WHO hands over their entire financial lifeline over... in Italy... the pickpocket capital of Europe... to a complete stranger? WHILE I'M STANDING ON THE ROAD DRINKING!!! Me. Apparently, me. I spent the next ten minutes berating myself for committing what might (potentially) be the stupidest mistake of my entire travel career. Rookie move. Classic me.

I was beyond ecstatic to see the Florence Duomo once again. Anyone who’s ever talked to me about travel knows that the Duomo in Florence is one of my all-time favourite places in the world. In fact, I call it one of my “Nessun Dormas.” It fills me with such overwhelming joy and awe that I feel like Pavarotti should appear in the background, belting out the triumphant final chorus of Nessun Dorma. The power of that music perfectly captures what I feel when I see places like t

I caught sight of the pastry counter and motioned to the server that I’d like to take a closer look. You’d think I’d asked to inspect their cash register. He gave me a haughty once-over, then sharply informed me I wasn’t allowed past the second step. Oh... Ok. It felt so unnecessarily cold… completely dismissive. Even the lady inside, behind the counter, could do nothing but glare at me. So… I left. Unmistakenly banished... again.

Today was my birthday. I really hadn’t thought the day through when I decided to book tickets to the Vatican. At the time, it seemed like a perfectly reasonable birthday activity. Right? What better thing to do on one's birthday than to go into the most churchiest of churches out there... whilst in the midst of intense jetlag? Now, anyone who’s read my blogs knows how I feel about churches... especially Catholic churches. They annoy me to no end. Why? Because they parade “ s

The 'travelling pro' side of me failed miserably as soon as I reached Termini, one of Rome's main station terminals. When the airporter train arrived, it was time for me to navigate the dreaded Metro. I did consider walking... as it was only 34 minutes to my hotel... but, as I might have mentioned previously, I was too shattered, sticky, and snappy to manage that.

Well… It’s that time again. I’m off. Packed, passport ready, and currently on the train en route to YVR. This one feels a little different, though. Not even a little. A whole lot. First off... I’m poor. Well, if we're being honest... I’m always poor, but this time I’m poor without the usual credit buffer I tend to lean on when I wander abroad. Long story. Banks suck. Actually, I suck — and that’s why the banks suck. But yeah… long story. The summer didn’t pan out on the sid

So… we’re all probably wondering… what happened with the key? Nothing yet. No angry emails, no surprise invoices. I think this should be...

Whenever I mentioned I was going to Bordeaux, the response was almost automatic… “You must visit the Cité du Vin!” The what? Apparently,...

In my last post, I talked about what I really love ( and don’t love ) about Paris… but really, what I should have done was sum it all up...

I caught the train from Soissons to Paris on Sunday morning, with Matthew. He was a sweetheart and stayed with me as I navigated the...

When we returned the rental car, everything was, of course , perfect. Gas tank full / clean / no damage. I signed the return invoice,...

I know I blether on and on and on about the cold, but it’s a major contributing factor into why I leave Canada in the winter. Sure,...

We did manage to eventually escape Colmar in our vehicle… but not until later on in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t as...

I spent a couple of nights in Longueval with ZC and Anna… catching up, enjoying delicious Raclette and wine… and preparing for our...

So I left Middelburg… I was pretty sad to say goodbye to Tom and Merel, especially after reconnecting after all this time. 25 years is a...

I flew into Rotterdam from London for one reason… and one reason only; to reconnect with a couple of old friends, Tom and Merel. I hadn’t...

My flight out of Amman was strangely empty. There were no more than thirty people on board. Honestly, I’m surprised it even flew. Maybe...

*this first part is a mere regurgitation of the end of my previous blog… because I had added it in last minute… and found Sue’s comment...

“ At this point in my life I am positive some people were put on this earth to test my alcohol tolerance level. ” Saw that. Loved it. Had...

As we made our way up to the iconic Kerak Castle, the journey took us up, up, up… through a maze of incredibly windy roads. By the time...

Wadi Rum is locally known as the Valley of the Moon… and 720 square kilometres of stunning desert landscape. It’s a fully protected area...

So… I must mention before I dive into this blog… the other day, we pulled into a roadside station for a gas fill and a toilet stop. While...

For the second night in a row, we headed back to the ‘ government-appointed ’ campsite. Yes, it was the exact same place we’d camped at...

If traveling long hours on the truck wasn’t bad enough, imagine adding in Mr. Meat watching his Trump brainwashing power rally reels… or...