How would you like your dog prepared?

Well, now begins the documentation of my travel blog.  To start of the journey, let me first delve into the prep work that was done.  A good friend of mine, Hilary, was able to come visit me at chez Hunt in the grand ol' Okanagan Falls, shortened to OK Falls.  It's just okay.  She agreed to help move me from my final home in Kelowna to my permanent home in OK Falls.  However, neither of us expected the amount of stuff I had.  I was underestimating all the things that I accrued and still had left to truck down to the South Okanagan.  A collapsable shelving unit and "some clothes" turned into an entire SUV load.  Thanks Hilary's friend for lending her your Sports Utility Vehicle!

Now that we were in the Falls (shortened even further), Hilary aided me by going through my conceptual packing list: 

H: "Do you have your clothes packed?"
S: "Yep!"
H: "Do you have your sleeping bag?"
S: "Do I need one?"
H: "They don't give you linens! We'll stop at MEC."
S: "Cool!"
H: "Do you have travel insurance?"
S: "I think...no...maybe not."
H: "...oh Spencer."

So having Hilary around was great! She let me know what I needed to be prepared.  She also helped by getting my clueless ass to Vancouver and let me stay at her place a few days before leaving for Frankfurt, the first stop on the European adventure. Along the way to the Lower Mainland, Hilary and I decided to stop off at a few wineries, and pick up a few bottles. We journeyed through Sleeping Giant for a few bottles of fruit wines and then onto Dirty Laundry for some salacious selections of whites.  And a trip from OK Falls to Vancouver wouldn't be complete without a stop at Doug's Homestead for some jerky! I even won my pepperoni by guessing the weight! Spencer's innate gift? Guessing the weights of cured meats....

And now the journey begins. I am just sitting in the airport, appropriately beered, waiting for my flight. Many thanks to Hilary. Without whom, I would be utterly left to dry.  I would be a venturing wiener, but now I feel well prepared! 

Welcome to my blog! I am new to this whole public writing thing, and I thought that a travel blog is a good place to start. I will be heading through Europe this summer, focusing on spending time in Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, Netherlands, and Belgium. I am excited for this endeavour and hope to use this venue to record the experiences I have in these new places. I aim to bring a lightness and humourous tone, as laughter tends to make most situations that much more enjoyable.


Now, onto the hot dog reference. I should be a relatively noticeable marker throughout my travels. I will be sporting a vine-ripened jacket and mustard seed sack upon my back. I am essentially a walking cornucopia of condiments—thus the hot dog demeanour. I love a pun; so ready yourselves for that. I plan on keeping this blog saucy, so stay tuned!