Good Morning everyone!

Sorry for the no posting for a couple days. Usually when you book a hotel room and it says "free wifi in every room" it would give you the impression that you would get wifi..right? obviously some of the hotels we've been staying at think otherwise since in this case wifi is only really connectable on the 1st floor of the hotel. Awesome!

Anyway, we are just waking up from a not so great sleep on a rather uncomfortable bed in Antwerp, but besides this have nothing but great things to say about the city! We got to take a sightseeing tour on the bus yesterday to get a feel for the city and learned a bit about it which was really cool.

We also got to eat some splendid dishes and managed to book our train tickets for our upcoming stops to Brussels and then Paris.

We only ended up booking one night in Brussels which at this point seems a bit too fast. So in light of the little time we have we've decided to just take it easy and cosy up in our room and try to figure out some other stuff for our trip, such as where we want to go from Paris (we're toying with the idea of going to Eurodisney... guess who's idea this was!) and also to book our flights home. (which as we are writing you now, this has happened and it will be on July 4th, not as long as we initially expected, but still a long trip none the less!!)

Overall Belgium has been very nice and we've enjoyed our couple days here. If only the weather were better I think we may have enjoyed it a fair bit more, but hey it was only a matter of time before we hit into some not so great weather. At least its still been fairly warm though..

Anyway not much else to report other than tthat we're in Brussles taking it easy and then on to Paris tomorrow which we are SUPER stoked for. We get there on a Thalys highspeed train which can go up to 300km/hr!! Just think how awesome a train like that would be at home. You could get to Calgary from Vancouver in just over 3 hours.. oh Canada, how far behind you are (sing that to the national anthem tune!) Anyway, in Paris we will have use of a kitchen again at the b & b, and as fun as it is to go and eat out all the time, there is always something grand about a fresh home cooked meal!

There is one thing I've really noticed about Europe and that is : You must pay to pee, and for someone like me who has a bladder the size of a mustard seed, this can get pricey!

In fact, you have to pay for everything here. You can't even get tap water at a restaurant. You have to buy a bottle, and when I say bottle, I mean smaller than the size of a coke bottle for 2.75. It is appalling!! You cant use a payphone without a card which costs minimum 5 euro. Ouch.

But besides that it is wonderful, the way of life is different and we can all learn to share our ideas around the world about how to increase everyone's standard of living.

Also, since we've stayed at places where you must share a bathroom, I've realized the most underrated common courtesy is replacing a toilet paper roll. IS IT THAT HARD!?

And with that, here are some photos. Hope everyone is doing well. Miss you all.

Love, Mia and Vlad

So from top to bottom:

First is the New Kierk in Delft (before we came to Belgium) Do you see the top of that tower? We climbed to the top and the view was spectacular! Of course I'm scared of heights (its mia talking) but I did it anyway and it was worth it. VERY scary though :)

Second is inside the clock tower where you can see the bells. Some of the bells are still the original ones from the 14th Century. And to think they lasted over 500 years is pretty amazing.

Third is a shot from the top of the tower overlooking all of Delft. SCARY!(yet magnificent)

Fourth we have some of the delicious Belgian chocolates ..drooool. We purchased a box worth 5 Euro and packed it full of assorted delights. Eating a milk chocolate filled with coconut creme as we speak!

and Fifth a shot of one of the still standing castles in the heart of Antwerp.

Hey from Rotterdam!

So we arrived on a really quick hispeed train from Amsterdam which we were sort of sad to say farewell to, but it definitely was time to move on.

Impressions about Amsterdam: Really loved it. It was such an interesting mix of different people from everywhere. The social interactions are so different there because of their tolerance towards so many different things. It is kind of bizarre. But I love how everyone seems so family oriented, and parents seem to really spend time with their children doing things. And the fact that more people ride bikes there then drive is FABULOUS! You can really zip around the city with one tiny little bike!

So after our fiasco with that stupid hotel which is called the "Quentin Arrive" for anyone who is ever thinking of staying there... don't; we made our way to this great room on the other side of the city at a Best Western which ended up being SO comfortable and nice. And our view was so pretty!!

So our time there was great. I would definitely recommend seeing it and riding down the beautiful canal lined streets for yourself. It is wonderful!

Some sights we saw while there were the Anne Frank Huis (house) where the family actually stayed in secret until they were ousted by someone still unknown. It was quite an interesting place to see, it really gave you a feel for what life was like, they blacked out all the windows just how it would have been so long ago.

Another thing we did which was SO interesting was we went to the "House of Bols" The tour was so cool! You could see the original Bols recipe book, smell all flavours of Bols and much more! plus, when you finish the exhibit you get a cocktail made from a pro bartender trained at their world renown bartending school! Plus, we each got a shot of any flavour of bols liqueur or their genever which has like 43% alcohol in it! Needless to say, we got a little tipsy and it was pretty fun!

So now we're in Rotterdam, we thought there would be way more things to do here, but we have already seen the big museum (which was pretty incredible) that housed Monet, Rembrandt, even some Dali and so many other influential and famous artists. It was so great. I think though, the best Gallery was the National Art Gallery in London. And that one was free! So tomorrow we're heading to Delft for an afternoon trip and that should be so neat, hopefully the weather holds for us.

Here's Vlad!

Hey all :)

As my lovely already mentioned we have moved on from the Dam, I certainly enjoyed myself there.. found that it was very relaxing and laid back and that in the time we were there we really had a chance to relax after all the hussle in London.

Honestly, driving bikes around the streets and getting lost with Mia via bicycle is not something I will soon forget. What a great experience that was!

So now we're in Rotterdam and though the city has loads of history you wouldn't see much of it just by going around the city.. I mean, its nice and all, but very non-touristy. Its amazing how in Amsterdam, whether in town or at the train station or wherever, people spoke English really well and most signage is in English as well as other languages, yet you come here to Rotterdam and suddenly everything is just in Dutch 100%! Not that this bothers me, but as a 'tourist' I find that this city doesn't make it particularly easy for people who don't speak the language.

In any event, we're glad to be back on the road and fortunately our place here in Rotterdam, though older, is still quite nice.

Once we leave here we will be in Antwerp for two days and then in Brussels for a day. Many people have told us to go to Bruges but I think that may be a bit out of the way and will just cost us more in travel. Plus I already saw "In Bruges" so technically I've been there already. :)

Too late and to lazy/tired/bored to get out the camera and do the whole picture thing now, but I definitely will next post.

Toodles for now!

Ola my lovies!

Sorry for the delay in posts.. I bet it seems like we just dropped off the grid, but we're still here!

So to recap the last days' events, we grabbed our flight from London early sunday morning and made it into Amsterdam at abut 10:30AM. The flight was easy on the easyjet and we easily hopped on a train to the town center shortly after arrival to take us down into the main part of the city.

Our accomodation (which I'll touch on later) is very close by to the station and so we made our way and checked in. So far we've had just a splendid time, aside from a couple things.

The city is just beautiful. Maria has definitely found her favourite place on our excursion thus far, and I feel like its definitely gotta hold on me as well. The weather on all accounts has been wonderful and only this morning does it feel like its cooling down a bit, though with the sun still shining away! Whats funny though is that we're here now 2 1/2 days we haven't even really taken in many museums or sights.. we've been too busy enjoying the streets and walking around the canals at night. We even went to see a screening of Robin Hood in this glorious old theatre in the south part of town.. comfiest chairs EVER

Though where we are staying is very busy noisewise, after a certain time of night it quietens down a lot and we've been able to at least sleep. Unfortunately though the place that we had booked for here in Amsterdam for four nights is pretty much a dive. 50 euro a night doesn't get you much in this city I guess because this place is not the best. The room is too small and cramped and the bed is just awful. So last night we decided to just suck it up and move because in a way its ruining an otherwise wonderful time in the city for us. And so we're going to be leaving today after yesterday having a bit of an incident.

This place demands you leave your room key at the front desk and they supposedly have someone there at all times. Well we left our room key and when we came back from being out for the afternoon we asked for the key and the girl at the front desk couldn't find it. Okay... so she gives us another key to use to get in. We come upstairs to find our key in the door and the door open... ???? Huh? We stormed inside to find all our stuff still where we left it, and fortunately nothing was stolen or broken. Needless to say this was enough for me, so we went back downstairs to voice our displeasure. Really, I'll gladly pay extra for a room where this kinda stuff doesn't happen and so I'll be glad to leave asap.

Anyway, what else can I say? The food has been great and we've been eating well.. Mia has had some trouble with her stomach lately though and I had a bit of trouble last night as well (I think it was the Jerk Chicken) but besides that we've both been good and have been enjoying a more relaxing mindset while here in the Dam.

I want to give a very big Happy Birthday call out to my big Papa Stan the man.. Have a great birthday pops! Hope you had fun camping and that you caught a lotta fish!

And let me also apologise to anyone expecting phone calls from us while here.. we cant seem to find a payphone anywhere! All that is available is junky voip and they charge bundles for it, so we may need to wait until we leave the city to make any calls. Weird huh?

So today will consist of packing up and moving to our new home for the next two nights and then maybe renting a couple bikes and see more of the city that way. Then on Thursday morning we will be heading to Rotterdam to stay for a couple nights also.

Hope all of you are doing well and thanks to all who commented on prior posts, we love hearing from you guys!!

And of course no post would be complete without some scenes..

much love xoxox

Vlad and Mia

Hey everyone!

Wanted to drop back in and say hi before Mia and I depart to Amsterdam early in the morn. Our flight is at 8am but we want to make sure that we get to Luton airport (that's pronounced Loo-tawn for those that don't know:D ) and so we're giving ourselves lots of time and going early so that there is NO chance of us missing the flight or flubbing up and getting on the wrong bus etc.

Today and yesterday were both just awesome. The weather has been absolutely gorgeous, sunny and warm and I was even rockin' the shorts and shades today. We went all over (even made it to Shepherd's Market in Mayfair) during our stroll around Buckingham Palace.

We also were able to catch the other major sights like Big Ben and Westminster Abbey a well as Westminster Cathedral which are all just beautiful. We took strolls through the British Museum as well as the National Gallery. We REALLY loved the artwork in the National gallery especially.

I'm a bit sad that we didn't have the time to find our way out to Oxford, but honestly in a way it just leaves more reasons for us to come back, and that can never be a bad thing.

Anyway, I'll let Mia take this one home.. see you guys in the Dam :D

***

So the highlights for me were definitely the National Gallery and the Tower of London, not necessarily in that order. The paintings we saw in the gallery were sooo...spectacular. They were so inspiring the way the artists used colour and texture. How the paintings could evoke such a feeling inside. We were there for about 2 hours, but one could spend days and days and not even get to really get to know all the paintings. I even saw people in there with sketch pads and charcoals. I would totally do that if I lived here.

London has been really awesome. So incredibly easy to get around and it really is a melting pot of every different country. Much more than Vancouver is. And it doesn't lack its share of wierdos that's for sure!! But it is a lovely place to come and visit and there is so much to see and do. I highly recommend it for anyone looking for a really cool vacay! Although it was awesome, I am ready to move on. A change of scenery will be nice.

Vlad and I have also been throwing around serious ideas of going to see Luxembourg and Zurich too!! It is all so close and we will be making our way south so we are figuring, why not?

Hope everyone is doing well. Lots of love from us! It may be a few days before we post more pictures because the next place were staying at doesn't have wi-fi, so enjoy these next ones!

Love mia and vlad

Sup all..

You know we're gonna keep these updates coming fast and furious.. much like the London streets and underground! Gotta stay on your toes in this city lemme tell ya.

I've wanted to come here for years.. ultimately I had only a slight idea of what it really is like here, and to finally be here, to wake up and walk to the tube and jump to anywhere in the city you like and just explore is something that I would wish anyone out there to go and do. The feeling that I got walking out of that tube today at Tower Hill and walking down to the tower of London and first see tower bridge was inexplicable. It really is moments like those that make all the miles and hours travelled worth it.

There definitely is something about London. I feel that there is such a hugeness about it all.. the endless corridores, streets and alleys.. the uniqueness of its architechture, history and people.. and the fashion my GOD the fashion.

It would seem I could just go on and on about it, but this stuff is best just experienced since my words will never paint even a mediocre picture.

Today was great though. The weather nice, the city abuzz and so much to see.

We started off going to Tower Hill station and doing Tower of London. We did the touristy thing and saw the crown jewels and walked the towers. Very interesting to see all the history there.

We then grabbed a delightful lunch at Wagamama and then walked over the tower bridge with left me utterly breathless. I easily snapped 40 shots of it alone..

We then proceeded to walk down the bank of the river until we got to a tucked away little cathedral.. can't remember the name now.. Shawbank? anyway.. beautiful church and supposedly one of the oldest in England.

Afterward we kept walking until we reached the Millenium bridge and the Tate Modern. We perused the art and by the end of one floor our feet on the concrete were starting to give out on us (we've been abusing our legs and feet you see) and so we decided to skip out, grab some goodies from costcutters (more like costgougers) and head home to make dinner.

And let me just say, to be able to stay in our own apartment and have access to a kitchen to make dinner in THIS city?? BLESSING!!!

The day escaped us again and it feels like a blur, but I guess when you only have 3 days you gotta go full tilt. It will be worth it in the long run.. the long run of course being that we will eventually end up on a beach somewhere and able to relax then.

Anyway, its time to crash, so for now we be out..but of course, I have to leave you all with at least a bit of eyecandy.. enjoy! Toodles :)

V

Hey everyone!

So we have arrived in London, our final British destination :) BOY was it ever a bit of a nightmare to arrive here. More on that later...

Having time in Leeds with my friend Maria was really amazing. Last time we saw her was about 4 years ago (the last time we were in Europe) and it was so great to see a friendly face waiting for us at the train station. We made a delicious greek dinner complete with some homemade tzaziki and a bottle of wine. So awesome. Thanks Maria, you are the best!!!

Then we moved onto York.

York was so beautiful. It is a definite must see if you are ever in the area. All of the streets are so beautiful with hoardes of rowhomes and little boutique shops that line midieval roads. And in York there is the most visited streets in Europe called "Shambles". It is absolutely breathtaking. The buildings are so close together that they almost touch and it is what you would see in a cool 13th century video game or something except it was REAL!

And the Minster (its like a cathedral) was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It was so... fill in every word you would use to describe amazing... It really took our breath away. And of course the photos dont do it justice as with all immense things in the world. You just have to come and experience it for yourself!

So getting here to London was quite the adventure. By the way, we hate you rail station for making the fact that you must watch the trains like a hawk in order to get things straight. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHAadfadfaefraew

So we were supposed to get on a train to go to London, but instead we got on a train that was coming at the exact same time and wasnt CLEARLY marked to begin with... and ended up going to Scarborough (not Ontario!) instead of London. So we had to get off at the next stop. Retake the train back to York and get onto the train to London. So we did. Except this train wasnt the Grand Central train (HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO KNOW??!) which was marked in a small area on the bottom of the ticket... long story short, we ended up on a different company train which charged us double the price of one ticket. London better be worth it ;)

And while we're in London we decided to use crashpadder.com. It is where people put up rooms in their homes for rent for the night and instead of paying 60 pounds per night for a hostel, we get pretty much a whole house for 30! The guy is really nice and it turns out he's going away for the weekend, so we get the whole 1 bedroom apartment right near the tube to ourselves! Its pretty awesome.

So I guess that makes up for the money we lost on the whole train fiasco.

AAAANYWAY... we're pooped in London, and excited to experience what the city has to offer!

Keep the comments coming, we check every time we have wireless access!

Much love from the two lovebirds on vacation. If you're wondering, we haven't killed eachother just yet. We still have almost 2 months left!

couple shots:

'Nother update! OMG!! Already? :D

So Mia and I found our way to Leeds today and met up with Mia's friend Maria who goes to school here.. The gals are cookin up some greek treats for dinner as I type and I figured I'd rummage through the first shots from Manchester.

Care to see some teasers? (clicky for large)

Some shots of the GORGEOUS Machester Cathedral followed by a shot of a building in city center, ended nicely with a shot of my lovely wife posting in the pob.. err I mean pub.

Itinerary is as follows:

Grab a bus to York tomorrow morning and stay overnight in a quaint B&B

In the morning grab a train to London

Sunday the 23rd grab a flight to Amsterdam!

Will update as time (and wifi) permits!

XOX

V

Top of the morning to you all!!

So we have arrived here in Manchester safe and sound. The flight was really good. It went by super fast, and I even got an hour of sleep. Vlad didnt sleep at all and his 'awakeness' stamina is incredible! We found our way to the outsirts of Manchester to a place called Altrincham (pronunced Altringham for some wierd reason, perhaps Matt you can shed some light on this) and we slept for a few hours so we wouldn't be so dead to the world.

So far England has been pretty amazing. With every corner you turn, photo opportunities just pop up! We were walking to the hotel yesterday and the sun was beaming through the green trees with fluffs flying around in the air and a church was in the background. It was pretty magical :)

So today we are in the city of Manchester and it has been great. We saw an AMAZING gothic cathedral and now we are just sitting in a "pob" as they call it having a pint. (well vlad is anyway)

Off to the rest of the town and tomorrow off to visit my friend Maria from Greece who is going to University of Leeds.

Miss everyone, but not all that much ;)

xo mia

Now heres Vlad...

MMMMMMMM pint of cold carlsberg (I have to after always seeing the carlsberg commercials during World Cup time :D) in my hands sitting in a delightful english pub..what could be better?

Our trip has been very successful thus far, and its only really been day 2. Day 1 was a day of rest indeed as we needed to sleep off the postflight jitters, and we definitely did just that.
Weirdly enough though we managed to pull ourselves out of our slumbers and walk towards the center of town for an early dinner yesterday.. I had found it after looking at some reviews and so decided finally on a restaurant called "the fat loaf". I admit not the most appetizing of titles, but I would have to say it was one of the best meals I could have hoped for.
I had a strip steak and maria had herself a mushroom pie (kinda like a chicken pot pie). The meal was immensely delicious and we immediately knew we were in for a great trip full of incredible food, amazing architecture and memorable moments.

Today we spent here in Manchester and just the cathedral alone made my jaw drop.. SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! It truly is a photog's dream this place with architecture so old and ornate. I could spend all day taking different angles in different light... I'm getting exasperated just thinking about it!

So tomorrow we head to Leeds and then onto York for a day. Once done there we will find ourselves in Oxford which my camera is quite excited for, and then onto London before we fly to Amsterdam.

I would love to regail you all with more but alas this trip has just begun, so you will have to wait just like we will until we uncover more of this journey.

Until then, Cheers!!

(BTW, I LOVE how British people instead of saying the typical Hi or Hello just say "you alright?" :D I noticed Matt do this once in a while, but EVERYone here says it.. HAH!)

Hello all who wish to follow!!

Welcome to the Europe chapter of our blog. Hope you enjoy the ride!!

More to come!

love mia and vlad