The Holidays: Good-bye 2009

So, there I was, on the train to Cardiff having just said a tearful good-bye to Kevin. Elsa was funny when I said bye to her in the car. She was already upset and crying because she had to leave her grandma's house. When I told her I was leaving and that I would miss her, she turned away and gave me the hand, saying "No, no!". She has a hard time with good-byes. I was still in denial that my trip was actuially over. I found myself wishing I could stay longer and/or rewind by a few weeks and do it all again.

I arrived at my hotel at around 10:00 pm and watched a bit of TV to unwind before turning in. It was a real treat to sleep in a nice big comfortable bed after 9 weeks of sleeping on couches, floors, narrow hostel beds, in tree forts, airplane seats and on the ground. At 4:00 am, my alarm went off, after only 4 hours of sleep. Groan...time to go to the airport to catch my 6:00 flight to Amsterdam. After going through security and settling in to the waiting area I hear an announcement about a flight delay. Oh no, I think to myself, I hope it's not too long. At least I have a 5 hour wait between flights in Amsterdam so I shouldn't have a problem making my flight to Montreal. At around 7:00 am, an hour after the flight was to take off, they announce that my flight will be delayed until 1:30 pm...WHAT!!!???!!! I just about lost my will to live at that moment...I knew I would certainly miss my flight to Montreal, unless it was also delayed. For the first time in my life, I was actually wishing for a flight delay.

So, I spent the next 6 hours trying to kill time at the Cardiff airport...not the most exciting place on earth. I spent a part of it sleeping in the uncomfortable waiting area chairs in about 3 or 4 different positions so that my aches and pains would be evenly distributed throughout my body rather than being concentrated in one area. Finally at 1:45 pm, the plane took off. I landed in Amsterdam at approximately 3:30 pm, local time (2 hours after my flight to Montreal should have left). I kept repeating in my head "Please be delayed, please be delayed, please be delayed". My head didn't listen though because my flight had departed on time and I had missed it. The airport was in UTTER CHAOS: People everywhere, wandering around looking dazed and perplexed, people running to their gates, kilometre long queues for people trying to get flights after delays and cancellations had thrown them into crisis. It was like the aftermath of a natural disaster. Okay, now what??? First, call Jane (my friend who Lizanne and I stayed with at the beginning of our trip) and request another sleep over: Done! Second, get in one of several kilometre long line ups for 5 hours (no exaggeration) or get beer and use internet: Beer and internet win. Third: Get in one of the line-ups that had not diminished even after 2 hours or just go to Jane's and worry about it tomorrow: Going to Jane's wins.

So, once again, I found myself being welcomed warmly by Jon and Jane. It seemed fitting in a way that I should spent the last night of my travels at the very same place I spent the first night of my travels. The next day, I made my way to the airport and, although chaos still reigned, I boarded my flight on time and arrived in Montreal exactly 24 hours after I was originally supposed to be there. For the first few hours, the cats acted like they didn't know me but then when it was bed time, they couldn't get settled into the bed (and on top of me) quickly enough.

The very next day, I made the long bus and metro journey to my birth father's for our family Christmas. I was more than a little jet-lagged and quite tired but I managed to hang in there until around midnight when everyone went to bed. Here are couple photos of the gift opening ritual.

The tree before plunging into the presents

My sister, Helene, and her partner, Erik with the mobile I brought my nephew from Rwanda

My other sister, Julie, trying to make my nephew laugh
My nephew, Mattias
My father, Jocelyn, being goofy
Jocelyn and his wife, Esther, with the ornament I brought from Ireland
Two of my aunts, Lucette and Francine, relaxing after supper

The annual family photo

The next day, we all left for a small town just outside of Quebec City to spend a few days with extended family, i.e. aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, etc. I do not have any pictures of this, as my camera died after I managed to get one shot of the sunset, through the window, on Christmas Eve:

That night, after a delicious meal, we exchanged gifts and played games. The next morning we started Christmas Day with a mass. The priest asked me to do the first reading (in french) and, although it wasn't in my plan, I agreed. Considering it was in french and the words were far from being ordinary, everyday words (you know how the bible is), I managed to get through it with only one or two minor slips ups. After mass we had a big brunch and then I played street hockey with some of my uncles and cousins in the afternoon. Brace yourselves: This was the first time in my entire life that I had ever played hockey. I know, how is that possible, having grown up in Montreal? It was fun and a lot harder than it looks!

That evening, after a fantastic turkey dinner with all the trimmings, the Karaoke came on. My young cousin, who just finished law school, got us started by singing Eye of the Tiger...really really badly...and with a french accent. It was painful and hilarious at the same time!! I really admire his courage and his ability to laugh at himself, because he was fully aware that he can't sing to save his life. His goal, which he accomplished, was to break the ice for everyone else and make us all feel at ease by setting the bar really low! I eventually mustered up the courage to get up and sing with my aunt (I Will Survive by Gloria Gaynor) and then with my cousin (You Oughtta Know by Alanis Morissette) and then with my uncle (Copacabana by Barry Manilow) and then, after a few more glasses of wine, the piece de resistance...I got up and sang Sex Bomb by Tom Jones...solo!! I'm sure you can imagine how popular that one was. After a few more gutsy performances, my cousin (yes the one who started it all) got up and sang My Heart Will Go On (Titanic song) by Celine Dion...groooooooaaaaaan...now THAT was painful. His performance pretty much put and end to Karaoke for the night...

The next day, boxing day, I spent a bit of time in Quebec City just checking out the sights and shops. I returned to find a surprise waiting at the house. The only uncle I hadn't met had arrived unexpectedly from Winsdor, Ontario to surprise everyone. We played a few more games in the afternoon, had a great supper and then sat around and chatted in the evening. The next morning, Dec. 27, we hit the road and headed back to Montreal.

All in all, despite my slight apprehension at the thought of spending 3 days in a house with a large group of people who, for the most part, I didn't know, I had a FANTASTIC time! It was such a nice way to make the transition from travelling the world to settling back into Canada. It was also good to spend quality time getting to know my family members and having fun/being silly together.

Upon my return to Montreal I spent a few days relaxing and recovering from all the celebrating and then got ready to do just a little bit more. My cousin had a fantastic new year's eve party, featuring a huge bonfire in the back yard. What a great way to welcome 2010: outside, around a fire, snow falling, champagne glass in hand.

Shannon (my cousin) and meShannon and her friend Robert

Although this blog has ended with an emphasis on holiday/family oriented experiences, it was largely a travel blog...the first (and possibly the last) blog I have ever written. Ronato and Skye were my inspiration for writing this, so thanks to both of you. It has proven to be an extremely time-consuming endeavour and, for this reason, I am not sure I will do another one on my next trip. Having said that, I am REALLY glad I did it because it served a number of important purposes: It allowed my friends and family to keep up with what I was doing on my trip and "live vicariously" through my experiences (as some have said). It provided me with an opportunity to process some of my thoughts, feelings and impressions about my experiences and to share them with the people in my life. It also kept me from having to tell all my stories over and over again, which can be exhausting. Not to mention, each time I tell a story I tend to include fewer and fewer details...so this way everyone gets the same information (including all the rich detail and photos) at roughly the same time.

Finally, I want to share an insight I had about travel. I was thinking about travelling and the various reasons people do it...why I travel...hmmmm, why do I travel? Why do I spend thousands of dollars to get on planes, go to other parts of the world, deal with the stress and inconvenience of it, expose myself to danger and disease? What is the point? The answer I came up with is: I don't just live in Victoria or Montreal or Canada. I live on this planet. The world is my home, not just the city, province or country I live in, and I want to become as intimately acquainted with my world as possible.

At this point in my life, I want to spend my time and money collecting experiences, not things... and travelling is the best way I can think of to become a hoarder of experiences! Thank you for reading this and allowing me to share my thoughts and experiences with you.

My Last Few Days in Wales

My last few days in Wales (from Dec. 16 to 20) were spent relaxing at "home" and a little bit more travelling. On Friday, Dec. 18, we all hopped on the train and went to Cardiff for the day. It is the biggest city (and the Capital) in Wales. It is a lovely city that has achieved a nice balance between the old and the more modern. It was a beautiful sunny (and extremely cold and windy) day. Rowan lost a glove on the train (which, incredibly, someone found on the train back to Carmarthen and asked Rowan if it belonged to her). Elsa lost one of Kevin's gloves while walking, and Freja didn't have gloves on because she refuses to wear them. So I was the only one with warm hands. Needless to say, a trip to the "glove store" was at the top of the agenda.


We had a really good lunch at an indian buffet restaurant and then shopped and strolled around the city...c c c c c c c cold...we also went to a mall so we could take Elsa to the Disney store. It was like walking into a bottle of Pepto Bismol and I had to run out of there after about 5 minutes. I went next door to the "store for gifts for men", where I bought a tea towel holder in the shape of a cat's rear end, for Kevin and Rowan for Christmas.







Here are a few photos of some of the buildings in Cardiff:

We ended the day at the Cardiff Winter Wonderland, where I went on the merry-go-round by myself because Elsa changed her mind at the last minute. I tried to convice Kevin to go on some of the more "daring" rides with me (like the ferris wheel you see in the background of the picture above), but no luck.

On the way back, we stopped for food at the train station before boarding the train, as the kids (and Kevin) were hungry. Here is an adorable photo of Freja enjoying her food.

The next day was my birthday and I was awoken by Elsa who whispered in my ear "Happy birfday Aunty Taffy!". What an amazing way to start the day. Incidentally, the next morning I was again awoken by Elsa who exclaimned "Aunty Taffy! I did an enormous poo!!". Out of the mouths of babes...My birthday was wonderful. I lounged in my jammies most of the day, listened to Christmas music and then we had Chinese take out for dinner. Rowan's dad and step-mom dropped by with a card and gift for me, which I found very sweet and thoughtful.

The next day, my last day in the UK, was spent at Rowan's mom's. She was throwing her annual Winter Solstice party. I met some great people, ate some delicious food and enjoyed my last few hours with loved ones. Sadly the time to leave for the train station came way too soon and I had to say good-bye. My nine and a half week trip to Africa and Europe was over...hard to believe...it went by too fast and at the same time it felt like I had been gone for an eternity. Now, back to Montreal for the holidays and beyond...

Ireland

I arrived back in Wales on Saturday, Dec. 12...sad to leave London, but very happy to see my girls!! Elsa came with Rowan to pick me up at the train station. Sunday was spent sleeping in (very unusual for me) and lounging around in my pajamas (again, highly irregular).

Kevin and I decided to go to Ireland for a day...we got on a bus at...get this...1:30 in the morning (on Monday night/Tuesday morning). Not surprisingly, there were quite a few characters on the bus. Those of you who know Kevin, can imagine how delighted he was with this. He also complained of a BO smell permeating the bus, which I couldn't smell until one particular person walked by and it hit me like a cast iron frying pan. After the complicated process of trying to figure out which seats were free (since there were already a lot of people on the bus who got out to have a break), we sat at the front thanks to a couple of very kind people who agreed to sit together so that we could sit together.

After a couple hours, the bus arrived at the ferry terminal and we were all shuffled off the bus and into a buliding to have our passports checked. We were instructed to sit down and wait. After 5 minutes or so, we were escorted back to the bus. A few minutes later, an immigration officer gets on the bus and checks a few passports...and that's it...I was confused...Why did we all get off the bus if the guy was going to come on anyways? We drove onto the ferry and then got off to go up to the passenger decks. I slept for a few hours and then it's back on the bus for another couple hours. At 10:00 am, we arrived at the bus terminal in Cork. I woke up with a start and looked at my watch. "Oh good, it's 2:00, right on schedule". Kevin looked at me funny. Clearly, I was still half asleep and disoriented. "Oh ya, it's only 10:00!" First priority: Find a place for breakfast.

After filling our bellies with nice hot food, we headed off to find Sheila's hostel, where, incidentally, both Rowan and Kevin had stayed before (but not together). After walking up a very steep hill (and way too far, as we discovered when the road ended and we realized we had passed the street), we arrived at Sheila's. This hilarious guy at the desk, named Liam, basically told us exactly what we should do and where we should go while we are in town. He put us on a very tight and highly structured schedule, drew a walking route on a map and told us which buses to take and at what time. "Yes Sir!" "Right away, Sir!"

We decided to take the walking tour through the city that Liam suggested, ultimately ending up at the old Cork Gaol (a jail which is now a museum/tourist attraction). The history was fascinating and included information about some of the political prisoners who were held there because of their resistance to British rule. Ten years or so before it closed, the jail became a women's prison. The tour ended with a very moving audio visual presentation, which featured actors depicting some of the real prisoners who were held and/or executed there. I won't get into detail, but if you want to know more about the gaol, here is a link to the website:

http://www.corkcitygaol.com/

Old abandoned building in Cork

Kevin on a bridge
Church with IRA Graffiti

The Old City Gaol

Staff at the Gaol

A cell in the Gaol

After spening a couple hours at the jail, we went off to find food. We walked for a while and eventually ended up at a nice cafe, where we had a late lunch/early supper (a lupper). Then, back to the hostel to get ready for the evening. We went to a pub where local bands were performing as a benefit to raise money for local businesses who were affected by the severe flooding that had happened in Cork a few weeks earlier. We had a great time drinking Guinness and Bulmers, while arguing about politics, sex/relationships, religion...you know the usual things you shouldn't discuss while drinking. Here are a couple self-portraits of us at the pub. Notice how, in the second picture after couple more drinks, our eyes are more glazed over and my face is redder.

The next day, Blarney Castle was on our agenda. We poured ourselves out of bed, about an hour behind (Liam's) schedule. I went downstairs to the reception desk to look at the bus schedule, relieved that Liam wasn't working (cause I had a feeling he would comment on the fact that we were getting a late start). All of a sudden, I hear this voice "You're late!". I looked up to see Liam's head peering over the shelves at the back of the reception area. I stammered something about getting in later (and more intoxicated) than expected last night and quickly added that we had a good time and we attended the benefit concert (which he had suggested). I assured him we would still have plenty of time to do the things he had planned for us, and quickly scurried off.

It was a beautiful sunny day and the grounds of the castle were lovely. I REALLY liked this place a lot! I love old castles, especially when theyt are still intact enough to go inside and walk around. Again, I won't go into too much detail, other than to say that I explored the castle and it's many tunnels and chambers, climbed the 100 steps to the top and kissed the Blarney Stone. Here is the link: http://www.blarneycastle.ie/

Building in the town of Blarney

View of the castle, as I was approaching

Looking out one of the windows
Stairs inside the castle


Me kissing the Blarney Stone

After buying a couple souvenirs in the gift shop, we hurried back to Cork to catch our bus/ferry back to Carmarthen. We eventually arrived back at Kevin's at around 2:00 am and crawled into bed. I loved Ireland and would have liked to have spent more time there. I have since found out from my aunt in Montreal that my great-grandfather on my father's side was born and raised in Cork. Maybe one day I will return there and do some research on the McCormick family. Who knows, maybe one of my ancestors worked (or lived) at the Gaol...