And with that, it's all over

And with that, it’s all over. Tonight, I return home. Tomorrow, I return to work. Time for lots of catch up. But I wouldn’t trade the last five days for the world. It was a much appreciated escape from “it all”. Family. Friends. Work. The usual surroundings. Exactly what a vacation is supposed to be, sometimes.

A few takeaway thoughts from this adventure:

1) I need to learn how to drive. There’s so much out there in the world only accessible by car. I’ve somehow managed to get this far in life without a driver’s license. I’m lucky to have friends who drive. But I want to travel some more, and I don’t want to be dependent on others. So, this needs to change.

2) Pretty as a painting is a thing. Don’t believe me? Take a look at any of the photos I captured in Canada looking towards the U.S. or those I took in Letchworth State Park. They’re unreal.

3) The Niagra Falls region in Canada is a bustling tourist center. Lots of hotels, resorts, and casinos. Flashing lights reminiscent of Times Square. Maybe you knew this. But I didn’t. I’d love to explore this area some more on foot during a future vacation. Also, pro tip: the view of Niagra Falls in Canada is 1000x better than the view of Niagra Falls in the U.S. Especially at night. Difficult to capture in a photo or to describe in words, but mesmerizing to experience in person.

4) There’s a lot more to wine than you may think. I visited my first winery and they schooled me on the “correct” wine tasting procedure: a series of steps that included inspecting the wine glass, sniffing the wine, and sloshing it around inside your mouth before swallowing. Wow. I imagine that this procedure may come in handy next time I’m at a bottomless brunch and need to figure out a way to pace my wine drinking. We can only hope...

5) There are no buffalo in Buffalo. There are also no moose. (You won’t understand that second statement because it’s apart of an inside joke.)

Anyway - I’m on the plane now. Heading home. Not completely dreading the work I will need to make up tomorrow just yet, and eager to begin planning my next adventure. They say that the world is your oyster. I sure do have a lot of picking and cracking open to do.