I'm home - reflections

Greetings all,

For those of you who are still wondering, I am home now (as of last Friday) and have thankfully not hit the ground completely running, as with previous trips.

As I've begun to meet up with people back here, I've been posed the question several times, "So, what was the best/most memorable/greatest part of your trip?" That's a hard question to answer, as i feel that the trip was broken up into three distinct parts - New York, Ontario/Quebec, and the Maritimes.

so for those of you who are still reading, and care to continue reading, i'll answer the question...if not for your sake, then for my own personal reflection.

New York (& Philly for one day!)
-visiting Ground Zero, the site of 9/11 and the memorial with Bon
-Phantom of the Opera
-sitting in countless cathedrals
-finding the RESTAURANT from Seinfeld
-walking Central Park and the Brooklyn Bridge
-the entire day in Philly with Bon and Pri...priceless

Ontario/Quebec
-driving around the Niagara region with Greg
-touring Parliament Hill en francais
-rediscovering my love for maple syrup along the banks of the St. Lawrence
-singing David Archuletta's "Crush" at midnight while on the streets of Montreal while walking back to our hostel...and belting out Barenaked Ladies en route to Montreal from QC with Justine
-blues at a pub

Maritimes
-the wintery drive from Moncton to Halifax with Darrell, Cheryl and Collin
-watching Trade with my bro
-chilling at Shawn's grampie's sugar woods
-playing with my beautiful nephew first thing in the morning
-spending time with Nannie Murray

But if i were to answer the question for the trip as a whole, i would have to say that the best part of the trip was reconnecting with old friends and meeting new ones. A thread that weaves thru out each leg of the trip was the time i spent with people. Having candid and honest conversations about life, love, sharing our fears, our hopes, our dreams, laughing until we cried, and then reflecting about how we're all just on this journey of life trying to figure it out..but knowing that amidst all the things we don't know...that love always wins. it may not seem, feel, or even look like it with all the atrocities that happen everyday in this world, but im convinced of it...and i was refreshed to know that these people feel the same way too.

i know, i know...i sound like a cheeseball... but sometimes, cheese is just so good.

Friends are those rare people who ask how you are and then wait for the answer. ~Author Unknown

Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art.... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. ~C.S. Lewis

as always, thanks for journeying with me.

until next time,
dL

Moncton, New Brunswick

greetings all,

what a packed day it was today! im so tired, i'll have to give you the quick version.

this morning, the city slickers Darrell and I spent the morning and early afternoon with Cheryl's good friend Shawn at his grandfather's maple sugar woods!! walking in to grampie's property was a completely different world that was so intriguing to us both. when i had learned yesterday evening that his grampie had a sugar shack...i KNEW i just had to ask if i could visit...i have missed out on TWO possible tours of maple sugar shacks during my trip (one in Niagara cos it just closed, and the other in Quebec City which lasted less than 5 minutes and was NOT a tour at all!). if i was going to have a truly Canadian experience, this was it...tapping a maple tree, and eating maple syrup. so off we went...

we walked into a small cabin where we met grampie and grandma, along with a few of their friends chatting around the woodstove. according to Shawn, making maple syrup is now more of a social gathering for grampie and his friends than it is a passion anymore. tapping season (when you insert little "taps" into a maple tree, and collect the sap in a bucket) takes place usually for about a month and a half...during Mar-Apr. as the sap drips into the buckets, they are then transfered into giant evaporators that boil away the moisture, eventually leaving you with a rich, dark syrup...all natural! everything about his place was made with care. we walked around parts of the 400 acres of land that grampie owns, and eventually found ourselves back at the cabin for lunch. mmm...all cooked over the wood stove from the time we arrived, till about 2.5 hours later was mashed potatoes, turnip, carrots, and sweet and sour pork. delicious.

[sap, collecting in a bucket. don't mind the police tape...there's no crime scene here! :)]

[the evaporating room, where all the goodness takes place]

[frozen sap, removed from the buckets, waiting to be boiled]

[frozen sap sitting in the boilers. 40 gallons of sap = 1 gallon of syrup...sap looks like water]

[i can't rotate this pic, but this is grampie giving us a sip of the sap...straight from the tree!! it was so delicious...similar to sugar cane water, but with a hint of maple!]

[i love this sign...it's such a canadian icon, like the cbc, lol]

[in the cabin, chatting and hanging out]

[check out the wicked old skool wood stove!]

[mmm, lunch]

after lunch, we dropped Darrell back at the house, and Shawn and I made our way to the Hopewell Rocks, as well as Cape Enrage. unfortunately, the tide was not low enough for us to walk down along the rocks, but i hope to do so upon my next return.

[ha...ha?]

[when the tide is low, you can walk under and around the rocks! note the muddy water...it's very muddy there]


[Cape Enrage - i later found out that Cheryl used to work here helping out with sea kayaking]

[cliffs...one thing i wanted to see you here were cliffs! :)]

after my time with Shawn, we booted it over to Nannie's for dinner, then Cheryl's sister's in-laws, and then Tracy and Josh (sister and husband). Such a social night...so tired...but soo great! :) visiting in people's homes has become my new favourite thing!

ok, so that wasn't as short as i thought it would be. it was such a good day. yet again, it was beautiful weather, good food, and great people that made my full day in Moncton and unforgettable one.

dL

Halifax, Nova Scotia

hey all,

my first evening in Moncton was spent visiting with Cheryl's parents, and then also with her paternal grandmother affectionately known as Nannie. it was so great to see everyone again. visiting with Nannie was really special as this was her first time meeting her new great grandson, Collin. i was quite move seeing Cheryl's 90 year old grand mother interact with 11 week old Collin. it was truly precious.

the next morning, Darrell, Cheryl, Collin and i made our way out the Halifax, Nova Scotia. What was supposed to be a 2 hour drive turned into a 4 hour drive as we were hit pretty heard on the border of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia with a big dump of snow. i've never seen snow like this before. thankfully, we were warm in the car, and not in a hurry...we also had the luxury of following behind two snow plows that paved the way for us partially. We made our way for lunch at a well known restaurant, Jane's on the Common, and had a fantastic meal. Our bed and breakfast was less than a block away in a beautiful Victorian house. After unpacking and settling in a bit, we attempted to make our way to the Alexander Keith's Brewery only to learn that tours were closed during the winter season - boo! We wandered downtown for a bit and popped into a few neat little stores and eventually met up with Cheryl's step sister, Rachel, who lives in Halifax. We had delicious wood fired pizza at Morris East, also a well-known restaurant in Halifax. It was great reconnecting with her as the last time we all saw her was at Darrell and Cheryl's wedding in 2007.

[residential area near our bed and breakfast]

The next day, we woke up the gorgeous weather and knew that we had to go to Peggy's Cove, home the most photographed Lighthouse in the world. one word to describe the visit - WINDY!! It was breathtaking all at the same time with the rocks, ocean and houses. it was a view i had in my mind of what the Maritimes would look like! :)

[look at how dark blue the water is, i love it!!]

[lobster traps!]

Our time in Halifax was short, but i enjoyed it. Yet again, a great visit to a city has been marked by amazing food, great people, and beautiful scenery.

[ate lunch before heading back to Moncton at "Darrell's Restaurant" - spelled the same way as our Darrell :)]

[CUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE! my little nephew, Collin]

dL

Montreal

greetings all,

Montreal was a blast! If there is another major Canadian city i could live in, Montreal would be it! Food, music, culture, transit - it's all good :)

From Quebec City, Justine and i sang our way all the way to Montreal (about 2.5-3 hours away) to many Canadian favourites including the Barenaked Ladies, Great Big Sea, and Celine Dion.

Over the 2 days we were in Montreal, we strolled thru Old Montreal, shopped in the Le Plateau District, saw the view from Mount Royal, and dined on numerous occasions in the Latin Quarter, a few blocks from our hostel. On our last day, we were able to reunite with another friend from our trip to Tanzania, Brad. With him was his new wife, Emily. It was a lovely afternoon of catching up and laughing our heads off over crepes and chocolate fondue.

[view of Clock Tower from Old Montreal, along St. Lawrence River]

[Bonsecour Marche...check out the frozen canal!]

[Rue St. Paul, oldest street in Montreal]

[fleur de lys]

[Notre Dame, a replica of the real thing in Paris]

[does anybody know what this street symbol is for? it was along a street, posted on the sidewalk, and Justine and i had no idea what it meant!]

[Justine about the devour a veggie poutine. We hunted down a place known for its 23 varieties of poutine...a delicious combo of greasy goodness]

[what can i say, we loved the Latin Quarter...we were even able to check out a blues/jazz band in a pub one evening!]

[view from Mount Royal]


[famous smoked montreal meat sandwiches...so tender...so good...so much for me being a vegetarian!]

[moi, Brad, Emily & Justine]

it was short - too short...and i certainly will be back!

dL

Quebec City

Hello all,

I arrived this morning by train in Moncton, New Brunswick and have now managed to find some time to share about my time in Quebec City. Ottawa was the "passing off point" where Greg left, and I met up my other friend, Justine, who I first met in 2004 during a trip to Tanzania. After exploring Ottawa for the day, we got a good night's rest and were on the road by 730am the next day.

As a city that birthed the nation of Canada, QC was a step back in time (and perhaps somewher in Europe!) where I found myself wondering if I was still indeed in Canada. Many things were different including the language, the weather, and the architecture. We decided to spend the majority of our time in Old Quebec, alongside the St. Lawrence River. Our hostel was conveniently located in the heart of Old Quebec and everything was within walking distance. Did you know that QC was initially built within fortress walls? That's a distinctive marker used to show that one is in "Old Quebec" - within the walls of the fortress. Old QC is also divided into Upper Town and Lower Town, both of which have their unique qualities. Although many people spoke english, Justine and I attempted many times to speak french, if not out of respect, then for pure nostalgia or grade 7 french classes. QC celebrated its 400 year anniversary in 2008, and contains within its walls the oldest church in North America. It seemed like Christmas was still going on as many decorations were still in place, and it fit well...with the snow and cold weather etc. In the 2.5 days we were there, we did quite a few things, many of which are documented below.

[view of Lower Town alongside the St. Lawrence River...half frozen!]

[Rue de Petit-Champlain, Lower Town]

[pretty mural]

[pretty streets]

[inside the walls...the fortified city!]

[a watch tower, walking on top of the wall]

I won't go into the historic details of the Chateau Frontenac (also known as the "World's most photographed hotel"), but it was an impressive sight! We took a tour and learned about the history and cultural significance of a hotel that grand during the building of the Canadian Pacific Railway. As Canada was being connected from Quebec towards Vancouver via the CPR, "Chateau" style hotels were simultaneous built along the railway to accommodate the upper class citizens who were traveling by train. The hotel was first opened in 1893 and has continuously been added to over the years. It has housed many prominent figures including Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt (along with Sir John A MacDonald who all met to discuss the strategy of ending WW2), and of course many Hollywood celebrities. Because of the different reconstruction addition periods, parts of the hotel have a Renaissance feel to it while others have a more Victorian decor. One neat fact - every room in the hotel is different and uniquely created. If you ever find yourself in QC, I would definitely recommend this as a tour of a different kind!



Perhaps my most memorable moment[s] in QC, however, was when I saw a little cart that said the words, "Tire sur Neige" which essentially translates into "taffy on snow". I remember when the jolly Bonhomme de Neigh came to visit when i was in elementary school in North Vancouver. Along with his entourage of entertainers from Quebec, he brought with him maple syrup...a structure that resembled a trough that was full of snow...and large popsicle sticks. The syrup would be heated up, then poured in a line across the snow. A few seconds later, you were given the stick, and had to wrap the now firm syrup around your stick. The result? A delicious mouthful of maple goodness that was warm, but cold at the same time from the snow that surrounded it. IT WAS AMAZING! and i was able to relive that along the banks of the St. Lawrence River. I can't count the number of times i said to Justine, "i feel so Canadian right now!!!" I said it after eating tire sur neige, after i slipped my way across a sheet of ice, after i spoke french, and proly many other times in between. yep, i got caught up in the maple syrup craze, and i loved every minute of it.

[mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!!!]

dL