voice out at that point and reprimand them with a shh and a very bitchy reminder of the time. All this not evening mentioning the jack asses on the street who throw garbage every where, grab coffee cups out of street peoples hand's and the people who just push you around without even apologizing. It is hard to not call them all assholes while walking around but that wouldn't be very Canadian of me. 

2. The Holocaust is so much bigger than you can imagine. 

Growing up we learned a good chunk of European history in high school but it was such a small fraction that it could be argued as neligible. Today we ventured into the old Jewish sector of Prague where the old ghetto was still in tact from world war 2. One of the buildings here was a synagogue full of names marking the Jewish people killed during world war 2. Imagine your kitchen or living room wall full of names of people old enough to be your grandparents or young enough to be your kids with their  death dates falling on the time where they had no freedom. A building full of names of just young children and older people, people who could not defend themselves, the truly vulnerable. The worst part? This was only the people from Prague. Overall numbers in a textbook give none of it justice nor does it truly explain the depth of so many innocent lives taken so heinously. 

3. Life is only as fun as the people you share it with. 

I've noticed a big thing to do here is a trip with friends. There are a lot of moments when I see these groups of friends and I undoubtly get a bit envious. I am not jealous because I am unsatisfied with my travel partner but because there are nurmerous moments in a day where I know people in my very small social circle would enjoy something. There is so much in this world to see and the experience is only made better by the people you decide to share it all with. I am lucky in the sense that my travel partner is my best friend and the lessons we are learning together about the world and each other will be lessons that will stick with us for the rest of our lives as a couple. I am lucky that  my antics don't unnerve him and he is lucky that on my best days I have the patience of a saint. (Kind of)

4. No matter which way you cut it I am not an Olympic athlete nor am I built like one. 

Getting ready for this trip I decided I was going to get in better shapes to best prepare myself for this trip. The reality of my preparations just brought to light that although I did play soccer competitively for a long time I have managed to allow myself to get a little fat and a lot out of shape. Carrying around packs that are around 30-35 pounds for an hour or more  and endless kilometres leaves me sweaty and out of breath. There is no need to pretend that I carry my pack as peaceful and graceful as a swam carrying it's wings that is just not the case. The best scenario I am a hippo marching it's way around with a mouth of a sailor. The very best thing to come from this trip apart from it being a once in a lifetime experience is that I am able to shed a few unwanted pounds. If that does not happen I will just have to throw in the towel and embrace the obesity and just work more at home to become a fitter person. 

5. Flexibitilty and compromise will get you far in life. 

I would really like to think that what we are doing is backpacking through Europe, we have the backpacks and we are staying in hostels but that's where it stops. My idea of backpacking is living as cheap as possible to free up money else where but my idea does not match my travel partner's idea. My travel partner is very particular in what he eats so eating from the food trucks/stalls is probably the equivalent of eating off the ground. I hold very tightly to my purse strings so this is the biggest clash we are having. I am also easily bribed so as long as the overpriced dinners are not coming out of my pocket I can be flexible. 

6. Don't lose sight on how lucky you are.

There are undoubtably moments where I look at people's lives and think there is a better use of my time than doing this. It is in those very foolish thoughts I forget about how lucky I am to be here and see how beautiful the world is. It is very easy to get caught up in worrying about the money, transportation and food and forget that I am here and lucky to be. It doesn't take much to remind myself though, all it takes is one look at my travel partner willing to take a hiatus from work and the scenery and buildings overflowing with history and beauty. Getting down to the reality is that of course the grass seems greener on the employed side of life but being broke in Europe isn't half bad either. 

My final lesson so far: my view is infinitely better than yours. 

Three Countries, One Week.

In the past week my travel partner and I have managed to be in three different countries: Dublin, Ireland, Amsterdam, The Netherlands and Berlin, Germany. It has been a very busy week but it has also allowed for some beautiful scenery.

Our adventure in Ireland was much busier than anywhere else we have visited (besides London). On our first true day we decided to go all out and my feet paid the ultimate price. In Liverpool we discovered the beauty of free tours and ever since that has been the best way we have been able to see the highlights of the city and avoid looking like idiots doing so. The great thing about free tours is that we tip what we want and what we valued the tour. Us being the good Canadians we noticed we were tipping quite a bit better than the other people but when someone talks basically non stop they deserve good money for it. 

After our three hour walking tour of Dublin we went to explore Trinity College where we went and saw the Book of Kells which is the oldest book that the Old Library houses and is an illustrated version of the New Testament in Latin. It is a beautiful book even if you are only exposed to a couple pages. The Old. Library itself is every book lovers dreams, it is stacks upon stacks of old books. There is a smell of old books the minute you enter the long library and it is a collection that puts Belle's (Beauty and the Beast) to shame. I've decided if my travel partner does go ahead with his plans on building me a shack it will need to contain a library just as grand. (Kidding, sort of) After pulling me away from the library we went off to the Guiness Storehouse. If you want to go into a building that stinks and houses nasty beer that is the place for you! That is all I have to say about the Guiness Storehouse, my travel partner enjoyed it. 

We booked two outings back to back which was definitely a mistake because we were exhausted by the end of the second day. The first outing we went out to the city of Galway and to the Cliffs of Moher. In a three hour drive we drove the entire width of the country, back at home you are lucky if three hours gets you within a paved road. Although it was a lot of driving it was well worth getting up at 6:00am to go. We did a quick tour of Galway which was a small city and apparently is the home of the claggaugh ring. My travel partner said he would buy me one (in return for subway obviously) but the idea of wearing one because we went there seemed too much like a cliche to me. I will save my jewellery present for Prague. The Cliffs Of Moher at its highest point is 214m. Before embarking on our adventure my dad had told my travel partner that I better come back in one piece or he would kill him and I think the threat was taken too seriously. Every time I ventured close to the edge well out of any kind of danger zone my travel partner was behind me holding on to my waist band pulling me closer. The picture below is after I tried to get close but was told no and he was helping me up despite my annoyance with him. 

The Cliffs stretched out for 8km and fun little HP fact they filmed part of the sixth movie there! It was in one of the cliff's faces where Voldemort's family ring which was actually a hoxcrux. Oh that Voldemort. The only downside of the trip was the people who shared the bus with us which was a strong majority of students who were partaking in an American program: A Semester At Sea. These students talked non stop impressively for three hours, said the word like about a thousand times (per person) amd had great tidbits of facts. For example a shark can swallow a human whole and lions are totally chill (her word) and you can total walk up to one. The great American education system folks. 

The second day was a day spent in Wicklow National Park, there is so much beauty in Ireland that it really too bad we didn't stay there longer. It has been agreed that we will go back to Ireland one day. Wicklow National Park is 127kms long and movies that have been filmed there include: Braveheart, Reign of Fire and my favourite P.S. I Love You. We drove along the winding roads of the park, saw massive lakes, extravagant houses and waterfalls. All around us we saw green and it was one of those places you didn't want to leave. 

We left the land of the leprechauns and ventured into the land of the red light district and things that start with C: cannibus and canals. The last time I was in Amsterdam the smell of weed gave me a headache that lasted my entire stay, the place made me feel dirty. It was here after a long couple weeks in dorm hostels we finally had a private suit. It may be a sign you have stayed in dorms too long when the sight of a private bathroom and shower and personal TV makes you gitty.  My travel partner who grew up in a smaller family and never went on school/sport trips has never known what it meant to share personal space so entering that room for him was like entering the holy land. 

Amsterdam had not changed much since the last time I was there, there was still the smell of weed all over the place, the canals still smelt bad and women still stood behind doors under red lights. Our first night I introduced my travel partner to pieces of the red light district and much like my own initial reaction two years ago it was a mix of pity and disgust. There is no point in talking too much like the red light district if there is any interest a simple google search can answer all questions. The canals with the houses dating way back to the early 1200's still managed to awe me. Every time I come across places with such historical pride it always impresses me. We have historical sites back at home but the Europeans have plastered their proud of their history and culture in everything. The Europeans and the way they display their pride is something we as Canadians should be envious of. To have such pride and desire to learn to much about something is the kind of passion I want to have in life about something. I see people doing walking tours of cities and you can see the love that they have for their job and the things they talk about and I can only hope to eventually do something that drives me with that kind of energy. 

We have made it to Berlin and after a very long train ride we finally made it to Germany. We have now gone back to dorms much to my travel partners dismay but it is nice to come back to cities I was in a couple years ago. It is a little bittersweet to be here without my sister and walking around the places I have visited with her last time without her reminds me of how much I miss her and her impressive ability to pressure me out of my comfort zone. My travel partner and I have dated long enough that the temptation to sit around after a long day is the first thing that comes to mind. I am aiming for us to push each other out of our comfort zones but as of yet we have failed to do so and seeing as I am the more pushy one I don't anticipate a change. Oktoberfest is currently happening in the centre of Berlin and we will see where the weekend takes us, I would like to push past the point of being tourists and become true travellers. 

Cheers Love!

We are now on day 14 of our trip and the past two weeks have managed to fly by while going equally as slow. We have ventured from London to Nottingham, Notthingham to Liverpool and Liverpool to Manchester. We did the first trek of our trip by bus and a small piece of advice: NEVER TRAVEL BY BUS IN THE UK. We went to the bus station about two hours earlier than necessary due to the sheer fact that we had to check out of our hotel. We got there to a ridiculously crowded bus station, two heavy packs in a room with limited seating and little ventilation made me one very annoyed Canadian. The Brits have no concept on what it means to probably line up or to listen to instructions. Our bus was delayed for an extra hour and to make matters worse there were people standing in line for the entire time making it almost impossible to navigate to see the screen. The National Express Busline made Greyhound Stations look like The Buckingham Palace of all bus services and that is nearly impossible.

 We arrived in Nottingham two hours later than our estimated arrival time and the bus had actually given me motion sickness. This amused me slightly only because I am not the Thompson that succumbs to motion sickness that title goes to my younger brother who would shamelessly use it to always get shut gun. The speeding up and slowing down of the bus was enough to put my stomach on edge and burn my leg as the radiator by our feet was turned up to unncessary heats. Needless to say I will not be growing leg hair on my right lower leg for awhile, I could almost smell the burning skin/leg hairs. Traveling out of packs is by no way the worst way to travel but everytime I see someone with those massive wheely bags I am almost desperate to try and pay them to trade me. I find when I am moving the pack seems to sit nicely on my back and all is in good working order but my travel partner has taken up needing to go pee whenever I have a good thing going making me stand for periods of time, this has undoubtely resulted in death glares and sharp tones. Nottingham was a cute enough English town with ties to the great Robin Hood. Now the Robin Hood I was exposed to as a child was a fox from the great classic Disney movie. It was really exciting therefore to be in the very town where the cartoon took place.

 The people of Nottingham do love their Robin Hood and I was able to learn more about the man who stole from rich to give to the needy. We were unable to make our way out to Sherwood Forrest mostly due to the fact that my travel partner was more eager to relax encouraging a more than 15 hour long stint in our room. He discovered the room had wifi and all hopes of outside socialization was thrown out the window. Nottingham was small and we could navigate the entire city in a couple hours. The highlight were the caves that are all man made that all lie below the city and Nottingham Castle. We went on a tour of the ones underneath Nottingham Castle and they were the ones that were not as commercialized and contained the most interesting history. My favourite story is of the King who was dethroned and thrown down one the cave holes. A morbid favourite but oh well.

 We moved on from Notthingham to Liverpool and the smooth train ride was so relaxing that I had myself question why I ever chose the bus. (The reason being my inherent need to be cheap.) Liverpool was probably my favourite place after London in the UK. They love their Beatles and football as previously stated and also they love their shopping. There were huge sections of the city dedicated to just to shopping. Now I have never been the one keen on shopping and if you ever have to shop with my sister Jenny you would understand. All the shops were great but not wanting to spend money, avoid adding anything extra to the bags and the undeniable fact that I am much to wide for the fashion in Britan were all factors contributing to the fact that the exctiement was lost on me. We did go on a great free walking tour that gave us a little history of the city which was funny and informative. The fun fact from the tour was that even though it had never been to Liverpool the company that owned the Titanic came from Liverpool with their offices held within a building that looks like bacon. Mmm bacon. 

                                           

                              My travel partner with John Lennon -- Liverpool 

It was a forty minute train ride from Liverpool to Manchester and the night before our departure we spent a couple hours scrambling for a better hostel. I made the mistake of looking up our intended hostel for my travel partner and the low scores made it so he wanted nothing to do with the place and so as a result we looked for a new reasonably priced/good score place. Luckily the Hatters Hostel in Liverpool had a sister hostel in Manchester and that was where we decided to lay our head for a couple of days. I tried to point out my 12% deposit on the other hostel in hopes of staying but alas like other things it was ignored and I was out 25 Canadian dollars. Men. Manchester sadly did not live up to my expectations and was kind of a flop of a city. It did house the National Football Museum which I LOVED even though my travel partner reminded me bitterly that he hated soccer (just cause of his lack of talent if I had a guess) and the most beautiful Library I could have ever seen. The John Rylands Library was well worth the visit here. Tomorrow we depart off to Dublin where my travel partner thinks he has ties to with no actual confirmation from his parents. I have been having to listen to his constant need to remind me that is where his ancestors come from and it has gotten as old as his "mayor son jokes". I am most excited to be out of the UK just solely for the fact that our dollar fares better there.

Reading in the worlds most beautiful library. 

 Goodbye UK, Hello Ireland! Let's see if this little(ish) Eskimo can get her travel partner to partake in some Irish Jigging lessons.

"No Place Like Home"

Day 11 of our trip and we are currently 6111.1 km away from home. It is hard to admit that only after 11 days gone my heart aches for home. This is the longest I will go without seeing family and I already miss them all so much. It is the true measure of the kind of people I have left behind me that I could miss them all so much. My family and friends are good, kind and warm people that going any length of time without having a serious conversation makes this adventure especially hard. My travel partner is always quick to remind me that he is my family and with him around it shouldn't be that bad.

The one side of travel that is rarely discussed amongst the stories of adventure and new experiences is the longing desire to have some kind of home with you. For us we have struggled with the constant eating out and then the chance to cook a home cooked meal is hard due to finding ingredients that we know how to cook with. Anyone who has had the luxury of cooking for or watching me cook for my travel partner knows the true struggles in making anything for this man who is picky and particular. It seems like a lot of complaining considering I am able to even go on this trip at all and to complain almost feels like I am taking away from it somehow. 

My two favourite little people. 

I write this because I am hoping that overtime it will be easier for me to not miss home so much. All it takes is for me to hear from my sister about her kids in school to make me miss home. My eldest nephew killing a spelling bee (4/5), my only niece on her journey through full day junior kindergarten and knowing I am missing out on what I guarantee is so much excitement in their eyes. My niece and nephew have a the ability to make any long miserable day and completely turn it around with their huge hugs and big kisses. I think of my mom and step dad surely making fun of each other and my mom's inability to tell good stories, my sister who has just accepted a new job she expresses love for every chance she gets and I think of my dad who is steady and consistent. He fails to awknowledge we are besties but I miss our small conversations/texts that occur multiple times daily full of advice, reassurance and his great ability to listen to me bitch for long periods of times (usually about my travel partner). The true test of this trip will not be a test of my relationship with my travel partner but my ability to step away for the first time alone (ish) and see what I make of it. 

We are currently in Liverpool where we did a three hour walking tour of the city, the birth place of the Beatles. These Liverpooleans sure love their Beatles, you see it in everything. They also love their football, with a waging war between two clubs within their city. It is the first time we are in a multibed dorm with our room housing 12 other beds. The hostel has terrible costumer service resulting in  my travel partner and I in seperate bunks. That itself isn't too bad minus the man who was hovering around the room in the early hours (hopefully in a confused daze) going and inspecting everyone in their bunks sleeping. Creeeeepy. 

The night life of Liverpool seems to be hopping and exciting. I don't understand how they do it but the Brits manage to go and drink their faces off on a nightly basis. I am currently trying to encourage my travel partner to venture out of his bubble and indulge and relax a bit (we are on vacation) but I can easily persuaded into an early bedtime with my ereader. With 84 days left I am hoping at some point we can venture beyond  our comfort zones but after 8 hours on our feet a good book and a somewhat comfy bed (creepy guy free) could be just what the doctor ordered. 

How To Survive Three Months Abroad Travel With Your Partner.

We are coming to the end of day 8 of our worldly travels and already the very sound of his breathing makes me want to put the pillow over his face as he sleeps. We have spent the majority of our summer apart due to my job which allowed me to explore the north running multi sport camps for youth. 

I understand I am very lucky to be abroad with someone I love and someone whom I have the intentions of spending the rest of my life with but it is not always sunshine and rainbows and taking cutesy pictures in front of European landmarks displayed below. 

It goes without saying that I love my travel partner dearly but it also important to keep in mind that not only is this his first trip abroad but he also a very high maintenance man. We have come to the agreement that I am a little high strung and he is a little inconsiderate. I do not travel flawless and beautiful, my need for getting my way all the time often clouds my judgement and I can often be found to react "dangerously" (quoting my mother). This trip for us is a lot about give and take and learning A LOT of patience. 

I give into the fact that he will want to eat subway daily (if not twice) and he gives into the fact that part of that subway is not judgement free. I take his blind trust for allowing me to orchestrate this entire trip planning to the last detail and I take his indifference and often disinterest to the world around us. 

I am lucky I know even though in moments of blind stubbornness (a trait from my father) to have the man I have with me. He takes my dangerous moments in stride and often with laughter and I know him well enough to know exactly what he is thinking often before he thinks it himself. We have learned to comprise: me learning to accept that he will want to eat subway whenever he wants and him taking the heavier of the two backpacks. We fit together not just because of our love but because we have learned to tolerate one another at our most ugly. There are moments when my pleas for new experiences fall on deaf ears and my sometimes erratic behaviour is seen as amusing and not taken seriously. There are moments when not bringing him would have been the better option and then there are times when I am sure being here without him would have been impossible. 

It is a given fact that we will have moments where the very sight of each other will annoy us but for right now only I have experienced bouts of anger and annoyance and that ladies and gentlemen falls right in step to the dynamics of our relationship in canada. So needless to say we are doing good. 

What my travel partner has learned about me: apparently nothing. "She is crazier than I thought" 

What I leaned about my travel partner: throwing him in head first accomplishes nothing apparently the best way to get him to open his eyes is in baby steps. Patience and baby steps....or lots of yelling and threats of violence. (Jokes, kind of)