Great New Music!

I just wanted to shed some light on some new music that is out! Dashboard Confessional has a great new CD out which I personally think is over and above their old music (or at least some of it) The album is called Alter the Ending, you have probably heard Belle of the Boulevard, and my personal favorite right now is called The Motions.

As the new Alice in Wonderland movie release approaches we will start seeing some singles from the soundtrack Almost Alice including the opening song from Avril Lavigne. It is 3oh!3's song Follow Me Down featuring Neon Hitch that I am obsessed with though.

Check Them Out!

Another Suitcase in Another Hall

After spending plenty of off time from working applying for dozens of teaching jobs overseas I have been blessed to wrangle one down. I will be working in France from March until June this year teaching English and working as a counsellor for an English-speaking camp that works in 10 locations across France. However before I start working I will be Touring London, Norway and Paris with my brother and his girl friend Danielle. I will also be meeting up with my dear classmate and friend from South Africa.

Here is a peak of what is to come on the journey:

The London Eye

The Monolith of Vigeland Sculpture Park, Oslo, Norway

The Louvre

I Couldn't do just my Italian top 5, so I give you:

CAPE TOWN TOP 5

1. Sunshine

2. Great Food

3. Table Mountain (which I climbed)

4. Long Street

5. Those Africans

Winter Woes...

Being back in Canada for part of winter has been great to catch up with friends and get some money back in my bank accounts, however I have really hated the cold, the snow, and the hum-drum of Lethbridge compared to my travels overseas. This has caused me to constantly reflect back on my…

ITALY TOP 5

1.History

2. Walking the Streets

3. Architecture

4.Shopping

5. Gelato

Farewell Italy, with Love.

Well it is the Eve of my leaving Europe and the Eastern Hemisphere and I am quite sad to go. After new years in Venice we spent more time exploring the maze-like streets and ate the best gellato in the world. I also tried my first mulled wine which is typically a red wine which has spices and served warm. It was cold day in venice and the hot cup of booze was a very nice welcome to my freezing fingers under my umbrella. We also went to the dazzling Saint Marc's Basilica before heading back to Florence where we some how found more to buy. Our day in Florence was very relaxed and we mostly tied up loose ends and revisited our old favorites of the city.

We once again back tracked taking the train to Rome and this is where we have spent our last days in Italy. As soon as we arrived in the train station we took a taxi to drop off our overstuffed bags at our hotel and then jetted to the Vatican Museum to see the Sistine Chapel. The Museum is absolutely massive and the works of art are a marvel to behold. The Vatican is such a crazy place.

Our last day we spent reminiscing over good food and drink and planning our new year as a family. Arivaderchi Italy!

See you all in Canada (Or maybe overseas)

Firenze ay Vinezia

Well Florence and the entire Tuscan region has been fantastic! I loved Rome but I seem to have a very soft spot for Florence and me and my family simply love it. From the the very first night in Florence we had the best meal we had since coming to Italy and really love the feel of the place. We took a day trip out to Sienna which is a very traditional medieval town and then San Gimignano a city with 14 surviving medieval towers of nearly 60 originals, and lastly into Pisa to see the famous leaning tower. The next day we spent shopping and taking a bus tour around the city. The shopping in Florence is amazing! They have tons of shops big and small, unique boutiques and a gigantic market where you can barter for great deals on Italian specialties like leather. The day after we went to see David and other famous Renaissance works by Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo Buonarroti, and the lot.

We then headed up to Venice for New years eve to present. We got off the train and took a water bus to Saint Marc's Square then went through the maze of side streets to get to our hotel. The hotel has an entrance right on the Grand Canal and is a beautiful 5 star this time round. Venice is great, there are no cars on the island part and most of the streets cars could not fit down any way. You truly feel like you are in a maze and everywhere you turn you can find a new surprise. We have been getting around great however and the bridges and water ways help keep mark. We spent new years eve in the giant Saint Marc's Square in our newly acquired gum boots. Us along with hundreds of other waded into the foot of flooding water at high tide to bring in the new year with live music and fire works. The experience was bizarre and so wonderful. The following new years day was spent relaxing plenty and doing some more exploring of Venice. Tomorrow we will tour some of the sights and palaces around the city.

Hope you all a very happy New Year!

Mac

Buon Giorno ay Buon Natale!

I have left the beautiful warmth of Africa and have entered into the historical and culturally rich city of Rome. After a fiasco at the airport with flight delays, half my family missing their connection flight and everyone but lucky old me having to wait several days to track down their bags I made it into Rome safe and sound. We have spent the last few days taking in the sites of Rome like the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, the Trevvi Fountain and so on, eating at numerous Italian restaurants and having more bread, pizza, and pasta than I usually have in a month and browsing the millions of side and backstreets full of shops along their cobblestone paving. We spent Christmas Eve shopping and enjoying a Christmas market at the Piazza Navona and then spent hours in line to get entry with our tickets to the midnight mass at St.Peters Basilica in the Vatican to see the Pope get attacked, fall down, and then deliver a service. The church was more than impressive, as are all of the enormous building hewn from stone.

Christmas day I read an entire book and we spent a fair amount of time relaxing before going out for dinner and drinks before touring some sites around our hotel. We have done a lot of walking around Rome and will be leaving for Florence in the morning for more history and great food.

Merry Christmas!