Sep 2007

so the past few days have gone by like hours... i can barely remember what i've done!! so to recap...

in LONDON, I:

~ ate traditional fish and chips in a park
~ saw buckingham palace
~ admired big ben
~ witnessed the london eye
~ sat in hyde park watching the pigeons

in EDINBURGH, I:

~ walked everywhere and only got lost twice!
~ got turned down by three hostels because apparently there is this big rugby tournament going on... blahhh.
~ ate a swedish meatball wrap.. mmm

in GLASGOW, I:

~ bought a cell phone!! (call/text me!! 07990903154)
~ bought this amazing pair of stillettos for £3.00... but i probably won't ever wear them
~ asked some girls on the street where the supermarket was, and got invited to a stranger's house for amazing indian food! there were six of us; three spoke arabic, two spoke spanish, two were hindu, one was muslim, and three of them were practicing ramadam and couldn't eat all day... so we had to wait until after sunset! we all turned from strangers to friends..!
~ got followed/chased by some drunk creepy scottishman on a deserted backroad... freaked out, so asked two old men for help. they were so nice to me that they walked me all the way back to the hostel!
~ encountered a deranged/senile scottish woman who started yelling at me in gaelic when i asked her for directions
~ watched the scottish rugby team get their asses kicked by new zealand on a flatscreen in a pub
~ lounged in the Bunker, and went crazzzzy at Frankensteins (also tried salsa dancing to techno: but don't try it, it doesn't work!)
~ danced in the rain with lina, salwa, rut, rafic, karry, brian, steve and lynn.
~ made friends with 9 swedish boys who were obsessed with whisky
~ almost got run over by a car... (i was slightly drunk and forgot that they drive on the other side of the road)

I have learned so much about the sincerity and genuine hospitality of strangers. I have learned WHO to trust and who NOT to trust. I have learned a lot about different religions and traditional foods.

It's amazing how life can throw curve balls. One minute, i was walking down the street by myself, trying to find a grocery store so i could make some food and probably go to bed. The next minute, I was in the house of a stranger enjoying maybe the best food i have ever tasted, and encountering an amazing sense of hospitality and generosity. Even after I got followed by the creepy drunk, I was amazed at how nice the two old men were. They made sure the guy stopped following me and that I was safe, and they walked me all the way back to the hostel.
You gotta love life's surprises

So since Brussels, I met up with an Aussie, and we've been traveling together for three days now, getting lost in the maze of Europe...

In LUXEMBOURG, I:

~ played cards with two Turkish girls and talked about life while riding the train
~ got completely and utterly lost in Luxembourg's cobblestone streets
~ met a Polish lady who had many things to say about global warming and politics (but was nice enough to show me where the hostel was)
~ got turned down by the hostel because it was full of German teenagers
~ got drenched in the rain and hid under an ancient building full of statues
~ drank Chardonnay and Beaujolais while overlooking the city from a park bench
~ watched some ducks in a pond
~ thought I was catching a train back to Belgium, but realized the last one left three hours earlier
~ encountered a drunk Englishmen who had seven children and wouldn't stop kissing my hand
~ read the "arrival" sign instead of the "departure" sign and almost missed the train the next morning

In BRUSSELS, I:

~ spent half an hour trying to figure out how to work the washing machine at the laundromatt
~ dined off swiss cheese, emantal cheese, salami, baguettes, chocolates and red wine

In BRUGGES, I:

~ arrived at the train station in the middle of the night, not knowing where anything was, feeling tired and grungy.
~ found a little bed and breakfast with the sweetest old lady you could ever imagine (Madame Bettina Garcia)
~ bought curry and chicken in the local market, aaaand found the internet cafe!

It's amazing what a difference three days can make in your travels. If you are in a routine, three days can feel like a week. But when you're constantly on the move, always looking for things to do or places to go, three days feels like a few hours. It is so much easier to travel with someone else, because there is not as much responsibility on your shoulders. When you're on your own, simple things like going to the bathroom become complicated, because you have to haul your giant backpack into the tiny stall with you, otherwise it might get stolen. But with someone else, life is simplified...!

Anyway, I have a flight to London booked on Friday, but I want to connect and go to Eastern Europe... we'll see! Ciao for noww...
p.s. miss everyone btw... so many people are interested in where I come from (haha because no one has heard of Manitoulin Island!!), and many of you are in my stories!

So I made it to Belgium... I didn't want to go here (or at least I wasn't planning on it), but it just happened. The guy that I was going to go to Dusseldorf with decided against going, so instead I took a cheap train here!

The last night in Amsterdam was crazy... I ended up not having a bed (b/c it was sold out), so I slept on a chair for half the night and the floor for the other half. Then Saturday morning I rented a bike (completely hungover) and rode around the city.

(Swear to god, you haven't truly lived until you've ridden a bike through Amsterdam!)

I was peddling along, minding my own business, and was almost run over by this crazy chick wearing three inch stillettos. EVERYone rides a bike in Amsterdam. Businessmen in suits and old grannies doing groceries. EVERYONE. Unfortunately, if you're just another "stupid tourist" like me, you'll run into trouble. I almost ran over two pigeons and a tourist, and almost got killed by a delivery truck backing up. But it was totally worth the experience.

So now here I am in Brussels. I just got back from a walk around the city. I splurged and bought 10 euros worth of chocolate. I also sampled the "King Arthur" chocolate, which is titled the best chocolate in Belgium. Oh yea, and I ate Belgian fries with Andalouse sauce (mayonaise and ketchup mixed together). AMAZING! Don't be sceptical until you've tried it! seriously... (oh and also, last night I ate this Turkish pizza that had eggs over-easy on it... weird, but delicious!)

Not sure where I'm going next. Probably spend a day or so in Bruges, then fly to Scotland. Or maybe Eastern Europe? There's this big festival going on in town, so there's people in costumes everywhere!

Ahhhh I wish I could do this forever! It's amazing how easy it is... all you need is a bit of money and time. ANYone can do it, and you don't have to go with anyone, either. Traveling just puts the world into perspective... it's a cool feeling!! Anyways, I'll upload more pictures soon! Ciao...

so far (in two days), i have...

~ bumped into Jaydee Bixby (second place in 2007 canadian idol) at tim horton's...
~ ridden a greyhound, two cable cars, two subways and a city bus JUST to get to pearson airport in toronto
~ spilled soup all over my pants in the airport
~ made it through customs alive (as opposed to deported)
~ gotten completely and ridiculously LOST approximatly 8 times
~ accidentally sat in first class instead of second.. oh and got yelled at by the train conductor!
~ met over two dozen people from literally ALL over the world
~ figured out why the houses in amsterdam lean forwards (you'll NEVER guess)
~ walked throught the red light district and got winked at by a prostitute
~ met a kid who got his own name written on a hat, so that when he and all his friends are intoxicated, they can remember what his name is
~ met someone who did NOT know what the kid's name is, even though it's written on his hat! (idiot...?)
~ drank tea with only ONE sugar.. (yea, for all those who know me well, this is a HUGE deal... seriously!)
~ eaten WALK TO WOK - amazzzing
~ eaten at McDonald's - disgusting
~ slept in a bed that felt like a bunch of bricks...
~ slept on a floor (i'm on a budget and the hostel was completely booked! somehow, the floor feels better than the bed!)
~ basked in happy hour
~ discussed global politics and the beauty of van gogh
~ gotten drenched by the rain
~ bought and drank TWO bottles of wine (altogether costing me 4 euros... no joke!)
~ walked around aimlessly and still found our way back to the hostel
~ spoke to someone in french
~ met an australian who DOESN'T drink (i dare you to try and find one)

it's been crazzzzzzy... and the next step? i'm thinking dusseldorf, but not entirely sure! ciao for now

With my trip beginning in just over a week, I'm full of butterflies and anticipation. This past summer has flown by so incredibly fast, but ironically, the past few days have crept by so slowly.

I think I have everything ready for my trip. I just wrote my "what to bring" list today, and mostly everything is covered. My main essentials are: bank card, credit card and passport. Oh and deodorant, of course I can buy anything else once I'm accross the Atlantic. My badges are all sewn onto my backpack... except Liechtenstein (it's only half done).

This trip seems surreal; I've been dreaming about this ever since my first adventure abroad. I remember taking my first baby steps in Europe when I was thirteen, and ever since, I've known I would return one day. Although this will be my fourth time going to Europe, I'm trying not to have any expectations. I don't want to anticipate anything, because once you expect something, you're usually dissappointed (or so my mother always told me).

My other trips were different, anyways. For one thing, I always had the security of my mother. I won't have that this time, as I'm flying solo. Also, with my mother came her bank card. Again, I won't have that this time. However, on this trip, I'll be able to wander where I please and not have to worry about worrying Dana! I'll be completely free and independent, and entirely responsible for everything I possess. If I lose anything, I'll only have myself to blame. I won't have any of the comforts of home, and luxuries such as free food and a warm bed won't exist. Dana always told me that, "if you can survive traveling, survive putting a roof over your head and food in your belly every day, then there isn't anything you can't do".

I know there will be times in the next year where all I will want is to come home. But for now, all I want is to leave this small town and it's mentality, to travel to the other side of the world, and to journey into the unfamiliar. The future is very exciting, and I get an adrenaline rush knowing that in one week, I will be away from my comfort zone and forced into the real world.

(A wise man recently wrote this quote in a card for me, and it makes perfect sense when you think about it...)

"Everyday won't be sunny. And when you find yourself alone in the darkness, remember it's only in the black of night where you can see the stars, and those stars will lead you back home. So don't be afraid to make mistakes, to stumble, to fall, because most of the time the greatest rewards come from doing the things that scare you the most. Maybe you'll get everything you wish for... maybe you'll get more than you ever could have imagined. Who knows where life will take you. The road is long and in the end... the journey is the destination."