Posts by Rick Juliusson
Same Old Paris
Sacre-Couer and I go way back. On my first solo Europe trip in 1988 I sat out on the grass with two beautiful Israeli girls. They were unsuccessfully trying to explain the word Chutzpah when a very stern policeman started yelling at us. Efrat started speaking Hebrew and pretending not to understand, but the officer…
Read MoreFor Sale by (Quaker) Owner
Exactly two years ago, we accidentally sold our house. We were going to ease into this travelling thing by renting it out for the winter, but the neighbours surprised us with, “What if we were to just buy it instead of renting?” And just like that, we were selling our 4th house in 24 years…
Read MoreEverything Everywhere All Too Much
Aren’t you tired of always travelling? Two years into this lifestyle, that’s by far the most common question (followed by favourite country and best food). After a summer packed full of obligation, adventure and change, we can finally say “Yes, we’re tired of it!” Tired of constant change, that is. Two months has emerged as…
Read MoreUltralight Backpacking in Banff
If I had to spend the rest of my life on a desert island, you are the 10 men I would want to spend it with. Thus began Jonathan’s invitation to go on a “Long Walk” two years ago. Honoured to be among the chosen disciples, and trusting that anyone whom Jonathan could love that…
Read MoreNewfoundland Nature – through Galen’s lens
I’ve already waxed poetic about Newfoundland’s dynamic culture, and the unique feeling of being at the very beginning (or end) of land and time. Now, the windswept edginess of her landscape and wildlife deserves its own portrait, coloured by the artistry of Galen’s photography and the keenness of his partner Cairo’s birding eye. Rugged, raw,…
Read MoreNicaraguan Justice
Or: “The things my mother would rather not know about my young backpacking days: How I got robbed, ended up in a Nicaraguan jail, and was almost doomed to a Tom Hanks “Terminal” existence in a Honduran ditch.” 1. Wandering Oblivious into a War Zone Someone at the Tica Linda youth hostel in Costa Rica…
Read MoreCome Home! St. John’s Cultural Embrace
“Is ye a Newfoundlander?” Skipper Lukey asks/challenges. “Indeed I is, me ol’ cock, and long may your big jib draw!” my son and his partner boisterously shout back at the completion of their “Screeching-in” ceremony at Christian’s Pub. They’ve downed a disgusting rum shot (so bad it’ll make you screech) and kissed a frozen cod…
Read MoreSo Happy Together
“Your life is so different than my own right now and seems so enviable. You and Sarah constantly have new things to talk about with the changes in destination and history and culture going on around you. That must be so refreshing at your stage of marriage.” Refreshing, yes, assuming the relationship is strong. Living…
Read MoreMile Zero – Newfoundland
Dukes of Hazzard at 8:00, 8:30 Newfoundland. Canadian childhood included constant reminders that Newfoundland is special. Apart. So far gone that it gets its own time zone. It really does feel like we’re perched tenuously on the edge of everything here. But not the end of the world, like at Finisterre which was clearly the…
Read MoreNo Country for Old Cyclists – Cape Breton
Cycling the Cabot Trail of Cape Breton ain’t for sissies. It may not even be for old men. It may even be that I’m old… Part-way up this mountainside that has no visible end, I’m negotiating with myself to just make it to that next bend. Or maybe just to that next phone pole. Reminding…
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