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Travel Flashback: The Fjords of Norway 2010

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Our 2008 trip to Iceland was so much fun that we decided to continue our Northern theme and visit Norway in 2010. Once again, we braced ourselves for high Scandinavian prices…and found them! Our trip began in the coastal city of Bergen and ended in the Norwegian capital of Oslo.  In between: lots and lots of fjords!

Hiking above Balestrand and the Sognefjord
Hiking above Balestrand and the Sognefjord

From Bergen, we took a relatively high-speed boat up the Sognefjord to the resort village of Balestrand. The scenery along the way was impressive but not astounding:  near the ocean, the Sognefjord is too wide to make you feel completely surrounded.   Balestrand was still a very pleasant base for our exploration of the area, however, and we were able to explore a number of the narrower (and more dramatic) fjords from here.  We stayed in a characterful hotel overlooking the Sognefjord and had a delightful al fresco dinner in an orchard just down the street.

The boat we took from XXXX back to Balestrand
The boat we took from Fjærland back to Balestrand

Balestrand also had an interesting aquarium with an even more interesting promotion:  a ticket to the aquarium came with a free  canoe rental.   Well, we just had to take advantage of that!  While it certainly wasn’t part of our plan, we can now say that we have been canoeing in the fjords of Norway!

Stave church at Vik, Norway.
Hopperstad stave church at Vik, Norway.

We took two interesting trips from Balestrand.  The first was to the Hopperstad stave church at Vik.  These wooden churches are obviously very vulnerable to fire, so there are only a few surviving examples.   This one is approximately 900 years old and is built on the ruins of an even older church.  Internal photos are not allowed but I can tell you that it is very dark inside.

Rapidly retreating glacier
Rapidly retreating glacier

The second trip was a “Glacier Tour”to Fjærland.  The boat trip to Mundal (the village in Fjærland) was amazing:  the fjords looked like the ones in all the tourist brochures.  The photo at the top of this post was taken on the way.   Alas, the Glacier Tour itself was rather underwhelming.  We didn’t get very close to the glacier itself, as it has been retreating for a number of years but the tour infrastructure (road, glacier museum, etc.) has naturally  remained in the same place.  It was a pleasant day but we will definitely be more selective about glacier tours in the future.

Terminus of the railway to Flam
Myrdal, Norway:  terminus of the Flamsbana railway from Flåm

After a few days in Balestrand, we made the long journey by boat and train to Oslo.  We took the Flamsbana from Flåm to Myrdal; it is advertised as the most scenic train ride in the world.  While it is undeniably beautiful, it is perhaps a little overdeveloped for tourism.  For evidence, see the photograph below.  The train stopped for photographs at a dramatic waterfall and, on cue, a collection of mystical maidens suddenly emerged to the musical accompaniment of a stirring symphony and re-enacted a folk tale.   Very cheesy.

Mystical maidens emerge from the mist on the Flamsbana railway
Mystical maidens emerge from the mist on the Flamsbana railway

Actually, we shouldn’t have been surprised.  The Flamsbana is part of the “Norway in a Nutshell” tour:  it is a highly coordinated (and choreographed) route designed to show some of Norway’s greatest natural highlights.  While it would be fine for somebody who only had a day to see the fjords and mountains, we felt somewhat “herded” on this part of our journey.  We preferred spending a few days in the fjords and exploring on our own.   Norway is a beautiful country and it doesn’t need to rely on gimmicks to impress.

Stay tuned for more flashbacks and other travel surprises!

 

Posts from the road

Saskatchewan Surprises

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(Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)

I don’t visit too many museums when I travel.   Spending the better part of a year on the road has made me highly selective about the types of museums I’ll visit.  When I was researching Regina, I more or less ignored the museums as places to spend my limited time.

On paper, the Royal Saskatchewan Museum didn’t sound terribly appealing.  However, it was only 3 blocks away from my B&B and I found out that it opened relatively early in the morning.  As I had some free time before the RCMP Heritage Centre opened, and the Royal Saskatchewan Museum only “recommended” a donation, I thought I would give it a quick look.

Another realistic display at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum: you can see the barrier in front of this one.
Another realistic display at the Royal Saskatchewan Museum: you can see the barrier in front of this one.

I was pleasantly surprised:  it had a number of extremely realistic 3D wildlife recreations (see the golden eagle at the top of this post) and exhibits on the theme of extinction, as well as extensive exhibits on the First Nations in what is now Saskatchewan.  It also had a number of powerful displays at the very end that really made you think about the impact of humans (and their modern lifestyles) on the environment.  I won’t spoil the surprise but I can almost guarantee that you will look at urban living much differently after you leave.

Inside the RCMP Heritage Centre
Inside the RCMP Heritage Centre

After making my donation, I walked downtown and caught a city bus out to the RCMP Heritage Centre.  It is a very interesting museum that itself would have been worth the price of admission…but I timed my visit so that I could take the free “Sergeant-Major’s Tour” at 12:30 p.m.  This tour was led by a retired RCMP officer and focused on the adjacent RCMP Training Centre where all Canadian RCMP cadets must spend 24 weeks learning their trade.   Those who complete the course are then posted to their first assignments.

The RCMP Cadet Band arrives
The RCMP Cadet Band arrives

The RCMP’s “paramilitary” history means that the cadet training program is similar to military basic training in a number of ways.  One of the main components is the drill parade.  While it may seem outdated for modern-day RCMP officers, it is maintained because it encourages attention to detail and helps immensely with team-building.  The cadet band was (perhaps inadvertently) entertaining too: some of the members have no musical training and really only mime their parts.  This was the first time I have heard the “reveille” played on saxophone:  the cornet players were clearly there just for show!

RCMP Cadets doing their marching drill
RCMP Cadets doing their marching drill

However, I think the best part of the tour was learning about the course of study and the graduation requirements.  Many of us in the legal profession wonder if we could succeed at policing, as we are trained in the principles of criminal law while at law school.  Hearing about the graduation requirements (the two most common reasons for failure are the firearms and high-speed driving components) made me realize that police work is probably not for me!  It also made me better appreciate the diverse skill set of police officers.

The oldest building in Regina: the Chapel at the RCMP Training Centre
The oldest building in Regina: the Chapel at the RCMP Training Centre

For dinner, I once again chose a local restaurant in Cathedral Village.  The Viet Thai restaurant has a very utilitarian name and a no-nonsense environment.  However, my sizable masaman curry was enhanced with a lot of fresh vegetables (only some of which are visible in the photograph) so I can’t complain at all.

Dish No. 145 at the Viet Thai restaurant in Regina, Saskatchewan
Dish No. 145 at the Viet Thai restaurant in Regina, Saskatchewan

I’ve been back in Kingston for a few days now but that doesn’t mean that things have been quiet on the travel front.  We’re in the process of finalizing our summer plans and we’re both very excited about what’s going to happen.  I won’t disclose the location yet but there will be a focus on unique, spontaneous and/or off-the-beaten-path destinations.

Posts from the road

So, this is Saskatchewan…

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(Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada)

At the beginning of my travel year in 2014, I mentioned in this post that I had been to every Canadian province and territory…except Saskatchewan. I obviously hoped to see Saskatchewan at some point but it didn’t quite fit in with the theme of my travel year.

Well, after the craziness of 2014 subsided, I was left with a whole lot of Air Miles and frequent flier points. I noticed that I had a little bit of free time at the end of April and started looking into redeeming some of those points for a quick trip.  Alas, it is getting more and more difficult to take advantage of those reward programs and the only candidates ended up being Indianapolis, Minneapolis…and Regina! While I’m sure that the “-polis” places would be interesting, the increasing value of the U.S. dollar made me think that this was finally the time to see Saskatchewan.   And now, finally, here I am!

I'm staying at the Dragon's Nest B&B in the Cathedral Village part of Regina
I’m staying at the Dragon’s Nest B&B in the Cathedral Village part of Regina

Of course, as with my trips to the northern territories, it is impossible to say that I have experienced Saskatchewan just because I have been to Regina.  With that in mind, here’s what happened on my first day here…

Entrance to the Saskatchewan Legislative Building
Entrance to the Saskatchewan Legislative Building

I started by exploring Cathedral Village, the neighbourhood where my B&B is located.  From there, it was an easy walk to the Saskatchewan Legislature.  It’s located on the shores of Wascana Lake (part of which is shown in the photo at the top of this post) and is part of the largest urban park in North America….bigger even than New Yor City’s Central Park, apparently.  I went on a rather brief tour of the Legislature building and was able to sit in on Question Period.

Stairway to the legislature chamber
Stairway to the legislature chamber

Unlike the rather subdued House of Commons I saw in London, England last autumn, Saskatchewan’s provincial parliament was a madhouse.   It was clear that the government and the opposition are not terribly fond of each other right now…it looked  (and sounded) like a classroom of unruly students.  If I have spare time later in the trip, I might return to the Legislature to see some more of the spectacle.

The legendary Milky Way on Victoria Avenue in Regina
The legendary Milky Way on Victoria Avenue in Regina

Next up was some exploration of downtown – despite a significant number of federal and provincial government offices, it wasn’t quite as busy as I had expected.  I did some restaurant scoping and, given the surprisingly warm weather, I decided to make the pilgrimage to the “Milky Way”, a legendary ice cream  vendor with a long and illustrious history in Regina.  I opted to go local and have a “Saskatoon Sundae”:  logically enough, it features saskatoon berries (also known as juneberries).   I’ve never had them before but they were quite good with the vanilla soft-serve ice cream.   There’s nothing wrong with having dessert before dinner!

The first time I have eaten at a place called "La Cucaracha" (13th Avenue, Cathedral Village, Regina)
The first time I have eaten at a place called “La Cucaracha” (13th Avenue, Cathedral Village, Regina)

Speaking of dinner, I kept the “go local” theme and went to a newly-established Mexican take-out place in Cathedral Village called “La Cucaracha”.  It’s not a name I like to associate with food but the ingredients were top quality and they even had imported Mexican soft drinks.   It’s been a very long time since I had strawberry soda…it might even have been back in the days of the Pop Shoppe!

For my second day in Regina, I’m hoping to make it out to the RCMP Visitor Centre and (of course) explore the vinyl record offerings in Saskatchewan’s capital city.

Posts from Base Camp

Records on the Road

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Last Saturday was “Record Store Day” and we drove to Ottawa to see what was available in the record stores of our nation’s capital.  It reminded me of the interesting music I’ve picked up in my travels: each record has its own story, above and beyond the actual music.

The photo at the top of this post is one of my favourite finds.   For some unknown reason, the Soviet record label Melodiya decided to release a 4-track EP (7″, 33 rpm) containing seemingly random tracks from Paul and Linda McCartney’s 1971 “Ram” album.  When I was “crate-digging” in a Tallinn, Estonia used record store, I found this pressing from Riga (now in Latvia, but then part of the U.S.S.R.).  While I can’t speak Russian, I know the sounds of the Cyrillic alphabet and was able to phonetically confirm that this was in fact a release from the former Beatle.  I picked up some fascinating Soviet LPs there too…but I’ll keep the focus on 7″ records today, as they are easier to pick up while traveling.

A Czechoslovakian 7" single from Dean Reed, the "Red Elvis"
A Czechoslovakian 7″ single from Dean Reed, the “Red Elvis”

Speaking of the Soviet era, I picked up some fascinating 45s in Prague last September.  Some were just Czechoslovakian pressings of hits by Western artists but the Dean Reed 45 pictured above was something I would never find in Canada.

Dean Reed went nowhere in the U.S.A. as a singer and traveled the world in search of fame and revolution.  He ended up based in East Germany, where he was proudly paraded by the authorities as a genuine American rock star and revolutionary.  He did, in fact, enjoy immense popularity in the Eastern Bloc…at least for a while.  His ersatz-Elvis recordings sound rather hokey now but there wasn’t much else available.  Alas, he drowned under mysterious circumstances outside of East Berlin in the mid-1980s.  If you’re interested in his bizarre story, there is a book (“Comrade Rockstar”, by Reggie Nadelson) about Reed and it has long been rumoured that Tom Hanks would make a movie about this forgotten musician.

Karel Gott's "Beatles" single
Karel Gott’s “Beatles” single

Karel Gott also found success in the Eastern Bloc during the 1970s but, unlike Dean Reed, still enjoys some popularity today.  Like many people who lived during that difficult time, he made certain compromises in order to  preserve his career in a totalitarian state.  The above single does not feature the Beatles, but the A-side is a Czech-language tribute to the Fab Four (although it sounds nothing like them).   I found this single in the same grim record store that yielded the Dean Reed record.  Both were very cheap: I suspect it is because they come from a time that many people would like to forget.

Johnny Clegg's 1987 "Asimbonanga" single was not attracting attention in Helsinki
Johnny Clegg’s 1987 “Asimbonanga” single was not attracting attention in Helsinki

Johnny Clegg is one of my favourite musicians.  Best known in North America for contributing “Scatterlings of Africa” to the Rain Man soundtrack, he bravely led racially-integrated bands during the Apartheid era in South Africa and continues to release genre-crossing and thought-provoking records today.   I wrote about Johnny last year in this post.  Alas, it doesn’t appear that he is very popular in Finland:  I found the above French pressing of his “Asimbonanga” single in the bargain bin of a Helsinki record store.

Reality is stranger than fiction: the Rutles "I Must Be In Love" single
Reality is stranger than fiction: the Rutles “I Must Be In Love” single

I never imagined that the above single could exist.  The Rutles were a Beatles parody band created by some Monty Python alumni and eventually were the subject of the brilliant rockumentary “All You Need is Cash”.  The soundtrack is also outstanding and highly recommended for Beatles fans.  The parody was so well-received in England that I found this single in a London record shop last November.  It was an unexpected souvenir of the same trip that took me to Abbey Road and various other Beatles landmarks.

Coming up next week:  I’m on the road again!  Using some accumulated Air Miles, I’m visiting a place that I somehow overlooked during my year of extended travel.  Stay tuned for the big reveal!

Posts from Base Camp

Who Reads This Blog?

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Have you ever wondered who else reads this blog?  While the blog software doesn’t tell me who specifically is reading the blog, it does tell me in which countries the blog’s readers are located.  So don’t worry – I don’t know who you are…unless you post something!

Incredibly, there have been visitors from 97 countries so far!  Many of these countries have very few views (it would not be reasonable to expect thousands of hits from Vatican City or Réunion) but the numbers are significant for the first 30 or 40 countries.  It should come as no surprise that, by far, the most readers are in Canada.

The Matterhorn, as seen from a small alpine village in the Gornergrat/Sunnegga area
The Matterhorn, as seen from the small alpine hamlet of Findeln in the Sunnegga area

It also probably isn’t surprising that the U.S.A. and the U.K. occupy the second and third positions.  Rounding out the all-time Top 20 are Brazil, Germany, Croatia, the Netherlands, Costa Rica, Switzerland, France, Italy, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Czech Republic, the United Arab Emirates, Spain, Sweden, Peru, Ireland, Poland and Australia.

The rankings definitely change over time.  Croatia really spiked during my visit there last spring but has been falling ever since.  For 2015, I’ve noticed increases in France, Australia, Thailand and Russia…but decreases in the U.K., Costa Rica and the Czech Republic.

My friends will do anything to take the perfect photo of the Matterhorn
My friends will try any angle to take the perfect photo of the Matterhorn

Most notable, however, is where there are *no* hits at all. Given its large population, it is interesting that not a single person from China has visited my site (other than people in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau, which are tracked separately)…yet I have  numerous hits from nearby Vietnam, Taiwan, Mongolia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.  Despite significant numbers across Northern Europe, I also haven’t connected with Latvia yet.

The other side of the Matterhorn (as seen from Italy)
The other side of the Matterhorn (as seen from Italy)

One does have to be careful with interpreting the data.  There is an apparently benign but also persistent automated “webcrawler” based in Brazil that is, I believe, exaggerating the numbers in that country.

I can also get information on which “searches” have led to visits to my site.  The most popular search that does not include my name has been “London Oxford Street”.  But multiple views have also resulted from “Megadisco Machu Picchu”, “schöne bilder von Paul Young 2014”, “van der ley cheese Groningen” and “place d’erlon Reims night”.

Arrival at the Valtournenche ski area above Breuil-Cervinia, Italy (just after crossing over from Zermatt, Switzerland)
Arrival at the Cime Bianche ski area above Valtournenche, Italy (just after crossing over from Zermatt, Switzerland)

There are also many searches that resulted in a solitary visit.  Some of my favourites include “abandoned wood bobsled”, “context of the movie Invictus South Africa in 1992-1995”, “gray research sound effects console”, “Inus Mor and rabbits sea lions”, “Budapest hockey and soccer teams jerseys”, and “casado con carne en salsa” (as well as plain old “casado con carne”).  If I ever start up another band, I am going to seriously consider calling it “Abandoned Wood Bobsled”.   I am really curious about the story behind that search but it will probably remain a mystery forever.

Another view of the Italian side of the Matterhorn (with lots of tiny skiers below)
Another view of the Italian side of the Matterhorn (with lots of tiny skiers below)

Today’s photos are from my 2011 visit to Zermatt.  I don’t think it would make a lot of sense to do a separate travel flashback for my second visit there…but I did want to share some of these pictures.  If you like them, take a look at my previous post for more words and pictures about skiing in the shadow of the Matterhorn.

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Skiing the Matterhorn 2010

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

The Matterhorn isn’t like all the other mountains.  I had heard that the Matterhorn was special but I didn’t truly appreciate it until I saw the Matterhorn on a cloudless day.  This is what the picture above shows – it was taken from above the village of Zermatt and shows just how distinctive the Matterhorn really is.

Straddling the border between Italy and Switzerland, the Matterhorn rises to an elevation of 4,478 meters (14,692 feet).  This is very, very high but it is all the more remarkable because none of the neighbouring peaks are anywhere close to that elevation.

This picture was taken just after we skied the closest piste to the Matterhorn. One feels very small when skiing there!

Wherever you go in the village of Zermatt, or wherever you ski in the Sunnegga-Gornergrat-Klein Matterhorn ski region, you constantly find yourself looking up at the Matterhorn.   Of all the mountains I’ve seen up close, only Grindelwald’s Eiger (with its sheer rock face of nearly 2 uninterrupted vertical kilometers!) comes remotely close to having such a magnetic effect.   I think we all took at least 100 photos of just this one mountain.

It's very cold and desolate as you near the top of the Klein Matterhorn ski area (and the Italian border)
It’s very cold and desolate as you near the top of the Klein Matterhorn ski area (and the Italian border)

Even without the Matterhorn, however, skiing in Zermatt is quite spectacular.  The pistes on the Swiss side are extensive and there is an impressive vertical drop of about 2,200 meters (about 7,218 feet).   From top to bottom, it can be a 20 km ride!   There isn’t much in the way of easy terrain here and it has a reputation of being a real skiers’ resort.   But even if you can manage the terrain, you still have to conquer the altitude:  the top of the Klein Matterhorn area is a (literally) breathtaking 3,883 meters (12,736 feet) above sea level.

At the top of Klein Matterhorn, just before altitude sickness kicked in!
At the top of Klein Matterhorn, just before altitude sickness kicked in!

I was OK with the altitude when I just skied down from the top of the Klein Matterhorn.  This is glacial skiing and you don’t have to work too hard.  However, on another occasion, we climbed up to the top of a viewing platform for an even higher view.  This extra exertion left me feeling listless for the rest of the day:  I suspect that I had a minor case of altitude sickness…something I’ve never before had while skiing.

The "Hennu Stall"...we stopped here for not quite apres-ski apres-ski on our way down to Zermatt
The “Hennu Stall”…we stopped here for “après-ski” shortly before finishing our descent to Zermatt

There is another reward for going to the top of Klein Matterhorn:  Italy!   Yes, the Italian resort of Cervinia is connected at this high alpine saddle and it is possible to ski on the Italian slopes if you bought the “all areas” ski pass in Zermatt.  The slopes on the Italian side are sunnier and easier…and the food is a nice change too!   The resort of Cervinia has some architectural missteps, to be fair, but it was really fun to end up in another country for a few hours.

Skiing above the clouds! View from the top of Klein Matterhorn
Skiing above the clouds! Looking towards Italy from the top of Klein Matterhorn

The only problem with crossing over to Italy is that you really need to time your return properly.  If you don’t make it back to the Klein Matterhorn by the time the upper Italian lifts close, you are stuck on the Italian side.  It is a very expensive (hundreds of dollars) taxi ride back to Zermatt, as there is no direct road connection between the two resorts.  Somebody said that it would take “a few hours” by road.

One of the creatures we encountered while skiing down to Zermatt
One of the creatures we encountered while skiing down to Zermatt

For an intense week of skiing in the Alps, I would certainly put Zermatt at the top of my list.  Grindelwald/Wengen/Schilthorn would be close but the presence of other tourist activities (such as the Jungfraujoch cog railway) dilutes the ski atmosphere just a little bit…so it might be a good choice if you have non-skiers in your travel group.   Like most Swiss resorts, Zermatt is not cheap but it is possible to find deals if you don’t insist on a private bathroom.  After all, you’re there for the skiing!  We liked skiing in Zermatt so much that we went back in 2011.

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Northwest Territories 2013

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

After visiting the remote northern Canadian territory of Nunavut in August of 2013, it only made sense to also visit the almost-as-remote Northwest Territories.  Unlike Nunavut, it is *theoretically* possible to drive to the Northwest Territories…but we chose to fly from Edmonton.

As time was limited, we only visited the capital city of Yellowknife and its immediate surroundings.  While we cannot pretend to have experienced the Northwest Territories by visiting its only true city, our visit was nonetheless extremely enlightening.

View of our B&B on the shores of Great Slave Lake
View of our B&B on the shores of Great Slave Lake

We stayed in a somewhat rustic B&B on the peninsula where the original settlement was located.  Much of that peninsula is occupied by Ndilo, a Dene First Nations community; the modern downtown is located to the west.  From our B&B, we could see floating houses (see photo at the top of this post) and floatplanes taxiing, taking off and landing on Great Slave Lake.  Many of the planes were carrying wealthy travelers to remote hunting, fishing or recreation camps.

One of the historic restaurants in the Old Town of Yellowknife
One of the historic restaurants in the Old Town of Yellowknife

Our first substantial meal in Yellowknife was wholly unexpected.  We found a restaurant specializing in Somalian and Ethiopian food.  As it turns out, Yellowknife is home to a large Somalian community and some of them had recently established this restaurant.

On our second day in Yellowknife, we went for an extended walk around Frame Lake.  While the city remained in view for about one-half of the walk, we eventually found ourselves in the barren rocky landscape that I imagined made up so much of the Northwest Territories.

Hiking around Frame Lake in Yellowknife, N.W.T.
Hiking around Frame Lake in Yellowknife, N.W.T.

Our third day in Yellowknife was dedicated to more walking, a bicycle trek, and a tour of the territorial legislature building.   The bike trek took us to Yellowknife’s suburbs – we could just as easily have been in a small Alberta city as the Northwest Territories.

We saw several signs of affluence in Yellowknife.  Canada’s diamond mining industry is based here and demand is high for ethical, high quality diamonds.  However, that prosperity was tempered by evidence of despair:  it was clear that not everybody was sharing in the economic miracle.  Some efforts have been made to ensure that local residents are also sharing in the proceeds of the diamond industry but there were still some signs of culture clash.

Inside the legislature building of the Northwest Territories
Inside the legislature building of the Northwest Territories

There also seemed to be more of an “edge” to the city in the evenings, as one often finds in resource-based boom towns.  Yellowknife is still a young place:  it was first settled in the late 1930s and substantial growth didn’t start until a few decades later.   However, there were some interesting quirks to Yellowknife:  one of the streets was named “Lois Lane”, in apparent homage to actress Margot Kidder (who was born in Yellowknife and played Lois Lane in “Superman” movies).

I met this very docile wolf in a Yellowknife shop
I met this very docile wolf in a Yellowknife shop

As with our visit to Iqaluit in Nunavut, we left Yellowknife feeling that we needed to travel outside of the capital to truly connect with the territory.  While not as large as Nunavut, the Northwest Territories still has an area of 1,346,106 km2 despite only having about 41,000 residents (although it does have 11 official languages).  The vast size of the territory means that a long weekend is not enough…one day, I am sure we will visit other parts of the Northwest Territories and have a completely different experience.

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Travel Flashback: Estonia’s Singing Revolution (2012)

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

In the summer of 2012, we visited a former Soviet Republic for the first time. Today, Estonia is a prosperous, proud and independent nation located right across the Baltic Sea from Finland. However, until gaining its independence when the Soviet Union collapsed, it had endured 50 years of oppression.

Estonia was independent before World War II.  It had a standard of living that surpassed many other European countries…including neighbouring Finland. However, after being forcibly stolen on multiple occasions by foreign powers (both Nazi Germany and the Red Army), it entered a long period of decay.

Estonian Parliament Building in downtown Tallinn
Estonian Parliament Building in downtown Tallinn

The Estonian language (somewhat similar to Finnish) was discouraged and many attempts were made (particularly by the Soviets) to dilute the Estonian identity.  Executions and internal exile to Siberia were common. Yet, through it all, the dream of an independent Estonia persisted…through music.

Prior to visiting Estonia, we watched a documentary called “The Singing Revolution”. Estonia has a rich tradition of folk songs and its song festival was one of the only ways to keep the concept of Estonia alive on a large scale. These festivals also saw their share of censorship and oppression but the festivals still played a hugely important role in paving the way to Estonian independence through non-violent resistance.  It is a very stirring story and I believe the video can be rented locally from Classic Video in Kingston. We enjoyed it so much that we bought our own copy!

Medieval and Modern Tallinn, side by side
Medieval and Modern Tallinn, side by side

Anyway, we decided that we would visit the Song Festival Grounds in Estonia’s capital city of Tallinn.  Tallinn has a beautiful medieval centre and most tourists do not leave the old walled city.  To get to the Song Festival Grounds, we had to walk east for about an hour.  Some of the walk was extremely picturesque (see the “Kadriorg” summer residence at the top of this post, built by Peter the Great of Russia), while some of it was choked with traffic.

The Amphitheatre that still hosts Estonian song festivals today
The Amphitheatre that still hosts Estonian song festivals today

When we finally arrived, we found it unexpectedly moving to walk around the amphitheatre and the seating area, after having seen hundreds of thousands of Estonians gathering here in the documentary.  At one point, there were 300,000 Estonians at the site…approximately one-third of the entire country.

Raekoja Plats in downtown Tallinn, Estonia
Raekoja Plats in downtown Tallinn, Estonia

The amphitheatre was impressive, although objectively one cannot say that it was more striking than the buildings around the main market square in downtown Tallinn.   However, making the connection between the amphitheatre and the Singing Revolution has forever imprinted the Song Festival Grounds in our minds.  Whenever we watch the documentary, it all comes back to life.  It really is a wonderful story…and one that is still unknown to many.

Another highlight of our visit to Tallinn was being shown around a woodsy residential area by a local resident.  We met her through an international postcard swapping organization called Postcrossing and, once again, the personal connection made it an extremely memorable occasion.

Off the beaten path in Tallinn, Estonia. Perhaps this is called "Crocodile Rock"?
Off the beaten path in Tallinn, Estonia. Perhaps this is called “Crocodile Rock”?

We found that many Estonians were very keen on sharing the story of their country:  in the end, our 5-day visit was much too short.  Other than a day trip to the seaside town of Haapsalu, Tallinn was the only place we visited (there will be another travel flashback on Estonia later).  We hope to return someday and visit the pastoral island of Saaremaa as well as the university town of Tartu.  If you’ve been to either of these places, please feel free to post a comment or drop me a line.

There are more flashbacks still to come…and stay tuned for a surprise journey coming up in April!

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 3

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(Whistler, British Columbia, Canada)

Skiing on the Blackcomb Glacier, as detailed in my previous post, was a special highlight of my ski week here. We enjoyed it so much that we went back to the glacier twice on our final day of skiing (see photo at top of this post, which looks back on what we just skied).  Another highlight was hiking into the backcountry to ski the off-piste “Flute Bowl” on Whistler Mountain.

I never venture into “true” backcountry without a knowledgeable guide.  However, at Whistler, there is a backcountry area within the resort boundaries. By skiing to the edge of the “Symphony Amphitheatre” and then carrying your skis up a steep mountain, you can then truly ski off-piste and unconfined by the on-piste crowds.

Partway up the mountain, I pause to consider what lies ahead. We more or less followed that guy to the two rocks.
Partway up the mountain, I pause to consider what lies ahead. We more or less followed that guy to the two rocks.

After traversing most of the access trail on skis, we took off our skis and walked straight up for about 20 minutes. It’s hard to say how long or far it was: all I know is that walking in ski boots up a snow-covered mountain is extremely tiring. Once we reached the agreed-upon lookout point, I had to sit down in the snow to cool off.

Chilling out between the "two rocks" seen in the previous photo...in the unearthly light of Whistler Mountain
Chilling out between the “two rocks” seen in the previous photo…in the unearthly light of the Coast Mountains

Groomed pistes sometimes feel like Autobahns…but hiking and skiing in the backcountry is a completely different sensation. Everything is silent. You feel much more responsible for yourself: you can’t just follow the 100 skiers in front of you. You have to use all of your senses and think several moves ahead.

In better snow conditions, off-piste skiing is mostly about the exhilaration of skiing through lush stashes of untouched powder. With poor snow conditions, it is more about being (relatively) alone in a vast wintry wilderness and finding one’s way back. It felt great to climb to a commanding look-out point…but it also felt great to get back to the marked trails.

Looking back at the mountain we climbed (and skied)
Looking back at the mountain we climbed (and skied)

My posts on skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb have contained a number of comments about the poor ski conditions.  Indeed, that is all the locals seemed to talk about:  I can’t tell you how many times a Whistlerite apologized this week for the state of the snow.  Even though I wish all of my ski holidays would involve conditions like the “blizzard day in Val Gardena” (click for a video), a ski holiday is essentially about being in the mountains.  Whether the snow is soft or hard, the mountains are still incredibly beautiful.

View from the top of the Symphony Lift, access point to the Flute Bowl. The portion we climbed is just about in the middle.
View from the top of the Symphony Lift, access point to the Flute Bowl. The portion we climbed is just slightly to the right of the middle.

Besides apologizing for the snow, the locals were all very interested in hearing about how Whistler-Blackcomb compares to skiing in Europe.  There is a feeling that Whistler-Blackcomb is world-class…and there also seems to be a need to have that feeling confirmed!

Unfortunately, I don’t think I can answer that question.  The conditions here were too unusual to make any meaningful comparisons with European skiing.  I also think the answer would be different for different types of skiers:  a skier with cultural interests would probably respond differently than somebody who cares solely about the skiing.  Perhaps this non-committal answer means that Whistler-Blackcomb is indeed comparable with European skiing?  In any case, I’d love to come back again when the mountains have better snow conditions.

View of the famed "Lower Dave Murray Downhill" piste leading to Whistler Creekside Village. Thanks to frequent snowmaking, the conditions on this piste were actually quite good for most of the week.
View of the famed “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” piste leading to Whistler Creekside Village, taken from the Creekside Gondola lift.  Thanks to frequent snowmaking, the conditions on this piste were actually quite good for most of the week.

This is the last “post from the road” for my trip to Whistler-Blackcomb.  I’ll be in Kingston for a while but will continue with more travel flashbacks and other travel-related posts.  I also have a quick but somewhat odd trip coming up at the end of April.  Stay tuned!

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 2

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(Whistler, British Columbia, Canada)

Whistler and Blackcomb used to be two different ski areas but came under the same ownership more than 30 years ago.  While they have been connected at Whistler Village for a while, they have recently been joined at mid-mountain by the innovative “Peak 2 Peak” gondola.

Our first impressions of Blackcomb were not too favourable.  As always, we were already in line for the gondola when it opened at 8:15 a.m.  Alas, virtually all of the pistes open first thing in the morning  were also in the shade.  This made it very cold and often very icy.  Much of the day was spent searching out that elusive softer snow.

A mountain lake, as seen from the "Symphony" area of Whistler Mountain
A mountain lake, as seen from the “Symphony” area of Whistler Mountain

There were two highlights on that first Blackcomb day, however.   The first highlight was once again finding a piste (“Zig Zag”) at the lower elevations that was being subjected to a lot of snowmaking.  Most people stayed away, so we had the piste and its soft snow almost to ourselves.   While it was a little more inconsistent, we also found the piste leading to the village’s Blackcomb gondola station to have softer snow and relatively few skiers.

Rugged rock overlooking the entrance to the Blackcomb Glacier
Rugged rock overlooking the entrance to the Blackcomb Glacier

The second highlight was skiing on the Blackcomb Glacier.  Although it is at the very highest part of the Blackcomb ski area, we still needed to take off our skis and hike uphill to the “other side of the mountain”.  It was well worth the effort, however, as we were able to pick our own route across a vast glacial slope.  It is rare to have such complete freedom to ski and still be within the boundaries of a ski area.

Looking across the Blackcomb Glacier before beginning our descent
Looking across the Blackcomb Glacier before beginning our descent

As the snow was relatively crusty and demanded our full attention, I didn’t have a chance to take any pictures “mid-glacier”.  However, I was able to take some pre- and post-glacier photos that hopefully hint at the majesty of this part of Blackcomb.   Not even a wretchedly icy “escape route” from the glacier back to the regular part of Blackcomb could tarnish the experience.

Looking back at the spectacular Blackcomb Glacier, after skiing down it. The flat trail at the bottom soon became a narrow, icy demon!
Looking back at the spectacular Blackcomb Glacier, after skiing down it. The flat trail at the bottom soon became a narrow, icy demon!  [Just for fun: spot the differences between this photo and the photo at the top of this post.]
Nonetheless, icy pistes continue to plague us.  While the mountains are spectacular, this has probably been the worst winter ever for snow conditions in Whistler.   It has been an intellectual challenge:  while we found the conditions in the “Seventh Heaven” area quite treacherous on our first morning at Blackcomb, this same area yielded relatively great conditions only two days later…but in the afternoon and only on certain pistes.  We are doing our best to meet the challenge:  the snow conditions are yet another reminder that nature is very powerful and its secrets are not easily discovered.

We also continue to enjoy the food here, much to my surprise…I had heard that food here was expensive and uninspiring.  It can definitely be on the expensive side if you’re not careful but we’ve done OK so far.

African Peanut Soup with Quinoa/Vegetable and Pemberton Beet salads, at the "Raven's Nest"
African Peanut Soup with Quinoa/Vegetable and Pemberton Beet salads, at the “Raven’s Nest”

We’ve had lunch mid-mountain at the no-frills “Raven’s Nest” vegan/vegetarian restaurant 3 times now and have been happy every time.  We also have eaten dinner twice at Pasta Lupino in the village:  it’s a small Italian restaurant featuring some of the best pasta sauces I’ve ever had.  Yes, it is possible to create a legendary pasta sauce (even a spicy arrabbiata sauce!) without garlic.  We hope to have one final meal at Pasta Lupino before our week here is over.

Coming up:  more on Whistler-Blackcomb… and comparing it to ski resorts in the Alps.