So, we kind of eloped. We didn’t tell anyone and for months had made plans (Since January). Anna and I reviewed many places for consideration. We felt staying in Canada made the most sense as we love our country (wooo happy 150th!) and haven’t had a chance to explore it as much as we’d like. We looked at many both out east and west as well as going up north. The one place that jumped out right away was Fogo Island. The idea of getting married in one of the four corners of the world made so much sense, plus it’s beauty is both unique and breathtaking! Everything else felt like a compromise in comparison. By getting married in Fogo Island, we would be the middle point between Ukraine (Anna’s Family) and Calgary (Ali’s Family). (Well almost middle…. 4100km from Calgary, 6100km from Ukraine.. but there is this big ocean in the middle :P)

Fogo Island is located is the most eastern part of Canada, hence why it’s called “the corner of the world” by the Flat Earth Society. It is in Newfoundland and is home to only 2500 residents. It is a place of rugged nature, unique architecture, the friendliest people, and lots of fish. What you won’t find here is fast internet, traffic jams, an abundance of vegetables, or people staring at their phones.

Getting here is no mean feat, but for travellers like us, it’s kind of expected that we’d take an arduous journey to reach our unique and adventurous destination. Over the course of 36 hours we took 3 flights through 4 provinces. Than drove over 2 hours in our rental car, then had to take another 90-minute ferry ride until we finally arrived at our destination.

Our First Night

Once we arrived we made our way to Aunt Gladys’s place. This is one of 3 houses set up by The Old Saltbox Company. They have several more in other parts of the province. The idea is to live in a Saltbox, which is a type of home that is common in Newfoundland fishing towns where the ground is mostly rock and they need to be close to the water to fish every day. They’re small a-frame style homes that sit on either stilts or wood foundations. These homes date back to the late 1800’s and most of the are still standing today. We stayed here our first night. The next morning, we enjoyed the view of the ocean from the inlet we were sitting in as the waves brought icebergs to our yard.

The Inn on Fogo Island

We then proceeded to check into our main destination, The Fogo Island Inn. There is so much that could be said about the inn. It is one of the top hotels in the world. It only has 29 rooms, but the architecture is both modern, yet homey with the materials and touches that make a maritime destination. Each room faces the ocean and our room was fitted with a wood burning stove. Upon arriving we were greeted by the staff who took care of our every need. They were the friendliest and most helpful staff of any hotel we’ve ever been to. It’s true what they say, you arrive as guests, but leave as family, and that couldn’t have been truer for us.
The amazing thing about the inn is that it really takes environmental and ethical stewardship to the next level. All the furniture and linens they use are all made on the island. You see a nice chair, table cloth, or basket that you like at the inn, they will make it for you down the road employing a great many local artisans and craftspeople.

The Ceremony

We had everything arranged. After spending time with the staff and our photographer, we found the perfect place to hold the ceremony. The issue was having is that the weather was typical of Newfoundland, i.e. very windy with a touch of rain. With our hotel staff witnesses ready to go, we were ushered down to be married. The ceremony (commissioner, 2 hotel staff, photographer and us) went off beautifully on the rocks with the serenading ocean behind us. Afterwards we went on a roaming photo shoot of the island. The wind at this point really started hammering us, but it was so worth it! Upon our return, we were treated to a wonderful 7 course meal with wine pairing by their chef by the fire in the library.

Seeing the Island with Locals

We were lucky enough to have a tour of the island with a local. He explained how many of the people living on the island have been there most of their lives, and so have their predecessors. Our guide showed us the house he was born in, and still lives in today. I should point out our guide is definitely in his mid 70’s. He was full of life and took immense pleasure in showing us his home. He took us to lookout points, docks, and explained the process of fishing cod back in the old days when the cod was salted before the days of refrigeration. There are many small sheds that are on stilts that look like they’re floating over the water. They’re called cutting sheds. This is where the fish were brought from the boats to be prepared for consumption.
Little known fact, Fogo island is the only place in the world where almost every type of rock formation can be found in one place. The beauty of the land here is epic and awe inspiring. Rugged and lush, yet stark in it’s texture. We haven’t explored the rest of the Maritimes, but we haven’t seen anything else like it.

Living Like Locals

After our magical stay at the inn we went to another Saltbox called Mary’s place. Mary’s is in a different part of the island. Where Gladys’s was down in an inlet near Brimstone National Park, Mary’s is located up high overlooking another national park. The living space is intentionally moved to the 2nd floor where we can watch the waves crash against the rocks. Shopping here is not as abundant as shopping in a large city.  We had to plan well though, because of the long weekend and being in a small town the stores were all on reduced hours over the course of the Monday and Sunday, plus the weather was frankly crap. It was so windy (50km/hr + 110km gusts) the whistling kept us up at night, and it rained for a day straight. But none the less it was a very quiet and peaceful time.

Fogo Island is so unique and so Canadian, and I swear the reason we have a stereotype of being nice and kind is because of the Newfoundland folks. #happy150th 
Until the next flight... in Italy, Greece and Ukraine!
- Mr & Mrs
- A&A







Wedding photos are provided to us by our fantastic photographer Heather! (http://heathernolanphotography.com). The rest are by us :) 
As we board our long-haul flight (and Anna finally realizes that the flight is not a gruelling 11 hours but a mercifully short 9.5) it finally kicks that we are going to Japan!! We have wanted to go for a while now, but haven’t quite made it there with all our travels. A seed was planted in our minds a while back that we should only go if we go with our friends from down under. This seed started the time we all met in Melbourne a short 4 years ago, Our friend Bryce is madly in love with Japan and has visited over 10 times (no I am not exaggerating), he has also been learning Japanese for many years. Also, owns and operates the japlanning.com travel blog regarding, you guessed it Japan. So, our seed was masterfully planted. Who doesn't want to go to Japan with Aussie guides?

Once we landed here we were in Tokyo and our friends waiting for us at the airport with signs in hand, time to adventure. Here is the map of the areas we travelled to:  
First two days in Tokyo was a crazy insane blur! All the buildings, all the colors, all the food, all the people… ALL THE PEOPLE! (38 million to be exact). We walked over to the famous Shibuya Crosswalk (the super famous one from all the movies?) and just watched all the people walking across. It is totally unreal. You feel so little (well not Ali, he is a giant in Japan). Of course we tried Sushi, and of course a robot like machine served it to us on a hoverboard  , and of course we ordered everything electronically. Because how else do you do it in Japan? ;). Oh! And in a classic turn of events that could only happen in Japan, we were approached by a robot theatre troop parading down the street while Godzilla watched from the top of his newly built luxury hotel to celebrate his greatness. I could not make this up if I tried.

2. Sapporo, Japan

After two days in Tokyo, we were off to Sapporo! (north island of Japan ) Sapporo is what Christmas fairytales are made of, 5 meters of snow, German Christmas markets, festively lit displays, peaceful & serene parks, frosty mornings, snowman making, ice walks, hot chocolate, and hot ramen. We were not sure what to expect since even Bryce (our official Japan guide) hasn't been here yet. The truth is we really fell in love with it. For our friends Sam and Bryce, this was their first ever winter wonderland experience as snow coverage in Melbourne ranges from rare to nonexistent (#snowvirgins). The winter initiation started with a snowball fight, continued through to ice walking, and finished off with snowman building. Sapporo is a place I got to cross off yet another bucket list item, to be in Sapporo and drink Sapporo beer! Thanks to the Sapporo beer museum!

Some new things we learned about our new country, breakfast is hard to find, unless it's 11am and it's hot soup. High heels and 4 inches of ice is a completely acceptable pairing, and why aren't you wearing heels?! It will make you look less like a slob! Smoking is still very much acceptable in bars, which was not the loveliest surprise. Also table tax is the funniest interaction you can have with waiters that don't speak English. Table tax is actually a dish of food you didn't order but because you only ordered drinks, they must serve you something. This particular tax came in the form of a big bowl consisting of a large fish and clams. Good luck telling them you never ordered it! Ah the memories.

One thing that was amazing was having hand made gyoza and Japanese baked goods from the market. Some of the best we ever tried

After our winter adventure we arrived back to Tokyo for one night to pick up Sam and Bryce’s friends (Lucy and Richard) from the airport. They will join us for the rest of the trip. Once they were safely on the ground we took another bullet train to Kyoto, down south!

3. & 4. Kyoto & Osaka, Japan

The bullet trains in Japan are something for all of us to marvel on. Simply put, you travel a distance of  513 km  (which normally takes 6hrs of driving by car) in roughly 2 hours. Talk about saving time! Not to mention the first class service, legroom and quiet serene views (Mt. Fuji).
Our week in Kyoto was an incredible feat! As there were 6 of us now, no hotel can accommodate us without breaking the bank, so what do we do? Airbnb of course! A tiny house in the middle of a residential area and next to a school, living like the locals do! This house was everything we needed to accomplish some great game nights and watching J-pop concerts on TV.
The south of Japan was definitely our biggest cultural adventure. Here is just a snip bit of all the activities we explored:

  • Nijo-jo Castle: (1603 -1868, home of the Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu) which had special squeaky floors (nightingale floors) so ninjas couldn’t kill people at night!
  • Kinkaku-ji: The famous Golden Pavillion, Buddhist Temple built near the end of the 14th century and a featured wallpaper on every Apple computer for the past several years.
  • Osaka - Universal Studios: Hellllloooo Hogwarts! Even with butterbeer in hand (just don’t drink it unless you like melted toffee in a cup) we explored the town of Hogsmeade recreated in stunning detail.
  • Fushimi-Inari Taisha: The famous shrine, established in 711 AD, includes 4 km of “torii” (iconic japanese gates/arches) to walk through.
  • Suntory Yamazaki Distillery: One of the most gorgeous distilleries and tastings ever, but sadly most of the product is sold out due to the popularity among locals.
  • Kyoto Hyatt Hotel for Christmas Brunch: This was an amazing experience.  We all dressed up in our ugly Christmas sweaters and went down to the Kyoto Hyatt for Christmas Brunch, which included amazing carollers as well
  • Kiyomizu-Dera: This Buddhist temple founded in 733 AD and rebuilt in 1633 AD was constructed without a single nail! This holy place is located halfway up Mt. Otowa.
  • Miyajima Island, Itsukushima: An immensely beautiful and serene island where deer run free and I wanted to explore the whole island by foot, or move in and grow roots. Tomayto tomahto.
  • Hiroshima, and the Atomic Bomb Dome: Where we went to the Peace museum and couldn’t deal with our emotions for a while.


The whole time we were going back and through the central train station. This station has all the architectural grandeur of any station you're likely to come across. The central plaza  is nearly 20 stories high of glass and steel with multiple levels of trains, shopping, and glass catwalks from up on high for superheroes to survey the people and swoop down and save us in case of aliens, or super villains attack. Ali was constantly impressed with this structure every time we came through.

 Last Leg in Tokyo

After our cultural awakening and appreciation for tradition we moved onto the crazy fast paced life in Tokyo where we also stayed at an Airbnb, but this time it was half of a house, affording us a little more space. We explored, ate and shopped pretty much the whole week. Here are some of the highlights from the areas we explored:

  • Ginza: If you thought you have been to a luxury, high end street, than you are mistaken, because Ginza is so large and has so many varieties of luxury stores it's mind boggling. Not to mention the amount of people. It included a Sony museum and a Yamaha concert hall located 7 stories above the street, and a music school on the 10th story above that. Ali was saddened when he found out a pair of drumsticks would cost $40! Sadly, he had to let them go.
  • Gotokuji Temple: This buddhist temple is where the legend of the original beckoning cat (maneki neko) comes from, or as my ma loves calling it, the “Graveyard of Kitties”.
  • Odaiba: A large island that was built (you read that right) in 1853 for the purpose of defence against naval ships, this seaside neighbourhood is now bustling hub full of shopping and entertainment. Did we mention we took a self driving train to get there?
  • Harajuku: Where fashion is hopped up on steroids. This is a great place to people watch and/or shop for the latest in everything
  • Hamarikyu Gardens: A peaceful park right in the middle of a commercial district in the downtown core.
  • Arcades: Being a child of the 80s, Ali wanted to explore the arcades here. Japanese arcades are nothing like North American ones! For one thing, they're much larger (7 stories on average), and 10 times louder! The games are far more advanced and creative here than anywhere else with everything from music instrument games with real instruments, vintage games dating back to the 80s, 90s, and beyond, smoking, arcade carnies, highly sophisticated photo booths where you and your friends can publish a pro quality magazine complete with special effects, and games that will only ever exist in Japan like testing your strength against a sumo wrestling machine, and games where you have to dance the zombies away with J-pop music. Ali's childhood bucket list item was finally crossed off.


As this was our second time ringing in the new year with our Aussie friends, we decided the only way to do it was the real Japanese way…..Karaoke!  We rented a karaoke room; (part of 10 story building dedicated to karaoke by the way) drank and sang out hearts out for 5 hours. Sometimes you just have to be that cliché! It was a wonderful time and a great way to cap off our time in Japan!

Anna & Ali








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