Back home again...

Hey everyone! Glad to talk to you again. The past week has been eventful. I had a great few days in Ottawa with my mother at the end of our trip. The drive from Quebec to Ottawa was long but I made it there in 5.5 hours with only two 5 minute breaks. I was beat by the end! We were able to visit the Museum of Civilisation which was really well done. Just like every city, there was an Egyptian exhibit so I was reminded of my amazing trip to Egypt. Then we saw the changing of the guard in front of Parliament which was impressive.

On our last day, we visited the grandparents of my sister's boyfriend. They were the typical Greek grandparents. We were there for 5 hours and were eating pretty much the whole time. Koula just kept feeding us! But it was a lovely visit and they reminded me of my grandparents. My Oma and Opa (my father's parents) were the kindest and most welcoming people I have ever known. And Oma was always feeding us good German food and doling out hugs! I have missed them since there passing. So it was nice to feel that love again!

The flight to Edmonton was cool in that the pilot flew around a thunder storm rather than fly through it. That was really cool in that we got to see the typical anvil shape of the clouds thousands of feet above the ground. Very cool!

The next day was Canada Day. This year Canada turned 142! I spent the day getting ready for our BBQ - we had family and some friends over for a party. It was a lot of fun and I really had a great time chatting with everyone, telling stories (obviously, I have quite a few) and enjoying the company of the people I love! Our garden is a lot more fun now - while I was in Europe my family re-did the patio and purchased a hot tub! It is an amazing way to end the day! Then while I was in Eastern Canada with my mother, my father and brothers built a putting green and driving range. I guess I don't have to leave home at all... I have everything here!

But, I will be leaving on another trip soon. I just can't get enough! I have already started to book my trip to Yellowstone in the United States at the end of July. I am so excited to go: I get to see an iconic park and I get to see Emmy again. If you remember, I met Emmy on my Greece trip and visited with her the week I was in Rome. It will be great to see her again.

I also plan on going to Drumheller, Alberta in the middle of July. Drumheller is known for it's numerous dinosaur bone finds. So that should be a lot of fun. I remeber going as a child and just loving the museum and going around in the surrounding desert.

The most exciting news of the past few days is... I have been granted my Australian Working Travel Visa! Now I can book my flights and start planning that trip. I have always wanted to go to Australia and I am so excited that it will finally happen. I wasn't planning on working at all this year but now, I think it might be cool to do some work in Australia if necessary.

Other than sifting through my thousands of pictures and piles of papers from Europe, my days have been pretty quiet. I do miss the activity of travelling but am starting to feel better about being home. My first night after returning from Ottawa was pretty bad. I didn't sleep at all: I just kept looking around my room and seeing all my prized possessions. And I felt so out of place. I have realized that I do not need very much to be happy: I do not need a lot of materialistic items. Another thing I was struggling with was the quiet: I hate to say it but I had gotten so used to sleeping in hostels. It feels weird to be in my room... in the quiet... without distractions. Weird!

My plan for next week is to explore Edmonton, my hometown. I remember doing cool things as a child, so I want to explore them again and to find other great things to do. In talking to the people I met on my travels, I realized that I did not know very much about my own hometown. So I have now decided to find the top 20 things to do in Edmonton. And it will not include West Edmonton Mall! I will keep you posted on my discoveries and hopefully, fellow Edmontonians will go out and explore. And those who aren't from Edmonton, maybe it will excite you enough to come to Edmonton. I can promise you, it is a cool place to visit!

Love, Lisa