As much as I love living in Europe, sometimes I just get an ache to be around mountains and trees (proper trees, big trees), to hike up hills and to eat at my favourite restaurants in Victoria. Of course, I’m very, very far away, so I can’t just pop over on an EasyJet flight cheaply and quickly like I can to London.
It’s been nearly 2 years since I’ve been back to visit, and recently I booked a ticket home to visit. I’m really happy to go back in the summer and see my friends and family there. I’m also looking forward to hiking and going to the beach. My top things I want to do on my visit to Canada (aside from seeing everyone, which is obviously at the top) are:
1. Go on lots of hikes.
2. Go to the beach. If there’s no fire ban it would be great to do a beach fire and roast hot dogs and marshmallows.
3. Go to all my favourite restaurants in Victoria
4. Check out Quadra Island again. I haven’t been back there since I left in 2005. It’s a beautiful place.
5. Road trip to the Okanagan, which I have planned with my mom. I haven’t been there since I was a child and there are lots of orchards and smaller vineyards there. It will be wonderful.
6. Visit Montreal, which I also have planned. I’m super excited about this one!
Other than these, I’d really love to go camping, but I don’t think time will permit it.
Anyway here are several pictures of my last visit to BC. I wanted to share them partly because I’m somewhat homesick, and partly because I think I’m from a really beautiful part of the world. I was blonder and curvier then, and just to warn you, I have a deep love of taking lots of pictures of forests and trees.
(Me in Beacon Hill Park in Victoria)
(Driftwood at French Beach)
(Ocean waves at French Beach)
(Totem Poles at the Royal BC Museum, Victoria, BC)
(Arbutus tree. These grow all over Southern Vancouver Island).
(me sitting in a tree root)
(Swamp in Cathedral Grove Park)
(Live growing out of old life)
(North American Red Squirrel…this kind is native to the area. Grey squirrels are not).
(Tree on North Vancouver Island)
(I especially love trees like this that grow together)
(A small bay on Stewart Island)
(Granville Street in Vancouver, BC)
(An art car in Vancouver. It’s not totally uncommon to see stuff like this on the West Coast).
a canadian in berlin 
That’s my city!! Glad you like it so much!
Yeah it’s really lovely there! I always want to spend more time in Van when I visit but since most of my friends and family live on the Island, I tend to spend most of my time there. This year I get to spend a bit longer on the Mainland though and I’m excited!