Germany | lisezfaire

Where to call home?

I pretty much always “feel at home” wherever I am. I’ve always thought this to be a good thing, and it is. It also makes picking an actual “home city” a bit of a challenge.

Here’s the thing. I’ve been lucky that work has allowed me to go to other countries and cities and discover more about what this awesome planet has to offer. That means I am also fortunate enough to have amazing friends all over the place. So if “home” equals being surrounded by friends and family…well…I’m not sure that narrows the question down for me!

Sometimes I think “I’ll meet a guy, and that will decide where I live”. Or “Work…I’ll find work that excites me and means I have to live in a certain place (for more than a year…), and that will decide where I live”. So far, neither of those “plans” have worked out very well.

So…I keep going back to places that really feel like home for me, and that is:

1.Vancouver – I have called this city home for over 20 years now. I have amazing friends and people I consider family there. I know who my “maintenance team” (doctor, dentist, TCM, chiropractor, massage therapist, workout trainer, etc. etc. etc.) are. I know where my gym is (kick-ass boxing workouts at Contenders…ouch…and so good!), and I know where my pools are (Kits in the summer and Hillcrest in winter). These are people that can not be “replaced” and who make time for me when I get back to Vancouver – no matter how long I’ve been gone.

The beauty of this city is undeniable – where the mountains meet the water.
Kits pool – my happy place!
Walking the sea wall around False Creek on a sunny day is always worthwhile.
The Richmond dike is one of my favourite places to run – I love the scent of the salty air, watching airplanes and seaplanes come and go, and the view of the mountains.

2.Montreal – well, Montreal and the Eastern Townships, to be precise. This is where I grew up. I have tons of family here, and I have some pretty amazing friends here as well. Having moved away when I was 16, my time spent in this part of my country has recently increased, and as I get to know it more, I love it more.

I love this old water bottle – amongst downtown high-rises, a sign of what used to be
Brrrr….I love the snow though!
I do enjoy seeing the lights adorning the city in winter.

3.Germany (my brother’s house, to be specific). Definitely a home away from home – with the added bonus of spending time with my brother and his family. You spend that much time with little ones and its harder and harder to leave. Doesn’t hurt that they live in a beautiful little village, and it’s easy to get to.

Schwäbisch Hall – I mean really…..beautiful!

Always a treat to go to the city centre for a stroll.

4.Istanbul….you didn’t think I’d forget about my beloved Istanbul did you??? I’m not sure how to describe my love for this city. I also have some amazing friends who live there and who welcome me back every time I visit. Last year ago I spent 6 weeks in Istanbul. Glorious. When I do that again I really need to take some intensive Turkish lessons. The little I know gets me by, but it isn’t enough.

Meandering through Istanbul’s neighbourhood streets early on a Sunday morning.

The name of the boat says it all.

Kahvalti – Turkish breakfast – my absolute fave! Especially the menemen (eggs scrambled in tomatoes with peppers) and bal kaymak (heavy cream drowned in honey) – delicious!

I spent much of the past year in Tokyo – getting to know another city, another culture. So in my little head, Tokyo was “home” for a little while (cut off short by the Covid-19 pandemic and an early end/postponement of the project I was working on there).

My Tokyo abode – At just under 400 square feet – no waste of space in this apartment! All of it very cleverly thought out.

This space quickly became my little sanctuary. And then…believe it or not, two of us worked at that table for a few months. Good thing we know each other and like working together!

I loved discovering “little streets” away from the high rises and main avenues.

Which brings me to now….I find myself back in the Montreal/Eastern Townships area with time on my hands and thoughts in my head about “home”, and the desire to take what little I own out of storage. I don’t have a ton of possessions, but I do have some and for the most part they have been stored in Vancouver for the past seven years.

Church Steeples, green leaves and lilacs
Downtown Granby. I love the old buildings

Given the current Covid-19 realities, Montreal is my pick for now. Making the move into the city next weekend, and looking forward to discovering more about what the city has to offer and creating my home base. Then the unpacking and rediscovering of the items I put into storage will come. Fun times ahead!

Montreal’s Atwater Market – soon to be my neighbourhood.

PS: while looking back through photos and picking those to go with this post I am reminded of what a charmed life I lead. Massive smiles on my face and gratitude in my heart!

Blessed to be on the Bosphorus – for work. Seriously!

46 days. 17 flights. 6 countries. Old friends. New friends. Desert night. Sunshine. Beaches. Dancing. Wedding. Calamari. Rosé. Champagne. Rakı. Baptism. And so much more.

I am one very lucky girl. I’ve been able to find a way to work hard…then enjoy time traveling and exploring. These past 46 days have provided me with a wide array of experiences. Not sure I can accurately express them and do them justice in a blog post…or even in two or three posts…but it’s worth a try. Here is part 1.

Stop #1 – Country #1: Germany. I’ve been spending time here over the past few years, visiting my brother, his wife and now their little girl. I like it more every time. Landing here post an 18-month gig was perfect. It feels like home and gives me a place to just crash, relax, and enjoy some family time. Add to that an incredibly cute and loveable 6 month old niece – awesome.

Saturday morning market in the town centre.

It is just so pretty!

My bro.

Stop #2 – Country #2: Austria. A weekend in Graz. I went to Graz for a weekend with my brother, sister-in-law and niece. I’d never been to Graz before and was really impressed. It is a lovely town, picturesque, easy to walk around in, with many restaurants and cafés. I’d love to see it under snow.

Beautiful streets and architecture.

Love the details.

During WWII they built caves in the mountain that could house 50,000 people during an air raid.

Fresh herbs grown at a café where we stopped for a cold drink.

Just so pretty.

I’d love to go back.

1st Class Interlude: Thank you Lufthansa!

I booked my flight to Oman using points, and as it’s an 8-hour flight I splurged and booked business class. I checked in online the night before and when I got to the airport dropped off my luggage and picked up my boarding pass. On my way to security I looked at my pass and saw that I was in seat 2A. What?! That’s not the seat I selected when I checked in online! I don’t want a window seat…I want an aisle seat… Wait… row 2… Let me have a closer look…. FIRST CLASS! They didn’t tell me I’d been upgraded when they gave me my boarding pass, so this was a very pleasant surprise. I’ve been in a number of business class lounges…but this was my first time in a 1st class lounge. They are indeed nicer. Fewer people, comfy leather chairs, better (and even more) food, an attendant who immediately asks you if you want a drink and something to eat as you arrive. Aaaahhh. I should have come to the airport sooner…

Even though I said no to food (but yes to champagne…OBVIOUSLY) he brought me this plate of fresh fruit. Lovely. Even the Haribo gummy bears are bigger.

On a long-haul flight I’m pretty happy in business class. I knew this would be even better, but I didn’t know how much better it is. The service was wonderful (meaning never an empty glass) and their “featured wine” for the month was Veuve Clicquot champagne – yes please! I’ll let the photos tell the story.

Says it all doesn’t it? Roses. Wine ready to flow.

My seat. That’s a lot of leg room.

Pyjamas, slippers, toiletry bag…

If I can curl up like this and be comfortable…you know its a big seat.

Pre-meal snacks and champagne.

More pre-meal snacks…an amuse-bouche to get your appetite going.

The appetizers….

Lamb chops for dinner… Seriously…am I really on an airplane?

My seat becomes by bed, complete with comforter, and it is time for a movie and some sleep. Bonus points to whomever can tell me what the movie is.

Okay – I know that’s a lot of photos about an airplane ride…but this girl doesn’t fly 1st class often (that was a first!).

Back to more interesting things…

Stop #3 – Country #3: Oman. I fell in love with Oman when I was there earlier this year (see previous post: A Broad Abroad: Oman, A New Love), and was determined to go back before I return to Canada.

They have beautiful beaches and a rich history.

My spot on the beach just in front of my hut at the Oman Dive Centre. You will want to stay here…

I’d heard so much about their wadi’s.

Wadi Shab - heading out on the hike at high noon may no have been the best idea (sooooo HOT! I had to rest in the shade regularly...not because of the hike itself, but because of the heat. I thought I was going to pass out. It was a lot for this Canadian girl! But so worth it.

Wadi Shab – heading out on the hike at high noon may not have been the best idea (sooooo HOT! I had to rest in the shade regularly…not because of the hike itself, but because of the heat. I thought I was going to pass out. It was a lot for this Canadian girl! But so worth it.

A welcome reprieve from the 50-degrees and sunshine.

Wadi Bani Khalid - where locals spend the day to get away from the heat. They were having picnics, playing, and some even singing with friends.

Wadi Bani Khalid – where locals spend the day to get away from the heat. They were having picnics, playing, swimming and some even singing with friends.

The tourist becomes the attraction. There weren’t many tourists, even fewer swam. Observing local culture, I had to keep my t-shirt on and wrap my towel around my waist to cover my legs.

And then there was the desert sunset. Beautiful! I highly recommend the Desert Nights luxury tent hotel – well worth it.

Desert Dunes. Wahiba Sands.

Desert Nights – tent hotel. Beautiful.

Desert Nights – tent hotel, complete with camels.

Tent room. Now this is my kind of tent….

Seating area outside the tent. And so many stars in the sky – but unfortunately I don’t have a camera that can capture that.

Desert sunset. So beautiful! I need to experience another…

In the south, Salalah gets quite tropical in July and August due to the moisture from the monsoon season in India getting trapped along the mountains. This makes for interesting climate – it’s cloudy, and you can feel the moisture in the air, but it’s not really raining. I also loved that the cows and camels hung out on the streets when you got up into the mountain/country-side – some even stopped for a nap in the middle of the road. A reminder that we are guests in their world…not the other way around.

Salalah – when you get high enough up the mountain you find yourself above the clouds. Crazy beautiful.

Loved coming across this. Why not rest in the middle of the road?

Well if the cows are going to hang out in the road, why not the camels as well?

Salalah – at one time it was the Frankincense capital. And this is a Frankincense tree.

Salalah – Wadi Darbat. Gives you a good idea of what it is like here this time of year – lots of moisture in the air, clouds, and oh so green. Hard to believe that on the other side of the mountains lies a desert.

Salalah boats.

Salalah springs.

And then there is the capital of Muscat. It’s a pretty city, still fairly small. And it is clean and orderly. Aaahhh.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque – so pretty.

Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque – detail.

The Ritz Carlton Al Bustan Palace in Muscat. A perk - as I used rewards points to stay here. Beautiful treat.

The Ritz Carlton Al Bustan Palace in Muscat. A perk – as I used rewards points to stay here. This was the ‘upgrades’ trip – as they upgraded me to a suite. Beautiful treat.

Oman has so much to offer – such varied landscapes, beaches, the desert, tropical Salalah, resorts, sea turtles, diving, Muscat, a beautiful Grande Mosque – I still feel I have only scratched the surface. In truth, it deserves its own blog and I could say so much more. But really my advice is…go…go experience Oman.

And that’s the end of Part 1… this is becoming too long a post. More observations from my summer adventures to come soon.

Home?

A Broad Abroad – Summer Sizzle, Part 1