Monthly Archives: March 2014

Marbella, Spain

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Since I live in Canada and it’s -10C on March 26th, I’ve been feeling really nostalgic about the warm places I’ve visited on my trip. One such place was Marbella, Spain. I had chosen it because of a tour to Tangier, Morocco you can take from there. As I’ve said before, I had originally planned to do a lot more of Spain and for longer but time constraints made that impossible. Sadly, I ended up with only two half days to actually enjoy Marbella and that was ridiculously short. I was lucky the first day I arrived was beautiful and I got to lie out on the beach until sunset. The boardwalk is lovely to stroll and the view of the water is picturesque. People build elaborate sand art (like a fire breathing dragon!) in the sand below the boardwalk and you can see them as you walk along. The old town is so adorable and very much what I expected, maybe even cuter; it’s aglow in the night with the lights on the white buildings and stone streets. I’d love the chance to return and see more of Marbella and southern Spain. Next time, I’d like to take a tour to Marrakech also. Let’s just say, I’m working on it.

September 5-7, 2013

The Luck of the Irish… Well, Sort of.

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In honour of St. Patrick’s Day this past Monday, I’ve decided to do yet another post on Ireland. While I travelled all around the countryside on group tours, my base was at a hostel in Dublin. It was located behind the old Jameson Distillery and I chose it for that specific reason. I love whiskey! I drank my way through most of Scotland and Ireland, trying different scotches and whiskies; which was fun but also caused some painful mornings. The most epic of these nights involved me stopping for one drink at a pub on my way back to the hostel on my last night in Dublin. A few pints of Guinness later and lots of Jameson, I almost left my phone and credit card on my barstool as I was leaving (luck was on my side). Unfortunately, I did lose my room key though but luckily did not have to pay for a new one (thank you reception guy). The night finished with my lovely roommates packing my suitcase for me for my 6am flight to Malaga and setting their alarms to wake me up on time… That was the worst flight of my life. However, Aer Lingus is a great airline and I’m sure if I was awake or not dying it would have been a very enjoyable flight. The next day an Irish friend referred to my state as the Irish Flu, I can definitely understand that saying. It was a lot of fun though, live music, lively people from all over the world, and lots and lots of laughs. I still have contact with those roommates and I still giggle to myself when I remember the adventures of that night. I met so many people in Ireland and had such great fun; it makes me miss it all when I tell these stories. Even the worst hangover could not make me want to change a single moment!

September 4-5, 2013

Monterosso, Italy

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It was my second time in Cinque-Terre but the first time I got to stay overnight. It’s really no wonder it’s such a popular tourist destination, from the hiking, to the scenery, to the idealistic little villages; it’s colourful in both its energy and ambiance. I stayed in Monterosso, which is the last of the five villages that makes up Cinque-Terre. Monterosso is the epitome of a beach town and I felt like I was almost camping in my little single room at the hostel (which I loved). I had such an amazing time here that one post would never be able to fully express that. The other day I found a little blip I had written in my phone while there. I was sitting at a sea front bar, drinking an Aperol Spritz and looking out at the lights of the neighbouring villages. I thought for this post, I’d share that note and some photos from that moment.

June 29, 2013
I’m sitting here at a seaside bar in Cinque-Terre, Monterosso to be exact. Glittering in the distance is Varnezza! Sparse twinkling lights, shimmering up the cliff side, but at dusk they almost look as though someone has put Christmas lights on the hills. Monterosso is buzzing with locals and tourists alike. It is high season and the feeling of summer in is the air. The feeling of long nights and even longer days; of sand and salt mixed into every inch of your body and no desire for it to be any other way. A boat sails into the harbour, a momentary distraction but gone as quickly as spotted. Boating is second nature to those here. The sea is a part of life; of everyone and everything, as it is with most coastal towns. It is with blurry eyes I try to stay awake, I’m exhausted from the day but I do not want it to end. At the sea is where I feel most at peace. And although another vision of the sea awaits me, I have enjoyed my time here so… Maybe that is all Cinque-Terre is ever meant to be for me; a fleeting moment of utter happiness, destined to be repeated but not revelled in for long. How else could you truly understand the immenseness of being complete? Even if only for a day.

June 28-30, 2013

Stouffville, Ontario

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I know I set this blog up to show my travels, but sometimes we get so caught up in faraway places that we forget the beauty in our own backyards. This past weekend I went to the Maple Syrup Festival at Bruce’s Mill in Stouffville, Ontario. It was a lot of fun, we took my two young cousins and it was nice to get outside (especially after this brutal winter we’ve had) and do something different. I came home with sun on my face and campfire smells in my hair; it was just what I needed. Personally I still can’t wait for summer, but once in a while winter’s whiteness makes a gorgeous backdrop for photos like this and days like that.

March 7, 2014

Bruges, Belgium

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I chose this picture for two reasons: one is that I quite like it, and two is that I quite enjoyed meeting those guys in it. I had just come from Amsterdam and was feeling pretty sick (a theme on this trip, unfortunately). I had just heard so much about Bruges from friends that I squished in a two day stop. I tried to do a bit of sightseeing the first day and wandered around the city centre. I was so drained though and didn’t last too long, before stopping to eat. Afterwards I decided to go back to my hostel and rest a little, but it was so sunny and warm, I opted for a beer on the patio. That’s when a slightly creepy situation occurred with a drunken customer talking a bit too intently with me, made me move inside where I felt safer. It was that move inside that led me to meet a new friend, a young local guy. I ended up chatting to him and his friend most of the night and we made plans to meet the next day. Early the next morning, we met at the hostel and spent the whole day together with two of his buddies. It was rainy and grey but we still had a lot of fun; they showed me around town and gave me lessons on local food and beers. I also got them go up the Belfry clock tower which, despite them living there, they had never gone up. We also went to the Saturday market where one of them bought a live chicken! “Chicken”, as I named it, got us a lot of weird looks from passersby and a lot of laughs. This picture above was taken at the windmills, which was really cliché but probably my favourite part. We finished the day with a group dinner, and some more beers (when in Belgium…). I called it a fairly early night though, as I was headed to London in the morning and wanted to be rested. Bruges is an adorable and quaint little city and definitely worth seeing. For me though, those boys in that picture are what made it a great stop on my trip.

August 23-25, 2013