A few personal, quick hits para Cinco de Mayo:
Due to a whole mess of circumstances, I’ve decided to push my RTW trip departure date from May 2008 to late next year. It’s a combination of things. Mainly though, I’ll have a sizable loan paid off by spring and leaving later will allow me six months or so to bank that much more in travel savings. Although it’ll probably allow me to double the original length of my journey, patience has never come easy for me.
On a lighter note, I finally ordered a digital SLR camera yesterday! I clicked the “Confirm Order” button and damn near peed a little, I’m so excited. I’ve been struggling with the point-and-shoot I bought a few years ago – a Sony PSC-200. Don’t get me wrong: it’s a great camera and I’d highly recommend it, or any other Sony model, to those looking for a high quality, affordable camera. But I realize that all those pseudo-artistic shots I like to take of the microbrew beers I drink and … well, the other beers I drink … just aren’t cutting it anymore because of the lack of real control inherent in a PAS. In case you’re interested, I chose the Canon Rebel XT (body only) and this lens which I’m told is an incredible value and a must-have.
Lastly, K and I are headed to Montreal for a five-day trip in less than three weeks. Of all of the cities I’ve visited in North America, no city has stolen my heart quite like Montreal. It must be one of the most European cities on the continent and it’s easy to see why: beautiful, centuries-old European architecture meets modern Western cityscape; friendly, bilingual people; and an accessible culture that’s little different from that in the States, but different enough that you know you’re some place special – some place not home. If the stars are all inline and Mercury’s no longer in retrograde, I should have just enough time to play with my new photographic toy before we head off to the real Paris of the West.