Tea time in Manchester

Day 6

I decided to take it easy this morning; I had a BritRail pass, so I could take any train I liked and service to Manchester was every hour from London. I woke up and decided to grab some food from the nearby Pret.



The ride to Manchester was leisurely and full of beautiful views. I finally understood the term 'rolling hills' when viewing the English countryside.

Gloomy London

Day 5

My first trip to Europe happened in the summer of 2007; now ten years later, I was back again. However, the only place I stopped at again was London; therefore it inevitably made me draw comparisons.

I headed out to the station an hour early; the smug feeling lasted all about two minutes before I realized that going to the UK meant leaving the Schengen area, and therefore, Passport Control.

When we arrived, I realized why people called London gloomy - even during rainy days in most other places, the sun shines through in spots and there are moments of brightness. In London, the skies were depressingly grey and drab, and it made its surroundings appear grey as well.




The first stop was to grab an ankle brace from the nearby Boots. Lights change extremely quickly in the U.K., and coupled with my lame ankle and not being used to the cars being on the 'wrong side', I got beeped at a few times while making my way across.

Bruxelles, par moi-même

Day 4

This day marked the first of my solo adventures. I have never travelled alone before; the most I've done was take a flight by myself.

I had a 6am train from Amsterdam Centraal to Bruxelles Midi aboard the Thalys. I sleepily lugged myself to the ferry and hopped over to the station. It was too early for me to feel hungry, but I did notice that my ankle, which had felt sore the evening before, had not improved with rest.



The first thing I noticed in Brussels was the security - there were soldiers with armed rifles patrolling the station, and it definitely changed the vibe of the area.

I made my way to my hostel and dropped off my luggage and had a quick catch-up chat. Then I was off to explore!

Living like a local

Day 3

My favourite type of trip is actually going somewhere I've already been before; the feeling of being somewhere different yet familiar.

I often find that the first time I travel somewhere, there is an urgency to see all the sights, eat all the food, and power through a jam-packed day. The second visit is when the urgency disappears, and I can settle in and see all the spots that didn't make the cut the first time around, as well as revisit my favourite spots. I can sit down at a cafe to relax and not feel guilty that I'm wasting time, and I usually end up enjoying myself more.




Another one of my favourite things to do is check out the local supermarket. I find it endlessly intriguing to see what they sell, how they're set up, and trying interesting items.

That being said, I spent a very slow and relaxing day before gearing up for some solo travel around new cities.

We headed to the market area on our bicycles. For a relatively new learner, I actually love bicycling when there are separated lanes, and in Amsterdam, bicycles rule over cars, and even pedestrians. Nothing really beats Dutch cycling infrastructure.

I also discovered a few Dutch foods that I love; tompouce, which is like a mille-feuille but without those pesky other layers of pastry, and Heks Nkaas. This spread from the grocery store, paired with fresh bread from aforementioned store, made for the most delicious meal. Nothing beats just tearing apart a baguette and dipping it in Heks Nkaas... Words fail to describe how delicious this was.



After walking to the ferry to make sure I could navigate the path at 5am in the morning, we made our way home. A bottle of wine was awaiting us at the door; a thank you from the management for the noise from the filming happening next door.

We were pretty full so we ended up having a very late meal; Florence made her own version of Stamppot!

A day in Rotterdam

Day 2

The morning started with a breakfast of poffertjes prepared by Evan. I made the most of my time in the Netherlands by having another stroopwafel with my tea.





We headed to Rotterdam, a Dutch city with modern architecture due to the severe bombings it went through during WWII.

VIA Rail Canada 150

Today marks the last day of the VIA Rail 150 pass, and the end of our adventures this month. Thankful for all the amazing people we met during this trip, and personally amazed that my travel buddy and I did not kill each other. Success!

Happy 150th, Canada

1867-2017 - Happy 150 years to my favourite country. Completely unbiased :)

Incinerator Rock, BC

From the coves of Maritimes,

To the mountains of the Rockies,

The barrens of the Plains,

Fish Lake, YK

And the wilderness of the Territories,

I love my country, and I can't wait to explore every last corner.

And now I'll be embarking on a cross-country train ride. See you soon!

Sunnyside Beach, ON

Amsterdam-Noord

I'll just preface this with the cold, hard facts: I didn't go to Red Light District nor did I indulge in any herbal plants. So let's see what else Amsterdam has to offer...

Day 1

The first stop of my trip was in Amsterdam, and I stayed with my sister in Amsterdam-Noord, which turned out to be a blessing.



My first day consisted of my groggily getting off the airplane and navigating our way through the station to pick up a transit card, and then weaving through the hordes of tourists with my luggage in order to get some frites. Upon my sister's recommendation, I tried the patatje oorlog, while she got the Mannekin Pis sauce.



We took the ferry to Amsterdam Noord, and settled in for a cup of tea and stroopwafels. The interior of her apartment was gorgeous, with plenty of natural light and endless greenery, evidently a new hobby of hers.

We caught up for a bit and then once her boyfriend was home, we all took a ride around the Noord.




We headed to De Ceuvel, a former shipyard that has been turned into a creative workspace, with the aim of giving a second life to the brownfield using sustainable technology.

Insomniac in denial

self inflicted sleep deprivation
semi permanent half awake state
that's me

Retrospective appreciation