What have I been getting up to in Canadia?

Right, a nutshell... 

On day one I got up at 4am, flew from London City airport, arrived in Amsterdam, bought 'Plato and a Platypus' and read it in the airport during my crummy 6 hour layover, flew to on to Montreal, watched 'Man Up' on the plane and continued reading my kindle book 'The Scar' (more on that later!), then when I arrived in Montreal I had the longest border patrol queue I've ever waited in, took an express bus to the metro, and a metro to my house for the week. Montreal metro is so easy, it makes the tube look like quantum mechanics. Crashed into bed at 9pm very jet lagged. My accomodation is lovely, as is my host. Total travel time: 19hrs :(

Day 2 I woke up at 3am but managed to doze uptil about 6 when I finally gave up and read, later I got up and read, my anxiety was (is) huge and I didn't manage to crawl out of the house until midday. I walked over to Cafe Chat L'heureux, Montreal's original cat cafe and had a very amazing grilled cheese aptly named a 'Cat Lady'. It was boiling out, really scorchio, but I knew the weather forcast was predicting rain so I dragged myself around the city trying to find a coat (I left mine ready to take in the kitchen). Okay, well long story short I did not have a good day, my anxiety was just too much for me to handle and everything I did was pretty miserable. Went to bed at 9 again, exhausted. 

Day 3 I woke up at almost 9 (hoorah!) and had a breakfast of biscuits and crackers before heading out. What a difference, where the previous day had been hot and bustling, the city lively and exuberant with lots of people out enjoying the sun and the weekend street festivals, today in the rain the city was calm and quiet, it was everything I needed quite honestly. I finally found a coat but while searching I discovered something much better, DAVIDsTEA! This is a paradise of tea choices! I have never seen so many tea options, nor have I ever smelled something so amazing! With everything from perfect traditional teas to the most incredible fruit and hebal blends, I was practically floored. I tried the tea of the day (a spiced pumpkin chai) and bought a few little tasters. It's incredible, expect me to come home, tea laden! I will include some photos at the bottom. Next I walked to the 'gay village' but I couldn't find the good bit so I carried on to Old Montreal, the dockside area with old buildings and cobbled streets, it was beautiful but packed with tourists and tourist shops so not my cup of tea (my cup of tea was a pumpkin chai latte with honey and it was very much my cup of tea!). After a little look about I headed back to Rue Saint-Denis and started the long walk back to my accomodation. I was starving by 4.30 and happened to be going past a different cat cafe so popped inside, they seated me at a single chair with no table and told me they'd be back to take my order, after 10 minutes or so they brought a cupcake to the people on the next table who asked if they could have their drinks too. Overhearing one woman say to the other '30 minutes for a cupcake and they still haven't brought our drinks!' I left. Knowing Cafe Chate L'heureux served excellent food I headed there instead and had the most amazing roast cauliflower salad! 

I went home and showered, washed my hair and bouyed myself up to go out again, but it was raining so much by this time, that I didn't want to stay out in it so I was back to the cat cafe for a cup of tea before bed, I stayed until 10pm, dirty stopout that I am! 

So now I have woken up on day 4 feeling far more positive and wondering what I will have to write about at the end of today! Who knows! Thanks guys, I wasn't happy when I got here, I'll admit that, because it's just as as important to be unhappy, you learn more. I feel much better now though, I hope I will look back on this trip and say I love Montreal, but if not, then that's okay too. :) 

The area I'm staying in; Plateau Mont Royal

Cafe Chat L'heureux!

DAVIDsTEA!! 

One of the beautiful old buldings of Old Motreal. 

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away..

Well.. Not exactly, but you get the gist and it seemed like a pretty good title. Yesterday morning I woke at 5am, the night before I had suffered a bit of an accomodation mix up which led to my host calling my Mum... in Wales. As you can imagine it totally didn't help me get into my house and let to me sitting outside and then dragging my luggage around the supermarket hoping someone would let me in when I got back. Anyway, needless to say I got in, felt all "oh why on earth did I come here? Do I even like New Zealand? Am I mad? I want to go hoooome" etc etc and went to be at a goodly hour. 

Then as I said, I got up at 5am yesterday,  wrote many important emails and sorted out many important things (not that many) and lay in bed reading. 

I got up and out at around 8am, wantered around the waterfront and the museum garden, and while I was busy wasting my day away I got a very important email. I arranged to meet a friend, a wonderful woman who hosted me in Wellington last year, for lunch at 12pm. After several long and grueling hours which made me question whether time mo es slower in NZ, it was finally time to go. I have to say I had a lovely lunch (Halloumi and walnut salad) an even lovelier waterfront walk with Sara and we talked about many things (cats mostly as it goes... Actually, not that many things, it really was cats cats cats..)

and I can still feel myself glowing with respect for this woman who I have a lot of time for, she has showed me a lot of kindness. 

Later I walked Cuba street, Wellington's central yet quirky street of boutiques, cafes and more. 

Lastly I stopped off and boucht myself a ticket for the evening's showing of the Hobbit: the desolation of my childhood hopes and dreams (at least I think that's what it's called) in 3D, 48FPS, Blow out your eardrums Dolby digital atmos (I have to admit, it blows out your mind too) at 8:30pm. Then I went home and read until it 'was TIME'. 

I think I watched about half an hour of the film, half a stomach churning, magical, topsy turvy hour where I literally almost climbed over the seats behind me in an attempt to get away from the spiders. Let me make this clear, I have seen this film twice already in 3D, 48FPS and DD Atmos make ALL the difference. May have been one of the most goosebumpy films I've ever watched. However I conceded after 30 minuted of internal struggling that I was clearly too tired to sit in a cinema until 11.30, and just got up and left, despite my inner nerd screaming "this is the only chance you will ever get to watch this film, in this format, in this cinema... If you walk out I'll disown you!"... But I did. 

Then I spoilt the affect if my frankly very mature decision by chatting to the girl behind the counter for a further half an hour or more. Oh well, I take my pride where I can get it... HEY GUYS! I spoke to a person, a HUMAN person! Eh, eh.. 

Anyway, to conclude, I slept terribley last night, my OCD is of the chart and I'm living off crackers despite buying my own cultlery and a bowl I can't eat in the house. I'm scared of the shower, I'm scared of my bed, I'm scared of the carpet. Today is overcast, I'm scared of clouds. I can't stop shaking, I've been shaking for hours. I'm falling asleep because that's one of the things I do when I'm really stressed, I shut down. 

I beed a cat, I'm not even kidding, somone find me a cat. 

I'm aching so much from shaking. 

I've been up since 6am but couldn't leave the house 'til 11. 

I hate me. I want to be someone else. 

Life is a mixed bag.

Home.

I will not reflect on what it's like being home, there has been no shortage of bad news. But I will say I truly knew I was home when Marla crashed into my room this morning with no thought of my jet lag and scratched at my face until I let her in my bed. Apparently I slept through her crying by my door which is a small mercy. I was overjoyed. May she crash into my room and scratch my face EVERY morning, I feel blessed!
New Zealand was a wonderful experience omitting and ignoring all the parts I didn't enjoy! (isn't that what we do?) I am home and ready to put on my rose tinted goggles and daydream about how much better it is over on the other side of the world. I jest, but in honesty, I don't know how I could have coped with the feeling of being torn in two directions I felt at leaving Wellington if I hadn't promised myself I would go back soon. Because now I am home I can admit, I had grown rather fond of Wellington, and I don't admit that lightly. It takes a lot for me to say that, just typing it makes me feel vulnerable, like admitting I may actually like something will see it torn away from me at the first opportunity. There are things I want to do now I'm back in Britain, but you will have to wait for those. Which brings me to point two, my Blog, if there are those among you who would keep reading, I will keep writing. I can't guarantee it will be full of the exciting lion taming and bus catching thrills of my experience in New Zealand, but I find I have a lot to say (who knew!!) so I have an outlet to document, question, analyse and proclaim the events and thoughts of my everyday life, which I hope will only grow from here. I am already planning future travels, and I promise if things get boring I will throw in a car chase or mud wrestle to keep everyone sweet. How does that sound? I I will stay, if you'll have me?
Hope you are all well, believe it or not, I have a lot of love for those wonderful people who have kept me going with their comments since I've been away, you don't know how many times you guys have brightened my day or pulled me out of the gloom. I love you all, each one of you!!
Now listening to: Fleetwood Mac - Rumours. (I know all these songs? Was I brainwashed subconsciously as a child?!)

Into the west

If you don't get that title reference, I'm disowning you. Start googling!
Right, for those of you with better, vaster, wiser minds, I am now in singapore, it is 28 degrees, I am wearing a 3 layers, including thermals AND a jumper. I've got 18 until I'm due to arrive Heathrow. Including 14 hours of flying. I am tired, if I was in NZ I would have been fast asleep hours ago, but if I want to shake jet lag, I will have to adhere to british hours. Should be time for bed shortly after I get on the plane. I can't wait to touch down in lovely Britain, but I do already miss New Zealand, wellington at least. I feel a bit dizzy which is probably lack of sleep, it is weird here, I'm sitting by the airport Koi pond. There is a cinema here too, and a butterfly garden, all in departures. It makes Heathrow look like a cattle market. It is the most amazing airport. Like a little indoor town. Very laid back and full of places to rest and relax, there are windows (no windows in Heathrow!) and fountains. Ahhh I hope I sleep on the plane. Oh well, I have run out of things to say, have a nice day!! My next plane is an airbus A380, the biggest passenger plane around today... In case you were wondering.

Yesterday

Well, what can I say? My first day in Auckland was a mixed bag. I walked to the supermarket through the prettiest neighbourhood I have ever seen! Think white washed houses and picket fence, think little front porches and flower beds... And then put all that in Jurassic Park! I'm not kidding, I wouldn't have been surprised to have seen some dinosaurs wandering about, Diplodocus nibbling at the sky high ferns! There was an abundance of strange plants and wildlife. The Cidada-esque bugs in the trees make the most glorious racket and the birds hardly move as you walk past them!
No one could walk through Mt Eden's affluent streets and not be awed by the way nature has squeezed itself into every available nook and cranny, and how the past seems to have outdone the present!
I bought many useless things at the supermarket, (countdown, in case you were wondering) all things I thought would be edible, but turned out to be too sweet. But also made some incredible discoveries... Wait for it... KIWI BERRIES!! Seriously, they look like dark green grapes, but when you cut into them kiwi inside!! They are also barely bigger than a grape! I will have to buy more, I ate them in one go. Shopping in NZ seems expensive, each item seems to be around NZ$4 which is fine for some things, but ridiculous for others. I left the supermarket weighed down to the point that the heat, my jet lag, my lack of food and sleep, my cough, my GHASTLY pulled muscle made me stop and sit in the shade of a tree to eat my first apple in 4 days! A Braeburn, it was amazing. I dragged myself and my bags back to my room a 20 minute walk away (which I think I made into a 40 minute walk...) and unpacked. I had been up since 4am so it was still pretty early. I heated up some pumpkin soup on the hob (no microwave!) and ate it in the scorching heat of the balcony. I also bought myself an amazing luck ox that seals and has it's own cutlery, so I can store any extra food I cook myself for the next day and take it on excursions!
I walked an equally long and infinitely more confusing walk to a cashpoint and then popped into the music shop (which is almost next door!) and bought myself a Kala travel Ukulele (for those of you who have met Adrian's Ukulele...) which I am THRILLED with, and WILL bring back with me, even if it means bringing it and no other carry on luggage, but I'm trying to find a way around that (suggestions welcome!)
In the late evening I walked up Mt Eden and watched it go dark, I missed sunset by 10 mins so will climb it again in the hope I will catch it next time! I had a poor evening but enough said about that. I also managed to use a pay phone to organise my hotel pick up for today's excursion as my phone wouldn't work. I was panicking but I found a solution and it was a very big deal for me so I feel proud for that. PHOTO TIME!! (I will walt the path to Countdown again ant take some photos, I will also put a video on youtube soon)