London with Kids

Back in 2011 Genevieve and I started this blog when we moved to London as a way to keep track of all our new experiences, and to keep our friends and family in the loop. It was great for our time there, and travelling Europe, but was not something we really kept up with after that. 15 years later the idea of blogging is feels pretty weird.

Having said that, our recent trip to London with Eli and Roy is something I’d like to remember and look back on, and I thought a throwback to this blog would be a fitting way to do that. I remain my target audience, but maybe the boys will want to read this too.

We’ve been way overdue for a trip back to London, but when our kids were younger it just seemed like it would be too much work and they wouldn’t really appreciate or remember it. There wasn’t an exact age we were waiting for, but 8 & 11 turned out to be just perfect. They’re old enough now that they’ve heard, seen and learned enough about London & Paris that they were excited as soon as we told them about the trip. This was the first time it felt like they were travelling, and not just on a vacation and along for the ride. They had their own things they wanted to see and do, and they were excited to send photos and messages to friends at home.

While planning this trip we had ideas about going as far as Scotland or Ireland but in the end we decided not to over-exert ourselves and just booked a hotel in London for the entire two weeks. It’s a city we could never get bored of, and we just wanted to have a home base to show the kids our favorite places at our own pace.

May 24th:
We arrived to a heat wave, around 35C, which is very hot for London and not something the city is well suited for. There’s not many places to cool down and the AC doesn’t really keep up. This is especially true for the top of the double decker busses, which we learned right away as we sweat it out trying to beat jet lag with some sightseeing fresh off the plane. First stop was Big Ben, and it was awesome to see it through their eyes.

These kids are pretty big escalator fans, often using them recreationally whenever given the opportunity. In Arizona they saw their first outdoor escalator which was the highlight until now. The London undergrounds vast network of very tall, long and steep escalators had them enthralled.

May 25th:
While we were at the Sky Garden enjoying the view of the city, we noticed a kid left his phone on a bench. Gen returned it to him and got an emphatic ‘Fanks’. The boys (actually all of us) thought this was hilarious, and Fanks became part of our vernacular for the trip. Our hotel elevator also had a delightful British accent letting you know to mind the opening and closing doors, which Eli & Roy loved chiming along with.

We walked past Tower of London, across Tower Bridge, over to Borough Market and then across the Millenium Bridge. We had seen a video talking about an artist who paints the gum on Millenium Bridge so we spent some time searching for and admiring these little pieces of street art. We then walked up to St. Paul’s which most importantly had a small fountain we could cool off at, which was a great photo op.

We did a lot of walking and they didn’t complain at all, it’s amazing how many steps they’re capable of when they’re enjoying themselves. We’re in a sweet spot now where all 4 of us have similar physical abilities. It won’t be long before we’re the ones slowing them down.

May 26th:
We decided to do our quick jaunt to Paris for 3 days at the start of the trip while we had the energy. We’ve really enjoyed taking them to Disneyland and Disneyworld the past few years, so the opportunity to see another Disneyland in Europe felt like it might be worth the effort. Who knows when we’ll feel comfortable spending our travel money in the US again.

The boys were also very excited to see the Eiffel Tower. There were many questions about its height and age and history as we got closer to being there, which helped justify the effort it took to see it. We went straight from the train station to a grocery store to pick up a baguette and some meats and cheeses and then had a little Parisian picnic underneath the Eiffel Tower. We then passed through the airport style security to get to the tower and waited 1.5 hours in the heat to get the elevator to the top. It was debatable at the time but I am glad we waited because it is quite an experience and I know they won’t forget it. Roy in particular loved the display at the top comparing its height to other landmarks around the world. He excitedly found and pointed out the Canadian ones.



Schoolyard boys haven’t changed much in 25 years and for better or worse ‘deez nuts’ is something that has endured. Well as we were trying to use our limited French we taught them how to say some of the numbers around us, and 19 was one that really spoke to them. Dix-neuf is now part of their vocabulary and I’d bet a lot more little boys in Cochrane know how to say 19 in French now.

May 27th:
Disneyland Paris was, in a word, familiar. The similar rides and décor make sense since that’s exactly what they were going for. A couple things did make it feel Parisian, seeing the iconic characters speaking French, the mime, and all the crepes. Roy was really wanting a churro though, muscle memory for this snack obsessed kid. Fortunately there was one place in the entire park serving Mexican treats so all his Disney dreams came true.

We powered through both parks in a day and were able to hit every ride we wanted. The only one we couldn’t was Indiana Jones because Roy wasn’t tall enough. I didn’t even check because I assumed he was for everything now. He was devastated but secretly it made me a little happy that he was still our little boy in that instance.

Initially we planned to push it all the way til the fireworks at 11, but we unanimously decided to cut our day short at 7 and go get some sleep. I think we’re all glad we did Disneyland Paris but for such a big experience it’s a pretty small part of the trip in my memories.



May 28th:
We didn’t have a lot of energy after Disneyland but I pushed us to hike up to Sacre-Coeur before our train. It is a pretty impressive building and a cool part of Paris to wander, even if it was still 35C.

The last time we went to Paris was pre-Brexit so hopping on the train was a breeze. This time there were long lines and multiple border control agents. Something to consider for anyone stupid enough to think Alberta separation is a good idea. This thought stayed in my head for most of our 2 hour border line in a scorching hot Gare du Nord Station trying to get back to London.

Back at St. Pancras/King’s Cross we checked out the ridiculous line to pay for Harry Potter photos at Platform 9 ¾, and the souvenir shop beside it. Then we walked over to Coal Drops Yard for a nice dinner in a pretty trendy looking area. After this was the fountains at Granary Square, which was one of very few places for people to cool off in the heat. The kids loved getting their shoes off and playing in the fountains.

May 29th:
Once we were back from Paris it felt like we could settle into the rest of our time in London. We didn’t have many concrete plans and it felt like we had time left to just chill. Every morning we would wander out of our hotel, which was situated in between the London Monument and the Tower of London, and check out one of many coffee shops for Gen. These quickly became Roy’s coffee shops too, because they all had a slice of lemon cake he’d become quite fond of.

We started this day with a trip up to the 58th floor of Horizon 22, one of London’s new skyscrapers with an impressive and free viewing area. I always enjoy a city view and spent some time just watching people go about their busy London day on the streets below.

It was fascinating to see that the post-Covid work-from-home shift didn’t seem to have affected London’s business district. There was a very distinct pedestrian rush hour, lunch time crowds and my personal favourite, the post work pints spilling out of the pubs and into the streets.

We then took the tube out to Putney to the coffee shop that Gen worked at, Artisan. She spent a lot of time helping them start that shop up and it was cool to go back and see it again. Unfortunately, the owners she worked with were out of the country on an epic drive to Australia with their 3 kids(!). Putney is a really nice and slightly more laid back part of London, we spent a lot of time here and it was nice to be back. We wandered the riverside and the quiet side streets before getting on the River Bus back to London.

The River Bus up and down the Thames is an absolute London highlight. Much more affordable that any tour boat, phenomenal views of the city at a relaxed pace, open air seating, and you can buy drinks. We had a beautifully warm and sunny cruise past the high end areas like Chelsea, the Battersea Power Station, Big Ben and the London Eye and then got off at London Bridge where our hotel was.

May 30th:
This morning I got up early to go skateboard at South Bank, an iconic London spot I have to check out every time I am there.

After that we headed towards Buckingham Palace, with a deliberate detour past the new Banksy statue on the way. It was nice to catch it before it disappears, hilariously positioned in a line of legitimate statues of war heroes. We got to explain Banksy’s art, and the meaning of his ‘blind patriotism’ theme. The Mall seemed even busier than normal, and we learned we had just missed some massive parade with the King’s Guards. Can’t win them all. While outside Buckingham Palace we got to reminisce and tell our kids about the time we were invited to the Queen’s garden party inside the palace.

We then wandered through St. James's park where we saw the swans and other birds, and a homeless man fishing off a very busy foot bridge for decorative and that definitely shouldn’t be disturbed. Roy also saw his first pay toilet. “20p to pee!?’. We had a nice picnic and lie down on the grass in the park, and it was great to stop moving for a while and watch the clouds go by. Well, I did that, the boys made up a game of throwing a coke bottle to each other and then fought about the rules.

From there we walked to Regent’s St to check out Hamley’s, which I convinced them was famous for being the world’s smallest toy store. It is in fact 6 full floors of sensory overload and they were absolutely amazed by all of it.


We capped the day off with dinner at the Leadenhall Market Pizza Express. A mediocre chain in an amazing location that is home to Roy’s ‘favorite pizza ever’. We also got to enjoy a lively pub watching the Arsenal Champion’s League match, which they unfortunately lost in penalties. Roy is very quick to get invested in sports and was quite upset.

May 31st:
Today we went out to Mile End where we met with Danny Jack, a good friend we had made back when we lived there. While he and I skated the park there, Gen and the boys checked out a pretty impressive playground across the street. After that we went with Danny to Canada Water, which is another skate spot that’s also home to a nice little boardwalk with turtles and baby swans, which we learned are called cygnets. There was also a restaurant there we hoped to get Sunday Roast at, but it turns out that’s a cold weather thing and we are in fact dumb tourists.

June 1st:
Harry Potter Studio Tour Day. This was the last big adventure of the trip, something they were very much looking forward to. The Warner Brother’s Studio where the movies were filmed have wisely converted a couple of their buildings to a permanent tour of the old sets. It was quite a mission to get out there, acres of studio lots of course have to be quite a ways from Central London. A fire evacuation at Bank Station complicated our journey a bit, but with some creative bussing we still made it on time. The tour was pretty decent, we’ve watched all the movies (Eli multiple times) and they seemed to like learning a bit about what goes on behind the scenes.

We went to Camden Market to check out the funky shops and weird eats on the way home. We had a roast dinner wrapped in Yorkshire burrito which was fantastic. We got to teach the kids about the canal locks, and gentrification.

June 2nd:
Finally the weather was poor enough to go to the museums. Today we started with a brief stint at the Science Museum, and then hit up the Natural History Museum next door. This is an amazing building and collection, I went here many times and showing Eli & Roy was something I was most looking forward to. The dinosaurs are a highlight for most, and it is an impressive collection, but after going to the Royal Tyrell in Drumheller several times it doesn’t really compare. Fortunately that is only like 5% of what they have. We spent the most time in the minerals collection, they really do love looking at rocks and gems.

For some inexplicable reason ($) there was a pop-up shop inside with a Natural History Museum x Pokemon collab. Makes no sense but the kids absolutely loved it and it cost me money.


There were rolling strikes on the tube a couple days, and the District line on this day was particularly packed. We did our best to shelter and stay close to the boys but it was a little hectic and being shorter they had it worse. An interesting life experience for them for sure. We used more public transit in these 2 weeks than they have in their entire lives. A stark difference to the car-centric lives we live, it was nice for them to see the pros and cons of both.

In the afternoon we went out to Deptford to meet up with Danny & Hailee and meet their new baby Rudy. Most of our friends from London moved elsewhere like us. It was so nice to catch up with these 3 and see what growing up and starting a family looks like in London.

June 3rd:
Today started with chicken pie and sausage roll from a somewhat random hole in the wall pie shop that bakes everything in front of you and is like off-sales for a high end restaurant. Delicious. Then we were off to the British Museum. Another amazing building and collection we were looking forward to introducing the kids too. We had watched a video that showed an ancient sculpture of a flying penis and this was the top priority. The collection is massive though, so the boys convinced Gen to ask at information where the flying penis was. This took some explaining that was hilarious to watch from a distance, but eventually they found it and off we were. From the flying penis we explored as much as we could before burning out. The ancient coins were a highlight, they got to hold some that were 3000 years old.

Every museum had multiple groups of English school kids and it was interesting to see them side by side with ours, having the same experience in very different ways. It was funny to imagine Eli & Roy as little English school kids in their fancy uniforms.


We strolled through the bizarre immersive video screens of Outernet, caught some street magic at Covent Garden and then had dinner at a Jamie Oliver restaurant Gen had been looking forward to. Then we walked over to the Matilda musical. We knew we wanted to go to one but there are so many to choose from, this was one of the best reviewed and a book/movie we love. The boys loved it, even Eli who cannot stand singing in movies. It was a great production and cast, especially the kids.

While planning our route back to the hotel Roy mistakenly called the Piccadilly Line the Piddly Diddly line and we just died. The soft British accent that announces the upcoming stations with their ridiculous names has always been a highlight for me. Roy’s recall was just the perfect interpretation.

June 4th:
By this point we were slowing down. Mornings were pretty late so I went out skating and exploring while they slept in. We’d walked past the Monument to the Great Fire multiple times a day all trip and decided we better climb it before we run out of time. It’s a pretty cool spiral staircase up 311 stairs to a good little viewing platform. Wild that it’s 360 years old.

Then we checked out a great little breakfast spot Gen found under a train bridge by Tower Hill Station where I succeeded in getting them both to try the black pudding from my full English. We checked out the remains of the Roman wall that surrounded Londinium. I was pleased that they were in just as much awe of being able to touch this 2000 year old structure as I was the first time.

Dirty Dicks is a pub that was beside the first place we stayed in 2011. We went for a pint for nostalgia’s sake, but also because I knew they’d think the name was just as funny as I did. It’s also just a cool 300 year old pub.

After dinner I went to meet up with an old friend from Vancouver Island, Tom, at his local pub up at Stoke Newington. He’s been living in London almost 20 years now, which is an impressive feat. Was great to see the he and his bespoke footwear business are doing so well there.

June 6th:
Our last full day. We went to Harrod’s and got to see the obscene wealth gap that exists in London. It’s eye opening to see the price tags of luxury items, shirts for a 4 year old that cost $2000, $10,000 shoes, a $1.2M vase. I hate it. Nobody needs that stuff. The food hall there is awesome though, so much interesting food prepared right in front of you.

Next door is the Paradox Museum, which is basically a bunch of optical illusions and puzzles which was actually a great place for us all to be a little less serious. Then we walked through Selfridges and saw the skate bowl they have in there, I didn’t bring my board but it was interesting to check it out. Funny to see a high end department store using skateboarders as a prop in their streetwear section.

We had lunch at Mayfair Mercato, which is an old church converted into a market with a bunch of independent food stands. The food was great and the atmosphere and building were really unique. Something about getting a pint at a German biergarten on a church altar speaks to me spiritually.

One of our last tasks of the trip was to track down a Palm Pal stuffy of Big Ben. We had seen them on day one at the Tower of London gift shop and assured Eli we’d see them somewhere else cheaper. Well that hadn’t happened yet so we were in and out of all the souvenir shops around Leicester Square with no luck. Eventually had to settle on Phone Booths. As a stroke of luck and irony the Hamley’s outlet at Heathrow had the Big Ben’s so the kids ended up getting both. It’s silly and unnecessary to be buying them more stuffies, but we had recently seen a video about how special it is when they still want them and it’s so true. One day soon they won’t get excited for a new stuffy, but today was not that day dammit.


Even though we lived there such a short time, London still feels like a second home. I’ve always just felt comfortable there, England is both familiar and exotic in the best way. I often wonder what life would be like if we had never left. However, I’m acutely aware that we are very fortunate to be able to take our kids on a trip like this, and part of the reason we can afford to visit London is because we don’t live in London. It was much more obvious now how unaffordable that city is, and how comfortable our lives are in Cochrane. I’ve imagined life in countless different places and not one of them has ticked every box.

I’m grateful and proud that we were able to give our kids this experience and I know we made some lasting memories. We bought them London journals and had them write down their thoughts each day as a way to reflect on what they were seeing and learning, and to hopefully look back on some day. We also gave Eli an old camera and he took a lot of photos of the trip from his perspective. (He found all the different toilets fascinating and has a lot of photos of those).

Some of the best memories are also the simplest. Wandering Marks & Spencer looking at the food at drinks we can’t get at home, watching quirky British game shows every evening, eating a Tesco meal deal on a park bench, the sound of my wheels on London’s varied streets. I love all of it.

I’ll never say goodbye to London, just see ya next time.

Florida 2023

Well it’s been 7 years since our last blog post. It started as a way to remember our time in London, became a bit of a travel blog for a few years and then kinda fell off when we settled in Alberta and started our family. I want to remember and relive our time with young children but writing stories about the milestones we were experiencing in our living room never really felt like the way to do it. However, on our recent trip to Florida with Roy at 5 and Eli at 8 years old, I found myself thinking that this was probably as good as it gets for travelling with our kids, and I want to remember as much of it as I can. So here we are.

Gen and I have both really wanted to see Florida, I especially wanted to see Miami Beach, the Florida Keys and to do an airboat ride through the Everglades. As you may be aware, Florida is also home to some well-known theme parks, so we've just been holding off on this trip until our kids were the right age to introduce them to Disney World.

I say introduce because we were not at all interested in a full Disney package, spending a week or more park hopping and staying on resort. We opted for 2 days at Disney and decided to do it at the start of the trip when we were all excited and full of energy. Planning the first day after a scheduled 11pm arrival seemed particularly foolish after flight delays and a rental car fiasco kept us from getting to bed until 6:30am. At that point we were already committed, tickets were booked and lightning lanes were reserved so we slept 3 hours and then tackled the Magic Kingdom. As soon as we entered the park our luck turned, we stumbled upon the parade and a spot front and center and our kids got the full experience right away. Disney World is expensive, like so expensive I’m not even going to say it here in the hopes that maybe I’ll forget someday, but from the morning’s parade to the evening’s fireworks it’s not hard to see where the money goes. There are a phenomenal number of people working there and they put on a hell of a show every day and really do make it an experience. I was worried about our endurance that day, especially Roy’s, but they were both absolute champs and we all had such a perfect day. There were more than a few moments where I just watched their faces and tried to see it through their eyes.

The next day we rested, we needed it. We hit up a Wal-mart for necessities and a Disney outlet store for cheaper souvenirs and the T-shirts we were so clearly missing the day before. Then we ‘relaxed’ at the pool at our condo complex, as much as one can at a massive lagoon with a full sized pirate ship and a poolside bar. It was an Airbnb condo but I don’t think anybody actually lived in the building, it had a front desk and room cards so I’m guessing it was built as a time share complex that has evolved into short term rentals.

For our second day at Disney we chose Epcot, after Magic Kingdom we didn’t really care which of the remaining 3 parks we did and Epcot was the most recommended. This one was definitely more for the adults, we saw a lot of groups with no kids and many wearing ‘Drinking around the world’ type shirts since each country pavilion served traditional booze. We had another great day here, but there was less rides and only a couple that were really geared for the kids. The Guardians of the Galaxy roller coaster was incredible though, best I’ve ever been on. This was the only one that pushed Roy a bit past his comfort level, he was a little shook as we were walking out, but for a 5 year old he was so brave and never hesitated to go on any of the rides we did. This was a relief considering Gen’s Disneyland story as a 9 year old was crying in fear for the line of every ride and ruining the experience for everyone, haha.

Disney has a photo pass option where you pay a single fee and can get as many photos as you want from the many photographers scattered throughout the parks. It was one of the only things that actually seemed worth the cost. We took advantage and got some good family photos, as well as some of their ‘magic’ shots where they superimpose something into the photo. My favourite was sending the boys to get these photos on their own and watching the photo shoot. They also really loved taking our phones and going through these photos for the rest of the trip.

The following day we started our Florida road trip and drove from Orlando down to Marathon, which is about halfway into the Florida Keys. Once you drive across the first bridge from the mainland to Key Largo it’s like you’ve flown to another country, the atmosphere at our little resort was a night and day difference from Orlando. We kept the boys sleep schedule in our time zone so they could stay up late with us and sleep in, so we all got to hang out at the pool bar until 10PM. The first night was karaoke and they had never seen this before. Gen is always good for a few songs so while we were in the pool they got to watch their mom sing 90’s classics. I had to keep reminding them the pool vibe was different though, no screaming and splashing, especially since fully clothed people were seated all around the pool. It became routine that they’d start getting rowdy and I would give them the look and say ‘nighttime pool is…’ and they had to say ‘chill’. I’m sure they hated it.

We drove right down to the southern tip of Key West the next day, and the drive was amazing. Island, bridge, island, bridge, over and over. Some were nature reserves, others had small towns, people fishing off bridges, people kayaking through mangroves, outrageously luxurious homes on stilts on the beach. Key West is a cute little town filled with restored Victorian houses and shops, and tons of tourists. It was very cool to check it out, but honestly too busy and expensive to enjoy for long. Considering the Keys are a part of the mainland USA it’s a pretty amazing spot and if you’re a drive or short flight away and don’t need to go through customs it’s a pretty cool trip. Coming from out of country and flying 6 hours there are better and less expensive tropical destinations in my opinion.

One of my favourite things to do on vacation is snorkel so we had to get out at least once. Eli hadn’t snorkeled since we went to Hawaii 4 years ago, and Roy never had, so it was a lot of fun to get them out to see some fish. The beach snorkeling was ok but not great, the real action is on the barrier reef that runs along the length of the Keys about 45 mins off shore. We weren’t sure if a snorkeling tour would be great for our novices, so we opted for a glass bottom boat to try to see what the reef had to offer. The boat was fun and it was nice to get on the water, but the visibility through the glass wasn’t the best. We denied Eli a trip to the turtle hospital we spotted from the road, so we were fortunate to see a couple turtles from the top deck. Eli loves turtles and was very excited, Roy was busy running around the boat with another kid and missed it. That was something he was very upset about at the moment, and also brought up at the end of the trip, so he was definitely bummed. We tried to use it as a lesson that patience is rewarded, Eli had to scan the water for the whole ride to see that turtle. The highlight of the boat tour was actually while we were waiting on the dock. Two manatees were hanging out in the marina right below us the whole time. They are very peaceful and slow moving, and it was nice to be able to watch them for so long. Roy also noticed the fart bubbles from one of them, which he later informed us was his favourite part of the whole vacation.

No matter who you ask or where you search for things to do in the Keys, Robbie's will be on the list. Robbie's is a campground, a restaurant, a place to rent kayaks to go through the mangroves, a trinket shop, it's a lot. What it's most famous for though, is feeding the tarpon. Tarpon are like 4-7 feet long with a giant mouth and the game here is to buy a bait bucket and hand feed them. As an added bonus the pelicans here want the fish too, and they are sneaky and aggressive. There were also some nurse sharks mingling with the tarpon to add to the fun. It was a pretty wild scene but quite the experience. I had my hand fully in the mouth of a few tarpon as they jumped up out of the water for the bait, and between that and the pelican that bit a fish out of my hand it was a little bloodied and bruised. I also fully kicked a pelican in the neck as it took a run at Roy, which is not something I ever expected to do. All in all it was a great time, highly recommend.

Next up was 4 nights in Miami. Up to this point there was no sandy beaches, so we decided to stay right at Miami Beach, but it is a very expensive area. We ended up at one of the least expensive hotels we could find, and boy did it stand out in the skyline. It looked kind of like a small prison amidst luxury condos. It was fine though, had a pool and was right on the beach. We took some time to relax here, playing in the sand and at the pool. We did venture down to South Beach on the free trolley one day. That was an experience, the boys were introduced to some shady characters they don’t come across often in Cochrane. We walked around South Beach checking out the Art Deco buildings and the neon lights, and observing how people live when it’s 30 degrees in March. Fascinating. We had dinner at Joe’s, a South Beach staple famous for serving local stone crabs. It was the biggest busiest restaurant I’ve ever seen, with dozens of staff members hustling around like it was choreographed. We also went over to Downtown Miami to check out the graffiti covered walls of Wynwood, and so I could go aggravate my hurt foot at a famous skate park I’d hoped to skate.

The last must-see was the Florida Everglades. There are a lot of airboat tours and attractions offering gator experiences, it was a little challenging to research. I wanted something that wasn’t too built up, I didn’t want a zoo with an alligator show or a giant airboat for 20 people. We ended up settling on Mack’s Fish Camp, a rustic campground East of Miami on the edge of the Everglades that had only 2 small airboats. We did a private tour with the owners father Hal, who was a retired mason who helped out with a tour 10 years ago and never looked back. It was actually Hal’s 65th birthday and he took us for an unforgettable 2 hour tour. We saw lots of alligators and birds, and learned a lot about the ecology of the area. The unquestionable highlight was when he took us to visit a small tree covered island in the middle of a sea of tall grass. We slowly coasted into a sheltered lagoon and there was a guy with a large gator up on his dock and he was tapping it on the nose. The timing of it could not have been more perfect, but Hal assured us he hadn’t set that up with Bob and his wife, he just knew they were home. Bob owned a few hundred acres of these Everglades and this little island was the only dry land, he had a solar powered cottage he spent the weekends at that can only be reached by airboat. Apparently this gators name was Tommy, and there was another one named Lisa hanging out in there with him, and Bob has known them since they were babies. It was a pretty surreal scene almost too good to be true, but I think he was just a friend of Hal’s that enjoyed showing off his Everglades lifestyle.



I made a lot of core memories on this trip and I look forward to years of reminiscing on the experiences we had. This was an amazing opportunity to spend quality time with our kids at such a fun age for a vacation. This was the first trip with booster seats instead of car seats, we only had to pack water and snacks, not diapers and bottles. There was no stroller to pack and we didn’t have to carry them anywhere. Eli quickly made a friend at every pool we went to and would be running off with them while Roy tagged along behind. I could see that we’re not very far from them wanting to do their own thing all the time. But for now, they still wanted to play with us in the pool and build sandcastles at the beach, and they squeezed our hands tight on the roller coasters, and I didn’t take a second of that for granted.

5 Years Later

Five years ago today Genevieve and I stepped off a train at Liverpool St station in the heart of London's CBD with a suitcase and an address. I'll never forget just how overwhelming and exciting that moment was. Hundreds of sharp dressed business types side stepped us and our luggage as they hustled between the office, the tube and Pret à Manger. Dodging tourists is of course a routine part of their commute, one that became second nature for me pretty quick. 

Those first couple weeks in London were a blur of grimy short term rentals, sight seeing, and forming a bitter relationship with letting agents. We would have taken a place just about anywhere in the first 4 zones, but the one we did just happened to be in Wimbledon. I absolutely loved it there, the little village had excellent pubs, transportation was great and the atmosphere was relaxed and quaint. The tennis notoriety was alright too. Most people we met were in Northeast London, Hackney mostly, where there were a lot more poor young people and the cool restaurants and venues that go along with them. As inconvenient as the hour long double decker rides home at 3am were, I'm still really glad we chose Wimbledon, I'll always have a soft spot for that little piece of London.

Finding work in another country opened me up to a level of vulnerability I'd never experienced. I had a number of people try to get me to work for free, or miss payments, or ask me to cut corners and deceive clients, or lower my pay after a week of work. Despite having nothing to fall back on I forced myself to stick to what I thought was right and fair and made some difficult decisions on when to tell people to fuck off and walk away.

I eventually took some courses and got my British certification and with a bit of luck and good timing got a decent job for a legitimate company working on all kinds of interesting projects in central London. I worked with a bunch of great guys, Aussies mostly, saw so much of the best parts of the city, ate lunches in vibrant city parks, drank after work pints on the sidewalks outside pubs, and snuck off mid day for various Olympic goings on. I was even running my own jobs after a short while, which was a needed turn of events after the first couple shit shows. 

A lot of people end up working outside their field when living abroad, with no contacts and unrecognized skills and qualifications it's no wonder. I'm pretty proud of the way things went in London, it was difficult at times but I managed to make things work and I learned how to respect my value and stand up for myself. I was in way over my head at times, especially when the first job had me wiring 200 year old houses with techniques, rules and devices I'd never seen before. I've never learned so much so fast as I did on that job, and it's experience I look back on often that shaped the worker I am today. 

I've never had much desire to live in Russia, but after the back to back excitement of Vancouver and London I was feeling a serious void in my life during Sochi 2014. It was never an intention to follow the Olympics to London, just a happy coincidence. I had such an incredible time during both, it's such a blast to see your city transform into a party for the world. I don't care what anyone says I hope Calgary wins a bid to do it again, and I may need to plan a trip to Tokyo. 

The energy in London is palpable, just the sheer number of people and iconic places, I was so caught up in the buzz. Being there at 26 was perfect, old enough to make fewer stupid mistakes, but young enough to still make some fun ones. We were surrounded by people who had come from all over the UK, and the rest of the world, to find themselves, and have a good time looking. We met so many like minded people, everyone was there for the same reasons and it was so easy to connect. It didn't hurt that there is an endless amount of places to see and things to do. 

It's amazing to be in a place where so many people at the top of their game have spent their time. I'm so glad I didn't go there with dreams of making it in music of comedy because no matter how dingy the venue or small the audience, the quality of live entertainment in London was unreal. I think only New York could compare in terms of a centre of the world vibe, which may not be for everyone but I really enjoyed.

A big part of why we chose London was rhe proximity to Europe, which we took advantage of at every opportunity. Being from a country as vast as Canada it's so amazing to be in Paris or Amsterdam after an hour on a train, or be landing on a Spanish island in as much time as it takes me to get to work. When we started our Micra adventure we had driven through 3 different countries before stopping for lunch in Belgium on day one. I can't wait until the next time I'm behind the wheel in Europe, it's an incredible change of scenery and variety of cultures and histories in such a compact region.

I love having such a personal relationship with London. Someone is often talking about a trip they took, or one they're planning, and I really enjoy the opportunity to reminisce. For such a short time in my life I have so many stories and memories. Some, like meandering along cobbled streets through villages of thatched roofed homes, feel like a dream. Others, like eating a Tesco sandwich deal in Green Park on my lunch break, are as if they were yesterday. I feel like my life is distinctly separated as before and after London, the experience shaped the person I am today more than anything else. Which seems weird when I consider becoming a father, but by the time Eli came along I had already figured myself out, and London played a key role in that.  

I'm fortunate enough to have so many people and places that I miss so much in my life, especially when the alternative is to have never had those experiences. There is, however, no city that enters my mind as often as London. I know it wouldn't be the same now if we were still there, but I wonder how it would be. I miss my daily commute on the Tube, or down Oxford Street or past St Paul's Cathedral, I miss walking along the Thames in Richmond, I miss shitty food and cheap pints at a Wetherspoons, I miss the skyline from Greenwich, I miss the television and newspapers, I miss a 1 hour flight to the Mediterranean, I miss the dinosaur hall of the Natural History Museum, I miss skating at Southbank, I miss working in 200 year old buildings, I miss West Cornwall Pasties, I miss English accents, and English friends. I miss so much more and I miss it almost every day, but I'm so glad that I do. 

I could rewrite the entire experience, but I think instead I'll just go back and read the original posts, then start saving for a trip back.

...and baby makes 3

When we started this blog, shortly after our move to London, it was basically just a way for us to jot down the happenings of our days and our thoughts on the new surroundings. We wanted to be able to tell our parents what was going on without having to tell the same stories over and over. We also thought it would be nice to have a record for ourselves, although to be honest I haven't re-read any of it, perhaps when I'm old...er. 

Since it started as a travel blog I've sort of neglected it since we've been back to Canada, apart from a brief resurgence in Australia. However, now that we've had Eli I feel like I might regret not making note of this stage in our lives, again only for myself really, I make no assumptions this will entertain many others, except maybe you Mom. 

It's not as if our lives have gotten any more consistent since returning from the UK, we have lived in a few cities all over the country since then so there are still stories to tell. Who knows, maybe some day Eli will be interested in our lives at this point, although I'm not so delusional as to think that will be any time soon. I can't say I took much interest in my own parents lives before they had me until I was around 25. Kids are so self centered, or was that just me?

So, we had a baby, a pretty cute one too I'd say. It wasn't by accident, entirely. Gen seemed to think it could take years and insisted we start trying before our trip to Australia. I really tried to convince her that wasn't a good idea, I was pretty certain I knew how to make a baby. Luckily I wasn't the one sick in bed for 3 beautiful days in Perth or doing a soda water pub crawl across the better part of a drinking country. Like I said, he's pretty cute so I'm sure she'll say it was worth it.

Becoming parents is obviously the biggest change we've ever had in our lives, but it's not one that seems to be happening quite as abruptly as Eli was born. I have a hard time seeing myself as a dad, and I really don't feel any different. I'm starting to realize that all those dads I've seen aren't as different as I used to think. It's just a bunch of dudes with kids.

The biggest change so far has been the lost spontaneity, gone are the days of a random night out or a spur of the moment weekend getaway. Repetition is the new norm, which has been a shock for me, and one that I'm still coming to terms with.

I'm genuinely happy to be a father, I've always wanted a family and now is definitely the right time in our lives, so I don't want it to sound like I'm not grateful for where we're at. I just think it's worth noting that the rewards are subtle, long lasting and they are getting greater each day, but the lifestyle changes were swift and relentless. 

I think my favourite part of the experience so far has been seeing Genevieve become a mother. I knew from the start that she had excellent maternal instincts, even when we were young and irresponsible and spending too many evenings (and early mornings) at Wings on Granville. She's always had a good head on her shoulders and it's certainly one of the things that attracted me to her. She's very calm and patient with Eli, but she's focused and driven enough not to be wishy washy with the things that need to be done. She's informed and educated on every possible stage of his development, but intelligent enough to trust her instincts when the literature is conflicting (and it almost always is). She's also exceptionally loving and completely selfless, which is probably what ties it all together. There's no question the bulk of the workload falls on her shoulders, and there's honestly not another person I think could do a better job raising my kid. It's a treat to see her come into her own, I always knew she was made to do this. 

She's actually started another blog for her thoughts on motherhood so far if you haven't already seen it, cryitoutmom.blogspot.ca

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Our short attention spans and thirst for a challenge have seen us live in Edmonton, Montreal and Saskatoon over the past 2 years. Needless to say there have been highs and lows with this lifestyle choice. Edmonton gave us a chance to get back on our feet after gallivanting around Europe, and allowed me to get my foot in the door in the exploitation of natural resources industry. Montreal offered Gen a chance to challenge herself in her career, and gave me the opportunity to not be in Edmonton anymore. Saskatoon has allowed us to be together as a family every night while Gen is on her maternity leave, which is certainly not something I take for granted. 

We might still be back in Montreal when Genevieve finishes her maternity, but there's a chance that we won't, so I feel now like that's just another memory rather than a continuing story. I have a love/hate relationship with Montreal, in that I absolutely love the city but I hate Quebec. I've already written a blog about why I don't like that province so I won't get into it again. I do remember a funny thing I read somewhere that said 'if it's something that we do here in Quebec that nowhere else in Canada does, chances are it doesn't make any sense'. I feel that pretty much sums it up. There are a great many things done only in Quebec, and I'd have to say the majority of them are pretty stupid. Except of course selling beer in corner stores. 

From our front door there were no less than 4 depanneurs within a 60 second walk to buy a case of beer, and within a 5 minute walk there was the beautiful 84 acre Parc Lafontaine and more bars and restaurants than we could even scratch the surface of. It's hard for me to admit since I absolutely loved Wimbledon and had a lot of good times in Mount Pleasant in Vancouver, but our apartment in the Plateau was without question the nicest home and neighbourhood we've lived in so far. The buildings were all so beautiful and historic, and the area was relatively quiet but still seconds away from as much nightlife as you could possibly handle. I really miss walking out our front door and hopping on my board or a bixi bike and heading out into the city, it really is a perfect example of urban density and just a treat to explore. 

As great as Montreal is, my favourite thing about being there was still New York City. I'd been wanting to visit for as long as I can remember so when we were within a 5 hour drive I took full advantage and went 4 times. When a place is so prominent in TV and movies it's nice to see it for yourself, and nowhere is more iconic than NYC. It's nice to have preconceived notions about a place and then to go there and form my own opinions and stories that the landmarks now remind me of. I really love big cities, I feel like I absorb the energy and get a bounce in my step. I can understand why people hate them, and I get the appeal of small towns and I love wilderness and camping, but New York and London just make me feel like I'm in the centre of the universe and anything I could possibly want is at my fingertips. Often times I treat a new place like I'll never be back and try to pack in everything I really want to see, but each trip to NY has been really relaxed because I know I'll keep visiting until I'm too old to walk (probably around 55 with my knees). There's still tons I haven't seen after 4 visits, I can't wait to go back. Especially to skate through Manhattan again so if anyone ever wants to go please let me know!

If you talk to anyone who's ever planned a wedding, moved across the country or had a baby they can attest to just how much work those things are, and they'd probably tell you doing all three at the same time is idiotic. That just happened to be how the timing of our lives played out at the end of 2014, and despite the madness it just seemed like the best way to tackle each of these hurdles. We really wanted to have an epic trip through Australia before starting a family, and we just snuck in before the buzzer on that one. In order to do this we had to postpone the wedding and the good Christian order of marriage and babies. On top of this, my work presented an opportunity to be under the same roof during Eli's birth and the first 6 months or so of his life. So despite the obvious mayhem of packing up our lives and driving across the country while Gen was 8 months pregnant that's precisely what we did. 

I wouldn't recommend anyone attempt the same thing, but I'm proud to say it all came together quite nicely. It was definitely less luck than it was hard work and planning, but the relatively stress free manner in which we tackled all 3 challenges gives me hope that Genevieve and I might just make it.

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I've sat back a very long time while most people I knew visited Mexico numerous times because I always felt like it was the kind of place I would just end up getting to without any particular effort, you know like a really great last minute deal would come along, or we'd get invited to a wedding down there. When it got time to plan our own wedding and neither of us had been to Mexico yet it seemed like a pretty easy decision. If you want something to happen you just have to do it yourself. 

We toyed with the idea of a wedding on the island, or the Okanagan, or Alberta, or even Montreal, but with all of our friends and family so spread out it didn't seem right to pick any one spot and have everyone else travel. Plus who really wants to take time off work and spend a bunch of money to weekend in Calgary. A destination wedding seemed like the lesser of all evils, which is of course an excellent attitude to have regarding your nuptials. 

We've gotten pretty good at planning our own vacations but planning one for 45 people was a little daunting. It's not easy to balance between the budgets and expectations of a bunch of different people. After an exhausting amount of research and broken English correspondence with various resorts we settled on the Grand Bahia Principe Coba. We had the Mayan Riviera picked because we wanted to be able to do some snorkeling, visit cenotes and see some Mayan ruins. It was our wedding after all so we chose the location for ourselves. The resort was middle of the road price wise, so with that in mind I was absolutely impressed with how nice it was. Yes, it was large, but for a wedding group of nearly 50 people I think it was perfect to have such a variety of options as far as food, drinks, entertainment and swimming. While communication with the resort as far as planning the wedding and accommodating our group was strained leading up to the date when it came down to the wedding day it went flawlessly. We took care of almost every little extra so I hesitate to give too much credit away, but between us and the resort it all came together as well as I could have possibly expected. 

The great part about the wedding was that it wasn't just about the wedding. There were 6 other amazing days we got to spend in paradise with so many close friends and family. From the group trip we all took to the ruins in Tulum, lounging in a cenote and snorkeling in a cave on the first day, to the last day in Akumal Bay swimming with sea turtles and sting rays, each day was an incredible memory. I can't possibly put into words how amazing it is to be able to wander around a resort and casually bump into your parents, your best friends, your siblings, or any number of other people you know. I knew it was going to be a good time but I didn't anticipate just how great it would feel to be so close to so many people and just enjoying drinks by the pool. It was probably amplified by the fact that we've been living so far away from everyone for so long.

If anyone reading this knows someone on the fence about a destination wedding please encourage them to do it because beyond all the logistics is a week vacation with the people closest to you and that was worth everything and more. 

Obviously we were a little anxious about how Eli would handle it all. We had already driven with him to Calgary and flown him to the island at 6 weeks, but a foreign country was another beast. We were on top of his passport from day one, literally, but between waiting for hospital forms, birth certificates and being out of province for so long it came down to a road trip to the passport office in Victoria around Christmas and a little baby passport arriving in Saskatoon a week before leaving. Things would've been interesting had that gone sideways. Eli is an excellent flyer, though everyone tells us the worst flights are yet to come, so we'll reserve final judgment on that one for later. It was nice have him experience a week of warm air, and the pool sure put a big smile on his face. He also looked very dapper on the wedding day, in my opinion your parents wedding is something all children should experience.

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Living in places like Vancouver, Montreal, and by an outrageous margin London, you tend to grow a little weary of tourists. Of course I often am one so I don't generally get annoyed, but I can say that London taught me to keep walking through people's photo ops because you'd never get anywhere stopping for them all. My point is, here in Saskatoon there are no tourists, and it has made me appreciate that if you are fortunate enough to live in a city so spectacular that people vacation there a few selfie sticks are a small price to pay.

When I first came to Saskatoon for work I didn't buy a car so my accommodation options were limited to what was walking distance from the bus that drives out to the mine. I also wanted to be close to the skate park, which left me staying in the exceptionally sketchy part of town. Some of the people I saw, the garbage covered yards, the seemingly abandoned but actually occupied run down houses, the disgusting grocery stores and the constant police activity, it was almost comical. I just had to keep telling myself I didn't really live here, it's just work. Saskatoon's downtown west end is no place to call home. 

So when we decided Genevieve was going to join me in Saskatoon I bought a second car for us and my perception of the city changed quite a bit. The place we're in now is close to the river in a quiet neighbourhood full of parks and schools, which I guess is all that matters now isn't it. Saskatoon is a good sized city, it's big enough that you've got all the amenities but small enough to be friendly and livable. Nothing is more that 15 minutes away, driving of course. There is no walking in the prairies, and I learned that the hard way the first few months. Trying to navigate between strip malls on foot is a fools errand, and not buying that car on day one is one of the biggest regrets of my life. They toy with the idea of bike lanes in the local papers, pretending like they're a real city, and there are nice paths along the river, but the reality is this place is a miserable frozen tundra for a solid 6 months and only those on welfare or with a DUI are actually without a car. 

Saskatoon and Edmonton are quite similar, they're industrial prairie towns with a river and jobs and a brutal winter. For some reason I like Saskatoon a whole lot more though, I think because it's smaller I expect less so I find myself pleasantly surprised by anything positive, whereas Edmonton was mostly disappointing. I forget sometimes that this place is the biggest city in Saskatchewan, I've found myself in conversations mentioning how small it feels to someone from, say, Ituna, SK (Population: 711). It's easy to forget that for a lot of people coming to Saskatoon was movin' on up to the big city. I can't imagine living in one of those prairie towns 2 hours from anything in every direction with only a farm supply store and a gas station/pub/grocery store all in one. Having said that, I genuinely have appreciated getting to know this part of the country, it's given me a lot more perspective and a broader sense of what Canada really is. Don't get me wrong, I fucking hate these winters, but I feel like a more complete Canadian having lived a couple. When someone tells me they prefer these cold clear winters to a mild and damp one in BC I will now know they are lying through their teeth or delusional. 

When your coworkers are from all across the country a typical question is 'where are you from' and for the last 3 years I've had the hardest time answering that simple question. It's a very strange feeling, even now with my current job very nearly finished I honestly don't know where we will be in 2 months, but more than likely it won't be where we are now, and that's an incredibly unsettling feeling. There's a bit of excitement to it as well, but overall it can be mentally draining. 

Obviously this has come about by deliberate choice, and I don't think I'd have done much differently if I could, but I do sometimes wonder if it's worthwhile. It's certainly hard to be away from family now that we've got Eli, and I know Genevieve is desperate to go out for dinner and drinks with a friend. I've also been pretty jealous of all my friends skateboarding together all spring, the few chances I get to do that have been solo the past few years. But then I think about what we've gained; travel, a wedding, too much baby stuff, a sweet '05 Civic, general financial comfort. We've been able to create some amazing memories because of this kind of work. It's not to be taken for granted, but there have been sacrifices for sure. It's a delicate balance, and I'm not totally sure which way it's going to teeter next. 

Uluru and the Whitsundays

We are of course home from our 2 months in Australia safe and sound and slightly more tanned, but before I do any broad recap of the adventure I figure I’ll carry on from where I left off and mention the last couple weeks of the trip.

Immediately after our Great Barrier Reef, as in 6am the next morning, we were on a plane from Cairns to Uluru. Or is it Ayers Rock? The airport is called Ayers Rock, but the National Park is Uluru, and the inconsistencies go on as such. It’s a funny thing that in this enormous country of stolen/conquered aboriginal land a rock in the absolute middle of the desert is where they’re making their effort, I don’t think there’s a big push to change Sydney’s name. This half assed initiative is prevalent at Uluru, I mean they ‘ask’ you not to climb it, but there’s a handrail and a sign pointing you to the top.

Uluru is such an Australian icon that I really wanted to include it on our trip, but when we boarded the plane with entirely bucket listing retirees it became clear that few others in their 20’s justified the costs. After flying over thousands of kilometers of barren outback two things dawned on me. First, that I couldn't be happier that we weren’t driving, and second, that we were landing in a storm centralized precisely over the rock. We landed under the clouds and felt cold for the very first time on the trip, not what I was expecting from the desert. We drove out to Kata Tjuta, which is another group of large rock formations nearby, and did a couple short hikes until the rain started.

They say less than 1% of visitors to Uluru see it in the rain and if you do you should feel quite lucky. I can tell you that as we sat in the car at the sunset viewpoint for Uluru and watched a grey rock get greyer that’s not what I was feeling. We went back to the resort, which is the only accommodation available, and consists of varied levels of luxury from camping (us) to five star. All owned and operated by the same company. It’s a strange and forced desert oasis, and pretty boring. I woke up around 4am the next morning to a sky full of stars and proceeded to drag Gen back to Uluru to take some photos of the stars and then sunrise. We rented a car so we wouldn’t be tied to the tour buses and that was easily the best decision we made about Uluru, a necessary luxury. I got a few photos I liked, but I have a lot to learn about night photography, though not as much as most. The tour buses arrived shortly before sunrise and with them dozens of people using their flashes to try to illuminate a rock that’s a kilometer away, ensuring that their photos were utter shite as well as mine.

While I don’t think we were lucky to have rain the first day, I consider myself lucky we got sun on the second. Watching sunrise over Uluru was pretty spectacular, and the rest of the day was spent wandering around the base of the rock. There were several caves and watering holes and I managed to overhear a few aboriginal tidbits from other people’s tours about hidden meanings and cave drawings and hunting techniques. The texture of the rock as well as the sheer size were really interesting to see up close. Despite missing out on the colours of sunset, I think Uluru was worth it. It was far from a highlight of the trip, but it was something I found interesting the see up close, as well as the outback landscape in general. I think I’d have regret not going, but I would never try to convince someone who was on the fence. It’s a long way to go for a rock.

When we were driving up the coast our plan was to spend several days in Airlie Beach and the Whitsunday Islands but we were caught in the middle of the exceedingly busy Easter to Anzac Day holiday week and nearly every excursion was booked solid. We were lucky enough that we needed to pass back through the area on our way down from Cairns to Brisbane in another couple weeks, but it did put a bit of a time crunch into the last leg of the trip and made for a couple long stretches of driving to get where we needed to be. After landing in Cairns we drove a couple hours and spent the night near Mission Beach, which was to be one last chance to see the elusive cassowary. Cassowaries are a very rare and bizarre bird, about 5 feet tall, flightless, with a blue horn on their head and a red scrotum dangling from their necks. They have a couple very sharp talons and a tendency to be aggressive and possibly torso slashy, they are actually the world’s most dangerous bird. While I knew next to nothing about them previously, I can imagine given their looks and elusiveness they’re at the top of a lot of birders lists. There were signs all throughout the Daintree Rainforest near Cape Tribulation warning of recent crossings and to drive slowly. Getting hit by cars is understandably a problem for big dumb birds. We weren’t lucky enough to see one up there so I thought we’d have another go at Mission Beach before we were out of their range for good.

 We stopped at a rainforest park that had several bush walks to try our luck. About 100m in we came across a slightly terrifying spider about the size of my hand and sitting at exactly face height across the path. That was enough for Gen and she headed back to the safety of the van, I ducked under this Australian freak and pushed a little further. After the third one I decided my luck was gonna run out and I’d have one on my face, presumably they were full of venom too. So despite all the signs and stories we were unable to spot a Cassowary. I think people spend entire trips camped out waiting, and I highly question just how ‘recent’ those crossing signs really were. At least we saw one at a nature reserve, I actually got to feed it some grapes. They really are the strangest things.

We spent two nights in Airlie Beach on the way up, and did the only day trip we could get on in such short notice. It was a diving/snorkeling trip that went to a spectacular reef but not Whitehaven Beach so it was a less popular trip. We also booked a sailing trip for on our way down to include the main stops so this was a perfect way to get on (and in) the water in the meantime time. The diving was incredible and a taste of what we were to enjoy quite a bit of around the Whitsundays and our Port Douglas trip to the reef.

Our sailing trip was relatively easy to choose despite the many options, once you decide you don’t want a cheap and raucous party boat or a super exclusive luxury yacht there’s actually not a ton to choose from. We got a 2 night trip on a boat that sleeps 12, but actually only had 2 other couples and 2 crew, which was really lucky. Of 8 people on the boat 4 were from France, I guess to serve as some reminder that we were soon leaving the comforts of Australia for our very foreign home. The funniest part is they were relieved we were not French Canadians, poor Quebecois really are on their own in the world.

The skipper was a funny guy, middle aged stereotypical Aussie, sort of care free beach bum type but also quite opinionated. They’re an interesting bunch. We got along with everyone which was nice, the price point helped bring together like minded people. It was great to chat over drinks under the stars on the deck of the boat and then be up early to sail to the next spot in the beautiful Whitsundays.

We snorkeled at a bunch of different spots over the 3 days, though my camera crapped out once it got especially memorable. We spent about an hour just following a couple turtles around one spot, which is such an amazing experience. Afterwards our skipper told us about how a 4 metre tiger shark had bitten a turtle in half there while a group was snorkeling nearby about a month ago. But those sharks never mistake people for turtles, only the ones that eat seals down south do that, so no worries. The next spot was full of huge tuna like fish about 4 feet long darting all around, as well as 2 foot round bat fish and the really colourful and giant maori wrasse, which are also about 4 feet long and have fat tattooed faces. Our skipper brought them all to a frenzy at the boat with bread and chicken scraps and then told us to jump in. I was the first one in and it was intense, these fish had no issues bumping into me and he just kept throwing food nearby. It was actually really cool. After a couple minutes everyone else joined in. Here's a google image of a wrasse.

We also spent a morning at the very famous Whitehaven Beach. There’s a reason it’s so well known, it’s ridiculously beautiful with the purest white sand and clear water. Adequately describing a beach that nice is beyond my abilities so you’ll just have to trust me. We also saw a dugong in the bay next to the beach, which was something I didn't expect we’d be so lucky to see. Another one of the skipper’s tricks to entertain us was hand feeding the eagles from the nearby trees. He’d call to the birds who would come dive bomb us and then catch a chicken scrap out of the air. They were huge and it was awesome to see them so close.

Other than that it was a lot of cruising between the islands in the perfectly calm and blue water enjoying gorgeous sunsets and sunrises. We were so lucky to have a half full boat and beautiful weather. The food was also some of the best we had on the whole trip. The sail back was actually quite windy, adding some excitement. Apparently we were only 1 knot shy of gale force winds, so that’s something. Surprisingly we each got to have a go at the helm in those conditions which was good fun.

After the Whitsundays we headed straight back to Brisbane for the last few days to stay with Maddie and Josh again and see the city properly. We went for dinner and drinks on the river one night, the area was really nice with lots of bustling restaurants, and there’s really no bad waterfront in Australia. We also got to briefly meet up with a college friend of ours, Corby, who moved down here for a guy and to have herself a little Australian baby. It’s quite amazing to see where people’s lives have taken them over the years. We’re getting so old.

Unfortunately since we were at the end of our trip I don’t think we were the best company, our energy levels were winding down. Maddie was really sweet and planned a lovely day for us wandering the shops downtown and riding the free ferry along the river through downtown, which was really great, but by around 2pm we had barged our way back to her couch to watch movies for the duration of our final day in Australia. I think if we had another month or 2 we’d have been fine, but since we knew it was the end I think we just needed to wind down before the epic travel ahead.