Hello, Goodbye



 

 





This coat has seen a lot of action over the past nine months.

 

I  paid ten pounds for it at a second hand store in Camden back in April when I was freshly arrived in London and it's been with me all the way since. I've had to sew buttons back on four times, put a hole in my pocket and recently lost the belt strap to the crowds in Leicester Square.

 

This coat has seen me through the rainy London summer, windy Paris and the inappropriately cold walking tour of Prague. It's taken the tube, the train, the plane, the bus and the Eurostar. My trusty coat has kept me warm on the way to work and on the way home, on the way to many a theatre show and while strolling through museums. Whatever the adventures over the past nine months of travelling, this black trench coat has seen it all and stood by me.

 

Sadly, it is time for me to say goodbye to the beautiful black coat that means London, as there is no room for lightweight cotton in chilly Saskatoon. There is definitely no room in my suitcase.

 

I've had some truly awesome adventures in that coat and also some pretty hilarious setbacks. I've grown and learned and laughed and made so many great memories that I will carry with me even after my textile companion is lost to me. I feel sad to see it go, but also really happy as I'll always think fondly of our times together. My black coat will forever remind me of my time in London, setting out in the big city to have some adventures and see the world.

 

So it's back home to Canada to regroup and rest. Nine or ten hours of flying doesn't seem like a lot but the distance between London, England and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is substantial - literally and figuratively. It will be interesting to see how I readjust to life in the Great White North - in snowy, comfortable Saskatoon.

 

While I have greatly appreciated all that this coat has done for me over the past little while, it's time to move on to the next big adventure: real life.

 

Enjoy Prague

Happy Holidays from the most Christmas-y of European cities - Prague!

 

Although it was once again very chilly in Prague the festive atmosphere was definitely worth it. The famous Christmas markets were a highlight, along with the music and mulled wine that accompany them. I cannot say that the Czech people were exactly welcoming but they got the job done, and everything in Prague is so cheap compared to the rest of Europe. When beer is one euro, it really is hard to go wrong.

 

After an especially chilly walking tour of the city (3 hours improperly dressed in -10 degree weather), Sunday was spent exploring. Laura and I walked through the Christmas markets, which are basically stalls lined up next to each other selling hot chocolate, mulled wine, pretzels, sausages and various trinkets and things. A huge Christmas tree in the centre of the square was pretty amazing against the backdrop of Prague's beautiful old buildings. A trek up to the castle over the Charles Bridge was perhaps the most magical moment of all. Real snow started falling from the sky as we sipped our wine and strolled past ancient statues, vendors selling paintings, jewellery and musicians. The scene was downright cheery, especially once we reached the top of the hill and looked out over the city of Prague to admire the view.

 

On our way back from the castle the snow started really coming down and we ran into a choir of carollers in the Square, which was teeming with people all bundled up in the cold. What better way to spend one of my last days in Europe? It was a day of holiday cheer and frolicking in the snow filled with delicious food and laughs.

 

In spite of the chilly reception of the Czech population we did manage to find one or two kind people during the visit, which was nice. Prague got the last laugh though as I couldn't leave Europe without losing some of my belongings. The airport has claimed one of my favorite scarves as its own, which I guess is a small price to pay for such good memories of the city.

 

Next time I visit though, I think it will be in the summer time...

Dublin Tales

Dublin days have been great! The city is similar enough to London for me to be able to get around easily, but exciting enough to have lots to offer in terms of tourist attractions.

 

I spent a day doing the tourist blitz, including a stop at the infamous Guinness Brewery in Dublin. Apparently Arthur Guinness signed his lease for 9,000 years in 1759 so he must have known he was onto something good with his beer. I can probably count on one hand the number of pints (sips) of Guinness I've had in my life, but I have to say I really enjoyed my pint atop the Guinness storehouse looking out over Dublin. There are also so many writers that are from Dublin! It's the City of Literature because there have been so many famous playwrights and authors to come out of Dublin - James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Yeats, the list goes on.

 

I was really excited for my day trip to the Hill of Tara, that magical place, except that it got cancelled!! Instead I visited the Cliffs of Moher, which are apparently these super famous cliffs on the west coast of Ireland. At first I was like, ok, so they're some cliffs...good. But once we got there I was pretty blown away. Literally. It was extremely windy.

 

 

 

 

The cliffs were really beautiful and just a good reminder of how stunning the planet can be without mankind doing anything to it. Our tour guide also sang Irish folk songs to us on the bus so of course I fell in love with him immediately. I love hearing the stories of people's history and how things came to be in different countries, I think it's something that we may be lacking at home in Canada.

 

So I left Dublin with a tiny appreciation for the Irish country and culture, although a few days is such a short time to try and take it all in. Plus I had two Tim Horton's doughnuts in the time that I was there, so that's definitely a success.

 

I was looking out at the Cliffs thinking how strange it is that in one week's time I will be back in Canada trying to process and absorb everything that's happened on this crazy adventure. Back on the bus Joseph Mulligan (Irish tour guide) sang a song about coming home that really struck me (if you substitute Caledonia for Canada).

 

Let me tell you that I love you
that I think about you all the time
Caledonia you're calling me
now I'm going home
and if I shall become a stranger
no it would make me more than sad
Caledonia's been everything I've ever had

On The Contrary

Travelling solo is full of contradictions. It is great, because you get to do exactly what you want, when you want, within reason. You don't have to worry about what another person wants to do or how they're feeling or what their travel priorities are. But, you are also lacking that companionship that comes along with having a travel buddy. You have to make all the plans and arrangements yourself and when things go wrong, it is all on your shoulders with no one to share the burden.

 

I enjoy solitude and think it is one of the things I have loved most about my travel time - being more okay with touring myself around and doing things I want to do simply because I want to do them. There are moments of real empowerment and victory: figuring out the bus system in Oslo in order to get myself to the Viking Ship Museum (sidenote: Viking ships are SO COOL. They are huge. And pretty awe-inspiring), researching the location of Henrik Ibsen's apartment in Oslo and taking a tour of his last residence, and finding myself an a cappella Christmas concert to attend at the Konserthus in Oslo.

 

 

 

 

And then there are the other moments: realizing you have brought your European/UK electric converters but sadly neither of these works in Norway, being woken up at 1:00 am by hostel roommates wearing very loud shoes, and finding yourself at the airport in Dublin with only a vague idea of how to proceed to your hostel from there.

 

In the end, it's all experience and I've become acquainted with myself in fresh ways over the past 4 days as I revisit some of my solo habits. A couple things I've noticed that get amplified when I am alone:

 

I don't like to ask for help. I know that there are people who are literally employed as tourist information providers, and still I feel that I should instinctively already know where to go and how to get there. I would absolutely hate to be in a situation where I would have to ask someone who was not directly employed in the information-giving business - a person on the street for directions - as I would feel that I am infringing on their personal space/life/bubble.

 

I feel bad for not speaking your language. I don't speak Norwegian! Apparently I used to be able to count to ten, but that has not helped me so far. Sometimes I feel so horrible imposing my American, westernized English on the poor people of Oslo. Granted, their city benefits from tourism and speaking English is practically required to get a job there, but still...I'm pretty hopeless when I walk up to the counter and begin every sentence with "Sorry..."

 

I'm in a glass cage of emotions. My flight is delayed half an hour. The customs officer was short with me. I don't have correct change for my Pizza Hut meal. Well, that's it, may as well go home and cry, right? As much as I don't mind getting around myself, when I don't have anyone else around to bounce things off of I become a bit uber-sensitive to the outside world.

 

These are just some of the things I've been pondering during my travel times recently. I do love a good chunk of pondering time. It is interesting how the dynamic shifts as soon as I have someone else around to look after or converse with. A little alone time will surely make you appreciate a good friend. And also a good wi-fi connection....

 

In summary, I am glad to be out of Norway and onto Dublin where they at least speak English as one of the official languages, right? They even have Tesco's here, so I'm right at home. I did actually manage to find my hostel just fine, even though I had to get up and ask the bus driver to direct me to the correct stop (tragic I know....I should just quit right now...). Tomorrow is a new day, promising another rollercoaster ride of new experiences and sightseeing. I look forward to seeing what Dublin has to offer me over the rainbow!

 

I knew that it was all going to be ok when I got off the plane in Dublin and found this at the airport. An unmistakable sign that all is not lost in the world, and that goodness and truth will yet prevail....

 

 

 

Oslo Offerings

To catch up over the past few days seems so crazy!

 

I moved out of the Italian Share House on Wednesday, hauling all of my things over to my friend Laura's place for temporary storage. I had rented a car for myself and two suitcases....somehow I had a tiny bit more stuff than that.  Upon looking at my things the driver said - "You're moving house, aren't you?"

 

The next few days were filled with me running frantically around London in search of a mega-large suitcase (impossible to find when you need one), nearly buying a mega-large suitcase that was missing one wheel (bad things would have happened when I tried to roll that bad boy) and settling for the purchase of more vacuum-seal bags instead. Add in some last minute catchup dates with friends and the building of a few items of IKEA furniture, and you have the makings of a very tired girl.

 

Friday was my final day at work, which turned out to be pretty sad in the end. Everyone was really kind to me on my leaving and I felt really appreciated which was nice, but bittersweet! I will definitely take away fond memories of my time in the office and will miss the satisfaction of all that reconciling and payment authorizing. The staff Christmas Party was a pretty fun time as well. It culminated with a night at the Penthouse club in Leicester Square which overlooked all of London. A stellar view with awesome people so that was definitely a good memory.

 

Not so good was the next morning.

 

All that matters in the end is that through sheer force of will I got myself to London Heathrow airport and on my flight to Oslo. It is COLD in Oslo. Proper wintery, snowy, cold. Which is great, but my pampered London self was a little shocked at first!

 

Today I visited the Nobel Peace centre and the National Gallery. It was really cool to see the displays at the Peace centre, including a whole exhibition on Ghandi, who strangely enough never recieved the prize during his lifetime even though he was such a big advocate of peace and nonviolence. I also saw that famous painting - The Scream by Edvard Munch and enjoyed some chilly time exploring Oslo.

 

I am here for a couple more days before heading off to my next stop, then back to London briefly before coming Home Sweet Home to Canada.

 

Things to note about Oslo so far:

There are so many H & M's here!!! I have gotten lost because I'm like, oh, that's by the H & M on the corner, only to discover that there are three H & M's within like two blocks of each other. Do people really shop there that often?

 

Oslo is quiet. Walking around the harbour this morning was eerie. Granted there was me and a couple of other tourists, but compared to London this city feels like a ghostland!

 

Christmas is coming! There are so many Christmas lights and decorations up here in the city! It is dark out after about 3pm here so I guess that makes sense, but still, it is exciting!

Off to bed for me to prepare for another big day in the city.

Watching the BBC For Real

On my last Saturday in London (eek), I attended a recording for BBC Radio 2 for FREE. It was a celebration of the music of the late Marvin Hamlisch, that famous composer, and they totally give away tickets for free if you register online. So, along with my musical theatre friend (love that there are so many of these people in London) we sat down to watch the BBC Concert Orchestra and several notable vocalists belt out showtunes and serenade us with movie scores. The conductor was even a Broadway maestro himself, Larry Blank, who worked with Marvin for many years.

 

Some of his songs have special meaning for me so it was a great way to spend my last weekend in London humming the theme from A Chorus Line and thinking about What I Did For Love. I also did a little solo strolling in Notting Hill yesterday in the rain, and if milling about a crowded street playing umbrella chicken with tourists is not the true London experience, then I don't know what is.

 

I've only got a few days of work left as my last day will be this Friday, which is pretty surreal. It's been a great learning curve for me on the job and I've enjoyed it, but it will be nice to leave the world of Accounting for a bit and return to my nomadic tendencies. The big build up this week will be to the staff Christmas Party that's being held in coincidence with (or in honour of?) my last day. I made the wise decision to book my flight to Oslo the very next morning so we shall see how that travel day goes....

 

All that's left to do is soak up this last week in Londontown before I head out on my final hurrah of this adventure. That, and enjoy my last few days of comraderie in the Italian Share House. I'm not sure what I will do when I wake up in the morning and hear.....English?

 

 

 

Kiss today goodbye

And point me toward tomorrow

We did what we had to do

Won't forget, can't regret

What I did for love

 

- Marvin Hamlisch/Ed Kleban

Souvenirs

Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful, we must carry it with us or we find it not.

 

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

 

I have certainly seen a lot of beauty in my journey so far. I have loved seeing places with so much history built into them - Westminster Abbey and Shakespeare's Birthplace. I've loved the natural beauty of Norway's Nordkapp and the Scottish Highlands. I have loved meeting people from all over Europe and the world and seeing that their smiles and laughter are really not so different from my own.

 

Yes, there have been some down times in London. It is a big, busy and harsh city at times. It has kicked me down a couple of times undoubtedly. But I have definitely been looking for the good, for the beautiful and for the enjoyable in life over the past few months. In London and elsewhere, I have found it.

 

It's less than a month now till I am home sweet home in Canada and I am taking notice of all the things I will miss about London when I am gone. Just as I remember certain details about places in Canada, there are lots of tiny, special little memories that I will carry with me of London to remind me of my relationship with this beautiful city.

 

There's beauty in a gloomy, rainy day in this town, and in the rhythm of the tube taking me home from a night in the city. Joy to be found in eating pasties at the train station and buying cider at the convenience store. I've loved having to drink a lot of tea and the music of so many different languages constantly playing on my ears. I will always think fondly of London in the evening and how busy it is when you walk through Leicester Square. London to me will also always mean the thrill of sitting in a dark theatre when the curtain goes down, and strolling along the shops and cafes in the afternoon.

 

I know there will always be more to see and do in this city, in Europe, and everywhere. It would be impossible to do it all in this lifetime, and so instead I focus on the things I have done and seen so far and how wonderful they've been to me. It is these peculiar little things that are so beautiful and so specific to me and my time on this whirlwind ride.