2012 - The Final Year (Part 8 of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries)

This will be the final installation of the 'Magers in Canada' Miniseries.

After having run into unspecific health issues Sonja had decided to change her diet, and went (mostly) vegan. We also concluded that with all this beautiful scenery at our doorsteps taking up hiking and kayaking was in order. 2012 certainly became the most outdoor active year in our Canadian records. 

In spring we visited our families in Germany again, and of course we also paid our dear friends in California another visit, and how could we not, as their weather turned out to be splendid and mild, contrary to the chilly dampness of the we(s)t coast. 

Burg, Germany

Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco

Also, as one of the perks of working in a New Zealand company Sonja got sent off to Kiwiland again, where new (moto-blogger) friends were made, and more of the beauty of this country was discovered. 

Kiwi Scenery

Auckland, New Zealand

Street Tripling on Coromandel Island (Photo: Geoff James)

After many miles on his Vespa Roland was ready to take the next step and procured himself a maxi scooter. There were two-wheeled road-trips around the Lillooet Loop, along the Sunshine Coast, and down to Washington and Oregon to meet our moto-blogger friends at the IMBC2012. 

Later the year we had another stopover in Europe with Norway, Sweden and Germany on our list. While Norway was a rather spontaneous decision, our business in Sweden was of more 'serious' matter, as a good friends of Roland's got married. Norway had impressed us, and reminded us dearly of the landscape of Newfoundland, while Sweden seemed to be more like Ontario. Contrary to our previous years in Canada we seemed to become quite the world travelers in 2012.  

Somewhere in Norway

Norway Fjord

Norway Scenery

Sweden

A bit unexpected (for Sonja), homesickness had kicked in for Roland after so many fantastic years in our dreamland. So, on the verge of the new year, the decision to return to Germany had been firm, and we prepared for the move, sold Paolo (Sonja's Vespa) and Whitey (Roland's Maxi Scoot), and got rid of furniture and other items we didn't want to (or couldn't - such as electrical stuff) take with.

View on Downtown Vancouver

Howe Sound

A last ride to Buntzen Lake

Sunset at Burrard Inlet, a five minute walk from home

At Duffey Lake

We said our goodbyes to our friends and the country we had called home for eight years, packed up our belongings, sold some of the vehicles (the red Vespa and the Sportster stayed with us), put the condo up for sale… the rest is history. Will we ever come back? Or settle down somewhere else? In Europe? In Canada? We don't know yet. But we are sure about this:

Found in a bookstore in North Vancouver

A Mini-Trip to Sweden

Roland: My first international business trip had originally been scheduled to be held a few weeks ago, but due to the host having fallen sick the meeting in Sweden had to be postponed. This week a few colleagues and myself met at Frankfurt International Airport for a two hours flight to Stockholm, and another 80 minutes limo(!) drive to our destination in the Gävleborg area close to the Baltic Sea. The car turned out to be a two years old Audi A4 with 304,000 km down! According to the driver who drives an estimated daily distance of 700 to 1,000 km the car still feels like new, and it definitely looked new!

The scenery was typically Swedish, and the city looked like a typical Swedish town. After eight years in North America, where somehow one city looks like the other, it is still surprising how different landscapes and cities look in Europe within a flying distance of one or two hours...

The hotel (see above) was just fantastic, without a doubt the best I ever had in Scandinavia! Great rooms (albeit small), fantastic bathrooms, great dinner buffet and even better breakfast buffet. They even put my name at the door of my hotel room! Obviously the quality of the hotel is linked to the fact that the whole city has evolved within the last century around the plant that has been founded here some hundred odd years ago. There is more or less only one employer here, so you better make sure that you provide a great service!

The meeting was held in one of the classic Swedish buildings, and lunch was served in another one. We almost felt like in an Astrid Lindgren novel! The highlight was the tea room we visited after lunch: It catapulted us straight back into a time where the company's founders would settle with a cognac and a cigar to discuss business.

Unfortunately there was no opportunity to further explore the area, but next time I will make sure to get a closer look at the surrounding lakes and, of course, the ocean.

Long Weekend with Old Friends

Roland: One of my friends lives in Sweden, far away from civilization in the woods. For years our group of school friends wanted to visit him there, but somehow it never worked out. Now one of us fixed a date for a trip, and miraculously almost all of us managed to join. So last Saturday morning seven of us to met VERY early in the morning, squeezed into one car, took a plane from Dusseldorf Airport to Oslo and drove another three hours to Central Sweden.

We did not have to organize anything for the entire weekend. When we arrived lunch was already being served in the old barn.

After lunch we explored the area. The next neighbour is seven kilometers away, and in between there is nothing but trees, lakes and very bad roads. Therefore chances are that you will not meet another soul for a whole long weekend.

In preparation for our visit our host had recycled an old oil tank into a wood-heated five person whirlpool, so obviously we had quite some fun trying that out!

The next day we had a chance checking out his two Quads. As this is an entirely different way of movement than a scooter I had some significant problems with it (it always takes me quite a while to get accustomed to new ways of transportation), but being the pillion rider was just as much fun!

After some canoeing and kayaking (sorry, no photos) the day was concluded with another fantastic meal out in nature. The next day we had to return to Germany already... The long weekend felt very short, but it was fantastic!