The trip of our lifetime: europe

Showing posts with label europe. Show all posts

Mr. Moo here. I have taken over writing duties for this blog. Ali & Anna need a break and I’m sure my perspective will be more interesting than theirs.

Brussels is the capitol of Belgium. They have the best fries, chocolates, waffles, and beer in all of Europe! I think Ali and Anna are on a mission to eat all the countries specialities without thinking about calories, or weight. Boy will they be in trouble once they land back in Canada. Ha Ha!

As we were travelling on the train Ali and Anna were nice enough to let me ride in the seat next to them and enjoy the view of the countryside when we arrived in Brussels. We arrived at the train station in the early evening and had to take the subway. Ali was the poor sucker dragging the 34kg suitcase all over the subway station and for another 10 blocks to the hotel! It pays to be plush, small, and cute.

We arrived at the hotel and checked in. Right away they went in search of food. (I only need air for my life). They eventually found the restaurant square (apparently they have trouble navigating during dark hours) and noticed that most of them weren’t open….yet. It just so happens it was Saturday night and most of these places don’t waste time opening during the day. They open typically right at 7pm, and they were full! We found a place called “Au Vieux Bruxelles. Le roi des moules-frites et des plats bruxellois!!!” That’s exactly what it says on the card. Kings of fries, mussels, and any Brussels dish. The place was small, wood clad, and very much in the style of an 1800’s home. Ali had the Waterzooi del Volaille and Anna the Carbonade a la Geuze. These dishes are specific to Brussels and according to the faces and moaning sounds they were making while eating, I’m assuming it was very tasty. Waterzooi is a stewed chicken dish that smelled incredible. Anna’s dish was the same idea, but with beef. I personally took issue with her choice (poor past Mr. Moos). I should note that both Ali and Anna are still struggling with jet lag. Suckers!! Being a plush toy has its advantages, like never having to eat, or need any luggage besides my nifty hat, or never sleeping. Who needs to sleep? There is so much to see.. Stupid humans.

The next day the 3 of us ventured forth unto the main square in town where great Christmas Market is. It was a bit of a journey, but we managed to find a Belgian waffle hut that sold them fresh made waffles for 1 euro. Ali and Anna seemed to disagree on the volume of waffles they should eat. Anna I think won since they only had 1 each and not the 3 each Ali wanted. As they ate their waffles they made those faces and moaning sounds again. Clearly they were enjoying themselves. As we got closer to the market we realized quickly that waffles are everywhere! There was never a shortage of places to get them. It just depended on the cost. Ali was a little obsessed and wouldn’t stop talking about it. We stopped for a photo shoot (my favourite part of our trips) and moved on to the Grand Palace. This place is more than just a palace. It was once the great market square back in the 1400’s. The palace, the guild halls, church, market, were all here. Now it’s a gathering place and where the most people will be found. A central point from which to explore the rest of old downtown. The square is anchored by a 30’ tall Christmas tree right in the middle.

We wandered for a bit marvelling at the market and all the activity bustling everywhere from the artisan stands, street food, and activities for all. We made our way back to the Grand Palace to start the walking tour. Our guide, James, was very informative and funny for a human. He gave us a great history of Belgium and told great stories about many of the sites and the cultural background of Belgium. Everything from the “eating of the chickens” to Tintin and the Smurfs (all from Belgium). The best story is of the most famous statue in the world, the Manekin Piss. This statue of a baby boy pissing is everywhere. There’s many stories about it. Some say he was 2 and commanded a troop of Wallonia soldiers to victory by pissing on them. The others are about how many times the statue’s been stolen. The best is when Louie the 14^th knighted the statue and dressed him in uniform. For a long time the soldiers were forced to stop and salute the statue (peeing or not) every time they passed by. Take the tour! Sandemann’s Walking Tour. You won’t regret it. All the other humans were enjoying themselves as well.

As the day went on the crowds got busier and busier. By 8pm or so it was packed everywhere! We followed the path of the Christmas market and visited all the stops. There was even a tribute to Quebec City, or as they called it, “the land of the caribou”. The maple syrup treats were there. From the Swiss Chalet, to the many artisan kiosks and even the grand 57 foot high Ferris wheel, the market was something to behold. The highlight was the grand sound and light show in the Grand Palace square. They had all the buildings of the square lit up and dancing to the sounds of Christmas orchestral soundtrack. It was a truly magical show! If I was able to show emotion, I would have. J

Our final day, we did a walking tour of the areas we didn’t get to see the first time. We decided to check out the heart of the EU’s power and see the government buildings. There are a LOT of buildings, and all of them are worthy of any architect’s attention. We learned a fair bit about how the EU commission and Parliament ended up in Brussels and how it was between them and Luxemburg. It made me really hope that Canada would join the EU someday. Cafes, treats, and Belgian chocolate were all sampled and loved by Ali and Anna while I watched. I may not have to eat, but I’d sure like to try! MMmmmmmm chocolate.

The people were very friendly and most everyone knows a bit of English, but you’d be better off knowing some French. As we learned, not every place will have an English menu, or English translation for everything. It keeps the humans hopping while I watch and smile, as always, since I was stitched this way. Someday I’ll be able to change that, but for now, no one can beat me at poker! We all had a great time and enjoyed the culture, food, food, food. Next stop. Paris!!

Hullo again!

It has been 283 days since we last embarked on a grand trip. (insert a giant shocked face here). This summer was full of adventures in Alberta instead of faraway lands. Unless you are Anna of course, who sailed away to a quick 4 day weekend to Washington DC and didn’t even take me with her. But I got over it pretty quickly as our European Trip was fast approaching.

I feel like we should explain a little bit of the background for our European trip. After we came back from Iceland and California, we moved into our new condo and began living the, what people call, “normal” life. Then one day Sam & Bryce (from Australia) messaged Anna and all it said was… “Christmas in Paris?”.. Anna looked at me and said… Christmas in Paris? It took me about a half a second to respond with a gentle.. Yes.. Anna quickly responded to Sam and said yes of course. A week later, after some expanded dreaming, the tickets were booked to Europe. This was in April by the way.

So guess what, April came and went and now we are in December and on our European Adventure, who would have thought time actually moved?

We have three legs on this trip: Amsterdam, Brussels, and grand finale Paris.

Welcome to the first leg, Amsterdam.

We heard a lot about this city from our friends. Beautiful canals, incredible and unique architecture, and a world of rich culture that isn’t found anywhere else. We arrived and realized all the talk was actually true.

Our first day we arrived we were truly exhausted. We were in transit for a solid 26 hours easy. We arrived and needed food and our first recommendation was the fries! (Thanks Ainslie!) Each batch of fresh, hand cut potatoes has to be deep fried twice to get the flavor. Than the secret ingredient is to have them with special mayonnaise, and some ketchup for flavor. The place to get them is called Manneken Pis. They were the best fries we’ve ever had! Thanks Belgium Fries in Holland!

The next thing we noticed is that there are cyclists everywhere! In volumes that you really can’t fathom until you arrive here. As in when you leave the train station you see literally thousands parked along the rails! In truth if you’re a car person in Amsterdam, it’s better you just not, well, be in Amsterdam! Driving sucks!! You’re better off on a bicycle. Day and night every one of every age gets around on a bicycle.

There are also loads of canals. Anyone who’s seen the pictures knows this. They’re everywhere and quite beautiful alongside the architecture of all the buildings here. We decided to take a canal tour. It just so happens we arrived during the 3^rd Annual Festival of Lights. (woot!). The tour is at night and the temperature is a balmy 5 degrees above 0. Along the canals we rode enjoying the many light exhibits from around the world. House of Cards, mystical ghost ships, light exhibits that respond to your smart phone. All kinds! With our hot coco and mulled wine, the tour was very romantic (I can just hear Anna’s eye rolling here) and very memorable.

If you’re looking for food you’ll notice that the quality of food is definitely not lacking. Bread is always fresh and soft, veggies fresh, and the cheese. CHEEESE!!! The best! If you ever need cheese, there’s a cheese shop every block. The flavours and variety is amazing and so worth it! The cheese is incredible! Leave extra room in your luggage is all I’m going to say. Try the cafes as much as you can also. You should also have some coffee. People here love coffee and it shows! If you can, order it black. The flavor really comes out than. You can have it with milk, but it’s not recommended. Last thing on the food. Have dutch pancakes. And beer. And beer. And pancakes. And fries. And fries. Okay I’m done. MAYONAISE!!

Now I’m sure you’re all wondering, “Hey! What about the Red Light District?” Well we didn’t leave that out! Truth be told it was within a couple of blocks from our hotel so we couldn’t miss it. Here it is. It’s lively and bustling….at night time. During the day it’s almost dead. The ladies like to show themselves to passersby in little glass doors with red lights on them, hence the name. Let’s just say the selection is a lot better at night than during the day. Everyone is also aware of Amsterdam’s relaxed policy of smoking weed. There are places you can have it with your coffee, aka coffee shops. Since you’re in the red light district, you should visit the Sex Museum. There’s a veritable array of pictures, sculptures, exhibits, and even some interactive displays!

Well that’s our few days in Amsterdam, which turned out to be around 39.34 km for 4 days we were there (Thanks Fitbit). We had a great time and are still feeling jet lagged, and don’t worry, Mr. Moo is having a great time too!

See you in Brussels!

A&A & Mr. Moo

After a long absence we are finally back! (some condo buying, reno’ing, decorating, got in the way). We last blogged about life in Reykjavik. Only a certain part of our visit was in Reykjavik the rest of the time we spent on the road exploring the island. We realized that the more we explored, the more we wanted to explore, hence our strong desire to return and do a proper road trip. Many of Iceland’s treasures are located all over the island. Some of them can be somewhat elusive to find, making find them almost like a treasure hunt, and who doesn’t love hunting for treasure! If you answered no, you can stop reading now ;).

On our first day on the road we went looking for the big sites. Our first stop was Pingvellir National Park. It’s a beautiful place! When we set out the weather was not exactly cooperative. We were driving in small roads in white out conditions. The weather forecast called for “heavy ass winds propelling hard ass rain”. As we walked along the path to the information center at the top of the hill we stopped (briefly) along the way and witnessed the beautiful river valley where Iceland’s oldest church resides. This is where Iceland’s, and the world’s, democracy was first formed back in 930 AD. As we took in the sights we tried to take pictures. The rain ruined any chance of that happening! Not to mention that the park sensed our want to photograph it, so it sent extra hard winds at us. At this point we decided to make a run for it. We got to the car just in time to realize that both our jackets were soaked through and through. Anna’s is still drying in our closet as we speak. I think it will be dry in time for the next Olympics.

Did this ruin our exploratory spirit? Hell yeah!! We went back and hit the mall after that. As the wind grabbed the store door nearly ripping it off its hinges the man working there looked at us and said, “Welcome to Iceland”.

Next day we hit up a popular route called the Golden Circle. We meant to hit it up the day before, but the weather totally beat us down. This may have worked to our advantage as our new travelling companion was ready to travel with us. Introducing The Master of foreign accents himself, Baron Matthias Von Lundheardt Von Lichtenstein….! A worldly man of many titles. From our pictures you can see that we found some breathtaking views and had to photograph them. Mattie (as we in the royal congregation are allowed to call him) helped us up the ante significantly with our jump shots! We saw mountains & valleys, met some short and hairy Icelandic horses that tried to eat my sweater, and even explored Geyser Park, where a few active geysers are active. Some bigger than others. All the geysers are named and the main Geyser is called “Strukkor”. Every couple of minutes this one would give us a real show! We got it on video. Like in New Zealand, where there’s sulfur and volcanic activity, there’s the natural smell of mother earth cutting some serious cheese. No different here.

Next stop was the Gulfoss Falls. It translates to “Golden Falls”. These falls were breathtaking! In winter they wind through ice ever so gracefully making for such a beautiful shot. Can’t see it like this when the snow’s gone.

After the falls we went hunting for craters in search for aliens. We didn’t find the aliens, but we did find a huge crater called Kerið.

Disclaimer: On the hunt for this crater we almost died a horrible cold death! Not to be dramatic or anything. Our handy-dandy GPS took us off the beaten path and our tiny Yaris. This was a gravel path covered in fresh snow, with huge drops on either side of the path. As we were driving …the darkness was approaching, there was no human in site for miles, and what cell phone signal? Our car decided to skid off the path and gave us all a “tiny” panic attack. Not to worry tho, Anna and Matty mustered the strength of 10 men and got us out! Practically lifted the car out of the snow!

Anyway.. the crater, right that’s what we were talking about…

Kerið is a 3000 year old volcanic crater that is approximately 55 m (180 ft) deep, 170 m (560 ft) wide, and 270 m (890 ft) across. All this means it’s freaking huge! Easily a good size apartment building can fit in there and then some. All the rocks around it are bright red, not black like the rest of the island. If ever in Iceland make sure to go see it, and feel free to climb down to the bottom…if you dare!

We spent a full day venturing out along the South Coast. Along here is where we found some of the numerous waterfalls we’ve been reading about ever since we arrived. Getting there was a treacherous journey in and of itself. We had to weather sleet, snow, and blizzard conditions as we headed over the mountain pass driving in white out conditions. As we descended down the other side the weather rewarded us with blue skies and fields of gold and black stone. The journey over the mountains took about an hour or two. So to be clear, it was in those 2 hours we experienced the equivalent of 4 completely different weather systems! You know the saying in Calgary, “Don’t like the weather, wait 15 minutes”, well Iceland beats that by a mile! We Calgarians are wusses compare to what Iceland has in store.

Our first stop was the waterfall called Seljalandsfoss. This is a very high waterfall with a path that runs up and behind it. Arriving there is very dramatic as you see the long cliff extending on either side of the falls with birds flying around. As you get closer, you get wet, and very wet. Taking pictures wasn’t easy, but it was definitely worth it! Once we got behind the waterfall and up on the other side of the path half way up the cliff the views were quite nice.

Once we took it all in and froze through the bone in cold cliff water, we warmed up in the car and drove on. The next waterfall was 90 minutes away and it awaited us! It’s called Skogafoss. This one was equally inspiring as the last one. In arriving you walk across a threshold of black sand that looks as if it’s crushed from coal and silica. In the distance the waterfall roar with the sun beaming down creating a bold rainbow. It was quite picturesque. These falls were easily 50 meters high.

After enjoying the beautiful waterfalls our next stop was the ocean. The place is called Dyrholaey. It’s where the black sand beaches meet the ocean waves. Huge black cliffs shoot up from the edge of the beach easily 50-75 meters high. The crazy part is that the rocks look almost alien in nature. They look like tall rectangular cubic formations like they came out of a mould for the first 15 metres or so. We couldn’t make it to the other side of the road for this one, as the ocean just washed away the road. But that didn’t stop us from getting in some of our jumping shots.

After beholding the black sand we headed to Vik. A small town of about 600 people on the coast. A nice little café called Halldorskafi served some great sandwiches. Just so you know, they cost the same here as they did in Reykjavik, but they were so tasty! Best lamb sandwich I’ve had in a long time. Finally got my share of Icelandic lamb! Victory is mine!!

Today was much shorter in drive time. We drove along the southern peninsula just south of Reykjavik. Our first stop was the Viking museum in Reykjaenesbaer. The building looks like a 5 story high glass cube in the middle of a Viking playground when approaching. In the glass section is the Viking Explorer ship. This ship was built authentically with old world methods to sale along Erik The Red’s route to Scotland, Greenland, Netherlands, Scandinavia, Northern Europe, Newfoundland, Labrador (called Vineland) and back. They did this in 2000 and now the same ship is here. The rest of the museum is dedicated to the Vikings history replete with artifacts, historic documents and models showing their lives back in the day as well as how Christianity influenced their culture. There’s also a whole section on Norse mythology. Here’s the website to learn more:

http://www.vikingaheimar.is/en/

We later went exploring and looking for the tectonic plates where the Europe and North American plates meet. We went to Europe and back in a matter of seconds! That’s what the brochure said and I’m not going to argue. There was a disclaimer we read claiming that the area could erupt in a torrent of fire and brimstone at any given moment without notice. Once you get past that little detail, you’re well on your way to enjoying the great rift!

Summary

All in all here’s our list of accomplishments on this trip:

·         We drove 1162 km’s over 6 days
·         Almost killed our rental car twice, once with Matty’s help and once on our own off roading the harsh landscape looking for outlooks over the ocean. Thankfully the rental company hasn’t read this J
·         We ate all kinds of Icelandic foods and drank Icelandic beer
·         3 waterfalls and 4 black sandy beaches with crashing waves
·         Enjoyed the ever so famous Blue Lagoon Hot Springs, with clay masks all over our faces
·         Partied like true Icelandars with jackets in tow
·         Wore all kinds of Icelandic sweaters, hats, and gloves.

Overall, Iceland is one of the most unique countries we’ve been to. The people are very warm, and resistant to cold, and the food and sights were out of this world! We are definitely planning on going back and doing a full on road trip around the whole perimeter. Who wants to come? Until next time vertu sæll!

Hello Hello! It's been so long!

We waited a good time, before we ventured off to another place and of course we picked something extraordinary, ICELAND!

When we told everyone we were going to Iceland we didn’t get the same responses we would have gotten from going to Europe or the Caribbean. This time we got a lot of raised eyebrows with the question “Why Iceland?” to which we responded “why not?” Why not experience the unfamiliar? Why not go to efforts to grow beyond our comfort zone and see something spectacular and unconventional at the same time? Why not check off one of Anna’s bucket list items? Canadians generally favour vacationing anywhere that is warmer than Canada, which is most of the world honestly. To choose somewhere that is perceived to be colder is an anomaly (i.e. WHAAAAAATTT??????).

Reykjavik is the most northern capital city in all the world. The total population for all of Iceland is 360,000 people, 2/3 of whom reside in Reykjavik. The language spoken here is Icelandic and their currency is called the Icelandic Krona. The conversion ratio is 100:1 for Krona vs. US/CDN approximately, or as one of the locals told me, “its shit”.

We noticed right away the winds were very cold and the landscape was stark and very rocky. We didn’t see a single tree anywhere, or even grass, just snow (as it had recently snowed), rock, and the occasional magic troll. It really felt like we were driving in a black white painting of an alien planet. It was a very surreal feeling. This feeling was heightened by the fact all the terrain wasn’t just rocky, but inky black. Imagine pouring black ink over all the rocks, or have a troll do it for you. The black rock appears in stark contrast to the steamy, cyan blue waters of the Blue Lagoon (Bla Lonid in Icelandic. $10 says you’ll likely say it wrong, but you’re welcome to try).

The Blue Lagoon continues to exude that otherworldly vibe as you get closer. This is a geothermal spa located in a lava field about 45 minutes outside of Reykjavik. The water here is always 37-39 degrees Celsius and is fed from the nearby geothermal power plant. It is said to help treat diseases such as psoriasis and others. We went in the evening near dusk. The water was very warm. The weather was very cold (rain, & sleet). It was a perfect time to experience it. The steam coming from the light blue water created quite a dramatic scene against the black rocks of the surrounding area. It’s a large enough pool. They had buckets of silica mud mask for us to try on. I have to say, we felt baby smooth afterwards. Of course, the locals didn’t seem affected by the cold, but the tourists were running and huddled up anytime they were out of the water. It is one of the most visited attractions in Iceland and well worth the visit.

Reykjavik

Welcome to Reykjavik, the cityscape is filled with colourful homes all built with Scandinavian design principles. Our small apartment (imagine Ikea “Haute Couture”) was downtown on trendy Lagavugar Street. This is a beautiful city. It’s right on the water with a long boardwalk which stretches towards the docks right to the Harpa Concert Hall, where we can see misty, snow covered mountains just across the water. The houses and buildings here are all covered in brightly coloured metal siding. Most of the businesses here were actually old family homes converted into shops, bars, cafes, etc. Many cafes here double as barber shops, happening bars at night time, or in the case of the Laundromat Café, a Laundromat, and nursery/daycare for kids.

The boardwalk leads to the Harpa Concert Hall. This building is an astonishing feat of architecture! It won 2013 EU architectural prize. It’s a cube shaped glass building built with hex shaped blocks of glass on all sides that looks like one corner is falling into the water at all times. It kind of looks like it was built by arctic Ice Bees. The inside is very modern, high, and beautiful. Being in this place feels like you’re standing about 20 years in the future. Would love to see a concert there one day.

There’s lots to see in Reykjavik. One of the great attractions is the Hallgrímskirkja Church. This church is the tallest building in town and offers some impressive views from all sides. It’s open to everyone and only $7 to go up the clock tower to see the views of town. From there you can see the Harpa concert hall and docks, the mountains, the cityscape, and out into the country side. It’s a relatively new church with more modern architecture on the outside, but it’s well worth the trip. After you should make your way to old city hall to the large ponds where the ducks are waiting. They are waiting in supremely large numbers with their friends, the geese and swans. There are literally hundreds of them there, and the best part is they love tourists! So get your cameras out and grab some dry bread, because you won’t want a chance to commune with these fun creatures. We had a good time taking their pictures and watching them, as well as seeing some very large snow men (or asexual beings, your choice). These snow people were actually around 8’ tall and just build by the local kids for fun. Naturally, we had to get our picture and “talk” with them.

When you get hungry you have a lot of nice places to eat, and Icelandic food is very good. They pride themselves on their lamb and seafood. They also have a drink called the “Swiss Mocha” which is hot chocolate and espresso mixed. Just drink it and never look back! Those of us who had it are still suffering withdrawals! There are a number of dining options if you don’t want just Icelandic food. All the cafes serve exceptional food as well as the restaurants. The only chain restaurants here are Subway, Dominos, and KFC. The rest are all local owned shops. Since Iceland is far from, well, almost everything, most food has to be imported. As a result, you will not find a meal anywhere for less than $20/person. If you’re lucky you could do it for $15, but you’ll be eating a lot of fries and burgers. Dining out in a nicer place will run you even more. Alcohol is another beast altogether. Beer is no less than $9 each. At first we thought that was just the big city tourism district pricing, until we drove around to the small towns. The prices really don’t change at all no matter where you are. Now, if you’re feeling adventurous, the local steakhouses, and there are a good number, also offer more locally sourced meats as well. What I mean is they serve such meats as horse, minke whale, and puffin. These are local dishes, so if you’re feeling very animal righteous, you may want to pass on those politely as this is part of their heritage and something they feel strongly about.

The water system here is a little different from other countries. Icelandic volcanoes are still very much active. You remember what happened in 2010? The geothermal heating is all throughout the country, so water here is heated naturally, albeit with a sulphuric smell. On one hand it feels like a nice spa every time you have a hot shower with soft, smooth skin as a reward. On the other it smells like someone has been cutting the cheese repeatedly when you do. A fair trade off? I’ll leave that to you.

The night scene here is pretty happening. During the week it’s pretty quiet as most people have to work, but when the weekend is here, lookout! Bars only stop serving alcohol at 3am, but remain open until 5amish. We went out on the Friday before we left and left the club around 4 am and the party was still going very strong! We hit up 3 places to get a good sampling of the scene. Our first stop was Koffin café. It was a small English style pub. Just below street level and very relaxed with couches. We all had a pint, relaxed, and moved on. Next was Dhillon. Loved this place! It’s a rock bar & scotch bar. On the main floor they play classic rock and heavy metal from the 70’s until now. Upstairs they have live music of local bands playing what sounds like 70’s Pink Floyd and riff based heavy metal. These bands were awesome! And the crowd was packed in. Given most clubs and cafes are old homes we were literally rocking the house! After rocking it hard, we decided to go in search for some dancing. We ended up at a little dance club called “Dolly”. They had a pair of female dj’s dressed like they came from the 1920’s and seemed to be dancing along having a great time. The one thing we noticed here is that everyone was dancing in their parkas, talk about the culture shock. Also all the Icelandic men dressed incredibly stylish, while all the ladies looked hobo chic with about 5 layers on at a time.

That’s our first impression and summary of arriving in Iceland and Reykjavik. As you know, we rented a car, and boy did we put it to good use! We were there for a week and put on 1162kms on the odometer. We’ll share where we went on our upcoming blog of the countryside and natural beauty we saw. See you soon!

PS. Spotted! We spotted someone jogging in shorts and a hoody. Did I mention that it was -4 degrees Celsius outside? Did I also mention this person was jogging along the boardwalk by the water? Did I mention this body of water is actually the Arctic Ocean? This is an indicator of the heartiness of the Icelandic people. We Canadians think we can adapt to cold? Ha! We’re practically a tropical tribe by comparison.

Ali & Anna

All pictures (c) Anna :)

Sevastopol, who goes to Sevastopol for a beach vacation? Is what everyone in Dnepropetrovsk asked us when we were boarding the night train. We really didn't have an answer to that question, only that we heard somewhere, somehow this was the place to be. Sevastopol is a beautiful city which is only 230 years old, surrounded by the beautiful black sea and monuments to remember the dark side of the wars.

Sadly Ali wasn't with us to enjoy the last world adventure. His world tour ended on July 9th, and he will be writing his insights in the next post.

Sevastopol was all about enjoying life the Ukrainian way. Some sort of alcohol from the morning until the next morning when it was time to sleep, followed by borsht for breakfast and sheesha for dinner. Of course this wasn't done in the same place all the time, we explored Sevastopol the proper way, saw everything (so we thought) we could see.

Chersonessos, the beautiful ruins that are only 2,500 years old, with amazing history and continuous archaeology explorations.
35 Seacost Battery, which explained what happened in the war, while we stood almost in tears looking up all the names and the only pictures they have restored of the fallen. Which was an amazing tour and surprising completely free of charge.
Balaklava Bay, a hidden little bay but with a secret underground tunnel-plant for submarines repair. Which is an awful tour and you should never ever go unless something changes in the next 20 years.
Cape Fiolent, one of the most beautiful, hard to get places in the Crimea. Takes 800 steps to walk down to the beautiful beach, where the only way out is a ship to the Balaklava (see above) or up those 800 (which feels like 1500) steps.
And various, various beaches the curved our craving for a cold beer, and a good game of cards.

On our last day, we met some people who were also tourist who asked us where we had been, and what we had seen. We felt proud to answer the questions as we felt like seasoned locals of Sevastopol, it could of been the false confidence of the downtown Sevastopol apartment and the great energy of our friend Igor. Only to be squashed down and pushed off our pedestal by the tourists saying, "Really, that's all you have seen?". On that sad note we learned, we only saw about 10% of Sevastopol. But now at least we knew the real answer to the question, "What is there really to do in Sevastopol"? The true answer is a mild laughter followed by "are you kidding me?".

The last night in Sevastopol crept so fast it seemed only I was feeling the walls closing in. This meant that was my last night on my world tour, the next couple nights would be in a train to Kiev and a flight to Toronto. This meant, I was going back to homeland, English speaking civilization, with responsibilities and stress. It has been almost three weeks since I landed in Toronto, where I am taking a breather before going back to Calgary to face reality. Can't wait to see what our minds comes up with for our last 2 blog posts on this incredible journey. Stay tuned for the finale.

Anna

The home and land of the Anna's clan. This is where Anna's family lives. We've already met Sergei, Anna's father, as he helped us find our way from Kiev to here, and upon arrival we met Anna's aunt, Alla, and her cousin Pavlic. They were kind enough to pick us up from the train station at 6am when we arrived and drop us off to Sergei's apartment in town. Dnepropetrovsk is a large city actually, but feels like a bit of a town. It's very green and downtown isn't tall and imposing like it is in most cities. The central square is surrounded by shopping malls and is anchored by a 2 story marry-go-round. The city gets it's name from the Dnepr River, which is quite wide and runs almost 3000kms throughout the Ukraine and divides the city pretty much in half.

We found our way to Sergei's place and spent a day or so there getting organized. It is being renovated so it was a little chaotic. Almost everyone in Ukraine either lives in an apartment or in the countryside in a home. There's no in between. The majority are in apartments in town. The apartment buildings were all built between the 40's and 70's, so no new glass skyscrapers are to be found anywhere. The people living there however, do update their apartments from time to time, so from the outside the buildings will look old, but on the inside some of them are brand new with the latest finishing. Truly you can't judge a book by it's cover.

I mentioned that the city has the Dnepr River divide it. What I didn't mention was the flurry of activity that takes place along the river. There are several kilometers of boardwalks along the river that are host to many restaurants, small shops, street vendors and performers. When we were there we saw a street fitness festival getting under way. They brought some a couple of people in from New York and held this street festival to promote local fitness without the need for special equipment. Some of the people just walking were performing amazing feats of strength I didn't know were possible! Backwards pull ups on the bars and such. There's a reason a lot of Olympic gymnasts and coaches are Ukrainian & Russian.

We actually took a river cruise down the Dnepr river one day. It was arranged by one of Tatiana's/Anna's friends. We all went as a large group on a boat with a full compliment of food, drinks, and good spirits. We were able to see the city from the river itself and get a good look at many of the sites. Along the way we passed a number of bridges, took pictures, and stopped for a swim. The best part was on the way back. One thing I've seen is that Ukrainians can turn almost any waterfront into a beach. Where the boat was docking was a tiny beach full of people sun bathing & swimming. There were a lot of kids in the water who saw us coming in from the river. They all swam out to the boat like we were the main attraction and started to climb into the boat! It was like World War Z, but with laughing children.

After a couple of days we headed out into the countryside. Here we are visiting Anna's grandparents on their farm, known locally as "Datchya". I've heard much about the Datchya in Calgary and how all the kids in the family spend their summers here. Now after 5 years, I'm finally going to meet the rest of the family and see the famed Datchya. We travelled for an hour or so to get here by bus. Once we arrived we were warmly greeted by Anna's grand parents (whom we call Baba & Dada), Alla and her husband Archie (from England), and their 2 dogs, Bex and Santa (named after the soap opera "Santa Barbara"). The Datchya is a small farm that has been in the family for over 25 years and was built by Dada. He built the house himself in many stages from the ground up. As the family grew, so did the house. In addition to the house there is the land. Here they grow almost all the food they need. They have greenhouses full of their special tomatoes that people come far and wide to have, grapes, apricots, strawberries, gooseberries, currants, cucumbers and potatoes. In addition they have a chicken coupe with about 8 hens all laying eggs daily. In the past when they were younger they used to have pigs on the property for meat, but now they buy meat from the store. Dada loves fishing so he goes daily to the river to catch some fish. When he's successful we're eating fish that day. Mmmmmm fresh fish. The day I arrived was the day after they just sold their harvest of strawberries. They taste just like candy out of the ground, so they had no problem selling their 200kgs in the market. There is no indoor plumbing, the home is heated by boiler, and water comes from both a well and the river. The shower is gravity fed with a tank on the roof, the washroom is outside, and In Russian/Ukrainian fashion, they also have a sauna. This is real country living, which is something I've never experienced before in my life, but the family here all grew up with it.

My first impression was how beautiful everything is. Fruits and veggies are growing everywhere and the home was built with love and care. They are on the corner of their street next to a large field where we can watch the sunsets at night. The food tastes amazing and the family is as warm and welcoming as you can imagine. No pressure either. Do what you want when you want. The only negative are the insects. There are a lot of bugs here on the farm, which is to be expected with such a lively operation. It doesn't take long to get used to them, but some days are worse than others. That's when the bug spray comes out.

The hospitality here has been amazing. Everyone as been exceptionally nice and welcoming to us, and I can easily say I've been completely full for a week straight! I don't know what it means to be hungry anymore, and it's scaring me a little bit. When here we eat only traditional Ukrainian cuisine. Ukrainian food is very rich food that fills you up quick. Hearty "young" potatoes which are only grown here; tomato & cucumber salad; small pirogues called "pelmeni" (I know I’m not spelling that right) with sour cream; borscht; egg salad; rye bread; and much much more. Breakfast are very thin pancakes with sour cream and coffee. Dinner is always had with either vodka, beer, or cognac. The reason is because dinners are always a good time to toast and celebrate, which is a regular occurrence here. I can't confirm whether or not it's because I'm a guest or not, but I think it's safe to say that toasting at dinner is much more common than the odd birthday or stat holiday. The toasts are very serious, but very jovial all at the same time. You never put your drink down until you drank from it. Never touch it until the toast is finished, and everyone takes turns toasting. Usually you toast love, family, a special occasion, guests, health, happiness, home, your blessings, etc. We've toasted the Datchya, future, the grandparents Baba & Dada, and more. This hospitality isn't limited to the Datchya. Our second day here, Sergei's girlfriend sent us a care package that could've fed 5 people when she heard we had no food in the house. We had a change of plans this one time and were in need of a place to stay that night, so on short notice we called a family friend and within 2 hours Anna, myself, and Tatiana (Anna's mother) were all being accommodated in their apartment downtown. We were picked up, taken to the grocery store, and fed a royal dinner with some of the best food I can remember having. Naturally we were celebrated and toasted repeatedly, and invited back for more. Ukrainian hospitality is so unconditionally generous. They are eager and happy to help and always celebrate new friends and family. I was told outright that I'm family now, which was a big moment for me and I instantly felt right at home. There is very little English being spoken ever, except to translate for me, but I don't feel out of place at all. That's a true compliment.

This blog is much more personal than most because of the very nature of our visit here. We're here visiting family and meeting new people that will be part of our lives for years to come. The families here all have deep roots in this city. Most of the time spent here is with the family and not touring around the sites, which is fine with me.

Once Ali had written this post, he had to jet off back to the homeland due to complications in life. I (Anna) continued the rest of the trip. Once Ali left, it was my birthday and we gathered pretty much almost all of my family and celebrated in a true Ukrainian style. Up next is the sea trip to Sevastopol!

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