My four months in Canada and the US were just about the best time of my life so far – being on the road on my own really helped grow and become more comfortable with myself. Even after almost three years it's all still very vivid in my mind – which is why I still talk about it a lot… *g*
I won't go into too many details here – that would take hours… Just let me say that I started out in Vancouver and crossed Canada over to Niagara Falls. Then I went over Chicago and crossed the Midwest (Kansas City, MO, to be exact), stopped in Flagstaff to see the Grand Canyon and in Las Vegas, then went to California and traveled up from San Diego until Yosemite.
I spent a lot of the time staying with relatives of my mother that I didn't know and with friends that I also didn't know very well and had a lot of good experiences – also when I was completely on my own. I'm still in touch with a couple of people I met in hostels – mostly with Denise from New Zealand. She and her boyfriend let me ride with them from Santa Cruz to San Francisco and then up to Yosemite – and I definitely hope to visit them and their little daughter one day!
But since they say 'A picture says more than a thousand words' – here's a small selection of the 15 or more rolls of film I took in those four months:
Banff – the Rockies felt a bit like Switzerland, truth be told… So it was just perfect for me, since I was still getting used to traveling.
Invermere, on Lake Windermere – stayed with relatives there. This is one of my fave pics of myself – I spent a lot of time like that, just relaxing somewhere beautiful…
Well, this is obviously Niagara Falls – I really enjoyed the ride on the 'Maid of the Mist' and the falls just took my breath away! I think I took about two rolls of film there…
“Love and marriage…” *g* Well, I definitely enjoyed Chicago – stayed with a friend who'd done an exchange year in Switzerland for two weeks. Her family was really nice, took me in and treated me incredibly well!
That was one of the highlights – Jane had arranged a 'date' for me to go to the Homecoming Dance… Jason was doing me a favor, but he still did it right, opened car doors, paid dinner and insisted on dancing with me a couple of times (instead of with his friends) – a real gentleman!
I was all the more impressed because the day I'd spent at the high school had left me prejudiced about American school boys (think 'American Pie' and you have a picture about my day there)… *g*
The dress I bought in Canada, btw – and spent only 60 Canadian dollars, as opposed to the 200 American bucks or so the other girls all seemed to have spent… LOL
Jane and her the boyfriend Eric with me at the Brookville zoo – one of the few times I actually spent time with Jane, who was incredibly busy with school and all…
Around Halloween (obviously… *g*) I spent a couple of weeks in Liberty, MO, with a college professor and his wife – they really went through a lot of trouble to make me feel at home and keep me entertained! The excursion to the pumpkin patch was just one of many, many things we did when Ken and/or Phyllis had time…
The visit at a local open air museum (where they had rebuilt historic buildings into a village) was another thing we did. I really really loved my stay with Ken and Phyllis – despite the fact that there was not a lot for me to do on my own in Liberty I had an absolutely wonderful time there! For example I sat in on a couple of Ken's English Lit classes and discussed 'Utopia' (after reading it as a kind of voluntary homework – how did that happen? LOL).
Flagstaff was not just great because I got to see the Grand Canyon – it was also definitely the 'funnest' hostel, because through group activities (trips to the Grand Canyon and Sedona) I grew close to several great people. With the guy on the right (Simon, an Austrian) I then even traveled on to a place I hadn't really planned on going to…
Las Vegas. Aka 'Disney World for grown-ups'. Definitely another highlight! Simon got sick, but I had luckily met David, a Canadian, and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly – without spending a buck for gambling! Well, I was still very, very underage then – but we had a lot of fun in the children's section of the Excalibur! I still have the dog David won for me – and I won one as well and gave it to poor poor Simon… LOL
The hostel was Vegas-style as well – it even had a jacuzzi as you can see! The guy on the left is David, the one in the back Simon – the others were from Sweden and I've forgotten their names. LOL
In San Diego I visited my former class mate Claudia (the one in the back with the blonde curls) and we had a great time together, enjoying California – and spending a Saturday night in Tijuana, Mexico… (Claudia, ??, Jessie, ??, Merlin, Jessie's mom, me and Sarah)
The obligatory L.A. pic… Took a tour from the hostel – was not overly impressed by the city, although the posh parts were sure fun… It's just too big for my taste.
I could hardly believe myself – it was Thanksgiving and I was sitting at the sea and watched the crazy folk at Venice Beach…
Pigeon Point. If I'd still been travelling by bus I'd never seen this beautiful place (and the hostel was right beside it – with a jacuzzi on the cliff…) – but thanks to Denise and Ross from New Zealand I had the chance to stay a night there…
In Frisco I stayed with relatives in San Mateo. This is the city I liked best – it has a really great atmosphere and I enjoyed it a lot!
To soak up the incredible nature America has to offer I spent a couple of days in Yosemite – Denise and Ross took me. It was quite cold at night and in the morning – but also breathtakingly beautiful and walked around for hours…
After that I spent some more time in San Fransisco – then it was over and I spent Christmas at home again… It felt strange but also good to be home – but it's definitely made me addicted to that kind of travel… The trip down the East Coast in September (2002) is definitely something I need! *g*
