Alaskan Cruise - Day 1

ALASKA!!!! We are back and let me tell you. The only thing wrong with that trip is that it didn't go on forever. I could have used at least a month there. Someday, God willing, I will go back and do more and stay longer. It is an absolutely stunning and overwhelmingly breathtaking place to see. I keep looking around at my familiar (and loved) places here at home and thinking about how much richer it all is now that I know that this is the same world that has Alaska in it. I guess I always KNEW but seeing is believing, as they say. Did you know that Alaska’s last Aleutian islands are actually further West then Hawaii and also cross into the Eastern Hemisphere making Alaska both the most Western and most Eastern state. And there more Alaska trivia where that came from, no fear!

Day One - Vancouver’s Stanley Park

After another visit to Tim Horton’s we bussed our way down to Vancouver’s famous Stanley Park (top left peninsula. The entire park is surrounded by water.) 

There is a gorgeous Seawall that we walked around for miles. 

I took this picture mainly because I crack up at boat gas stations. They make me laugh. I don't know why.

There was quite a haul of sea life left over from the tide. Beachcombing was very profitable for our treasure hunters. 

Thomas's first view of the Pacific Ocean (and mine, Anthony, Rosie, Cece, Catherine and Glo Glo's)

But there were also amazing woodsy hikes.

The SIZE of these trees. 

And the gardens were gorgeous. Especially the rose garden. 

PURPLE roses. Very purple.

By this time we were REALLY tired. The seawall surrounding this park is 9 kilometers long. We did not walk all of it. Also, we immediately started regretting not bring a stroller for Gloria. We continued regretting this until halfway through the cruise we figured out that you can borrow one (for FREE!) from the ship. Glory, Glory, Gloria!

And here are just a couple of glimpses of the mountains that we were to spend the next 7 days surrounded by.

We took a city bus back to the hotel and made our way onto the ship. That sentence makes it seems like it was simple. Don't be fooled. 

This picture makes it seem like it was simple. Don't be fooled.

But make it we did and then we had a rockin' Sail Away Dance Party complete with Micky and Minnie visits. 

And once you are on a Disney Cruise you are truly on vacation. Let me give you parents out there a little taste for what I mean. Your children order 6 meals at dinner. The meals get distributed. You take a swig of your drink turn to help them out and! Lo and behold! These ultra-servers have CUT YOUR CHILDREN'S FOOD. Cut the children's food. I don't need to cut the children's food. For a WEEK! Yes, that sound you heard was my giant sigh of relief. Not only that, but John was bouncing a fussy infant on his lap when his steak was served and the next thing he knew they had cut his food so he could eat his steak with one hand. These people are professionals in knowing how to turn a trip into a vacation for parents. It's almost miraculous after 12 years of taking trips instead of vacations. I literally got tears in my eyes when I realized that those people are also there to make sure that John and I had a great time too. I might be a little tired ;).

Vancouver Interlude: In Which We Watch the Canada Day Parade from a Tim Hortons

I DO want to get to the 2nd post about prepping for Europe but I'm going to take a brief interlude from prepping (both in real life and the blog) in order to savor and enjoy this amazing vacation that my MIL is taking us on to Alaska. This trip was actually planned long before the Oxford sabbatical was even a twinkle in our mind's eye. We are going on a Disney cruise tomorrow from Vancouver to Juneau.
So we arrived in Vancouver today after 12 hours of travel involving a few ubers, a few taxis, a few airports. Pretty stinking awesome that we can cross a continent in so few hours.

Flying into Vancouver felt like watching Lost or what I imagine going to Hawaii might be like. Look at this place!

 And then we get into the airport and it's like a cross between an airport and a natural history museum. 

With waterfalls all over the place. Even one running down parallel to the escalators (not pictured because six kids and escalators). 

The Customs agent greeted us with a "Bonjour". Raising many questions from the kids who didn't grow up next to Windsor and watching Canadian Sesame Street (CBC, anyone?). 

After the 12 hours of traveling we had one last taxi drive which took a WHILE because who knew that Vancouver be a big ol' city?! Third largest in the country and will soon surpass Montreal AND Toronto, according to my taxi driver from Morocco.

Another cool thing about Vancouver is that it's downtown is 80% residential - people are living there. It's so nice to see a city crowded with actual humans forging their life through and with and around each other. We got to forge through a little with them too, actually because all of these 80%-ers were out in the streets for the Canada Day parade which our hotel was smack dab in the middle of. I mean, literally in the middle of. Like, walk out the door wearing a maple leaf or just a little too much red and you will be sailing down the street leading a marching band. So me and my four youngest children and my 15 year old brother in law sat in traffic and then had to hoof it a couple blocks (with 5 pieces of luggage and 6 backpacks) through and with and around all 80% of Canadians celebrating 150 years of togetherness. Even the four year old had to pull double duty.

But after we got settled in the hotel room...

we all agreed that we would go out and see what this parade was all about and try and track down some quick food. 

And THAT is how we ended up watching a Canada Day Parade on their 150th anniversary FROM A TIM HORTONS. 

No, I am not kidding. This is by far the most Canadian-y I have ever been. It was all kinds of AMAZING.

Here, FOR EXAMPLE, is Captain Canada: I didn't even know that I didn't know that there was a Captain Canada. But now, blessedly, I know.

So we waved flags, we cheered, we caught the tail end of the Mounties,

we ate TimBits and life was good.

Until I let a bit of our typical American malarky spill out. 

No child! No! No hitting each other with Canadian flags. Respect the leaf, man. Respect the leaf. The leaf does not do violence. Not on Canada Day. 

Don't look at me that way. Put that American-sass right back in your pocket, Shorty.

The night ended with many tears. Because, as John likes to say, if you don't end with tears then you probably didn't get your money's worth. 

The Build Up in Pictures - Part 1

SEPTEMBER

Our 13th anniversary was the day we found out we were heading to England for the year. Lucky 13 for us. 

After dinner we headed headed directly to the used bookstore and to the travel section. 

Came home with a healthy load of evening reading.

The next day John came home with this awesome bird's eye view of our year - including lists of our kid's name-places to visit, family history places to visit, lists of literature to read. We are more or less sticking to these broad outlines.

OCTOBER

Next came the Sabbatical Proposal. Turned it it and wait. 

NOVEMBER

Request approved!

DECEMBER

The official invitation from Blackfriars, Oxford. It's all coming together!!!

Buying the airline tickets! Dulles to Reykjavik, Iceland (with a stop for fun) and on to London, England. 

Planning our roadtrip. Dover, Calais, Normandy, Lisieux, Giverny, Paris, Waterloo, Brussels, Amsterdam, Harlem, Rhine River, Bavaria, Salzburg, Gaming, Vienna, Krakow, Venice, Milan, Switzerland, Nevers (we are hoping to do Rome and other Italy in the Spring) and finally land safely in Oxford. Six weeks. One van. Three suitcases. Eight Loves. Unlimited awesome. 

Travel Insights

I don't want to repost many things here but in this case there is really no way that I could say this any better. This article explains exactly what I think (and don't think) about travel and self-discovery. It is quite long but well-worth the time. It is thoughtful, insightful and for us, extremely relevant. Though it really is relevant for anyone as it it speaks mostly about self-discovery and seeking holiness. It articulates many of my own vague instincts that I never got around to fully realizing until I read them here. Without further ado: Against the Cult of Travel: Or What Everyone Gets Wrong About the Hobbit