Iceland and United Kingdom

Given my penchant for warm weather, one might be led to believe I was not myself when I booked a trip that ultimately followed the winter season around the globe. I couldn’t be happier with how it all panned out. 

Next up was Iceland and apart from getting a glimpse of the northern lights, I didn’t have too much of a plan for exploring the mysterious country. Little did I know that I was in for one of those moments that all just come together: I was fortunate enough to meet Jackie, Jordan, Debbie and Hunter. Together we rented a 4x4 and explored as far and wide as we could given the precious few hours of light we were granted each day so far north of the equator. What we saw was truly incredible and naturally only transfixed a desire to return in another season. Soon.

With only a couple of days to go until Christmas, I was glad to be family bound - Scotland for the festive season. Anne and Alistair took care of me while Dominic finished up work, and then it was time for another onslaught of food. It should be noted that being a ‘poor’ traveller is not necessarily the worst position in which to be this time of year as all seem to take pity and smother one in gifts and generosity. I don’t think I’ve done that well with gifts since I was around eight years old. Unfortunately with the comfort of family and friends I let the photographic evidence slide a bit, so have to make do with the patchy recollection of the final chapter.

Me, Debbie, Jordan, Jackie and Hunter at Solfar in Reykjavik, Iceland

Exploring the spectacular scenery

Hallgrimskirkja Church in Reykjavik

Gullfoss Waterfall

Geyser bursting out of the ground.
That's a person for scale to the right

Slightly different beach experience

The rugged and raw beauty

Truly spectacular

Skogafoss Waterfall, Iceland

Snow like polystyrene on the black sand beach

Sun shining down on Reykjavik

Great weather at Dunnottar Castle

Deserted Scottish beach

Braving the elements for a view of Loch Muick

St Andrews Cathedral ruins 

Judi, Dominic and me, St Andrews

USA Part 2

When I originally booked my Round the World ticket, Phil and Aimee were living in Chicago and so naturally I included a stop off with them on my itinerary. Subsequent to my departure, however, they got married in South Africa (inconvenient) and move to Salt Lake City (inconvenient). They're just lucky they showed me such a good time. We hung out, caught a Jazz vs Bulls game, went cross country skiing, snow boarding, I walked their beloved pets often and we shared a lovely Thanksgiving.

Next up was Atlanta where I stayed with Grant and Steph who took me in to their lovely home and again I was shown a great time for a few days before heading out to New York. We enjoyed some incredible live blues, I explored the city, art galleries as usual, trekking and some general hanging out.

New York was as expected. High paced, the streets cast in shadow by sky scrapers and it seems movies and pictures have portrayed a fair depiction of the city. Brooklyn was a welcome respite after an intense few days in Manhattan, and I enjoyed the different spin on life and landscape there.

I struggled to narrow down the pics, so please excuse the onslaught:

Semi-frozen dam at the park, Salt Lake City

Cross-country skiing with Phil

Jazz vs Bulls - cracker of a game came down to the buzzer

Walking the dogs in the hills surrounding the city

Thanksgiving dinner - too much good food

Snowboarding is just the best fun

Grungy Blues scene, Atlanta 

Clambering up the rock for a view of Atlanta at sunset

Old railway bridge converted into a park

Iconic NYC

Brooklyn Bridge

The NYC team at Times Square

North Tower memorial site

The Guggenheim - I forgot my skates

The Met did not disappoint

USA Part I

Following my introduction to North America through Canada, it was time to make my way down the coast to Seattle and on to San Francisco where I’d be meeting up with Dominic for a week of fun, exploring and my birthday. He does indeed get extra points for being the only one to make it to my birthday party.

I caught the train down to Seattle where I spent a couple days exploring as much of the city as I could and taking in some of the history and beautiful views. Although a couple of days is not nearly enough, I did get a really good feeling abut the coffee crazed city and thoroughly enjoyed my time there.

The train down to San Francisco was as scenic as anticipated and a great chance to see some of the beautiful countryside. The city was every bit as picturesque and awesome as I had hoped; naturally meeting up with Dominic added to the vibe. We saw some of the sights, ate amazing food, drank good coffee and beer and generally enjoyed a great holiday. The three day trip to Yosemite was truly amazing and we enjoyed exploring the park and doing some hiking - my absolute best. I could not have asked for a better way to see in the next decade of my life except perhaps to have shared the experience with more friends and family.

Such a beautiful part of the world warrants far more illustration than prose, so I’ll leave it at that.

The space Needle, Seattle

View from the Public Market, Seattle

Golden Gate, San Francisco

Golden Gate, San Francisco

The brotherhood at San Francisco City Hall

Alcatraz, San Francisco

Half Dome, Yosemite

Enjoying the view, Yosemite

Amazing beer and bread at Tartine, San Francisco

Pancake anticipation at Lori's Diner, San Francisco

Riding the Trolley, San Francisco

Judah Street, San Francisco

Enjoying a beer on Judah Street, San Francisco

Vancouver, Canada

It’s been a while since I posted a travel update and my computer, in part, is to blame after bombing out for a couple of months. I take the rest of the blame for the neglect as I enjoyed ‘living’ in Vancouver, catching up with my brother and other good friends. But more of that later.

It seems so long ago that I was welcomed by the esteemed Jonny Cash to one of the most desirable cities to live in in the world, Vancouver. As far as cool/hip/hipster people go, Cash is among the top and his top-notch girlfriend Evelyn completes the package. They welcomed me to their home and were brilliant hosts for what turned out to be a month of living in their lounge on their very comfortable sleeper-couch. I spent a large portion of my time in Nelson the Seagull enjoying the amazing bread and coffee (all other bread has been ruined for me now). Tea is still a big part of my life but I finally understand all the hype around a good cup of coffee. I’m not much of a foodie, but we did sample some amazing coffee shops, delis, restaurants, bars etc. some on more than one occasion.

Due to the time of year it rained a fair amount while I was there, but we still did our best to make the most of it and experience the city and the surrounding area. Leisurely mornings hanging out in coffee shops, watching the Canucks do battle on the ice, the various Thanksgiving celebrations, the much celebrated Halloween and a short visit to Summerland are some of the memories I won’t forget.

The Canadians are indeed as friendly as their preceding reputation indicates and it’s definitely not the last I’ve seen of the exceptionally enticing city. 

Drinking Beer at Six Acres before ordering an amazing meal of food

Nelson the Seagull after hours

Canucks lost this one, but still managed to capture a new avid supporter in me

Fall really is this spectacular

Hiking in Lynn Valley

Prematch before Halloween partying

The barfing peppers - a reasonable effort by the RSA contingent

Vancouver Rowing Club

Vancouver enjoying a sunny day

Thanks Ev and Cash for a great time