Everything 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 our ideal time to spend somewhere. The answer to our favourite places is wherever we spent the most time: Monteverde (2 months), Albania (6 weeks), Newfoundland (6 weeks), Istanbul (4 weeks), Alderney (3 weeks). Even hiking the Camino was 6 weeks of constancy.
These are the places where we can unpack, unwind, learn the language, get to know the old man who sets up a chair outside the front door, join a gym, find a favourite pastry shop, make a friend. Places where we don’t have to pack in all the sights and sounds in a few days; places where we can spend a whole day inside and not feel like we missed anything. Places where we feel like we’re living a spell, not visiting.
In contrast, in the 6 weeks since leaving St. John’s we’ve driven over 3,000 km and flown 6,900 km through four provinces and eight states, sleeping in 16 different beds and 8 Banff backcountry campsites (not including the flights to Paris and Albania while producing this blog post). Each a wonderful time and worth sharing (below), but strung together leave us feeling strung out.
The remedy for this Too Much Travel Blues? I’m writing this en route to some long stays in SE Asia: Oct-Nov in Siem Reap Cambodia, Dec-Jan in Thailand, Feb-March in Hoi Ann Vietnam, April flex. We do have a few final drop-in visits to Paris, Albania and Italy before getting there, but the true excitement and plop-plop-fizz-fizz Relief we are feeling is knowing that we are heading to new Homes where we’ll wake up a week and a month later and still be there, settling in and finding our (Asian) groove. Home is where you hang your hat for a few months, not a few days.
Acadia Day - Moncton, New Brunswick
A dark and under-reported smudge on Canadian (British colonial) history was the mid-1700’s “Acadian Expulsion” of the French-speaking population from Atlantic Canada. Acadians were deported down the coast of the US, many eventually landing in and enriching Louisiana with their vibrant “Cajun” culture, cuisine and language.
Galen’s partner Cai and their family are part of the loud and proud original Acadian families who managed to stay in New Brunswick. We join them to celebrate Acadia Day on Aug.15, marching in a raucous parade (including a joyous BOO-ing of a Tesla caught at an intersection), dancing late into the night, and enjoying a traditional lobster feast at the grandparents’ cabin. How inspiring to see a people - and so many young people - so fiercely passionate about their culture and identity, and what an honour to be invited in.
Philadelphia - Giant Man
A two-day drive down the Eastern Seaboard takes me to Philadelphia, where Zekiah eagerly reclaims our car for the winter. He is entering his senior year at Haverford College to get a BA in Urban Planning, while simultaneously starting a Masters program at University of Pennsylvania, so transport is genuinely an issue (whether a college student deserves a fancy 2023 EV is a different issue…).
I get to once again help him move into a new dorm and buy supplies (“Yes, you can have the Everything But The Bagel spice mix.”) He takes me to the old Italian district downtown for a genuine Philly Cheesesteak, and also to his girlfriend’s hometown to see a truly unique sculpture of a giant (72-foot) man sinking in a vacant field (or is he emerging? It’s called “The Awakening” by Seward Johnson).
Chicago - Giant Bean
The whole Lewis clan gathers in Chicago for a weekend of family shenanigans and lotsa hugs. We also carve out time to enjoy the Windy City - the “Bean” sculpture, deep dish pizza, Bahai Temple, and a wild night of dancing at the historic Green Mill jazz club, where Sarah’s brothers are called up on stage for two songs to dazzle us with their immense talent and energy.
Back to Beautiful British Columbia
Back to BC for another round of old friends and family. Ten days in the Cowichan Valley visiting farm and friends is clearly not enough - a community with such deep roots deserves more time to be reabsorbed.
When Bill Levity introduces me for my storytelling gig (about going to jail in Nicaragua) he lavishes praise on my contributions to the community. While he certainly overdid it, I do feel satisfaction at visiting projects I helped build, including the renovation of an old school into The Hub community centre, launching the Cow-Op online farmers market, and O.U.R. Ecovillage (now with more cob dragons than ever!)
Sarah melts into a seaside Trusted Housesitters gig on Saltspring Island while I hike at Banff, then we reunite on the delightful Mayne Island for three nights with old friends from Monteverde.
And finally, the biggest reason for our return to BC - cousin Jemyca’s wedding. With both our boys and their partners flying in to join into the bigger family, it feels like the launch of a new parenting era. Grown adult boys and their partners, living and flourishing in their lives, and my job is more a facilitator and supporter than a coach. It feels healthy and freeing, watching them grow and spread their wings, and our family growing.
Epilogue
“Did you accomplish what you wanted this summer?”, my mother asks. To quote Jim Carrey, “Yabsolutely!” Our priorities were to spend time with our boys and their partners, enjoy the Chicago and BC families and old friends, and to get to know Newfoundland and Atlantic Canada better.
So many good things we’ve experienced in 6 short weeks, so privileged, and yet I’m so whining. I very much enjoyed all these amazing sights and people, just wish they hadn’t all piled on top of each other. The production of this blog post illustrates the point:
- Conceived the idea/theme during my Banff hiking trip
- Started writing at the Abbotsford BC airport
- Finished writing and photo selection/editing in Paris (while waiting for the morning croissant bakery to open)
- Revised, uploaded and published from Albania
Writing all this makes me realize one of the factors that made this summer taxing as well as rewarding. We have become accustomed to doing what we want, when we want it, and relying very much just on each other. This summer, our priorities were to honour and serve our families and friends. The hectic schedule was to accommodate grad, boys’ schedules, group hike, family wedding. The logistical and emotional planning was around bringing people together, reaching out, entwining.
You know that feeling at the end of a good party, when you close the door behind the final guest and exhale, hug your partner, smile at what a great time it was and how equally glad you are to be just the two of you going to bed? It wasn’t until mom and big brother dropped us at the Abbotsford airport to fly to Paris that we could let go of that wider circle energetic pull and begin to burrow down to the essence of Just Us again.
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Currently in...
Albania for one week, then Italy (Milan, Lake Cuomo) for one week
Heading to...
Cambodia (Siem Reap, Oct-Nov), Thailand (Chiang Mai, Dec-Jan), Vietnam (Hoi Ann, Feb-Mar). Please share any sites, people or ideas by email.
What a beautiful post! And to see ZednZee together, lovely! Liked your list of fave places, Monteverde of course, but that Istanbul made the cut (being part of the selection committee routing for that one). Hope that the winds swirl you back to Canada next year, but see you somewhere, to be sure…cárry on friends.