Week 1 of 52 - London!

I have officially been in London for 1 week now and this is the first I've had a bit of time to sit and write an update. I apologize for lack of detail in some cases. There is just too much to say for 1 entry. I will update with some photos when I get the chance.

I arrived in London on Monday morning without any sort of plan at all. I just figured I'd show up at the hostel and take it from there, which in a country with the same language and generally the same customs is pretty easy to do. I met a few people in the hostel when I arrived...a group of Canadian girls, a Student from California who was on his way back home after doing a semester in Milan, and another solo traveller from Afghanistan. The week was spent roaming through London, checking out the most obvious touristy stuff, ie: Knights Bridge (not to be confused with London Bridge), Millenium Bridge, National Gallery, London Eye, Camden Town, Covent Gardens, Tate Modern Museum, Picadilly Circus, Liecester Square, strolled along the Thames and a few of London's gigantic parks etc. I'm glad I can say I've seen all those things, but by the end of the week I was ready to move on.

I stayed with Clare (whom I met in Spain) and her roomates Tom and Nick, on Sunday and Monday night. It was great to see a bit of the 'real London' in Battersea. It's an up and comming area for the yonger generations. It was nice to get away from the hustle and bustle and see the tree lined streets, not so crowded parts and a lot of independent clothing stores and cafes. We had dinner on Monday evening with Clare's mom who was also in Spain for the Reiki retreat, and it was fantastic to see her again. I will be heading back to say for a few more days once I return from Scottland.

At the moment I'm in Brighton, on the Southern coast of England. It's absolutely beautiful here. I arrived yesterday to sun, a beach and water that stretches out as far as the eye can see. There isn't a whole lot to do here other than to relax. There's lots of people from other areas in England that come down here to get away for a day or so. I sat in a cafe this morning and watched four old ladies trying to flirt with a French waiter named Hubert. I do have to say it made my day.

I spent last night hanging out with another traveller from Winnipeg, Canada and two guys that work at the bar below the hostel. It's not usually my thing, but I was convinced to go to the club downstairs for £1 drinks and drum and bass. It was fantastic! No hip hop or R&B...pure drum and bass so we danced until about 2am and hung out with the staff after they kicked everyone else out. Oh...the manager of the hostel nicknamed 'Canada' is from the Broadveiw and Danforth area...small world.

Tomorrow I'm heading up to Scottland and doing a 3 day tour of Edinburgh and Isle of Skye...It was highly recommended to me by a few people, so I'm hoping for the best! I will keep you posted!! Love and miss you all!

The Beginning of Something...

Greetings to everyone who wishes to read my blog, and will follow along on my journey commencing in June 2008. I'm hoping to post as often as I can throughout my travels not only to keep you (my friends and family) up to date, but for me to remember everything that I've done once I return!

This trip came together very quickly, the initial idea was brought to my attention by my cousin Jillian in December when I was visiting in Montreal. I wanted to go to India to study yoga and experience the culture, as well as go to Australia to visit a few friends. The rest generally fell into my lap. It is now the beginning of April and I have less than two months to finish planning, leave my job, move my things back to my parents home and say my goodbyes.

You could say that this trip has come into fruition because of a 1/4 life crisis. I'm not sure if such thing exists, but it seems to fit in this case. After a Reiki Retreat in Orgiva, Spain in October and an unfortunate breakup soon after, I began questioning my life path/purpose and my desire to travel only became stronger. It's funny how one event can seem to become the catalyst for wanting to redirect ones life. October and the months to follow brought on a great feeling of unfulfillment within my design job, a questioning of family and societal expectations, and a quest to find happiness...something despite my comfortable life, I have not frequently experienced.

Being naturally too serious, too intense, too internal, it was easy for me to go straight into college, into working and taking on far too much responsibility for someone in their early 20's. I realized I was already bitter, and was afraid of getting stuck, forgetting that I had a life to live and desires (yoga teacher training for one) I still wanted to see come to fruition. Our society is so focused on working, money and materialism that we forget that we have lives that are meant to be enjoyed, experienced and shared. Perhaps I am an idealist (or have turned into one), but I don't think its wrong or one should feel guilty wanting to truly experience life and to make a living doing soemthing that is completely fulfilling.

I should mention that I do have days where I question if I am making the correct choice. If I really am sane, wanting to take off for a year, partially by myself, but I'm choosing to do it anyway, to leave the 'safe' path behind and face some lingering fears. I will learn things that no book could ever teach, about life, about cultures, about faith. I don't believe anyone can travel the world for a year, and not be changed...in what way is up to them.

This trip is dedicated to my grandfather, Melvin Overholt, who passed away when I was 6. He loved to travel, and I've felt his guidance as this trip has come to fruition. This is my way of getting to know him on some level...I know he'll be proud.