Destination: Florida

My grandparents moved to Dade City, Florida, when I was in 4th grade.  My subsequent plane ride to visit them was my first flying experience... it was horrible.  Nonetheless, my experiences in Florida have been wonderful.  Maybe the fact that we drove down from there on out helped.  In fact, I think back often to how much I love the Florida natural environment... the smell of orange blossoms, the mid-day powerful thunderstorms, the Spanish moss draped over everything.  Not to mention the beautiful beaches.  This is my recollection of my years spent there, and what I most enjoyed about my visits.

Dade City, where I spent most of my time, is a small town in between Orlando and Tampa, in inland Florida.  My grandparents lived in a retirement community, which are all over Florida (seriously, everywhere!).  The best part of that was having access to a beautiful palm tree lined pool,  and taking early evening walks along the streets which bordered on an orange grove (which was later cut down for more retirement communities).  There is a fabulous Mexican restaurant in Dade City called El Poncho Villa... very authentic, and very tasty.  The first year we went down there, we ate at Kafe Kokopelli.  I remember it being very cool inside, and it being the venue where I tried Alligator meat... very chewy, not very tasty.  And of course, you can't beat Checkers, which is my fast food joint of choice in the south.  Tasty burgers, seasoned fries, and you can get a banana milkshake with your combo! Yumm!

Dade City is a small town, with lots of pretty parks and churches.  The town hall and downtown area is very quaint, and I always liked walking around there.  Outside of Dade City there are farms and swamps and lots of wildlife.  I love driving around that area.  There is also a really neat state park called Withlacootchee state park.  We did a couple hikes there trying to find some cool wildlife in the swamps.  Other than that, we had to drive quite a bit to our other Florida Destinations.


Unlike most families who went to Florida, we did not go to Disney World or Sea World.  The most kid-friendly spots we did go to were the Kennedy Space Station, Florida Aquarium and the Edison House.  All of them were really cool... we got to crawl all around spaceships, see what a take off would feel like in the control room, and go out to see where the real take off's happen.  At the Tampa Aquarium, I got to pet sting rays and sharks.  At the Edison house, we got to see what his labs looked like, and what his summer mansion was like (I vividly remember a very old-school swimming pool!).  Other than these things (and the numerous mini-put trips), we opted more for natural environment trips and beach days.

We went to Homosassa Spings State Park, where there was a zoo.  We got to meet Manatees there for the first time! They are such large and gentle creatures.  The park also did a good job educating patrons on the dangers that manatees face in the natural environment, and what precautions we could take to make sure we didn't harm them.  It was really neat seeing animals native to that area of North America.  Then we go to take a glass bottom boat ride through the swamps, which was also super cool!

One of the beaches we likes was Howard Park, which you had to drive out to on a looooong spit into the gulf of Mexico.  I always liked those kind of beaches where you had to drive out on a long spit, with ocean on both sides.  I also wondered how terrifying it would be during a hurricane!  The beach was very nice, but sometimes too crowded.  My parents are always in search of natural beaches and seclusion.  The actual beach and ocean bottom of this park was very nice... very clear, not too many things to step on (which was always a concern as a young girl...).

Tarpon Springs is a really neat town.  There are a lot of big, beautiful houses there.  There is also a main drag where you can buy sand dollars, natural sponges, and other ocean paraphernalia.  Also, there is really good Greek food there... I guess they have a strong Greek population.

We also tried the St. Pete's/Clearwater beach once (and only once).  There were cars on the beach, lots of obnoxious people, loud music, and raked over sand.  Very lame for shell collecting.

I have a great aunt who lives in Fort Meyers Florida, which also had a nice beach.  I remember it being very "resort-y", and the bottom of the ocean having lots and lots of live sand dollars, which really freaked me out as a kid.  While there, we also checked out Sanibel Island.  The water there was very warm and clear, but it dropped off rather quickly.  It was nice to drive around and look at all the different beach houses.

The 2nd best beach we went to in Florida was Fort DeSoto State Park.  This beach was lonnnng, so you could find a place that was more secluded.  There were really awesome sand dunes, and behind the beach was a line of trees and a natural creek that ran through, so it felt very wild.  If you walked out, there would be sand bars where you could walk along or lay in the shallow warm water.  There was plenty of beach to walk up and down, plenty of shade closer to the trees, and plenty of neat shells and other things washed up from the ocean.  It was here that I stepped on and killed a crab.  It was also at this point that I decided never to eat crab, because the experience was so disgusting.

The best beach in Florida was Caladesi Island State Park.  To get to it, you had to enter Honeymoon State Park and park your car and pay for a small motor-boat ferry across the bay to get to the island.  It was the ultimate in seclusion, and I saw some of the most beautiful sunsets from this beach.  The island almost felt untouched in that there was turtles, dolphins, and other really neat creatures around.  It was small enough that you could walk end-to-end in a couple hours.  I remember seeing storm clouds roll in over the gulf from here as well... really cool stuff.  The ferry over has a fee, as does admission into this state park, but it is worth it.

Florida, you will always have a place in my heart.

Travel Tunes - "Emerald Isle" by Whitehorse

A beautiful tune about two lovers, separated by an ocean, who's attempts to meet abroad are just not cutting it for them... they want to go home!

My boyfriend will be in medical school in Limerick, Ireland next year (the Emerald Isle!).  There will be a lot of distance separating us, and it's going to be hard... soo hard. But we'll try to make it work. It will be a new kind of relationship, that's for sure.

Here's to travel experiences, and the changes they may bring.

Cause I've been on the road one day too long,
Can't hear the record for another sad song,
Look at all these faces can't all be wrong.
That's a lot of my heart out there.

Destination: London, Ontario

Well, since this is supposed to be a travel blog and all, I figured that to fill time until I get to Spain (and to delay writing my thesis), I would write about places I've lived or traveled.  You know, recommendations and stuff.  I thought the easiest place to start would be the city I've lived in on and off for the past 6 years of my life: London, Ontario.

London is a mid-sized city in south-western Ontario, and a big university town.  it is also known as the forest city.  However, the city is large enough to carry its own without the University of Western Ontario breathing down it's neck.

Here are some things to do if you want to venture to campus:

1) Workout at the newly built gym, the Western Student Recreation Centre.  $9.04 will buy you a day pass where you can explore all the recreation facility has to offer.
2) See a movie for ultra-cheap at Western Film (like, $4 cheap).  While you're at it, buy a trough of popcorn.
3) Take one of the scenic hikes along the Thames River.  The river runs right through campus, and adds a touch of charm to London.
4) Grab a beer at the Grad club.  There you will see faculty, and be able to choose from a number of beers on tap (there are a lot! They even have Mill Street Lemon Tea beer, my fav.)
5) See if there are any exhibits open at the MacIntosh Gallery, or if the Cronwyn Observatory has opened it's doors to the public.
6) Attend Homecoming at Western.  Current students and alumni alike gather to partake in copious amounts of drinking and purple-wearing whilst tailgating in the parking lot before the big game.  It's about as American as you can get, in regards to school spirit and varsity athletics.  Super fun!

Now, of course there is off campus to explore as well.

Natural Environment: There are two really nice parks in London - Victoria Park (in downtown London) and Springbank Park (a little off the beaten path).  Other than that, London has the perk of being in a really nice location natural-environment wise.  There are provincial parks nearby to spend the day at (along Lake Huron and Lake Erie), as well as conservation sites that are a bit closer.

Food: Disclaimer - I am a foodie.  I feel at home in large cities where I can explore a range of different kinds of foods, and find hole-in-the-walls to frequent.  I love food.  In regards to restaurants in London, I have found that there are 3 types that you could fit any restaurant into here: crappy, chain or expensive.  I have been to many crappy restaurants... hoping that I would find a little known gem in London (6 years and no luck with that one).  The chains are the usual - Jack Astors, Kelseys, The Keg, Milestones, Moxies, etc. Now, the expensive, here's where it gets good.  There are a list of great places to eat here, but none of them are particularly cheap:
1) Davids Bistro.  The best.  David knows exactly what he is doing with his menu and his dishes, and he knows the perfect wine pairing.  If you want it cheap, try the lunch menu (where mains won't run for more than $15).  Same portions as dinner too! But seriously, the food here is delicious.
2) Garlics, Black Trumpet, Kantina, Abruzzi, Tru, and the Tasting Room are all other great ones (and they all have websites, with the exception of Black Trumpet).  They are expensive, but you will get a good meal.
3) You may have noticed that there are no ethnic restaurants on this list... unfortunately, I find it very hard to find good ethic food in London.  The best so far include: King of Pigs (portugese, they make excellent rotesserie chicken, and their pirri pirri sauce is to die for!), Ozen (very good japanese food, made well, priced reasonably, and including a rather unique menu), Barakat (excellent lebanese food... try their vegetarian platter and get extra garlic puree and try their lentil soup) and Budapest (really interesting Hungarian food... in a REALLY cool setting... it would be worth it to go here just to sit in the authentic restaurant).
4) If you want to cook food yourself while here, go to Covent Garden.  This is the fresh, local market.  The food vendors there are great, and you can get the freshest and tastiest produce around, as well as artisan items and gourmet foods.  Also, as random as this sounds, but Field Gate Organics (an organic meat market) sells the BEST bacon I have ever had.  Seriously.  Get some and fry it up, you won't be disappointed.

Etc: There are other ways to fill your time in London other than being outdoors or eating (although I would sometimes beg to differ...)
1) The Grand Theatre - I've seen some shows here before, and a lot of good ones come through (most recently, Hair, The Great Gatsby and Cinderella).
2) If you are lucky enough to be here during the festival season in the summer and fall, go to Victoria Park to check out any one of the festivals that frequent during the warmer months.  My favorites are the Latin festival (where you can salsa your ass off) and LoLa (London Ontario Live Arts Festival).  Both fun!

3) Aeolian Hall.  This is tied for my favourite music venue (tied with Massey Hall in Toronto).  This beautiful establishment is run entirely by volunteers.  The people who work there are amazing.  The Aeolian does so much for the community as well, so it just feels great to support that cause and at the same time see a musical artist that you love.  I have seen Owen Pallett, Dan Mangan, Basia Bulat, Obijou, and Whitehorse here... all spectacular shows.  Also, they offer a bottle of wine and plate of cheese for, like, $20. A night at the Aeolian  =  a great night.

4) See a foreign film or documentary at Hyland Cinema.  Also, another great establishment of London.  This place shows the best movies, stuff that I have never seen offered at any other theater.  It's a great hub to stay in the loop with artistic films.  Grab a rose tea and a seat in the dark, old theater and enjoy the show.
5) Walk around the Old North area of London (where I am lucky enough to live).  The houses are beautiful.  They have such character, and its a nice little architectural stroll.

These are the gems of London (in my opinion).  They are special aspects of this city that are unparalled by gems in other cities.  There are other things in London (such as a Museum, some sort of old army base, some sports teams), but they aren't better than the ones that exist in other cities (nor do they really come too close).  These are things that make London special, that I will miss frequenting, and that are worth experiencing if you are in this city.

Travel Tunes - Dan Mangan's "Road Regrets"

We drive until the gas is gone
And then walk until our feet are torn
Crawl until we feed the soil
Film the whole thing

More road trippin' music.

"They don't take mastercard in Spain?"

...which was the first thing my boyfriend's father said to me when I was complaining about how much work it is to apply for a visa.  Get it? Mastercard? Visa? haha.

But in any case, it really isn't a straightforward or easy task.  I wouldn't be surprised if there were a lot of people who live illegally in Europe, especially students, because of how many hoops you have to jump through to get a visa.  The previous Canadian au pair that worked for the family I will be working for didn't get a visa for when she went over.  She said it was too much work and not worth the cost.  She was OK with the prospect of potentially getting kicked out of Spain if the authorities found out.  The family was OK with it too.  The reason I decided to get one is because I plan on finding another source of income while I am over there, and thought it would be easier to do so if I had a Spanish Visa.

I am in the process of applying for the Youth Mobility Program, which allows young people to enter Spain more easily... but it doesn't seem that easy.  First thing I did was get my passport pictures taken, apparently they need a few copies when you apply for a visa.  Luckily my actual passport is up to date.  I will need to present photo ID, proof from my bank statements that I have enough money to fly home if needed, and I had to get a doctors note from my family doctor saying I wouldn't pose any health threats to the Spanish population... which triggered a very long story from my doctor about how all her Spanish male patients have lots of sexually transmitted diseases and I need to be careful while I'm over there.

I needed to get my host family to mail me a letter of information and an au pair contract.  It was pretty cool getting mail from Spain! That was definitely a first.  I also had to get a criminal background check from the RCMP.  This process included getting fingerprints taken (another first!), where I learned my fingerprints are "not very easy to get prints on".  They wrote that I had a skin condition on the ones that didn't print properly.  Hopefully they do not think I will pass this 'health issue' onto the Spanish population.

And then I have to fill out a form from the Spanish consulate, which is very confusing.  It's one of those situations where none of the options seem to fit the reason you are filling out the form, and you feel like an idiot for not knowing how to fill it out properly.  And the individuals at the Spanish consulate haven't been very helpful.  I am going to go in person, with a big smile and my rudimentary Spanish to ask them kindly to help.

Then there is the health insurance debacle... Of course, I have the kind of health insurance coverage that runs out when I stop being a student, so next year I am not covered.  And OHIP is a very confusing thing to figure out when you are out of the country for most of the year.  So I went to visit Service Ontario (a lovely little government hub filled with homeless people, immigrant families, and people who look like they genuinely hate their jobs).  They helped me figure out the OHIP coverage while I am away (aka they suspended it while I am overseas...).  Now, without private or public coverage, I need to prove to the Spanish consulate that I will be covered by some sort of health plan over there.  I am in the throes of travel health care insurance companies, trying to figure out if I am getting decent quotes.  This is the last thing I need to get done before applying for this visa, and it is the thing that costs the most money (Oh, I didn't mention, the fingerprints and police check cost $80, the passport photos cost $20, and the damn visa application costs $150).

I better be in a situation next year where I think "oh, thank God I was so proactive and got a visa! all that work has paid off!".  Grrrrr visa applications.