Real, Not Ideal

On my list original plan for today’s blog post was going to be one for both of the France trips I was supposed to take in the last couple of weeks. I’ve also scoured through past posts to see if I mentioned them last year, and I’m ashamed to say I did not. For two of my favourite trips of all time, I cannot believe I missed a chance at writing about them. While I’m disappointed that I won’t get to partake again this year, I’m glad to have those memories forever. Instead of my original planned post, I figured I’ll go back to February when I went to Belgium and Berlin. I mentioned it in my monthly favourites in February (and even mentioned I would write a future post about it) but I never actually wrote it. So, here we go! Belgium and Berlin! Belgium         I went to Belgium on a school trip. The purpose was to see all of the WWI sites from a book we read with the Year 7s called “Private Peaceful.” Belgium itself has some really nice...

I managed to mention my Austria trip in both a monthly favourites and yearly highlights post, so it is very clear that I was overdue to post something about it. Back at the end of October/beginning of November, Heidi and Natalie came to visit me! When we started planning back in the summer, there were a few ideas thrown out there. Greece was on the list, Amsterdam was on the list, but we went with Austria. The real point of the trip was to see all of The Sound of Music sights, and we certainly accomplished that. I have to admit that since it was so long ago and I wasn’t journaling very well at the time (one of the main reasons it has been placed on my January goals list) , I can’t remember what we did on specific days. I’ve organised this post into cities to make it easier for everyone. London We started the trip by meeting in London. We took some time to settle and catch up in the hostel and went for a little walk around for food. The next morning, we heade...

Hi everyone! Sorry for the accidental hiatus (and so much for doing well on my summer goals) . After a wonderful weekend camping, I am ready to share what I have done and get right back on track. I have really been getting into the idea of travelling lately. However, living in Canada makes it difficult to get anywhere quickly. When a friend of mine asked if Matt and I wanted to join her and a group of friends on a camping trip to MacGregor Point Provincial Park , I jumped at the chance. Camping is the perfect way to see and experience Canada at its best. I used to go with my family when I was younger, so it was great to go back to what I love. We stayed in a Yurt for this trip. I had no idea what to expect, and it was great. It slept six people, and the actual site had loads of space (the people beside us had about three vehicles there throughout the day). On the first night, we had our fire and the ultimate S’mores (I highly suggest graham cracker and Mars B...

Look at that! Another travel post for you! A few weekends ago, my sister had the day off from her summer job at a camp. My aunt also happened to be visiting me, so as a surprise, we took her to see Brianne! Orillia is cottage country. The main street is filled with restaurants and boutiques. We went around the time of the Mariposa Folk Festival, so it was more crowded than normal. The big reason we chose Orillia was for its Island Princess boat cruise . It takes you on a tour around Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. The entire ride is about 2 ¼ hours long, and there isn't a lot of shade or places to sit. Despite those two things, the tour is great. Our tour guide was hilarious (if you like bad jokes) and informative. Bring snacks and sunscreen and you’ll be fine! The tour gives you a great view of the multi-million-dollar cottages. A lot of the owners are familiar with the cruise and we were met with big waves and even bells rung back at us! It was...

First things first: It is NOT castle coCK. Coch is the Welsh word for red. It’s Red Castle. Are we clear? Good. Here is the long awaited (by no one I’m sure) blog post dedicated to the two castles I visited when I was living in Cardiff. I’m dreadfully disappointed in myself, actually. Wales has the most castles per square mile in the world, and I didn’t see nearly enough. All the more reason to go back! Cardiff Castle Cardiff Castle is conveniently located smack-dab in the middle of City Centre. The castle walls are massive, and the land itself also includes a park (mentioned in this post) . Another bonus? Residents of Cardiff can get the “key to the castle” to get in for free anytime they want as well as discounts off purchases. There are so many rooms to explore in the castle grounds. You can walk yourself around, or there are free audio tours that take you everywhere. I definitely suggest doing the tour. It costs a little extra, but it is so worth i...