Wanderlust Wednesday: Helsinki

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Happy Holidays

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Wanderlust Wednesday: Nicaragua

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Madrid Christmas Lights

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Parque Rio Madrid

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Travel Diary: Barcelona

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One of our main goals for our time abroad is to explore as much as possible, so we’ve agreed that every long weekend we’ll be off on an adventure. Our first, back in November, was Barcelona. Neither Dave nor I had ever been to Barcelona, so we were really looking forward to having three whole days to see all that it had to offer.

We stayed at a smaller hostal in the north of the city and spent out days walking the streets enjoying all of the different neighbourhoods and their distinct charms. From Gràcia to La Barceloneta, and along Las Ramblas, we tried to spend a little time in each area to get a full view of life in Barcelona.

An expansive city, I could write about Barcelona for days, but for the sake of being concise, I thought I would share my three favourite things we did/saw/experienced in Barcelona. Read the full post at: http://wp.me/p5BYuE-8C.

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Expat Update 03

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Wanderlust Wednesday: Gatineau Park

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Sometimes, I think Canada gets a bad weather rep. Yes, in certain parts the winters do get extremely cold (Gatineau Park is one of those places), but come May (sometimes April), it's a whole different story. Read the full post at: http://wp.me/p5BYuE-7O

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Travel Diary: Toledo

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My Favourite Foods from the German Christmas Market

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As I mentioned in my Hamburg Travel Diary, my attraction to German Christmas Markets is the food, the drinks and the lights. And while in Hamburg, we ate some truly amazing food, and sipped some mind-blowingly good bevvys.

Even though it's crazy hot here in Madrid (at least crazy hot by this Canadian's December standards), I've still been keen to make a few of these typical Christmastime meals. So, here are a few of the foods we tried, and a few of the recipes I'll be trying out in the next couple of weeks. Read the full post: http://wp.me/p5BYuE-7B

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Travel Diary: Hamburg

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Hamburg in December is Christmas.

It’s a fact. I’ve been nowhere else in the world that embraces and embodies Christmas quite like Hamburg. It was amazing. It was magical. So magical that I could have cried.

I didn’t, but I was close.

When we decided to move to Europe I knew we had to visit a Christmas market. It’s not that I’m some crazy festive elf—it’s actually quite the opposite—I’m just a really big fan of warm drinks, great food, and twinkle lights. When we saw that Dave had a long weekend at the beginning of December I knew it was fate; so, I pushed for a trip to Germany. I wasn’t picky, anywhere with a Christmas market would do.

When we came across a reasonable flight to Hamburg – a city that peaked Dave’s sustainable development student interest – we knew it was meant to be. Read the full post at: http://wp.me/p5BYuE-6Z

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Travel Diary: Sintra

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On our last full day in Portugal, we decided to once again hop on the train and explore one of the historical cities surrounding the capital. This time, our trek would take us to Sintra.

Without getting into too much detail, the morning of our Sintra trip I woke up and did not feel good, and little did I know that this would be the first of eight days of feeling disgusting. In retrospect, I should have stayed home; but ever the wanderluster I forged on and we hopped on the train for Sintra.

30 minutes (and €2.15) later and we were in Sintra. Dave had done all the research for this day trip so I didn’t know what to expect, but upon first sight I was blown away. The hills were covered in luscious forests, and dotted throughout were beautiful, colourful castles and mansions. Despite not being 100% well, I was ready to explore. Read more: http://wp.me/p5BYuE-6E

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Wanderlust Wednesday: Sunshine Coast

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In my opinion, one of the most relaxing and serene places on the planet is the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia, Canada. Read more: http://wp.me/p5BYuE-6t. 

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Travel Diary: Cascais

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Located just 30 kilometers west of Lisbon is the idyllic seaside town of Cascais. Technically, Cascais is a cosmopolitan suburb of Libson given the short commute, but in all honesty, it felt like we were worlds away.

This former fishing village gained popularirty in the late-19th century when the Spanish royal family decided to set up their resort home in the area. Nowawadays, in addition to being a cosmopolitan suburb of Lisbon, Cascais is a popular vacation destination for tourists, both foreign and domestic.

And, it’s easy to see why. With palm trees, stunning beaches, and amazing views, Cascais is a little slice of paradise. Read more at: http://wp.me/p5BYuE-6i

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Travel Diary: Lisbon (pt. 2)

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After spending an amazing three days exploring Porto and Guimaraes in early-November, we were back on the train and en route to Lisbon. We’d already had a chance to explore the Alfama neighbourhood during our first mini-visit (read Lisbon Pt. 1 here), so for the second part of our visit we decided to stay in Principe Real, an up-and-coming district. Read more at: http://wp.me/p5BYuE-5O.

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Expat Update 02

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In my last Expat Update, I was riding high. We'd had a great few weeks and everything seemed to be going more or less smoothly. But you know what they say: What goes up must come down.

The last few days have been marked with a series of frustrations. Just when I think I have things a bit sorted out, I am hit with another, brand new problem. Read the full post at: http://wp.me/p5BYuE-5I.

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Wanderlust Wednesday: Ann Arbor

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Travel Diary: Guimarães

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