Backpacking Europe: England Part 2 Liverpool

posted by Brett

One week removed from quite possibly the greatest concert experience of my life (for sure the greatest here in Edmonton),  I've finally sort of got my head back on straight after having my mind blown at Rexall Place (our hockey arena for those unfamiliar).  This concert was of course performed by Liverpool's favorite (living) son Sir Paul McCartney!!!!!!!!!!  This was the first time he or any of the Beatles have performed in the City of Champions, and my first chance to see any of them in person, and believe you me he did not disappoint!  3 straight hours, no intermissions (minus 2 short encore breaks), hit after hit after hit, and a few newer songs thrown into the mix to keeps things fresh.   Personal highlights from the evening include "Something" played as a tribute to the late George Harrison on a ukulele, as well as "Yesterday" at the start of the second encore.  Also, the 70 or 80 year old man who screamed and cheered and threw his arms up in the air after every song was an amazing sight, and kind of inspirational. To have the passion he showed at that show at his age was nothing short of incredible.

To Bring, or Not to Bring: The Miscellaneous Extras

Posted by Ali

Packing for a backpacking trip is hard. You are travelling for an extended period of time, with very limited space. I’m the type of person who would bring two suitcases to Mexico for a one week trip. You can only imagine how tough it was for me to figure out what I would bring with me, and what would be left behind. It felt like every time I looked at my bag it was getting smaller and smaller.

After an extremely difficult process of elimination, I managed to decide what clothes and other necessities would come with me to South America. But what about the extras? Most people are more than likely going to toss a few other things in their packs that they will either be extremely grateful for, or resent having to carry around.

Here is a list of some of the things that either I brought, wish I brought, didn’t need to bring but glad I did, or looking back, did not need at all.

Backpacking Europe: England Pt 1 Manchester

posted by Brett

So now that we've gone over the reasons for my adventure over the Atlantic to Europe, it's time to get down to the nitty gritty; into the details of what I actually did and where I actually went.

Starting at the beginning seems to make the most sense, so where did I start?  The home of the Gallagher brothers, The Smiths, Joy Division and seemingly endless amounts of influential rock 'n roll bands: Manchester England.  And why did I start there? Simply because it was the cheapest flight I could find! 285 dollars from Alberta to England?  Yes please!  (Seriously, check out http://www.canadianaffair.ca// if you're looking to fly from my homeland to the Queen's.)

Weekending in Jasper

posted by Ali

Last weekend Brett and I went to Jasper courtesy of his work, who treated the entire staff to the weekend getaway for their Christmas party. Now, there's not a whole lot to do in Jasper in the winter if you don't ski or snowboard, which I don't, or if you don't feel like indulging in a spa day, which Brett didn't. Despite this, we still found ways to amuse ourselves in the small mountain town. 

Planning Europe: The Why and the How

Posted by Brett

Ali has been bitching at me that its time to post something on here, which is probably true, so here we go.

I've combined her first two entries on South America into one on Europe for one simple reason:  I didn't put nearly as much forethought into my adventure as she did.  Especially when talking about The Why:

Why did I go backpacking through Europe??  Well that answer is simple, I was laid off from my job, unemployed, and uncertain of what to do next, soooo why not disappear for a bit while I try to figure it out?!?  (I didn't.)

I know, kinda cliche to go backpacking to Europe to "discover" ones self, but why the hell not, I had no job no direction and a little bit of money.

So next up, is the How part...

Planning South America: The How

Posted by Ali

So I had decided to go backpacking, and I had chosen South America as my destination. Then what? When would I go? For how long would I go? What would it cost? What countries did I want to visit? These were my first questions, and with a bit of research and my trusty sidekick, Lonely Planet, I began to find my answers.

Planning South America: The Why

Posted by Ali

While planning our trip to South East Asia, it has been impossible not to think of my last big backpacking trip. That was my first time, so the whole planning experience was new, and overwhelming. This time, it may not be new, but it still feels overwhelming! Looking back at how much I planned, and what I actually did, I know that a lot of it was wishful thinking. But by re-evaluating my planning process, hopefully I’ll be able to apply what worked and what didn’t this second time around.

 So why did I choose to go backpacking, and why South America?