Eighteen hours on a ferry

Chiming in from scenic Prince Rupert, blue sky overhead. We arrived at 2 a.m. this morning, tiptoed down the hall to our suite and keyed in the code, only to burst in on a rather confused and very asleep family. It was one of those Kafka'isk moments where you keep re-reading your instruction paper over and over, somehow expecting the words and numbers to change. A moment of complete loss of faith in my brain power, and I was not at all surprised given the past few days of travel. But! Turns out the issue was the hotel's, and after a somewhat frantic call to support staff, we managed to find ourselves tucked into two very different, but blessedly quiet and comfortable rooms. I feel surprisingly chipper despite entering day three with very little sleep. Must be the holiday endorphins. The voyage from Port Hardy to Prince Rupert was exquisite, as was our stately ship, the Northern Expedition. Waterfalls spilled down steep ciffs and every bend revealed another breathtaking stretch of the incomparable Inside Passage. It was a slow immersion into one of most untouched places on earth, while being gently rocked and cradled by the ship. There were comfortable reclining seats facing the windows easy accessible at all times, but we spent nearly the entire time on the sundeck, wind in our hair and the sweet sea air filling our lungs. We're both windburnt. Later on, our little stateroom was nicely efficient and just the right spot to disappear to when darkness finally embraced us at nearly 10:30 pm. After a couple of delectible 'wiches crafted by the sibling chef, we were able to get a few hours of sleep in our tiny bunks before being chimed awake with the news we had landed at the terminal on Kaien Island. And now, it is time to introduce ourselves to Prince Rupert and all of his charms.

Haida Gwaii - At the Edge of the Coast: The Journey Begins

ETD: Two days. A bucket list trip that begins with a four hour drive to Port Hardy followed by twenty hours on a ferry that drifts into Prince Rupert at 1 a.m., in time to grab a few hours of sleep before the Seafood Festival kicks off for the weekend. Then, another seven hour ferry ride to Haida Gwaii: Misty, mossy, ancient lands holding promises of agate beaches, rainforests and the kind of cultural richness that only thousands of years can create. Stay tuned!

Cullen Skink and Sticky Toffee. Oh yes I did.

Edinburgh did right by us today, despite the dour forecast for rain. We hopped on the tram this morning and in about 20 minutes, jumped off on Princess Street and from there, it was off to the Royal Mile with the rest of the thousands of tourists. It's a slow, but entirely pleasant, walk up the hill to the castle, with every kind of tempting store and market to lure you in. We did not go into the castle itself but loved the views from the top of the windy hill. Edinburgh looked green and charming, despite her blackened historic buildings and sooty church spires.

After our usual few hours of exploring, we managed to find a wee pub somewhere on St. Mary's Street. Almost three decades ago, mom, Jan and I were quite insulted by the bartender's admonishment to "move yer bags offa the table!" at the Jolly Judge Pub. He was anything BUT jolly. I am happy to report though that the atmosphere today was much more cordial, and my lunch of cullen skink (I'm going to make you look that up, but just know it was delicious) and sticky toffee pudding (everybody knew I'd cave) was delicious.

In the afternoon, the wind off the North Sea became strong and biting and the clouds rolled in, so we headed back to the apartment for the sad task of final packing, downloading boarding passes, and perfecting our exit strategy for tomorrow morning. There is a 100% chance of rain, so we'll try and figure out how to poncho our suitcases for the 20 minute walk to the tram station.

And so, this brings to a close the amazing European adventures for 2023. Ahead lies an 8 hour flight to Calgary and then the last short leg to Comox, which should get me home Saturday evening. I will then succumb to jet lag and use the quiet days ahead to reflect on the learnings of this journey, and all that it has added to my heart. Boudica, signing out.