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My friend Cynthia and I have been talking about traveling to Thailand for well over 2 years now.  Finally, in April, we booked our tickets and planning began in earnest.  Funny how times flies by, because after months of research and several itinerary iterations, we boarded a plane to Bangkok, via London last Friday.  Thanks to Cynthia’s extensive work travel, she had a gazillion aeroplan points at her disposal.  She decided to, very generously, use her points to spring for our business class tickets.  Thank heaven she did – the entire trip from Toronto to Bangkok clocks in at a staggering 22 hours.  What a difference that made.  We arrived in Bangkok on Sunday morning, well rested and ready to hit the ground running in the City of Angels.

After checking into our hotel, the Sheraton Royal Orchid, we quickly set out to take in the sights and sounds of Bangkok.  First stop was Wat Pho – also known as the temple of the reclining Buddha and is considered to be one of Bangkok’s oldest temples, located on Rattanokosin Island.  The temple is thought to have been built between 1688-1703 during the reign of King Phetracha.    We toured the temple for about an hour, snapping a multitude of photos, while marveling at the construction, decoration and beauty of this impressive complex.

Fun Fact: This temple houses the largest collection of buddha images in Thailand, including the 46m long reclining Buddha.  It is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage, which is still taught at this temple site.

In keeping with tradition, we made sure to stop by the massage school and schedule ourselves in for a foot massage – actually, there was no established tradition, we just decided to start that one given that it was our first day in Thailand – and it was GLORIOUS!

After touring the temple, we made our way back to our hotel to join a tour of the Choa Praya River – we had signed up for it upon arriving earlier that day – we wanted to make sure we visited as much as we possibly could given that we had a very short stint in Bangkok before moving on.

The Chao Praya river, snakes through the city then ultimately into the gulf of Thailand.  Our river tour lasted about 3 hours and it took us along the river, past the Wat Pho and Wat Arun temples, as well as the Grand Palace.  Our tour guide’s English wasn’t that great and the sound system sucked so the tour was mostly scenic versus informative.  We didn’t really care though, we were on a longboat on the Chao Praya river in Bangkok!  We made our way along the river for a bit, then turned down one of the main canals off the river, which allowed us to get a glimpse of the more typical Thai wooden houses along the canals.  We spotted a few fisherman in boats and women selling their wares from longboats, we even stopped to feed the catfish.   After a few minutes of feeding catfish, our boat turned around and made it’s way back to the river.  Once there, the tour stopped for a quick tour of Wat Arun – Temple of Dawn.

Wat Arun is located on the west bank of the Chao Praya, directly across from Wat Pho and the Grand Palace. Commonly referred to as the Temple of Dawn. The main feature of the Wat Arun is its massive central prang, encrusted in porcelain tiles and seashells, the porcelain and seashells had previously been used in the ballasts of ships traveling between China and Thailand.

If you prefer to visit the temple independently, there are ferries that transport passengers along the Chao Praya to the Maharaj pier, where the temple is located. The entrance fee for the temple is 50 baht.

After a day of temple tours, tuk-tuk rides and river ferries, we decided to cap off the day with a cocktail at a riverside bar before retiring for the evening. The next morning, we would be hitting the ground running again.

Buying souvenirs is hard, so is walking and talking.

The next morning, we had planned to make our way to Lumphong Station to pick up our tickets for the overnight train between Bangkok and Chiang Mai.  After which, we had decided to visit MBK to find some tacky souvenirs for our friends and family (sorry guys).  We had our route planned out, once we picked up our tickets, it was back on the subway to the National Stadium skytrain stop where we would hit up MBK, pick up some souvenirs, visit the Jim Thompson House, the skytrain it around the city to get a great view of the city.  We had plans, big plans.

As planned, we arrived at Lumphong Station to pick up our tickets, and while we were there, we thought we would buy our tickets to Ayutthaya for the following morning.  What we didn’t know is that you can only purchase tickets for the local trains on the day you travel.

Language Barrier:

At some point, we got sidetracked by a sign for a Thai foot massage…um, for 200 baht…yeah, we were definitely getting a massage.  For a massage in a train station stall, it was pretty fucking awesome.  So awesome in fact, that I noticed Cynthia studying her Thai phrase book near the end of the massage, she wanted to thank her masseuse, she was so impressed with her massage.  As the massage ended, Cynthia continued to study her phrasebook in earnest. Once her masseuse told her the massage was over, Cynthia proudly commented “that was amazing!”, in Thai.  The masseuse looked a bit confused and Cyn thought that perhaps she had cocked-up the pronunciation…so, she showed the line she was reading from the phrase book to the other therapist who then burst out laughing.  He then explained what Cyn was saying to her therapist, who then also broke into laughter.  Even as we settled up, and walked out of the stall, their laughter could still be heard echoing down the hall behind us.  I suspected something was up and asked Cyn to see the line she had used to compliment her masseuse.

Now, I’m not sure if you are familiar with Lonely Planet phrasebooks, but they’re really cool because they break the phrases into sections, like ‘Basic’, ‘Getting Around’, ‘Shopping’, ‘Social’, etc.  When Cynthia showed me the phrase she had used, I realised that she had pulled it from the ‘Social’ section of the phrasebook, from the ‘Getting Closer’ tab (which relates to dating, hook-ups, etc.).  She had basically complimented her masseuse on her sexual prowess and her ability to please her.  I died.    Interesting side note, Cynthia has stopped using her phrasebook and has restricted her interactions to ‘hello’ and ‘thank you’.  Probably best.

Despite our 1-hour massages, we still had plenty of time left to pick up souvenirs, visit Jim Thomson house and tour the city on the the Skytrain.  We boarded the subway and made our way to Si Lom station, located across the street from the Skytrain station.

Scammed!  UGH!

Now, Cyn and I had done a significant amount of research prior to traveling to Thailand, a lot of it focusing on potential scams.  Every bloody blog, book, or article we’ve read about scams in Bangkok had warned us to be wary of anyone who was overly friendly or helpful.  That’s how they get you…

Anyway, we had just left the Si Lom subway station and we’re trying to locate the SkyTrain stop nearby so that we could grab it and make our way to MBK shopping centre.  As we stood there, a very friendly chap approached us asking us if we needed directions.  He explained that he was on his break (he worked the information booth in the subway station).  We asked him where the entrance to the Skytrain was.  He asked us where we were going, and we told him that we were headed to the MBK shopping centre to buy souvenirs.  He then explained that there was a big sale on at another mall, due to the king’s birthday and that the sale was ending that day at 2pm.  If we went to this other place, where they had an entire floor of souvenirs, that we could get up to 30% off – but only until 2pm.  The next thing you know, he’s called us a tuk-tuk and we’re on our way to this other ‘mall’.  We arrived at the other mall, only to discover that it was a jewellery and silk outlet mall.  For fuck’s sake!

We immediately, asked our tuk-tuk driver to take us back to the Lumphong station, or take us to the National Stadium, where we had originally wanted to go.  He refused to drive us there for less than 140 baht – we had only paid 30 baht for him to bring us to the outlet mall in the first place.  We left his tuk-tuk and approached a taxi driver, he also refused to drive us away from the outlet mall unless we paid and exorbitant rate. Luckily, there was a hotel up the street, so we walked to it and asked the concierge to call us a taxi, which he did.  We finally made it to the MBK mall, having wasted an hour of our day.  So frustrating.  Luckily, we were only out about 100 baht, but it was the principal of the thing.  For the next 2 days, the very thought of having had our time wasted instantly filled me with rage.   Fortunately, there are massage shops everywhere in Bangkok…the rage subsided after a few foot massages.

Jim Thompson House

Jim Thompson was an American architect who resigned from his practice in 1941 to enlist in the Delaware National Guard.  He was then transferred to the Fort Monroe, Virigina military outpost.  While at Fort Monroe, he met Second Lieutenant Edwin Fahey Black, a West Point graduate who encouraged him to join the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) the CIA’s pre-cursor.

Mr. Thompson was given several assignments throughout his military career with postings in North Africa, Europe, and Sri Lanka.  Once the war ended, Mr. Thompson was appointed military attache to Thailand 1946.   Having fallen in love with Thailand, he returned home later that year to apply for a discharge from the military and file for divorce from his wife.  Upon receiving his discharge and filing for divorce, he then permanently relocated to Thailand.

In 1948, he founded the Thai Silk Company with George Barrie.  The Thai Silk Company, through its contacts, was able to broker several lucrative silk contracts, including providing the silks for the costumes featured in the very successful Hollywood production of the “The King and I”.  He is credited not only for reviving the silk trade in Thailand, but for also lifting his numerous employees and their families out of poverty through the jobs the industry provided.

Mr. Thompson purchased 6 traditional teak houses and using his background as an architect, had the houses relocated and reassembled on an estate lot located on the Klong River.  The house took over a year to complete and once finished, he went to work filling it with this collection of buddha statues and various objects d’art including pottery, and rich silk tapestries.  The place is fucking gorgeous, by the way and well worth the visit!

The circumstances of Mr. Thompson’s disappearance remain mysterious.  He vanished on March 26, 1967 while hiking through the Cameron Highlands in Malaysian.  A few theories exist as to what ultimately happened to Jim Thompson, but to date, no definitive answer has been found.

Seven years after his disappearance, he was officially declared dead.

Mr. Thompson was, at one point, the most famous American in Asia.  After his disappearance, the house was converted into a museum, with much of the original decor and objects d’art remaining as it was before his death.

The house can be visited between the hours of 9am to 5pm.  Admission is 150 baht for adults and 100 baht for students under 22.

OMGaggan!

On our final night in Bangkok, we had reservations at Gaggan.  If you’ve never heard of Gaggan, it was named the best restaurant in both Thailand and Asia in 2015 and 2016 by Restaurant magazine in their list of the Worlds 50 Best Restaurants, placing it 10th overall (2015) and 23rd overall (2016).  It is also the only Indian restaurant to make it on to the Top 50 list.  The chef Gaggan Anand who was born in India, moved to Bangkok in 2007 and studied molecular gastronomy at the famed elBulli in Spain.  The progressive Indian cuisine featured at Gaggan incorporates many of the techniques he learned during his apprenticeship at elBulli such as foams, spherification, and smoking.  The menu at Gaggan is updated every 2 months to introduce new dishes.

To say that I was excited about this meal is an absurd understatement.  The restaurant is quite beautifully decorated, with a simple and elegant white palette featuring whimsical Jim Thomson silk print cushions of elephants lining the banquette.  The lighting is soft, yet not so soft that you can’t see what you’re eating.  The staff is absolutely delightful.  They had us in stitches and laughing out loud.  Wonderfully friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the food they were serving us.

On the night of our visit, the tasting menu was presented as a list of emojis, with each emoji hinting at what the dish might be.

Gaggan’s current tasting menu consists of 22 dishes.  Some served separately, while others are served 2 or 3 at a time.  Some of the dishes were absolutely delicious, such as the yogurt explosion, the spicy chocolate ball, the mini tuna taco and the crab curry, while others were a bit of a mind fuck. What I mean by that is that the presentation was extremely playful and at times it was a challenge for my mind’s eye to connect what we were seeing on the plate to what we were tasting when biting into these amazing dishes.  Case in point would have to be a delicious serving of foie gras topped with passion fruit, served in a hollowed out passion fruit.  The other would have to be the wasabi and unami ice cream cone with mango…totally confusing from a visual perspective but ultimately delicious.  My absolute favourite dish was the goat brain pate, incredibly smooth texture and perfectly seasoned.  Cyn’s favourite dishes were the savoury ones, the goat brain, the crab curry and a delicious pork concoction served on a deep fried stringed potato crisp.

Our experience at Gaggan was everything we’d hoped it would be and more.  By the 19th course, we were both feeling stuffed to the gills, and were not able to finish the crab curry, which was an absolute shame, it was that good.  Upon seeing that we couldn’t finish our curry, the maitre d’ was notified.  He quickly came over and inspected what was left on our plates.  He jokingly scolded me then ceremoniously stirred the remaining crab curry into my rice and proceeded to spoon feed me the rest of my curry in front of everyone in the restaurant.  This man had us in stitches!

The absolute highlight to this food fueled magic was Gaggan himself stopping by our table to introduce himself and ask us about our meal.  I was completely tongue tied and barely able to cobble a sentence together, absolutely star-struck.  He was warm and friendly and so incredibly nice.  It really was a perfect night at Gaggan.

I’ve heard that he is planning to close the Bangkok restaurant in 2020 to open a restaurant in Japan.  I’m already planning a trip for 2020, perhaps a stop in Japan is required?

I want to add that this experience was a relatively inexpensive one.  The entire meal cost us a little over 11,000 Baht – about $412.00 CDN, including wine and tip, between the 2 of us.  I would have happily paid more, it was wonderful!

Tips on getting around in Bangkok:

Tuk-tuks:  Never, I mean NEVER accept the first price they quote you.  If they quote 200 baht, offer then 1/2 of that.  If they refuse, walk away – and don’t worry, they’ll change their price once you start walking.  Tuk-tuks are great for zipping through Bangkok, but notorious for overcharging unsuspecting tourists.

Taxi: Again, notorious for overcharging tourists.  If they quote you a flat rate, insist that they use the meter, it’s always cheaper and by a large margin.  If you’re staying at a hotel, ask your concierge to call a taxi for you.  Taxi drivers always turn the meters on at hotels, and train stations (if you catch a taxi from the taxi stand).  The taxi stand supervisor ensures that the meters are turned on before the taxi leaves the train station.  If your taxi driver tries to turn the meter off and quote you a flat rate once you’ve left the train station, insist on the meter.  We had one taxi driver curse us out the entire way back to our hotel, at one point even blasting the music so loudly that we wouldn’t be able to hear each other talk, he was that angry that we insisted on the meter.

Subway: Bangkok’s subway system is very easy to navigate, and very inexpensive.

Skytrain: Another great and inexpensive way to see Bangkok, also has some pretty fantastic views.

Chao Praya Express:  These boats shuttle passengers between various piers along the Chao Praya river for 14 Baht a person (one way), which is a little more than $0.50 CDN.

2015 was an awesome year for me.  I got to tour Europe for 3 months with one of my best friends, moved into a new and exciting role at work and I got to spend a great Christmas with my family!

My mom was thrilled for me when I told her early last year that I was planning my trip with Emma.  Though she’s always been incredibly supportive of my desire to travel, she’s never really traveled herself.  Sure, she takes the odd trip for a weekend at a casino, or to family weddings, but never any big trips.

Last year, before I left on my trip, I had asked her if she were ever to travel where would she like to go.  Her answer was immediate, ‘a cruise’.

Now, after a bit of planning and a few machinations behind the scenes,  I’m making it happen.  My mom Lorraine, who turned 74 in October, is joining me in April on her first Caribbean cruise.   I’m beyond excited that I get to take her on this trip and share this adventure with her.

I want this cruise to be amazing.  I’ve booked us on a 7-day Celebrity cruise, veranda suite, a few nice upgrades, and some great food related shore excursions.  She’s going to love it.

We’ll be hopping an early flight to Fort Lauderdale the day before our cruise and stay in a nice hotel near an outlet mall that she wants to check out before we set sail.

I know that some people may not see a cruise as terribly exciting, but for my mom Lorraine, this trip is everything!  She cannot wait, she talks about it non-stop.  It thrills me to see her so excited about this.  I’m hoping she’ll love it so much that we’ll book another trip over the summer and possibly next spring and perhaps turn this into a new mother-daughter tradition.

I’m also looking forward to spending a week with this wonderful woman, having long conversations at night on our veranda, sharing a glass of wine or two, enjoying some great meals and just connecting with someone that I don’t really have an opportunity to spend a lot of time with.

I have several friends who’ve all done mother-daughter trips and they’ve all enjoyed the extra time with their moms.

To be honest, I’m probably looking forward to this more than she is.

I know, I know…this post has been a long time coming.  In my defense, I’ve struggled with writing this because I can’t help but feel, that on some level,  it symbolizes the definitive end to my 3 month adventure with my best friend.  I’ve been back in Canada for a few weeks now and in between readjusting to my real life, returning to work, and bidding adieu to my

bestie as she prepares to return to Australia, it’s been a bit of a whirlwind.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m very happy to be home, let’s face it, there’s a certain peace of mind that comes with waking up in your own bed every morning and not having to worry about sharing a shower or bathroom, for the matter.

This 3 month odyssey was quite simply, amazing.  We visited some beautiful cities and had the opportunity to cross a few things off our bucket lists, however Iceland, well, it kinda blew my mind.  I could not have imagined a place more stunningly beautiful.

We arrived via an unbelievably efficient AirBerlin flight.  I know I should not have been surprised that we both boarded our plane and took off with startling accuracy.  The flight crew was amazing and we were even given heart shaped “I love airBerlin” Lindt chocolates as we deplaned.  Added  bonus, our bags were too heavy to considered carry-on, so we had no option but to check them – AT NO EXTRA CHARGE!!!  Given some of the issues we’d encountered on other airlines (some of which charged us as much as 100 Euros to check our bag) this was a most pleasant surprise.  Needless to say, I do love AirBerlin.

Our apartment was centrally located and our airbnb host just happened to work in Iceland’s tourism industry – lucky for us!  He provided us with guide books, road maps and various booklets and pamphlets filled with information on everything we needed to enjoy our time in Reykjavik.

Since we arrived under cover of night and made the 40 minute drive from the airport in complete darkness we did not have an opportunity to take in any of Iceland’s STUNNING scenery.  The first thing that struck me as we drove from Reykjavik to Hveragerði the next morning, was this feeling that we had been transported to another planet.  

The volcanic landscape, rolling hills, geysers, and glaciers revealed a land that appeared to be almost otherworldly.  This place is so beautiful, it will take your breath away, it certainly did mine.  The drive to the village of Hveragerði (the hot springs capital of the world) took about 40 minutes, and once there we began our hike into the valley of Reykjadalur (translated it means Steam Valley).  

The estimated hike time of 45 minutes actually ran a bit longer, due to us stopping every few steps to snap photos.  The hike wasn’t very demanding, though quite steep at times and the scenery breathtaking.

Luckily, we had recently ended our Portugal leg and were quite accustomed to climbing hills, stairs and all manner of inclines.  After about an hour of picking our way along the path and through the hillsides, we spotted the columns of steam rising from the geothermal stream in the valley below us.  We had arrived and it was beautiful!

We quickly changed out of hiking clothes into our bathing suits – they’ve constructed privacy screens and walkways for the many visitors to the springs.  We crossed paths with several other visitors on our way into the valley and there was a constant stream of people arriving while we we soaked in the geothermal waters of the spring.

After a restful soak in the beautiful hot springs, we made the hike back to the car, just as the winds picked up and the rain started to fall.  You would think that hiking in the rain would dampen our spirits, but not at all. The rain added yet another dimension in which to appreciate this stunning landscape.

We made the drive back to Reykjavik, making sure to stop by the grocery store to pick up some staples for dinner that night at the apartment.  Iceland may be stunning, and access to their parks free, but groceries my friend? Groceries are RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE!  I am not kidding you…$10 for a bag of Doritos, $7 for a package of spaghetti, $6.00 for ONE green pepper. In all, our grocery bill was about 50 euros and with that we managed to buy enough food for a spaghetti dinner – basic bolognese, some garlic bread, a bag of snacks for a movie, and breakfast for a couple of mornings…YIKES!

After a long day of hiking, you would think that all we’d want to do is relax, am I right?  Hell no!  We were only here for 4 days, we had things to see.  So, at around 11pm, we bundled ourselves up and drove to an isolated spot outside the city recommended by several bloggers and fellow travelers in hopes of seeing the famous Northern Lights.  We had checked the Aurora Forecast online earlier in the day and the conditions for viewing the lights on that evening looked quite promising, whereas not so good in the days following, so it was a ‘now or never’ kind of situation.

We parked the car next to the lighthouse and we knew we were in the right spot, because clearly we were not the only people on a mission to see this spectacle.

After setting up our cameras and looking up to the skies for what seemed like an eternity, we began to notice a green light dancing amidst the stars above our heads.  My camera was at the ready and I started snapping away, I had come all this way and certainly did not want to miss this!

Now, I realize that my photos are not perfect, but I was just thrilled to actually capture these images.  It was an absolutely perfect night, cuddled up in my blanket, looking up at the skies in absolute wonder at the beauty of the world around us.

The following morning, there was more beauty to behold.  We had plans to visit the Golden Circle…we were beyond excited!  I couldn’t wait to take in even more of this country’s stunning countryside.

Our first stop was Þingvellir National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Þingvellir was the location of establishment of the oldest parliament in history, dating back to 930 A.D.  It also happens to be a protected park due to its geological significance.  You can actually see the canyon between two tectonic plates!

Alright, I admit the tectonic plates were awesome, but the true jewel of this park has to be the lake!  Lake Þingvallavatn, a lake so clear and pristine that we could actually see the fish in the water while standing on a bridge.

Simply stunning and a place so peaceful and serene, it’s hard to believe that it’s located in one of the most visited parks in Iceland.

After wandering through the park and snapping a gazillion pictures, we piled back into our tiny car and drove to our next stop, the Geyser fields.  Admittedly, I wasn’t as impressed by the geysers as I had been by the park.  They were interesting, but very touristy and crowded.  The geysers were cool to watch nonetheless, but not what I would consider a highlight.

Our visit to the geysers was short and sweet, but I still managed to snap quite a few pics.

From Geyser fields, to the Gulfoss Waterfall.  Gulfoss translated means ‘Golden Falls’ and located in the canyon of Hvítá river in southwest.  It’s long been rated as one of the most popular tourist destinations in Iceland, and it’s easy to see why.  

I was simply awestruck.

Driving the Golden Circle on your own rather than hiring a tour proved to be the better option for us, as it allowed us to make a few stops along the way and take in the scenery.  We packed a lunch so that we could take advantage of one of the many roadside picnic spots, where we ate our lunch while watching the Icelandic sheep roam through the brambles.

Our final stop was Kerið, a volcanic crater lake located in the south of Iceland.  The crater is approximately 55m deep and 170m wide.  The Kerið caldera is estimated to be approximately 3000 years old, however, it’s thought to be about half the age of other nearby volcanic features Seyðishólar and Kerhóll.

Unfortunately, we had arrived a the crater quite late in the afternoon and the sun was setting.  As beautiful as it was, the photos I took just do not do it justice.

After a long day of sightseeing, it was time to head back to cozy apartment in Reykjavik.  I slept very well that night my friends.

The next day, we visited the famous Blue Lagoon.  It was a particularly cold and windy day, so we were looking forward to relaxing in the geothermal waters of the lagoon.  The lagoon’s waters originate some 2,000 metres below the surface where seawater and freshwater combine at extreme temperatures.  On its way to the surface, the water combines with silica, algae and minerals, turning the water white – the blue colour is actually caused by the reflection of the sun on the silica.

Fun fact: Five major geothermal power plants exist in Iceland.  In 2014, roughly 85% of primary energy use in Iceland came from indigenous renewable resources. Thereof 66% was from geothermal.

The average temperature of the water hovers at about 38 degrees Celcius and it is glorious!  The lagoon contains approximately 6,000 litres of self-cleansing water – the water from the lagoon renews itself every 40 hours.   Once we were given our admission bracelets (35 euros for the standard admission), we were shown the change room and shower areas.  Showers were quite nice, stocked with the Blue Lagoon’s spa line of shampoo, conditioners and body wash – and they smelled amazing.   After a quick shower we headed outside to the lagoon.  It was unbelievably cold and windy, walking out onto the deck in nothing but our bathing suits and flip flops, the 15 second walk into the water felt like an eternity.  However, once submerged in it’s steamy healing waters, it was easily to ignore the blistering cold winds whipping at our faces.  I mean really, who cares about the cold when you’re neck deep in hot water with a cocktail in your hands!  Some areas of the lagoon were much hotter than others, and those ‘hot spots’ are pretty much where we installed ourselves.

Our admission provided us access to the lagoon, sauna and steam hut, as well a free cocktail from the lagoon bar.  Bar offerings range from healthy green juice concoctions to beer and sparkling wine.  In addition to the vats of free silica face and body scrub available, they also have staff from the spa offering complimentary face masks and moisturizing treatments to lagoon visitors.

We left the lagoon about 4 hours later, totally relaxed, revitalized and moisturized and ready for a dinner at lovely restaurant, The Old Iceland, recommended by our friend Nanna, a Reykjavik native we met on our food tour in Porto.  Funny thing, the entire time we traveled together we made a point of each ordering something completely different from the menu in order to allow us an opportunity to taste each others food.   However, on this particular night, we all ordered the exact same thing…tradition be damned.  Our meal, on our last night in Iceland consisted of grilled lamb and a chocolate cake with caramel sauce and homemade ice cream – and it was incredible.

The following morning, we were up early to pack our bags and make our way to Nanna’s home for brunch.  As mentioned above we had met Nanna during our food tour in Porto and hit it off.  We had asked her for restaurant recommendations at the time and she was kind enough to give us her email address.  I reached out to her while we were in Munich and in addition to providing us with amazing resto recommendations, she was so kind enough to invite us to her home from brunch!

That’s not even the best part…the best part?  Nanna is an amazing chef, who also happens to have written 17 cookbooks on Icelandic cooking!  We arrived at her home and were treated to an amazing and delicious array of Icelandic foods, each dish more delicious than the last.  It was such a fantastic meal.  Nanna had prepared a brunch of Kleinur (traditional Icelandic doughnuts, flavoured with caraway seeds), crepes with fresh picked blueberries, whipped cream and skyr (an Icelandic cultured dairy dish), freshly baked bread (one loaf contained seaweed and will be included in her next cookbook), cured and smoked lamb from her family’s farm, dried cod, and a salmon spread for the bread.  Just incredible.

It was wonderful to sit with Nanna and catch up.  She had just returned from Portugal and shared with us that she had joined a wine and food tour in the Douro Valley, which she quite enjoyed.  We told her about our time in Iceland and the things we’d done.  She regaled us with stories of growing up in Iceland, her passion for cooking and her family.  We had a wonderful time, and I admit I was sad to leave her cozy apartment when we finished brunch.  She is such a kind lady and it was beyond generous of her to do such a wonderful thing for us.  That brunch could not have been more perfect and there couldn’t have been a better ending to our 3-month European odyssey.

Our drive to the airport was a solemn one, it was difficult to come to term with the fact that this wonderful, amazing, trip of a lifetime was coming to an end.  

We checked our bags and waited for our flight home.  As I sat there waiting to board the plane, I couldn’t help but smile and be grateful for having shared this amazing adventure with my best friend…and it was nice having Andrew join us for the last few weeks.

Though this adventure is over, I know there will be other trips and more stories to tell.  Stay tuned!

Well, that was fun.

We added a quick, 4 day stopover in Munich to check out Oktoberfest – one more thing to check off the bucket list.

It’s only fair that I point out that Munich is about so much more than Oktoberbest, dirndls, lederhosen and slow roasted pork knuckles, however, our sole reason for visiting this time around was to specifically check out all of the above.  Sadly, we didn’t have much time to explore anything else.

We arrived in Munich under cover of night, which made it impossible for us to see any of the beautiful countryside on the train ride into the city and beyond to our apartment in Wolfrathausen a small idyllic town along the river.  The ride into Munich centre is approximately 40 minutes and to get to our apartment was another 40 minutes.  At first, I have to admit that I wasn’t too thrilled with being so far outside the city, but grew to quite enjoy the travel into and out of the city centre, especially in the mornings when the morning fog burned off and we were treated to a view of the alps in the distance.

Our apartment, was once again rented through airbnb.com and it did not disappoint.  Our hosts were gracious and unbelievably kind, they even left us a pie on our doorstep one night!  We arrived quite late on our first evening and there was only one restaurant open, which happened to be directly across the street from our apartment.  The surreal part was that the restaurant was Greek and to be honest, the food was surprisingly delicious and authentic.  We found a couple of evenings later, as we enjoyed beer and shots with some locals, that the restaurant owners were originally from Greece – which explains why the food was so damned good.

We had timed our arrival to coincide with the opening weekend of Oktoberfest and I have to admit that the timing was probably less than ideal for several reasons, not the least of which being that the crowds are ridiculous!  We arrived on the Thursday night and Oktoberfest kicked off that Saturday and that meant spending the bulk of our day on Friday shopping for dirndls and lederhosen.  We had researched Oktoberfest and its traditions and we were not about to show up there looking like the tourists we were.  The overwhelming consensus was that wearing funny hats or Oktoberfest themed Halloween costumes would be considered highly disrespectful, as Oktoberfest is not simply an excuse for people to drink beer, it is a festival deeply rooted in tradition and we wanted to make absolutely that we were honouring that tradition.  The first Oktoberfest was held on October 12, 1810 when the citizen of Munich were invited to attend the festivities centred around the wedding of King Ludwig I and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen.   The festivities were held in the fields outside the city gates, the fields were later renamed Theresienweise, after the princess.  I’m including this link to provide a much more detailed history of Oktoberfest.

Before setting off on this monumental shopping excursion, one would be wise to grab some lunch and possibly a stein or two of beer, and we made damn sure to do both.  We happened upon Augustiner Brew House, one of Munich famous beer halls and quickly ordered up a few steins of beer, some pork knuckle and a delicious goulash with tender chunks of beef and carrots, it was quite possibly the tastiest I’ve ever had and having enjoyed some pretty ridiculous tasting goulashes in Hungary, that’s saying a lot.

After about 3 hours of shopping we each managed to find appropriate outfits for the festivities.  Our dirndls easily cost us about $150-$200 each, so definitely not cheap, granted, we rocked those dirndls and lederhosen!

After shopping for dirndls for what seemed like forever, we sought refuge from the hoard of other Oktoberfest shoppers in a nearby brew house where we enjoyed a delicious pint of the local brew at yet another landmark brew…this time we hit up the Hofbrauhaus.  The place was packed, given that Oktoberfest kicked off the following day, so we shared a table with a ‘lovely’ couple, who were not thrilled to have to share their table, but whateves.  We enjoyed our beers and decided to walk around Munich centre for a bit.

To be completely honest, it was a bit of a challenge enjoying the city during the few hours of time we did have, as it was teeming with people.  The crowds were a bit overwhelming as every venue was crowded and the streets were overflowing with people (both locals and tourists) who were caught up in the lead up to Oktoberfest frenzy.  We walked around for a bit then decided to head back to our apartment to get a good night’s rest.

We’d been advised by locals that we should make sure to arrive quite early to the Wiesn the next morning if we had any hope of securing a table within any of the tents.  On their recommendation, we arrived to the fields at about 9am and immediately set out trying to find a tent.  We had also been told that THE TENT to be in was the Hacker tent.  Upon arrival at the tent, it became quite apparent that there was no way in hell that we would secure a seat inside.  Every single table was already fully booked, I mean, seriously, it was opening weekend after all.  Lucky for us they had plenty of seats available on their outdoor beer garden, so that’s where we settled.  I should note that we arrived at 9am but Oktoberfest did not officially kick off until the ceremonial tapping of the first keg by the mayor of Munich at noon that day.  Until then, the only thing they were serving in the tents and gardens was a carbonated apple drink and pretzels.  The beer would not be served until after the tapping of the first keg.  As we sat there waiting, giddy with anticipation, we ordered some of the apple drink and some pretzels.  It didn’t take too long until even the outdoor gardens began to fill up and we were joined at our table by a group of young engineering students from Munich.  One of them was severely hungover, and there was some debate as to whether or not he would last until noon.

After a few hours of sipping apple juice and gnoshing on pretzels, the first keg was tapped with much pomp and circumstance.  Immediately following the keg tapping, cannons were fired to announce the official opening of Oktoberfest, the oompah bands started playing as they marched their way into their respective tents and the beermaids filed out of the tents, arms loaded with steins of beer.  It was on.

We had been told, again by some friends we made in the days leading up to Oktoberfest, that we should limit our beer consumption to 3 steins each, or else run the risk of getting messy drunk and after witnessing some of hot messes we’d seen earlier that day (clearly some revelers had made the unfortunate decision to pre-drink before arriving at Weisn) we took that advice to heart.

Now, for the life of me, I don’t understand why someone would pre-drink before a drinking festival?!  It makes zero sense.  There is no admission fee for Oktoberfest, and the steins were relatively cheap at 10 euros for a full litre of beer.  We saw one poor girl who couldn’t have been more than 20 drunk off her tits and barely able to walk and this was at 9:30am!  She was barely able to stand up and her boyfriend had to walk her out of the garden and hopefully home.

Another reason for limiting our beer consumption to 3 steins over the course of the day was to also curb our need to use the toilets, because the line ups for the loo were beyond ridiculous.  Now was not the time to wait until you absolutely had to go before leaving your table.  The wait time in the bathroom line was between 25-35 minutes, and heaven help you if you really had to go.  At one point, an Australian in the women’s line was barking out orders like a drill sargent, “Get in! Snap it off!  Get out!”

Our first day at Oktoberfest was a lot of fun and restricting ourselves to only three steins each helped us to avoid a dreaded beer hangover.  We were up late the following morning, but not so late as to not be able to enjoy what was left of the day.  We made our way into Munich via train – a 3 day pass for up to 5 adults is approximately 55 euros, which is a great deal – and sought out Haxnbauer on the advice of friends, for their world famous open fire, spit roasted pork knuckle.

The smell of an open fire and roast pork hits you immediately upon stepping foot into Haxnbauer.  The line up wasn’t extremely long and we waited for about 10 minutes, salivating as the servers paraded by us with plates piled high with these beautifully cooked delights.  We were seated next to the open kitchen where we watched these pork knuckle magicians work their magic.  Everything in this small, busy kitchen was perfectly orchestrated.  We were witnessing a food ballet!  We ordered their famous dish along with traditional side dishes of potato pancakes and cabbage salad then waited with giddy anticipation for our food to be served.   Mere words fail to aptly describe just how perfect this dish was.

The pork knuckle crackling was perfection and the meat tender and fall off the bone delicious.  Absolute perfection!  A word of caution, if you eat here, bring your appetite, we ordered the half knuckle and it was impossible to finish, I can’t even fathom try to eat a full one…no matter how delicious.

Following lunch we visited the Residenzmuseum, a former palace, which was opened to the public in 1920 (we needed to walk around after that meal).  Once home to Bavarian rulers, the museum’s apartments and collections give visitors a taste as to how Baravia’s rulers once lived.  The admission to the museum includes a visit to the Treasury, where you can also see an amazing display of crown jewels and ornate objets d’arts added to the rulers’ collections over the centuries.  Bonus: if you don’t have time to view both in one day, save your entry ticket as you can use it to gain admission to the Treasury for up to a year after the date you purchased your ticket to the Residenzmuseum.

On our final full day in Munich, we returned, once again to the Oktoberfest grounds and this time, we were luck enough to score a table inside one of the tents.  We were told it would be much easier, given that it was now a Monday and the opening weekend hoopla had pretty much subsided.  We ended up sitting next to a table of Brits and Aussies and quickly made their acquaintance.  Before long we were clinking steins, laughing and sharing stories.  After our maximum  steins, our British friends joined us for a dinner of schnitzel THE SIZE OF YOUR HEAD and more beer – of course at Steinheil 16.   After a very delicious and very filling meal, we bid our new friends adieu and headed home.

The next morning, we took a final walk around Wolfrathausen and explored the paths alongside the river before boarding the train for our final trip into town and then onto the airport for our flight to Reikjavik – our next stop!

Amsterdam truly has something for everyone.  No matter your tastes, or leanings – be they cultural or salacious, Amsterdam has it all.

We arrived mid day after a red-eye flight from Toronto.  Exhausted and bleary eyed, we made our way to the hostel.  The hostel was located in the Museum kwartier of the city.  It’s located directly across the street from  both the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam and the Van Gogh Museum and quick walking distance from the Rijksmuseum.  Seriously GREAT LOCATION!

I don’t really have much to stay about the place we stayed at, AnneMarie Hotel, except that the room was clean, the beds were comfortable, and the wifi was great.  The breakfast was a bit ‘meh’ and the ONE bathroom on our floor, along with the ONE shower were both ‘absolutely feral’ – my friend Emma’s words, not mine…though I cannot think of a more accurate description.  I guess that’s to be expected when you stay in a hostel, so you learn to take the good with the bad.

To be completely honest, we didn’t have much of game plan for what we’d do in Amsterdam after we checked into our hotel.  However, we did think to purchase a 48-hour Iamsterdam City Card and it was totally worth it.  For 59 Euros each we were given free admission to no less than 49 museums and attractions, along with free transit on the GBV (Amsterdam’s transit system) and at almost 3 euros a trip, the pass paid for itself in free transit alone.

Now, realistically, there is no possible way to visit all of the museums and attractions available to you with this card, so we were strategic.  We looked over the list before arriving in Amsterdam and made a shortlist of the options available to us with the card and hoped that we would have time to do at least 3 of them to make the card ‘worth it’.  We managed to see the Van Gogh Museum– usually 17 euros  – (fun fact: the Van Gogh Museum was built in 1973, thanks to the support of his nephew Vincent Willem Van Gogh, who established the Vincent Van Gogh Foundation).  We visited Rembrandt House Museum – usually 10 euros – (fun fact: the museum offers free  daily art workshops for kids).  We also took in the requisite canal tour – usually 10 euros (fun fact:  the free canal tour lasts an hour and is bare bones, however, there are many other options for cruising the canal which include everything from an on boat bbq paired with beers and fancy drinks to more intimate champagne tours for two).

The card also gives you discounts at additional attractions, other museums and various restaurants.

We took advantage of the discount and visited the The House of Bols, conveniently located across the street from the Van Gogh Museum.  I had read some reviews on Yelp about this place and it sounded really good…and it WAS!  The tour cost 10 euros, it’s self guided and highly interactive.  You learn all about the history of Genever in Amsterdam while walking through various installations and interactive stations.  The entire place feels like a swanky, ultra modern night club, which is totally appropriate given that the tour ends with a ‘designer’ cocktail and a sample tasting of the Bols products.  Well worth the price of admission! Fun fact:  in addition to being a museum The House of Bols also houses a bartending academy.  The Bols Bartending Academy is an internationally recognized training academy.

Now, let’s be honest – no trip to Amsterdam would be complete without a visit to the Red Light District and one of Amsterdam’s many coffee houses.  I fully expected the Red Light District to be some skeevy neighbourhood, over run with derelicts, however, it was nothing like that.  It was crowded, yes.  There were lots of men (it basically turns into a bit of sausage fest after the sex shows and peep show booths close up for the night).  We checked out the peep show, after downing a couple of pints each at a nearby pub during their happy hour and then later took in live sex show.  I have to say that the live sex show was quite entertaining and more than a little funny, replete with audience participation too.  Everyone seemed to having a good time, there were quite a few couples in the audience and the age range of people seeing the show ran the gammit from early 20s to folks well in their 50-60s.  Even the performers seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Fun fact: Prostitution has been legal in Amsterdam since 1988, it’s highly regulated and the working girls have access to regular STD testing, medical insurance and they pay taxes on their income. (Prostitution in Amsterdam)

Now, after the show we wanted to visit the coffee shops, but they were all closed, so we hit up the local clubs instead, making friends with other tourists and staying out until almost 4am – and did we paid for it the next day!  Sambuca shots are NEVER a good idea at 3am…NEVER! The following day was pretty much a write-off, though we did manage to get out and explore later in the day and though part of me felt a little guilty for wasting a half day because I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow, the other part of me was amazed that I could still stay out and party until 4am!

Ok, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the food in Amsterdam.  I love food and I’m always up for trying something new and I did try a few things, my favourite being Dutch pancakes – so delicious.  My least favourite was the Bittenballen -these were probably the most disgusting thing I’ve ever tasted.  They can best be described as croquettes with a crunchy exterior with a salty and slimy interior.  They should be avoided at all cost.

Bittenballen aside, I had a great time in Amsterdam.  I took a shit tonne of pictures, drank way too many beers, laughed my ass off, discovered a beautiful park, and got lost at least once.  That’s a good trip in my opinion.

First rule of traveling with a friend?  Choose your travel partner wisely.

Emma and I have gone on a few small trips together and I’ve traveled with a few other friends on longer jaunts. Both of us have traveled with friends in the past and for the most part it’s been a pretty good experience.  When traveling with friends it’s important to remember the following:

1. There will be days when you’ll want to wander off on your own – not because you don’t like hanging around with your friend (I mean, you’ve made the decision to travel together in the first place after all) – but rather because  there will be times when you’ll just want – NEED – some alone time.  Personally, I love my “me time” and heaven help anyone who gets in the way of that. 🙂

2. Communicate! You and your friend(s) should talk about what you want to do on this trip, where you want to visit, what activities you want to do and more importantly which ones you’d prefer to skip.   Some people are thrill-seekers – you know the ones who want to go coast steering or bungie jumping, whereas others prefer a more laid back experience.  Just remember that this vacation is a group vacation and that not everyone is going to want to participate in every activity with you.

3. While communication about trip expectations are important, even more important than that is BUDGET.  Make certain that you’re budgets are aligned.  There’s nothing worse than traveling with someone who wants to blow the bank account, while you’re trying to limit your spending, especially if you’ve agreed to share costs.  The first thing Emma and I discussed was budget, we did some research and decided that we could each afford $10,000 for this 3 month trip.  We’ve worked very hard to stay within the budget when booking our transportation and accommodations.  I’ve created a spreadsheet to track our daily expenses and calculate our daily allowance at each destination, based on our travel and accommodation costs.   Emma also found an amazing app (Splittr) that helps to calculate what each person owes the other(s) for any shared expenses.  The app allows you to generate reports and send them to the people you’re traveling with.  It’s fantastic!

4. Respect each other and have an awesome time (really, this should be rule #1).

Ok, we’re heading to the airport now…stay tuned! 🙂

So, this past Friday was my last day in the office before setting off on this epic adventure.  I spent the better part of that afternoon tidying up my desk and handing off my files to my colleagues…and then once I was done, I said goodbye to my colleagues and heading home to finish packing.

That is when reality began to set in…not that I will be traveling for 3 months with my bestie, but that we will both be carrying nothing but one piece of carry on each.  That’s right.  One. Piece. Of. Carry-on.  I had initially set aside a number of clothing items to take with me, various accessories, several pairs of shoes, books, kobo – basically the usual travel suspects.  However, when I attempted to fit everything in my bag, I soon realized that most of these items would have to be left behind.

Now, let’s be clear, there’s nothing wrong with the bag.  It is awesome and I did a ton of research before purchasing it, and I’m quite happy with it.  I chose the Gregory Compass 40 and purchased it at MEC.

http://www.mec.ca/product/5035-883/gregory-compass-40-travel-pack-unisex/

It’s a 40L backpack, sized to meet most carry-on regulations.  The bag has a side opening and opens like a normal suitcase allowing for easy access – no digging through your bag searching for ‘that one pair of shorts’ in a standard top fill backpacks it also features an external compartment for tablets/laptops, an interior zippered organizer pocket, and a very roomy bottom compartment for shoes.  Even with all of this, I did realize that this challenge would require a great deal of discipline on my part, that sacrifices would have to be made.  I’ve made them.

After 4 bloody tries at fitting the things I actually NEED into the backpack, I’m proud to say that my bag is finally packed…yes, it’s bursting at the seams, but everything I need is there.

For a 3 month trip, I’ve packed, a raincoat, a light jacket, a short cardigan, 2 long sleeve tops, 1 pair of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 7 tees/tanks, 1 bathing suit, 1 bathing suit cover-up, 2 pairs of sandals, one pair of sneakers, one belt, underwear and socks.  I’m also bringing along a camera, a chromebook, sunglasses, sunhat, sunglasses, reading glasses, makeup and toiletteries.  I’m actually amazed that everything fit!

You may be wondering why we anyone in their right mind would go away for 3 months and only bring one carry-on bag?  Several reasons really – no baggage fees, no waiting at the luggage carousel for our bags, or waiting for a bag that may have been lost in transit.    We’re traveling to 11 different countries, that’s several flights and a lot of checked bag fees and potential for a lost bag.  Also, we wanted to challenge ourselves, and make do with less.

We will see how it goes, and I’ll be sure to report in throughout our trip to let you know how we’re making out with our small bags and limited wardrobe.  Something tells me that while we’re exploring Europe, the number of t-shirts we’ve packed will be the furthest thing from our minds.

It’s been almost 2 years since my last ‘big trip’ and given how insane the past few months have been, I’m definitely due for another adventure.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, I’d rather be busy than bored.  Sometimes, you just need to take a well-deserved break.

A trip to Australia with my best friend Emma was already in the offing over Christmas and we were looking forward to that.  However, Emma’s work visa has expired and her extension was denied so now she’s being deported.  A bit of a bummer, but hey, when life gives you lemons…you change your plans, pack your bags, and leave the country for 3 months.  Which is EXACTLY what we’re doing.

I’ve managed to secure a leave of absence from work, and I’m beyond grateful for that.  I wouldn’t be able to do this otherwise.  Once my leave was confirmed, Emma and I started planning.  We decided that if we were going to to do this…

1. We’d need to establish a budget, well duh, and actually stick to it
2. We needed to commit to only bringing one piece of carry on each as this would reduce our time waiting in line to both check and retrieve our bags when flying and eliminate any baggage fees, which, let’s face it, are a little out of control of late. After a lot of research, we’ve both selected our carry on bags for this trip which we will discuss in a future blog post.
3. That there were a few things that NEEDED to checked off our bucket lists (La Tomatina and Oktoberfest anyone?) a balloon ride over Turkey is also on this list, but one of my colleagues from Turkey has warned us against doing this since “a lot of people die doing this every year”.  His words, not mine.
4. That we would circulate our agenda to friends and family and invite anyone who wanted to join us to do so at any point during our trip…the more the merrier right?
5. That I could write about our adventures and post them here 🙂