big Canada

Landed in Ottawa safe and sound last night, after what felt like a very long flight, even though we actually landed about 45 minutes early. Being back is very odd - Newcastle feels very far away, almost like I was never even there. Sitting in a plane never feels like travelling to me - you can't see anything passing outside the window like when you're in a car or a train, so its easy to forget that you've just travelled some 6000 miles from when you first got on the plane! Looking out the window just before landing was very strange. Only a few hours earlier, before landing in London, we flew over the city from East to West, so we were able to see that new rocket-ship shaped building, the London Eye, Buckingham palace, and all those other signs of civilization. When landing in Ottawa, all I could see were lots of very large, very white fields. I think I had actually begun to forget how very big (and snowy!) this country really is! :)

but now I need to go pack for this weekend's cross-country ski trip. Do you think -18 degrees is cold enough to warrant my extra-thick long underwear?