The Journey Continues

This weekend, I have a few little things on the go, the first of which is to crochet a pair of baby booties. We’ll see how it goes - hopefully I will end up with a pair roughly matching. Packing for a ladies weekend in L.A. (!), finding a Halong Bay tour for my mom, and figuring out an itinerary for our upcoming trip to Taiwan are next on the list. I am stoked about Taiwan, but not even sure where to start (besides marking down all of the top night markets and the best dumpling spots). Fingers crossed I don’t get too distracted this weekend and a plan starts to come together.

It’s hard not to be a little reflective with surroundings like this.

Where Am I? One of the downsides of moving frequently when travelling is that you sometimes forget where exactly you are. Well, I do anyways. Sometimes I find myself doing a quick mental run through of the previous days to help bring me back to where I am and how I got here. Travel bloggers/ writers often go off about the importance of travelling slowly and getting to know a given place more deeply. I totally agree that this is a great thing as most of my favourite travel memories are of places that we lingered and had a little extra time to explore, relax, and chit chat with both locals and other travellers. However, time is a luxury. Sometimes I know that the odds of me ever coming back to a certain region are slim to none. Maybe it's just not a practical layover type of destination. Maybe it's just not the top of my preference list. Or, maybe, it's just that my list of places that I want to visit is so long that I can't count on making any return visits. Whatever the reason, sometimes we just feel the need to travel quick and see as much as we can in the time that we have. For me, it's worth the occasional temporary bout of confusion. Besides, I don't really even need to know where I am. I just need to enjoy it.

Security It's funny. When in Canada, dreaming of a European holiday, I tend to have this image in my mind of western Europe in general having a laid back vibe; where people enjoy so many freedoms, like enjoying a glass of wine in a park, a beer on a train, a slow coffee at a sidewalk cafe, or moving between countries with ease. This is true. But then, it is also true these days that the streets are patrolled by machine gun toting troops, and a summer market day in the city means that all access routes to the area are blocked off by large city trucks, and guards searching the bags of every person entering via the few allowed points. While not a huge inconvenience, being unable to leave the city centre at any given point gave me a strange sense of claustrophobia; just wanting to get out. It's not like the security is in your face, around every corner. But it is there. In the background. For the people who live here, I imagine this is simply just a new normal. For me, I am grateful for a home where it is not.

Most of the time when traveling, I don't mind leaving one place because I am usually looking forward to visiting the next destination. Grindelwald was different. I was definitely sad to leave. I hate to use the word magical to describe somewhere, but that's what Grindelwald and the Swiss Alps are; magical. From the moment we arrived and first saw the towering mountains and the brilliant green hillsides in the valley, dotted with chocolate brown wooden huts and houses, to the moment we left, I was in awe. With so many awesome travel experiences, I always find it challenging to pick out favourites, but if I had to choose, hiking in the mountains around Grindelwald just may take the top spot. We knew coming in to this that Switzerland in general would be expensive, so we decided to just bite the bullet and purchase the 3-day Jungfrau region pass to allow for unlimited rail, cable car and bus trips in the area, as well as tickets to Jungfraujoch; the top of Europe. This may be some of the best money I have ever spent. I don't regret a penny of it. Thanks to the amazing Swiss organization and efficiency, within an hour of arriving, we had already purchased all necessary tickets, collected maps and information, checked in to our hotel, and were off and ready for our first mountain hike. We hopped on the longest cable car in Europe for the 40 minute trip up the mountain from Grindelwald to Mannlichen, and hiked a couple of hours to Klein Scheidegg where we were able to take a slow mountain train back down to Grindelwald. The views throughout the walk were stunning, with the famous Eiger, Monch and Jungfrau mountains front and centre throughout. The Eiger's north face is the setting of many climbing legends and tragedies. Early the next morning we hopped on the first train to Jungfraujoch to arrive ahead of the massive crowds. The train plugged along, tunnelling right through Monch, before reaching the station at the top, straddling the Jungfrau and Monch, at a whopping 3466 metres above sea level. I expected the views to be great, but I wasn't prepared for just how impressive they really were. We were surrounded by jagged snow covered peaks, with mountain ranges off to the distance as far as we could see. We decided to get outside, away from the crowd and walk part of the trail towards the Monchsjochhutte. While feeling a little woozy and heavy legged from the altitude, once we had started walking we both wanted to go all the way, so an hour later after trudging slowly uphill through the snow, we found ourselves at the hut, 3658 metres high in the Bernese Alps. The warm bowls of soup we enjoyed were well earned. Our final day in the area, hiking from First to Bachalpsee lake and then down to Bort before hopping back on another cable car, we were treated to more stunning mountain vistas on the cliff walk, followed by alpine lakes, rolling hills and valleys and a steamy forest as we descended 600 metres along the way. At the end of three days, our legs were ready for a little rest, but Cory and I have already been planning various options for returning to these mountains someday soon.

Fun in the sun

The alleyways and cobblestones seemed to call for black and white

One of the key lessons I have learned about traveling over the years has been the importance of flexibility. Basically, I try to be at least somewhat prepared for the unexpected, whether that means the stash of granola bars I carry with me in my bag, or simply keeping in mind that any itinerary I may have is a rough sketch, not set in stone. Tonight I expected to be sleeping on Ustica Island, 60km offshore from Sicily. But, here I am, in Trapani, 70 km from Palermo, on the western end of Sicily instead. Flexibility. I'm not going to lie; I was a little disappointed that our plans were foiled by the inability of the ferries to run in the temperamental ocean, but Mother Nature is a hard one to argue with. Knowing that Plan A was no longer an option, we settled in at a cafe with our guidebook and came up with an alternative; hop on the bus to Trapani and figure out the rest on the way. Two hours later, and extremely grateful for our local data plan, we arrived in the city with a room booked and a few new ideas for ways to fill our last couple of days in Sicily. We spent the afternoon and evening meandering the streets of the old town, admiring the stone churches scattered throughout, enjoying the crashing waves below the city walls, sipping on Sicilian wine and knocking a couple more items off of our foods to try list. I am sure Ustica would have been great, but Trapani is great too.

Day 3: Siracusa, Sicily

Day 1

London was awesome the first time that Cory and I visited in 2013. It’s one of those places that you can just wander for hours on end, feeling like you are constantly in scenes from a movie when standing in front of iconic landmarks like Big Ben or Westminster Abbey. It was also awesome when I visited again last year as I didn’t feel the need to rush to see all of the big sights, but instead could wander, seeking out little things like a brownie shop recommended by a friend, taking time to visit the British museum and taking in a show at the theatre. Once again, on this short visit, London didn’t disappoint. Free from the feeling of needing to see any particular sights, we were left with the day to wander and enjoy our visit with a friend who came into the city for a day to meet us. Our wandering led us across the Tower Bridge, one of those surreal sights to experience up close, and to the Borough Market. I wish I was hungry at the time as the food at every turn looked delicious: stacks of cheeses and cured meats, pastries and chocolates, foods from multiple corners of the world, all crammed into rows of small shops and stands. While not hungry enough to take part in the eating, we were more than happy to grab a stool and enjoy a bottle of white while catching up and watching the people go by. Our next stop after a walk along the river was tapas style restaurant where we got into the Italian spirit a day early with some delicious bites, another crispy bottle and a little affogato to finish it all off. Not quite ready to say goodbye to Shannon yet, we sought out one last drink. She led us to an alley filled with small tables and people enjoying the warm Sunday evening, then inside a cave wine bar; not at all what I had expected to find in the middle of the city. After saying goodby, Cory and I wandered back to our hotel and took some time to enjoy the Tower Bridge lit up at night. It was a great 12 hours in the city enjoying some of the finer things in life! Now, we are off to Sicily where we will reign in the spending while enjoying some new sights and adventures.

A great start to the Gulf Islands Challenge - Mayne Island

A few weeks ago, while spending a weekend on Pender Island and making a day trip to Mayne Island, I decided to embark on a personal Gulf Islands Challenge. What is the challenge? Visit each of the Gulf Islands at some point over the next year. What are the Gulf Islands you may ask. Well, this is where it starts to get complicated and wondered if I bit of more than I can chew here. Apparently the term once referred to those Islands in the Strait of Georgia from Nanaimo area south, but has expanded over the years to include ALL of the islands between Vancouver Island and the mainland as far north as Quadra Island. I’m going to say my challenge, my rules, and go with the Southern Gulf Islands definition. So, that leads me with the following Islands to conquer by May 20, 2018: Gabriola, Valdes, Saturna, Mayne, Pender, Saltspring, Galiano, Penalakut, Thetis, And a handful of smaller islands not accessible via ferry. Reaching any of these will be a bonus. Pender and Mayne Islands can already be crossed off the list, so that leaves me with 7 to go. Any excuse for a weekend getaway works for me, so I look forward to reaching my goal!

London is one of those cities that I think would make the perfect layover destination. You could visit here a dozen times and still find new areas to explore and plenty of activities to keep you busy. As this was my second visit, I didn't feel any great pressure to try to see it all. Instead, I was able to enjoy just wandering, seeking out a cafe recommended by a friend, touring the British Museum, and going to a west-end theatre production. At the museum I was surprised by how excited I was to see the Rosetta Stone, and how wrong it seemed to be staring at a Haida totem so out of place. I must admit though, that this totem was more preserved than most that I have seen before.

I feel sick to my stomach. Usually it is a positive experience that compels me to write these posts, as it is a way for me to relive the experience as I write, or the process of writing about a place encourages me to do a little extra research to understand it further. Unfortunately, that is not the case this time. I don’t think any amount of research would help me to truly understand the horrific events that led to the deaths of nearly a hundred people who were simply celebrating a national holiday. Nice is a mecca for holiday makers, both from France and around the world. I can attest, that the last thing on your mind on holidays is this. Of course, in my dismay, and among my heart sickness for those people - families, children, old and young- involved, are also the “what ifs”. What if I had taken my holidays 10 days later? What if a random busy weekend evening two weeks ago had been the target instead? I quickly push these aside because nothing good can ever come of what ifs. In all honesty, I am glad to be going home today. I am always aware of any risks when travelling, but have never allowed fear to dictate my plans, beyond common sense of course. If I stayed now I would run the risk of looking over my shoulder, a lot. But, as I leave, I know I am leaving behind a country that is reeling. Leaving behind people in a neighbouring country that are already saying on the morning trains, “this could happen here”. My heart goes out to the people of Nice, and to the people of France overall who must be wondering what on earth is happening around them.