Florence

Oh gosh, what is there to even say about Florence. It was so hot that day and sunny and perfect that it made walking around the small and beautiful city even better. What I liked the most about Florence was it wasn't too busy and yet there were still a lot of tourists. It wasn't as congested as Venice and Rome, especially Rome, but it still had a lot of people. I liked the views and easiness of getting around. I liked just walking around and seeing the architecture was really beautiful. I think the best part, again, was the walking tour. I liked that we were walked around the city with the tour guide and she was able to give us little tidbits of information (none which I can remember now of course!).

The one thing I absolutely loved, which I'm sure everyone else did as well, is the view from Piazzale Michelangelo. Just seeing it was absolutely beautiful. How amazing is the view, how amazing is it to see absolutely everything in Florence and to be able to see it all in one look. Panoramas do not do this place justice. One of the unique things we were able to do here was get a group shot, which is one of my favourite things that we got on this trip. It's a way in which I can have a photo with every single person from our trip. It's a very nice memento to have.

Venice

Oh Venice! What a place to be. Granted the entire day we were there it rained and it literally poured. The only time it stopped was when we took our 30 minute gondola ride and the minute we stepped out of the boats it began to pour again. But aside from the rain, Venice was a beautiful city full of history and beautiful architectures. I could not believe the canals. I have seen photos of them and I have heard about them, but there is nothing compared to actually seeing them and taking a boat through them. Also I got conned into feeding the pigeons and ended up having to pay 10 euros for it. Not fun, I would recommend running from the men with the bird seed. 

One of the these I loved was a really cool walking tour with a local guide. It did rain for the whole day and I of course didn't pack a rain jacket or thick sweater, so I only had my thin sweater. Aside from my atrocious clothing choice, I really enjoyed the walking tour. It was a way to see the city through the small walkways and random little shops. Another cool thing about Venice was the dinner we had that night. It was optional but almost everyone chose to go to it. Our trip manager told us to grab masks that were quite popular in Venice  during the 16th century. We all bought little masks from stores around the city and at dinner took photos of our Venetian masks. It was a really unique experience.  

One question I do have: do/can people swim in the canals? Or is that something people just don't do? 

Trail Time

Used multiple mounts to capture this video. Love the different ways of using all of these mounts and how the videos come out. They are absolutely incredible and I enjoy looking back on them and seeing the trails in a different way.

Music: This Girl by Kungs & Cookin' On 3 Burners

St. Goar

I had never heard of St. Goar before this trip and I didn't realize we were actually staying somewhere that was so off the beaten path that we barely had wifi service or anything at all. There was barely any vehicles driving around, absolutely no emergency vehicles (unlike London) and it was so quiet and peaceful. There was a point where a few of us just sat down by the water and listened to what was going on around us and there was literally no sound, just the chirping of crickets and mosquitos flying around. I think it was one of the most beautiful and picturesque places we visited, and we went to a lot of beautiful places. It was definitely really nice to go to a place to calm and quiet compared to the bustling and busy cities of Amsterdam and London. It was a nice way to sort of see what was around us and just to take it all in. It was also really nice to breathe fresh air that literally came off the turquoise river right in front of us.

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about this place was our ability to walk around the town and not have to worry about being hit by cyclists or cars. The streets were completely empty aside from us and there were no other tourists around. It was perfect. The night was cool, but nice to walk the town. It wasn't too hot which made site seeing that much more enjoyable. One of the things we noticed was how all of the stores were family owned and the cafes were kept open later then usual only because the owner was socializing with people who were sitting outside. They were so nice and greeted you as you walked by.

St. Goar is a place in which I had never heard of but now I will never forget.

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is a beautiful and free wheeling country. I had never thought Amsterdam was like this and I even have family who lives here! Unfortunately I did not get to see them, but the trip somewhat made up for missing out (though I will see them this summer). The day we were there was so hot and sunny it made our day there even better. We spent a mere 20 hours in Amsterdam and it was a beautiful way to start the trip. We had a walking tour with our trip manager and even went to visit the Red Light District.

Now because we were in Amsterdam on a Friday it was incredibly busy. I had never felt so claustrophobic in my life and it was definitely tough to walk around. We walked all the way around the District and learnt the history of prostitution in Amsterdam, which to every single person on the trip was a bit eye opening. We couldn't believe how proud these women were standing in their rooms showing everything off. But, hey, kudos to them! The one good thing about the walking tour with the entire group was that we were able to get to know people who were on the trip. Which was really nice because the next day we ended up spending our free time with a majority of the friends we had made the night before. We even had a beautiful canal cruise and were able to see the city from the canals that are used oh so much in such a small country. I think what I loved the most about Amsterdam is that you can literally tie up your boat in the canal and then drive around, in your boat!! It's crazy! And houseboats!? They are crazy popular and some of them were so intense and beautiful and super modern. So surprising.

The next morning we had a few hours of free time where we went to the Van Gogh museum, which showcased his work from his sane days until he was deemed insane. The paintings changed so dramatically and it was really different and amazing to see how they progressed. We sort of walked around the canals, which were just absolutely stunning and it was so nice out that it made the day that much better. Amsterdam was an incredible place to visit. I cannot wait to come back and visit.

London

The first place we landed when we flew to Europe was London. It was my first taste of Europe and it was one of the best tastes of Europe I could have had. What a way to begin our trip. We saw all the sights every tourist must see: Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, London Eye and the British Museum. We walked amongst the streets in Britain (which are absolutely amazing) and we went to a good old English pub. The architecture was something I could barely even believe, it all just seamlessly fit together and every building looked like fit together. 

The first day was probably the hardest as we had just been up for about 30 hours trying to fly to London and we arrived at 7am, an hour before we were suppose to arrive. So we almost fell asleep on the tube on our way to our hotel and when we finally got into our room we slept for about two hours and then headed to the British Museum. Now, most museums you can walk around aimlessly and be able to see everything you want to see. The British museum is one where you definitely need a guide or you have studied the map so well you know exactly where you are going. I know we didn't see everything, but what we did see (mostly Egyptian and Greek monuments) were extraordinary. I had never seen pieces so big and historic before in my life and it was amazing to be able to see that part of history that everyone knows about. 

The rest of the day we spent walking around London and then went to the London Eye as we had tickets for that day. The funniest part of that was when we came off the train Big Ben was literally right in front of us. It was perfect considering the next day we were going back down there to see all the places you want to see in London. The London Eye was really cool, especially to see everything. And the picture above is actually taken from the London Eye. 

I think one of the most surreal things for me while we were there was the fact that we were actually in Britain. I had studied Britain for so long in my history courses and just in general and it was fascinating for me to stand on those streets and in front of buildings like the Tower of London that has been so monumental in British and World History. I feel like Britain has been so huge in history as a whole, not just Canadian, and to finally have gone there and see it and experience it was something you cannot really explain to people. 

One day I will go back to London and maybe it won't be for just a visit. 

A Place of Paradise

Treasure Island has been in my family for so long that it is hard to try and gather a memory that does not include the island in some way. My great aunt and great uncle bought the island a long time ago and my grandfather worked on the island as a child. He actually met my grandmother at the island, so it really does have very special meaning to us. I remember going to the island and the beautiful boat ride we would take to get there is one of the best. It's just the anticipation of coming over to the island to see everyone and spend an entire week together.

There is so much to say about this irresistible place that I just don't even have the words to explain it to you. It is the reason I look forward to summer, it is the glue that holds my family together (aside for love of course), and it is the history that continues to grow with every trip back to it.

It is a part of my family and no matter what happens to the island it will continue to be a member of this family.