If I could tell you exactly how we got from a modern little coffee shop to the other side of the world and back again, believe me I would but, as it is, I don’t quite know myself.

I believe it had everything to do with my Gramma’s neighbour, who, in her years of experience as a tour guide, managed to take us across the Atlantic to Sweden, Iceland and all over Asia without us ever leaving our seats. We explored the original language-oriented education platform of Singapore and the patronymic system of nomenclature in Iceland with some consideration to my mother’s maiden name (Hanson). As we made our way back through the Canadian wilderness, I learned the difference between a black bear and a grizzly as interpreted by a guide from Reader’s Digest who, when asked by a young couple interested in trying camping, replied that a black bear will follow you up a tree whereas a grizzly would simply shake you out of it.

Finally, as our hour was almost up, we made a pit-stop in Salmon Arm and took her to De Mille’s Farm Market where we tasted ice cream and fresh fruit and wandered through the petting zoo of peacocks, guinea pigs and alpacas and she added it to her list of places to take her next tour group.