Well, I officially departed on Thursday, and this being my first post of my official trip is kinda sad.... BUT! redemption should be found in the fact that it is coming to you from the Eaton Centre Apple Store! Ah, the beauty of being relatively disconnected from technology during an extended vacation. 

I have to say, using AirBNB has been quite an eye-opening adventure. This apartment is located in Maple Leaf Towers, and has a fantastic view of the CN Tower, Rogers Centre, and the Air Canada Centre as well. It's kinda of awesome.... Literally steps from Union Station, it's location is pretty tough to beat.

I had the opportunity (because I finally felt like an alcoholic beverage after a week of being sick) to check out the Play Lounge in Hotel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, and met some pretty interesting people. We chatted about education, politics, hockey, and travel. 

For instance, I learned that the first thing Italians look for in tourists is shorts. I was given some very excellent advice to pick up a pair of nice linen pants, because wearing any kind of short is apparently the equivalent of wearing an American Flag on your stuff. Weird, the things people notice eh?

I added some quick pictures to my Facebook album for the trip as well, which should be viewed as a big accomplishment, because I rarely take photos. However, being touristy in a city that I spent two years in is kind of cool. I took in a street performer's flame show. He had been to Harvest Jazz and Blues and told some hilariously inappropriate jokes. If you ever see the Fire Guy performing in a city, take in the show. It's pretty good. I got a snazzy pair of cheap sunglasses out of the deal. Anyway, check out some of the pics here.

I head over the pond on Monday evening for a lengthy jaunt to Reykjavik, Iceland for an hour before continuing on to London's Heathrow Airport. 

For the always popular, "You must be excited!"

I am ECSTATIC! I'm just running a gamut of emotions and can't seem to process the excitement until alcohol is involved. That seems strange in my family.... I'm sure. HAH. 

Alright, I'm starting to get strange looks from the Apple Store staff. Time to sign off for now. 

Next Update: LONDON, UK. 

Ok. Excitement legitimately setting in now.

20 days to Europe!

So I have decided to take my phone. Will I regret this decision?.... Maybe if I lose it, but other than that it's easy pictures, easy posting to social media, and easy contact to home. 

Now, I'm less than 20 days away and I am still full of questions:

1) Do I take a big wad of Euro with me, or wait and get some over there?

2) Back pack or duffle bag?

3) How many Canadian flag patches do I need for people to realize I'm not an American?

So again, looking for some advice here. 

On a different note, I found myself wondering what some of the most relaxing/most awesome places in Italy are and I found a few different places nominated by Italians on the interwebs:

1) Sardinia

2) Sicily

3) anywhere but Rome and Pisa

4) Amalfi coast

Needless to say, I may find myself in some of these places. 

To phone or not to phone...

I'm going back and forth on the decision to bring my cell phone with me on this trip....

Do I take my phone and protect it with my life, or do I leave my phone here and go stir crazy without it for 50-some days?....

This is a tough decision folks, and I need some advice.

Countdown is on!!

I am headed across the pond for the first time, for a trip of a lifetime. Big shout out to the people at Contiki - and my parents for letting me move back into the basement - for making this trip a reality. 

The Trip:

On May 22 I head to Toronto, ON for four days to catch up with some friends and unwind in one of my favourite cities before shipping out with Contiki on their European Escapade tour lasting 26 days, beginning May 28 in London, England. This tour will be life changing with so many new friends to be made, new places to discover, and new experiences to take in. During the 26 days, I will visit London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome, Vienna, Munich and Amsterdam, to name just a few. And on June 24, I am hopping on a plane back to Rome to meet the lovely Katie Loughery for another amazing trip through Italy lasting 17 days.

We'll be heading back to Canada together on July 9, after some mid-summer Italian fun, sun, and adventure. 

The Blog: 

I decided to try and keep a journal of the last-minute prep, the trip, and the inevitable post-vacation come-down upon returning from a long-term overseas adventure.

I'll be putting up some pictures here and on Facebook, which could be awful because I suck at taking pictures... but I've got a nice camera, so at least I've got that going for me.

Cheers!