Our story started with travelling from the very beginning. Hubert and I met in London, England in June of 1990. I was travelling on my own, and through a series of chance encounters I ended up at a Spanish bar with an Italian guy — and that’s where I met the Polish guy I would eventually marry.
The Italian warned me not to exchange addresses with Hubert, saying he would end up on my doorstep. I laughed at the thought, assuming we’d be pen pals at best. I was only in London for one week before heading on to Paris for the second half of my trip, where I met a few new friends as well. ?
Once I returned to Canada, I started receiving letters from Hubert. At the same time, I was planning to return to Paris in the fall for what I thought would be an extended stay. Things didn’t go as planned, and that December I decided to stop into London to visit Hubert before heading back to Canada.
Again, plans changed — I ended up staying in London for nearly a year. First I lived with some girls who were friends of Hubert’s, then later with Australian girls I met at the office where I worked. In June of the following year, just over a year since we had met, Hubert left for Canada and was welcomed at the airport by my parents. Unbeknownst to me, he had already started the immigration process when we met, and by then his paperwork had finally been approved. I remained in London while he moved into my vacated room.
Later that summer Hubert returned to Poland to visit his parents and invited me to join him. He showed me around Warsaw, and I loved getting to know more about him, his family, and his culture. At the end of the trip, he returned to my home in Canada while I returned to London — but not for long. Soon after, I went home to be with the Polish guy I had met in that Spanish bar. ?
We eventually moved in together about a year later and married in 1994. Once we had children, most of our travel revolved around annual visits to Warsaw to see his parents. Because of my work schedule, Hubert and the kids often went without me, and in recent years his stays grew longer due to family illnesses, losses, and other commitments. (We have, however, also started taking regular trips to Cayo Coco, Cuba – stayed tuned for a post on that coming soon!)
In 2024, the Canadian girl and the Polish guy who met in a Spanish bar in London celebrated their 30th anniversary with a romantic trip to Italy. That journey rekindled our enthusiasm for travelling, and now we’re looking forward to slowing down, working less, and seeing more of the world. Hence, Sunset Wandering was born.
Join us on our journeys, as we travel, discover, and make new memories along the way – one adventure – and one sunset – at a time.