CURRENT MISSION

To never let the truth stand in the way of a good story

ABOUT ME

My wife and I are avid travelers (and hopefully our sons, but they don't say much yet). We like experiencing new places and constantly satisfying our curiosity. This curiosity extends to all aspects of our life and we look forward to learning for the rest of our lives.

PHILOSOPHY

"See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal."

"Don't ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any 'one' thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were heading for shore."

Two quotes from Fahrenheit 451

"We are all both the potter and the clay"

Slightly paraphrased quote from Norman Davies

"All you touch and all you see, is all your life will ever be." Pink Floyd, seen scrawled over my head on the slats holding up the mattress in a bunk bed in a hostel in Salzburg.

Why I’m on Couchsurfing

HOW I PARTICIPATE IN COUCHSURFING

We used to host people a lot, but a sequence of small apartments and unforgiving work schedules in Toronto have made that more challenging. Now that we are parents we are hoping to get the little guys on the road, and now that we are in Thunder Bay we are keen to host again.

COUCHSURFING EXPERIENCE

A lot of experiences which can't be done justice here. I have met people from all walks of life from professional jugglers to Arctic explorers to opera singers to dairy farmers.

Interests

Adventure, Archaeology, Road Trips, Cooking and Cuisine, Wildlife, Mathematics, Languages, Science, Museums, Exploring Cities, Environmental Science, the Knights of St. John, Meteorology

• animals
• wildlife
• books
• cooking
• picnic
• exercise
• walking
• flying
• movies
• traveling
• music
• classical music
• jazz
• opera
• rock climbing
• languages
• mathematics
• science
• road trips
• parks
• lakes

Music, Movies, and Books

Anyone who is interested in traveling should read Ryszard Kapuscinski, he is a master storyteller. Michael Asher's account of his journey across the Sahara by camel was one of the first travelogues I read and it can get some of the credit for leading me down this path. Other than that my interests are varied, hard to pin me down to one field.

One Amazing Thing I’ve Done

One time I was flying to visit Aleks and we arranged to meet in Brno in Eastern Czech Republic. Unknown to me she was a little late so as I waited outside I slowly saw the stream of people getting picked up and leaving. As time went on it was just me and a group of American soldiers on a NATO exercise who were waiting for their ride. When Aleks finally arrived I went over and picked her up in my arms and kissed just like in the movies, and just like in the movies all the soldiers cheered.

In 2017 I fulfilled one of my life's main travel goals by driving the length of Dempster Highway.

Teach, Learn, Share

When you go to the Eiffel Tower it is better to walk to the second level rather than take the elevator to the third. There is almost nothing more you can see from the third level, its just the same thing at different angles, so you get the same things, some good exercise, the sense of accomplishment of climbing the tower, plus shorter lines and cheaper tickets. In fact I think in my experience it is best to always take the stairs. I did the same at Masada in Israel and met some interesting people on the way up.

When you go to Victoria Falls in Africa during the high water season, understand that plastic rain ponchos are for show only, there is no way to stay dry there.

If you are in Venice and you are lost, look for any group of people walking in the same direction. Chances are they know where they are going

If you are in Rome and haven't yet seen St Peter's Square, then don't walk in the main way down the entrance. Walk in one of the side entrances. Walking straight in you get to deal with the new experience gradually, but walking in from the side makes it feel like you have jumped right into it.

When navigating off of Lonely Planet Books in the Middle East, keep in mind they often omit minor streets. Also don't try to take shortcuts in a Middle Eastern city, you will likely get lost.

If you are traveling in Germany, get yourself a SchonesWochenende pass and visit the back railroads of the country with the locals.

If you are looking for a great and cheap meal in London, England, get yourself some picnic items and head to one of the city's many public parks.

Eastern Canada's best National Parks are Forillon in the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec, Cape Breton Highlands in Nova Scotia and Gros Morne in Newfoundland.

If you are looking for an exotic place to get married, forget the Caribbean and go to Malta.

I have been to the following Canadian National Parks (roughly from East to West): Gros Morne, Cape Breton Highlands, Prince Edward Island, Kouchibougouac, Fundy, Kejimkujik, Forillon, La Mauricie, Thousand Islands, Point Pelee, Bruce Peninsula, Pukaskwa, Riding Mountain, Grasslands, Prince Albert, Elk Island, Waterton Lakes, Banff, Jasper, Yoho, Kootenay, Glacier, Mount Revelstoke, Pacific Rim and Kluane. I somewhat like the national parks of Canada and can give good recommendations for them.

Countries I’ve Visited

Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Canada, Cayman Islands, Croatia, Cuba, Czech Republic, Denmark, Egypt, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saint Lucia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Countries I’ve Lived In

Austria, Canada, United States

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