From the category archives:

Trip Diary

The Kindness of Strangers in Venice

We’d just arrived in Venice after a 20 hour flight. Somehow I had mislaid the map with directions to our guest house. Tired and confused, I went into a tiny little snack bar. I figured since this was a tourist street the guy would certainly  speak English. Using my one Italian word, I said “Scusi” [...]

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Finding our Guest House In Venice

Even though I thought I was  organized, somehow I had forgotten to bring the piece of paper that had the directions to our guest house in Venice. At this point we’re 23 hours without sleep and trudging down a main tourist drag (Strada Nuova) against the current of a  sea of people.
It was magical
Nonetheless, it [...]

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Day 1: Nanaimo to Venice

It’s a long way from Nanaimo to Venice, and I wanted to make the journey as fast as possible.  Alas, my chauffeurs had a different idea.
I really should be grateful to them for hauling me out of bed at 3:30 for a 6:10 a.m. flight out of Nanaimo, which is only 30 minutes away by [...]

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