Back In the West Kootenays: Our Trip to Ireland and France

The day before we left for Ireland, I got a gift from the oncology gods. Actually, I have mixed feelings about this, but Mektovi was harming my heart again already after just 2 months on it at the lowest dose. I was instructed to stop taking my medications just in time to go away. Not having the pesky skin, feet, and nausea side effects was a godsend.

Flying Out of Kelowna

Our Wingbuddy trip started off alright because they let us fly out of Kelowna, which is a 3.5 hour drive from home. After dropping the huskies off at Velvet Acres Boarding in Rossland, we drove to Kelowna on September 4th for a flight the next morning at 11am. The drive out there was nothing too special, just admiring some changing colors on the occasional decidous tree in a sea of alpine. We could finally allow ourselves to get excited.

When we arrived in Kelowna, Orchard Park mall was still open until 8pm that Friday evening. Dean got a haircut and I ran to Sephora for some much needed facial moisturizer. We then stayed at Four Points by the airport and had a nice meal at their restaurant, Gulfstream before waking up 4 hours before our international flight to get to the airport early enough to avoid another Calgary fiasco.

The time came, we boarded the plane and we were on our way.

Landing in Dublin

As we were descending into Dublin, I admired the multitude of green plots of land below in varying sizes and colours. It was 7am and we had our first activity starting at 10am that day. I'd hoped we could power through the day to get over jetlag faster, but that wasn't what happened.

We took a taxi from the airport to Wren Urban Nest, our boutique hotel in what turned out to be an excellent location for the next 4 days. We put our bags in storage and were instructed to come back later for check in.

We set off to Rolling Donut for our first activity, a donut tour in downtown Dublin complete with Irish history and an introduction to the various statues and landmarks all around the city. As we dragged our bodies through the city on an approximately 2km walk, we looked forward to the next few days close to the River Liffey.

Over the next few days, we had a hop-on, hop off bus tour, time at Guinness and Jameson, a trip to Wicklow, and visiting the Old Library at Trinity College to see the Book of Kells planned. The rest of the time we left flexible to enjoy the city if weather permitted.

Our Take Aways from Ireland

Dublin has a bourgeoning food culture. It impressed us and we were happier with it than we were with our experience in Italy. The city is very walkable, you don't really need a hop-on hop-off bus to see it. It's just important to choose an amazing hotel location to ensure easy access to the things you want to do.

Of course you have to experience the Irish Pub Culture, because despite what everyone says about overpriced pints in Temple Bar, the atmosphere is totally worth it. There's plenty of places to shop for souvenirs all over the city. It's worthwhile to get out of the city on a day trip if you have the time.

Even though our last day was very low key and we'd eaten well the whole time there, we needed to cancel activities in Paris for our first day there. After 4 days in Dublin, we felt like we'd fully experienced the city and we were ready for the next leg of our journey.

Flying into Paris CDG on September 10th

We were stuck with a boarding time of 9:30 am, so we had to get to DUB very early on September 10th to fly to Paris for the first leg of our Wingbuddy itinerary. The flight to Paris was a total of 2.5 hours, but you also had to add an hour for time change, so we didn't land until 12:45.

As we approached the Aer Lingus gate to check our bags, the agent upgraded us to the 7th row, the emergency exit row for extra leg room. I had to put my purse in the overhead bin and sadly lost my sleeping aids on the flight. I didn't notice anything missing when we deplaned because I was thinking, passport - check, wallet - check, phone - check, and I didn't account for the smaller things.

We landed and our transfer pickup, arranged by Wingbuddy, was late. They were not waiting for us with our name on a sign as we expected. Still, we got to Hotel Berne Opera by 2:00pm. Unfortunately that was when our first activity was supposed to start. We didn't get to go to Versailles.

Over the next three days we had a hop on hop off bus, a visit to the Louvre, the Catacombs, a WWII Walking Tour, and a Seine river cruise planned. It was a tight schedule. We also had to hit up the Paris Lego store.

Our Take Aways from Paris

Early transfers and flights are a pain when traveling internationally. They put a damper on your overall experience. Walking to the Eiffel Tower is very possible, but could take you all day depending on where you start. The city is also a cacaphony.

Transportation in Paris takes a little foresight and preparation to be efficient and usable. Taxis are a racket. Laundry is relatively accessible.

Flying into Nice Early on September 13th

Our flight into Nice was at 7:15 am, but unfortunately our airport transfer was scheduled excessively early at 3:00am. It was a domestic flight, so this snafu was completely avoidable but we decided to keep the transfer time since booking a cab ourselves would cost us something we'd already paid for.

We were at the airport an hour and a half before any staff showed up. By the time we found our correct Air France check in station, the machines wouldn't work to find our booking and we had to wait for assistance from the staff. Igor convinced us to upgrade to business class for €79, a whole Euro cheaper than the cost of checking in our luggage.

The flight was just under 2 hours long and we'd arrived by 9am. Again, there was no transfer waiting for us at the airport and I never received a voucher from Wingbuddy promising one so I had no number to call. It wasn't an emergency, so we just grabbed a taxi that only took 10 minutes to get us to our hotel, So'Co Hotel by HappyCulture.

It was already quite hot when we arrived. We were ready to change clothes. Again we dropped our bags off because no room was ready for us and we headed out on bus #8 with the hotel staff's recommendation to go to the beach. There was an Iron Man competition blocking access to the beach. We had to wait at a bridge to get over the race in order to get to the ocean.

Our plans over the next week centred around relaxation and exploration. We had my birthday plans to go to Cannes, trips to Eze and Monaco on the 16th, scuba diving with Nice Diving, a trip to St. Tropez, and a boatride to Mala Caves to snorkel for our final day in the South of France.

Our Take Aways from Nice

France is far less accessible than Canada and the United States. The expectation is that you can walk everywhere. Cabs are expensive and nearly impossible to get. It's best to use Uber if you don't want to waste your budget. Uber Eats is also a fantastic way to get what you need without straying far from your hotel. Our hotel location was not ideal for great food and was distant from the places we would walk to.

Swimming in the ocean with a wig is not practical, I didn't use my wigtape very much because it was easy to go with short hair. It's possible to make new French friends if you get stuck somewhere. You can absolutely count on the French to be striking at some point during your vacation, so be prepared to miss scheduled events. We even missed the opportunity to play roulette at Monte Carlo because Wingbuddy failed to prepare us for their dress code.

Transportation is possible but trains are confusing and stressful. You can easily have a lowkey beach day but be prepared for pebbly beaches instead of pristine sand. Wingbuddy tours are built to be ditched if they don't suit your needs or desires. You can have a fantastic day with just a little vague plan of what you want to see and experience. Ultimately, leaving is bittersweet as you know you're going back to fall weather, which is both daunting and exhilirating simultaneously.

Spending the Rest of Fall Firmly in the West Kootenays

The trip was a whirlwind, complete with many dashed hopes but still mostly enjoyment. As we boarded our return flight from Frankfurt to Vancouver, I got excited for our final legs of the trip - a flight to Kelowna and then a drive home. I knew I would have to stay put for a while.

My Ireland series and France series will be released over the next two weeks. Then after that, I'll be working on my video series for the trip. After that, I'll have to focus on staycation tourism. There are plenty of wellness retreats and health related activities to partake of in the West Kootenays. It's a calming place with plenty of nature and worthy views.

My medication is no longer working and I don't like the idea of being treatment free when melanoma can be aggressive. The doctors don't treat this disease like my own immune system is up to the task. My goal is to pursue medical trials - I simply cannot do nothing and wait for the inevitable. This time is an opportunity to try to live.

I've seen a lot of the world and I will want to travel again. Yet my health has to take priority now that I've got barriers to treatment. There's still enough budget for at least 7 more trips, but local content is going to be my priority for a while. I hope you will read and enjoy my work on Ireland and France. We had a fantastic time, but it's damn good to be home sweet home.