tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60164369408457275512024-02-06T22:23:04.781-08:00Wondering & WanderingStories, experiences and random musings from a 20something gal who wants to see the worldWondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.comBlogger173125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-71914949424397358822014-12-19T06:08:00.000-08:002015-01-27T12:10:11.456-08:00The Dog Days Are Over<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Three months. That's how long I've been living in the UK. Though that might sound exciting to some, I'll be honest: I've spent about 90% of that time sitting on the couch (usually in sweatpants) looking for a job. Job hunting is challenging at the best of times, but considering I've been in a foreign country, living in a small-ish town where I know next to no one and lacking the funds to take advantage of the free time I've had on my hands... well, at times it felt downright depressing.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Roughly 60 or so job applications, four interviews and countless hours spent taking laptop selfies with Ben's dog Herbie later, I am happy to report that <b>I have found a job! </b></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Come January, I'll be working as a Support Administrator for a specialist fundraising/direct marketing agency - <b>in London! </b>Neither Ben nor I have ever lived in such a massive city, so moving there will be an exciting change for both of us. Plus, it sounds like I'll get to learn a lot at my new job, which I'm really looking forward to.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I don't want to sound like my time in the UK has been all bad so far, because it definitely hasn't: <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2014/09/a-welsh-quarter-century.html" target="_blank">I had a spectacular 25th birthday</a>, <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2014/12/countryside-cycles.html" target="_blank">have taken advantage of having beautiful English countryside on my doorstep</a> and, perhaps best of all, <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2014/12/now-i-aint-sayin-she-tree-digger.html" target="_blank">really got to know Ben's lovely family</a>. That said, these past few months have also been filled with a lot more stress, self-doubt and sheer exhaustion than I would consider ideal. Thankfully, <b>the dog days are over</b> -<b> </b>London here we come!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Some photos of Herbie and I over the last few months - I'm sure gonna miss this pooch!</i></span></div>
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Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-81096983209304780702014-12-11T16:41:00.002-08:002014-12-11T16:44:44.903-08:00Countryside Cycles<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I consider myself lucky in that not only do I come from an <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/search/label/Canada" target="_blank">amazing part of the world</a>, but so does my British boyfriend! We've been living with Ben's parents in Shropshire, a county in the West Midlands, for a few months now while we look for jobs. Although it's probably not somewhere we'd choose to live long-term at this point in time (it's better suited to families, in my opinion!) there is a lot to be said for Shropshire, namely its abundance of tranquil countryside.</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">This is something Ben and I have tried to take advantage of whenever possible these last few months, especially when taking much needed breaks from job hunting! Throughout the autumn months, we frequently went for bike rides through small nearby villages with babbling brooks and churches steeped in history, past fields of sheep and houses with names like Pear Cottage... basically, quintessential rural England. Even though we were rarely more than 10 miles from Shrewsbury, Ben's hometown of nearly 100,000 people, it always felt much, much further away. Cycling through the Shropshire countryside has often been an ideal remedy to job (or lack thereof) related stress and, in times of frustration, reminded me to be grateful that I'm living in such a picturesque, postcard-worthy place.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">P.S. It looks as though my job hunt may be over - stay tuned for details!</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-56663299977823608472014-12-07T11:55:00.001-08:002014-12-07T11:56:27.920-08:00Now I Ain't Sayin' She a Tree Digger<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As much as I love spending Christmas at home, there's one aspect of my family's holiday traditions that I've never liked: our artificial Christmas tree. We've had it for probably a decade or more, but I'm just as against it as when we first got it. True, we don't find pine needles around our house for months (and months) afterwards, but it's just not the same! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">With this in mind, you can imagine how pleased I was when I found out Ben's family (who I'm spending Christmas with this year) not only get a real tree every year, but they <i>dig it up themselves.</i> So e</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">arlier this afternoon, off the six of us went to a nearby Christmas tree... farm? (or field? forest? I'm not really sure what you'd call it) in search of the perfect tree.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ben's mum Julie wanted a smaller tree...</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">... but she was outnumbered by those of us in favour of something slightly larger.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Once we'd all agreed on a tree, it was just a matter of digging it up (a job the girls left in the capable hands of Ben and his dad Dave).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It got wrapped up...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">... and we brought it home!</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Then, after nearly an hour spent untangling lights (a universal Christmas problem, it seems), stringing tinsel and hanging ornaments, voila!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeZwi4pWHTsvstLgYuoLhZtdB9H4AkjuBXZYohFFk9Iq99k99zfWOj1GR6eVvRqzTI715JF6pIuoL98OJiHDDyiR0hjBodRWUAoY6wkq_aAtvwAEBOWvxXrRnDK6lM2Orl0UFR-WI7cQ/s1600/P1090587.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPeZwi4pWHTsvstLgYuoLhZtdB9H4AkjuBXZYohFFk9Iq99k99zfWOj1GR6eVvRqzTI715JF6pIuoL98OJiHDDyiR0hjBodRWUAoY6wkq_aAtvwAEBOWvxXrRnDK6lM2Orl0UFR-WI7cQ/s1600/P1090587.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Unsurprisingly, turns out I'm a big fan of going out and getting your own (real!) tree. Plus, it smells amazing - I'm enjoying the scent of pine (and watching Elf) as we speak! Only 18 days until my first English Christmas!</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-72260123135484077842014-11-29T15:05:00.002-08:002014-12-08T06:10:50.640-08:00Churches, Castles and Tea Rooms<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">While the idea of living abroad can sound quite glamorous, in my experience you usually end up in a routine similar to one you'd have at home: going to work (or in my current situation, trying to <i>find</i> work), going out for a meal or to the movies, going for a jog or taking the dog for a walk... it's easy to forget that you should be taking advantage of your new surroundings. Well, this past weekend Ben and I did just that, and took a day trip to Ludlow, a quaint (I feel like I use that word too much when talking about England, but it's just so fitting most of the time) medieval market town in the county of Shropshire.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGVJ1b27BkuNd9_BlZCgVPErW4JVS82znMq2JuiuGBRmjwhhbeCbAJS0ie4Ym-iuZRbF4ihw1acK0x4pTgyDkjRJhaEt_osC_tjTAPAObfpEI4D-Y5kKDZAPqi72A33VKmby5glG70VI/s1600/P1090455.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGGVJ1b27BkuNd9_BlZCgVPErW4JVS82znMq2JuiuGBRmjwhhbeCbAJS0ie4Ym-iuZRbF4ihw1acK0x4pTgyDkjRJhaEt_osC_tjTAPAObfpEI4D-Y5kKDZAPqi72A33VKmby5glG70VI/s1600/P1090455.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The adorable streets of Ludlow</span></td></tr>
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<div><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As Ludlow is known for its array of <a href="http://www.foodfestival.co.uk/page.php?Plv=2&P1=2&P2=3" target="_blank">culinary delights</a> and fantastic sounding walks in the surrounding area, I've no doubt that we could have easily spent a whole weekend there - but I feel like a day was enough to see the main highlights: </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Climbing to the top of the St Laurence Church</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><br />
</b></span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Not only is Ludlow's St Laurence Church the 13th most popular free attraction in the West Midlands, it's also one of just 18 churches given a five-star rating in England's <i>Thousand Greatest Churches</i> by Simon Jenkins. Okay, so maybe its claims to fame aren't that impressive but</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> if you're up to climbing the church's 200 steps (in a very narrow staircase - claustrophobes beware) the rooftop <i>does</i> offer some truly spectacular views of the Shropshire countryside.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Exploring the ruins of Ludlow Castle</span></b><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Dating back to the 11th century, this castle has aptly been described as the 'very perfection of decay'. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It's in tact enough to be able to explore its many rooms but its derelict state still leaves plenty to the imagination.</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> Notable castle tenants include Prince Arthur (brother of Henry VIII) and his bride Catherine of Aragon (whom Henry VIII later married and subsequently executed).</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Having afternoon tea at DeGrey's Cafe</span></b><br />
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</span></b> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It might not have made BuzzFeed's list of <a href="http://www.buzzfeed.com/ailbhemalone/tea-for-two" target="_blank">21 charming British tea rooms to visit before you die</a> but DeGrey's still had plenty of old English character. Having tea and scones with clotted cream and jam has definitely become one of my favourite things about living in England.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All in all, it was a lovely day in lovely Ludlow. Not only that, but it reminded me that I need to break out of my routine more often and take advantage of all the churches, castles and tea rooms that England has to offer!</span></div>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-65374264352825163692014-11-16T13:09:00.000-08:002014-11-16T13:09:36.414-08:00Meetings with Monks<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For me, traveling in Southeast Asia was a time of many firsts: It was the first time I accepted an invitation from complete strangers to eat a meal at their house, the first time I rode a motorbike, the first (and last) time I took a 24 hour bus journey... the list goes on and on.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It was also the first time I saw a monk which, I quickly realized, is a very common sight in this part of the world. During the time I spent in Southeast Asia (particularly in Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar) I met and befriended many monks who, in addition to being some of the kindest and most genuine people I've ever come across, were absolutely fascinating to talk to. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I often asked them questions and ended up learning quite a bit about how they live.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Making my offering of Goldfish crackers to a monk in Siem Reap, Cambodia</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Here are a few of the things I learned during my various meetings with monks:*</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">• </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They live very simply and do not receive any kind of income; they survive solely off donations and offerings from people who use their 'services', which can include performing blessings, teaching and spiritual counselling</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">• </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They take vows of celibacy, and females should never touch male monks (though I'm not sure the same applies to males touching female monks)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">• </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They live communally in temples or pagodas</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">• </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They are required to shave their heads and wear robes, usually in orange or red for males and pink for females</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">• </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If there is ever a situation where non-monks are eating with monks, the latter eats first</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">• </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It's not only for adults, children can also be 'monks in training'</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">• </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For some, being a monk is something they may try for a year or so, while others remain monks for their whole lives (I met an elderly man who had been a monk for over 70 years!)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica;">• </span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">They are not allowed to drive vehicles, however they can use mobile phones and computers</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Learning about and befriending monks was without a doubt one of my favourite parts of traveling in Southeast Asia, and is one of the things that I miss most.</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">* Just as there are different types of Buddhism, there are different types of monks, so the rules I mentioned may not apply to every single monk. I don't claim to be an expert on the subject, this is just some of what I learned while speaking with monks during my travels!</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-5712946087918240542014-11-08T07:16:00.000-08:002014-11-08T07:16:52.328-08:00Follow the Trendy Brick Lane<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">While in London last week, I went for a wander around Brick Lane. Situated in the city's East End, this dodgy-turned-trendy area is home to countless Bangladeshi restaurants, vintage shops, a massive outdoor market and, <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2013/09/photo-blog-melbourne-street-art.html" target="_blank">one of my favourite things to photograph</a>, lots of colourful street art. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">And that's just one street, in one neighbourhood, in the crazy but incredible city that is London.</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-34482347612300552772014-10-27T02:32:00.000-07:002014-10-28T00:41:53.207-07:00International K-9<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Most of my friends and family know that I'm a massive dog person. If the idea of walking around with a person who stops to pet practically every dog they see embarrasses you, spending any amount of time around me would probably be very difficult for you. Honestly, when it comes to cute (heck, even not so cute) canines, I have virtually no self-control; I HAVE to go say hello and give them a pet. Just yesterday as I was going into the supermarket, there was this 12 week old black lab named Bonnie... Ben practically had to drag me away so we could get on with our grocery shopping. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That's something I've absolutely loved about traveling: playing with dogs anywhere and everywhere I go (rabies be damned!). Just like the vast majority of people I met along the way, nearly every dog I've come across has been friendly (except for this one dog in Germany who tried to bite me at a flea market. Ah well, can't win 'em all). These are just some of the many canine friends I've made during my travels:</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Agadir, Morocco</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Dong Hoi, Vietnam</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZdaQH7aGJGCmKpcBwUzAZiYE7L4h74SXytQe2q8C4XrBTOU8nzrZGW5xGKnsz7ESMyVbizCgiFd6x5WAeSZZvILjfndI_POmmpFz-vYtqzvzxpeQHJS7YE0XFIPRqBK338Cn_BB6eyI/s1600/siem+reap,+cambodia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZdaQH7aGJGCmKpcBwUzAZiYE7L4h74SXytQe2q8C4XrBTOU8nzrZGW5xGKnsz7ESMyVbizCgiFd6x5WAeSZZvILjfndI_POmmpFz-vYtqzvzxpeQHJS7YE0XFIPRqBK338Cn_BB6eyI/s1600/siem+reap,+cambodia.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Siem Reap, Cambodia</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKXgQk2MLhsFg6LQO_7opQxTtLTk8FeLGSBvuoXB6w0S7apvAr8Wx5sga1LM6Mm4Dr1T3N4rOkt-aKjkRjlglCYaZOuyDPjpJgpWC47HU9LmWyWUeqHQ6YGDecoQ_GJWScFQxgIZc_lw/s1600/nha+trang,+vietnam.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKXgQk2MLhsFg6LQO_7opQxTtLTk8FeLGSBvuoXB6w0S7apvAr8Wx5sga1LM6Mm4Dr1T3N4rOkt-aKjkRjlglCYaZOuyDPjpJgpWC47HU9LmWyWUeqHQ6YGDecoQ_GJWScFQxgIZc_lw/s1600/nha+trang,+vietnam.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Nha Trang, Vietnam</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAjlFXkrVhQFBaM4-kQM3g3z6sgIIbpChhRPBMAxTJVaZnlIC5m5JtTabBhkaRB2IEIEvgazRyghVovYGIR3RMEq-50gNXqQOvKP0UAyzWcZadZcWNFZFXMfiUD_nBkQ43LPyPwYi3_k/s1600/FIJITIME+365.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuAjlFXkrVhQFBaM4-kQM3g3z6sgIIbpChhRPBMAxTJVaZnlIC5m5JtTabBhkaRB2IEIEvgazRyghVovYGIR3RMEq-50gNXqQOvKP0UAyzWcZadZcWNFZFXMfiUD_nBkQ43LPyPwYi3_k/s1600/FIJITIME+365.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tavewa Island, Fiji<br />
</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK68dFcmsUJOKJ5F5ls0jwGJFgWu5FLDYNxl-W2jaW44J36P1sl2J5Ay_S6BI0D9LaZkOhetrgKvsJwS2mcfgugkjI__qp9VRgOzpY25Mo1rgBoBspfICLv7EzFtYvxL6S1eEb-BPxyTI/s1600/santorini,+greece.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK68dFcmsUJOKJ5F5ls0jwGJFgWu5FLDYNxl-W2jaW44J36P1sl2J5Ay_S6BI0D9LaZkOhetrgKvsJwS2mcfgugkjI__qp9VRgOzpY25Mo1rgBoBspfICLv7EzFtYvxL6S1eEb-BPxyTI/s1600/santorini,+greece.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Santorini, Greece</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qogJ8_KFD_hkVETSWfYRLkw9DVu-1_-LSzrjLtAh8-C4iLdJ5a69EMAuTZgrFLlyaJBt72LvbflShqNMLJK4oIannnh5_ch9oLt9JzRugHoNIhDrfmC_DCqUCPs1pRgJgGfqaY2zW6k/s1600/Shrewsbury,+UK.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6qogJ8_KFD_hkVETSWfYRLkw9DVu-1_-LSzrjLtAh8-C4iLdJ5a69EMAuTZgrFLlyaJBt72LvbflShqNMLJK4oIannnh5_ch9oLt9JzRugHoNIhDrfmC_DCqUCPs1pRgJgGfqaY2zW6k/s1600/Shrewsbury,+UK.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Shrewsbury, England</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmY2cNlTcSAidbS82QsEGAsWJthoGRvek4ptQkEhEn0U9nPk7psREnHhaVYgOxkz6YJx_617Z9DwpMw_SbSs1KHUcO3jRD9ASFGhtRoE4f0XKsKTi5ZQqlu1Ibz6YI14xJxt39jAOwFc/s1600/somewhere+outside+of+siem+reap,+cambodia.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPmY2cNlTcSAidbS82QsEGAsWJthoGRvek4ptQkEhEn0U9nPk7psREnHhaVYgOxkz6YJx_617Z9DwpMw_SbSs1KHUcO3jRD9ASFGhtRoE4f0XKsKTi5ZQqlu1Ibz6YI14xJxt39jAOwFc/s1600/somewhere+outside+of+siem+reap,+cambodia.JPG" height="400" width="225" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Siem Reap, Cambodia</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3KmVSj8a9escTYKmCuDetLbPwYeKcHzIYcmNAgiPnRA_KFma1e-LnheVFt253T7UUOLTWp0reqXWhODlv_SH2ksCwvdgxdRjWzTwkx6HgTKd5ljDRVZ9mmuMoKh07QSwASNOheigxMw/s1600/venice,+italy+165.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT3KmVSj8a9escTYKmCuDetLbPwYeKcHzIYcmNAgiPnRA_KFma1e-LnheVFt253T7UUOLTWp0reqXWhODlv_SH2ksCwvdgxdRjWzTwkx6HgTKd5ljDRVZ9mmuMoKh07QSwASNOheigxMw/s1600/venice,+italy+165.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Venice, Italy (can't find the dog? Look in the pram. Yeah, that's a thing)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-72558724491400167772014-10-19T14:55:00.000-07:002014-10-27T02:41:20.090-07:00The World's Cheapest Toll Bridge<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">If you've spent any amount of time driving a car, particularly in North America or Europe, then chances are you've paid to cross a bridge. Toll bridges have existed for hundreds of years and can be found all over the world. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Although the data doesn't exist for me to be able to officially prove this, I think I may have found the world's most inexpensive toll bridge: Kingsland Bridge in the town of Shrewsbury, England.</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14mdhVHKZJF8M2xR8Z_6eX3wRBJzgXBDF-YW2uDqB_Fw0JTdM8r34N9RwCyloDuWFE40hX-VY2oUBcCYosJAPkCKZfTszv1xw-x_kvVfIUAHVE7lPEdCFt0CQOPaJbaeUHvlK7SNneF8/s1600/P1010710.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14mdhVHKZJF8M2xR8Z_6eX3wRBJzgXBDF-YW2uDqB_Fw0JTdM8r34N9RwCyloDuWFE40hX-VY2oUBcCYosJAPkCKZfTszv1xw-x_kvVfIUAHVE7lPEdCFt0CQOPaJbaeUHvlK7SNneF8/s1600/P1010710.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The bridge is thatta way!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEMZ4Y8c022-RRgKRohXtB5s0GBwDDPStbVpbzx372qEKHz6iTigJRIQ4h-a8ZJn80OfRWPwOq5lDujRcK5R_3t2f7nvDPd0DN7LySB1Gs6N8W9CpB4xzj74DYqGvYR-KzmMlIGN6kVo/s1600/P1010688.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEMZ4Y8c022-RRgKRohXtB5s0GBwDDPStbVpbzx372qEKHz6iTigJRIQ4h-a8ZJn80OfRWPwOq5lDujRcK5R_3t2f7nvDPd0DN7LySB1Gs6N8W9CpB4xzj74DYqGvYR-KzmMlIGN6kVo/s1600/P1010688.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The Kingsland Bridge</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Spanning the River Severn, this bridge's toll was a whopping 10 pence (roughly 18 Canadian cents) until 2011, when it doubled. Yes, that's right; after remaining unchanged for 25 years, the toll rose overnight to 20p (much to the outrage of a certain 'mark rickards' who felt this was a 'rip off' - if you feel inclined, you can find his comments <a href="http://www.shropshirestar.com/news/2011/03/03/shrewsburys-kingsland-bridge-toll-will-double-to-20p/" target="_blank">here</a>. Oh, the trials and tribulations of small town life). To cross the bridge by foot</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">, you face a (non-obligatory of course, as there is no one there to enforce it) charge of 1p.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknPhCcd40keEEuDgv3DYDritTzdY1M3kRVWv1k9u0u1i8StAzNMyBVLkJuO75y_WKsm1LI8T87LbKLSZi4LosC5vtJVwuQshZJTJRhUBkZK2PvfK13lo-UPmcrSwDo9Ow5IDcsEILKf4/s1600/P1010705.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjknPhCcd40keEEuDgv3DYDritTzdY1M3kRVWv1k9u0u1i8StAzNMyBVLkJuO75y_WKsm1LI8T87LbKLSZi4LosC5vtJVwuQshZJTJRhUBkZK2PvfK13lo-UPmcrSwDo9Ow5IDcsEILKf4/s1600/P1010705.JPG" height="322" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">No, they don't accept credit cards.</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuviwlM45BaqjFXCm2sG_OpvG7PyF7tpz7YH7wIU2v2aoTXfdTLaZeTxtGBNyZQUyIrxZwZVJ2v1vYqNzh4qocspdTqmRmyenMKEDmo9fzMegw6d3YD94teK2nGzHH6NwIlBgI2P2ZKu8/s1600/P1010708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuviwlM45BaqjFXCm2sG_OpvG7PyF7tpz7YH7wIU2v2aoTXfdTLaZeTxtGBNyZQUyIrxZwZVJ2v1vYqNzh4qocspdTqmRmyenMKEDmo9fzMegw6d3YD94teK2nGzHH6NwIlBgI2P2ZKu8/s1600/P1010708.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The bridge's 'honesty box' for pedestrians</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aQoSSBm5wfEvUdj5QBN9dffaUanmytu6VFtFPHou4C7ZUy26779Y0xtCyceZtQLUiJtOwG3I2S53jyCFfa5ScTcKKZ-7sVOwjVnBUUgzz4blTy5OD5hhhP_y5ra4pMxKHcdU2BjcMD4/s1600/P1010709.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3aQoSSBm5wfEvUdj5QBN9dffaUanmytu6VFtFPHou4C7ZUy26779Y0xtCyceZtQLUiJtOwG3I2S53jyCFfa5ScTcKKZ-7sVOwjVnBUUgzz4blTy5OD5hhhP_y5ra4pMxKHcdU2BjcMD4/s1600/P1010709.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Aw.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I just can't help but find this bridge endearing. I wouldn't say it's overly pretty to look at, nor does it represent any great feat in civil engineering; I guess I just find it kind of comforting that there's still something left in the western world that costs less than a dollar (or, in this case, a pound). </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Plus, the views from the bridge are gorgeous!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>What do you think? Is this the world's cheapest toll bridge, or do you know of an even cheaper one?</b></span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-64010540643423081102014-10-14T14:00:00.000-07:002014-10-15T03:55:39.225-07:00Thanksgiving Lists<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I've been pretty lucky this far in my life in that </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">the Thanksgiving dinners I've eaten the second Monday of every October have always been prepared by other people. Sure I've helped out, stirring the cranberries here and basting the turkey a bit there, but on the whole I haven't contributed much. It's always looked like a lot of work, but I never realized just how much until this past weekend. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">As the whole giving-of-thanks thing doesn't really exist on this side of the Atlantic, I thought I would take things into my own hands by preparing Thanksgiving dinner for the first time ever. Minus the turkey, that is, because </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">a) British shops don't sell turkeys this time of year due to the aforementioned nonexistence of the holiday in question and b) As I don't eat meat, the idea of touching/stuffing a huge dead bird really grosses me out. Ben roasted a chicken though!</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Now this was a lot of pressure for several reasons:</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Ben's family had never eaten Thanksgiving dinner (and </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I had been going on about how amazing pumpkin pie is, despite </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/oct/28/make-perfect-pumpkin-pie" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;" target="_blank">an article I read claiming that this vegetable-based dessert freaked many Brits out</a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> and was therefore terrified everyone wouldn't like it)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- I</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">t was proving rather difficult to find pumpkin pie filling; the only shop that seemed to sell pumpkin pie filling was out (which means there must be other Canadians somewhere in this town...) but luckily more got delivered at the last minute</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">- We were going to be seven altogether and I had never cooked <i>anything</i> for seven people at once, let alone a Thanksgiving dinner</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">But I was determined for this British Thanksgiving to be a success.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I started cooking around noon and apart from the chicken (which Ben made), the gravy (Ben) and the pie crust (Ben's sister Sophie) I made it all: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- The pumpkin pie filling</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Spanakopitas (more Greek than Thanksgiving I know, but they're a good vegetarian substitute!)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Vegetarian stuffing</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Beans and carrots</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Mashed potatoes</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Cauliflower cheese </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Bread rolls</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The preparation looked something like this:</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXS4hyphenhyphenn-aqiVIW_4Bs18ob-HKEmj18JsbhFqOHTXVZSG6l7zhyeRyHsX_hflZMzKKZP894M_2tDYp_jqildF6TIDfMsJeiAvzTaBcg7wIWd5qZfiKhyY7wnfJsIdRVkLMN9crMKznFuc/s1600/P1010619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxXS4hyphenhyphenn-aqiVIW_4Bs18ob-HKEmj18JsbhFqOHTXVZSG6l7zhyeRyHsX_hflZMzKKZP894M_2tDYp_jqildF6TIDfMsJeiAvzTaBcg7wIWd5qZfiKhyY7wnfJsIdRVkLMN9crMKznFuc/s1600/P1010619.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Tracked down some canned pumpkin in the American section at Tesco!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMrusPkhUOovgLXV9BXmdhBB2uaHhZTsRVfivVZRrKbIzkTS7ziBfzj-Af5EBpsnGKOiVMBHU1l87IT1WFPnJFnDwJPPC-s4VBCLt541JYzenOz-TcPmOG1JRCOXrz4T2Y0-fs9SiRD0/s1600/P1010621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCMrusPkhUOovgLXV9BXmdhBB2uaHhZTsRVfivVZRrKbIzkTS7ziBfzj-Af5EBpsnGKOiVMBHU1l87IT1WFPnJFnDwJPPC-s4VBCLt541JYzenOz-TcPmOG1JRCOXrz4T2Y0-fs9SiRD0/s1600/P1010621.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This freaked me out a bit - had no idea the pie filling would be this runny!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8Pc8MKPssmD-f_JTQqCpDa-CCGNeCzXkXZyrLqugYexXYIFvuEsVFI0a3KfsYVpP7yvBZHEZ-n156wTxfIVGl2RUtT_qGGKOdrMA_h5UqCNlJ-taw2fv-IBJVWzr0ChD16R80XEPXtM/s1600/P1010624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju8Pc8MKPssmD-f_JTQqCpDa-CCGNeCzXkXZyrLqugYexXYIFvuEsVFI0a3KfsYVpP7yvBZHEZ-n156wTxfIVGl2RUtT_qGGKOdrMA_h5UqCNlJ-taw2fv-IBJVWzr0ChD16R80XEPXtM/s1600/P1010624.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Peeling potatoes</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ben's chicken!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rS27SZ1zDJjQp4qnQvneL3s4nXGN9h_Ujq5FOPSoKjw_tltKf4qazwPKFEiYeHA5L_a1kFUhKk4R95GJFTu79er9Xpg_23mypv7OFCeFERAuW7iupZpinSgZ4GLVc-B2JqHxqfwaz5I/s1600/P1010629.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rS27SZ1zDJjQp4qnQvneL3s4nXGN9h_Ujq5FOPSoKjw_tltKf4qazwPKFEiYeHA5L_a1kFUhKk4R95GJFTu79er9Xpg_23mypv7OFCeFERAuW7iupZpinSgZ4GLVc-B2JqHxqfwaz5I/s1600/P1010629.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Classic Ben, sneaking a bite of something</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc64_r_PprUq2Fty-kU1_QXsr7TGqh4NW34BKu1_tqUIdDtEt346gw5ostd_GKbbsgiwnvojfcpt51N2m22DFEs4aVhnVTV_oBzSwzruoGkErGurzG3PfQq0gB9DgVUysKGavxZ8mr_vQ/s1600/P1010626.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc64_r_PprUq2Fty-kU1_QXsr7TGqh4NW34BKu1_tqUIdDtEt346gw5ostd_GKbbsgiwnvojfcpt51N2m22DFEs4aVhnVTV_oBzSwzruoGkErGurzG3PfQq0gB9DgVUysKGavxZ8mr_vQ/s1600/P1010626.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Veggies</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">It was a lot (and I mean a lot) of work - I now have considerably more appreciation for all the amazing Thanksgiving meals I've eaten over the years - but the end result was soooo worth it. To my relief, the food and even the pie were well received by the Brits (although they all saw how much work I put into it so I doubt they would have told me otherwise) and Ben's family even said they want to make Thanksgiving an annual event!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxNgC5UCq5wh13w_lJP8SrZMu0pvOrja0CSXmO6LTvxrtnx0Y4AtHc6_QKbZWarhD1K075qs03vNeGh-j2rDpBkVSXtrRiNqvmrczy1RdczbHJ555vQ3_Fuwi1xAPV0FvFozArm4V300/s1600/P1010637.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYxNgC5UCq5wh13w_lJP8SrZMu0pvOrja0CSXmO6LTvxrtnx0Y4AtHc6_QKbZWarhD1K075qs03vNeGh-j2rDpBkVSXtrRiNqvmrczy1RdczbHJ555vQ3_Fuwi1xAPV0FvFozArm4V300/s1600/P1010637.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A very proud moment for me</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFAvw-O4NOOnofI8Mm_tvWcMekupvNZSq88rZbqlK-jQMctZ-Uqo6G8hvqUWS6aF-d5YADYk9XLDEQtVa86nHmZBSOfjTpTxurDDk1ynxeD32eC7qFnby_hY8EE9uzLSM3YGPcg-1V7k/s1600/P1010642.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifFAvw-O4NOOnofI8Mm_tvWcMekupvNZSq88rZbqlK-jQMctZ-Uqo6G8hvqUWS6aF-d5YADYk9XLDEQtVa86nHmZBSOfjTpTxurDDk1ynxeD32eC7qFnby_hY8EE9uzLSM3YGPcg-1V7k/s1600/P1010642.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Their first Thanksgiving dinner (from left to right): Sophie, Ellie, James (Ellie's boyfriend), Julie, Dave, Ben</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uPvK7CsUly3vU5YGgTKgpaUkS-EaU3Q3jLgw6_841uPX0j6P1h-7i39ZAiFlIIThVy3RqIul-rKOPcrkDou_iKTg-G7-Wujuk9YNZwScsjXdnURN5DjAjlhyphenhyphenXj6dvo8SdZ4B2rN8QFk/s1600/P1010650.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4uPvK7CsUly3vU5YGgTKgpaUkS-EaU3Q3jLgw6_841uPX0j6P1h-7i39ZAiFlIIThVy3RqIul-rKOPcrkDou_iKTg-G7-Wujuk9YNZwScsjXdnURN5DjAjlhyphenhyphenXj6dvo8SdZ4B2rN8QFk/s1600/P1010650.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">PP, how I'd missed you</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7w7HcYhf3fNbQJG-Qtv855EKBZxaiW5Pea1L6HVc6FZDLclKh04kwvm7ZUg-X7-9PnYuOwjWPblNdr2E-i7uBo8WXk0K4PwtaNV_Fhe_Hi6bYvyUgArTgmRvERg_d7TunW5jEvI1KmY/s1600/10729052_10205076946307746_177016181_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA7w7HcYhf3fNbQJG-Qtv855EKBZxaiW5Pea1L6HVc6FZDLclKh04kwvm7ZUg-X7-9PnYuOwjWPblNdr2E-i7uBo8WXk0K4PwtaNV_Fhe_Hi6bYvyUgArTgmRvERg_d7TunW5jEvI1KmY/s1600/10729052_10205076946307746_177016181_n.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Champagne!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I'll end with just one more list, of what I'm most thankful for this Thanksgiving:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- My wonderful boyfriend, who was absolutely worth moving across the world for</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- My family, for supporting my nomadic lifestyle these last couple of years</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- Ben's family, for letting Ben and I live with them while we look for jobs and making me feel like part of the family</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- The friends who have made an effort to keep in touch since I've been traveling</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- My health</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">- That I've had the incredible opportunity to spend a lot of the last two years exploring this wonderful world</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Happy Thanksgiving from the UK!</b></span></div>
Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-21429399028117284292014-10-07T07:46:00.000-07:002014-10-07T15:09:40.343-07:00What Do U.K.all It Again?<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I spent the majority of this past summer in Ben's hometown of Shrewsbury, which is in a county called Shropshire, in a 'country' called England, in yet <i>another </i>country called the United Kingdom (phew). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">When I returned home to Canada in order to apply for a British Work Visa, friends and family enquired about the time I'd spent in England. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">While it's extremely flattering that people are curious about what I've been up to, I found that they often phrased the question in a funny way: I was often asked if I liked </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">London</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> or how I found life in </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">London</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Thing is, Shrewsbury (where I spent the majority of my time) is approximately three hours northwest of London. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I don't mean to sound like I'm nit-picking or focusing on technicalities. I just think it's interesting that a lot of people tend to assume that the United Kingdom = England = London. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">While I think this is a pretty common misconception, I thought I would straighten a few things out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (more commonly referred to as the UK) is the world's 22nd most populous country with over 60 million inhabitants. It is made up of four smaller 'countries' or nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each has their own capital (London, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, respectively) but London is the capital of the whole of the UK. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Unlike federal states like Canada or the United States, which are divided into provinces/states that have subordinate legislatures with their own areas of jurisdiction, the UK is a unitary state; that is, a state governed as one unit by the central government (in this case, Westminster Parliament). </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Although Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland each maintain some degree of autonomous power through their own parliaments/assemblies,</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">they are ultimately controlled by and under the power of the central government in London (a system which, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/paullaudicina/2014/09/19/scottish-independence-strong-democracy-weak-government-2/" target="_blank">as the recent referendum in Scotland demonstrated</a>, many people are not happy with as they do not feel well-represented).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">All that to say this: While London is without a doubt an incredible city steeped in culture and history, there is more to England (and a LOT more to the UK) than its capital city. Oh, and I've never lived there!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Just a taste of what the UK has to offer outside of London in...</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>England</b></span></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Scotland</b></span></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Wales</b></span></div><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><b>(but don't get me wrong, London is amazing and has tons to see and do!)</b></b></span></b></span></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzhYErMrvtWFNWHi78KpRhGS4EtGVsUXhVxvCjnOfSrz7Y_cnobadZBdl1hCaKFvGOT-zjLo0zgSuQj1vTxzV3wsxj5_Dg9ioR5gJ496hXsy0x_pPqXc0Dk_oNgw0U_UubtZwbiWWvUg/s1600/UK+Ireland+169.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxzhYErMrvtWFNWHi78KpRhGS4EtGVsUXhVxvCjnOfSrz7Y_cnobadZBdl1hCaKFvGOT-zjLo0zgSuQj1vTxzV3wsxj5_Dg9ioR5gJ496hXsy0x_pPqXc0Dk_oNgw0U_UubtZwbiWWvUg/s1600/UK+Ireland+169.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b> <br />
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><b>(There are no photos of Northern Ireland because I haven't been there yet, I hope to go at some point in the near future!)</b></b></span></div></b></span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-51514651660703432462014-09-24T15:09:00.000-07:002014-09-24T15:12:50.802-07:00Bonkers for Conkers<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Growing up in North America, the months of September and October were always characterized by going back to school and dressing up for Halloween. Here in the UK, I've learned that kids look forward to these months for a different reason entirely: Conkers. If you're anything like I was a week ago, you're probably wondering what the heck a conker even is. Allow me to enlighten you...</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A 'conker' in all of its glory</span></td></tr>
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<i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</i> <i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Conkers</i><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> is a traditional British game played with seeds of Horse Chesnut trees (the seeds are also called conkers). Dating as far back as 1848, the game of Conkers is played by two people at a time, each with a seed/conker threaded onto a piece of string (you have to drill to get the string though it). Taking turns, the players strike each other's conkers until one breaks. If you are so inclined, you can increase your chances of winning/breaking your opponent's hand by hardening your conkers by baking them in the oven or soaking them in vinegar (apparently this does not classify as cheating). Whoever's conker remains intact, wins!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Ben's family was beyond horrified when I admitted my ignorance to a game that had been such a big part of their childhood and that they all have such fond memories of. To find out just what exactly I had been missing out on, I decided I had to have a go at Conkers.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ben drilling holes in the conkers<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Conker hunting</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Finding all the best conkers</span></td></tr>
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And then the game began!</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ben's conker on some string and ready to go</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ben winding up...</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">And he strikes!</span></td></tr>
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I can't say I'm quite as 'bonkers for conkers' as Ben and his family but it's a lot harder than it looks, I will say that! (I may or may not have gotten a little impatient at one point and thrown my conker across the yard). Unfortunately, much like Disney movies or Tamagotchis, Conkers will probably never be as awesome for people like me who didn't experience it growing up. Still, I can't say I'm not getting a cultural immersion - and that's really what being in a foreign country is all about, right?</span></div>
Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-53284090831462336132014-09-21T14:34:00.001-07:002014-09-24T13:03:15.577-07:00A Welsh Quarter Century<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As I mentioned a few blogs ago, <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2014/08/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go.html" target="_blank">I applied for a British Working Holiday Visa</a> so I could try out British life with my British boyfriend. After nearly five (pretty stressful) weeks of waiting for it to be processed, the darn thing finally got delivered to my front door </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">a mere three days before I was due to fly out</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> (in my utter elation I nearly hugged the delivery man, who was clearly terrified). </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I'm now back in Ben's hometown of Shrewsbury, diligently applying for jobs all over the country and ready for anything that comes my way. What better way to start this new chapter in my life than by celebrating my 25th year of life? Yep, as of a few days ago I am officially a quarter century old (yikes) and the celebrations were fantastically Welsh!</span><br />
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After bringing me breakfast in bed (this guy was <i>so</i> worth moving overseas for) Ben surprised me with tickets to two attractions at an old slate mine in the town of Blaenau Ffestiniog (yes, that is actually a place and no, I can't pronounce it) in Wales: Bounce Below & Zip World<i>. </i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">For Bounce Below, somebody had the genius idea of setting up three levels of large nets (with chutes you can slide down that connect them) in the depths of an old slate cavern, turning it into a sort of bouncy adult playground. Bouncing around in a dark, damp cave was definitely one of the most unique things I've ever done! I didn't bother taking my camera as it was quite dark but you can <a href="http://www.bouncebelow.net/" target="_blank">visit their website</a> if you want to see what I'm talking about.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After spending a good hour underground, we resurfaced - and then some! <a href="http://www.zipworld.co.uk/titan/" target="_blank">Zip World</a> was a series of zip lines built over the slate quarries. I had never been zip lining before but had always wanted to, and I absolutely loved it. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfgjVEttzow" target="_blank">Click here to see a video of Ben and I zipping through the air!</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After a day of bouncing and zipping, Ben drove us to his family's holiday house in Aberdovey, located right on the Welsh coast. As it was the middle of the week and since kids are all back at school, we practically had the place to ourselves. We went for a lovely evening stroll on the beach, popped some champagne and had a delicious seafood dinner. It was perfect.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Popping champagne on the beach </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ringing in my 25th year in style</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Beautiful Aberdovey, Wales</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After one of my most memorable birthdays to date, Ben and I are both continuing to look for jobs and trying to establish less nomadic lifestyles for ourselves. It's scary, stressful and exciting all at once but if my birthday was any indication of how this next year of my life is going to be - it should be pretty dang good.</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-71120175748415977102014-09-16T14:58:00.000-07:002014-09-16T14:58:05.647-07:00In My Own Backyard<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">It took some time away to make me fully aware of it but I've come to the realization that the place I call home is incredibly awesome. For world-class skiing, killer mountain biking and stunning scenery, I don't have to stray much further than my own backyard. Whistler, made famous for all of these things and more, is just a mere two and a half hour drive away (along a stretch of very scenic coastline I might add!) from my hometown.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">In addition to the activities I just mentioned, there are countless walks and hikes to do in and around Whistler, a good 99% of which I have never taken the opportunity to explore - even though I've been to Whistler loads of times! While I was at home this summer, <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2014/08/should-i-stay-or-should-i-go.html" target="_blank">unemployed and waiting around for my British Work Visa to be processed</a>, I decided it was high time to do something about that.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">My dad, my sister and I decided our destination would be Garibaldi Lake, located roughly 20 km south of Whistler. The hike itself is 18 km round-trip and while it's definitely no walk in the park, it's not ridiculously strenuous either. It was one of those hikes where you're not rewarded with any kind of view until you get to the very end, which is always frustrating at the time but especially satisfying when you finish. It was a cloudy day which was a bit of a shame but I enjoyed it nonetheless: mountain views, placid water that at some angles looked electric blue and a day spent with two of my favourite people.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">That's another thing I love about traveling: Not only can it give you a greater appreciation of where you're from, but it makes you want to take advantage of what's right in your own backyard.</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-83637907778387444582014-09-09T11:31:00.000-07:002014-09-10T00:08:58.396-07:00Photo Blog: Lighthouse Park in West Vancouver<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-U3qG9vk-U5zf5LULADW1K5NEf940pBJYR1pEE9KuL3ra5GNsqa7wGAXj52Rse-a5M4x8t-MODkVJICtVb3Xl8PhY7VQ9O_Uv4vzb16kEdXI4oXXzyDfVcMah4Vz5NUGvHxjq5n9Fck/s1600/P1090321.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-U3qG9vk-U5zf5LULADW1K5NEf940pBJYR1pEE9KuL3ra5GNsqa7wGAXj52Rse-a5M4x8t-MODkVJICtVb3Xl8PhY7VQ9O_Uv4vzb16kEdXI4oXXzyDfVcMah4Vz5NUGvHxjq5n9Fck/s400/P1090321.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-2961212501401056392014-09-09T00:01:00.001-07:002014-09-09T00:12:04.549-07:00West is Best<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The West Coast of Canada is commonly referred to as the <i>Best </i>Coast and (in my biased opinion anyway!) it's not hard to see why. Intricate inlets, vast fjords, lush temperate rain forests, gigantic whales leaping out of the water, bald eagles perched in trees watching bears eating salmon on the shore... these are just a few of the things you'll find in this magical little corner of the world. </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Scattered up and down this gorgeous coastline are 40,000 (mostly uninhabited) islands, over 200 of which comprise a group known as the Gulf Islands. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Each Gulf Island is unique, and they vary greatly in both size and population. To give you an idea, the most developed and populous island (Salt Spring Island) has 10,234 inhabitants, eight schools and even their own currency, <a href="http://www.saltspringdollars.com/" target="_blank">the Salt Spring dollar</a>! The most sparsely inhabited and least developed is Saturna Island with a mere 350 residents, a small shop or two and one elementary school. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">While some people call these islands home year-round, for many they serve as a great getaway on weekends and during the summer months. If you're looking for adventure, you'll find it here: The islands offer a wide variety of activities including camping, hiking, kayaking, biking and even scuba diving but if you're wanting to just relax and enjoy some peace and quiet, they are perfect for that too.</span><br />
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</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">As the crow flies, most of these islands really aren't that far away from major cities like Vancouver and Victoria. However, because they're not so easily accessible (some can be reached by ferry but many are only accessible by water taxi, private boat or floatplane) it can feel like you're a million miles away. I always feel instantly calm when I arrive and incredibly refreshed when I leave. I think the Gulf Islands are a big part of what makes West the best!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>Some photos I took while staying on Mayne Island with my Mom and Grandma a couple of weeks ago</i></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Georgina Point Lighthouse</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Three generations enjoying some island time</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfGcLiRTn9nY8hhj-S67xAQefQMlYD3jRt7Kfp06-JNwjXNzdgtJHtmtG4rHJnUktgeRH1aewM_vXJdGQFqWw5cHaBHntPAoaTIpjULvGNAq6bRCTo1JQm1hWnh9e0d83cWcASXXJM4s/s1600/P1090224.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWfGcLiRTn9nY8hhj-S67xAQefQMlYD3jRt7Kfp06-JNwjXNzdgtJHtmtG4rHJnUktgeRH1aewM_vXJdGQFqWw5cHaBHntPAoaTIpjULvGNAq6bRCTo1JQm1hWnh9e0d83cWcASXXJM4s/s1600/P1090224.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Best seat in the house</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrg-Rvgx8DVuE-T9DwxiJXGa6Z5jNAv_JD1mtqQi5ood5S6BjHjSZLp97ktNRXEDxGIfMWbD1gFD3rTdMglmzB6QbuatjT_AL-DJO942kIo-TNV4UwLlByT8yFNiPyv0lMp2_cm1bUAw/s1600/P1090254.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBrg-Rvgx8DVuE-T9DwxiJXGa6Z5jNAv_JD1mtqQi5ood5S6BjHjSZLp97ktNRXEDxGIfMWbD1gFD3rTdMglmzB6QbuatjT_AL-DJO942kIo-TNV4UwLlByT8yFNiPyv0lMp2_cm1bUAw/s1600/P1090254.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Starfish!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCnRRA06id9jv0T1Vm2YJsTyQXaFsy3CE8jCkAdcoAXIvEtv2ja237NMsOQGDlzreMTxqTPsX1ghRdHaJGPqasRVMtm-XOCqLOuyt0FYmhiw1CG71USrtfRec59Pe_tgFgfJDITNBoqw/s1600/P1090187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOCnRRA06id9jv0T1Vm2YJsTyQXaFsy3CE8jCkAdcoAXIvEtv2ja237NMsOQGDlzreMTxqTPsX1ghRdHaJGPqasRVMtm-XOCqLOuyt0FYmhiw1CG71USrtfRec59Pe_tgFgfJDITNBoqw/s1600/P1090187.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Japanese-style garden</span></td></tr>
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Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-89539933283439952942014-08-30T13:53:00.001-07:002014-10-07T06:31:44.597-07:00Should I Stay or Should I Go<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Whenever I write a post after neglecting my blog for a while, I always like to start it off with some type of greeting. So, a big 'hello!' to anyone still interested enough to be reading my blog nearly two years after I started it (time flies doesn't it?!)</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After another nine month stint abroad (mostly spent working in <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/search/label/Australia" target="_blank">Australia</a> and doing a bit of traveling around Europe) I'm back at home once again. Much to my parents' dismay however, I'm still not home for good; I'm here to apply for a British Working Holiday Visa, which would allow me to live and work in the UK for up to two years.</span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The idea of living in the UK first appealed to me years ago while studying abroad in <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/search/label/France" target="_blank">France</a>. I traveled to many countries that year and while I absolutely loved places like <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/search/label/Italy" target="_blank">Italy</a>, Greece and Morocco, I couldn't really picture myself living in any of them long-term. Cultural differences and language barriers are a fun challenge while you're traveling but (as I discovered while living in France) can be slightly more frustrating if you're trying to pay your rent, see a doctor or open a bank account. In the UK, however, I realized that although the cultural differences and language barriers weren't entirely non-existent (That couch you sit on? Brits sit on 'settees'. Pleased about something? A Brit would say they're 'chuffed'. Toilet paper = bog roll. I could go on and on...)</span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> they were far less of an issue for me being a <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2013/10/our-home-and-native-land.html" target="_blank">Canadian</a>. It was a lovely place, different enough to still be exciting but similar enough that I never encountered any major difficulties and I remember thinking to myself, </span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">I can imagine myself living here some day.</i><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Although the idea of moving there has been in the back of my mind for some time, the main reason I'm (hopefully) going there now is Ben. Luckily he absolutely loves Vancouver and is not opposed to moving here BUT we want to try living in the UK to see how we like it. (I don't know exactly where yet, we'll see what happens!)</span><br />
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Luckily the visa process wasn't too difficult, just tedious. My application package (along with all of my current/expired passports) has been sent away for processing and I'm now waiting to hear if I've got it!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfKFOOjEolXt0IgIbzLtxcIAOK2wAoqSyQfDYjVNhBrXz9RrUL79E5OVVamENpdOsVq7gTeL4iniLGk761JCrXbxm6FZTglAaKg0jIsowmuShtCYZqHbm-SDqJ_1TwVxsStj4sqA8djk/s1600/photo.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixfKFOOjEolXt0IgIbzLtxcIAOK2wAoqSyQfDYjVNhBrXz9RrUL79E5OVVamENpdOsVq7gTeL4iniLGk761JCrXbxm6FZTglAaKg0jIsowmuShtCYZqHbm-SDqJ_1TwVxsStj4sqA8djk/s1600/photo.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"> My passport collection - guess the Brits want to see where in the world I've been!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Like the last time I was home for a visit, I'm trying to cram a bunch of visiting/activities/errands into a very short amount of time and have been pretty busy, hence the lack of blogging. But I'll be updating the blog again soon with what I've been up to. Until then, fingers crossed I get this visa!</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-77764289723578400302014-08-13T13:31:00.001-07:002014-09-03T23:47:59.565-07:00Aix Marks the Spot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As I've mentioned a few times on this blog, I was lucky enough to have the chance to spend my third year of university studying in Aix (pronounced <i>ex</i>) en Provence, a charming town in the South of France. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To this day, it remains one of the best experiences of my life: I was living in a gorgeous city where I got to speak French everyday, I got to meet like-minded students from all around the world, I spent far more time galavanting and cafe hopping than I ever did studying</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> and I had Europe at my fingertips. It was an almost entirely carefree time, a once in a lifetime opportunity that I will surely never experience again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">With so many fond memories of that year, the city of Aix held a very special place in my heart. Four years down the line I found myself on holiday with Ben's family in the <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2014/07/mountain-sound_26.html" target="_blank">French Alps</a>, with Aix just a five hour drive away. I wanted so badly to re-visit the place I'd once called home but was also apprehensive; Would it still seem as magical as it once had? Would returning spoil the near-perfect image I had of the city, and of that year as a whole?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I decided to chance it, and so Ben and I made the five hour drive south. I was anything but disappointed. The city was every bit as wonderful and special as I remembered (and Ben enjoyed it too, which was a plus!) Some things had changed (like the addition of several bagel shops - four years ago bagels were nonexistent in Aix!) but for the most part it was just as it was when I left.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_SJhbkQEO6COCOADF-STZJAmqGblMhYfpjjKA4PPurFiAhn5Qr7vhFHpZWSPgKdLI6ocEthK-amCt4ovo9khStYU9YWTO1Wth8HNIOm2uQKO3pw6O-fbwpfr3y9HNIyltDJ568e4Or0/s1600/P1010575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_SJhbkQEO6COCOADF-STZJAmqGblMhYfpjjKA4PPurFiAhn5Qr7vhFHpZWSPgKdLI6ocEthK-amCt4ovo9khStYU9YWTO1Wth8HNIOm2uQKO3pw6O-fbwpfr3y9HNIyltDJ568e4Or0/s1600/P1010575.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Pavillon Vendome</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Place d'Albertas</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Sunflowers at the market</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29NkeV4I_l7CDXZ1IydLITjpP5TnHO3sPS3kddhST7FWbwosWRFD01wK7tUZmG01ZEVK8Ky0q7NskQGzhddWaZJu3QJSq7P34l-9RYSkMMB-wOydJRXkNhe93QVc-7kYUBoSrSAIGTHM/s1600/P1010596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi29NkeV4I_l7CDXZ1IydLITjpP5TnHO3sPS3kddhST7FWbwosWRFD01wK7tUZmG01ZEVK8Ky0q7NskQGzhddWaZJu3QJSq7P34l-9RYSkMMB-wOydJRXkNhe93QVc-7kYUBoSrSAIGTHM/s1600/P1010596.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bagels are coming!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Whether it's sharing street food with locals in Myanmar or spotting wild cassowaries in Australia, travel experiences can rarely be replicated or recreated. They're unique, one of a kind, and my year studying abroad was no exception. Be that as it may, visiting Aix this time around was a beautiful walk down memory lane, one that I got to share with Ben. And I can't ask for much more than that.</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-9032408876338987332014-08-04T14:36:00.002-07:002014-08-04T14:36:38.412-07:00The Wonderful Beaches of Oz<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">There are many things I miss about Australia (the high wages, awesome wildlife and Vegemite, to name a few) but none more so than its glorious shores. With 25,760 kilometres of coastline, this country-island-continent has no shortage of beautiful beaches perfect for swimming, snorkelling and watching the sun go down. I'm still amazed by just how many exquisite beaches I came across during my time down under, especially since I only made it to four out of Australia's eight states!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">These were some of my favourite beaches around New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania and Queensland:</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTEcsLK74eY6e4KggTXe34HcNyn58YQFW92JAyf7QKobwAna3OuOfU-59FLvC2m7DeQ-_TaGNTUM3bWIX-djdhiW85_HotdN6xf4f019ts29OSDfTxWPVC1U-eaE3G4tt0YyI5UAdqUY/s1600/snorkeling+fairlight+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVTEcsLK74eY6e4KggTXe34HcNyn58YQFW92JAyf7QKobwAna3OuOfU-59FLvC2m7DeQ-_TaGNTUM3bWIX-djdhiW85_HotdN6xf4f019ts29OSDfTxWPVC1U-eaE3G4tt0YyI5UAdqUY/s1600/snorkeling+fairlight+018.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bondi Beach, NSW</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhvkXCIZ10vhB2-ds0knlLxBIgqm4gH2lQda0_8hD9a0hb7sJ_GXnGbEbapoPGRsz0Uge_8aebt7dBZNfXvexU7KJaKWEMhe7mTEP4QK5lK5eNO4asgBOle3pEvq0KdsBY_NukzTSvZ0/s1600/philip+island,sydney+084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhvkXCIZ10vhB2-ds0knlLxBIgqm4gH2lQda0_8hD9a0hb7sJ_GXnGbEbapoPGRsz0Uge_8aebt7dBZNfXvexU7KJaKWEMhe7mTEP4QK5lK5eNO4asgBOle3pEvq0KdsBY_NukzTSvZ0/s1600/philip+island,sydney+084.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ventnor Beach, VIC</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRSoM6I2hPHweN2rI1e5Iq2ebzdtOqcqjQdqaemdMSatxAXNckEwX1dwd0oQjAM4rqdLc7FPJPMNLBQazzjLFjUOq0gS9hai5ZRQ75OfjI3-JaG4cDUrBs0mrv1Pa7IjycVwkIVEhcGA/s1600/road+trip+and+cafe+pics+228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkRSoM6I2hPHweN2rI1e5Iq2ebzdtOqcqjQdqaemdMSatxAXNckEwX1dwd0oQjAM4rqdLc7FPJPMNLBQazzjLFjUOq0gS9hai5ZRQ75OfjI3-JaG4cDUrBs0mrv1Pa7IjycVwkIVEhcGA/s1600/road+trip+and+cafe+pics+228.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Killarney Beach, VIC</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5ihhoBjXGhijT4eINAxcok1KWKxl1HC_SvnSZ87J1wWZN0h6-enegvvEl2O_wlyOp-hJbqDbzfGIXi4wxOx6Ci9BeurHHdvfKpc30Oguvu2PJq_OlhsOQgqkJS17EXb9r8oQk5Eg_kM/s1600/IMG_0268.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd5ihhoBjXGhijT4eINAxcok1KWKxl1HC_SvnSZ87J1wWZN0h6-enegvvEl2O_wlyOp-hJbqDbzfGIXi4wxOx6Ci9BeurHHdvfKpc30Oguvu2PJq_OlhsOQgqkJS17EXb9r8oQk5Eg_kM/s1600/IMG_0268.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Adder Rock, QLD</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuN9kCg68Isli7lAOG0Iul4gavy4LMRad-gZ4Dvar8mZWDVzznvYB518lYXdh0RYWnkBD7JL1HmJq1rAoVgopWi0G7GxfIY3b5RmzNXhlN5aM-yjKkmY91LYByM_XfEnUT602Mp2nvx9o/s1600/MANLY+038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuN9kCg68Isli7lAOG0Iul4gavy4LMRad-gZ4Dvar8mZWDVzznvYB518lYXdh0RYWnkBD7JL1HmJq1rAoVgopWi0G7GxfIY3b5RmzNXhlN5aM-yjKkmY91LYByM_XfEnUT602Mp2nvx9o/s1600/MANLY+038.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Manly Beach, NSW</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryo7UZBlidnOG4TycPcNBli7c4Vx-TJaT8bj0M1qh2q6piCFiFzV4SNT8OQw8_XzQws57m8bwEAHCoywPGnD_PIv0kSyl47JHPbk56d6WvAIeWCORnxW0X5_BU8c13E8XMXMC5WYDVLE/s1600/bens+camera+136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhryo7UZBlidnOG4TycPcNBli7c4Vx-TJaT8bj0M1qh2q6piCFiFzV4SNT8OQw8_XzQws57m8bwEAHCoywPGnD_PIv0kSyl47JHPbk56d6WvAIeWCORnxW0X5_BU8c13E8XMXMC5WYDVLE/s1600/bens+camera+136.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">12 Apostles, VIC</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qww_ySTMkbGtZGRqxZ8cPEx9DDMHyQAwEc7boXK7a3YiAyj2FaSBrpVlkh54j6U-ZLbWKeIbyG7NWrFxr1vW-e9MgC-g3QDDtTDlT2mUOpbdH8oOwBBBkNWTHk4ULYXKFpm3LkvmnQ4/s1600/philip+island,sydney+032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-qww_ySTMkbGtZGRqxZ8cPEx9DDMHyQAwEc7boXK7a3YiAyj2FaSBrpVlkh54j6U-ZLbWKeIbyG7NWrFxr1vW-e9MgC-g3QDDtTDlT2mUOpbdH8oOwBBBkNWTHk4ULYXKFpm3LkvmnQ4/s1600/philip+island,sydney+032.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Cowes Beach, VIC</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5GBQ5QQpa1y3mxpWAgEdANxoGD1p0rs-cyKbekXFGpnMALNT8uSFGVheE7Ks76Qvs6MPhmlYeOCI5GX9lsQMipWztdkjvFSp7ApOzTR1DwNOPcBszvrsb6YHmCUlkfoQpGMj58yWJmQ/s1600/IMG_0396.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR5GBQ5QQpa1y3mxpWAgEdANxoGD1p0rs-cyKbekXFGpnMALNT8uSFGVheE7Ks76Qvs6MPhmlYeOCI5GX9lsQMipWztdkjvFSp7ApOzTR1DwNOPcBszvrsb6YHmCUlkfoQpGMj58yWJmQ/s1600/IMG_0396.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Freshwater Beach, NSW</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokbhuib8Sv9l0F1ZEgXcCO19V_BVMMGOdIgdPJuRuaQ4lyGSvCvWmkGH1w-TXq0X6x38n9_Gqa-gLhQV1HYqXCpUL15w0ZWLcYSNpEafONjO48meUg27S2P6vkrXKRd0P9fD6CDUijOA/s1600/Australia+2014+222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokbhuib8Sv9l0F1ZEgXcCO19V_BVMMGOdIgdPJuRuaQ4lyGSvCvWmkGH1w-TXq0X6x38n9_Gqa-gLhQV1HYqXCpUL15w0ZWLcYSNpEafONjO48meUg27S2P6vkrXKRd0P9fD6CDUijOA/s1600/Australia+2014+222.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Wineglass Bay, TAS</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQWC4tDmJ_9y-7J03VELjnZhC9VzQkSkxQsaFVofGAqeQXiPNKxLFuxxrw73dWv4OM_nT9Zs75IjwPkrDxkC4T1owaZc5bOuY9x14qxpoupKg-RxF_SM7_947qiZeSGowom0u6GaRMHQ/s1600/MANLY+023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKQWC4tDmJ_9y-7J03VELjnZhC9VzQkSkxQsaFVofGAqeQXiPNKxLFuxxrw73dWv4OM_nT9Zs75IjwPkrDxkC4T1owaZc5bOuY9x14qxpoupKg-RxF_SM7_947qiZeSGowom0u6GaRMHQ/s1600/MANLY+023.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Shelley Beach, NSW</span></td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3eoJFW4LBHR10NBc8Q9op2eA1BregRBZ6gM0PmaeBN-5lNrA7R-HTSW8LxooPx1pgbjsu4Fc6Oo3rAxcO4c1X9ShoKUiwbWDUXoDGlkni93Wlxt9swPIbK5kIaKJIXLwlsxsp7aXENM/s1600/GOPR0059.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU3eoJFW4LBHR10NBc8Q9op2eA1BregRBZ6gM0PmaeBN-5lNrA7R-HTSW8LxooPx1pgbjsu4Fc6Oo3rAxcO4c1X9ShoKUiwbWDUXoDGlkni93Wlxt9swPIbK5kIaKJIXLwlsxsp7aXENM/s1600/GOPR0059.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Myall Beach, QLD</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51Ss1Lw6oJr7CUC5eJrw1PmdiY8svZhuioFJHm5-Al3uTDrTIiXbOSALQSGbfIKB56imQzNlFBAxhTTI1pxZelUh4aMRExyG1bd2i7Lfp0zOJcxnVWwijDLtLUL0z_JecGlWIYtREUl0/s1600/DSC_0188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51Ss1Lw6oJr7CUC5eJrw1PmdiY8svZhuioFJHm5-Al3uTDrTIiXbOSALQSGbfIKB56imQzNlFBAxhTTI1pxZelUh4aMRExyG1bd2i7Lfp0zOJcxnVWwijDLtLUL0z_JecGlWIYtREUl0/s1600/DSC_0188.JPG" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Albert Park Beach, VIC</span></td></tr>
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Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-9130304283692278942014-08-01T06:06:00.000-07:002014-08-01T06:06:33.151-07:00VTT<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; letter-spacing: 0px;">One of the main reasons I love traveling so much is that you're constantly pushed outside of your comfort zone and given the chance to try things that, oftentimes, scare the crap out of you.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">This was the case when I <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2012/12/under-sea_18.html" target="_blank">learned to scuba dive in Thailand</a>, <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2013/03/no-training-wheels.html" target="_blank">drove a motorbike in Vietnam</a> and <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2013/11/oh-people-youll-meet.html" target="_blank">moved to Australia to meet up with a guy I barely knew (but who later became my boyfriend).</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Speaking of said guy (whose name is Ben, for anyone who doesn’t know) one of his favourite sports (and something that scares the bejesus out of me) is mountain biking. I didn't know too much about it before I met him but I’ve since learned it's not so much rolling lazily down a hill as it is racing down bumpy, narrow and steep dirt paths at breakneck speeds (mostly while standing up on the bike; there's not too much actual sitting involved). Since it's something that borderline terrifies me, plus is a big part of Ben's life, I knew I had to give it a go here in the French Alps (where is it called 'VTT', or 'v<span style="line-height: 18px;">e</span></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;">lo </span></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; letter-spacing: 0px;">tout terrain').</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"></span><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJU7wUtKXHDHTYyR7qZNlq7rmpM_Z8t7T7n7k6gotNVCdY_DcDZEb8v0QEOUgtlDbrUHVTEdMK0t3jloixGCkicnDp6DXAUt7HPXG4-I-fO2pmK3aJDNc4HxF3JpLDDz_QLTmEHHH0N8/s1600/GOPR0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTJU7wUtKXHDHTYyR7qZNlq7rmpM_Z8t7T7n7k6gotNVCdY_DcDZEb8v0QEOUgtlDbrUHVTEdMK0t3jloixGCkicnDp6DXAUt7HPXG4-I-fO2pmK3aJDNc4HxF3JpLDDz_QLTmEHHH0N8/s1600/GOPR0033.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">So much harder than it looks!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDXvInGIx1aIWRjYQvCqyYV_dp5cJz4B3Mx9H7DzoxYwByTtt5bgzFpoMCWq5HL_Qm7GXqOoQeBpO1P_vk7Cy5aJFoio03CRUy4fFXvh-uGVIt_UKQO0v31V-Tl_V16KzIHyONQHGkfk/s1600/GOPR0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQDXvInGIx1aIWRjYQvCqyYV_dp5cJz4B3Mx9H7DzoxYwByTtt5bgzFpoMCWq5HL_Qm7GXqOoQeBpO1P_vk7Cy5aJFoio03CRUy4fFXvh-uGVIt_UKQO0v31V-Tl_V16KzIHyONQHGkfk/s1600/GOPR0007.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Ben in his element</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvt2-bl3SOYvK9SQg3u64J3TNsb-iPwyHhLvr0iTRq1ShVG9A1eOQ3ZCKUCWGbR5V9aiaw7o-t6LVGah92A9S_TiivOR0YAc5E-twSYO2OHFiNTDGPeJbABj5gT9kr7zj_4ipbIbp8Yk/s1600/GOPR0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDvt2-bl3SOYvK9SQg3u64J3TNsb-iPwyHhLvr0iTRq1ShVG9A1eOQ3ZCKUCWGbR5V9aiaw7o-t6LVGah92A9S_TiivOR0YAc5E-twSYO2OHFiNTDGPeJbABj5gT9kr7zj_4ipbIbp8Yk/s1600/GOPR0011.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Great views from the chairlift</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Me giving it my all</span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFkcel06WTozctSpfvqD6nGGObojYL_48iVqKj2f0Jl2HRntNc2PmWB-yWq0_XGRYNtI-hDkjOE3FIo9ox5ImYNUmQRKyYjrtthx8UKUNbg7dconDkBZGm8RlycnmhLhwCMN5Tf796E4/s1600/GOPR0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNFkcel06WTozctSpfvqD6nGGObojYL_48iVqKj2f0Jl2HRntNc2PmWB-yWq0_XGRYNtI-hDkjOE3FIo9ox5ImYNUmQRKyYjrtthx8UKUNbg7dconDkBZGm8RlycnmhLhwCMN5Tf796E4/s1600/GOPR0053.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBT51NDzsfNObi6IIu5GASVHedBULQYSjhM-h-OuFKA9JZl4ELHphf6AvPfC8Kk4pBI4aJDQgY0KLxWCkpKHMKcyBakRuq5Dzl9o8gKttKRGawOfcRZIA-YOFRNFaYyWdiuBWnQwT0pY/s1600/GOPR0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDBT51NDzsfNObi6IIu5GASVHedBULQYSjhM-h-OuFKA9JZl4ELHphf6AvPfC8Kk4pBI4aJDQgY0KLxWCkpKHMKcyBakRuq5Dzl9o8gKttKRGawOfcRZIA-YOFRNFaYyWdiuBWnQwT0pY/s1600/GOPR0054.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdQ309M6rATwK4JGH3Ejr6w_cj8-1W-YtHAcj4wPesweytwN1b-Uko4QXDfHKFPxlXxV11khosSZgnKrf82iJSvrZnTuc31CLxFb1yIFBs4agw_sE18XJIAvW5yK65VIcdVnQ-WN2_8A/s1600/GOPR0068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZdQ309M6rATwK4JGH3Ejr6w_cj8-1W-YtHAcj4wPesweytwN1b-Uko4QXDfHKFPxlXxV11khosSZgnKrf82iJSvrZnTuc31CLxFb1yIFBs4agw_sE18XJIAvW5yK65VIcdVnQ-WN2_8A/s1600/GOPR0068.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Exhausted by the end of the day</span></td></tr>
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<div style="min-height: 13px;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; letter-spacing: 0px;">It was definitely strenuous, I fell more than once (or t</span><span style="letter-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">wice...)</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; letter-spacing: 0px;"> and was absolutely caked in mud by the end of the day but it was also exhilarating and challenging in the best way possible. I was well outside of my comfort zone but, as is usually the case when I find myself there, I enjoyed every minute.</span></div>
Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-9725408735747844242014-07-26T10:21:00.001-07:002014-08-31T09:05:51.207-07:00Mountain Sound<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Although I lived and studied in France for a year, I never made it to the one of the most talked about destinations in the world: The Alps. But then I went traveling in Asia, met a British guy and nearly two years later found myself on holiday with his family at their apartment in Les Saisies, a small town in the heart of the French Alps (which are every bit as beautiful as I had hoped they would be). It's funny how life works out sometimes. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGP6Rj982trCjbgGFiZQsPUP-znGxjf2V9xoShsPsrctYcI4HxQD4bktmAan-skZPDBmlaSA3bw8Lb-QaJduYbp89l80KPuTdMPOonMlhTN_0dZn5jybBaJ9a6_30MpNlOIY0EEoQyCgQ/s1600/P1010556.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGP6Rj982trCjbgGFiZQsPUP-znGxjf2V9xoShsPsrctYcI4HxQD4bktmAan-skZPDBmlaSA3bw8Lb-QaJduYbp89l80KPuTdMPOonMlhTN_0dZn5jybBaJ9a6_30MpNlOIY0EEoQyCgQ/s1600/P1010556.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">View from the apartment</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWDI-Ns9BztYq8eaqA_1uHf4ly0-JI1CDJQWMh-j8a7OzblikQ7QE7-O1-c61GP37AyCibUPsHZHVoPE1tiZVLSKZjYBZfNFM4stCA9xZg6AJpjQ7WEV4xvWjK68URyP9fXb_GJgjCmM/s1600/P1010559.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHWDI-Ns9BztYq8eaqA_1uHf4ly0-JI1CDJQWMh-j8a7OzblikQ7QE7-O1-c61GP37AyCibUPsHZHVoPE1tiZVLSKZjYBZfNFM4stCA9xZg6AJpjQ7WEV4xvWjK68URyP9fXb_GJgjCmM/s1600/P1010559.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Mont Blanc in the distance</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMxhKnw5Nv0qzhiYhXeeEfT4ozHoUTPpZVsDDQwshg2Im9Nm5AlTGfeuMZ89jbKxyeSwVHwJmErfS7K52fNPzrbe3Bat6ldn_brx9mfyLFcrlUijspayjusCfxzD0q3R06GLRYKKnFEI/s1600/P1010560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoMxhKnw5Nv0qzhiYhXeeEfT4ozHoUTPpZVsDDQwshg2Im9Nm5AlTGfeuMZ89jbKxyeSwVHwJmErfS7K52fNPzrbe3Bat6ldn_brx9mfyLFcrlUijspayjusCfxzD0q3R06GLRYKKnFEI/s1600/P1010560.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Home sweet alpine home</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6TO8pE4S1rVUWlD2BS8VtKEiXXrNMH7ZKSNCYMHqZ0P6yHYGAjUl433jUzsLukjOiSkBnaARaUS75i4htgaWC3bJ3MerVbZtsFRltfn4WhRSfK-Dw1Ko9TlazxV-l2AssJXmR_WKCvg/s1600/P1010545.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu6TO8pE4S1rVUWlD2BS8VtKEiXXrNMH7ZKSNCYMHqZ0P6yHYGAjUl433jUzsLukjOiSkBnaARaUS75i4htgaWC3bJ3MerVbZtsFRltfn4WhRSfK-Dw1Ko9TlazxV-l2AssJXmR_WKCvg/s1600/P1010545.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The nearby town of Beaufort</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-mevNcOJ8HKlqeP2WVR8D_oTfYlbx8kZ-ApNfLP83lQMz0aN_or_0yp3w86EQwoDnzImIl34taZWYT-915cunVRfAuw0fiYOuBSd8BSaCkS6eborSok_ADMys6ZC3sxtZHT73j0oDFc/s1600/P1010554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh-mevNcOJ8HKlqeP2WVR8D_oTfYlbx8kZ-ApNfLP83lQMz0aN_or_0yp3w86EQwoDnzImIl34taZWYT-915cunVRfAuw0fiYOuBSd8BSaCkS6eborSok_ADMys6ZC3sxtZHT73j0oDFc/s1600/P1010554.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Huge wheel of Beaufort fromage!</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wHIsbOjjPVWbbSXCK-jffov9PD3fM45hGaeipLNcd4Oczlz41bMZ4QJhQEq9TrtfMXRGNJB4KF4GYwSUvfvtcmRGxt39q_sraV5VQBt3cNJjw757Ag-PNHWp_GdAMgA16yPpMW8B96c/s1600/GOPR0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6wHIsbOjjPVWbbSXCK-jffov9PD3fM45hGaeipLNcd4Oczlz41bMZ4QJhQEq9TrtfMXRGNJB4KF4GYwSUvfvtcmRGxt39q_sraV5VQBt3cNJjw757Ag-PNHWp_GdAMgA16yPpMW8B96c/s1600/GOPR0007.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Lake Annecy</span></td></tr>
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Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-34345395639419219132014-07-23T09:43:00.001-07:002014-07-23T10:03:18.258-07:00Just Beautiful<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Many of you reading this may remember that nearly two years ago, I spent some time teaching English in <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/search/label/Cambodia" target="_blank">Cambodia</a>. While I was there I learned a lot about the country and the host of difficulties that it faces, many of which stem from <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-13006828" target="_blank">three decades of war</a></span><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">. One problem in particular that has been ongoing since the 1960s is that of landmines, incredibly destructive pieces of ordinance that have been buried all around the country and continue to maim and kill hundreds of Cambodians every year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Today, Cambodia has a population of over <a href="http://www.ruralpovertyportal.org/country/home/tags/cambodia" target="_blank">14 million people</a>, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/3259891.stm" target="_blank">40,000 of whom are amputees</a>. Although this is one of the highest ratios in the world, landmine victims receive little to no government support and as a result have extreme difficulty finding work and earning a livelihood, with many resorting to living on the streets and begging. Bel, a Khmer man who is landmine victim himself, understands first-hand just how challenging finding a job can be, and that's why he is working hard to change that.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I met Bel when I was volunteering in Siem Reap back in 2012. He is the founder of <a href="http://kiltjewellery.weebly.com/" target="_blank">KILT, The Khmer Independent Life Team</a>. Founded in 2009, this local NGO is working to provide training and employment opportunities for those impacted by disabilities and/or poverty. Bel employs a handful of Khmer people, some of whom are disabled, and has trained them well in the art of jewellery making. The jewellery is then sold at local hotels and markets. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The money they make goes towards supporting the KILT homestead, which provides shelter and care for not only Bel and his wife/child but also for his group of adult employees <i>and </i>17 children (there were 13 when I was there in 2012 but they have since welcomed a few more!) Some of these children are orphans, several have disabilities and many have parents that live in the countryside and simply cannot afford to care for them and send them to school. Bel ensures that every child attends government school (where they learn subjects like math and science) but also recruits volunteers at KILT who teach the children English when they're not at school (I did most of my volunteering with another organization but spent some time at KILT as well).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Many children's homes in Siem Reap are terribly corrupt <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2012/12/children-are-not-tourist-attractions.html" target="_blank">(I even wrote a blog about it)</a> but this is just not the case with KILT. Tourists are not permitted to come in and just start playing with the kids, as is the case with many children's homes; the children there are raised in a family environment and feel sibling-like bonds with one another (you'd honestly never know they hadn't all been raised together since birth); the children do not have to 'earn' their keep in any way... simply put, Bel has the best interests of the kids at heart which, sadly, is not always the case.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">But here's the thing: During Siem Reap's 'high season' (October-April) the city experiences a huge influx of tourists taking advantage of the dry weather. The rest of the year is considered to be the 'low season' when, due to heavy rains, there are far fewer tourists. While KILT is able to sell a lot of jewellery in the high season, they tend to struggle a bit in the low season. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b><br />
</b></span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>That is the main reason I'm writing this blog</b>: when I visited Cambodia in May of this year, I paid Bel and everyone at KILT a visit. Being that it's the low season I made a (very small) donation to KILT but <b>promised Bel I would write a blog to create a little awareness about the amazing work he's doing</b>. He's apparently having some bank account troubles and is currently unable to receive online donations (though I will be posting another blog with information on how to donate as soon as this issue is resolved) but in the meantime I just wanted to spread the word about an NGO that in my opinion is incredibly worthwhile. 'Bel' actually means 'beautiful' in French and to me, that's exactly what the jewellery Bel makes and the work he does is - beautiful.</span><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>Some photos of KILT on my most recent visit there in May</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><i>* I apologize for the embarrassingly low quality photos, I arrived at KILT sans camera (not so smart) and at dusk, which made for pretty rubbish photos on my iPhone *</i></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhQjGuodz7qSI6PKoV_3XMGdnO8pLBDvC_J6oUaY-mXH1sZXrFhqbFThuTF6y_OY3zX_HXi94CKGu8u4OLVLWHIwi4TFnt626fI78n7cT-dhYErk9L2YaR2l0nxpJgwydarA1VsFrJk0/s1600/IMG_1143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWhQjGuodz7qSI6PKoV_3XMGdnO8pLBDvC_J6oUaY-mXH1sZXrFhqbFThuTF6y_OY3zX_HXi94CKGu8u4OLVLWHIwi4TFnt626fI78n7cT-dhYErk9L2YaR2l0nxpJgwydarA1VsFrJk0/s1600/IMG_1143.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Bottles turned into plant holders - so resourceful! </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujUQ4Gi1KKltUMxHDflCeIdDTMC-CewM6A3_-ZnPnZlM-idEZSYuoze9aC9QW_owJPUmTRKMMKK2AM6x_WWybaNtoNwfd4GSX5jaV3vYEGzN9BYz-yOvsRWQZVFb2U1jDtiTsKKc4Nik/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhujUQ4Gi1KKltUMxHDflCeIdDTMC-CewM6A3_-ZnPnZlM-idEZSYuoze9aC9QW_owJPUmTRKMMKK2AM6x_WWybaNtoNwfd4GSX5jaV3vYEGzN9BYz-yOvsRWQZVFb2U1jDtiTsKKc4Nik/s1600/IMG_1144.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Part of the art studio at KILT</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnJqcsVkK9wUl65gg6b9o8Q1p-PyMaNFmkSn-mHFdIVqWhSd758VABdqvFLIYUov0d0EvL2Bp2pGl4Ta-GvmfxvudKJn64LuAvqKjO5VhKKkn3ilFak5W7xjPwOySzPE8pRO5kDM6YhM/s1600/IMG_1145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfnJqcsVkK9wUl65gg6b9o8Q1p-PyMaNFmkSn-mHFdIVqWhSd758VABdqvFLIYUov0d0EvL2Bp2pGl4Ta-GvmfxvudKJn64LuAvqKjO5VhKKkn3ilFak5W7xjPwOySzPE8pRO5kDM6YhM/s1600/IMG_1145.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Open space where the kids play</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ1h8V6AXwMWgacylszdBqVp_8CnXnOTuzdlpjZPwh8HYOH1szjHxNl4qLfcQ0xZxk3PYBclEEKW79wTF6PAEGkd1E232l4wTtJWPZ8VHqnDQVftvIfGDoO4uQdRalkmTWwbUh9CU4pM/s1600/IMG_1147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZ1h8V6AXwMWgacylszdBqVp_8CnXnOTuzdlpjZPwh8HYOH1szjHxNl4qLfcQ0xZxk3PYBclEEKW79wTF6PAEGkd1E232l4wTtJWPZ8VHqnDQVftvIfGDoO4uQdRalkmTWwbUh9CU4pM/s1600/IMG_1147.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The kitchen</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNKLUrPVvtG0KJ4oSo_WrGaxfPjH7r0MVfE4Mwh7H1sTNNNgfo9C9CKGVUPUWxdrJr5T4r9uEj9zUT2eRZgTqRDY4p43eE8tb7xyzUZbGaEeyskzi3wIdqwWF6SR8eoxABM9tLuZZWk0/s1600/IMG_1148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuNKLUrPVvtG0KJ4oSo_WrGaxfPjH7r0MVfE4Mwh7H1sTNNNgfo9C9CKGVUPUWxdrJr5T4r9uEj9zUT2eRZgTqRDY4p43eE8tb7xyzUZbGaEeyskzi3wIdqwWF6SR8eoxABM9tLuZZWk0/s1600/IMG_1148.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Games with the kids at sunset</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0jhaKHfuQDOOqRt7TvblFvO7nG46K2_oZsC8FkkbvO24qunvT1-lf2eLb2PBS0Rueg2TGmxsbHSa1Gv96uxEOP4lxRJly_n7k5gYWMolK_LaHypwC7fcLHxy5AZQAwg4AkYtdG1T1ZU/s1600/IMG_1151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0jhaKHfuQDOOqRt7TvblFvO7nG46K2_oZsC8FkkbvO24qunvT1-lf2eLb2PBS0Rueg2TGmxsbHSa1Gv96uxEOP4lxRJly_n7k5gYWMolK_LaHypwC7fcLHxy5AZQAwg4AkYtdG1T1ZU/s1600/IMG_1151.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">A group of incredible kids!</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace; font-size: large;">To learn more about...</span><br />
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">- My </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">visit to an active landmine field</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">,</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;"> </span><b><a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2012/11/the-perfect-soldier.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;" target="_blank">click here</a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;"> </span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">- The Khmer Independent Life Team (KILT),<b> <a href="http://kiltjewellery.weebly.com/" target="_blank">click here</a></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">- Bel and the great work he does,</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;"><b> </b></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TQLmmEvJQA" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;" target="_blank"><b>click here</b></a></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: 15px; line-height: 12px; text-align: right; white-space: nowrap;">- Volunteer </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">opportunities at KILT</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">, </span><a href="http://kiltjewellery.weebly.com/volunteering.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;" target="_blank"><b>click here</b></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;"> (or </span><a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/p/contact.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;" target="_blank"><b>contact me</b></a><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; text-align: right;">!)</span></div>
Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-64962911877061138162014-07-09T04:37:00.000-07:002014-07-09T04:37:26.091-07:00Photo Blog: Cool Stuff on the Street in Hamburg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgggyMeCFBSoswodTjQOFQ4ww8bV71Rqeh2-tRUZi29ohLdKj_yEnoSJ66y6OJv9VhJrkxNaWdshpMXGylvuWcNFSBke9hkSEOF4U2T52vIN4CkhZz-8h48AnaOAk1tRn4qRURuQ6Tjw/s1600/P1010490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxgggyMeCFBSoswodTjQOFQ4ww8bV71Rqeh2-tRUZi29ohLdKj_yEnoSJ66y6OJv9VhJrkxNaWdshpMXGylvuWcNFSBke9hkSEOF4U2T52vIN4CkhZz-8h48AnaOAk1tRn4qRURuQ6Tjw/s1600/P1010490.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6R4tSpxh1GbF_1Fo5xc4pGG7tbSH_9F6ehFbxNEFa7RxySk2t4LhP27zdQOiWBTAApEaNuECgoozjn6znlcDY7T1ffEctycGVgR1wSxOZgf8z82PMFRz9htUQ3l_-otS3gn9hU4C-RUg/s1600/P1010439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6R4tSpxh1GbF_1Fo5xc4pGG7tbSH_9F6ehFbxNEFa7RxySk2t4LhP27zdQOiWBTAApEaNuECgoozjn6znlcDY7T1ffEctycGVgR1wSxOZgf8z82PMFRz9htUQ3l_-otS3gn9hU4C-RUg/s1600/P1010439.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-73534920648637242542014-07-06T15:37:00.000-07:002014-07-06T15:42:39.487-07:00Hamburg-ers<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">This past weekend I took the short hour and a half flight it takes to get from Manchester to Hamburg, Germany. The primary reason for going was to see some <a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2014/07/friends-from-afar.html" target="_blank">good friends of mine</a>, so I hand't done too much research about the city itself ahead of time and didn't know what to expect. Although I didn't find Hamburg to be overly exciting from a tourist perspective, I thought the city to be immensely unique with</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> plenty of attractive qualities.</span><br />
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My friends and I explored many different parts of the city but my favourite hands-down was the <i>Sternschanze</i> area, which is where our rented flat was located. It's a vibrant, trendy neighbourhood filled with young people and lined with cafes and boutiques. Hamburg isn't really somewhere I could ever envision myself living but if I were to move there for some reason, I would definitely want to live in </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Sternschanze</span><i style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">.</i><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace; font-size: small; line-height: 18px; text-align: start;">Sternschanze</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Central Park Beach Bar</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">One building you can't miss in the area is the Rote Flora, a renowned derelict building that has been occupied </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">(somewhat controversially) </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">for over 20 years. Groups of people could be seen hanging out or drinking there at any time of the day. I don't know how I would feel if such a place existed in my own backyard but as a tourist I thought it added a lot of character to the area.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Rote Flora </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Another quirky thing about Hamburg was that it was littered with old-fashioned photo booths. Unless they're for taking official passport photos, you rarely find these in Vancouver anymore; I don't think I'd taken a photo in one since I was a young teenager. </span><br />
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</span> <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Of course my friends and I couldn't resist taking a photo!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Hamburg also had plenty of funky (albeit a tad random) street art. Unusual as it might have been, to me it suited Hamburg's personality perfectly.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><br />Overall I thought Hamburg was (for a lack of a better word) a <i>cool </i>city filled with very <i>cool</i> people (called Hamburgers of course!) It didn't strike me as a fascinating destination for tourists, especially when compared with history-rich Berlin but more as a place to be appreciated for its originality and liveability; in those respects I think Hamburg was indeed a wonderful city.</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-21999573087947426072014-07-03T14:40:00.001-07:002014-07-03T15:24:51.957-07:00Friends From Afar<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Back in 2009, I was lucky enough to participate in a university exchange program that allowed me to spend a year living and studying (though I'm not sure I ended up doing much of the latter) in the south of France. As cliche as it may sound, it was one of the best experiences of my life. There are countless perks of studying abroad but my favourite part was getting to meet fellow students from all over the world. I made many friends that year but I became especially close with three girls: Christine (from Austria), Sarah (Morocco) and Hana (Czech Republic).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">From left to right: Hana, Christine, Me, Sarah</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Together we traveled both within France and abroad, grumbled over inefficiencies of the infamous French bureaucracy, learned about each other's countries, lingered in cafes far longer than we probably would have if we'd had any important work to do and watched too many movies on tiny laptop screens (because our low-budget dorms didn't have TVs) squished together on one of our tiny beds (because the aforementioned dorms didn't have common rooms either). Not that I'm complaining - everything about that year was amazing, and these girls were a large part of what made it that way.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">La Grande Place, Brussels</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">After a teary farewell, we were reunited in Canada a little over a year later when the three of them came to visit me in Vancouver. We had an incredibly memorable couple of weeks together catching up and exploring some of beautiful British Columbia. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Cathedral Grove, British Columbia</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Fast forward nearly three years later: the four of us came together again just this past weekend in Hamburg, Germany. It was like no time had passed; I felt like I'd been laughing with these girls only yesterday. While I definitely enjoyed Hamburg as a destination (blog still to come) the highlight of the trip was getting to see some of my dearest friends, ones that I would never have met had I not made the decision to study abroad.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Making friends from all around the globe - yet another reason to travel.</span>Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6016436940845727551.post-16455328814382848072014-07-02T14:34:00.000-07:002014-07-03T14:40:22.717-07:00Canada Day Abroad<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">One thing I've learned from traveling is that no country is perfect. Canada is no exception but generally speaking,</span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;"> I am very </span><a href="http://www.wonderingandwandering1.com/2013/10/our-home-and-native-land.html" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;" target="_blank">proud to be Canadian</a><span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">, and there is no better time to celebrate that pride than on Canada Day (July 1st). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Most people would probably agree that Canada Day is best celebrated on home soil </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">surrounded by your fellow countrymen, </span><span style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">drinking cold beers or watching fireworks. If you're abroad, however, having your boyfriend (who isn't even Canadian) surprise you with an array of typical Canadian food is arguably just as good! Yes, I am speaking from personal experience: yesterday I was completely spoiled with a delicious meal of Kraft Dinner and poutine, with root beer floats and Beaver Tails for dessert. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I look forward to the next July 1st that I'll spend back in Canada but until then,<b> Happy (belated) Canada Day from England!</b></span></div>
Wondering and Wanderinghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07947367981660771536noreply@blogger.com0