On Days Like Today...

Once again the snow is falling outside and I am surrounded by the crazy white stuff.  The only saving grace is the fact that it's not actually cold outside as well.  But it does bring to mind the craziness that ensued when a girlfriend and I were still in Australia.

We had decided that in the wet and dreary winter, that is nothing compared to this I might add, that we were going to drive up to the mountains to get pictures of us with the snow.

Now these aren't Rocky Mountain type mountains, but they were more than our foothills, so we will continue calling them mountains for the time being.

I remember us driving up these crazy back roads, having no chains or supplies - kinda like we would have done in Canada - and finally getting to a point where we could go no further.  (Well without paying that is) So we pulled over to a pullout, and got the camera out.  But before we did, we put on our boardshorts, sandals and took off our jackets and posed!  The pictures were great and got a whole pile of respect from those back in Canada, but man was it still freaking cold!

Great pictures, and great memories.  Too bad this snow isn't like that snow.  Instead of having to live in it, we got back in the car and went back to civilization - which didn't have any snow!

Most Amazing Place To Spend A Morning

Although I must admit that it will take more than a morning to do.  

When I was younger and more foolish, I took a Contiki tour of the South Island of New Zealand. It was a great way to party it up, see the sights and meet some people!  The only problem was the majority of them were American.  And while I don't necessarily have anything against the Americans - seeing as technically I am one - I did not want to see a scenic, beautiful island, with a pack of loud mouthed Yanks that could only continually tell us how 'everything was bigger and better in Texas'.

Thankfully, the night before was a hard drinking one, as there was nothing to do but drink on this small ship that we were stuck on.  Where we were stuck was what made it the most amazing place to spend a morning.  

We were on the incredible Milford Sound.  It was November, the water was icy, which I can personally attest to after jumping in it repeatedly, and it was stunning!  Snow capped mountains plunged into icy water.   There were waterfalls cascading down cliff faces.  There was peace and quiet.  Except for on the boat that is!

When I awoke in the morning, at the crack of dawn (I don't know why, but I have this knack for doing it, even after spending the previous night getting to know a great bottle of Chardonnay with some great Australians) I stumbled (you can't gracefully climb those stairs) as quietly as I could to the main deck.  

And it was peaceful, and quiet.  The sun was just coming up over the mountains, and it's reflections was crystal clear in the sound.  Cottony clouds hugged the cliffs like long lost lovers, and a pod of dolphins slowly slid through the water past the boat, close enough that I swear I could touch them.  

It was like this for a moment - but what seemed like an eternity - before the boats motors were running, and people were awake.  The moment was lost, but the memory will last an eternity.  

The most amazing place to spend a morning by far.

Click here for more information on the tour I did!

When the Going Gets Snowy...

It seems that March has gone in like a lamb and is going out like one hell of a lion here lately.  And while the weather outside might be just a little bit frightening, it's bringing back memories of a place that doesn't seem so far away when some Katchafire is playing on the radio (or cd player) and I'm staring at my one picture (that takes up a full wall I swear) that depicts nothing but the ocean out a window.

And while I stare at that, my thoughts wander to the little town of Mount Maunganui, a small resort and surfing town where the populations swells by about four times it's regular amount during the summer months - that kiwis tend to think are still too short!

The Mount towers over the peninsula of population like an overbearing parent and provides shade in the heat, and an amazing playground for children of all ages.  Climbing to the top gives those willing to bear the brunt of the climb with amazing 360 degree views, while for the less adventurous, there are the hot pools that are nestled at the base of the mount.  

These hot pools are full all year round, from the winter months and those that have spent the day kayaking down white water rivers in frigid glacial water, to those of us who just want to soak up the heat, while glimpsing the stars when the wind picks up slightly - blowing the fog away for a moment.

With a beach that stretches for kilometers, that can be perfect for sea kayaking, wind surfing, sailing, boating or even surfing, and a small town centre that boasts a multitude of cafes overlooking the beach (where dolphins can be seen on perfect days), this is one reincarnation of heaven.  

Long days spent with a coffee overlooking the beach, after a walk around the mount to break a sweat, with a soak in the hot pools later - what could be better?

Sometimes Travel Isn't Necessary

Please forgive my lack of posting the past couple days.  But as the title suggests, sometimes you don't have to stray very far from your own back yard to find yourself in an exotic land.

And that is exactly what happened in Calgary for the past two days.  A snowstorm blew in and was causing all sorts of commotion with close to 30cm of snow dropped in about 8 hours.  It's amazing how drivers who have been living in a snowy wintery wonderland for years on end, can still forget how to drive after the snow disappearing for all of five days.  

It was quite a scene, sitting on my balcony and watching the craziness slide by.  And slide it did with the amount of people on the road who were a little too heavy on their brakes, as well as their petrol pedals!  Cars going backwards, sliding sideways, and of course a fair number were stuck.  Stuck in snowbanks, stuck after spinning their tires, it was quite a sight to behold!

And on days like that, it's nice to know that I can step outside my condo and see a sight so foreign (though it shouldn't be) that all I can do is laugh.

God bless the last snowstorm of the year.  (And hopefully the last one that I will have to live through here in Canada!)

If you believe in love at first sight...

Do you ever stop looking?

This is the age old question when it comes to everything.  If you believe in love at first sight, you never stop looking.  You are always looking for the next best thing.  In very simple terms.

If you believe in something better, you never stop looking for what is better than what you have.  No place will ever be good enough, no house will ever be big enough.  You name it.

So I put the question to you.  Is anything ever good enough, when nothing is ever good enough?

Go Straight to Jail?

It has just come to my attention that hosteling International has some properties that are not for the faint hearted.  The one main one that I a talking about, is a hostel that exists in the central business district of Ottawa.  A few short blocks away from Parliament hill, there is an older building that has been converted from an old Jail to a hostel.  (Yes you heard me correctly!)  

And while it's no wonder that people say that this hostel is haunted, there are ghost and jail tours that leave at 7pm for those that want a little bit more proof!  

Check it out the next time you are in Ottawa.  Do not pass go, but go directly to jail!

How could I resist.

When Americans and other tourists can't know the difference between where Mount Rushmore is, and where the Grand Canyon is (and to know that they are two different places completely) I thought that it was time to put the age old debate to rest.  

What does Mount Rushmore look like from Canada?

We now know.

Time To Reflect

With the passing of another St. Patrick's Day, I found my self looking at different things than I had in the past.  

Whereas North American's celebrate St Patty's day as a day for drinking green beer and wearing green, in Ireland, this is not the case.

They do like a good reason to celebrate, and will have celebrations for the 6 days prior in Dublin, but they won't be seen wearing green any more than any other day.  And they do wear a lot of green on an every day basis!

Instead, they will wear a bunch of irish shamrocks (not four leaf clovers) on the breast of their shirts or jackets to symbolize the teachings of the holy trinity by St. Patrick.  And while he wasn't actually made a saint my the church, St Patrick is one of the most well known saints.

I bring this up due to the shift in my perception of culture and history.  On my last trip over, I discovered that I had more than just ancestry that had come from Ireland - but that I still had family ties.  Ties that I had never realized that I had until about three weeks ago.

And now I feel an unbelievable pull towards Ireland, it's cultures, history and traditions, as I feel like I have finally found something that gives me roots on this wonderful world.  Where will this mean that I go next?  I really have no idea.  Only time will tell.

Happy St. Patrick's Day....

And in tribute to St. Patricks Day, Dublin hosts a six day festival filled with Irish music, green beer for the tourists (real irish folk drink Guiness) and much much more.

But the place that holds a special place in my heart is a little place known as Galway.  It was once a walled city, and while the interior of the main business district is a maze of crooked streets with houses that feel like they are going to fall over into the middle of these crooked streets, it is a true testament to the beauty of an older centre. 

About ten minutes outside of the heart of the city centre, there is a beautiful little 'seaside resort' town called Galway that hosts a great selection of restaurants as well as nooks and crannies that crave to be explored.  This little motorworks was found up the back alley, off of the main through-fare.

There were many little things that made Galway one of my favorite stops.  One of the others is linked to my past, and so will be discussed at a later date and time.  But until then, know that this is definitely one place worth the visit.

This Airline Is So Cheap...

They are going to charge you a pound to use the toilet.  

That's right, you understood me correctly.  Which airline?

Ryan air!

This low cost airline is finding that they aren't making enough money selling fares for a pound plus tax, and they know that everyone hops onto a plane with at least a pound, so that is what they are going to charge you to use the loo.

Can companies quest to squeeze the last pound out of (literally) get any more desperate?

Why Some Things Change....

Henry Miller, a man that not many remember, once said that "One's destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things."

This could be why some people thrive on traveling to return home.  With travels, come a new way of seeing things, and understanding things.  So that when you return home, one can never truly understand where one was before.

Family that you always fight with in my case, become a link to our past, in a place that you may never be.  Friends either come along for the ride and put up with your incessant chatter about your next trip - which in essence is like your next fix.  Travelers crave their next get away with about the same zest as a junkie craves his next hit.  (Though it is a hard addiction to have.)

My greatest downfall, was my inability to keep my itchy feet to myself.  I told everyone and anyone that I wanted to leave, and that I wanted to get out.  This made even my best friends shy around me, and keep their distance, as they knew that I would soon leave.  

And while when we return from our travels, we can not see things for what they were, so the people that we leave behind find it hard to find the people that we were before we left.

But still the traveler will travel.  And those afraid will not.

Reflections

I've been back in Canada for just over a week, and the itchy feet have begun already.  But instead of wanting to wander where ever they may take me, they are craving a certain destination.  Where, I'm not quite sure, but if it has a pile of Irish blokes with thick irish accents, I think I'll be as close as I could expect to be!

I was chatting to a girlfriend the other day, when it finally dawned on me.  I've been single, and frustratingly enough, I've not necessarily wanted to be.  Just recently, I took my own love life in my own hands and decided to chat to a sweet looking guy who I've been crushing on for quite some time.  (They say that you grow out of crushing, but if anything, it just gets worse when you know it's not supposed to happen ;) )

And after asking him out and getting a yes, I was subjected to the add on - I think I should tell you that I do have a girlfriend, but I'd love to go out for a coffee.  What the hell does a person say to that? 

But in a round about way, it brought home the fact that I don't attract the dear boring Canadian boys, because I don't want to be here.  I crave to be someplace else, and being with someone who finds this dreary humdrum, but beautiful country home would do nothing but drive me mad and fuel mad arguments about why we were still here.

So the feet are itching, and I feel it's time to move someplace that reminds me of home (not Canada unfortunately) so that maybe, just maybe I can join coupledom.  

Maybe.

But that's a big maybe...

Long Live The Brits

I have to admit that my last trip took me aback.

I had heard that the brits had become as politically correct as north america and I was, needless to say completely unprepared for the welcoming I received on the plane.  

What has to be explained to begin with, is the fact that the one steward (flight attendant) was a homosexual.  He was gay and wasn't hiding the fact.  

That was what made what happened next so amusing.

After an announcement that duty free items would be available, the stewards began walking through the flight cabin offering cigarettes, alcohol and gifts to everyone.  What this one flight attendant was saying took the cake though.

All I heard was "Gifts, alcohol or fags?  Anyone want any gifts alcohol or fags?"

Recent Journeys

I begin this tale, not at the beginning, nor at the end. Instead, I bring my experiences to you right in the middle of the most interesting part of the story. Will this make it easier to understand? I doubt that. Will it necessarily make sense? I think not. But that is not what this is about. In essence, this blog is about the obstacles that have been placed in my path, to help me develop into the person that I am slowly becoming.

I am slowly blossoming into an adult that understands what it is to be alive. What it means to take risks and fail, but always what this world demands of us to succeed. The road is not always easy, and it is not always what we expect or crave, but it is. And as long as that road exists, I will continue to walk it, in search of a place where I feel at home, a place that whispers sweet nothings in my ears every time I close my eyes, and gives me a brand new sight every time I open my eyes.

What is life, if not a series of beautiful moments that we enjoy, life and savor?

As Oscar Wilde once said, "memory is the diary that we all carry with us". When my journey is done, I dream of having a diary full of joy and happiness, and no wasted moments. Do you?