We are back in Canada!

The work on our dissertations continues. The change in setting is definitely accelerating the process with fewer distractions (a.k.a. fun). We did set up camp at the Brock Library, the setting is definitely less fancy than Goodenough College or the LSE Library but there is a Tim Hortons in the lobby. It gets better… you are actually allowed to bring Tim Hortons coffee inside the library. Yes, Greg is truly a happy man.

Now, living at the in-laws definitely has its bonuses. We have been spoiled with great food! It’s been definitely nice to see family and friends!

We are looking forward to heading back to Ottawa on August 1. It will definitely be nice to return to our home!

Not to worry the blog will continue...

Our last week in London...

We simply can’t believe how quick time can go by. We nostalgically walked through our favourite areas of London reminiscing on how we have grown to love this city and the extraordinary people we have met this year. We had our official goodbye dinner in a nice quaint restaurant overlooking Tower Bridge. What an extraordinary week our last week has been - highlights of the week included Wimbledon and watching the Tour de France and having one final drink with our friends from all over the world. While keen on returning home to see family and friends, this year will definitely be remembered as the best year of our lives.

Youppiee for Amsterdam!!!

As promised here is our review of Amsterdam. This was an extra special trip as Greg felt like he was connecting with his Dutch roots. In fact, he wore wooden shoes all weekend...

Although we only spent 48 hours in Amsterdam we really got a flavor for everything the city has to offer. Once we checked into our hotel in the heart of the old city, we did like most people would do - headed for the red light district. Before your perception of us drastically changes, we only window shopped... and we did not go for a ''coffee'' in the famous coffee shops. Despite not setting foot in the establishments, we really got a flavor and smell of this distinctive part of the city.

We had a wonderful patio dinner the first night, followed by a post rain stroll along one of the many canal systems. The next morning we took a wonderful guided boat tour through the canal system. Amsterdam has over 1000 bridges and over 100 kms of canals. There is so much water in Amsterdam that many of the 17th century houses are built on piles of wood, and some are only accessible from the canal.

We visited the Anne Frank House - Anne Frank was a Jewish girl who wrote a diary while hiding with her family and four friends in Amsterdam during the German occupation of Holland in WWII.

Amsterdam is a must stop in any European trip - especially as a quick one or two day stop. The food was great, the accommodations were central, and the people were extremely friendly. Below are some of our many pictures.

Amsterdam

One word to describe Amsterdam so far... AWESOME!
Pictures and stories to follow...

Snow in Dublin!!!

Just kidding - but it was really cold. The past few days we took some time away from our studies to do a quick tour of historic Dublin, Ireland. Dublin is a city rich in culture and charm. We stayed at Trinity College which was founded in 1592, and which is the oldest university in Ireland. It is certainly recommended at a reasonable price. We can really say we did all that Dublin has to offer...and we even found some time to squeak in a pint or two of Guinness and some Irish stew. Below are some pics from our trip...

p.s.: We are off to Amsterdam tomorrow, so stay tuned.

Guiness Factory

Statute of St. Patrick at St. Patrick's Cathedral (1192)

St. Patrick's Cathedral

State Ballroom at Dublin Castle. Ladies would wait for men to ask them to dance here...

''Lady Justice'' looking over Dublin Castle. Notice that she is not blind folded. Rumors have it that the Canadian government have taken a liking to this statue, and have ordered all blindfolds removed from similar ones in Canada.

The residence we stayed in at Trinity College