As my last blog, I thought this one should be the most important. When I was 6 my family moved to Texas we originally planned on staying for 3 years, but ended up living there for 6. So though my hometown is Calgary, Alberta; Texas will always be where I grew up.  Which brings me to my next vacation; I want to take my boyfriend, Brandon, to see where I grew up The Woodlands, Texas.

Photo Credit: Right Step

The Woodlands is a small town located 45 minutes north of Houston. However do not let the size fool you! This is no regular ‘small southern town’. It is mostly filled with oil executives who commute to work every day and other types of professionals.  It is also home to some of the most beautifully constructed houses I have ever seen. Sports, like football, are prominent in the culture but there is also a large emphasis placed on baseball and swimming. The grass is always green and a regular ‘winter’ day can be 29^o Celsius, it was paradise.

Photo Credit: Stephanie Miller (me)

First I would take Brandon on a tour of my three fabulous houses that I lived in. As we walked around we would also pass my elementary school and middle school. A large part of who I am came from these homes, how I grew when I lived in them, and what I learned from school while I was there. Unfortunately I do not have pictures of them to share with you guys today.

 



Photo Credit: Lord of Life Lutheran Church

Then I would take him to my church, Lord of Life Lutheran. Though before we moved we had a congregation here in Calgary, Texas is the first place that I truly remember worshiping God and learning the traditional children’s stories. From Noah’s ark to Moses in Egypt this was where I discovered my faith.

 

 

 

Finally, and most importantly, I would take him to meet my childhood friends. Though some of us have lost contact throughout the years I still maintain many close relationships.

(Pictured here my 'Texas' Family, The Burkets)
Photo Credit: Stephanie Miller (me)

My years in The Woodlands were some of the best of my life and I think it is important to share that with my boyfriend. Even though the other trips I have planned will be lavish and beautiful, this one is by far the closest to my heart.

House Boating in the Shuswap

House boating in the Shuswaps is something that everyone needs to experience at least once as a young adult. It is a week of relaxing and having a good time with all of your close buddies and meeting great people along the way. With British Columbia great summers you are almost guaranteed to have a great weather on the lake.

Photo by Mateo Abella

When you first arrive at the houseboat docks everyone is so anxious to get on the boats and get out of the marina. People are frantically trying to find parking spots and then quickly unloading their vehicles so that they can get down to marina. Little do most people know is that you have to wait 3-4 hours before you are actually aloud to board the boat. This waiting period gets everybody restless but before you know you are on your way.

Photo by Mateo Abella

The Shuswap is one massive lake with multiple arms to explore and as a house boater you can either choose to tour all the arms of the lake to get the full experience of the lake itself or you can choose to stay at the beach where all the partiers go. The first year I went house boating we decided that we wanted to check things out so we took one big tour of the lake to check everything out. And let me tell you it did not disappoint. We found areas to cliff dive, hidden waterfalls, and of course private beaches to ourselves. To add on to it the weather was perfect all week and we never encountered any bad weather so the trip turned out to be perfect.

Photo by Mateo Abella

The second time I went house boating I was 4 years older and we only went for 3 nights. We decided that if we wanted to make the most of the trip we should hit the party goers beach all 3 nights. This so called party beach is called Nielsen beach and it is the location where all the young adults park their boats at night. If you aren’t fond of staying up until the wee hours of the morning then you should definitely avoid this place. I had no regrets going to this beach all 3 nights except for the fact that random people would come on your boat at times while you were parked which made me a little uneasy about my personal belongings.

I think that if you’re a young adult and your looking to have a good time for 3 nights or week I would suggest sticking around the Nielsen beach area. You will meet a lot of great people and have a great time in the process. If you want a more quiet vacation you can avoid the whole Nielsen area and park your boat on the numerous beaches surrounding the lake.

House boating has something for people of all ages and it should be experienced once in your lifetime. So has anyone else ever gone house boating to the Shuswap? If so, how was your experience? 

Sicily

Photo by Silvia Abella

Sicily is a region of Italy off the coast and it is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. When many people here the word Sicily the Godfather comes to mind automatically because this is the region where a lot of Italian mafia started. All that aside Sicily is a wonderful island with many different things to see over your stay.  The food is great with fresh fish from the ocean, wine, cheese and of course the pasta. The coastline is also a spectacular sight with smooth sandy beaches and the calm Mediterranean Sea crashing on the shore.

Over the years Sicily was an island prone too attacks and take over’s by the Greeks, Romans and Arabs. This has had a lot of effect on the culture and people in Sicily. The dialect spoken in Sicily sounds almost foreign to mainland Italians. It is like the Newfoundland dialect in Canada. The reason for this is because of the influence that this island received from many other countries over the years.

Photo by David Sickmiller

When the Greeks conquered Sicily they left their mark on the island by leaving behind famous Greek temples and statues all over the island. The most prominent area to see these magnificent structures is in the province of Agrigento. You could spend a full day looking around at the Greek art that was left behind. But I caution you to be careful during the heat of the summer because it can easily reach over 40 degrees in Sicily and you can overheat quickly.

Photo by Giovanni Rovedatti

Sicily is probably most famous for the volcano on the island called Mount Etna. This volcano has been very active of late and there have been numerous eruptions in 2012. Mount Etna is a very tall volcano and in the winter it is completely blanketed in snow like the Rocky Mountains in Canada. This is strange to see in Sicily because the climate is fairly warm but there is enough altitude on Mount Etna for snow to fall.

Sicily is also know to have some amazing beaches which surround the entire island and due to the island not being that popular to tourists it is very easy to find your own private spot. Being on the Mediterranean the water is very calm and quite warm which makes it very comfortable to swim in and relax in the sunshine. Frommer’s has even listed off a list of the best beaches to visit in Sicily and it gives the reader an in depth analysis of each beach.

Photo by Silvia Abella

If you ever make a trip to Italy I recommend taking 4 or 5 extra days to travel south and experience what Sicily has to offer and I promise you will not be disappointed.  

Haida Gwaii

Photo by Ianloic

If you enjoy fishing and being outdoors then you need to make the trip to the Haida Gwaii, formerly called the Queen Charlotte Islands. Haida Gwaii stands for "Island of the people" in the Haida language. Access is limited to the island and it can only be accessed by fairy or by plane. The island is known to experience severe earthquakes due to the converging pacific and North American plates. The most recent severe quake occurred on October 27, 2012 when a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit the island. This was the second largest earthquake recorded in Canadian history but luckily there was little to no damage and no deaths or injuries.

Besides the risks of earthquakes, the Queen Charlotte Islands have some of the best fishing and scenery in Canada. Once you are on the island you can take a drive to the nearby fishing resorts or take a floatplane to the remote resorts on the western side of the island. The Queen Charlotte Islands are home to some of the best salmon fishing waters on the planet and records are broken here every year.

Photo by Ian Britton

Photo by schlegel

Naden Lodge is a world famous fishing lodge located near the village of Massett. The fishing lodge has all the amenities that you would every need including high speed internet, pool table, satellite television, 
a spacious sitting room with a view, reading loft with views, a huge sundeck, and an outdoor hot tub (Naden, n.d). Naden lodge is equipped with world class fish boats including their fleet of 2008 Boston Whaler Conquest boats equipped with 150 hp motors (Naden, n.d.). 



Not only does Naden lodge provide guide services on world-class boat but they also provide food, dry clothing and all fishing equipment needed to have an enjoyable trip. Some of the highlights from this past season were the 61.5-pound monster Chinook caught on July 23rd and the 271-pound Halibut (Naden, n.d.). Naden Lodge guarantees its clients a memorable and enjoyable experience.

Photo by Stanley Howe


Naden Lodge also has private air carriers that transport customers from Calgary and other western Canadian cities. If you are leaving Calgary at 6:00am to head to Naden Lodge you can expect to be out fishing and have that first fish on your rod by 9:30 am! Not only does the private air carrier save you time but it also saves you money. Naden Lodge estimates that customers will save $1200 total by flying on their private carrier planes.


If you and enjoy fishing and are looking to get away from the city I would highly recommend visiting Naden Lodge on the Queen Charlotte Islands. 

Naden (n.d.). Naden Lodge. Retrieved December 3, 2012, from http://www.nadenlodge.com/fishing-lodge-queen-charlotte-islands.html

Whistler

Photo by Edoardo P.

Whistler British Columbia is a popular travel destination for skiers, hikers, sightseers and people who are just looking to have fun time. Whistler is a short hour and a half trip up the “Sea to Sky” highway from Vancouver. This 125 km stretch of highway between Vancouver and Whistler is home to an abundance of wildlife and breath taking views. When entering the town of Whistler you immediately get that feeling of a classic ski town. Smiles are seen all around as people reminisce about the great day they had on the mountain and laughs are heard from the many outdoor bars scattered along the main strip from the mountains base.

Photo by Junnn

Photo by Roaming-the-Planet

Whistler has an immense amount of attractions that can keep you busy for weeks on end. One of the most popular features of course is the ski hill. The ski hill is separated by two mountains, Whistler and Blackcomb. On December 12, 2008 the Peak 2 Peak gondola was complete so that skiers wouldn’t have to ski to the bottom of the mountain if they wanted to ski both sides of the mountain in one day. Whistler mountain is know for its deep powder and long runs and on average the hill receives about 



39 feet of snow per year. Snow conditions can vary throughout the season but consistent powder is usually expected between December and April. If you happen to be travelling to Whistler in the winter and you think you missed out on the ski season? Well think again because the Whistler glacier is open year round for die-hard ski fans. 

If you are the adventurous type you can make a trip to ZipTrek which is a year round zip line that runs the whistler area forest. There are many different trips that you can take, from Tree Trek tour, which is approximately 2 hours long requiring no zip lining and travels over 9 bridges. Or you can take the Mammoth tour, which has 10 zip lines, 8 bridges and takes 4.5 hours to complete.

Photo by Jeff Werner

Photo by R. Sawdon

If you are more of the relaxed type you can go for a hike on the many trails that surround Whistler. The two mountains combine to make a total of 50km of trails. While on these trails you can guarantee that you will run into some wildlife along the way. The sightseeing in whistler is also a big highlight that you can't miss. Everywhere you look is like a picture out of a post card. Whistler is also know for high bear population, but don't worry these bears are used to seeing humans on a regular basis and they don't get bothered if you keep your distance. Check out this video of bears walking through the town.

These are a few of the amenities and activities that you can enjoy during your stay in Whistler British Columbia.

Australia!

Photo Credit: Australian Flag

A huge influence in my life when I was in elementary was the show, Crocodile Hunter and its host Steve Irwin. Through the show I got to see so many different types of wildlife that I would have never even known existed had I just been left to learn from the animals native to Texas. As the show progressed and the types of wildlife varied Steve and the crew made their way across the glorious continent of Australia. Needless to say I fell in love with the wildlife, and with the interesting landscape.

I would love to visit Australia for a number of different reasons;

1) I need to go to the Australian Zoo! As the home of the Crocodile Hunter that would definitely be the starting point of my adventure. Having the experience of seeing all the animals previously covered on the show would be a dream come true, as long as they were at a comfortable distance!

2) Sea Life- Sydney Aquarium. After seeing all the reptiles and mammals of the animal kingdom at the zoo, I will be in serious need of an underwater fix! Observing the natural balance of the underwater ecosystem is always something I have been fascinated by, and what better way to learn about it than from a sea-locked country!

3) After visiting the aquarium it will be time for me to dive on in, literally! When I was 12 I went scuba diving in Jamaica and I absolutely loved it! And what better way to top it than experiencing the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef! It is the world’s largest coral reef, and the only living thing able to be viewed from space! Getting to see this amazing ecosystem up close and personal would be absolutely astonishing.

Photo Credit: Sarah_Ackerman

 

Adventuring across Australia is something I have always wanted to do, and hopefully one day I will get the chance.

Greece

When I was a young girl I began reading a beloved series of books, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. These books were about adventure, friendship, and most importantly boys. However as I invested more time into developing these stories in my mind I also became enriched by one specific culture that is predominate in the series, the Greeks. The books dive into the lavish country side, the family orientated culture, and the amazing cuisine; it was then I knew I HAD to visit this place!

Photo Credit: Simon

As I learned more about Greece, and its countryside, it became clear to me that I didn’t just want to visit the fictional place I had created in my mind. I wanted to visit the real Greece! I wanted to explore the sites and learn all about the historical background of the land, and the more I read the more I was hooked.

 Some specific places I would like to visit include:



Photo Credit: JohnBurke

Photo Credit: Marie-Lan Nguyen

·         The Ancient Olympia Museum. At this museum you can uncover the hidden secrets of Greek history and its religion. Olympia is also where the Olympic Games were founded, and the museum contains remnants of excavations from the very ground on which the museum has been built around. It also contains many historical statues of Zeus and many of the other gods the people of the time worshiped.

And

·         The site of Plato’s Academy. As one of the first schools I would love to visit this place that was so instrumental in ancient society. While thousands of years have taken a toll on the physical buildings, the history is still embedded in the soil in which it was on. I would love to visit this place to have the ability to say I did and see things that the ancient philosopher Plato may have drawn inspiration from.

Of course the breathtaking scenery of Greece is also something I want to experience. However I find this history of this small region to be absolutely fascinating and I am excited to learn more!