Not looking forward to Paris

Let me tell you a story about why I am not enthused about returning to Paris.

We're in Paris after our tour of Belgian battlefields. Our tour guide, Barbara, has been wonderful and really accommodating (I think we asked about seeing German cemeteries every day while in Belgium). We're waiting for the tour bus to appear outside of our hotel. I am not sure why Daorcey does this, but he suddenly places his index finger in my left nostril.

Figuring he just wants a reaction, I don't do anything. If he discovers "something" it's his own fault, right? However, he keeps his finger in my nose long enough for Barbara to glance over and be totally horrified.

Since then, when Daorcey threatens to place a finger in my nose, I tell him he can only do it when we're in Paris. I just didn't think we'd be going back so soon...

I just hope he washes his hands first.

Away with us!

For me, London occupies an important part in my heart. Thanks (for a large part) to Nicole, we spent some great days there being tourists. This a was a few months before we got married, and, although it certainly wasn't a honeymoon (honeymoon's aren't spent sleeping on the floor of a friend's one-room flat), it was an important vacation.

It was our first big trip together. From giddily sitting in the Calgary airport to figuring out transit in London and Paris to just walking around together and sharing in the surprise of seeing new things, it was all so exciting and new and wonderful. During periods of vacation and travel on my own or with family, I was often beset by moments where I wished to share it with someone else--someone who might just hold my hand and feel the same amazement of the gardens of Versailles or the view from a mountaintop. That trip to London and Paris and Vimy was filled with those kinds of moments--each one reinforcing that we could easily spend the rest of our lives together.

We don't travel enough of it, but it has featured significantly into our lives together. Whether it's making a long distance relationship work between China and Canada at the height of the SARS crisis or taking a quick road trip to Seattle to watch a made-for-tv movie, travel has been a notable and wonderful part of our relationship.

Photo from the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. Shot by Nicole.

And so, we're quite excited to be planning another trip to London for later this spring. History, food, architecture, art... there's a lot we're looking forward to and we're finding that, even though we'll be there longer this time, we're going to had to make decisions on what things MUST be done and what things can wait until we return again.

We've taken out almost every London travel book from the library, but that's not making things any easier. I guess, as we get closer to the date, we'll be more motivated to make the tough decisions on a somewhat flexible itinerary.

So far, our plans include spending most of our time in London with a couple of day trips and a quick jaunt out of the country to return to Vimy Ridge via Paris. And now it looks like we might also do Amsterdam for a couple of days. This could become another whirlwind tour, but I think we can handle it.

I've made sure to work out more regularly so I can carry Natalie around as much as I can a la this photo from our first trip.

Even though we're doing a bunch of research on what we'd like to do for this trip, we'd welcome any suggestions from our readers. Any must-see, of overlooked, gems in London?

This is going to rock.

Carless and Fancy Free

We did it.

We'd talked about it. There was some musing. A bit of discussion even. But then we just went ahead and did it.

We sold the car.

Emotions, at this point, are mixed. I was excited to finally take the plunge and go carless in Calgary (something that's been done by a few others, so why not us?). Finally dropping the car might be quite an adventure and lead to many new experiences as we find other ways to get around the city.

But, on the other hand, it was sad to see my taller little brother (the purchaser) turn the corner and drive the car out of sight... to be parked and driven in other city in the far North. That little green Echo had brought us places (like Moosejaw and Seattle). We've been looking for photos of it on our many trips with it, but all we can find are ones that include the inside of the vehicle.



So, yes, we'll miss Echo (creative name, right?), but we'll always have the memories of long rides and mid-trip naps. And, of course, I'll never forget that Echo was my "reason" to get Natalie out to a secluded spot in the mountains south of Canmore so I could surprise her with my marriage proposal.

On a Saturday afternoon in 2004, I convinced Natalie that she should come with me on a small road trip to Canmore so I could test out my newly purchased 2000 Echo as we take it onto some secondary roadways (some bumps, hills and rocks). So we went on our little drive listening to music and enjoying the scenery (although there are moments of heights were neither of us was very pleased). Eventually, we came to a small lake further off the beaten path that still had ice on it despite the warm May weather. The sun was out and I surprised Natalie by pulling off the road and suggesting a quick picnic of strawberries and sparking apple juice.

Personally, I think she was more surprised that I pre-washed the strawberries.

And so, as we sat our our blanket at the side of this small lake snacking and drinking, I said "oh, I also got you a present" and I took out a small green glass box. And inside of that glass box, resting in folds of velvet was a diamond ring.

"willyoumarryme?"

As we drove home later that day, we were both excited and even anxious about the adventures that lay ahead. The Echo isn't part of that story any more, but it did have a role to play those few years ago.

We gave the car a big hug when Arone took it to its new home on Sunday.