My Blog

The next chapter. Turning the page, and learning to live the passion throughout life

Mon, 6 Oct 2008 13:00:05 -0400

I’ve dated this entry October 6: the day I started my new full-time job. Essentially, the day that I turned the page on the next chapter of my journey.

Many entries in my blog have been purely travel-based, and I hope that you’ve enjoyed the insights and photos of the destinations I had the privilege of visiting. I hope that, in a way, you were able to travel with me.

But as you know, dear reader, this blog - and this whole journey - has been about much more than just travel. My mom will sigh and say “you’re too deep, Andrew.” But, I can’t apologize. The adventure was about seizing opportunity in life and answering the desire for new experiences as I transitioned fully to adulthood. As I was heading out on the journey, I said that it was "about the quest to live life with passion." I know that sounds lofty... but I feel that I have come away with a clearer understanding of what it means.

I’ve used the empty airport departure lounge chairs from my first blog entry again, to close the circle on this adventure. I started off with great anticipation of the possibilities ahead of me. And now on the other side, having experienced and absorbed so much, I come away with the conclusion that life will *always* be about looking towards what’s to come.

What I really learned was that you can live out your 'passion' at every single chapter in life. I learned from others who simply took a look at what they wanted to achieve at the particular part of their life: and then worked towards it.

The last few months were an enjoyable - and necessary - transition to figuring out what the next chapter of life would look like. I had the opportunity to reconnect with friends and family, reflect on what I'd learned during my travel adventure and decide where I wanted to "land" on the flip side of the journey. That included a careful job search.

I knew after my time on the ship that I wanted to keep being a man who sought adventure; but I also wanted to advance my career and plant a few solid roots [which is obviously hard to do when you’re traveling all over the place]. I was searching for a job that would push my abilities and thinking, and I was also seeing to develop some more foundation in life: foundation from which I could pursue new goals.

So, after exploring my options, I've 'landed' and am now turning the page. For this chapter, I'll be advancing my career and laying down new roots in my hometown as Communications Coordinator for United Way of London & Middlesex. It's a fulfilling job and exactly the challenge I was looking for.

Some days, I do long for the life I lived on the ship. But, I find that there’s major satisfaction in feeling that I’m on track with the next chapter in life. The thirst for exploring life's adventures will always be a part of me: travel and new excitement will always be a part of my quest. But I'm learning how to keep that quest alive while staying somewhat grounded, too.

I’ve learned that it’s always going to be possible to go out and seek life’s goals. I think that’s what “living life with passion” is all about.

And that, I believe, is what I really hoped I’d learn when I started “where is Andrew now.”

I've returned to Canada

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 17:50:08 -0400

Well, the time came at long last: I completed the circular journey around the world... returning once again at Toronto International Airport from where I departed 5 months ago. I landed on a flight from Amsterdam on Saturday, June 14th.

I’ve been wisely advised to prepare myself for re-entry shock. I know I’m going to be bombarded with endless questions.

All I ask is that you go easy on me, or else I might just have to sit you through 3 hours worth of 2000 photos (at least you’ve already seen all the photos on this site!)

Also, I am fully aware that I can’t possibly - whether in this blog or through stories when I return - really give you a perfect picture of what this has been about.

I’ll close with one final quote before I write one more blog post to wrap it all up:

“Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive, we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen.” ~ John le Carre

I hope I’m not going mad, and this journey hasn’t been lonely. But when you do an adventure, ultimately you return an alien, having been somewhere no one else has been. And ultimately, no one else could ever understand what it was like.

It’s been an absolute pleasure to have you following along with me thus far, and I hope you’ve enjoyed it. I’ve been touched and encouraged by the comments you’ve shared with me, and I thank you for being along on the journey.

It’s honestly very nice to be back,
Andrew

France Days 3-8. Three days in Paris

Fri, 23 May 2008 16:14:38 -0400

Man I was really enjoying my time in France - the amazing hospitality of Marta and her family (again, I couldn’t get over the fact that friends of overseas family [i.e. not even relatives!] were opening their home, their kitchen and their lives to show me a wonderful time in their country). Fortunately, my time wasn’t up yet: after having visited Versailles and driving almost right across the country to see the Normandy coast, there were still six days left. Six days of delicious wine, baguettes, meats (okay, I was growing addicted to the cuisine).

And three of those days were going to be spent in one of the world’s greatest cities - and probably the most famous tourist city of all - Paris: the city of lights. [The other three days were spent exploring the suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, where Marta lives, to rest from the jam-packed days in Paris].

*****

I will start my summary of Paris by saying, simply, that it’s a city I’d visit again and again - but never live in. It’s heaven for tourists, but it’s obvious that it’s not the nicest/cleanest/safest of cities. As is unfortunately the case of so many places that are great for tourists: visitors get a nice shiny impression (or those who can afford the $$$ to live in the posh parts of the city), but beneath the surface there’s a city that’s really not all that hospitable.

On the list of negatives: the traffic is utter chaos. Check out some of my pictures of the Parisian streets and see if you’d be able to navigate through the mayhem (and yes, most of the cars had dents). There’s also lots of graffiti and vandalism, and apparently crime and gang activity. You’ve probably heard of the riots that have taken place in Paris. Driving in and out of the city, it was clear that the neighbourhoods beyond the tourist core were rough. But, I suppose, that’s a part of what Paris is all about: historically it’s always been known as a beautiful city with rough edges (think back to Les Mis for obvious parallels).

Despite all this, as a tourist it was perfect. Paris found a unique way to preserve all of the beautiful historical areas from its illustrious past. Unlike most major cities where modern progress has overshadowed the architectural past with tall buildings and commerce - Paris separated the two. The core of downtown Paris is the historic part, and there’s not a skyscraper to be seen. Beyond downtown is the modern La Defence business district with all the tall offices (in fact, it’s Europe’s largest business district). The separation works very well, and makes the visit to the historic heart of the city that much more amazing: it’s all original streetscapes with all the atmosphere that goes with it.

*****

On our first day as tourists in Paris, my cousin Anna and I were fortunate to have two experienced guides: Marta’s daughter Karolina and her boyfriend Jean Baptiste. I’ve ranted about how I don’t think Paris would be a good place to live, but Jean Baptiste rents a cool apartment in a nice part of the historic city. And when I say historic... well, his apartment just happens to be the same building where Mozart and his mother lived in Paris, and where Mozart’s mother passed away. The depth of background in every European city never ceased to surprise me.

Karolina and Jean Baptiste took us throughout the main historic district that radiates from Place de la Concorde (the traffic circle that is the very centre of the city and the start of Les Champs-Elysees leading to the Arc de Triomphe). We meandered through the streets and along the many picturesque bridges across La Seine. The traditional architecture was quickly interrupted, though, by one of Paris’ most curious landmarks: the Centre George Pompidou. No building has created more controversy (and even anger) than this modern art museum: built inside-out with all the infrastructure like pipes and elevators on the outside in a way that makes it look like a colourful oil refinery. It’s dramatically different than anything surrounding it. But, I rather liked it: I thought it didn’t look too ugly and I really liked that 30 years after being built, it still made people discuss it: like landmark architecture should, I think.

From one extreme to the other: we followed-up the Centre Pompidou with a tour of Notre Dame. On the outside it looks a little smaller than you might expect from pictures or the story of the Hunchback. Inside, though, the vaulted ceilings and towering rose windows are massive and very majestic. It was a fairly overcast day in Paris, and yet the stained glass windows were radiant - truly great works of art. My descriptions really cannot do justice to the photos themselves.

The other famous landmarks we visited were the university of La Sorbonne (including an awesome statue of Victor Hugo), the Paris Opera House (including the staircase made famous by the Phantom of the Opera), the Arc de Triomphe at the end of Les Champs-Elysees (in the centre of the insane traffic circle where 12 avenues meet... Karolina simply parked her car right on the Arc de Trimphe so that I could get out and take photos. Anything goes in Parisian traffic, I guess), and the beautiful Basilica of Sacre Coeur (with its stunning hilltop view of the City of Lights). I could write whole blog entries about any one of these world-class sites: together they read like a list of the greatest tourist destinations in the world. And yet we saw this all in one afternoon... all in one city. That tells you why Paris is such a great place to visit.

Paris is much more than just famous sites, of course... we also took time to soak up the atmosphere of the French culture. This, naturally, included the cafe culture and some Parisian cuisine. Sidewalk cafes were more plentiful than I even imagined they could be, and the coffee was nice and strong. It’s really relaxing to sit on the sidewalk and watch everything go by while you slowly sip and chat. Later, we had dinner (French onion soup and crepes) in the famous bohemian art district of Montmartre near the Basilica of Sacre Coeur: this area was filled with street artists, included the interesting Moulin Rouge [French for Red Light] and had tonnes of nice restaurants.

Over the course of my time exploring Parisian culture, I learned a neat trick. Out of politeness and probably pride for their language, the French immediately switched to English as soon as I tried speaking to them in French. My English accent was a dead give-away, certainly, but I was trying and truly wanted to speak what little French I could muster. So... whenever they switched to English, I stared confusedly and said that I didn’t understand!

*****

I realize that this blog entry is getting awfully long (should have split Paris into multiple entries)... so I’ll speed up my descriptions of the final two days in Paris.

Day 2 in Paris: Anna and I ventured on our own. First stop, Le Louvre - the most-visited museum in the world. It certainly was busy (Anna didn’t enjoy the crowds). But man, what a beautiful museum - it evolved out of a grand French Palace that was inhabited by numerous kings including Louis XIV. There’s a neat section in the lower level where they’ve exposed excavations of the original medieval palace foundation. The most famous item in the collection, of course, is the Mona Lisa... and the experience of viewing the painting is almost as noteworthy as the painting itself. For security, it’s covered with plexiglass that casts a faint reflection: so while you’re viewing the masterpiece you have an overlay where you see reflected the faces of the massive crowd looking with you. There’s a hundred people all gathered around, snapping photos and trying to pose with the painting. It was all very weird actually: I had to take a photo myself, pondering about what justice a photograph of a masterpiece can do.

We took a stole along La Seine (and walked by Les Invalides, where Napoleon is buried) on our way to the Eiffel Tower. Though it’s not the tallest tower by any stretch, I’d venture to say that the iron mechano set-like structure of the Eiffel Tower is one of the most distinctive towers of all. Anna and I decided to save money and walked all the stairs to the top (enviously looking at the elevators going by). And this is where I can really get away with being lazy: nothing I write could describe the awesome view.

But, I will write about a disappointment - one view I really wanted to see was sadly not available to me. The most idealistic spot to view and photograph the Eiffel Tower is from across La Seine among the fountains of The Trocadero. I went there expecting to take a perfect photo... but no, the fountains were shut off and the whole vantage point was obstructed by a giant portable concert stage. Seriously, did they need to have a concert there? And again - why were so many things I wanted to see in Europe under construction or covered up with scaffolding!

*****

Day 3 in Paris: Towards the end of my stay in France, I was hit with a strong desire to spend a day alone. As outstanding company as my hosts were, something inside me just clicked and I desired some alone time to just head out and do some urban exploring without any plan. Maybe it was my mind wrestling with that big compromise I had made: shifting my original plan to backpack Europe on my own and have that freedom and adventure... in favour of accepting the gracious hospitality of family who would show me around their countries. Ultimately, I’m so grateful to my hosts for opening their homes and hearts to me, and for showing me such a good time (including showing me many things I never would have seen if I was on my own). But... I needed one day: and my hosts were very generous to let me off the hook for a day in Paris.

But yes, they were worried about me - and reminding them that I had safely made it all the way around the world did nothing to calm their concerns.

Basically, I spent the day wandering the streets of Paris: popping into some of the shops along Les Champs-Elysees (including the ultra-cool Renault showroom), visiting a couple cafes, walking through some of the parks and just taking in the sight of Parisians going about their lives. I was simply enjoying a day to reflect by myself.

The two main landmarks I visited were La Grand Palais (a huge glass-domed exhibition hall built in 1900 that houses large public art installations) and La Defense (the modern business district with all the skyscrapers). At La Defense, I saw the neat-looking Grand Arche: a modern interpretation of the Arc de Triomphe. There’s an impressive sight-line there... standing at La Grand Arche you look straight down an avenue to the ancient Arc de Triomphe and beyond to Les Champs-Elysees - instantly connecting the modern part of Paris to the historic core.

And with that parting shot of Paris, I returned to more baguettes, wine and good-byes at Marta’s house. All too soon, our amazing visit in France was wrapped up - and Anna and I were off to Poland.

France Days 1&2. Versailles and Normandy

Sat, 17 May 2008 00:00:34 -0400

I screwed up on my arrival to France. I wrote previously about how I had to change plans and take the Chunnel train instead of flying directly to Paris from Dublin. Another mistake caused even more confusion: I calculated the time for my hosts to meet me at the Paris train station based on the ticket clerk telling me how long the journey was.

The problem was that I didn’t realize London and Paris are in different time zones: my hosts were waiting an extra hour wondering where in the world I was! That probably didn’t put me in their good books to start - but, my gosh were they ever the epitome of gracious hospitality throughout my whole stay.

I went from the outstanding warmth of my cousins in Ireland... to further kindness and generosity in France. Another cousin, Anna, flew from Poland to join me for vacation in France... and we stayed with a friend of Anna’s mother.

Ya, that’s right: my host in France wasn’t even family, but a friend of family. She’d never met me before, yet she and her daughters opened their house, bought a whole tonne of delicious French food and wine, and took their time to show me around the country. I don’t know what it is that makes people so generous when foreigners visit them - but I was blown away by it all.

So, I met my cousin Anna and my host Marta at the Paris train station. We proceeded to Marta’s car in the parking lot, and I quickly became aware of how terrible French drivers are: more than half of the cars had dents (the car parked beside Marta’s had smashed windows and the airbags were hanging out - yet Marta said that the owner was probably still driving the car in that condition). Fortunately Marta (being Polish, but living in France) was a good driver.

We arrived at Marta’s house in the Parisian suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine (a beautiful, small town on the River Seine) and met her daughters Karolina and Nathalie. I immediately realized that I was going to have a huge challenge during my stay in France: the mis-mash of languages among my hosts. I’m somewhat trilingual with Polish and French, and my hosts were each comfortable with different combinations of the languages. Since I’ not perfectly fluent, the alternation between all three languages was so confusing that I was virtually incapable of speaking at all for the first while! Or, I’d accidentally speak in French to Anna who couldn’t understand - and find myself unable to put the words together in Polish because my mind was stuck in French. Frustrating, but good learning.

The other thing to get used to during my stay in France was the remarkably late and leisurely dining/drinking/socializing routine. Don’t get me wrong... I was loving the food that Marta endlessly offered (mmm... the delicious red wine, French cheeses, pates, sausages and fresh baguette!). I also really enjoyed the long chats about life in France. But every night we ate very late and stayed up to 2am or later: that was simply the norm for them. It tired me out. Unlike the 30 minute to one hour meals around 6pm I’m used to in Canada, the daily meals in France epitomized European laisez-faire. We started eating late in the evening and continued nibbling, drinking, nibbling and drinking until early morning, followed by more drinking. And then we drank some more. And that was on weekdays.

*****

So - staying up until 3am on my first evening in France (after having arrived by train around 11pm)... I was pretty exhausted, but very excited for my first day of exploring the country’s famous sites. We decided to build up excitement for Paris by seeing other sites first.

Our first destination: the Palace of Versailles. It was a very overcast day with intermittent rain; but that only made the photographs turn out more dramatic. Even the approach through the town of Versailles was quite dramatic and regal: the street leading to the palace is lined with perfectly manicured trees. We made the decision to pass on touring the palace interior in favour of exploring the gardens. I’m pretty sure we made the best choice - all accounts I’ve heard say the interior of Versailles smells like mothballs. While the palace is certainly impressive, the gardens are just out of this world. As well, from the exterior you can still take in the amazing architectural details and explore the awe-inspiring scale and attention. But the gardens... wow. They just make the whole site take on an air of importance and make the palace much more grand. I’ll refer you to the photos, including the ones where the fountain show turned on just in time for us to enjoy.

Returning to Marta’s house from Versailles, we were once again bombarded with French hospitality and cuisine. We prepared a barbecue in her lush garden: with the fresh baguettes and freely flowing wine, it felt like the most relaxing and most idealistic French summer evening imaginable. We were joined by Jean-Baptiste, the boyfriend of Marta’s daughter Karolina.

*****

Another late night was followed by another early morning for a full day of sightseeing. Day two in France was spent along the Normandy coast. Since my grandparents endured WWII in Poland, I felt a need to see firsthand some of the historical sites from the war. As a second-generation Canadian, I was also familiar with the history of Canada’s efforts on Juno beach: so, that was our destination. The Canadian government has built an excellent museum at Juno beach right on the Normandy coast - complete with historical displays and education about the war, Canada’s involvement in the historic battle on Juno beach, and about modern-day Canada as well (to educate travelers). The most dramatic part of the visit was witnessing the beach itself. Our tour guide (a Canadian from Montreal) took us deep into one of the German concrete bunkers - those creepy structures built into the coast that would have been so terrifying to the allied soldiers. I also walked along the beach where so much heroism and tragedy took place. All in all it was very powerful to stand somewhere with so much history, and it made history a little more real to me.

Leaving Juno beach, Marta announced that she had a surprise destination. We were going to bookend the sombre visit to Juno beach with a trip further along the coast of Normandy... to one of the most beautiful places in France. Riding through the countryside, all of a sudden a spire started to rise on the horizon of a farm field. It grew until it looked like a castle on a cloud. This was the incredible medieval village of Mont Saint-Michel, built upon the steep contours of a small coastal mountain and surrounded all around by flat land and the ocean. When high tide comes in, the village becomes an isolated island: literally a village rising to a point out from the water... crowned by the spire of the village cathedral. Exploring the village was like a page out of Shrek with medieval stone walls, gates and even a drawbridge to the inner streets.

This exciting introduction to France primed us for our next destination: the city of lights... Paris itself.

Ireland Days 3&4. In and around Dublin, and off to France

Thu, 15 May 2008 19:07:48 -0400

I’ve already alluded to how terrific it was to transition from bouncing around as a solo traveller staying in hostels, to being graciously hosted by family in their home. Solo travel has its advantages: the freedom, the sense of adventure, the constant fascination of discovering new things on your own, and the excitement of having to be resourceful and thinking on your toes. Local hosts, though, are irreplaceable: they can simply show you things you’d never find in a travel guide. You *really* get the feel for a place when you see it through the eyes of local people. And I got a great taste of that with my final two days in Ireland:

After the exhilarating day on the coast at the Cliffs of Moher, my cousins Izabela and Sabina spent a day showing me their favourite hidden gems: really opening up an inner glimpse into the most awesome parts of living in Ireland. We visited the National Gallery of Ireland, complete with its classical European paintings and green walls everywhere. We then took in more green on the Dublin commuter train (green train cars, green seats... man they like green!). The afternoon was spent just North along the coast from Dublin, in the quiet and peaceful village of Malahide. We saw some more of Ireland’s history by visiting the 12th century Castle Malahide, the grounds of which were complete with the ruins of an ancient church and cemetery featuring Celtic cross-marked graves.

I have a complaint about European museums, though. Castle Malahide (and virtually all the other museums I visited) were devoid of live tour guides. Instead, corny and overly dramatic (Disney-like) audio guides took you around and explained the historical information. You couldn’t ask questions, and you couldn’t get the personal insights a knowledgeable guide provides.

Taking the train back into Dublin, I was struck by the skyline: punctuated by dozens upon dozens of towering construction cranes. Ireland has gained a clever nickname in the late 90s and 2000s: “Celtic Tiger.” Over the course of about 15 years, Ireland dramatically went from Western Europe’s poorest nation, to one of its richest. In fact, it had one of the fastest economic booms ever. Various things contributed to the boom: free trade, economic policies and immigration/worker laws that saw the border open to residents of the Eastern European nations that had just joined the European Union. There was a flood of new job openings, immigrants looking to fill them, and new spending in the economy. My cousins were among the people from Poland who took advantage of the opportunity to work and study in Ireland when Poland joined the European Union. Witnessing the boom first hand (such as the vast number of Polish people everywhere) was quite fascinating.

Further testimony to the “Polishness” of Ireland was that evening - Sabina and Izabela took me out for a night on the town... and among the group not a single one of the drinks was Guinness! Rather, many of the beers were Polish like Tyske, Lech and Zywiec. No, all of my cousins’ friends aren’t Polish - but it’s neat to see that they were able to meet other Polish friends in the foreign country they’re now calling home.

Topping the list of things that generous hosts offer you when you stay with them: they can show you the real flavour of local nighlife - much different than the tourist traps. And you automatically get a group to hang out with and show you a fun time. And we definitely had a great time out in Dublin. Dinner at the girls’ favourite noodle restaurant (with all the immigrants in Ireland, the Dublin restaurant scene is very very good and eclectic). We then went to Dublin’s famed pub district, “Temple Bar.” I’ll divert you to the photo gallery for confirmation that it was a great night.

A great night deserved a great morning - and I got my wish. While Izabela and Sabina had to go to work, I got to have a day to myself to relax and explore. Just as it’s terrific to have amazing hosts showing you around, it’s also great to be on your own with no agenda. Especially within my breakneck travel pace, the chance for a little bit of relaxation here and there was very much welcome. After sleeping in, I headed out for some architectural discovery in Dublin.

The beautiful weather led me to idyllic Trinity College, the foremost university in Ireland. Let me first pause to say that my entire stay in Ireland was sunny with temperatures in the high 20s: that’s an unheard of string of luck in Ireland! Trinity College was more picturesque than nearly any campus I’d seen (I’m talking both the architecture and the students...). My cousin Sabina is now studying neurosciences there: smart girl!

From Trinity College, I followed the River Liffey through downtown Dublin. Along my path, I passed by a statue of the famous girl from Dublin’s anthem - Molly Malone - and then visited the National Museum of Dublin. This museum’s fascinating feature was a full-size reconstructed Viking Ship. Literally ginormous, it also spoke to the intertwined histories of the nomadic Celts and Vikings.

Across the river, I spied (and smelled) my major destination for the day: the Guinness factory. The first thing I learned was that the tour is not, unfortunately, of the actual brewery: it’s such a popular attraction that the workers probably couldn’t handle the endless stream of visitors. The black beer is now brewed in a modern, automated plant. The tour takes you through a stunningly-restored industrial icon: the original Guinness Storehouse brewery. I was more impressed with the intricate industrial architecture they left intact and integrated into the museum than the tour itself. But the highlight of the tour, of course, was the very end - the pint of Guinness included in the price of admission. This perfect pour was served in a special bar built high atop the ancient factory. It offered a panoramic view of Dublin... and for maximum effect U2 was playing on the stereo when I arrived.

I descended back to Dublin street level, and then descended even further underground when my cousins met me after work: we went to a wine cellar beneath a gourmet grocery store. Again attesting to how locals can show you hidden gems... this cellar was a popular hangout for 20-somethings. We enjoyed our final night together in Ireland, and I toasted the gracious hospitality of my hosts.

I was soon to learn that open-arm welcome would be the constant theme among my European hosts... everyone really went the extra mile for me when I visited their homes.

Unfortunately, my travel out of Ireland to my next destination - France - was less than smooth. A missed connection to the airport made me miss my original flight (I was only out 20 Euros on my discount airfare, no big deal). The best connection I could find was via London, England. I can now say I’ve been to London twice... and I actually had to cross the whole city once again by “tube” to get from Heathrow to St. Pancras Station: where I caught the Eurostar to go through the Chunnel to France.

Through all the confusion, I was glad to have had the chance to see St. Pancras station. I’m a nut for reconstructed historical architecture. This ancient train station had just been completely restored and opened as the Eurostar terminal. It was the most beautiful station I’d ever seen.

The Chunnel ride, however, was anticlimactic. In concept it’s neat, and it is darn fast... but it’s just a black tunnel. All you hear is the rising pitch as you emerge from the “whooshing” noise of the tunnel.

And with that, I was in France. The journey continues...