We arrived in Portugal on the first day of the new year, after more than 12 hours in the air and two airport connections (Edmonton, Amsterdam) from Vancouver. We celebrated New Year’s Eve in the skies around Iqaluit, after KLM handed out champagne. The last two times I remember travelling at New Year’s (Cuba, Chicago) there was no champagne — this was a step up!
Directly upon our arrival, we were ushered to a typical Portuguese-sized New Year’s Day meal with family followed by an enthusiastic reunion with Ice the Dog. (It’s good to see he’s forgiven us for leaving him at home.) He also had a reunion with the couch, his favourite creature comfort that I’m sure was missed dearly.
In other New Year’s Day news: my recent interview with a writer for the Toronto Star (Canada’s largest daily newspaper) was published today…
The Toronto Star: Canadian expat slows down in Portugal (January 1, 2016)
It’s also an interactive article in the Star Touch tablet app (see December 18, 2015 issue; here’s a PDF of it) and will appear in the print version of the paper (I don’t have a date yet). I also have a deadline in a couple of days, and another one next week. 2016 is off to a roaring start!
And now some photos and much-needed sleep. It goes without saying, there are a stack of files to go through: I did some family shoots in addition to my usual travel-oriented photography, and all the portraits need editing. That means I’m sticking with only three preview photos for this post, one for each country visited on this trip. In chronological order:
Amsterdam…
It was a brief overnight visit, where we stayed on a boat next to the Science Centre NEMO. I loved it!
Vancouver…
This is my hometown and where my immediate family is based, a place I selfishly wish weren’t quite so far away from where I live now. But it’s a great place to visit, logistics and expense aside. Although my primary purpose is to visit family and friends, I enjoy being a tourist in Vancouver and watching it evolve.
Seattle…
It’s the closest urban centre to Vancouver (I don’t count Victoria as urban), and a city that is easier to love when you know some locals. Luckily, I do and Seattle’s also been the setting for some off-the-wall stories from my youth. Any trip to Seattle is a nostalgia trip!
Album: Christmas 2015 Trip
