Canadia

I just drove one of my favourite highway drives on my way to my parents place. It is a nicely twinned highway with with big beautiful blue skies, fields and forests, and lots of familiar sights. It was made even better by the fact it is the Friday before the Canada Day long weekend so the radio station was doing an all CanCon request show. So driving down a beautiful Alberta highway listening to a stunning variety of Canadian music on a perfect Canadian summer day. Fantastic. And tied so perfectly into what has been on my mind lately - what does it mean to be Canadian? More specifically what does it mean to be Canadian when not living in Canada?

Becoming Canadian is easy. I know people who are first generation in this country and consider themselves fully Canadian. I called my mother (who was born in California and moved here in her pre-teen years) the other day to ask her if she considered herself Canadian or American - the answer was Canadian.  Many countries in the world are not so opening, and many identities not so easily adopted. But if it is that easy to become Canadian, what does it really mean?

The stereotypes abound of course, and I actually love them. The polite, line-waiting, sorry-saying people we are supposed to be. Living in igloos (I should point out it is 27C as I write this and any ice would melt in moments) and driving dog-sleds. Though my grandfather really did do dog sledding at one point so that's a little true in my personal history. Beer drinking and campfire loving outdoorsmen & women. Environmentalists yet destroying the environment. Oil and water and mining and marijuana (at least if you ask about BC) and rodeos and cities and mountains and rivers and lakes. Country bars and ethnic restaurants and dance clubs and raves. Everything all in one. 

While travelling in the UK I was often asked what part of the States I was from. My answer of "the Canada part" was generally received with comments on how my accent was just that tiny bit different and discussion of how much Canada and Canadians are liked. Or Canadia from some people. My friend was told by one person that they had the "golden ticket" because they have a Canadian passport.  But why?

By the way - if you are hoping I will eventually give you an answer you should stop reading now. My brain is aswirl with questions, not with answers. I don't know if I will ever figure this out, though I am curious what you all think.

At the end of the day all that I know is that I am proud to be Canadian, even if I hate how the politics is going and the decisions being made. I'm proud to be Albertan even though I have always disliked the politics and disagreed with a lot of what happens. We saw the best of Alberta in the last couple weeks, the best of Canada, as we dealt with disasters. It made me even more proud. Whatever it means I will celebrate being Canadian as much as I can on Monday and take in as much of Canada Day as I can since I get on a plane a week later. 

As this has been wordy I am going to finish with some pictures of the beautiful places I have been in this country:

Episode Recap: London Day 2

Continuing with my recap of our last week. Now onto our second day in London, Wednesday. 

We started the day by taking a train to London Bridge Station and grabbing a greasy breakfast before beginning the touristing. We walked over to the Tower of London, enjoying some beautiful views on the way. 

I will admit to some ignorance - I had always imagined the Tower of London to be a single building. One tower. I was very wrong. We went on a wonderful guided tour and learned a lot about the history of the place. If you have not been there are many buildings, many walls, and a lot of really interesting stuff. I could have spent days just going through all the buildings and exhibits. Instead we did the tour, and then went to see the Crown Jewels. Alas there is no photography in that exhibit so I have no pretty pictures of sparkly stuff for you. I do have a few pictures from the Tower though (more on my camera but those can't be posted until I get home)

Wait... Why a raven? I am glad you asked! If you didn't know, the Tower is required to keep at least 6 ravens all the time. There is tradition that says if the ravens were to leave the crown would fall. 

We walked back to London Bridge and across it (we didn't do the Tower Bridge because we weren't sure how to get there but knew our way back the way we had come) to explore some of the tourist stuff on the south side of the Thames. The first of our destinations was The Clink - another jail museum. This one was much more dramatized and gory, but really interesting. It dates back earlier, to a time when prisoners weren't even provided food but had to get from their families or beg through the gate. It would have been a horrible place to be chained up. 

Next we went to The Globe. The reconstructed theatre was being used for a performance so we couldn't tour it, but instead we did a tour focused on the archaeological site hidden under London where they have discovered the original Rose Theatre. It was built earlier than the Globe and was where Shakespeare started. It was found during the reconstruction if the Globe, so a lot of the information used was actually based on the Rose. It is quite neat. We also went to the true original site of the Globe, a few blocks from the new one. Sadly I think I forgot about my phone, as all the photos of this adventure are on my camera instead. 

We wandered around a bit more. I was getting pretty tired and my body was telling me it needed a break, so other than wandering across the Millenium Bridge (where we saw a street performer I quite enjoyed and tipped)

we went back to the suburb. We grabbed some dinner at the Turkish restaurant we had discovered on Monday and then went to get some rest. 

Finishing with a photo: taken from the walk along Bankside. 

Episode Recap: London Day 1

We have had less wifi access and more craziness, so blogs stopped happening. I now know what people mean when they talk about travelling being stressful, but I have learned a lot about myself and had some remarkable experiences. I have also fleshed out my knowledge of history, experienced incredibly beauty and fallen deeply in love with a place.

Let's go back a bit and recap our last week, day by day. I will start with our first day in London (Tuesday, June 11).

We both slept in after a hectic and stressful travel the day before (me from Cleethorpes, her from Cardiff and Bath). We caught the train to central London and went to find the place to pick up our London Passes. On the way we came across Trafalgar Square. We stopped to say hi to the lions before continuing on our way.

Once we picked up our passes we started to follow the directions they gave us to the free hop-on, hop-off boat tour we got with it. However on the way we came across Westminster Abbey and decided to go in. 

You are not allowed to take pictures in the Abbey as it is a sacred place and still used for services. I can completely respect that. It was beyond beautiful, and so much interesting history packed into a single building. I could feel the power and energy trapped in those stones. I got to pay homage to Newton and Darwin which I was happy about. 

I did take a couple photos in the Cloisters, where it was allowed again. So beautiful.

We had a nice little lunch in the Abbey cafe, where we talked with some very nice Australians. They were really interesting, and it was lovely to meet them. 

After we left the Abbey we walked over to the Churchill War Rooms and Churchill Museum. This is the complex of tunnels and rooms built under London where the war effort was run from during WWII. It was incredibly interesting, and I thought of my dad a lot. He would love to see those. We also went into the Churchill Museum, all about the man. It is an incredible museum with video, interactive screens, audio, manipulatives, and more. It was great, though I went into sensory overload after a while. 

When we finished it was time for Evensong, the evening prayer service at the Abbey performed by their world famous choir. We went back for the service as Jenny loves choral music. I had been unsure if I would join, but I am really glad I did. It was a beautiful service and again a very powerful and moving experience. 

After that we headed back to the suburb where we were renting out a flat for the few days through Air B & B. We had dinner at a fancy restaurant nearby and then went in for the night. 

Jen and Linden in the UK Chapter 4 - now with actual UK + Everything is happening!

Alright, life is crazy and so much is going on! 

I am on a very late running train back to London after my detour to the North, so have some time to just sit and write. Though I am a bit distracted by my own anxiety about having no way to reach Jenny to let her know what has happened unless she logs onto wi-fi somehow. Note to all: always have a backup plan if you separate while travelling! Eep!

Last I wrote we were in Cork and had fun being in gaol. So much has happened since then. Friday we took the train back to Dublin. After dropping bags with Madeline again we went off to explore. The National Museum in Dublin is in separate buildings, but the Archaeology and History part is quite near where we were, so we went there. It was really neat, with lots of interesting displays. The gold necklaces from the late Bronze Age were absolutely unbelievable. The artefact I found the most connection with however was the Tara Brooch: 

After much learning and admiring we went back to Saint Stephen's Green and hung out until Madeline was done. Back at her place we had a really nice dinner and some time to relax - greatly appreciated. 

(Not all in the household were as happy to have us as Madeline - but would sneakily investigate cell phones anyway!)

After a while we decided to go explore Phoenix Park. It is an amazingly huge park in Dublin. It is so big that inside of it are multiple sports grounds, the Dublin Zoo, the President's house, the American Ambassador's house, and more. It is beautiful, with so many different things it is hard to capture in images or even words. At times it was quite manicured and pretty, at other times quite rural looking and refreshingly wild. Quite the place. 

On Saturday we flew to Cardiff. Since we had no change we decided to get a cab to our hostel which ended up being quite an ordeal - there is only one place to get a cab and it was a long queue. We waited about half an hour before getting a cab which we shared with another lady. That being said we still got to our hostel well before check in time. Luckily we were able to leave our bags there and go explore. After grabbing lunch in a very nice little sandwich shop (with a very helpful owner!) we caught a bus down to Cardiff Bay. It is beautiful! I, as a huge Doctor Who fan, had to stop and get my picture taken in front of Millenium Centre. 

After that we walked down the bay admiring the view and all the little sights along it. I decided to go through the Doctor Who Experience nearby after debating with myself for a while. I won't go into details about it here, but it was definitely worth the time and money! If you are a Whovian I will go on about it to you at a later time. I will share this though:

Eeee! Me and the TARDIS!

Okay. Away from my nerdiness and back to the travelling.

After walking about a bit more we headed back to our hostel. It was pretty nice for a hostel, and the owners were very good. I particularly liked that there was a cat! I miss my girly. We spent a little time decompressing in our room before heading out to grab dinner. Cardiff is very beautiful, and the city centre area we were in was really neat. It gets pretty wild on a Saturday night though! (Don't worry, we just saw the beginnings on our way back to the hostel where we read and went to bed early like good children!)

I guess this brings me to Sunday. This is when Jenny and I separated for a while - me up to Cleethorpes, her staying in Cardiff and then doing Bath today. My adventures in Cleethorpes are a whole separate story so I think I will write about them later. For now I am going to post this and then go back to worrying about if we will successfully meet back up or not. 

Love you all! 

L

Random pictures: 

Jen and Linden in the U.K. But not yet because we are really in Ireland Chapter III Scary Stuff

I had a blast today! I hope Jenny did too. We definitely had to face some fears. 

This morning we had a fantastic breakfast at our B&B.  I particularly loved the homemade scones with marmalade, but they were nice enough to give me some eggs for protein. I love this place! Even after the difficulty yesterday!

After breakfast we caught the bus to the main station where we boarded another bus out to Blarney. We were nice and early so the bus was almost empty. I love the Cork buses because they actually give you change. 

(A street in Blarney village near where the bus stopped)

We walked up to Blarney Castle to explore. The grounds were amazing, with lots of pretty bridges and flowers and trees and such. 

(Me and one of those bridges)

We got to the Castle just after it opened. I am really glad we did as it got very crowded later in the day. The castle was really interesting - very cramped. I read a lot of books set in castles (possibly really cheesy romantic fiction but who's to say for sure?) and this sure changed my visualization! I took tons and tons of pictures, but those are on the other camera and can't be uploaded via wi-fi at this time. 

The scary stuff started in the castle. Particularly in the stairwells. The stairs were narrow, windy, and rather nerve-wracking. Also slippery from being walked so much. I kept thinking back to a sign near the door saying that if you felt they were narrow you should remember that Winston Churchill did them and figured if he could then I could. I'm not a particular fan of heights however so as it kept getting higher and higher my nerves got louder and louder. Eventually we reached the top and the next scary thing - kissing the Blarney Stone. I didn't get a great picture on my camera so paid for the official pictures of me doing this, and took a photo of that photo on the iPad. I think the expression in the first one tells you pretty well how I was feeling:

It is definitely not for the faint of heart!

After walking back down a separate set of crazy stairs (Jenny found these easier, I found them worse because I could see how far there was to fall) we explored the grounds more. First we checked out the caves beneath the castle, which were really neat. Then we went into the Rock Close to see waterfalls, the Wishing Steps, and many many things about witches or Druids. I thought of my mum a lot, I think she would like that part. Then we went for the forty-five minute Lake Walk, though somehow we ended up on the Woodland Walk trail by following my fabulous navigating skills. Eventually we found our way back to the castle and the little cafe where we grabbed lunch. 

After bussing back to Cork, doing a little splurge shopping, and resting in our room we headed out for dinner at a great little place called Liberty Grill. It was scrumptious. We then set out to walk to the Cork City Gaol museum. We we running a little late, so ended up trying to walk quite quickly. Which was alright until we got to the other side of the river and it was all uphill. I was grateful for all the running I have done lately, I probably wouldn't have made it up those hills otherwise. 

(The back view of the Gatehouse)

The museum tour was great. The building itself was beautiful, and just a bit creepy. I love the history of jails - I hope to do at least two more historic ones on this trip! I highly recommend the Night Tour here if you are ever in Cork. Really interesting stuff. 

The view of the jail building itself from the Gatehouse. 

One thing I am certain of is that if I ever gain access to time travel I do not want to end up incarcerated in Cork in the 1800s. 

We are now back in our room and resting up for tomorrow's train back to Dublin and some more adventuring there. If I am lucky I might even get to another jail tomorrow!

Jen and Linden in the U.K. Chapter II: Tainted Love

Tainted love because we heard that song on the street and it got stuck in our heads. Also because that is how I feel about Cork right now. I love it, but there is a sight taint.

Really that taint is caused by our own having made assumptions and not knowing. 

This morning we got up right as Madeline and Mark were leaving for work. We got ready under the supervision of the shy kitty cat, and headed out towards Heuston Station. 

That's us ready for a new day's adventure in our recently purchased to protect us from the sun hats. 

The shortcut that we were given led us through a beautiful park past Kilmainham Gaol and the Dublin Museum of Modern Art. It was a very lovely walk!

I loved the train we were on. Especially since it has good wi-fi. I tried to get some pictures on the way. My regular camera was too slow, but I managed a couple on the phone:

We got to Cork around 1:30 and got a bus to the University area (the driver was really nice!) We started walking to find our B&B, and discovered it was quite a bit further down the road than we had expected. After starting to wonder if we had missed it or something we found it, it was probably about 2:30 at this time. We knew it was too early to check in, but thought we could leave our bags here while we went to explore. Wrong! There was no one around until check in time. That was the assumption that got us into tainted territory. 

Hiving time to kill and being stuck with our suitcases we walked back down the way we had come to grab some food. I remembered walking past a couple places, but when we got to them none were open. After three or four places being mysteriously closed we saw a place that seemed open and headed that way. We checked out the lunch menu posted outside and it looked delicious. So in we went to get seated, to be met by a rather perplexed host as we were too late for the lunch service (it ended at 2:30, this was 2:50) but ten minutes early for the "snack" service. Maybe there are restaurants at home that do this (different menus and closing in between or being only open for one meal a day), but I am used to places being open all afternoon. Hence being confused by all these places being closed in the mid-afternoon.

I was pretty grumpy by this time, so ate something far less healthy than I should have (though there wasn't a lot in the way of healthy options.) Once I had food and tea in me I felt a million times better.

We walked back to our B&B (the walk seemed much shorter this time!), stopping to take some pictures along the way. The place is really nice and cozy, and the owner seemed quite friendly and sweet. 

(University College Cork grounds)

After resting for a couple hours we went and roamed around the city center area. We figured out our trip to Blarney tomorrow and night a nice dinner at a "family restaurant". I took a few pictures on the way back on my camera, but also two on my phone: a panorama (my new favourite toy!) of one of the streets, and a church that snuck up on us. I would love to share these, but my phone and ipad are refusing to share sadly. If they load at some point I will sneak them in to another post. 

Tomorrow is Blarney Castle (I fully intend to kiss the stone, even having heard horror stories of local teens) and then a night tour through the Gaol/Radio museum. Should be pretty great!

Jen and Linden in the U.K.

If you watch Community I highly recommend singing that title to the Troy and Abed in the Morning song. I may have watched an episode on the plane and gotten it stuck in my head.

It is a beautiful, sunny Irish morning as I write this. Strange. We heard many times yesterday how lucky we were to have arrived to nice weather as it is usually rainy or at least grey.

Yesterday was a very long day. For me it was about 30.5 hours of waking time. Jenny was longer since she didn't sleep in until five minutes before we we supposed to leave (we calculated her as 32 hours). For the most part it was a great long day.

As I said I slept in. Luckily my suitcase was all packed, and my carry-on bag was ready to go. I threw it together, threw on clothes, and got down to the taxi in record time. I have yet to notice anything that I forgot, but the trip just started.

There was a short bit of terror at the airport when they couldn't find our Calgary to Amsterdam flight. We booked through my credit card rewards thing and apparently when there was a change to the flight they forgot to rebook us. Westjet was able to fix it and all was good (this is why I love Westjet!)

We grabbed some breakfast and then caught our flight to Calgary. Then we had a four hour layover. At some point we grabbed lunch. At another point we explored a bookstore for in-flight entertainment. I believe it was somewhere in there that we took this.

Look how fresh and not exhausted we look!

The flight to Amsterdam was long of course, but I was quite impressed with KLM. It was good, other than not being able to sleep (every time I got close the kids a few rows up would squawk and wake me up again). 

By later in the travelling we were much less fresh and much more exhausted.

But after a short (and very frustrating due to the lack of efficient queuing despite many Canadians in the crowd!) stopover in Schiphol we caught our last flight to Dublin. I think this is when I finally got a tiny bit of sleep - drifting in and out as we made our way over. 

When we arrived in Dublin we caught an aircoach to go meet Madeline at work. It was so great to see an old friend! For those of you who know her and are wondering she is just as great as ever. We left our bags with her and went off to explore. We wandered around where she works (central Dublin, near St. Stephen's Green) and spent money we really shouldn't have. It was wonderful. After a while we made our way back to her work and the three of us grabbed lunch (yay Salad!) and ate it in the green. 

After lunch we walked back up to Trinity College.

We went to the Book of Kells exhibit. It was amazing. Far more beautiful than I had realized (and my expectations were high!). It was well curated - enough information that I felt I was learning, but not so much that I would stop reading. I was very impressed. 

What I did not expect was how amazing The Long Room was. It is a giant library room that was built to accommodate a desire to have a copy if every book in the Isles held at Trinity. It is a beautiful room filled with old books and busts of historic figures. It is my version of heaven. I did take some really neat pictures but they are on my camera, not my phone, so I can't post them yet. Sorry!

After that we walked back, spent some more time in the park, and picked up Madeline. After a short freshening up we joined her and some friends for dinner at a Tapas Bar for their book club. The food was delicious, and the company good. However we were very sleepy and kept almost falling asleep. 

After a refreshing night in Madeline's lovely apartment (with a very shy kitty that I have now seen twice but am yet to truly meet) we are preparing for our train ride down to Cork. I am sure we will have more to share later!

I will finish with some lovely photos of our retreat from yesterday - St. Stephan's Green