My two major trips this year were to Spain in May and Russia in June. But before we get into my travels, my visitors starting arriving in April with my friends Blaine and Linda from Winnipeg. They came for what I like to call The Prairie Flower Reunion. These are women I met when I first started working and we have remained friends even though they live in Winnipeg and Vancouver. Because the Winnipeg gals know my former roommates from Vancouver I arranged that Liz, Judy, Bernice and Betty would come for a sleepover to surprise them. We had a great time and one of the things I asked everyone to do was bring a short synopsis of what they have been doing over the years to share with everyone. It is amazing that even your closest friend can surprise you with information about their lives.
Just after Blaine and Linda left my friend Eri came from Japan to spend a week with me. We met in Australia on a tour of Tasmania. It was so much fun to see her again and she loved the baseball game I took her to. Her friends in Japan were very impressed that she was going to see the Mariner's Star Baseball Player Ichiro who is from Japan.
It has been five years since I walked across Spain so my Camino friends decided to have a reunion in Spain at Juan Carlos' new home near Toledo. We all met up for a weekend, which was really fun. We went into the City of Toledo one afternoon, Juan Carlos took us to see some of the surrounding villages, we had lots of good food, laughs, singsongs and just hung out together. It is great to still be connected as The Camino was such a special experience for all of us.
After the reunion my friend Kate came to Spain to travel with me for two weeks. We met up in Granada for a few days, then to Valencia and finally to Barcelona where Ozgur came from Turkey to join us for a week.
The Alhambra in Granada is magic, especially at night. It has all that fabulous Moorish Architecture. Valencia has amazing architecture also, both old and new. We had our own apartment in Barcelona and did all the tourist things hopping on and off the double-decker tour bus. It was exhausting but lots of fun.
under construction for 100 years
Before leaving Spain I wanted to spend a week with my friend Maria in La Coruna in the northwest corner of Spain. I met her in Morocco last year and it was great to see her again and get to know her wonderful group of women friends.
And then on to Russia which is an amazing place to visit. I spent a month traveling from St. Petersburg across the country via the Trans Siberian Railway. It took seven days on the train (not all at once). I traveled through seven time zones and 9288 km (5758 miles) on the portion from Moscow to Vladivostok, plus the overnight train ride from St. Petersburg to Moscow. The opulence of the palaces in St. Petersburg, the Kremlin and all its treasures, the poverty throughout Siberia and the bits of Western influence here and there made for a fascinating trip. Russia has a bloody but intriguing history and although you still feel the oppression not far below the surface, the society seems to be finding their way through their difficulties. The amazing art collections, architecture and gifted performers are balanced perhaps more dramatically than in other countries against the poverty of the masses of people just because of the scale of the country. It is the largest country in the world occupying 13% of the planet. I spent three weeks with a tour group and a week on my own which was a challenge without speaking any Russian....but an unforgettable adventure.
In August I went to California to spend a week with Maria again (my friend from Spain). She was visiting her family in Laguna for a month. My cousins Rhonda and Gord from Winnipeg visited me and we had a wonderful four days together. I went to Winnipeg in January and September to see my mom and she came back to Seattle with me for two weeks in October. Colin and his cousin Laura who I visited in England came down to Seattle for a few days and I also spent three days in Port Townsend with my former roommates for our yearly reunion, which is always fun. We get together each fall on or near the anniversary of our arrival in Vancouver many long years ago.
We have a new little baby boy in our family as my niece Krista made my brother a grandfather and my mom a great grandmother in October. My other niece, Jamie, is an actress in Calgary and won Best Supporting Actress for her work in Thy Neighbour's Wife this year, so we are all very proud of her. And I have another baby in my life with my friend Lilia Elena's little girl, Ana Lilia born in November.
I have come to the conclusion there is no place better to live than where I am right now so decided to do some remodeling of my home, the major part of it being a new kitchen. It took a couple of months of living out of boxes but it is now beautiful and I am enjoying my new cooking environment.
I am off to spend Christmas with my brother Jeff and his family in Invermere, B. C. and my mom will join us, which will be really special. I will meet her in Calgary where we will spend a few days with my cousin Eileen and her family. We are all going to see Jamie performing in “Oliver Twist” so that will be exciting as we have never seen her acting in a play before. We will go to Jeff’s on the 23rd for a few days and then back home for New Years. I don’t like to miss the fireworks from the top of the Space Needle.
It has been a great year for me and I hope the same goes for all of you. All the very best wishes for 2008 and I hope our paths cross again soon.
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