Midnight flight to Heathrow

I love the app Timehop. For someone who has the memory of a goldfish like I do, it helps me remember life events and things I've done or seen in the past. Like this little gem from two years ago:

I was hopping on a plane to jet off to Europe for two weeks with a good friend of mine. I hadn't taken a real vacation like that in years and was so looking forward to getting back to Europe, with all its history and delicious food and fantastic sites. I think about the places I visited on that trip pretty often, and can't wait to get back there again soon.

NaBloWriMo: whoops...

Well, I started off NaBloWriMo with a bang, full of intent and determination, ready to go...and then I went on a trip. It's not that I forgot, I just ran out of time each day. But, that's changing now! I've been in Ottawa for the past few days, so to catch up, I'll be blogging about my mini-break with my mother and some of the great spots we've been since arriving!

Here's a little snap of some crazy-looking clouds from my flight Wednesday evening as I headed off west to chase the sunset. 

Stay tuned!

Pink sky at night...

I know the saying is technically "red sky at night, sailor's delight", but in this case, a pink sky was what we saw last night in St. John's. A sudden thunderstorm came over the city and poured for about 10 minutes. Shortly after, the sky brightened and cleared, and we were treated to this beautiful sight.

As I get older, I seem to be getting more and more of an appreciation for nature and the world around me. I just came back from a week out west in British Columbia and Alberta for a family wedding. Driving through the Rocky Mountains, I saw sprawling landscapes and natural beauty that really are a sight to behold.

The wedding ceremony was at a beautiful spot called Emerald Lake, in B.C. It was stunning. Snow-capped mountains, lush green forests and a teal-blue lake...breath-taking. 

If you ever get the chance, I highly recommend driving through the Rockies, as they'll give you a new appreciation for the vast land we call home.

In London, there is life

There's something about London that fills me with joy. The feel of the city seeps into me and races through my veins. I know I've said it repeatedly, especially over the past few weeks, but reliving last year's trip over the last little while brings up all those feelings and memories again, of how much I do love it there. I don't get that same feeling in any other place, even Toronto, where I lived for a few years and loved very much. I get a different feeling in Toronto; still very pleasant, but nothing like the hum of excitement that London fills me with.

I thrive in the hustle and bustle of a tube station - actually love the feeling of being swept up in the crowds. I enjoy weaving around fellow pedestrians on the side walk and feeling black cabs and double decker busses whoosh by me. I truly believe there's no better city in the world.

Last day in London

I remember the final day of our trip last year pretty clearly. Knowing it was my last day in London, I woke up at the crack of dawn and was out the door of our hotel pretty quickly. I was determined to not waste a second of my time left in that wonderful city.

I had made a list of all the places I wanted to visit one last time, shops I'd wanted to pick up certain items from and special foods I'd wanted to eat before I said goodbye. I didn't stop the entire day, hopping on and off the tube, choosing to walk most places instead of taking a double-decker bus or a black cab, because I wanted to see everything I could, absorb everything I could about London. I felt that same hum of excitement and energy course through me that I'd felt the moment I'd stepped through customs at Heathrow.

I stayed out until almost midnight that day. Standing in Piccadilly Circus, I soaked up as much as I could, took one last look around and then said "see you soon" to the city I love.

O Mio Babbino Caro

While on vacation in Florence this time last year, my good friend and I were walking along the Arno River and came across a violin player. I immediately stopped as my ears picked up the tune - it was one of my favourite classical pieces: O Mio Babbino Caro, from Puccini's opera Gianni Schicchi.

I've loved this piece for as long as I can remember, and walking by the Arno, listening to it being played on one of my favourite instruments filled me with such joy. I love the Italian version of the song, (everything sounds more romantic in a foreign language) which tells the story of a young woman pleading with her father that she loves a certain young man he has conflict with. In the piece, she sings "if my love were in vain, I would go to the Ponte Vecchio, and throw myself in the Arno!"

Below is the beautiful piece played on the violin by the amazing musician, Joshua Bell. If you listen, you might recognize the tune as it's quite famous, and you might understand why I love it so much. :)

Ah, Florence!

Ah, Florence. An Italian city I'd wanted to visit for some time and finally got to see last year. I can't put my finger on one specific thing I'd wanted to see in Florence all this time, it was just something about the city itself that drew me to it and made me want to visit.

Once I arrived though, and seeing how close our apartment was to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, I knew it was the architecture that drew me to Florence.

Growing up in churches all my life and having an admiration for architecture, it's no wonder that I fell in love with the massive Duomo as soon as I saw it. The exterior is unbelievably gorgeous and intricately detailed. It really is a spectacular site. 

We had the most incredible view of the beautiful Duomo from our airbnb apartment balcony - a view I never grew tired of.

Other pieces of architecture around the city drew me in as well - from ornate buildings and palaces to Florence's own Jelly Bean Row along the Arno River, Florence almost made me feel at home. I know I have to go back again some day. We have a bond now, Florence and I.

La Dolce Vita

Italy. One of my favourite countries. The architecture, the people, the wine...the food. Ah, the food. Upon arriving in Florence this time last year, my dear friend and I headed out to a restaurant for some dinner. Being absolutely famished, we ordered appetizers AND mains AND dessert.

Prosciutto and melon. Or, in Italian, prosciutto e melone. Simple, yet so, so delicious. The sweetness of the cantaloupe paired with that tasty, salty meat is an interesting combination.

Spaghetti carbonara, or spaghetti alla carbonara. Notice the colour of the pasta? The colour of egg yolks in Italy was such a beautiful, rich orange colour, it translated into their fresh, handmade pasta. We bought eggs that night and had them for breakfast the next morning, again seeing the bright orange yolks. Beautiful.

Gelato. I think we had gelato every single day we were in Italy. Because, why not? Where else would you eat gelato every single day but the place that made it famous? Out of all the flavours, I think my favourite is stracciatella. Or maybe mint chocolate chip. Or maybe hazelnut. I guess I'll have to go back to Italy and try them all again!

The food in Italy was incredible. Every meal, even if it was a simple sandwich or a classic Caprese salad, was delicious. I think I'd like to go back and do a food tour of Italy. I'm sure those exist, right?! If they don't, then they definitely should!!

Nice is nice this time of year

I spent a few days in Nice, France this time last year. My best friend's sister has lived there for a couple of years and always raves about how beautiful it is, so I've wanted to see if for myself for quite a while. When planning our trip, my girlfriend and I wanted to travel to a couple of places we'd never been before, so Nice, France and Florence, Italy made the cut.

Arriving in Nice, we spent a couple of days wandering around the city, exploring some historical spots and taking in the beautiful scenery. Something else we did was a pastry baking class. Our teacher was actually a chef who'd been on Masterchef France!

I really enjoyed Nice. The architecture, the food, the atmosphere - it's somewhere I'd like to spend a bit more time in the future. I have a sneaky feeling I'll be back again some day.

Hello, Heathrow

A year ago, I landed safely at Heathrow airport; back in England after a long absence. I couldn't believe I was finally there again. There's something about England that gives me butterflies - an excitement that I can barely contain. As soon as I saw that welcome sign outside the airport, the butterflies came pouring back into my system and didn't leave for another two weeks.

I think John Keats said it best: 

"Happy is England! I could be content, To see no other verdure than its own; To feel no other breezes than are blown, Through its tall woods with high romances blent..."

Hopping back in time

There's an app that I recently downloaded that I check almost every day. Timehop is an online time capsule that connects to your social networks and shows you what you were doing one, five, however many years ago on that day.

I checked my Timehop today and this time last year, I was waiting for a late night flight to London for a fantastic two-week vacation with one of my closest friends. It was one of my favourite trips. I'll most likely blog about it more in the days to come, considering I'll have lots of Timehop throwbacks coming up over the next two weeks. :)

I also scrolled down further in the Timehop app and it showed me what I was doing nine years ago today. Funnily enough, I was with that same friend and some of our other friends on a night out on the town. Thanks to Timehop, I'm reminded of some fun nights we had in the distant past, and some more recent fun nights we've had, just a year ago.

For someone who's memory isn't the best, I like having Timehop remind me what Elizabeth was doing four, six, nine years ago. It lets me reminisce about the person I was then and how much I've grown and changed since those years. If you don't have Timehop yet, why not download it and check it out? You might be surprised with what you find!