tales of travels

2006-09-26T10:45:00.000-07:00

Still playing Catch-up!
So, I'm still trying to get the blog back up to date with everything that's been going on. Since Belgium, a great deal has happened, and the trick is to remember it in the right order. This, I suppose, is the advantage to updating the blog as things happen...
With our next block of time off, we decided to just stay in Dublin and see some of the things we had missed so far. It's easy to overlook the things that the city has to offer if you're living and working there. I didn't get around to seeing the Book of Kells until we had been here for almost six months, and to the best of my knowledge, Liz still has yet to check it out. So with this in mind we decided to try and take in some of the sights that we had missed up to that point.

This picture doesn't do justice to the sheer size of this place. For those who don't know, this is Newgrange. Probably the most famous Neolithic burial mound in all of Europe. Certainly the most visited. It was one of the places that I was most looking forward to seeing while we were here. It took us a while, but we got there. Unlike Stonehenge, the visitor centre for Newgrange is a fair distance away from the site itself, and so it takes a while (and a bus) to get to it. It is only possible to enter the chamber with a guided group so we got a bit of the history (or as close to the history as has yet to be discovered) while we were checking out the unrivaled carvings on the interior walls. I had read a good deal about the practices involved in the ceremonies believed to have taken place at Newgrange, especially the Winter solstice rite of rebirth, but nothing prepares you for stepping into the inner chamber and seeing the work that went into creating this monument to engineering far beyond it's time. No pictures are permitted in the inner chamber, so we couldn't take any of the famous triad spiral that puts Newgrange on the archeological map, but the larger stones that ring the mound have similar carvings, and each is unique. We took pictures of those that had the best definition to them, but there were many more. I would have loved to stay at Newgrange and just soak up the atmosphere for hours, but the pace at which they move people through is a quick one, and we only had about a half hour before we were headed (or herded) back to the visitor centre. Still, this was a place like none I had ever seen. Some day I would love to come back and watch the sun creep along the chamber passage in the morning of the winter solstice.
Another highly recommended place we had yet to visit was the Powerscourt estate on the border of Wicklow. This was one that we hadn't heard too much about, outside of the guidebook, but a few people from work said it was well worth the trip, so we chose a clear day and went to check it out. I think the pictures probably say it all. The powerscourt gardens were some of the best we've seen. Second only to the Kew I would venture. We spent two days there during our week off and I don't think we saw everything. The grounds are massive, and very diverse. They had everything from formal English gardens to contemporary Japanese waterscapes.

Looking over what I've written, I hope I'm doing some justice to our experiences. There's only so much I can pour into these pages about the things we've done. Hopefully this gives at least an idea of our adventures.

Cheers, M

2006-09-12T10:19:00.000-07:00

So, the blog has been a bit neglected over the past days... Weeks... Months. I took a look at it the other day and was more than a bit surprised to see how long it's been since the last time we updated it. So here goes...
A fair bit has happened since Megan and Steve were here. I'll try to do everything justice, but two months is quite a long time to play catch up on.
Firstly I guess would have to be our second trip to Belgium to stay with Rita and Gert. This was the first time we've been to Belgium during the warm months, and the difference from the winter was amazing. We had some more time to explore this time and the warmer weather went a long way towards tempting us to see a bit more of the country. We went back to some of the places we had enjoyed in the past as well as discovering some new ones. The public transit system was a real cut above what we've come to expect from Dublin, so our days of hopping from town to town were easy.

These are some of the photos we took while we were in Ghent and Brugges. We had been to both cities before, but just as Lokeren was shown in an entirely new light with the warmer weather, so were it's neighboring towns. We got to wander around a bit more this time and see some of the more out of the way places. We ate at a great little Japanese restaurant just off the cathedral square in Ghent, and took an amazing canal tour in Brugges. For those who know the chocolate story from last time we were in Brugges, I can say that we brought out that little "gem" one more time. In fact, I had a great personal tour of some of the kitchens of Belgium's master chocolatiers. We feasted on the kindly donations of some very talented chocolate master chefs, and several little Belgian chocolate shops are probably still waiting for the "article". Our guilt will never be assuaged, but the tradition has been upheld.
One of our most adventurous forays into the Belgian countryside was to this World War II memorial to the wing crew that Elizabeth's Grandfather was a part of . Their plane crashed in the field just near to this tree, where the memorial was laid. Papa's experience of journeying through unknown lands, and eventual escape has become woven into the minds and imaginations of those who have had the honour of hearing it. It was a bit of a hike to get out here (the monument really is out in the country) but it became rather like a pilgrimage! We may not have the chance to see this again and it was important for us to find it. Papa, this photo is for you!
One of the things that always make our trips to Belgium so enjoyable is our visits with Rita and her family. Everyone is always so welcoming of us there... and good times and a few 'shananigans' are had by all! This summer, because everyone was finishing up with school, we had the chance to spend a bit more time just enjoying the "craic" as the Irish would say. One of our favourite times was the day at the lake...
It had been a while, at that point, since we last had the chance to have a swim. It was a great day, and very warm so we took full advantage of the water.

Well, having promised to do justice to our most recent exploits, I hate to leave it here, but this is just the tip of the iceberg and the rest will have to wait for another day.

Cheers,

2006-06-21T23:21:00.000-07:00

At long last, we have returned to our blog with more tales to tell. For those of you who have been faithfully checking in, today you will be rewarded! Our life here in Dublin seems to have flown by. We are mostly up to no good… and by that I refer to the copious amount of hard labour the Irish have been subjecting us to (hahaha! I am 90% kidding!). One of the many delights of working here is the excellent amount of paid holidays full time employees are entitled to – 4 weeks! Both Matt and I were deeply pleased to discover this and had saved up our time for the warmer, less wet months, to enjoy them. We enjoyed our first whole week of holidays just a while back when our friends from home came for a visit. Both Megan and Steve had been to Ireland before, so we decided a leisurely break, taking in some of our favourite places and watering holes, would be a nice way to catch up and enjoy the local craic. Of course no journey to Dublin is complete without seeing the Guinness Storehouse, which is always a good time. They are so thoughtful there that they reward you with a nice cool drink when you reach them end of the tour:

One of the neatest places I thought we visited was Howth. It is a little town just outside of Dublin that sits on a peninsula on Dublin Bay. You can enjoy the harbour, the green rolling hills, and the beautiful beaches. It was a great day away from the city and we left with a few interesting encounters under our belts (not Guinness related, funnily enough!!)

Later on that week, Matt and I decided to brave the Irish roads and rent a car for a road trip up to the north most coast of Ireland… to the area surrounding the Giant’s Causeway. The scenery there was breath taking and we couldn’t have has better weather. We stayed at a hostel that looked out to the ocean, only a few minutes walk to the coast. There were many adventures to be had here and I think the pictures will give you a much better glimpse into some of the magic we discovered:

One of our favourite places was the area immediately surrounding the Giant's Causeway. There was a lot of opportunity to climb high and take in stunning views where you could see for miles.

It was a special day. But the adventures did not end here. Not too long after this, I faced one of my biggest fears and, with Matt, crossed the terrifying (for me, exhilarating for Matt) swinging rope bridrge that connects the main land to one of the little islands of the coast.

We also had the opportunity to taste some of Ireland's oldest and finest Whiskey, Bushmills. Matt particularly emjoyed this venture and was even selected to be one of the lucky taste testers at the end of our tour. He was most pleased:

One of the last places we visited was the sight of the ruined Dunluce Castle. It sit right on the cliffs and has fantastic views out to sea.

Our tale will end here, with this last glimpse of the Causeway coast. This place is a treasure of Ireland that we will definitely miss. It was a gorgeous few days! Can't wait to explore some more!

~ e.

2006-06-21T11:19:00.000-07:00

Solstice greetings!
Well, today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. In Ireland we've been having some great weather of late. It's been very warm and there has been rain mostly at night. It's actually been quite like the summer I would expect at home. Today, all over the world people of Earth-based faiths will be gathering to celebrate the turning of the seasons and the return of the life force to the Earth itself. At Stonehenge, this morning, Druids gathered to welcome the light of summer back to the stones after it's long absence. For so many, this day represents the awakening of deity. It is a time of great celebration. There are as many traditions for festivities on this day as there are belief systems that celebrate it, but I think the most astounding display of grandeur and power, is the one that is shown forth by the earth itself. We've had the advantage here of the early Irish summer... The trees have been in full leaf and bloom here for quite some time. At home, I'm told things are quite mild as well, in terms of weather, so I'm sure the forests and fields of Canada will be in their usual glory by now. Wherever you are today, take a moment to realize that the turning of the seasons, although largely overlooked in our increasingly hurried modern world, are still a major governing element in our lives. In this, as in so many other things though we may not realize it, we stand connected, avatars all.

2006-05-15T20:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Daze!
feeding my habit of posting our adventures long after they have actually transpired, here are some memories of our time in Amsterdam...

I may not ever be forgiven for posting this picture, but it's perfect to represent our time in the Netherlands. We had a great trip, just a short time away from Ireland, to relax and see some of the places we visited during our first travels. It was great to be able to just get away to a place where we had already spent some time. We didn't have to figure out how to get around or try to wrap our heads around the public transport system. We didn't have as much time as we have on other trips so we wanted to spend our days enjoying the city. When this picture was taken, we were on a night time dinner cruise along some of Amsterdam's famous canals. These are some photos from the open air flower markets in Amsterdam. I can only say that they just don't do it justice. There are countless species of tropical plants. Tulips are of course prominent, but they don't steal the entire show. Days could easily be spent exploring everything the markets have to offer. We wandered through, feeling distinctly dull in colour next to the rainbow of foliage on display. I almost bought a Bonsai tree. I've never seen such gorgeous trees being sold for so little. Some of the most incredible trees were being sold for less than the price of a cd. I wanted to buy one and bring it back with us, but we were assured that we wouldn't be able to get it across the Canadian border when we return home. So we had to content ourselves with photos. Here's another image that captures our time quite well. I'm relaxing along a canal just a short walk from where we stayed. The boat is along the same lines as the one that took us on our moonlit tour, and the truck in the background represents Holland's best known export. This picture puts me in mind of the walks we took, not really looking for anything, but finding a lot.

Cheers, M

2006-04-03T12:09:00.000-07:00

Xavier Rudd Concert...
One of the first posts in this collection is my telling of our experiences at the Hillside Music Festival in Guelph Ontario, just before we left to go traveling. I think that was one of the most eye opening experiences I've had in a long time, in terms of the music I have been exposed to and enjoyed. I think we're having to make more and more of a conscious effort to find new and unique musicians of late. It seems the same songs are being pushed everywhere, and the new songs that do come along seem to be just echoes of those that have come before. The artists at Hillside, were not quite so well known as some that might have graced the bill of more mainstream festivals. Each was a master, a true bard. It was amazing to be a part of something so outside of the everyday.
One of the Musicians we particularly enjoyed was Xavier Rudd, of Australia. Combining the traditional music of the Australian Aborigines, with such an array of percussion as to be the stuff of legend, his music told stories through rhythm.
We got the chance to see him play again here in Dublin last night. The venue was certainly not the comfortable and companionable fields of Hillside, but the music could only benefit from the resonance of the confined space. The walls reverberated with the vibrations of the Didgeridoo and the drums. The crowd were genial enough, all things considered, but there were too many people in such a small venue for the experience to be entirely comfortable. Still, it was great to go and experience something so powerful. A welcome step aside from the everyday.
If anyone at home is interested, Xavier is playing in Toronto on May 15th at the Phoenix, and in Guelph on May 18th at the university. It's a great show, well worth checking out.
Cheers,
M

2006-03-19T14:48:00.000-08:00

Making a break for freedom from Irish slavery, we recently fled to Paris for a few days of exploration and indulgence. It's been easy to forget, since we've fallen back into the routine of work, that we originally came over here to travel and see some of Europe. To remind ourselves, it seemed a good idea to take a bit of a trip to one of the world's most visited cities.

Arriving at the most ungodly hour of 1:00 am, we got a late night tour of Paris, as our cab driver wound his way through the streets of Montmartre. En route to our hotel, we passed cafes and parks, but we didn't get our first sight of the city's monuments until the next day. We were glad to arrive, at last at our hotel. The flight wasn't that long, but having both worked full days, we were keen to be fresh for our first day.

Here's our hotel, Hotel Beausejour Montmartre. I found it by accident online, and we really didn't have any idea of what we were going to find when we turned up. In the end, we couldn't have been more lucky, as the room was clean and comfortable and the hotel itself was very well run. We also found ourselves quite close to a convenient metro station, so we had the city spread out before us. The first day, having conquered the metro, we thought we would take in some of the Paris monuments. First item on the list had to be the Eiffel Tower. The most famous view in Paris completely lived up to it's name. We were very impressed. Looking out over Paris is like no other city view I've seen. Paris being a planned city, it's streets are less random than most other metropolitan layouts. Everything seems to flow from the city centre on either side of the Seine.

This is a great photo to demonstrate how HUGE the tower is. It's hard to see it, but that's Liz standing in the center of the photo. Behind her is one of the four supporting legs of La Tour Eiffel. I think I must have been expecting something on a slightly smaller scale, because I was a bit shocked by how large it was when we first saw Paris' most famous landmark. Here we are on the top viewing platform. It's difficult to see but the streets of Paris are winding their way far below us. This picture was taken using the age old technique of holding the camera at arms length and hoping for the best...

Having walked up from the Louvre, past many museums and art galleries, one arrives at the Arc De Triomphe, perhaps the most visually stunning testament to the lengths people are willing to go to in order to compensate for their short stature. Commissioned by Napoleon in 1806, the Arch is incredible, even from the ground. It's possible(if not free) to climb up to the top of the monument and look out over the city. The square commands quite a view, standing in the very centre of the Place d'Etoile(Star place) No less than twelve of Paris' main streets radiate from this point. The traffic around the arch itself is unbelievable. We spent about ten minutes trying to decide where the safest place to cross the street was, before realizing that the only way to get to it was by an underground tunnel...

Displaying even more skilled stonework than that of the Arc De Triomphe, is the Notre Dame Cathedral. Best known for it's Gargoyles, The cathedral is simply covered by sculpture and sports some of the most coveted stained glass in Europe. The village scene above was one of our favorite pieces. On such a grand and illustrious building, it illustrates the simpler and more earth bound life led by most of it's visitors. It sits atop of one of the main front doors at the front of the Cathedral itself.
Here are some more of the images that captured us(and were duly captured) while we were at the home of the hunchback. I especially enjoyed the Green men in the stained glass windows.

We did so much while we were in Paris, it's hard to believe we were only there for four days. I think the thing we'll remember most will be the excellent food, and the little quests we had to organize in order to find it. Paris can be a maze at night while looking for a good vegetarian restaurant. But we were always rewarded. There is a great deal we would have liked to do that there simply wasn't time for, but in the end that just makes for a good reason to go back.

cheers, M

2006-02-05T21:04:00.000-08:00

At the risk of seeming behind the times...
Here are some photos of what we got up to over New years. We were in Belgium, visiting Some of Liz's family. It was great to be able to spend the time with people we knew, in a place where they believe that in winter, there should be snow(still only one snowfall in Ireland this year!). Belgium was one of the many places that we visited last time we were "on our travels" and staying with Rita and Gert, taking a week off from trekking from hostel to hostel, was definitely one of the highlights. So, understandable, we were thrilled to go and spend some of our holidays with them this year.

This is such a great picture of Rita and Gert. It's easy to see their warmth. This was on New Year's eve, during our celebrations. They both look so happy in this photo. We were all having a great time that night.

Some more pictures from new year's eve. Everyone's opening presents, and sharing some great food. I wish I had taken more pictures of the room as a whole. The house is amazing, very unique and inviting. The living room, where these photos were taken, and where we spent a good deal of our time, stands out in my memory.

Our new years feast. This was taken from where I was sitting. The kids look thrilled that I was taking their picture...

A truly amazing picture of yours truly, charming to the last. That slightly crazed smile could be caused either by the nine excellent Belgian beers I'm holding (a gift from our hosts) or by the other beers, which I had already had...

Cats seem to find us wherever we go, and Belgium was no exception. This is Pasha who, I think, lives nextdoor to Rita. Once inside, he decided to stay for almost the whole time we were there.

Well folks, that's a taste of our time in Belgium. There's so much that can't be expressed by these few images. We had a great time. Travel really does present some amazing opportunities, especially when the places you're traveling to are home to people you know.

Cheers,

2005-12-27T18:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Time - Matt and Liz Style!!!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Just thought we would share a bit of ours with you, since we couldn't be at home this year.

'Twas the night before Christmas... and guess who made the best cinnamon buns that Ireland has ever seen? Well... they turned out just as my Mom makes them, so I was pretty happy!

I guess we were good this year!!!

(the larger Christmas tree in the

background was out up by our

housemates... but if you look closely,

you'll see our little leafy, Christmas ribboned tree!)

Matt eyes the big box first!

Santa must have thought Matt and I both needed warm cozy blankets !

Our day was full of much merriment, feasting, and relaxation!!! And it's not over yet! Be sure to check back for pictures of more fun and celebration!

Hope you're enojying all the feastive season brings!!!

Cheers!
Matt and Liz

2005-12-21T22:19:00.000-08:00

Happy Alban arthan one and all!

Today is the winter solstice. For those of an earth-based faith, there are few days more sacred and poignant than today. Tonight all over the world people will be coming together to celebrate the returning of life and light to the earth. Tonight is a night of magik and myth. Here in Europe, it's on such nights as these that one can see how much of the old belief can still be found. Granted, North Dublin isn't the best place to look for a Solstice festival, but the surrounding hills will see some bonfires tonight. Alban Arthan is actually Welsh. It means Light of Winter. Tonight is the longest night of the year. After tonight our days will get longer and our nights shorter. As our days begin to lengthen and hopefully to warm up, so will the wonders of the natural world resurface in every growing thing. The green will come back and replenish what has been left after the winter. It's in these things that I recognize the divine. In the patterns and cycles of life and living, we touch if not recognize the intent of deity.
Today is important to me for more reasons than just the falling of the Solstice. It was on this the 21st of December, seventeen years ago that my sister, Victoria was born. I always joked with her(much to her dislike) that she had been born on the shortest day of the year, and I've yet to sit down with her and tell her all about the significance of this day, about how unique it is when measured against many others on the calendar. Vita, however you're celebrating today, make it memorable. The 21st will come around every year, but there will never be another quite like this. When I celebrate the solstice, I'll think of you.
Today also marks a memory of grief for one of my closest friends. It's enough to say that this was a day of great loss in years past. I won't say who I'm sending this out to, they know. I hope as well that they know that my thoughts are never far from them on the solstice, as I know theirs turn to memories.
Tonight, the skys over Dublin are clouded. The moon, if it could be seen, would be just past full. Earlier today, the sun touched the interior chamber of Newgrange at sunrise, for the one day out of all the year that it does so. Today is the first of a new cycle of life and of living.
Joyful solstice everyone,
M

2005-12-19T23:30:00.000-08:00

As promised, Christmas party photos...
Here's some photographic evidence of our Christmas antics of a couple weeks ago...

Ok, so the beautiful woman on the left(my right) should need no introduction. There's lucky me in the middle. And on the right(my left) is Fiona, my fellow full-timer at the OAS.

Here's table one. For the most oart everyone here works at the Scout Shop(a different Outdoor Adventure Store from the one I work at). Our not-too-distant allies. The evening was just getting started when this was taken. I think the first round of drinks had just been polished off.

Here's the middle table(I'm in the middle again). Liz and I are on the right, Saidhbh(pronounced Sive) is next to us. On her right, in the blue sweater is Sean. Gav is on his right, but you can't see him as he's hiding behind Andy, and Paul is the guy on the Left

And the final table, the Management table. Sounds ominous doesn't it? Ironically, this was the table where some of the most crazy parts of the night took place. The gentleman on the middle left is Dermot, the general Manager of the OAS. And it's to him that we tip our hats in thanks for providing for all of us that evening.

Here's Fiona, showing off her Cinderella style Christmas shoes. The picture is a bit small, so it'll be hard to see, but they're actually made of glass.

So that's our Christmas Party in a nutshell. Good times had by all, great times had by most, bleary mornings had by some the next day.

Cheers,

2005-12-12T21:50:00.000-08:00

Hey-it's my turn!

Well, I figure it's about time I made a post of my own so that people don't start to think that it's just Matt and his imaginary friend 'Elizabeth' over here in Dublin.

We have definately settled into our new home here in Ireland... and I'm finding that time flies when you work 5 out of 7 days of the week. I am enjoying my new job looking after a little health food store called, Nourish. It is one of 5 little shops here in Dublin, Irish and independently owned. It was a relief to find work doing something I love. It is proving to remind me, however, that I have loads to learn. I leave work at the end of the day thinking I could go home and spend the rest of the evening looking up obscure herbal remedies and nutritional deficencies. Luckily for me - as I can sometimes loose sight of the difference between work and pleasure, I am often too exhusted to come home to such persuits. It is going well, though, and I am hoping that by the time I head back home to Canada (the real home) that I'll be that much better from this opportunity.

Christmas is a buzz here, as Matt mentioned. I have the weekends off and often wander into the city centre to have a look around. It is absoltely packed everywhere you go. I have learned not to enter a store without having a very specific mission. It is crazy! I have decided to stay at home and enjoy my solitude! We also got a small taste of snow a week or so ago. I was surprised because Ireland does not have a history of white winters. I decided I would capture the moment (and it really was a moment- the snow was gone by noon) so I had proof that it actually did happen. An interesting note: I have noticed that apparently the Irish have not been exposed to the brilliant invention of the ice scraper. It is quite a funny sight to see our neighbours run out to their cars in their pyjamas in the morning with a pot full of warm water to pour over the ice on their windshield. Amazing! I wanted to take a picture of this bizarre phenomenon, but thought my new neighbours might not appreciate it. (bad manners!)

We both enjoyed our work Christmas parties the first weekend of December (I actually enjoyed both believe it or not!) . I was thrilled to have the opportunity to 'dress up' for the first time in a while and decided to splurge on some frivolous party-wear. We have plans to go see a fabulous production of the Nutcracker next weekend. The Russian State Ballet Company is putting it on. I am so excited! I haven't seen the Nutcraker since I was little!

Another bit of exciting news is about a new friend I've made. I met him a few weeks ago when I saw him bathing under the light of our front door. I'm talking about my little furry ginger coloured cat friend! I, of course, am a big cat lover, and it gave me great pleasure to know that I might have a little visitor every now and then to keep me company. He is so cute and reminds me very much of my cat, Calli, at home.

Here are some pictures I've been saving for a while for this update:

You wouldn't believe me unless I had this picture. We actually found Tim Horton's doughnuts here in Dublin. Now there is hard evidence of my naughty rendez-vous with sugary-doughy goodness. But how often do you find Tim Horton's on this side of the pond? I felt that I was doing my duty as a true Canadian!

This is our little organic Halloween punk-man. He was the coolest Jack-o-lantern in the neighbourhood! We were so excited to have kids come to our door for the first time! (for those who don't know, we never had any trick-or-treaters out in the boonies at home!)

My first sight of our first snow!

Our street. Note the white stuff!

You can't really see it, but there is a tiny bit of snow here. This is the main street leading into our subdivision.

Same street. This is where I almost fell and broke my neck... they obviosly haven't heard of salting the streets here!

This is our lovely little kitchen... where the Christmas baking extravaganza has been and is going to continue to take place. It has everything we need.

Our backyard! It's nicely wooded for a small space. Looking forward to when it's warm enough to garden and have a picnic!

The view from the kitchen into the backyard.

Our little friend! SO CUTE!!!

Me and Marmalade (that is what we've decided to name him). Don't tell Calli, though!!!

Think that's all for now. Check back soon for more Christmas updates!

Till next time,
Liz

2005-12-10T16:12:00.000-08:00

How to use the comments section...
A while ago, I posted a little aside at the end of one of our updates. I was letting everyone know that we had set up the comments section of the Blog so that anyone and everyone could comment on what we're doing or what's going on in this corner of the world. Now that we have a more readily accessible gateway to the internet, we tend to check our e-mail more often and we try to write more often to everyone. It's always great to hear what's going on at home, or in other parts of the globe (all you in London, I'm talking to you!). I know how hard it can be to keep up with e-mail, so this is the perfect way to keep in touch. At the end of one of our updates, there's a link saying "leave a comment" believe it or not, this will allow you to (that's right!) leave a comment. I'd love to hear about what things everyone would like to see put up on the blog. Even better would be news of what's going on with everyone else. (you already know what we're up to) You could even slag us over our bad grammar. Really, the comments section is there so everyone reading what we've put up can drop us a line. So people, consider this your official invite!
Cheers,
m

2005-12-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

December dawns on Dublin...
Well, it's much easier to keep up with blog updates when you can do it from your very own room, instead of having to head into the city and find an internet cafe. Having just received our new computer, we're finding all kinds of things to do that would normally have been a bit of a hassle otherwise. So, Mom and Dad, many many thanks. I now have no excuse for not keeping up with the tales of our daily adventures.
December is a wet month here in Ireland. At home I would expect there to be snow and ice by now. But here we've had only rain and one little half hearted snow, that was gone by noon. From what I gather, there rarely is anything more than that in the way of snow, and most people I talk to haven't heard of freezing rain. We're expecting a fairly mild winter by our standards, despite the fact that the Irish are saying it's to be the coldest in years.
The signs of Christmas are becoming more prominent, now that the month is actually upon us. Both Elizabeth and myself have already celebrated our work Christmas parties(Liz actually got two, as she crashed mine when hers was over!). Also, all over Dublin, the streets are being hung with lights and the storefronts are taking on a distinctly festive feel. Just today, someone was telling me that until recently(as in the past ten years or so) the practice of decorating the outside of houses was quite uncommon at Christmas. There were of course Christmas trees inside, but the outsides of the houses remained as they did all year. If this is the case, then the trend has caught on. Almost all the houses in our neighborhood have some kind of lights up. There are even a few who have taken the whole thing just a bit too seriously and have gone completely overboard. I'll get some pictures up soon.
As for us, our plans for Christmas are fairly simple. We hope to produce mountains of Christmas baking, so anyone with recipes of note, please send them our way. And on Christmas day, we'll probably indulge in some long awaited relaxation. The lead up to Christmas (in retail) is just as crazed here as it is at home, so we're looking forward to putting our feet up.
I think that's all for now. I'll try to get some festive photos up soon(Christmas lights and party antics)
Be good!
m

2005-11-21T13:17:00.000-08:00

My walk to work...
Even though it's not quite as cold here in Dublin as it might be at home, the onset of frost and wintry winds has been enough to make me abandon my morning walk to work in favor of the warmer, if more expensive bus. Nevertheless, I thought I would post some pictures from my daily travels. We've been lucky enough to find a place to live that's outside of the general chaos of the city centre, and the walk into town, though a bit long, passes through some of the North side's more photo-friendly neighborhoods. There's a great debate here in Dublin as to which Side of the River Liffy better depicts the "true" Dublin and there's a fierce rivalry between the two. Traditionally the North side is seen as being rather less picturesque than the South side. I think each has it's merits and it's downfalls. To each their own. Here are some photos from the parts of the north side that I tend to frequent.
The first is of course the entrance to our subdivision, Woodlawn. Generally it's still dark when I'm passing this. My last post, which had several pictures of our place, both inside and out, gives a good idea of the kinds of houses that make up the neighborhood. I know It looks like a grave stone. On Halloween it would have made a great display, but no one took it upon themselves to decorate it.

I love this picture! This sign is so funny, mostly because it's so pointless. It's situated on an off ramp from the M1(a major Highway not too far from our house). Obviously it's to stop people from using the ramp to get onto the highway, but it really looks like it's warning people off of wherever they're going. I get a great kick out of it on my way to work.

The next landmark is the Omni Shopping Centre. This is where Liz has her store. When I took this picture the centre was under some construction. I think they were expanding it and adding an underground parking lot. The addition is up and running now, but I haven't had time to check it out.

I pass this deli just after Omni on my way into the city centre. It was just being finished when we moved in. By rights I should just go in and demand free food, but I haven't even tried it as yet. Perhaps I could play the hungry Canadian card... I wonder if it works as well with sandwiches as with chocolate.

Now we're getting to the good parts. This neighborhood is all long streets with old brick houses. Old trees line the sidewalks and Stone walls border the parks. Not bad. It actually reminds me quite a bit of Royal Avon Cres. In Etobicoke. There are a couple of private academies and several little shops along this stretch as well.

A few more steps brings me to the City Centre. The first picture is one of Dublin's many original stone churches. The second is the millennium Spike. It stands in the centre of the O'Connell St./Henry St. Intersection. Many people are of the opinion that an observation tower would have been a better way to mark the beginning of a new millennium, as well as being able to pay for itself. There are several less savory names for this monument, but in the interest of good manners, I shall not include them.

And Finally, here is the River Liffy, shown from O'Connell St. Bridge. The North side is on the right. The river actually makes for a better picture at night, when all the bridges are lit up. Well, that's my work run. I'll probably get back to it when the weather permits or the bus gets too expensive. For my part I enjoy the north side as much as the South, but I guess living there would make one biased.

Cheers, Matt

2005-11-04T15:15:00.000-08:00

In Dublin's Fair City...
Looking back on all that has happened since last I updated this chronicle of our adventures, I find that there are so many things I could write about, each of which, alone would be enough to fill many pages. After we were at the Guinness brewery, we went on a similar bus tour to the one we took in Scotland. It was in fact organized by the same company. We were not disappointed, Ireland is "grand", especially with a few pints of the black stuff to help inspire. We met some incredible people and saw a great deal of the country which is to be home for the next year or so. As always, we took lots of photos, but they will have to wait until we get home. There are so many stories and pictures, that if I tried to include everything(as I would like to do) I could make a full time job of creating and updating. There will therefore be some tales which will simply have to wait until we return to be told in full.
Elizabeth and I are now Living in Dublin. After a brief spell where we thought we might live in Killarney, we decided to make Ireland's Capital City our home after all. All in all we've had fairly good luck(knock on wood). Liz found a great Job just after we came back to the city, and I found one just a few days later. Liz is Managing a small health food store just a short walk from our house, and I am working in an outdoor gear store right in the heart of the city centre. It's been just over two weeks now since we started working full time and sometimes I can't understand where the time has gone. Looking back it seems like just a few days ago when I was handing out resumes and we were looking into places to rent for the year. Finding our place was another stroke of good fortune. We had thought that we would have to search and inspect and compare for some time before we found someplace that we could live in for the next year. However, on our first day out looking we found this place just a short walk from where Elizabeth is working.

It was a great find. The kitchen is fitted with all new appliances and is spacious and clean. Our bedroom is bright and has two large windows overlooking the backyard. It's still a bit white, but we're working on getting a bit of colour into it. It's so great to have a place of our own. No more hostel beds. No more grotty showers. We share the house with a family of three. They're very friendly and always have a smile to offer. We were concerned about sharing a place with people we had never met, but it's been great. In fact, the only downside to our new place is that, as I work in the city centre, I have a bit of a commute. It takes about an hour and fifteen minutes to walk from our house to the store where I work. There's also a bus, so on the unpleasant days, I can take that. Fortunately, the area I walk through is a nice one, lined with old houses and giant trees. I'm not complaining. Here are some pictures of our place from the inside. They really don't do it justice. Looking at them now, I would think it was small. These pictures are of our room, which is the only part of the house which is strictly ours. We share the kitchen and the living and dining rooms. This arrangement has worked well so far, as we seem to have different schedules from our housemates, so we're never waiting for the kitchen, or holding up someone else's dinner plans. There is also a small backyard with a couple of trees. It's neat and very well kept, but as winter is beginning to take it's toll on the trees all over the city, it's not showing at it's best right now. We'll have some pictures of it up in the spring.

So guys, this is where we've been hiding out. If anyone wants to drop us a line by snail mail, I can e-mail the address out. Just let me know. It's always great to get mail that's actually hopped the Atlantic!

Cheers, M

2005-10-17T15:35:00.000-07:00

Floating in a giant pint!
For any who haven't been, the Guinness Storehouse is a must see while in Dublin. It's a giant pint(literally) wherein you can gain such valuable knowledge as the secrets of making Guinness, the vast and varied history of Dublin's finest stout and how to pour the perfect pint(there are seven steps!). We very much enjoyed our time there. In fact we had such a good time that we thought it a wise idea to sneak back in the next day and have another go at it. Always fun. Everyone gets a free pint with their tour, but not many I think can claim to have had a free tour!
Here are some photos of our exploits while we were there...

Here's Liz under the barrel arch. Guinness actually made all of it's own casks for storage and shipping until recently.

Our free pints, complete with shamrock.

A free pint and the best view in the city, well worth the climb!

I enjoy this picture. It's very much an accurate reflection of our mood that day. We had just come to Dublin, we were fresh from the tour. Good times.

One of the many classic images from the Guinness Archives.

Elizabeth, just outside the St. James Gate Brewery.

We obviously enjoyed ourselves. Actually, when we returned to Dublin in the hopes of finding jobs(not all pints are free) we looked into working at the Storehouse. But that's another story entirely.

Cheers!

2005-10-17T15:20:00.000-07:00

We all live in a yellow Haggis bus!
Ok, It's been a while. I've had a few e-mails form people wondering what's going on and why I haven't updated the blog in so long. It's not that there haven't been adventures to recount and great deeds to celebrate, but rather that I've been having a bit of trouble with getting the pictures onto the net. The thing is, I left the charger and spare battery for the camera at one of the hostels we've recently stayed at. This is a problem because we have only one battery left and we cannot recharge it until we get the charger back. As I didn't want us to be left with no camera, and as uploading eats up battery life, I have been forced to put the blog on hold, not wanting to publish it without all the pics. Thusly I have gotten way behind on keeping up with the actual events. Well no longer! This may not be quite as complete as I should like, as there should really be more pictures of the mad-off and of Carbisdale castle, but here it is nonetheless.
Where to start? Since Edinburgh, so much has happened. I've tried Haggis, worn a kilt, tasted my first single malt(and many thereafter) and been part of the one and only mad-off. All this and so much more. To sum it up in a nutshell, the highlands were even better than we had been led to believe. This is saying something, as certain people (who for the sake of good manners shall remain nameless) made quite sure that we were well versed in the many glorys of Scotland.
We had originally planned to head up to the Orkney Islands, having heard quite a bit about their great stone circles and other ancient sites. This proved difficult however, due to the waning year and the increasing difficulty of the ferry crossing. Instead, we signed up for a six day "Haggis" tour. Having never taken a guided tour before, and being very much of the mind that independent travel should be exactly that, independent, we weren't exactly sure what we would be in for. It soon turned out however that we were among like minded fellow travelers and under the discerning eye of a great guide.
On our first day, having left Edinburgh at the ungodly hour of Eight in the morning(!) we headed straight for the William Wallace monument, Ewan our guide dispelling the Hollywood version of Scotland's national hero as we went. Being a great fan of Braveheart myself, seeing the real thing was interesting. I would have liked to go into the monument and see Wallace's claymore, but Ewan insisted that we were onto bigger and better things. That night, in Oban we took to the paths just as the sun was headed for the Atlantic. There's a little ruined castle just outside of the town, and I can't imagine a better time to have seen it than at sunset.

The next day we took the scenic rout from Oban to the Isle of Skye, stopping along the way for a "wee walk" up the side of a mountain to a secluded waterfall and then on to Eilean Donan castle (which is apparently the sexiest castle on earth, but definitely does not have porridge taps!) The castle was great. It was our first that we could really get into and explore. Finally the evening found us at Saucy Mary's inn on the Isle of Skye. The Inn itself consisted of a great hostel and an amazing pub. Now, I sing this pub's praises not for it's extensive list of local and imported beers(I had never had heather beer before Saucy's) nor for it's fresh pub fare. No, the true value of the pub at Saucy's is the mad locals. All manner of really unusual, and often straight up mad folk wander in from the street here. I personally had the pleasure of meeting Collin (aka Hamish) on our first of two nights on Skye. He played as my partner in a game of pool that we lost miserably, and bought me my first Scottish single malt as commiseration. Collin defies description. The best anyone can do is to say that he's the monarch of the mad. Not a bad pool player though.
The next day was our trip through and around the Isle of Skye. We learned the secret of eternal youth, courted faeries in their realm and took in some breathtaking scenery. I know I keep saying this, but I've never seen anything like Skye. Our photos, though beautiful, hardly do it justice, especially as I haven't been able to include them here.
That night, inspired by Collin, we the members of the haggis six day tour, held the very first "Mad off" in Saucy Mary's Pub. The idea being to see just how wild and crazy we could all be in comparison to the locals. We all dressed up for the occasion. I was a Viking that night, complete with war paint and battle axe. Liz was cat, a tribute to Cali. There were men dressed as women, kilts made of bath towels and other things too strange and mad to name. It was a great night, but Collin who was to be our guest of honour , never showed.

Can you pick out Liz and I? We're off to the Left.

Back on the mainland, after the mad off, we meandered from Skye over to Carbisdale Castle. We took in quite a bit that day, but for me the castle was definitely the highlight. It was our hostel for the night, having been gifted several years ago to the Scottish YHA. It's only open during the summer months, as it would be too expensive to maintain and keep open during the winter. Carbisdale, having been a residence, and not a fortress of war, was quite different from many of the castles we had seen so far. It was riddled with little passageways and secluded rooms. Ewan told us ghost stories about the castle as we were driving up to the gate. Most of them were obviously not to be believed, but a few were confirmed later that night. While most of the bus went down to the pub after dinner that night(my first Haggis) Liz and I stayed behind to explore. We were joined by Stella and Sebastian who were also keen to see more of the castle. However, there was only so much exploring we could do without keys. Eventually, having seen most of the building and some of the grounds, everyone headed for bed. On my back to my room however, I met the night porter, Simon, who kindly offered to show me the parts of Carbisdale that would normally be unreachable to guests. I won't try to spin tales about what we both discovered that night, but rather I'll say that I shall never again doubt that the castle is home to some unquiet spirits. All in all it was "the business"

At one point this bell would have connected to the nursery. It was called the spook room, because the mistress of the castle thought it too proper for the children and didn't;t want them playing there. It is supposed to be the most haunted room in the castle.

At this point, I become a bit hazy on the details, as it's been a while and we've done a similar tour of Ireland since. I know we went to the highland clansmen center(excellent, and educational) where I wore a traditional kilt. I know we visited some celtic burial sites(at least that's the best guess as to what they are) and I know I went swimming in Loch Ness(bloody cold!) I think there was a distillery in there somewhere as well, mmmmmm.

Here's one of the "Burial Sites" we visited. This one is approximately four thousand years old.

I think that just about covers our Haggis tour of Scotland. I'll try to get some more pictures up when we retrieve the camera equipment.
Cheers!

M
Incidentally, we've changed the settings on the comments section of the Blog. Now anyone can leave a comment, so please feel free. We always enjoy hearing from everyone at home.

2005-09-09T17:31:00.000-07:00

Edin-bra & Glas-go

At long last I am making my debut on our blog. It's about time - we've only been over here for more than a month! We have enjoyed a good week seeing Scotland's biggest cities: Edinburgh and Glasgow (although no one pronounces them the way you think they should - gotta love the Scots!). We spent the most time in Edinburgh - our first stop. We landed a pretty awesome hostel right near Edinburgh Castle. Although the location was great, the hostel itself really made a difference in our stay. It was coulourful, the staff were fantastic, the facilities were excellent (they had a dishwasher -sweet deal!) and we saw our first Friends episode since we've left home - what more could you ask for?

The first, amongst many highlights of this city, was the our pursuit for the sinful deep fried mars bar. I'll start by expressing my most heartfelt apologies to my 'nutritionally aware' friends. This, of course, is the ultimate evil deed. However, we had come into the knowledge of this true Edinburgh delicacy, and realized it would be 'just wrong' to leave the city without trying it. Well, while we discovered that this special treat does indeed exist, no fish and chip joint (the only place you can get it) actually advertises that they make them - meaning that deep fried mars bar is not listed anywhere on menus of what kind of food they provide. Apparently they are only made upon request. Some places don't even provide the mars bar. They tell you that if you go and get a regular mars bar from the convenience store across the street, they'll deep fry it for you. This seemed a bit 'dodgy' to us. It was like this phenomenon was an unsaid sin, and that one must approach a fish a chip place covertly and whisper to the guy behind the counter that you were looking for..... a deep fried mars bar (oh god!). To make an already long story short, we ended up finding a place just around the corner from our hostel that would make us our very first deep fried mars bar. I will only say this - it was very, very, very good.... and yet so, so bad. The experience was like entering a new land of sugary, chocolatey, gooey goodness. I feared, for Matt's sake, that no chocolate bar would be the same. I actually captured the shameful moment by taking a multitude of pictures - of Matt. That's right - there is no photo evidence that I ever partook in the event. So I will leave it up to you to decide whether or not I sold my wholesome organic soul to the evil deep fried mars bar gods!

Just up the street from the fish and chip place (the true Edinburgh highlight) is the Edinburgh Castle.... I will pass the keyboard over to Matt, as this is his lot. (shuffling of chairs) Ah yes the Castle. Easily as impressive as the Tower of London, and certainly more expansive. We once again availed ourselves of a friendly guide who took us through not only the castle proper but also several hundred years of history. I was particularly looking forward to seeing the Stone of Destiny, as it has such a colourful history, both ancient and contemporary. I can just see the Scottish students breaking into Westminster Abbey on Christmas day and stealing it back in the name of their country. We did get to look upon the stone eventually. It shared a glass case in the heart of one of the castle fortifications with the Scottish Crown Jewels. I have to say, I was a bit disappointed. The Stone of Destiny, was far less dramatic than it's flashy name implies. Ah well, the castle was excellent all the same. After we had had our time to explore and marvel, we wandered into the "Great Hall" to discover that there were two actual minstrels (medieval musicians) who were putting on a short performance of renaissance dance music. There were many different period instruments played, including a beautiful harp. It was probably the most interesting part of our time at the Castle. That same night we once again gazed upon this historic landmark, as three tones of explosives were launched from it's ramparts... but I'll leave that for Liz.

That evening we, along with hundreds of other people, assembled on Princes Street (the main street in Edinburgh). We had a front row square of pavement from which to watch a fantastic firework display. This firework display was brough to us by the Royal Bank of Scotland and marked the end of the Edinburgh Festival. It was really cool because it was accompanied by an orchestral overture. The Edinburgh City Orchestra provided a beautiful soundtrack to the fireworks from the park below the looming castle. As Matt said, the fireworks exploded in the sky above the castle. The whole thing took about 45 minutes. It was nothing short of amazing. I have never seen fireworks like that in my life, including New Year's Eve on the turn of the millennium. We look lots of pictures, but none of them do the display justice. We have included a few anyway:

We also spent 2 days in Glasgow. With the help of a very friendly member of staff from the hostel we stayed at in Edinburgh (he grew up in Glasgow) we left for Glasgow armed with a list of happening places to check out. The hostel we stayed at in Glasgow was not a recommendation of his. It was a 10 storey, very institutional building without any real hostel heart. I'll say two things about it: it was the exact opposite of the cool hostel in Edinburgh and the kitchen (a kitchen that was suppose to self-cater to 10 stories of people) had NO FORKS!! How can a kitchen be a kitchen without forks, I ask?!! Besides the hostel, we found the city very pleasant. It was much less touristy than Edinburgh and had probably the biggest collection of posh, designer shops in all of Scotland. Matt and I amused ourselves by going into these shops pretending to be serious shoppers, pointing out all of the lavish presents we'd buy for each other if we were disgustingly rich. We succeeded in finding one of the recommended places to visit later that night. It was a cafe called Mono. It was a really relaxed, dimly lit place that offered all kinds of organic vegan fare. Matt and I indulged in cake and ginger beer - all of which were delicious. There was a DJ there that night playing an interesting mix of reggae. We had a great time! In the day to come we took a walk and visited the city's Cathedral and a neat little Medieval herb garden. The cathedral had beautiful stained glass windows - I took a picture of my favourite, a blue one. The herb garden was quite interesting as well. It was set up by category. There were separate little gardens for different ailments: ones of the heart, ones for women's health, ones for brain function etc. Unfortunately, I don't think it had any practical purpose anymore, and so the plants were not in the healthiest state.

Today we arrived back in Edinburgh, as we leave from here tomorrow for a 6 day tour of northern Scotland. It supposedly is going to show us 'wild, remote Scotland'... sounds like a very stoic Scottish adventure! More on that later!

Cheers!
Liz

2005-09-04T19:54:00.000-07:00

10 days in the District...
I must admit, I've never been in a National Park like the Lake District. Algonquin doesn't have herds of sheep sharing the roads with all manner of motor vehicles. Killarney can't boast any four star youth hostels tucked away in it's mountain range. And nothing I've yet seen can compare with the scenery and atmosphere of this collection of mountainous hikes and valley towns. For anyone who grew up reading the Beatrix Potter books, the prevailing farmsteads and stone houses should ring a bell. It was here that Potter lived and took her inspiration. This legacy is hardly the only thing however that draws thousands of people to the Lake District every year (at the risk of sounding like a guide book!).
There are myriad little towns in the Lake District. Each has a distinct character, but being in any of them feels like stepping back through time. Everything is very much centered around the earth. The earth feeds and clothes the farmers of the District. It provides the stone which built many of the historic buildings. The pace is quite a bit slower than in other more populated, more modern parts of the British Isles. We saw quite a bit of the National park, visiting many of the major towns and a few of the more out of the way parts. Some of these places we could have spent all of our time in, they have so much to see. Others were merely stops along the way. In general, the District is one of the most amazingly beautiful places I've ever been in, but it's not for the casual tourist. We quickly learned that the weather had many moods, and that we couldn't count on any skies remaining unchanged for long. There were many days when we woke up to blue skies and sat down to dinner with pouring rain outside. We were caught on more than one mountain hike when the weather decided it had had enough of cooperation, but the only way to look at it was as part of the experience. The transit system was equally challenging. There is an excellent system of buses which go all around the National park, connecting all the towns and centers. The problem is that the bus you need is never on time and the town you're headed to next is never just one bus away. The connections we made on a fairly regular basis, to try and keep up with our schedule, simply boggled the mind at times. I was glad to have Elizabeth handling the bus tables, as they made no sense to me. We bought an all inclusive explorer ticket early on, which lasted for seven days. I think in the end we managed to stretch it to eight. Some drivers just don't look at dates, or just don't care. Lets hear it for free transit!

These Pictures were taken in Buttermere, one of our favorites of the towns we stayed in. There were some amazing hikes just around the corner from our hostel, including one around the lake we're standing in front of in this photo. The forest we walked through was ancient, and inhabited by delinquent sheep! It was a great day. This was one of those days when the weather only let us get away with so much. We returned to the hostel wet and a bit cold, but it was worth it. Half way around the lake, we climbed up the font of one of the may waterfalls. What an amazing place! Spirits walked with us that day. The landscape was like something out of an Arthurian legend. It wasn't until we had climbed down that it started to rain.

Elizabeth took these pictures of me at a plact called GO APE! It's an aerial obstacle course just outside of Hawkshead. Three hours of ropes course! I had such a good time, but the trek from our hostel to the park where it was, almost killed both of us. Nevertheless, I'd go back in a second. Where else do you get the opportunity to fly?

This is the Castlerigg Stone Circle just east of Keswick (that's Kes-ick for everyone who isn't familiar with the crazy British pronunciation). We were actually staying at the Derwentwater hostel when we walked to it, on the advice of one of their staff. I think everyone in the Lake District must climb mountains on a regular basis, because he assured us it wasn't much of a hike. Three hours and at least two peaks later we finally made it to the Circle. We had a great day for it, no rain, and no wind. The circle was gorgeous, with am entrance formed by two huge rock pillars and an outer heelstone marking the western point. We would have enjoyed it a lot more however if hadn't been so much of a tourist magnet. There were a great many people there and it was hard to imagine it as a solitary sacred meeting place. Oh well, I'll keep looking for the more remote circles...

While we're happy to have found civilization again, I suspect we'll find ourselves missing the slow pace and scenery of the Lake District in the weeks to come.

Cheers!

2005-08-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Curtains on London
Well, for anyone who's keeping up with our exploits, this will be the last day that Elizabeth and I spend in London. Tomorrow we're off to the Lake District to experience a rather more laid back pace. We've loved our time here. I don't think we've ever seen and done so much. In fact I've experienced many times what I did on our past stays in the city, and I know we've only scratched the surface.
Last night, following up on a tip from some of our fellow hostelers, we made the hike down to the Globe Theatre. We had been told that we could get yard admission for only Â£5. Sure we had to stand for the entire length of the production, but for the Globe, it was a great deal. The theatre itself was something to see. We had been there before, but never taken in a play. The entire building is constructed as it would have been in the time of it's founder (that would be Shakespeare). That means that all the Joints are held together with wooden pegs, not nails. In fact, the entire place is made of wood, with the only metal elements being modern add-ons like fire extinguishers, and the roof is authentically thatched. It's the only building in London with such a design. Apparently it was a nightmare to get insured.
The production we saw was Pericles. Apparently this was the first time it had been staged at the globe for over twelve years. I can't imagine why as it was superb! The stage was extended especially for the production, as they needed more room. The story itself was fairly complex, it was after all, Shakespeare. All the costumes were modern, but the language remained as it was, the original Old English. What really made the play though were the acrobatics incorporated into the scenes. The actors were so talented. Each one sang, acted, tumbled and danced. If we thought we were tired after standing there for the whole time, I can only imagine what they must have been feeling. The whole thing lasted about three and a half hours. There was a short break in the middle to give us a chance to stretch our legs, and also for those who had come late to try and find better spots. Photography was absolutely forbidden, but we managed to get a few pictures near the conclusion, before we were discovered and glowered at. All in all one of our best evening endeavors in London thus far.
We're very excited about our plans for the Lake District. This will be the farthest North we've been in England yet. We're looking forward to doing some camping if the weather permits, and hiking in some real forests. I'm also hoping that the fabled lakes will still be warm enough for swimming but, at this point we may be too late for that. Most of all, I want to see Castelrigg, the stone circle in the center of the district. Unlike it's larger and more visited cousin Stonehenge, Castelrigg is an open site and visitors can go right up and touch the stones. It's been more than two years since we were at Stonehenge, and that experience while unforgettable in it's grandeur, has been our only one of the many stone circles of the British Isles. I know there are many others, scattered across the countryside at points of astrological significance or spiritual meaning. This will be our first of this adventure. Hopefully the first of many.
It's raining in London today. Appropriate for our last day I think. It's always best to leave in bad weather. That way the weather you journey into seems all the more appealing. Thus far we've had great weather. This is only the second day it's rained in over two weeks. There's nothing much left to do except plan our voyage and landing in Windemere, so the rain won't be of much consequence. I think we'll have to have a pint tonight at one of the many little pubs near to the hostel, to celebrate.
cheers,
m

2005-08-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

V&eh
This has been the week of sights. A week of Parks and Museums, Pubs and Gardens. London has been, well I guess it's been exactly what it has always been, but this time it's seemed better. I think it comes from approaching the city from a different local (Good bye Dover Castle, hello Astor Museum!) or it could be that we don't really have a set time in which to get everything done this time round. The Fact that it's summer and the weather has cooperated can't have hurt either. Whatever the reasons, our time thus far in England's capital city has been great. Any week that includes three internationally renowned museums (The British Museum, The London Museum of Natural History and the Victoria & Albert Museum) Two Parks (St. James and Hampstead Heath) the Royal Botanical Gardens, and a Canadian Pub right
in the middle of London, can I think, be said to have been well spent...
Here we both are on the grounds of St. James Park. This is the Park that the entrance to Buckingham Palace opens onto. It's fairly large, though not as much so as Hyde Park which connects with it by a footpath. There are some great climbing trees in St. James. I'm not sure whether you're actually supposed to climb them, but as the picture shows, I wasn't overly worried. Liz is standing in front of a small cottage at the east end of the park. The sign in front says "private" but the house seems to be in good order, and the gardens in front are so well tended that we thought someone must live there. I'm not sure I'd want to live in the middle of a public park, but the cottage was gorgeous.

Don't we look like explorers? These pictures were taken at the Royal Botanical Collection at Kew Gardens. What a place! 300 acres of parkland & the largest collection of plants and trees on the globe. There are over nine thousand trees within, representing over two thousand of the earth's species. There may be some more pictures of the Kew to come. It's one of the many things London has to offer that's worth another look. There are trees on those grounds that dwarf the imagination; they're so huge. Unfortunately, climbing them is absolutely forbidden. Still, this has been our favorite of the places we've visited thus far. I think we're headed back there tomorrow.

Here are some fine examples of the artefacts to be found in the China & Japan collections of the V&A Museum. I especially enjoyed the Katanas(Japanese Swords). We visited several other exibits as well. The textiles gallery and the collection of photography were especially memorable. I once read that visiting the V&A was like rummaging through England's attic. Personally, I think that hardly does it justice. Of all the museums we've visited yet, this was the most extensive in variety and the best in terms of layout and display. I can't remember the last time I was in an attic that was in such good order.
Well if a picture is worth a thousand words, then the ones above should sum up our week fairly well. There's also a great one of the two of us standing in front of a stuffed Grizzley after a pint at Maple Leafs, London's Canadian pub. In the interests of the bear however, that will have to remain unpublished...
Cheers,
M

2005-08-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Castles & Camden
Five days into our journey, and already we've done so much! The other day we went to see the Tower of London, and I wasn't dissappointed. Although it was probably the most expensive attraction we'll see while here(£22 for the both of us including our "student" discount), it was worth it. We took the guided tour, which turned out to be for the best. There's so much to see and do that if someone wasn't explaining it as we went, we would probably have missed a great deal. We saw the Crown Jewels and the Dungeons(now disgracefully a gift shop) and we learned about the legend of the ravens and Traitors Gate. I've included a photo of Liz with the Tower behind her. We took a great many pictures while we were there. The Tower is one of the best preserved medieval buildings I've ever seen and the only one i know of that's still capable of being used for it's original purpose.
Yesterday we went to visit the Camden Market. We has heard a great deal about it last time we visited Britain, but never got the chance to go. The weather was great yesterday(It's actually treated us well the whole time) so it seemed like the time. Admittedly, we may have gone with some expectations or preconceptions, but I was really expecting more. There were several markets, with interesting goods and exotic foods. Liz bought some hemp pants that were practically a steal, and I was sorely tempted by a hemp hoodie. But the thing that really put us off this London landmark, was the overpowering crowds. You simply couldn'y go anywhere without being jostles and pushed. There was no time to look at any of the stuff because someone behind you was pushing to look at it too. We had some great ethnic food for lunch and left quickly. The afternoon was redeemed when we decided to visit Hamstead Heath Park. Now this I can highly recommend. It's easy to forget that you're in the middle of a bust international city when you're surrounded by huge ancient trees and ponds. We walked through the park for a while, I climbed a tree, we watched people swimming and sat by one of the ponds before heading back for the day. Good stuff.
Our hostel has been excellent so far. Clean. Secure. Friendly, and central. Considering we hadn't ever stayed there before, I think we lucked out. There's a picture of the front of the hostel here. Just above the door, there's Liz standing on our balcony(that's right , we have a balcony!) and behind me, not twenty feet away is the British Museum. We havn't managed to get in there yet.
I think we're off to Canada House in Trafalgar Sq. today, and then on to St. james and Hyde parks. I've never seen Hyde Park before, and I hear Kensington Gardens are worth a visit.
Cheers,
M

2005-08-05T13:02:00.000-07:00

London Calling...
Greetings from The Isle! Today is our first day here in England's largest city, and already it's all coming back. We arrived yesterday at around 7:00am London time. Our flight was smooth, in fact everything came off easily and without incident. Considering the way air travel is going these days, I'm not sure if I should be shocked or not. I think I'll just take it as a Karmic reward and leave it at that. The Jet lag was (& is) bearable and our hostel is great, so really I have nothing to complain about.
Today I think we're off to see the Tower of London. This is a source of great excitement for me, as we gave it a miss last time and I always thought it would have been worth seeing. It's one of London’s three Heritage sites, and the most visited attraction in the entire city. I just hope it's not thronged with tourists. (Ah the joys of travelling in peak season)
We've got about a week and a half in London (we're booked at out hostel until the 13th I think). So there's a lot we want to take in. Top on the list are some of the city's great museums, but we also want to check out the Botanical Gardens, Camden, Covent Gardens, Westminster and the Eye if time and expenses permit. Today I think it's just the Tower and then perhaps a Pint.
Sometime over the next week the Great Car Search must begin so wish us luck. We've counted on finding a car by the time we leave the Capital. It's not so much a feat as it sounds really, there are thousands of listings in and around London, the trick is simply finding the right one.
For everyone still west of the Atlantic, I want to hear from you! If you have this address, chances are you have my e-mail as well. There's nothing while travelling like hearing from friends and family back home, so if you get the chance, drop us a line.
Cheers,
M

2005-08-03T02:29:00.000-07:00

Lights Will Guide You Home...
Firstly... considering the events of yesterday afternoon, take a minute and direct your thoughts to all those people who were onboard Air France flight 358 from Paris to Toronto. For anyone who didn't catch the news (quite a feat) the plane made what looked like a safe landing at Pearson International late in the afternoon yesterday. Immediately upon landing the plane began to skid as the tarmac was soaked by our thunderstorm. The wayward plane ended up in a ditch just off the 401. All 309 people on the plane, passengers and crew survived the crash. Some Benevolence was smiling upon the city of Toronto and the travelers of flight 358.
And now, Coldplay. At around quarter to nine, the lights went out, the crowd roared it's approval and Britain’s most recent in a long line of Rock Gods walked onto the stage. For the next hour and a half, I was made to realize why exactly the tickets for this performance sold out in just over five minutes. Granted, I have been to fewer live concerts than perhaps many or most, but this was probably the best. Few bands would have the interest, let alone the talent to work their thoughts on the crash and it's victims into the first song of the set. It was done with ease. This sense of class, and style never diminished throughout the evening. Rarely does it show so clearly that a band is really enjoying themselves on stage. Equally rare is a crowd so excited yet friendly. The lights and special effects put Radiohead @ Skydome to shame. There were giant yellow balloons filled with yellow confetti for the crowd to play with during Yellow, and handwritten lyrics projected onto the crowd for Swallowed by the Sea (my favorite). The band returned to deafening cheers and applause for five more songs before bowing to the crowd and calling it a night.
And now, several hours later I find myself at home for the last few hours until my flight leaves…
Today is the day I leave for my great adventure with Elizabeth in the UK and Ireland. I'm almost ready, just a few loose ends. Admittedly, while I'm excited and thrilled to be embarking, I feel the twinge of loss that comes with leaving everything and everyone you know and love behind. I feel as though I've done a poor job of expressing my connectedness to those who matter most. My family, my friends. There have been so many opportunities to say just the right thing. I can only hope I did my thoughts justice and that you all know how much you mean to me.
It's quite late, or rather, absurdly early and the morning, I'm sure, will bring a slew of unexpected things to do.
Cheers,
M

2005-07-26T07:18:00.000-07:00

Zen & the art of packing...
Well, with only nine days until my plane leaves, time is short and the list of things to do keeps getting longer. My room resembles a battle zone(a battle I seem to be losing) and my bag is far from packed. Still, every now and then I pull my head up from the sand and realize that in less than two weeks I'll be touring the UK with Elizabeth. Wow. I can think of nothing more appealing than a year abroad with no mandate but to explore and soak up our surroundings... jealous yet?
On a non-travel related note, The Hillside Festival in Guelph this weekend past was excellent. Admittedly, I didn't know what to expect. Having never experienced a multi-day music festival before, and not knowing many of the bands on the bill, I had my doubts. Never have I been so glad to be so wrong. Hillside brought together five thousand enthusiastic, friendly weekend thrill-seekers and some of the best live music I've heard to date. The world music aspect of the bill was by far the most impressive, with diverse groups from Australia having lots of representation. This still left lots of stage time for Canadian talent both new and old such as Sarah Slean, The Arcade Fire, The Stars and the list goes on and on. At the end of the third day however, the lake, while refreshing just couldn't stand in for a real shower any more. It was time to head home.
I think that's all the news that's fit to print. I have a great deal to arrange for before August 3rd.
Cheers, M