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Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Alas, this is my last blog entry for our trip and it saddens me. The blog has come to be a wonderful opportunity to share our experiences and feelings with you, and concurrently, to provide a trip journal for ourselves for the days when our minds will have turned into applesauce.

I can't adequately convey the complexity of emotions I'm feeling as I come to the realization that the adventure ends here and now. While it has been great being home and sleeping in our bed, there's an exquisite pleasure one feels when you come to the realization that you can be equally comfortable sleeping in any bed, be it here or halfway around the world. Likewise, it's very liberating having to rely on your planning skills, your stealth, and your luck to make your way in unfamiliar places, and to have it work out as well as it has for us on this trip. I say luck because I fully recognize that once you are out of your "comfort zone" and at the mercy and whims of serendipity and fate, all bets are off and anything can happen. Thus, the element of good fortune can play a big part in how well a trip turns out. We have been so fortunate in that regard.

As our daughter Amy once put it, traveling without the safety net of a group can be very empowering. And this has been the case for us. Any adversity we encountered was relatively minor. Instead, our trip was filled with countless unexpected treats, wonderful people, intense beauty, and it proved to be a voyage of self-discovery as much as just a trip to parts unknown. Certainly, the length of the trip contributed to this, as well as the diversity of destinations and experiences. Moreover, it proved to be a celebration-- every day a joy, every challenge an opportunity. It wasn't always easy, it wasn't always fun, but it was always new. Always exciting.

Still, the time had come to return home, and thus, we prepared ourselves for the familiar, for the routine, for home.

After leaving Istanbul, we flew, via Turkish Airlines andLot Airlines to NYC, where after an all-nighter at JFK, we boarded a flight to Buffalo to spend a few days depressurizing with the family and retrieving our car. We had forgotten what it was like being in a place where everyone spoke English, but I can't lie. It felt good. After a few days, Bonnie and I were ready to come home, so we hit the QEW and soon were driving down Strathearn Rd, turned the key in the lock, and were shocked to find..... nothing had changed from when we left 3 months back. Other than it looking spotless (Amy had given it a good once-over before our return), we were back.

Now, the unpacking has begun, and already we are asking ourselves, were we really away? It all seems like a dream, and the escapist in me is ready to take off again. Bonnie isn't quite there yet, but knowing her, if I sprung another trip on her, she would start packing. She's that kind of partner. And the absolute best travel mate one could ask for!

Now, I want to take one final opportunity to thank you for your interest in our travels, for your many emails and comments over the past 3 months, for the welcomed humour, for your encouragement regarding the blog, and just for caring. We truly feel lucky and honoured to have you there. We love you.

All the best always,
David and Bonnie


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cissie.retired
2009-07-18

Welcome Home!!
Blessings on your little 'keppies' for arriving home safe and sound. That is wonderful. Like your first commentator said, I feel MY trip is over, and I shall miss your exquisite descriptions of all the stops terribly. Thanks you for all your input for our benefit ...we loved it!
Cecile

2025-02-12

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