When I was a child during the 1960s, Star Trek was my favourite television show. Every Sunday evening, I eagerly joined my dad in front of our black-and-white television set, excited to see what new planet Spock and Captain Kirk would explore. When I heard Captain Kirk’s iconic monologue, “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise”, I imagined myself travelling through space, exploring strange new worlds, and seeing new forms of life and new civilizations.
Unfortunately, I missed out on being born in the 22nd century, so I haven’t fulfilled my dream of boldly going where no one has gone before. But I have fulfilled my dream of exploring, by boarding a plane and travelling our own planet, Earth. My first trip overseas was while I was still attending university. I had made friends with two Danish students who were in Canada on an agricultural exchange program, and they extended an invitation for me to stay with their families in Copenhagen. As soon as I arrived, I couldn’t help but notice the differences between Denmark and Canada: the language, the food, even their houses. What surprised me the most was their small fuel-efficient vehicles—nothing like the Camaros, Demons, Chargers, and Trans Ams my friends were driving. When it came to partying though, there wasn’t much difference between my Danish friends and my friends back in Alix. I will never forget consuming excessive amounts of Heineken and singing “Psycho Chicken” on a weekend camping trip with a bunch of their friends. After an incredible two-week trip, I returned home to Canada with a desire to do more travelling.
My next trip was a few years later when Michelle and I travelled to Europe on our honeymoon. We learned many lessons on our first excursion together. In Amsterdam, we learned the importance of maps after wandering aimlessly through a sketchy neighbourhood, fearing we would be robbed. Rome taught us to never follow a taxi driver on a terrifying journey through chaotic Roman streets to your hotel room. And in Venice, I learned the importance of wearing a hat when feeding the pigeons. Most importantly, after lugging large heavy suitcases around Europe, we learned that travelling light was the way to go and switched to carry-on backpacks for future trips.
Since those early trips, I’ve been fortunate to visit many destinations. One of my favourites was Tuscany, Italy, where Michelle and I spent two weeks with our three sons during our four-month long excursion to Europe. We rented a country vacation home overlooking San Gimignano, a medieval town encircled by 13th century walls. Every morning, I enjoyed my coffee admiring the beautiful Tuscan countryside with grape covered fields and picturesque country lanes lined with cypress trees. From our country house, we made excursions to the Leaning Tower of Pisa and to Rome, where we saw the Vatican and ancient Roman ruins, and to Florence, with its well-preserved medieval charm and Renaissance masterpieces by renowned artists such as Michelangelo. What I also loved about Tuscany, more than any other place I have visited, was the food and wine. It was amazing.
The last time Michelle and I travelled was when we visited Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam, late in 2019. The highlight of the trip was a week-long journey down the Mekong River from Sein Reap, Cambodia to Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. We were so thankful that we made the trip when we did, because soon after we returned home, the Covid pandemic wreaked havoc on the world. Now, over three years later, we finally feel safe enough to resume travelling. In April, we are going on a three-week trip to Iceland, Scotland, and England. I am excited to explore these countries and discover the wonders they have to offer. It’s a shame I can’t simply ask Scotty to beam us directly to Iceland. That way, we can skip the plane ride.
One Last Kick 