New York, NY

So - I figure that I might as well continue this blog for future interesting vacations. Having been back in Toronto for nearly 3 months, I became restless again. I decided to use some of those points I had accumulated over the past few years to fly to NYC and visit some old friends. Wow - the city was so full of life! All these sights and sounds, down to details in the metro system, seemed so eerily familiar from all the movies and TV shows that have bombarded me with this city's imagery for my whole life - but it was far more than that. The city really does never sleep, and I fully intend on going back soon. I even had the chance to brush shoulders with a couple of celebrities - purely by chance! How odd is that? Anyways, my vacation worked, despite not really being relaxing at any time (in fact, probably tiring myself out even more than when I started). Thank you Lisette for putting up with me in cramped conditions for all those days, showing me really what the city has to offer, and thank you Lori for coming into town to meet me for that optional meal between lunch and dinner! I will be back.

Back home

Well, that's it I guess. In 146 days, I hit 21 countries and 34 airports, took 4621 pictures and 267 videos (spanning 7 GB and 4 SD cards), and had an unmeasurable amount of valuable lessons
in life. I travelled for many reasons, and I will keep doing it as long as I live and have the means to do it. There is so much I want to say, so many stories I want to tell, but they will have to wait for a better time and place than this humble blog.

Cardiff, Wales

Now, I'll be honest, I visited Cardiff pretty much because of Dr. Who and Torchwood - shows which I rather like. Naturally, my first stop was the Dr. Who exhibit at the Red Dragon Center. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Cardiff itself was also quite a nice place. Met some nice people and did other things not related to Dr. Who, such as seeing a circus. Part of me wanted to party like crazy for my last night abroad, but I felt I should not force it as I was quite battered from all the moving around and the sudden shifts in weather. Figured I was still young enough to save it for later :).

Galway, Ireland

I suppose it is kind of a misleading thing to title this entry Galway, as I spent more of my time outside of it. Cliffs of Moher, the Burren, and the Aran Islands were really where I spent most of my time. Some amazing scenery. The Aran Islands are the one place in Ireland where Gaelic is still spoken natively by the population as the 1st language. It's funny how there are signs everywhere in Ireland in Gaelic, but I haven't heard anyone speaking it. Didn't get much of a chance to enjoy the fabled Irish music/drinking scene as I still have this annoying cold from Scotland. Anyways, off to Cardiff (Wales) after this.. and that will be my last stop :(.

Cork, Ireland

I originally travelled to Cork for 2 reasons. 1) To hear the famous Cork accent; and 2) because Galway's hostels were all booked for Friday night. I ended up not being so impressed by the accent (i.e. I could understand it, which meant it wasn't as thick as they said), and discovered that there are other cool things around Ireland's 2nd largest city - namely the towns of Limerick, and Blarney! They actually have a castle and village named Blarney - and who thought of the name? The QUEEN (of England, Elizabeth I). I kissed the stone, but sadly don't feel any more articulate.

Dublin, Ireland

I'm sad to say that I didn't really spend much time here, really just as a transit point to the rest of Ireland. I heard from the many Irish people I had met that it wasn't really worth it. Perhaps they were selling it short, perhaps not. 2 nights (and 0 days!) can't answer that. While here I was fortunate to stumble across culture night and I got to see some galleries and the ORIGINAL Trinity College (ok, one of them.. Cambridge's 50 years older) open far past their normal hours. I also met Somadrone and had a quick chat with them after their performance at the National Gallery (weird but fitting venue).