Wear your seatbelt

For anyone interested in cycling around Greece - don't do it.

I discovered yesterday that on one lane highways Greeks straddle the bike lanes to allow speed demons to fly through, despite oncoming traffic.

So, 'when in Rome' we straddled away, in our litte VW rental car, all the way to Ancient Olympia.

We were able to find parking because it was the off season and we walked to the site. What a grounding experience. Seeing these ancient sites I'm reminded just how temporary our time on Earth really is.

We came to the Olympic ring. That was my favorite. It's still more-or-less in the same condition it has been for the last thousand years. It's simply a rectangular, sandy space with lime stone markers at either end where runners would have lined up to race.

I took my sandals off and stood ontop of one of the markers, my sister snapped a few photos. I felt connected to one of the oldest human traditions. So much history.

We're staying outside of Patra right now. Touring around the peninsula. We were happy to get out of Athens, but we missed Madonna by a day - shucks.

Today we're off to a rack and pin railway that will take us up a vertical 22 kms up a mountain to a remote village near Korinthos.

In a few days from now we'll fly to Crete. I'm looking forward to this because so far the big city attitude of people here is not really what I had anticipated on. I'm looking forward to the island pace.

I only have photos uploaded from our time at the Acropolis and our day trip to a quaint pedestrian town called Hydra Town.

Enjoy.

Pub lunches and old people

Sadly I'm happiest 40-thousand-feet up when I'm half in the bag. So, I arrived at Heathrow over tired and hung over from drinking too much on the red-eye.

Ceileigh and I found our mom waiting in the pub of the small, family owned hotel in Horley (outside of Gatwick). Mom had just about finished her first shandy and was ready to start on to the next one when we burst on to the scene.

We embraced her in the dimly lit, red cushioned establishment. We'd only been apart for 2 days, but it was a whole other experience 'rendezvousing' in England.

Getting over jet lag was easy this time, minus my nausea all day. We've pub lunched it and pub dinner'd it since we arrived: lamb shank, mash and mushy peas and the ever important scotch on the rocks. Hmm come to think of it, this could be the source to my stomachs discomfort.

We've spent the last day and a half strolling the streets of this London suburb. Waiting for mid-day Wednesday to roll around. Tomorrow we leave from Gatwick to travel to Athens.

Loose ends.

Passport - check.
Hike sack packed with clothes for 3 seasons - check.
Malaria medication - check.
Journal - check.

The list runs on and on. But I'm pretty sure I have everything I'll need for the next four months.

I'm in Vancouver now staying with my dad who will take my sister and I to the airport later this afternoon.

This has been a day I've counted down to for over 2 years now. I knew I wanted to travel after university. I just wasn't sure what it would all look like (ie. who I'd go with, where we'd go, how we would get there.) But it's all come to fruition and I couldn't be more grateful.

Today we'll meet up with my cousin who is moving to Australia, but he'll be travelling with us to Greece for the first leg of his trip. So, needless-to-say there will be a family send off that we'll be apart of. Stiff drinks are a must. Not because of the family time, but because of the looming flight take off. I'm not a very good flyer.

Mom is taking a flight before us. We're meeting in London. She's given us precise directions as to where to find her... a bar stool, in a pub, over a few pints. hmmm thanks mom that makes it easy.

So I'll let you know just how that turns out.

Waves goodbye

The chapter in Prince Rupert came to a close today. Our goodbye came before sunrise with a foggy mist lifting on the harbour.

It was a goodbye to a town that has taught me so much about myself. But this was also the moment I had to say goodbye to my boyfriend. We stood in the middle of lane 2 at the ferry terminal. We stood clutching each other just before I had to drive on board the ferry. I tried to take in every second. We’ll be apart for a month. Not long, but it feels long right now. Our reunion will be just as public, Heathrow Airport. At that time we’ll begin our adventure together.

My sister flew up to our hometown to meet me and make the long trip down south with me. She was there at the ferry terminal with me as I said my early morning goodbyes to Brandon.

Our day began at 4:30 a.m.

It’s much later now and I’m tired.

I’m sitting at the bow of the ship and being gently rocked back and forth as our ferry enters the open waters of Queen Charlotte Sound.

There are a lot of elderly German tourists onboard; they’re a constant source of entertainment - so expressive.

The voyage began over 17 hours ago. Needless to say I’m about ready to get off.

We should be docking in an hour and then we’ll drive to Port McNeill where we’ll stay the night. Tomorrow we’ll continue down the island. It’s a big island.

The rest of my week is trip prep time. Because the count down has begun, yes that’s right 5 days till take off.

On Sunday my sister, cousin and I will be flying from Vancouver to London where we’ll meet up with my mom. From there we’ll get over the jet leg near Gatwick and then two days later fly to Athens.

It all feels a bit unreal at this stage in the game. With me still at home base, well just about back at home base.

This 4-month-long time away will be good for me. I can’t wait.

But right now I’m going a bit stir crazy on board this epic trip along the Inside Passage, aboard a ferry when at this time at night everyone is talking in whispers.

Fast paced, but slow moving West Coast.

What day is it, again?

I thought everything was supposed to slow down in my life after I arrived.

I made a list before I moved of all the things I wanted to accomplish in this small town. So far, I've only been able to cross off 3 of the 10 'summer to-dos'. Sad, but true.

My days are taken up with the current affairs news show I'm working on for the summer: booking interviews, live news and weather breaks and connecting with members of my community and northern region of B.C.

The first news break I had to do was about 3 weeks ago. I sat in the chair in front of the tech board. My jaw began to shake uncontrollably. My mouth went dry. I looked up at the clock, I had 40 secs to go.

All I had to do was hit play on the chime and turn my mic on.

I felt like my mind had drawn a complete blank. All that I could think about was the strength of the thumping in my chest. If there had been another person in the studio with me I'm positive they would have been distracted by the rapid noise my heart seemed to be making.

Click, switch, speak: It was that easy.

But, in my mind I pictured the thousands of listeners across all of Northern B.C. who would hear this minute and a half long break, yeah just a minute and a half what was I freaking over?

Like a hound at the gate, the second hand hit the 12 and I was off! Away on the news break races.

Never fear, this has a simple but positive ending. I finished my first news break with no major hitch. Although, my knees wouldn't stop shaking afterwards.

So, that's how I spend my days.

My evenings are completely different.

I throw on a clean black apron and clip my hair back and nestle my feet into a pair of comfortable rocketdogs and head down to the best known place to eat in town.

People come from very, very far away to eat here. There are only 11 tables and we're booked solid just about every night. The chef's mandate seems to be: fresh, local and personable. There are no airs, but the food is better than anything you'd find in Vancouver.

I've served everyone from European families on holidays, fishermen needing a break from their galleys and multi-billionaires in from their private yacht. Everyone eats side by side and excuses themselves as they have to squeeze past through the tightly placed tables.

It's a great place to make a bit of money for my trip (2 months to go) and meet some interesting people.

My weekends are spent as a tourist in my own town.

Brandon and I try to get out and see what we can, while staying as active as possible.

This past weekend the North Pacific Cannery was our must see location. It was a working cannery up until the mid 70's. My mom spent a summer filleting fish there.

It's now a museum that is always very quiet on dreary days. We chose to see it on the dreariest of summer days. We wanted to see it in it's truest of states.

Little buddies.

Making friends in a new town can sometimes be a hard thing to do, but with these two little beings first impressions definitely don't matter. We became instant friends.



My uncle has always had West Highland Terriers. He had two when I used to live just up the road. As a little girl I would come down to his house and spend rainy Sunday afternoons dressing them up and pretending they were royalty who were magically stuck in the bodies of little, white dogs.

Today now that I'm my uncle's tenant for the summer I get to play with his dogs again. They aren't the same ones I grew up with, but they're no less adorable.

This is the old girl, Tempest. When ever anyone resembling a human comes near she flops on her back, ordering you to give her a belly rub. She has no shame.



Now this wee man is, Jaques. He's the puppy and he won't let you forget it. My time off work has permitted me time to work on his naughty behaviour. If anyone out there has any tricks to inspire him to NOT piddle on the dishwasher it would be greatly appreciated. But lordy, he's cute.



The neighbour's black and white cat, Dumpy, is the dog's best friend. Strange, I know. So, it's the four of us holding the fort: Jaques, Tempest, Dumpy and me.

A sexy town?

I was one of the many that went to see Sex and the City on the first night that it arrived on the big screen.

Carla and I went together. We paid our $7.75 and had our purses full of grocery store snacks. It was a date.

The theatre was surprisingly empty for the late show of this movie that had received so much media hype. It didn't really matter because I was hyped.

It was my time to escape back to the time that I spent in the big city, meeting up with friends for martinis at midnight. Life here on the sleepy coast is much different.

We settled into our seats and giggled with excitement. We'd both been looking forward to this girly date.

A large group of girls settled right behind us. At first this didn't seem like an issue. I figured the theatre would soon be full of women and it would become a fabulous estrogen fest for two glorious hours.

But no, they had to start it all off by cracking beers, which they spilled everywhere. They grew ever more intoxicated as the film rolled on.

These 'ladies', (yes I'm being sarcastic) got louder and louder with each round that they chugged.

"What the fuck is she wearing?"

"Yeah that looks like something Napolio would wear. Wait, what's that guy's name?"

"Napoleon."

"Yeah him."

"It's cochur."

(I think this one meant couture, but didn't know how to pronounce the word)

"Whatever, it looks like shit."

So, yes, not in the same order, but this is definitely a conversation that took place within ear shot of the entire audience.

I also loved the part when there would be a same-sex love smooch and these 'ladies' would cry out in disgusted horror. Nice.

Okay, I sound like I'm mocking them. I just want to point out that it's easy for these two very different worlds to scoff at one another. Rural versus urban. At this time I'm in a place where I can standup for either side. I enjoy aspects of both worlds. I guess I'm a rurban. Oh that's bad, but you know what I mean.

This town may be the farthest thing from martinis at midnight, but it has an element of sexiness that not even Queen Street West nor the Brooklyn Bridge can top.

The sun setting across the harbour, behind Digby Island, the scene of a weather worn fishing vessel slow up her pace as she nears the marina. Kayaking along the shoreline to look up and see the old train station that seems to have stood since the beginning.

It's not just through rose coloured glasses that you can see beauty in this town. It's romantic and ruggedly sexy.