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Susanne Pacher - EzineArticles.com Expert Author
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- Presenting - Niagara Falls Tourism - One Wonder After Another
[Travel-and-Leisure] In early December of 2007 I decided to embark on a three day winter getaway to Niagara Falls, Ontario. In order to explore the city in the best possible way I contacted the experts at Niagara Falls tourism to help me work out a comprehensive itinerary to explore the many facets of Niagara Fall. Their travel specialists helped me put together a packed schedule that exposed me to many interesting sights and activities in this unique city.
- Hello From Niagara Falls - Exploring the Clifton Hills Entertainment Area & Doing A Little Gambling
[Travel-and-Leisure] Yesterday morning my last full day in Niagara Falls, Ontario, had arrived. After a packed schedule the day before that had included a wonderful presentation at the Imax Theatre, my up-close encounter with the Great Falls at the Journey Behind the Falls and an entertaining show at the Oh Canada Eh? Dinner Theatre, I got ready for another full day of explorations in Niagara Falls.
- Hello From Niagara Falls - Luxury and Coziness at the Kilpatrick Manor B&B
[Travel-and-Leisure] Of all the different types of travel that I have done, one type of experience remains consistently at the top of my list: bed and breakfasts. I am a real sucker for family-owned businesses and for unique accommodation environments. And after many dozens of visits to different bed and breakfasts in different countries, there is one thing I can say for sure - bed and breakfasts are always unique. From the personality of the hosts to the decor to the sometimes unconventional breakfast offerings, every bed and breakfast is truly one of a kind.
- Hello From Niagara Falls - The Tropical Splendour of Bird Kingdom and a Musical With Charlie Brown
[Travel-and-Leisure] So far I had already enjoyed a great day, full of action: after a tour of the tropical court yard at the Best Western Cairn Croft I had gotten a great 360 degree view over Niagara Falls from its most famous landmark: the Skylon Tower. A wonderful IMAX movie "Niagara Falls: Miracles, Myths and Magic" introduced me to the colourful history of this place, and the actual vessels of many daredevils who had gone over the Falls (in some cases with tragic results) sent shivers up my spine in the Daredevils Gallery, also housed in the Niagara Falls IMAX Theatre. Then, my first hand exploration of these majestic waterfalls as part of the "Journey Behind The Falls" experience gave me an up-close and personal impression of the sheer power of the millions of litres of water that tumble over the edge of the Horseshoe Falls every second.
- Hello From Niagara Falls - Experiencing the 7th Wonder of the World - Skylon Tower, IMAX Theatre
[Travel-and-Leisure] After a long and exciting day yesterday that included a helicopter sightseeing tour, some butterflies, and an amazing magic show, I woke up to a grey, cold and drizzly day. But that was not going to deter me from exploring the City of Niagara Falls in more detail. I got up, took a nice long shower and went downstairs for breakfast to the Windows on the Lane Restaurant which is a casual dining restaurant on the main floor of the Best Western Cairn Croft Hotel.
- Hello From Niagara Falls, Ontario - A City of Lights and Magic
[Travel-and-Leisure] It had been an exciting day already: my helicopter ride with Niagara Helicopter had given me a close-up aerial view over Niagara Falls and my visit to the Niagara Falls Butterfly Conservatory had made for a perfect winter escape to a tropical sanctuary. But more adventure was yet to come.
- Hello From Niagara Falls, Ontario - An Uplifting Experience
[Travel-and-Leisure] It may sound strange, but it all started with the Miami Dolphins. My husband is a huge fan of the fins, but we figured a trip to Miami for his birthday in early December was not in the cards.
- Hello from Austria - Medieval History Up Close at the Riegersburg Fortress and Explorations of Styri
[Travel-and-Leisure] Styria is one of the lesser known Austrian provinces, most people are more familiar with the area around the capital Vienna; the region surrounding Salzburg ("Sound of Music" country) and Tyrol with its high mountains and the capital of Innsbruck.
- Hello from Austria - Classical Music, Hiking & Summer Tobogganing & Two Delicious Backyard Feasts
[Travel-and-Leisure] A live concert at the Kunsthaus Weiz, a recently constructed multi-purpose performance venue. After just a gorgeous day on the Alpine peaks at the Austrian / Italian / Slovenian border, the weather gods were not as kind yesterday.
- Hello from Austria - An Excursion to Slovenia and Italy - Monte Lussari
[Travel-and-Leisure] An excursion to the so-called "Drei-Landerecke", an area where Austria, Italy and Slovenia come together. After yesterday's exciting outing to Graz we were planning an even bigger outing today: an excursion to the so-called "Drei-Landerecke", an area where Austria, Italy and Slovenia come together.
- Hello from Austria - A Hike through the Raabklamm and a Visit to Graz - a UNESCO World Heritage Site
[Travel-and-Leisure] Andrea had given me a couple of Nordic Walking poles which I was about to try out for the first time. Nordic Walking, also referred to as "pole walking" or "fitness walking" is a sport that consists of walking with modified ski poles.
- Hello from Austria - A Country Drive and How Determination and Willpower Can Move Mountains
[Travel-and-Leisure] Visiting my roots in Austria. The Weizbergkirche is a very imposing house of worship and was a well-known pilgrimage church, as early as the 12th century.
- Hello From Austria - Hiking Through the Vineyards of Southwestern Styria
[Travel-and-Leisure] On a beautiful warm summer day and after a nice filling breakfast we got going early yesterday to embark on our Sunday excursion to the south-western part of Styria. I wasn't particularly well-rested after a full day yesterday that included a hike, a local driving tour and a birthday party, but I was keen to explore the area west of Leibnitz, Styria's foremost winegrowing region together with my brother Ewald, his wife Anneliese and our friends Luis and Isabella.
- Hello from Austria - Arrival and First Impressions
[Travel-and-Leisure] Many of you will know that I am originally from Austria, but that I have been living in Toronto for more than 20 years. I left Austria early on, by myself, at the young age of 20 and found a permanent home in Canada's largest, most multicultural city. I always realized that I originally came from a beautiful country, but somehow the big wide world was calling me and settling in Canada's most cosmopolitan urban centre has been a great decision.
- Hello from Austria - Going Back to My Roots
[Travel-and-Leisure] The story of the immigrant - the recurring tale of people with two identities, their lingering attachment to their birth country and their love for their new homes... For many people immigrating to a new country can be an almost schizophrenic experience.
- Presenting - Toronto's Distillery District - A Unique Vision
[News-and-Society] A Unique Vision And 13 Acres Of Historic Victorian Industrial Architecture Create One Of North America's Hottest Entertainment Districts. As a European immigrant, historical districts always hold a great fascination to me. Over the last few years, Toronto has been enriched by the revitalization of an entire district: the Distillery District, a complex of 13 acres composed of 44 buildings, made a stunning transformation from outdated industrial relics to becoming one of Toronto's hottest entertainment areas.
- Hello From Toronto - Exploring Toronto With Sights on Bikes
[Travel-and-Leisure] Exploring Toronto by bicycle best sights. For a person as curious as me, I am always out on some sort of discovery. No wonder travel writing appeals so much to me because it gives me the opportunity to explore interesting new places all the time. But of course my inquisitive mind never rests, so when I am not traveling out of town, I venture out locally right here in my chosen home town of Toronto to investigate the nooks and crannies of my city.
- Hello From Ontario - A Driving Tour Along the Niagara Escarpment
[Travel-and-Leisure] Driving tour along the Niagara Escarpment. Although I love the city the summer always makes me itch to get out into the country. So I called up my friend Karel with whom I had helped organize a conference many years ago and asked him if he would mind getting together in his neck of the woods near Burlington for a country driving tour of the Niagara Escarpment. Since we had not seen each other for a couple of years it was a great opportunity to catch up and enjoy a beautiful drive at the same time.
- Hello From Toronto - A Bike Tour Through the Don Valley, Salsa on St. Clair and Sunnyside Beach
[Travel-and-Leisure] Exploring Toronto by bicycle through the Don Valley, Leaside, Salsa on St. Clair and Sunnyside Beach. My summery biking adventures through Toronto continue. This morning I packed my backpack and as usual I entered the Taylor Creek Park system.
- Hello From Toronto - A Bike Ride Through the Don Valley to the Toronto Islands
[Travel-and-Leisure:Vacation-Rentals] Sometimes you get hooked on an activity, and exploring Toronto by bike has become one of these pastimes for me. Not only is it great exercise, but it's also an awesome way to explore the nooks and crannies of any destination.
- Hello From Toronto - Exploring Riverdale and Queens Park by Bicycle
[Travel-and-Leisure] There is no doubt in my mind that bicycling is one of the best ways, if not the best way, to explore a city. You cover more than walking, you can easily stop anywhere, and you can get to the hidden spots that you wouldn't be able to access by car and transit.
- Hello From Toronto - Exploring Chinatown and Kensington
[Travel-and-Leisure] In all my explorations of Toronto over the last few years I have learned that in addition to numerous world-class sights and attractions, Toronto has many lesser known nooks and crannies that are full of history, interesting stories and anecdotes.
- Attending the Monthly Meeting at the Newcomers Club - A Presentation about Human Impact on our Plane
[Travel-and-Leisure] This morning I got up early and had a nice breakfast in the inner courtyard of La Nuestra. Shortly before 9 am Andie and I left for her monthly meeting of the Newcomers Club, a group of about 170 mostly English-speaking expatriates from all different countries who have settled in Cuernavaca. Andie Grater has been the president of this volunteer organization for the last 4 years.
- Presenting: Andie Grater - From US Advertising Executive to Cuernavaca B&B Owner
[Travel-and-Leisure] I am currently staying at, "La Nuestra", a comfortable bed and breakfast with 4 guest rooms, a private swimming pool and an outdoor breakfast area complete with microwave and fridge, which has a rather interesting story. It is co-owned by two women, Andie Grater and Nancy Gray, who are both originally from the United States.
- An Excursion to Lake Tequesquitengo and a Visit to the Doctor
[Travel-and-Leisure] Today was my last day at the Ideal Language School. My teacher Estela and I had a very interesting conversation about Mexican culture, the church, and relationships between men and women. It appears Mexico is a culture in flux, where things are changing slowly but surely. The church has lost much of its grip on people and many things have become more liberal, but deep down it is still a religious and conservative country.
- An Excursion to Las Estacas, Checking Out Orchids and A Friendly Meeting at the Cafecito
[Travel-and-Leisure] After a beautiful breakfast in the garden at Roxana's place with Helga, the young lab with shiniest black coat, dancing all around me, I went to my private tutoring session at the Ideal Language School where my teacher Estela and I talked at length about various dental procedures, funny doctor stories, and stories of unexplainable events and psychic happenings.
- A Lovely Dinner at Marta Elena's and Moving to another B&B
[Travel-and-Leisure] As a gesture of appreciation for Marta Elena's outstanding hospitality, I decided to get her some flowers since I know that she absolutely loves gardening. Around the Palacio de Cortes I started asking around where I would get flowers and everone pointed me in the direction of the local Mercado. People in the street were very helpful, whenever I had a question they’d stop patiently and try to help me direct me.
- Arrival in Cuernavaca and Getting to Know My B&B Hostess Marta Elena - A True Riches to Rags Story
[Travel-and-Leisure] After my arrival in Cuernavaca and the lovely dinner at Vanessa's aunt's place the whole family took me to my temporary home for the next couple of days: Villa San Marcos is a bed and breakfast located in a historic mansion in an area just south of downtown Cuernavaca. The B&B has five beautifully decorated guest bedrooms, all with private bath, and a wonderful totally private garden with tropical plants, flowers and fruit trees. Free Internet access is available as well.
- Exploring Cuernavaca: Studying Spanish and a Visit to the Museo Robert Brady and the Jardin Borda
[Travel-and-Leisure] I spend my mornings in Cuernavaca studying Spanish and I arranged to have the afternoons free to explore the city. At the Ideal language school today I had chance to talk with the founder, Hermilo Brito, to find out more about his school and its history.
- Hello from Mexico City: Exploring the Paseo de la Reforma and el Bosque de Chapultepec
[Travel-and-Leisure] This morning another wonderful Mexican breakfast was in store: Vanessa had made "tlacoyos con nopales" (fried dough covered with fruits of the prickley pear cactus and melted cheese on top) which I really enjoyed. Around 9:30 we got going and Vanessa's sister dropped us off, right in front of the Angel de la Independencia, a monument erected in 1910 to commemorate independence from Spain, on the Paseo de la Reforma.
- Hello from Mexico City - A Relaxing Evening in Coyoacan
[Travel-and-Leisure] Last night after our big first discovery of Mexico City I had a couple of hours of rest before Vanessa and her mom took me to one of the most picturesque areas in the city: Coyoacan, an area located south of the downtown core. The traffic to get there, as you can imagine, was absolutely incredible - 4 lane streets with no markings, people squeezing in and out between cars as they pleased, trucks cutting in right in front of us with just millimeters to spare ...
- Hello from Mexico City - A Compact Day of Discovery of Downtown
[Travel-and-Leisure] This Friday morning the chirping tropical birds in the courtyard outside the building woke me up early. Vanessa had fixed a real Mexican breakfast: fruit – melon and papaya, with yoghurt and sweat bread. Appropriately strengthened we got going early at 8:45 to start exploring Mexicy City.
- Mexico 2006 - My Cultural Immersion Experiment
[Travel-and-Leisure] I had been to Mexico twice before, once many years ago in Manzanillo, and more recently in 2003 in Puerto Vallarta. Essentially both of these vacations were typical tourist experiences and ever since I got the taste for real discovery, starting with my Cuba trip last year, I have wanted to discover new places by immersing myself, getting to know the locals, even studying the language to really get a good feel for the country and its people.
- Hello from Mexico City – First Impressions
[Travel-and-Leisure] After a few very hectic days before my departure I got up at 4:30 am yesterday and my husband drove me to the airport. Since my flight was with Delta Airlines and had a stopover in Atlanta, I had to go through US immigration, as always an interesting experience. The whole procedure took me about 45 minutes, but finally I was through. Then it was off onto the bus to get to the departure terminal. Our flight was scheduled to depart at 8:20 and sure enough, at about 7:20 there was an announcement that the "rudder control switch" was loose and that maintenance would have to be called in. The ground personnel indicated that they were still trying to get us off the ground in the same plane, but it could take a while.
- Presenting: Calgary - Canada's Heart of the New West
[Travel-and-Leisure] During our upcoming ski trip in the Alberta Rockies this March, we'll be visiting Calgary for the first time. As a matter of fact, it will be our first time in the Canadian Rockies ever. We'll have a brief one-day layover in Calgary before we move on to skiing in Banff and Lake Louise and will try to get a sneak peak at Alberta's capital.
- Hello from the Canadian Rockies: A Final Walk Through Calgary
[Travel-and-Leisure] Our last couple of hours before our departure had arrived. We had left Banff at about 9:30 am and got into Calgary just shortly before 11, parked our car just east of downtown and set off on foot on our final walk to explore a bit more of downtown Calgary.
- Hello from Banff: Taking The Gondola Up To Sulphur Mountain and a Last Walk Through The Village
[Travel-and-Leisure] Our skiing had come to an end and I allocated the last full day in Banff to explore some more local attractions while my husband headed into Calgary to do some shopping. We got going at about 11:30 am and Nigel dropped me off at the foot of the Banff Gondola. This historic attraction has been around since 1959 and the gondola was just recently reconstructed and reopened in 1998 and features a state-of-the-art gondola system engineered by a Swiss gondola construction company.
- Hello from Banff - A Howling Adventure: Dog sledding with Snowy Owl Tours
[Travel-and-Leisure] On a crisp winter day, our coldest day so far, with a brilliant blue sky, I got going early at about 7:15 am and drove about 20 minutes from Banff to the tourist town of Canmore. This mountain town is located about an hour from Calgary, just 5 minutes outside the gates to the Banff National Park and is part of Kananaskis County , one of the main recreational areas just outside of Calgary. The Nakiska Ski area is not far from Canmore and it played host to the alpine events during the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
- Hello from the Canadian Rockies: Skiing in Lake Louise - Perfect Bliss on a Huge Mountain
[Travel-and-Leisure] Lake Louise strikes you for two reasons: the absolutely stunning scenery that surrounds it, and its huge size. Lake Louise is located in a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in Canada's first National Park. It has more than 4200 skiable acres (1700 hectares), which makes it one of the largest ski areas in all of North America. What's nice about Lake Louise, it offers all sorts of terrain, from bunny hills and easy green runs, to manageable blue runs and more difficult single and double-black diamond runs.
- Hello from Banff: High Altitude Skiing at Sunshine Village
[Travel-and-Leisure] We planned on an afternoon of skiing at Sunshine Village, one of the largest ski resorts in Canada. It is located just 15 minutes from Banff, going west on the TransCanada Highway. Sunshine Village is a pretty historic place and as a sk resort it dates all the way back to 1936.
- Hello from Banff - Arrival in Banff and Skiing at Norquay
[Travel-and-Leisure] On Sunday, after our high-intensity day in Calgary and after stocking up on groceries in the Mount Royal Area,, we left the city to head towards the Rocky Mountains. It was an interesting drive on Highway 1, the Transcanada Highway, heading towards the mountains. There were some interesing looking clouds on the horizon that kept us entertained on the drive and it didn't take us any more than about an hour and 15 mintues to get to Banff. We checked in at the Banff Rocky Mountain condominium resort and settled in for the evening to relax after a couple of really hectic days.
- Hello from Calgary - Exploring the Kensington Area and Meeting Kevin Nguyen
[Travel-and-Leisure] This morning after our lovely celebrity breakfast, Nigel and I decided to walk along 4th Street all the way downtown. At 7th Avenue we split up and he went to pick up our rental car. I decided to take the C-train, a light rapid rail system part of Calgary Transit.
- Hello from Calgary: A Delicious Dinner at Il Giardino
[Travel-and-Leisure] After catching a lovely and much needed rest at the historic Twin Gables Bed and Breakfast we set off to explore the immediate neighbourhood, the restaurant area on 4th Street. We were going to walk, but considering I had been really sick with an aweful chest cold in the last few days, venturing out into the cold evening air had me a little leery. Henry from the Twin Gables was really kind to offer us a drive a few blocks up to a restaurant called Il Giardino, one of the places that had come highly recommended for this area from Tourism Calgary.
- Hello from Calgary: Exploring C.O.P. (Canada Olympic Park)
[Travel-and-Leisure] Our 4-hour whirlwind tour provided by our local expert Jocelyne Morrison from Time Out for Touring took us into Alberta’s second most visited attraction outside of the Rockies: Canada Olympic Park, visited every year by more than 1.3 million people. This is the flagship site of the XV Olympic Winter Games, which were held in Calgary in 1988. It is located just 15 minutes from downtown on the west side towards the Rocky Mountains.
- Hello from the Canadian Rockies: First Impressions of Calgary
[Travel-and-Leisure] As so many times before, I used my Airmiles to book our flights to Calgary (with the Westjet Airmiles Mastercard you get to fly out west for only 1600 Airmiles instead of having to use 3000 Airmiles in high season with other airlines). As an astute traveller you have to look at every option of cutting your travel costs and Airmiles is one of my favourite tools. A direct flight took us from Toronto to Calgary in about three and a half hours.
- Hello from the Canadian Rockies: Our First Excursion to Calgary, Banff and Lake Louise
[Travel-and-Leisure] My husband and I try to go skiing for a week at least once a year and so far we've been to about 15 different ski resorts on the east coast, anywhere from Ontario to Quebec, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. But we had never been out west in the Rockies. Well, it was time to change that.....
- Hello from Ottawa: The Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
[Travel-and-Leisure] My schedule in Ottawa this past weekend was extremely compressed, but there was one place I wasn’t going to miss: the Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography. As a person with no formal background, yet a keen interest in the visual arts and photography, I have been wanting to visit this museum for a long time. And my Internet research revealed that the Museum is featuring a very special exhibition right now: two photographic series by Sunil Gupta, an Indian-born Canadian citizen, exploring issues of identity, culture and the immigrant experience.
- Hello from Ottawa: The Canadian War Museum and Its Special Exhibit Weapons of Mass Dissemination
[Travel-and-Leisure] Anybody who knows me and my personal family background knows that I absolutely abhor violence and war. War and conflict has existed all throughout human history and it has often baffled me that even in this day and age, in our supposedly advanced civilizations, we still haven’t found more peaceful ways of coexisting.
- Hello from Ottawa - Darcy McGee's on Sparks Street: An Irish Pub with a Bit of History
[Travel-and-Leisure] When travelling to a new place, you might as well combine history with a unique dining experience and good food. So literally steps away from our temporary home at the Lord Elgin Hotel, we found Darcy McGee's, which refers to itself as "Ottawa's Authentic Irish Pub". Darcy McGee's is located at the intersection of Sparks and Elgin Streets, just a stone's throw away from Parliament Hill and all of Ottawa's major sights.
- Hello from Ottawa - Confederation Park Celebrates Winterlude
[Travel-and-Leisure] Confederation Park is one of the main centres of Ottawa's Winterlude Festival, and what was excellent for us was that we were staying right across the street at the Lord Elgin Hotel. So all we had to do was literally cross the street and we were right in the heart of the action.
- Hello from Ottawa - The 26th Annual Bedz Races on Dow's Lake - Charity and Hilarity at the same time
[Travel-and-Leisure] When I was making my travel plans to Ottawa I had a look at all the events that are part of Winterlude, Ottawa's Winter Festival, and there was one event that caught my attention right away: the 26th Annual Bed Race at Dows lake.
- Hello from Ottawa - Skating on the Rideau Canal - Officially the World's Largest Skating Rink
[Travel-and-Leisure] There is no denying it: Ottawa is known is one of the coldest capitals in the world (only as far as temperatures are concerned though). But does that mean you stay at home during the winter and mope? Absolutely not! Ottawa has turned a potential liability into a key asset and really shows us how to celebrate winter.
- Ottawa - A Brisk Morning Walk to Parliament Hill
[Travel-and-Leisure] One of the interesting features of Ottawa is its architecture and Ottawa has many heritage sites. Parliament Hill with its historical neo-Gothic buildings was an area I wanted to discover in more detail.
- Hello from Ottawa - Ottawa's ByWard Market and the Mardi Gras Experience at Fat Tuesdays
[Travel-and-Leisure] After our arrival in Ottawa this afternoon and a very brief rest at our hotel, we went out in search of a satisfying dinner. The Lord Elgin Hotel is just about 15 minutes walk away from the Historic ByWard Market area, which is one of Ottawa's main entertainment areas.
- Hello from Ottawa - The Lord Elgin Hotel - A Historic Landmark in the Heart of Ottawa
[Travel-and-Leisure:Hotels-Accommodations] As far as travel to Ottawa is concerned, you’d be hard pressed to find a more central lodging location than the Lord Elgin Hotel. It is located right at the Intersection of Elgin and Laurier Streets, just steps away from Parliament Hill, the War Memorial, the Chateau Laurier, the Government Conference Centre and the National Arts Centre. Confederation Park, one of the main locations for Winterlude, is located right across the street.
- Hello from Ottawa - First Impressions and an Overview
[Travel-and-Leisure] My partner in crime Theresa and I went to Ottawa 3 or 4 years ago in the winter to catch Ottawa's famous winter festival "Winterlude". Unfortunately that year the weather was too warm and the weekend was a total wash-out. Even the ice sculptures had melted.
- Hello from Ottawa: My Packed Itinerary for My 2-Day Getaway to Canada's Capital
[Travel-and-Leisure] For a while my friend Theresa and I had been planning to go back to Ottawa and experience "Winterlude", Ottawa's winter festival. About three years ago we went to Ottawa, only to be rained out . Our main activity had fallen through: skating on the Rideau Canal, and even the ice sculptures had melted.
- Exploring Ontario in the Winter - Hello from Barrie: Lots of Winter Fun without Need for Mountains
[Travel-and-Leisure] Our winter getaway over the last two days was supposed to include a couple of different activities: snow-tubing and outdoor skating. Well, our outdoor skating fell through, due to the extraordinarily warm conditions, however, we had a beautiful day yesterday on Kempenfelt Bay in Barrie, where we enjoyed some great outdoor time on frozen Lake Simcoe.
- Exploring Ontario in the Winter - Bed and Breakfasting at Nicholyn Farms
[Travel-and-Leisure:Bed-Breakfast-Inns] Driving up to the Nicholyn Farms Bed and Breakfast you get welcomed by the hearty and healthy aroma of 2,200 organically raised pigs. This bed and breakfast was our destination for our quick winter getaway and as soon as we drove up the driveway we realized we had picked a great place.
- Exploring Ontario in the Winter- Hello from Barrie and Making German-Trinidadian-Austrian Connection
[Travel-and-Leisure] As much as I love the city (Toronto, that is), every once in a while I gotta get away and a few weeks ago I came up with the idea of a little winter weekend getaway with my sister-in-law Yolande and my nephew Jazz. So I started surfing around the Internet to see where we could go, and since I didn't want to spend several hours driving, I settled on a destination just about an hour outside of Toronto: I came up with the city of Barrie whose surrounding areas include several ski resorts.
- Banff - Lake Louise: Stunning Beauty and Nature At Its Best in the Canadian Rockies
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] For the first time ever, my husband and I are going to go skiing in the majestic Rocky Mountains: in March of 2006 we are going to go to stay a week in Banff, Alberta and we are also going to explore Lake Louise, the turquoise jewel of the Canadian Rockies. As we have never been to this region, I have started to do some research and contacted the official visitor information website for the communities of Banff and Lake Louise in Banff National Park.
- Living and Retiring Abroad: How about Nova Scotia, Dominica, Panama or Cuba?
[Travel-and-Leisure] Many of us dream of relocating to another country, perhaps to enjoy warmer weather, perhaps to experience a slower-paced lifestyle, perhaps because of a job transfer, or maybe simply because we are intrigued by a certain element of adventure and curiosity.
- Presenting: Toronto's WinterCity Festival - Culinary Treats, Arts and Entertainment
[Travel-and-Leisure] There is no doubt that Canada is a northern country and that our winters here in Toronto can sometimes be a little harsh. But that's no reason to hold anyone back from getting out there and enjoying the city to the fullest.
- Presenting: Ottawa's Byward Market - Special Events, Culture & Art, Boutiques and Culinary Delights
[Travel-and-Leisure] Ottawa has a myriad of sights to visit and the ByWard Market is one of the major entertainment areas in Ottawa. It combines a great selection of restaurants and night spots, with funky boutiques and retailers, galleries and artsy places and a busy outdoor market. Throw in a good dose of special events and you've got yourself a happening place!
- Presenting: Ottawa - Canada's Capital and An Exciting Travel Destination
[Travel-and-Leisure] In anticipation of my upcoming trip to Ottawa next weekend I have started to do some research and contacted Ottawa Tourism. Ottawa, as Canada's capital, is one of Canada's most popular travel destinations and it has a great variety destinations, activities and events to offer.
- Golf in Orlando: Playing Links-Style at the Royal St. Cloud - Unpretentious Golf at its Best
[Recreation-and-Sports:Golf] For a real links-style golf experience we discovered the Royal St. Cloud Golf Links, located in St. Cloud, about 25 minutes southeast of the Orlando airport or the Disney area. The Royal St. Cloud Links greet you with a rolling layout of links-style fairways, punctuated by classic links bunkers that feature names such as Hell, Spectacles, Devil's Pocket and Hoofprint. True to its link heritage, every club in the bag will be utilized as the terrain is naturally varied.
- Golf in Orlando: Timacuan Golf and Country Club
[Recreation-and-Sports:Golf] On our last full day in Florida we had a chance to play another beautiful golf course, this one located about half an hour north of downtown Orlando in the community of Lake Mary. Timacuan Golf and Country Club was built in 1987 and was originally designed by a Ron Garl. In 1996 the course was renovated by architect Bobby Weed and today it is ranked in the top 14 in the state of Florida. Timacuan's other accolades include having been chosen as one of the most golf-friendly courses for women by Golf for Women Magazine.
- A Walk Through St. Augustine - The Oldest Continuously Inhabited City in the United States
[Travel-and-Leisure] On our way home from Orlando, a little more than an hour into our 20+ hour road trip back to Toronto, we stopped in St. Augustine, "the nation's oldest city", just north of Jacksonville - indeed the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in the United States, having been founded by the Spanish in 1565.
- Orlando - Off the Beaten Path: Discovering Central Florida Without Visiting Any Theme Parks
[Travel-and-Leisure] One of my husband's favourite places is Florida, since he is an avid golfer and likes to get away from the cold Canadian winter for his birthday in early December.
- Golf in Orlando: Attending the Legendary Father Son Challenge Tournament at Champions Gate
[Travel-and-Leisure] After our exciting round at Mystic Dunes, it was only mid-afternoon on a gorgeous day with blue skies, so we decided to take a 10 minute drive and drop in on the Father Son Challenge at Champion's Gate, which has been held for the last 3 years at this golf course in the South part of Orlando. You can't miss Champion's Gate, when you first get off exit 58 on the I-4, the impressive main entrance gates to Champion's Gate are right there.
- Central Florida's Wildlife: An Abundance of Diversity
[Travel-and-Leisure] When you go to Florida, wildlife confronts you everywhere. Especially all the exotic birds fascinated me, often you come up close to subtropical bird species while playing golf or picnicking in a public park.
- Central Florida's Parks and Gardens Offer an Abundance of Colours, Shapes, and Textures
[Travel-and-Leisure] Florida has a great amount of biodiversity and nature lovers will enjoy the great variety of plants found in the Sunshine State. On our recent trip to Orlando we had a chance to visit several locations with a beautiful parks and gardens, such as the Harry P. Leu Gardens and the Historical Bok Sanctuary. Even my excursion on the Scenic Boat Tour in Winter Park brought me up close to some of the fascinating flowers and plants found in the Orlando area.
- Orlando Off the Beaten Path: The Serenity of the Historic Bok Sanctuary and Pinewood Estate
[Travel-and-Leisure] The Historic Bok Sanctuary is located about an hour southwest of Orlando near Lake Wales, also home to the Florida's Natural Visitor Center that I visited earlier in the day. The Sanctuary was founded by Edward W. Bok, who immigrated to America in 1869 from the Netherlands when he was 6 years old. Through determination and hard work, he became a highly successful publisher and editor of Ladies' Home Journal, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, respected humanitarian and an advocate of world peace and the environment.
- Learning about the Story of Citrus: Florida's Natural Visitor Center
[Travel-and-Leisure] One of the things that Florida is known for is, you guessed it, is orange juice! The citrus industry has been playing a big role in Central Florida for many decades, and considering its importance, I wanted to learn a bit more about it.
- Discovering Orlando's Historic Downtown Neighbourhoods and Parks
[Travel-and-Leisure] Downtown Orlando offers a welcome reprieve from the purpose-built areas to the south-west of the city that have been created solely to accommodate tourists. In fact, many of the historic downtown neighbourhoods are beautiful, offer a great variety of architecture, and give you a feeling of community where regular people actually live and work
- Exploring Orlando's Loch Haven Park: A Center of Arts and Culture
[Travel-and-Leisure] On this overcast day we decided to explore other areas of Orlando in more detail. About 10 minutes north of downtown Orlando is Loch Haven Park, an area that holds a number of major attractions, including theOrlando Museum of Art, the Mennello Museum of American Art as well as the Orlando Repertory Theatre, the Orlando-UCF Shakespeare Festival, the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Orlando Science Center.
- Mount Dora: Southern Charm in Central Florida
[Travel-and-Leisure] In my quest to find unusual destinations to visit in the Orlando area, I stumbled over a little town by the name of Mount Dora just about 45 minutes north of Orlando. I had read that it was a very picturesque small town located on a lake, and one of its main attractions was a scenic railway.
- A Little Picnic Lunch in Kissimmee
[Travel-and-Leisure] After our exhilarating airboat ride and swamp buggy tour at Boggy Creek, we snaked our way north towards Orlando and decided to have a picnic lunch in the Orlando suburb of Kissimmee. This town is located at the doorstep of Walt Disney World complex and offers a variety of tourist class accommodations near historic downtown Kissimmee. The historic downtown districts feature walking tours, antique shops, shopping, dining, or sightseeing.
- Our High and Low Speed Adventures at Boggy Creek Airboat Tours and Swamp Buggy Rides
[Travel-and-Leisure] After my rather quaint and leisurely scenic boat ride through Winter Park, a rather different boating experience was in store for me: a high speed airboat ride through Lake Tohopekaliga, provided by Boggy Creek Airboat Rides.
- The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour - Entertaining, Informative and a Visual Delight
[Travel-and-Leisure] The Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour, founded in 1938 and located just 15 minutes north of downtown Orlando, is one of these lovely side trips that combine beautiful scenery, a bit of local history, some close-up exposure to local wildlife and vegetation with a relaxing outing in a slow-moving 18-passenger pontoon boat, all complete with expert (and sometimes humorous) narration provided by the boat's captain.
- A Walk through Winter Park - A Hint of New England in Florida
[Travel-and-Leisure] Just a few minutes north of downtown Orlando awaits Winter Park, a charming picturesque suburb steeped in history. After my excursion on the Scenic Boat Tour, my local expert Wanda Salerno took me on a little walk through town past beautiful historic neighbourhoods.
- Exploring Downtown Orlando - A Beautiful Walk Around Lake Eola
[Travel-and-Leisure] After our interesting visits to the Orange County Regional History Center and the Well's Built Museum of African-American Culture and History, we decided to continue our explorations of downtown Orlando and its surrounding historic neighbourhoods. After driving through beautiful residential areas, framed by majestic oak trees adorned by Spanish Moss, we decided to take a stroll around beautiful Lake Eola, which is just minutes from downtown's Heritage Square, home of the Orange County Regional History Center, and every second, third and fourth Saturday of the month is also home to a lively farmer's market. By this time, the sun was starting to set and Lake Eola and the surrounding highrises were bathed in the golden hues of sunset.
- An Orlando Jewel: The Wells Built Museum of African American History and Culture
[Travel-and-Leisure] After I had received a general overview of the history of the Orlando area in the Orange County Regional History Center, I wanted to delve a little deeper into the social history of the Orlando area, and the Wells Built Museum of African American History and Culture was going to give me a more in-depth look into Orlando's African American history.
- Orange County Regional History Center: A Great Introduction to Central Florida's History and Culture
[Travel-and-Leisure] Exploring Orlando "Off the Beaten Path" has been the theme for our trip and I intend to explore the Central areas of the Sunshine State, and flush out all those unexpected and unconventional destinations in and around Orlando. In my discoveries of Orlando, I have been working closely with the Orlando Visitor and Convention Bureau, to get the input of local experts and work out an itinerary for our two weeks in Florida, without setting foot once into a theme park.
- Preview: Susanne Schleyer - A German Photographer Confronts German History
[Book-Reviews:Arts-Photography] My brother continues to be a great source for new story ideas. Just like he recently linked me up with Bruce Bell, one of Toronto's most well known experts and historians, he recently read about a German photographer by the name of Susanne Schleyer who had just published a new book, "Unterwegs" ("On the Road") with 100 photos and stories from 12 different cities: Amsterdam, Berlin, Buenos Aires, Jerusalem, London, Paris, Prague, Rom, San Francisco, Saint Petersburg, Venice, and Vienna.
- Interview: Dr. Arya Goes Trekks Through Nepal - His Most Intense Travel Experience Ever
[Travel-and-Leisure] I have written about my dentist before who is a really cool guy. Not only is he a dentist, but he is also a practicing lawyer. More than that he is also a world traveller and an active global volunteer. Dr. Arya recently did a treek through Nepal, which he described as his most challenging travel experience ever, physically and mentally. Read here about his adventure in Nepal:
- Travel Guide - Chicago
[Travel-and-Leisure] Chicago is one of the great cities of the world and one of my favourite destinations for long weekend getaways. Here you will find some useful information about this city that will enable you to plan your own escape to Chicago.
- Hello from Chicago - The Field Museum and Pompeii - Stories from an Eruption
[Travel-and-Leisure] Yesterday I got up early again and typed up my travel reports on the free computer at the Arlington House. Then my friend Linda and I made our way to one of our favourite Chicago hangouts for breakfast: the "Bourgeois Pig Cafe" is located close to the intersection of Fullerton and Halsted/Lincoln and is a 2 story cozy cafe with a small sitting area and patio downstairs, and a beautiful converted living room and balcony upstairs. I had one of my favourite breakfast indulgences: a deluxe Belgian waffle with strawberries, whipped cream, pecans and brown sugar, just a sinful treat on a hungry stomach.
- Hello from Chicago - Chinatown and Second City
[Travel-and-Leisure] After thoroughly exploring the Pullman Historic District, we decided to check out Chinatown, one of the many ethnic neighbourhoods that Chicago has to offer. The weather had turned from cool and grey with the occasional peek of sunshine to dark, rainy and cold, so rather than walking around we decided to have an early dinner at a Chinatown restaurant called the Lobster King.
- Hello from Chicago - A Visit to the Pullman Historic District
[Travel-and-Leisure] After being appropriately prepped as a result of our visit to the Chicago Cultural Center we decided to head off yesterday to visit the Pullman Historic District, a planned industrial and residential community dating back to the 1880s, on Chicago's South Side.
- Hello from Chicago - A Personal Tour of the Chicago Cultural Center
[Travel-and-Leisure] Yesterday, after our lovely Austrian breakfast we went downtown to the Chicago Cultural Center, the main downtown information hub for tourists, to ask some questions about the Pullman Historic District, a planned industrial community, built in the 1880s by industrial magnate George Pullman, creator of the famous Pullman sleeper cars. We figured this would be an interesting place to visit since it brings together architecture, social and industrial history, and it would really give us insight into one of the most interesting personalities of Chicago's history.
- Hello from Chicago - Multiple Austrian Connections
[Travel-and-Leisure] So the two of us expatriate Austrians are staying at the Arlington House Hostel, in itself an exciting experience, to be immersed in this environment of young (and older) travellers from all over the world.
- Hello from Chicago - What a Fabulously Photogenic City
[Travel-and-Leisure] Yesterday I woke up at 5:00 am Chicago time and I figured I might as well get ahead of the crowd at the Arlington House Youth Hostel and take an early shower. At 6 am I was already on the Internet, recording my first impressions of this exciting city and by 6:30 am I had left the hostel. It was still pretty dark outside and the sun was just slowly starting to come up.
- Hello from Chicago - First Impressions
[Travel-and-Leisure] So here I am again, on another short excursion away from home. I've been awake for an hour already and decided the best thing is to get up and put my first impressions on paper. Since there is only a one hour time difference between Toronto and Chicago I decided yesterday I wasn't even going to change my watch over.
- Hello from Caledon, Elora & Guelph: Fall Colours, Ghosts, and Ghouls
[Reference-and-Education:Paranormal] Fall is one of the most beautiful seasons in Ontario, and after last weeks early fall colour tour through the Kawarthas east of Toronto, it was time yesterday to check out the areas west of Toronto. My husband and I set off on the highway, left the 401 at Mississauga Road and drove north into rolling agricultural farmland. Our first interesting village along the way was Glen Williams, a little hamlet outside of Georgetown, whose former sawmill now houses more than 30 artists and artisans. We headed north along the scenic Credit River and drove up onto the Niagara Escarpment and literally stumbled over the Cheltenham Brickworks, a now abandoned brickmaking factory dating back to 1930 that utilized the area's clay soil to manufacture bricks for Toronto's housing boom. Abandoned industrial buildings always hold a strange fascination for me, and they offer great opportunities for curious photographers.
- Hello from Toronto - A Culinary Tour of St. Lawrence Market & An Exploration of St. Lawrence Hall
[Travel-and-Leisure] Life works in really strange and wonderful ways. At the beginning of this week I talked to my brother in Austria on the phone, and he said he'd been reading this German travel magazine and there was a big write-up about a Toronto-based tour guide who provides culinary tours of the St. Lawrence Market, one of my brother's favourite places that he discovered on his recent trip to Toronto.
- An Update from Danielle Lafond from Mancora, Peru (2)
[Travel-and-Leisure] At the end of July I saw a brief feature on local TV about a Canadian couple who had mortgaged their home to create an international non-profit development organization in Peru, starting with shipping a container full of donated medical supplies to a small town on the Peruvian coast. I didn't catch the person's name, but I did catch the website: www.paraelmundo.org. Once on the site I sent an email, and Josh, the co-founder of this organization, got back to me in an email from Peru to arrange an interview with his wife, Danielle, who had came up with the idea for this project.
- An Update from Danielle Lafond from Mancora, Peru
[Travel-and-Leisure] At the end of July I saw a brief feature on local TV about a Canadian couple who had mortgaged their home to create an international non-profit development organization in Peru, starting with shipping a container full of donated medical supplies to a small town on the Peruvian coast. I didn't catch the person's name, but I did catch the website: www.paraelmundo.org. Once on the site I sent an email, and Josh, the co-founder of this organization, got back to me in an email from Peru to arrange an interview with his wife, Danielle, who had came up with the idea for this project.
- Bestselling Author Barbara Winter Coming Up!
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] As an entrepreneur, fledgling creative person and travel enthusiast myself, I always keep learning from other entrepreneurs who have successfully combined business, creativity and travel in their own way. Last fall I took a seminar at the Learning Annex in Toronto with the title “How To Support Your Wanderlust”, which ended up being a very entertaining and informative seminar.
- Presenting - BARBARA WINTER!
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] Well, I am really excited to be able to present to you my first interview: Barbara Winter, best-selling author and creative entrepreneur extraordinaire. I am always fascinated by people who manage to combine their artistic and creative talents with being a successful entrepreneur. In the end that’s what I am aspiring to achieve.
- Second Interview Coming Up: Karla Darocas!
[Travel-and-Leisure] My Second Interview: Karla Darocas – Expatriate Canuck in Spain!
As you will probably know by now, I have a real fascination for everything Spanish (my article on Hispanophilia will attest to that), so I headed over to Spain twice last year. On my second trip where I visited places such as Barcelona, Tarragona, Valencia, Montserrat and Ibiza, I also spent a couple of days on the Costa Blanca, the most easterly part of Spain that sticks out into the Mediterranean.
- Karla Darocas: Artist, Entrepeneur, and Canuck Expatriate in Spain
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] I had an opportunity to meet Karla last year on one of my trips to Spain. My interview preview will give you a bit of background on our meeting. Karla is a fascinating individual, a painter, writer and overall creative person, but also an entrepreneur with a bit of an alternative flair. Here is what she has to say about her experience as a North American expatriate living in Spain.
- My Dentist - A Really Cool Guy!
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] I am very excited that I will be able to conduct my third interview very soon. This time it will be with my dentist, Dr. Rajiv Arya, who, as you will see, is a very interesting, unique and multi-faceted individual.
- Coming Up: Jeff Minthorn, Editor of Verge Magazine
[Travel-and-Leisure] Not only am I a travel nut, but I am also a voracious reader. One of the magazines I picked up recently is called Verge and I felt it really stood out from the crowd of travel magazines. The magazine’s motto is “study – work – volunteer – travel” and it focuses on traveling with a purpose.
- Presenting Jeff Minthorn - Editor of Verge Magazine
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] A little while ago I mentioned that I stumbled across Verge Magazine by accident and that I planned to interview its editor, Jeff Minthorn.
- Presenting: Dr. Rajiv Arya, My Cool Dentist
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] When your eyes are open you tend to find wonderful and extraordinary people right around you. My dentist, Dr. Rajiv Arya, is one of those indivdiuals. Whenever I go to have my teeth checked we end up having a very deep conversation, and I always marvel at what Dr. Arya is involved in. Not only is he a practicing dentist and a practicing lawyer, Dr. Arya has volunteered his time and expertise in places like India, Malawi, Zambia, and of course, Canada. He is one of the most multi-faceted individuals I know. Without further ado, here he is: Dr. Arya:
- The Adventurer Next Door - My Friend Leslie in Antigua
[Travel-and-Leisure] My good friend Leslie recently had a chance to go on a trip to Antigua. Although on a package deal, she managed to get in a few adventures off the beaten track and explore the island in her own ways. Here's her story:
- Cultural Insights - Karla Darocas Talks About Spain - Men, Women, Family, Church, Even Pets
[Travel-and-Leisure] Of course you know by now that I have a true fascination for Spanish language and culture and Spain continues to one of my favourite destinations. Spain is a fascinating country, a modern Western European country, anchored in a long history that was shaped by many different cultures, first and foremost the Ancient Romans and the Moors.
- Coming Up: An Interview with Gail Morse from Big Apple Greeters - New York City's Greeters
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] Big Apple Greeters is an organization of local New York City volunteers that give their personal time to out-of-town visitors and show them around local neighbourhoods and sites. I have just had a chance to connect with Gail Morse, the organization's Director of Marketing and Public Relations and Marketing, who will be able to answer some of my questions about the Greeter program in the next few weeks.
- Coming Up: My Friend Carol - Expert on Istanbul
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] One of the things I like to do on my website is shine the spotlight on regular people like you and me who have chosen to do something a little unusual with their time and who have managed to live a unique cross-cultural experience.
So one of these special people is my friend Carol, a multi-talented highschool teacher, who, as I recently found out, is also an accomplished painter and pianist.
- Coming Up - An Interview with Jerry Gain - European Tour Expert and Urban Visionary
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] Human connections are strange sometimes. Through a friend of a friend I heard about Jerry, who lives just about 5 minutes from me. I heard that, through his company A Perfect Tour, he runs specialized unique tours to places like Tuscany and Greece, and I also heard that he is involved in an initiative to revitalize Toronto's Waterfront, something that the citizens of Toronto have waited decades for to come to fruition.
- Coming Up: Sue Kenney and the Camino De Santiago: Pilgrim, Best-Selling Author & Workshop Designer
[Arts-and-Entertainment:Humanities] In October of last year I attended a presentation at the Spanish Centre in Toronto, entitled "Camino de Santiago", an event to which I had brought 6 of my friends who I throught would enjoy this topic. I enjoyed that evening very much and I was intrigued by the speaker, Sue Kenney, who is a very unusual individual. Sue has a very special, spiritual energy and her inner peace, strength and confidence radiate visibly.
- Sue Kenney and the Camino De Santiago: Pilgrim, Best-Selling Author, Keynote Speaker, & Coach
[Travel-and-Leisure] I am very happy to be able to present to you Sue Kenney, a very fascinating individual, a consummate athlete and master rower, a pilgrim to one of the world's biggest pilgrimage destinations - Spain's Camino de Santiago, a best-selling author, sought-after keynote speaker and coach, and more than anything else, a spiritual leader.
- The Traveller Next Door: My Friend Carol - Expert on Turkey and Greece
[Travel-and-Leisure] My friend Carol, a wonderful and unique woman in her early 50s, is a high school math teacher, a gifted painter, a very decent piano player, and what else - a world traveller. I only really met her about a year ago or so, but once I found out all the places that she'd been to I knew I had to do an interview with her.
- "Doors Open" - Toronto's Architectural Festival - Free of Charge!
[Travel-and-Leisure] You may have figured out by now that I am bit of an architecture buff. Well, the great thing is, since 2000 Toronto has its very own free-access architecture weekend where you can get access to more than 140 interesting buildings, many of which are usually closed to the public.
- One of Toronto's Biggest Festivals: Pride Toronto
[Travel-and-Leisure] Just recently I had a chance to sit down with Natasha Garda, Co-Chair, and Leon Mar, Media Coordinator of Pride Toronto. Pride Week is the fun and fabulous arts and culture festival that happens in the last week of June each year in Toronto. Pride Week celebrates our diverse sexual and gender identities, histories, cultures, families, friends and lives and has become one of Toronto's biggest festivals and yearly entertainment events.
- Presenting: CARIBANA - Toronto's Huge Caribbean Cultural Festival
[Travel-and-Leisure] I had a chance to talk with John Kam, Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors, about one of Toronto's greatest special events and tourist attractions: Caribana, the city's hugely popular and internationally renowned festival of Caribbean culture which is scheduled this year for July 15 to August 1, 2005.
- Presenting: Pier 21: Canada's "Front Door" to Millions of Immigrants
[Travel-and-Leisure] I am fascinated by human stories and by intercultural connections. The immigrant experience combines both these elements. On the continuum of intercultural experiences from tourist to traveller to long-term visitor / expatriate to becoming a permanent resident in a new country, the immigrant experience involves the most extreme and intense form of cultural interchange, and often confrontation. As an immigrant myself, I have experienced first-hand the effects of culture shock and it took me about 4 years to really settle emotionally in my new home country of Canada.
- Coming Up: An Interview with Mony Dojeiji Who Walked 5000 Km from Rome to Jerusalem - For Peace
[Travel-and-Leisure] Since I started this website I have had an opportunity to connect with many fascinating people and Mony Dojeij is certainly one of them. My good friend Sue Kenney connected me with Mony, and when I first talked to her by telephone in her new home in the beautiful Atlantic seaside town of Cadiz in Spain I knew I had connected with another kindred spirit.
- Toronto Hippo Tours: I Went On A Bus - In The Water.......
[Travel-and-Leisure] Some time ago I noticed these odd shaped colourful bus-type vehicles in the streets of Toronto, and I was wondering what they were. I caught a second glimpse and I saw "Toronto Hippo Tours", and I realized that these buses carry sightseeing passengers not just on the streets of Toronto, but also in the waters of Lake Ontario. Considering that this form of intermodal transportation is definitely unconventional, it just recently came to me that I should do an interview with this company and go on one of the vehicles myself.
- Martina and Jennifer's Mother-Daughter Bonding Trip - Cycling 1400 Km
[Recreation-and-Sports:Cycling] Martina and I play tennis in the same league and funny enough she even looks a little like the other Martina (Navratilova), just prettier. Needless to say, some of her shots are quite like the other Martina's too, and in our last encounter Martina and her partner won against my husband and me in a hard-fought 3-set match.
- My Buddy Mario - A True World Traveller and Conoisseur of Intercultural Experiences
[Travel-and-Leisure] In the 16 years that I have known my friend Mario I have heard many different tales of his world travels and he is one of those people who have lived, worked and hitchhiked through different exotic countries. Mario is a Toronto high school teacher and teaches French and world issues. He spent time living and working in places like Thailand, Indonesia, Mexico and Quebec and came face-to-face with often vastly different cultures.
- Doctors Without Borders - A Global Volunteer Organization Helping People In Crisis Regions
[News-and-Society] One of the subjects I am going to research in the near future is combining travel with volunteer opportunities all over the world. Volunteering is a great way of exploring different cultures while making a positive contribution to important causes.
- Interview Preview: Danielle & Josh Remortgage Their Home to Set Up Their Own Non-Profit Organization
[Travel-and-Leisure] Last week I saw a brief feature on local TV about a Canadian couple who had mortgaged their home to create an international development organization in Peru, starting with shipping a container full of donated medical supplies to a small town on the Peruvian coast. I didn't catch the person's name, but I did catch the website: www.paraelmundo.org.
- Mony Dojeiji and Her 5000 Km Walk for Peace from Rome to Jerusalem
[Travel-and-Leisure] One of the absolute pleasures of working on this website is that I am able to connect with some phenomenal people. Individuals who have done unusual things, and in many cases made a contribution to important causes.
- Grouse Mountain - the Peak of Vancouver - A Four-Season Destination
[Travel-and-Leisure] Virtually all my favourite travel spots in the world combine mountains and water and Vancouver just has it all. Located on the edge of the Pacific, surrounded by the Coastal Mountain Range, Vancouver is a scenic dream. Just about 15 minutes from downtown Vancouver you can enjoy wonderful vistas over the city all the way south to the Olympic Mountains in Washington State - Grouse Mountain is the "Peak of Vancouver" and provides the best viewpoints of the area as well as a host of year-round activities.
- Preview: Robert & Bette Allekotte - Servas Members, Family Travellers, Volunteers for Peace
[Travel-and-Leisure] I met a broad range of interesting folks at the recent Canada-US Servas Conference in Vancouver and among the first people I met were Robert & Bette Allekotte from New Jersey. They are both teachers and retired just recently, at only 53 years of age. Today they live on a little island off New Jersey that is connected by a bridge to the mainland.
- Preview: Gilbert Sherr - Servas Member, World Traveller, Social and Political Researcher
[Travel-and-Leisure] The second person I had a chance to get to know at the Servas Conference was Gilbert Sherr, a communications professional from Atlanta where he was born and raised.
- Mary Jane Mikuriya - Servas Traveller and Commited Local Volunteer in San Francisco
[Travel-and-Leisure] Well, if leading a positive life and dedicating your time to worthwhile causes keeps you young, Mary Jane is the perfect poster girl for this lifestyle. When I first met Mary Jane during the Canada-US Servas Conference, I thought she might be in her late 40s, early 50s. Once I got to know her on a more personal level I found out that she is 70! She didn't mind sharing her age, and her youthful energy and positive spirit captured me.
- Pablo Chufeni: Servas Traveller, a Bundle of Energy and Creator of International Language Exchange
[Travel-and-Leisure] The first impression of Pablo Chufeni is that he's just a bundle of energy - Pablo just radiates optimism and enthusiasm. He is from Argentina, in his twenties, and works in a variety of professions, including as a professor teaching theatre, and as a TV producer. He got his first work experience at a local program of a developing bank, working with poor teenagers. Beyond these varied work activities, Pablo dedicates a huge amount of his time as a volunteer for Servas, and as you will find out soon, he is working on setting up a number of exciting international youth initiatives for this organization.
- Preview: Helga Smith - Servas Traveller, Marathon Runner, Conqueror of Mount Kilimanjaro
[Travel-and-Leisure] When I first met Helga Smith at the Canada-US Servas Conference, she gave me a brief introduction to her life decade by decade, and every decade held something else that was interesting and completely different. Helga will have a chapter in a book called "Women Who Rock", which is to be published in the near future. The book features a variety of female movers and shakers who stand out not so much for their financial and entrepreneurial success but for their unique way of overcoming major challenges in their lives, their athletic accomplishments and community involvement.
- An Interview with Helga Smith: Servas Traveller, Marathon Runner and Conqueror of Mount Kilimanjaro
[Travel-and-Leisure] I had a chance to meet Helga recently at the Servas Conference that I covered in Vancouver. Once you read Helga's story you'll realize why she has been included in a recent book called "Women Who Rock", featuring the stories of women who have made outstanding contributions to business, sports or community endeavours.
- Presenting: Valma Brenton - Owner of "Sailing for Women" - International Entrepreneur
[Travel-and-Leisure:Sailing] In my search for interesting people I recently decided that I needed to focus on finding more women that have done interesting and unusual things. So off I went and searched on the Internet and sure enough, I stumbled across a website called www.sailingforwomen.com, and I figured that the owner would probably be a woman herself and might have an interesting story to tell.
- Mony Dojeiji and Her 5000 Km Walk for Peace - Part II
[Travel-and-Leisure] Here is part 2 of Mony's story who went from being a Microsoft sales executive to completing a pilgrimage on the world-famous Camino de Santiago, which made her decide to complete a 5000 km long Walk for Peace for 13 months through 13 countries. Click here to access part I of her fascinating story.
- Presenting: Robert & Bette Allekotte - Servas Members, Family Travellers, Volunteers for Peace
[Travel-and-Leisure] Robert and Bette were among the people I had a chance to get to know at the Canada-US Servas conference which was held in Vancouver from August 5 to 8, 2005. At 53 years of age, both retired recently since they view time as one of their most precious assets.
- Presenting: Mary Jane Mikuriya - Servas Traveller and Committed Local Volunteer in San Francisco
[Travel-and-Leisure] When I first met Mary Jane at the recent Canadian-US Servas Conference in Vancouver, her youthful radiance struck me. I thought she might be in her early fifties, and then she revealed that she is 70! No wonder - here is a woman who exudes optimism, who always has a smile on her face. As a long-term member of Servas in the United States, Mary Jane has travelled the world, and by being a host she has brought the world into her home - in fact in almost 30 years she has opened her home to around 300 travellers from all over the world.
- Living, Working and Volunteering Abroad: Danielle Lafond Remortgages Her Condo
[Travel-and-Leisure] Some time in July I was watching our local TV station, CityTV, and I caught a part of a report about a Toronto couple that had remortgaged their home to start a non-profit community development organization in a small town on the Pacific Coast in Peru. I didn't catch their name or their contact information, only the website: www.paraelmundo.org. I used the contact email on the website to try to locate this couple and to ask them for an interview.
- Presenting: Pablo Chufeni - Servas Traveller and a Champion of Cross-Border Youth Exchanges
[Travel-and-Leisure] I met Pablo at the Canada-US Servas Conference that was held at the beginning of August in Vancouver where I had a chance to spend about an hour and a half with him to find out more about his involvement as a volunteer for Servas, an organization with hosts and travellers in more than 130 countries whose motto is "Travel for peace" to promote greater inter-cultural understanding and tolerance. Pablo is one of those people who always has a smile on his face and he is filled with an incredible amount of energy. Through Servas he has travelled through a variety of European and North and South American countries.
- Coming Up: An Interview Scott Rains - World Traveller and Expert on Disabled Travel
[Travel-and-Leisure] For some reason or another, the work on this website keeps connecting me with some interesting and outstanding individuals. Scott Rain (Dr. Scott Rain, that is), contacted me this morning since he had come across my website and felt he wanted to contribute some of his expertise on disabled travel to the Travel and Transitions audience. Scott and I had a long chat this afternoon and based on our shared mutual interests, Scott will become a regular contributor here on this website as an expert on disabled travel.
- Presenting: Scott Rains - World Traveller, Disabled Travel Advocate & Expert on Universal Design
[Travel-and-Leisure] Scott contacted me about a week ago after having come across this website. We realized that we shared a lot of common philosophies and emails started flying back and forth furiously, capped off by a very long telephone conversation.
- Interview Preview: Danielle Weiss - Latin America Fan and Sustainable Travel Expert
[Travel-and-Leisure] Sustainable travel has been an issue I have been interested in for a while now and through G.A.P Adventures, the sponsor of the grand prize for our soon to be launched Travel Story Contest, I was able to learn more about the topic of sustainable tourism.
- Interview Preview: Bruce Poon Tip - Global Adventure Travel Entrepreneur with a Conscience
[Travel-and-Leisure:Adventure-Travel] Yesterday I had a chance to meet Bruce Poon Tip, owner and CEO of G.A.P Adventures, one of Canada's most successful travel entrepreneurs. You may wonder, what is he like? Bruce is the owner of Canada's largest adventure travel company, an attractive man of about 37 years of age, dressed in casual attire and not afraid to speak off the cuff.
- Hello from the Kawarthas - Early Fall Colours, Scarecrows, & Frogmen
[Travel-and-Leisure] Fall is one of the most beautiful seasons in Ontario when forests light up in hues of yellow, orange and red. It's the perfect time for drives in the countryside, to visit small villages, check out farmer's markets, attend country fairs. We've had a long hot summer this year, even as I write this we are expecting temperatures 10 degrees Celsius above average. As a result the fall colour season is a little delayed, but that did not change the fact that it was time for a country driving tour.
- Slovenia - A Little Jewel
[Travel-and-Leisure] During my trip in November I had a chance to explore Slovenia a little bit, with our brief stops in Ljubljana and our overnight stay in Piran on the Adriatic coast. Slovenia is a tiny beautiful country with a population of less than 2 million people.
- Local Explorations - Hello from Lake Ontario's Waterfront Trail
[Travel-and-Leisure] In our neck of the woods the summer has been absolutely gorgeous, a little on the hot and humid side occasionally, but I am unable to recall a summer that has been so warm and sunny as this summer of 2005.
- Presenting: Chris Ronneseth - Adventure Travel Expert!
[Travel-and-Leisure:Adventure-Travel] I recently had a chance to talk to Chris Ronneseth of Trek Holidays (see interview preview) who gave me a good overview of adventure travel, an area of travel I definitely would like to explore sooner than later...
- Booking a Language Study Trip
[Travel-and-Leisure] You probably know by now that one of my personal passions is languages. I truly love the mental challenge of learning foreign languages and I think even a tiny amount of local language knowledge makes a stay in a foreign country so much more pleasant. It allows us to communicate with the locals in their language, and even if we don’t speak their language well, as long as we make an effort, they really appreciate it.
- Toronto: Festivals, Parks, Sports & Recreation
[Travel-and-Leisure] Toronto is a city with great recreational opportunities. There are so many activities to choose from and there’s a festival or special event going on virtually every week.
- Toronto: Sights, Culture, Shopping
[Travel-and-Leisure] Toronto has a multitude of ethnic neighbourhoods, including Greektown (where the action keeps going until way after midnight), Little Italy, Corso Italia, 3 Chinatowns, Korea Town, Little Poland, Little India, Portugal Village. Other ethnic communities also congregate in certain parts of town and you can explore Jewish, Russian, Ukrainian, Somalian and many other restaurants and stores.
- Toronto - A Pretty Hip Place!
[Travel-and-Leisure] I know I am a little biased, but really, Toronto is a GREAT place. I have lived in the Greater Toronto Area for the last 18+ years and for the last almost 10 years I have lived right in the City of Toronto. And I love it! I wanted to put together a little profile of Toronto, this quirky, multicultural microcosm of a city.
- Help! for Sun-Starved Canadians
[Travel-and-Leisure] A few weeks ago, around my husband’s birthday, we were thinking of taking off for a quick package-deal week in the sun. We never got to go because I was too busy at work, but we started looking into it anyway.
- Preparing for Austria (Graz / Styria)
[Travel-and-Leisure] So, barely 4 weeks after getting back from Barcelona and Ibiza I am getting ready for another trip, this time back to my home country of Austria. I have to take care of some business issues in Austria, and in addition to that, I am heading over for my 20th high school graduation reunion! Scary stuff, I must say. I left Austria 18 years ago, and with the exception of 1 or 2 people, I haven't seen anybody I went to school with for almost 2 decades...
- New York City - Budget Accommodation Guide - Hostels
[Travel-and-Leisure] Hostels generally offer dormitory no-frill style accommodation, separated by gender, with shared bathrooms. Most hostels offer real budget type of accommodation with only the very basics. Some hostels do offer private rooms, however, and occasionally these rooms may even have a private bathroom. Many hostels offer shared kitchens and living areas and some also have Internet access on site.
- New York City - Budget Accommodation Guide - Bed & Breakfasts
[Travel-and-Leisure:Bed-Breakfast-Inns] In my experience, bed and breakfasts are one of the best ways of experiencing a new place. In many cases the rates can be quite reasonable although there is an increasing number of high end luxury bed and breakfasts and inns, many of whom may end up charging several hundred dollars per night as well. At some of the more budget-oriented B&Bs you can get a simple, yet usually comfortable room, often with unique décor.
- Interview with Ivana Grzetic - Former Miss Universe Croatia - Now Sea Kayaking Entrepreneur
[Travel-and-Leisure:Cruising] In one of my searches on the Internet about interesting travel websites I found a site on sea kayaking in the Adriatic. I contacted the webmaster to do a mutual link exchange and upon further investigation, I asked Ivana, one of the founders of the website, to actually do an interview with me. As you will see, she is an expert on Croatia and a pretty interesting individual herself.
- Green Travel - Making Better Environmental Travel Choices
[Travel-and-Leisure] We all hear the term “global warming” all the time. During recent months I have started to read travel stories how the permanent ice cap of Mount Kilimanjaro is melting, how ski resorts in the Alps are going to be closing permanently due to lack of snow fall, how glaciers are melting in the Arctic, how increasingly more frequent and severe weather disturbances are disrupting tourism, and on and on the stories go.
- Interview with US Servas: Servas Fosters Peace through Intercultural Exchange
[Travel-and-Leisure] How to become a concerned traveler, not just a tourist..
Servas travelers are warmly welcomed in more than 15,000 homes throughout the world.
- Caretaking - An Innovative, Cost-Saving Concept in the Travel Industry
[Travel-and-Leisure] I am always on the lookout for innovative, unconventional, and first and foremost, cost-saving ways to travel. I recently came across the concept of "caretaking", i.e. looking after other people's (often beautiful) properties and estates, as a way of procuring rent-free living opportunities in interesting places.
- "Captain Ron" Talks About The Houseboating Lifestyle -Travel Full-Time - Affordably
[Travel-and-Leisure] It was a beautiful evening for a stroll tonight, so I went down to one of my favourite places: Toronto's waterfront. Listening to the melee of languages, observing the broad mixture of people, I was thinking about upcoming travel plans, business issues, articles to write for the website, and many other things.
- Presenting: Dan and Judith Talk About Their Fabulous Two-Year House-Swapping Experience
[Travel-and-Leisure] Through a friend of mine I met Dan and Judith, a professional couple in their 50s who spent two fabulous years in Provence, having traded their lovely Toronto home against a country house in the south of France. Here is the story of the two most exciting years of their lives, how they prepared for this experience, where they lived, how they integrated with the locals and the expatriate community.
- Big Apple Greeter: New York City's Fabulous Free Way of Welcoming Visitors & Showing Them Around
[Travel-and-Leisure] Several cities now have "Greeter" or "Ambassador" programs, where local volunteers provide out-of-town travelers with their time and knowledge of their city. I have used these greeter services twice, once in 2003 in Chicago, and just recently this May in New York City.
- RV-ing: Another Creative, Even Affordable Way to Integrate Travel into Your Lifestyle
[Travel-and-Leisure] Non-mainstream forms of travel have fascinated me for a long time. Combine that with affordable travel and the possibility to make the travel experience a full-time lifestyle, and I am intrigued even more.
- Living and Working Abroad: British Family Moves to Spain and Opens an Adventure Travel Company
[Travel-and-Leisure:Adventure-Travel] I connected with Mel and Marie just recently, from one webmaster to another, through working on our mutual websites. I found out that the couple had just recently moved to Spain from Britain and set up an adventure travel company that after one only year in business is already doing pretty well.
- Travel and Work: Interview with Krista Scott: Harvest Work in Australia, Teaching English in Vietnam
[Travel-and-Leisure] I always keep my eyes open for interesting people, and Krista Scott just absolutely grabbed my attention. I first met Krista 2 days ago on a whitewater kayaking weekend where she accompanied our group to do our first kayaking lessons on the Ottawa River. In the van she told us that she recently did a 13 month trip to Australia where she did all sorts of harvest work in different locations.
- Travel Photography - Some Basic Resources
[Travel-and-Leisure] I have been experimenting for a while now with travel photography, and every time I go away I take hundreds of pictures. The most I ever took on a trip were 900+ pictures on my trip last year to Spain! After that experience I realized that almost 1000 pictures was a bit much and it took me a very long time to sort out my images.
- Spain
[Travel-and-Leisure] Spain is a country with a long proud history including settlement by the Ancient Romans and many centuries of domination by the Moors. It is a country of great diversity, with mountain ranges in the North East, beautiful beaches in the South and a luscious green coastline in the north. Spain is great for lovers of the outdoor, whether you enjoy hiking, biking or other outdoor pursuits.
- Italy
[Travel-and-Leisure] Italy is an extremely diverse country and one of my favourites. It has a fascinating history, going back to the ancient Romans and beyond and was a cultural powerhouse during the Renaissance period. It is truly one of the cradles of Western civilization.
- Greece:
[Travel-and-Leisure] Ancient Greek culture thrived from the 3rd millennium to the first century B.C. and its cultural accomplishments, art, architecture and philosophy deeply influenced thinkers, writers and artists in many subsequent civilizations. The concept of democracy originated in ancient Greece and became the foundation of political principles for most modern nations. Greece – truly one of the cradles of modern civilization.
- Germany:
[Travel-and-Leisure] After a very turbulent history, Berlin is now Germany's capital - again. After Germany's reunification in 1990 steps were put in place to restore Berlin's splendour. After being the center of Germany's imperial past, it became the headquarters of Nazi Germany and places like the Reichstag recall that era of history. The post-war division into Eastern and Western Germany with the Berlin Wall dividing the city is another fascinating chapter of modern history.
- France:
[Travel-and-Leisure] Paris - the City of Lights. Romantic images come to mind of strolls along the Seine and the spires of Notre Dame. The Eiffel Tower is undoubtedly the most recognizeable symbol of Paris. But the great promenade of the Champs-Elysées and the Arc de Triomphe are equally famous the world over.
- Travel Guide - England
[Travel-and-Leisure] England is the heartland of Great Britain, one of the great empires throughout history. London itself is a truly modern, cosmopolitan city whose roots are firmly grounded in many centuries of history. Places like the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Big Ben, Buckingham Palace and Kensington Palace (formerly the residence of Princess Diana), Trafalgar Square, Picadilly Circus and Hyde Park ring a bell everywhere.
- Travel Guide - Canada
[Travel-and-Leisure] Canada - my chosen home country. Canada is the second largest country on the planet and its dimensions are truly huge, it spans nearly 7700 km from east to west. Nearly 90% of its population congregate within 100 km of the US border. Canada's climate can be a bit harsh in the winter, but the summers tend to be hot and intense. Officially Canada is a bilingual country with Quebec being the center of francophone life.
- Travel Guide - Austria
[Travel-and-Leisure] Austria, my home country. Where do I start? I guess history is a good place and it was the Habsburg dynasty that shaped this country's fate for many centuries. Austria is known all over the world as the setting for the Sound of Music and people instantly associate the idyllic lake and mountain sceneries with Austria.
- Exploring Frank Lloyd Wright in Buffalo and Serenity on Lake Ontario
[Travel-and-Leisure] My theory is a real traveler is able to discover interesting things even in the most unlikely of places. Well, Buffalo probably hasn't made the "top travel destinations" list for a while, but I have been doing some research on it and I thought it's high time to explore Buffalo, the closest American city to Toronto, just south of Niagara Falls and right across the Fort Erie border.
- Hello from Quebec (Magog) - 2
[Travel-and-Leisure] So I am cheating a little, I am already back in Toronto, writing this little summary of the second half of our trip to Quebec. While we didn’t ski on Wednesday because it was too friggen cold, we did have a beautiful day of sunshine on Thursday, albeit a little on the cool side (about minus 15 Celsius…).
- Hello from Quebec (Magog) - 1
[Travel-and-Leisure] So I am sitting here at the Club Vacances Magog with the wind howling outside at 45+ km per hour and temperatures of about -15 to -20 degrees Celsius, windchill factor not included.
- Hello from Graz
[Travel-and-Leisure] I finally found Internet access here in Graz. Not the easiest thing I have to admit. Had to ask 3 people and finally went to the tourist info who competently directed me to an Internet Cafe.
- Hello from Ibiza (4)
[Travel-and-Leisure] So we spent our last day here today, the last day of this truly amazing 2 week vacation. Yesterday, after our little beach experience at Cala Llonga we went to the town of Sant Miquel where they have a live performance of folkloric dancing every Thursday evening at 6:15 pm.
- Hello from Ibiza (3)
[Travel-and-Leisure] Sitting here in an Internet Cafe in Cala Llonga on the east side of the island. We spent about 2 hours in Ibiza today, me just sightseeing, climbing up to the fortress and taking pictures, Theresa finally getting her souvenir shopping done.
- Hello from Ibiza (2)
[Travel-and-Leisure] We just returned to the resort after a gorgeous evening and decent dinner in Santa Eularia del Riu. Today we spent the whole day driving from beach to beach, starting on the northwest side of the island, just north of Sant Antoni, continuing towards the north side of the island and ending up in Santa Eularia.
- Hello from Ibiza (1)
[Travel-and-Leisure] I am sitting here in the front entrance hall of the Ses Fontallas Plaza timeshare resort in Sant Antoni. We arrived on Saturday at about 5:30 in Ibiza and had to hang around for the luggage. 2 of our pieces actually didn´t make it due to a technical problem with the cargo area on the plane and we had to wait an awefully long time at the baggage information area to find out that the baggage would be delivered the next day.
- Hello from Sitges
[Travel-and-Leisure] Sitting here in the cafe, 2 minutes from the Hostal Bonaire (Euro 39 for a single room) where we are going to spend the night.
We left Javea yesterday around 1 pm and drove up the A7. We were just curious about the toll and ended up paying Euro 6.20 and Euro 17.75 plus another Euro 1.20 to exit just around Tarragona.
- Hello from Javea
[Travel-and-Leisure] We just arrived in the little port town of Javea, about 75 km south of Valencia. Yesterday we drove down the coast from Barcelona, stopped in Tarragona for a lovely little lunch and had a quick peak at the remains of the Roman walls. We couldn´t find the supposedly well preserved amphitheatre though...
- Hello from Tarragona
[Travel-and-Leisure] My second blog entry. Sitting here in Calle Cos del Bou in Tarragona. We spent 2 very intense and interesting days in Barcelona. Barcelona is a great city with so many sights to see. The Barrio Gotico (Gothic Quarter) with the old cathedral, the newly renovated waterfront with the Statue of Columbus, La Sagrada Familia, the architecture by Antoni Gaudi (La Pedrera, Casa Battlo, Parc Guell, La Sagrada Famila), the Olympic Park.
- Hello from Barcelona
[Travel-and-Leisure] This is my first ever blog and I´ll have to be very brief since I only have about 11 minutes left at the Internet cafe. I am sitting here at the Maremagnum shopping mall in the port of Barcelona.
- Hello from New York City (7) - Brooklyn's Prospect Park and Manhattan's Washington Square Park
[Travel-and-Leisure] Yesterday was our last day in New York City and our flight left at 7:57 pm, so we figured we'd store our luggage at the B&B for a few hours and head out one more time for one more round of urban exploration.
- Hello from New York City (6) - Checking out Coney Island and (amazingly Clean) Harlem
[Travel-and-Leisure] So I am sitting here back in my office and I want to bring our last 2 days in New York City to paper. Considering that the weather forecast for Saturday was pretty bad (rain and maximum temperatures of 13 degrees C), the day turned out much nicer than expected.
- Hello from New York City (5) - A Local Expert Takes Us Through Queens
[Travel-and-Leisure] Yesterday was a pretty interesting day, the weather was cool and overcast, with rain coming in during the latter part of the afternoon. A few weeks ago I had booked a meeting with one of the Big Apple Greeters, an organization of local NYC volunteers that takes out-of-town visitors around the city and shows them local sights and shares local information.
- Hello from New York City (4) - Staten Island and a Random Act of Violence
[Travel-and-Leisure] The Staten Island Ferry is a fabulous institution. It is a huge ferry that departs from a very modern, glass enclosed terminal, holds several thousand people and in just about 20 minutes whisks you over to Staten Island, very close to the Statue of Liberty, and all this for free! One thing we really noticed about New York City is that we definitely love the public transportation system.
- Hello from New York City - Crossing the Brooklyn Bridge, Exploring Downtown Manhattan
[Travel-and-Leisure] What a full day we had yesterday. We had a delightful breakfast in our bed and breakfast at about 8:30 am and shared some nice conversations with a young couple from Sweden and an older couple from Holland, the hostess was participating as well. This is one of my favourite things about bed and breakfasts, usually they offer really tasty filling meals and a great conversation to go with it.
- Hello from New York City - Exploring Mid-Town Manhattan
[Travel-and-Leisure] Since our plane landed nice and early we had virtually a whole day left to explore yesterday. The weather was pretty nice, quite sunny when we started, although it clouded over a little and was a little on the cool side, it never got much above 15 degrees Celsius.
- Hello from New York City - First Impressions of the Big Apple
[Travel-and-Leisure] So yesterday morning our American Airways flight (booked for free with my Airmiles) left at 7:13 am to bring us to the Big Apple, a place I had always had a fascination with, but only had visited twice very briefly in my life,and that more than 10 years ago.
- Reflections After My Brother's Visit: Toronto - Viewed Through the Eyes of European Visitors
[Travel-and-Leisure] From August 27 to September 6 I had four visitors from Europe in town: my brother Ewald, his wife Anneliese and their two friends - my neighbours from my home town in Austria, Luis and Isabella. You may wonder why this is such a big deal that I need to write about it.
- Hello from Toronto - Novice Golf, Driving Through the Kawarthas and a Little Mountain-Biking
[Travel-and-Leisure] It is unbelievable how nine days can just fly by. Today my brother, sister-in-law and our two Austrian friends are scheduled to fly back to Graz, Austria, via Vienna. There has been an increasingly palpable sense of sentimentality in the air, in light of the fact that this wonderful time is coming to an end alarmingly quickly.
- Hello from Toronto - An Exploration of Toronto's West End
[Travel-and-Leisure] One of the beauties of Toronto is its diversity, the fact that hundreds of ethnic groups from all over the world congregate here in this metropolis and give their distinct flavour to this urban mosaic of cultures.
- Hello from Toronto (3) - Exploring Niagara Wine Country
[Travel-and-Leisure] Two days ago I took our European visitors on a little driving tour of the Niagara Peninsula, specifically to explore some of the 50 something wineries. My brother is a chef and very interested in exploring the authentic tastes and flavours of Canada. So far my visitors have been very impressed with the quality of the Canadian vegetables, meats, spices, and even the various types of beers that they have tried from different microbreweries.
- Hello from Toronto (2) - Exploring Toronto's Waterfront by Bicycle and Checking Out the CN Tower
[Travel-and-Leisure] Since my European visitors are quite sporty I figured that renting a bicycle would be the perfect way of exploring the city. So to join them on their first guided bicycle tour I grabbed my bike and the 5 of us headed off to the subway station to go to Bicycle Solutions near Parliament and Carlton Streets. Getting outfitted with a bike didn't take long and the cost was pretty reasonable at $70.00 for a whole week. Now all 5 of us had a bicycle.
- Hello from Toronto: The City Viewed Through the Eyes of First-Time Visitors
[Travel-and-Leisure] So my brother is in town, together with his wife and 2 friends from my little home town in Austria. It is everybody's first time in North America and their initiation to Toronto. Just to give you ideas of dimensions: Austria has a population of about 9 million and the country extends about 900 km from east to west while the Greater Toronto area nowadays probably has about 4 to 5 million people and Lake Ontario alone is over 300 km long. The first thing my visitors noticed was the difference in size: the size of the city, the size of the lake, the size of cars, the size of supermarkets, and even of refrigerators.
- Hello from Vancouver - Reporting on the Canada-US Servas Conference
[Travel-and-Leisure] One of the things I do for the website is I continuously search out individuals and organizations that have accomplished unusual things or made special contributions. Through my research I had come across an organization called SERVAS, an organization of hosts and travellers world-wide throughout 130 countries that intends to foster peace through intercultural exchange.
- Hello from Vancouver (5): Gastown and My Final Explorations
[Travel-and-Leisure] After my extremely interesting walking tour of the Downtown East Side I decided to round out my exploration of the city with another bicycling trip. In my mind, bicycling is just the perfect way to discover a city, it gives you greater range than walking, you don't need to wait around for buses, and you get exercise at the same time -bonus!
- Hello from Vancouver (4) - A Walking Tour Through The Downtown East Side
[Travel-and-Leisure] The University of British Columbia has a drop-in centre downtown in Vancouver's East side called the Learning Exchange where it provides educational opportunities to people who live and work in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and other inner-city communities.
- Hello from Vancouver (3) - The Grouse Mountain Experience
[Travel-and-Leisure] No visit to Vancouver could be complete without a real mountain experience. So after covering the Servas conference I left at 2 pm for downtown. To get to Grouse Mountain was quite an experience in itself, I got to take 2 buses downtown, then I boarded Vancouver's light rail rapid transit system, the Skytrain, which runs underground downtown, just like a subway.
- Hello from Vancouver (2) - Wheeling Around Stanley Park
[Travel-and-Leisure] Stanley Park is Vancouver's famous urban paradise and I knew weeks in advance that I would need to explore it in detail, preferably on a bike. So this afternoon at about 1:30 pm I set off from the UBC Campus, and navigated my way downtown by bus, taking 3 buses to get to the eastern edge of Stanley Park.
- Hello from Vancouver (1) - Arrival in Vancouver
[Travel-and-Leisure] Travel and Transitions publisher Susanne Pacher recently travelled to Vancouver, British Columbia, to cover the first Canada-US Servas Conference. Servas is a an international, non-profit, non-governmental organization that brings together travellers and hosts from more than 130 countries around the world for the purpose of fostering understanding, tolerance and world peace. Hosts generally agree to host travellers free of charge for 2 nights and 3 days to allow for an intercultural exchange. Servas is different from other hospitality exchange organizations in that it has a dedicated mission to foster peace and intercultural understanding. It uses a thorough screening and interviewing process to ensure that future travellers and hosts are compatible with the organization's philosophies.
- Hello from Victoria (2) - Exploring Victoria and Its Vicinity
[Travel-and-Leisure] Travel and Transitions publisher Susanne Pacher recently travelled to British Columbia and explored the province's capital Victoria as well the BC's cosmopolitan centre Vancouver. While on the West Coast she had an opportunity to bike through Vancouver's Stanley Park and spend an afternoon on Grouse Mountain, the "Peak of Vancouver", exploring the entertaining Lumberjack Show and the Birds in Motion demonstration.
- Hello from Victoria (1) - Reaching the West Coast
[Travel-and-Leisure] Travel and Transitions publisher Susanne Pacher recently travelled to British Columbia and explored the province's capital Victoria as well the BC's cosmopolitan centre Vancouver. While on the West Coast she had an opportunity to bike through Vancouver's Stanley Park and spend an afternoon on Grouse Mountain, the "Peak of Vancouver", exploring the entertaining Lumberjack Show and the Birds in Motion demonstration.
- Hello from Rochester: A Discovery of Its Architectural Jewels
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] Rochester is the 3-rd largest city in New York State with a total metropolitan population of just over 1 million. It offers a rich variety of cultural and recreational opportunities and is home to major corporations such as Kodak, Bausch and Lomb, Xerox and Paychex. Despite being an important economic center in Western New York, Rochester offers easy and convenient access to a wide variety of recreational opportunities and the comfortable ambience of a small town with beautiful tree-lined streets, stately mansions and manicured lawns.
- Hello from Rochester: Exploring ArtWalk - A Fabulous Outdoor Art Experience
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] Travel and Transitions’ publisher, Susanne Pacher, went on an overnight trip to the City of Rochester to explore the travel opportunities in this city just 8 km from the Southern shorelines of Lake Ontario. In a series of articles, she describes the unique experience of taking the new high-speed ferry from Toronto across Lake Ontario, she explores the city, its beautiful green spaces, a neighbourhood with a variety of art installations and some of the beautiful historical buildings that have been preserved.
- Hello from Rochester: A Perfect Getaway for Stressed Out Torontonians (and Other Urbanites)
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] Two days ago I took the CAT fast ferry from Toronto to Rochester and arrived well-rested after a 2.5 hour boat ride in the Port of Rochester, a scenic Rochester suburb called Charlotte. I was greeted by Patti and Carrie from the Rochester Visitors Association who had helped me with my itinerary and were kind enough to show me around.
- Hello from Rochester: The CAT - An Awesome Beast
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] For a while now I have been dreaming of taking the recently re-introduced high-speed ferry service from Toronto to Rochester. The ferry service briefly ran last year, introduced by a group of private investors, but stopped running after a few weeks due to financial difficulties. It was reintroduced this year after the City of Rochester purchased the ferry at an auction and contracted an experienced ferry service based out of Nova Scotia to run it.
- Hello from the Ottawa River: Mating in the Wild and Other Diversions
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] On July 23 and 24 my friend Leslie and I went on a weekend adventure: a learn-how-to-kayak weekend on the Ottawa River. We had a great time, combining sports and relaxation on a weekend away from the city.
- Hello from the Ottawa River - And Reflections on City Life
[Travel-and-Leisure:Outdoors] So Friday I decided to head out on a kayaking weekend with my friend Leslie. This was the first time in about 8 years that I went camping again, and I had a ball sleeping under the stars. A fabulous weekend in nature makes you think about life a little bit, so here are a few snapshots of what's been going through my head in the last few days. In particular, I have been thinking about our lifestyles in the city and some of the stark contrasts with the experiences of this weekend.
- Hello from the Ottawa River - Learning How to Whitewater Kayak (and How the River Kicked My Ass...)
[Travel-and-Leisure] Way back when in February I went to the Outdoor Adventure Show and I twisted my friend Leslie's arm to go on a learn-how-to-kayak weekend with me. We booked 2 days including meals, kayaking lessons and camping accommodation with a company called Equinox Adventures that has a rafting and kayaking camp located on Calumet Island in the Ottawa River.
- Hello from Cuba (10) - A Country Excursion
[Travel-and-Leisure] After my walk through the Vedado neighbourhood, my friend Pedro came to pick me up since I had suggested a little excursion with a rental car to get to know the countryside.
- Hello from Cuba (9) - Havana Neighbourhoods
[Travel-and-Leisure] Yesterday morning I had arranged to meet one of the women from the from the university, a very nice lady in her late 50s, who agreed to show me around the Vedado area and take me through some local markets.
- Hello from Cuba (8) - Bicycle Rides, Camellos, and Cannon Shots
[Travel-and-Leisure] After picking up the bicycle on Thursday, I finally took my first ride on Friday afternoon through the beautiful residential area of Vedado. We had had a tropical downpour in the early afternoon, so the streets were a bit wet and it was about 4 pm or so by the time I got out.
- Hello from Cuba (7) - Fun and Recreation
[Travel-and-Leisure] So, of course, not everything is politics, learning, philosophizing and studying languages. Life also has to include some fun.
- Hello from Cuba (6) - The Student Experience and Political Insights
[Travel-and-Leisure] It is such an amazing experience to live the life of a student again, after 15 years in business, 2 business degrees and at almost 40 years of age (okay, soon I´ll be 39.....).
- Hello from Cuba (5) - Another Mind-Twisting Experience
[Travel-and-Leisure] I am sitting here at one of the most famous hotels in all of Havana, after I just withdrew Can$250 (200 CUC, Pesos Convertibles) from my Mastercard. No big deal, you say...
- Hello from Cuba (4) - Bureaucracy Galore - The University of Havana
[Travel-and-Leisure] Yesterday I had to sign up for my Spanish course at the University of Havana. The Campus of the University is an astoundingly beautiful collection of classical buildings and a Cuban tank graces the entrance to the library.
- Hello from Cuba (3) - Hiking Vinales and Exploring Nature
[Travel-and-Leisure] On Sunday it was gorgeous. The cold front had finally passed through, the rain was gone and we had a beautiful warm sunny day without any humidity.
- Hello from Cuba (2) - Rain in Vinales
[Travel-and-Leisure] So Saturday I had already planned to go to Vinales, a beautiful area in the province of Pinar del Rio, 190 km west of Havana. I took the Viazul bus from the Havana station, which is a modern bus network more or less for tourists and the one way fare is US$12 (way too much for the locals, most of whom end up taking local taxis or the cheaper and less reliable, more decrepit Astro bus system).
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