(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

An important part of travel is doing things that you just can’t do at home.  This chronological list contains some of those unique experiences that haven’t found their way onto any of my other year-end lists.

1.  Horse Ski Lift in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

After skiing for miles and miles to the bottom of the stunningly beautiful “Hidden Valley”, we faced a long, flat traverse to reach the only lift in the area.  We could endure an arduous “skate” to get to Armentarola or we could hitch a ride behind a team of horses.   They loaded up about 20 of us on a series of strong ropes…and away we went!   It wasn’t as unsteady as I thought it might be and we were soon at the base of our next lift.

2. Tour of the Pentagon

The security was very heavy but not much different from what you would expect at an airport.  In fact, once I was inside, it felt more like a shopping mall with a very large school attached (some of the hallways were more than three football fields long) than a military command centre.   However, our visit was still strictly controlled:  we could not stop walking, not even for a drink of water, nor do I think we saw anything *truly* confidential.  Nonetheless, I felt privileged to be on the inside of the Pentagon:  how many people can journey deep into the bowels of their own military headquarters, never mind those of a foreign country?

3.  Climbing to the top of a Minaret (Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

It is not often that non-Muslims can explore an active mosque, let alone climb to the top of its minaret.  However, as the Koski Mehmed-Pasha Mosque in Mostar is also a national monument, such access is granted to visitors for a small fee.  The climb was steep, dark and claustrophobic…and then the exposed platform at the top was flooded and had a very low guard rail.  Fortunately, the view was amazing (see photo at the top of this post)!

4.  Hurling at the GAA Museum in Dublin, Ireland

While this was not as intense as climbing a minaret or skiing with horses, trying my hand at the very Irish game of hurling was still a unique experience.  I had never played it before, nor had there even been an opportunity,  but I thought I did pretty well at whacking the ball towards the target.  It was a lot of fun, actually, except that I developed blisters on my hands after only a few minutes of thrashing!

5.  Wandering Through Peruvian Salt Pans

This was an unearthly experience:  a mysteriously salt-laden stream flows out of a mountain and into acres of pools that have been built below it to trap the salt.  It was ingeniously low-tech and looked like a massive paint set.  Best of all, we were free to wander around on the salt-encrusted walls between each of the pans!  I am still eating the salt that I brought home from here; it’s nice to remind my taste buds of the culinary treasures that I experienced in Peru.

6.  Reconnecting with my Dutch Family

One of the reasons my wife and I went to the Netherlands was to reconnect with my Dutch relatives as, despite many visits as a youth, I had not been there since 1991.   We ended up touring The Hague and the Westland region for a full day with one cousin, met another in Maassluis, went to a soccer game in Rotterdam with a third, and spent several days in the northern Netherlands with a fourth.  All of these experiences were great; all of my cousins have very nice “significant others” and children as well.  The hospitality was wonderful throughout and I’m really looking forward to seeing each of them again.

7.  Nighttime Reptile-Searching Walk in a Tropical Rainforest

The title says it all…and yes, it was as damp, steamy and creepy as you can imagine!

This is the last of my year-end lists.   Stay tuned for the “statistical summary” of the year, a previously unpublished lost post from April of 2014, and some *new* travel experiences from both the past and the present!

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Continuing my chronological list of cultural and historic highlights of the year…

9.  Split, Croatia – Diocletian’s Palace

While I visited Rome itself very early in the year, I encountered Roman reminders throughout my adventures.  Split, on the Adriatic coast, looks like any other city when you arrive by bus.   Once you get to the walled city, however, it becomes unique. The Roman emperor Diocletian built a massive palace here many centuries ago…and rather than remove it, the locals kept recycling and building on top of it!  It reminded me of the Forum in Rome, except that in Split my room was actually “in” Diocletian’s Palace!

10.  Dún Aonghasa on the top of a cliff on Inis Mór (Aran Islands), Ireland

Dún Aonghasa is a 2,000 year-old fortress located at the highest point of Inis Mór, the largest of the Aran Islands off the western coast of Ireland.   The fort is so remote that you must hike up a rocky path:  even my locally-rented bicycle had to be left at the base of the path.  This cliff-top location made the fort impenetrable…until the cliff began to crumble and the fort slowly began to disappear with it.  Only about half of the fortress is left but it is still possible to walk right in and go to the edge of the massive cliff.  No security barriers are here to prevent you from tumbling into the sea below!   This is one of many Irish sites that combined a fascinating cultural/historic site with a stunning setting.

11.  Incan Terraces at Moray, Peru

The Incan Empire was around for a very short time; it is remarkable how much they accomplished and learned.  The terraces here were agricultural and not just for show…each level was a microclimate and plant species were moved around in order to adapt them to different altitudes, etc.  Above and beyond that, it was a lot of fun to climb around the terraces using 500 year-old stone ladders!

12.  Ollantaytambo, Peru

While not quite on the same scale as Machu Picchu, this was another Incan site that leaves you in awe of that empire’s accomplishments.   People still can’t figure out how (or even why) these structures were built, let alone how they could engineer the site so that nearby mountains would glow on the summer solstice.   Once again, the site was fun to explore even without considering the thought and technology that went into it.  Breathtaking in more ways than one, given the high altitude!13.  Old Delft, the Netherlands

These are by no means the most impressive buildings in Delft, but where does one start?  The massive churches, the huge city hall, the canals…all of it beautiful and all of it carefully restored.  If I had to pick one city in the Netherlands for historic sightseeing, I think it would have to be Delft.

14.   Adriaan Windmill in Haarlem

I’ve chosen this particular photo because the neighbouring three-story houses help show the massiveness of the Adriaan Windmill.  We went on a tour of the windmill and were amazed by not just the size but also the highly advanced technology that was inside.  They were awfully clever, those medieval Dutch!

15.  Prague, Czech Republic

As with Delft, it is hard to know where to begin in Prague.  The ancient Charles Bridge?  Prague Castle?  The Old Town Square that dwarfs pretty much any other town square in Europe?   How about Wenceslas Square (shown in photo at the top of this post) – where the desire for freedom in Czechoslovakia boiled over?  It was somewhat unsettling to stay in a hotel on Wenceslas Square and then see a video (at the Museum of Communism) showing brutal police beatings in that very same place, as the communist regime of the late 1980s desperately tried to maintain its grip on power.

16.  Houses of Parliament, London, U.K.

There was a lot of history and culture in London.  However, I’ve chosen the Houses of Parliament as a particular highlight.  The clock tower is iconic, the scale is massive…and the inspiration behind Canada’s system of government is suddenly brought into very clear focus.   On top of all that, I managed to see a debate in the House of Commons and to set foot in the House of Lords.  I’m very fortunate to have had that opportunity, especially after visiting Canada’s Parliament Buildings just a few weeks before.

Stay tuned:  there are still more year-end posts to come!

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Even after removing the sights that appeared on other lists and those for which I didn’t have photographs, this was still by far my longest year-end list.  I then decided to put together separate lists of “Sobering Moments” and “Unique Experiences”…and still had to split this cultural and historic list into two parts.  Proceeding once again in chronological order…

1.  Michelangelo’s Pieta at St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City

Michelangelo carved this from a single piece of marble in his early twenties.  It’s absolutely mind-boggling and is much more impressive in person.  For most people, this would have been their life’s work.  However, Michelangelo did a few other things too, such as painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel…possibly the greatest work of art ever.  I would certainly have included that here as well, but photography is not permitted inside the Chapel.

2.  Ancient Rome

Right in the middle of the modern city of Rome, multiple generations of ancient Rome are built on top of each other.  This is most evident in the Forum but there are reminders of ancient Rome everywhere.  Just like in London, you will stumble across something familiar (Circus Maximus, the Colosseum, the Parthenon, the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain…) without even trying.

3.  Ostia Antica (near Rome, Italy)

Ostia Antica was kind of a working-class version of Pompeii.  However, instead of being destroyed by a volcano, Ostia Antica was abandoned because of changing watercourses.  While not as opulent as Pompeii, Ostia Antica is huge…it is impossible to see all of it in a single day.  We really enjoyed walking and even climbing around the city; it’s a first-class site and not too crowded either!

4.  Venice, Italy

I was prepared to dislike Venice, as I had read far too much about the crowds, the lousy food, the extortionate costs…even the smell.  Nonetheless, it really is a magical place and it’s best to just wander off and try to get lost.  While the picture above this paragraph shows some of the majesty of Venice, the narrow canals and lanes away from the Grand Canal are even more compelling…it’s just that photography in those tiny spaces is extremely difficult.

5.  Washington D. C.

The National Mall feels like the biggest cultural attraction in the world.  It goes on forever, with one striking monument after another until you reach the Capitol.   If you tire of monuments, adjacent to the Mall are numerous branches of the Smithsonian…seemingly one for every branch of knowledge and culture you can imagine. It’s hard to pick one as the highlight, so I’m just lumping them all together here.

6.  The Old Bridge in Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina

I went to Mostar, more or less, to see this bridge (see also photo at the top of this post).  Dating back 500 years, it was a symbol of co-existence and tolerance between different religious groups in Bosnia & Herzegovina.  Sadly, it was symbolically destroyed during the conflict of the early 1990s.  Painstakingly rebuilt in an attempt to bring about reconciliation, it once again proudly spans the Neretva River.  It’s a beautiful bridge (and challenging to cross!) even without the history, but knowing the story behind it made visiting the Old Bridge one of the most moving experiences of my travel year.

7.  Dubrovnik, Croatia

Another city in the former Yugoslavia that was pummeled during the civil war, Dubrovnik was rebuilt at a startling pace once the hostilities had ended.  My “pension”, like most other buildings, was bombed and lost its roof in the conflict.  Today, you can once again walk around the entire (and large!) old city on the ancient walls and not even realize that there was a war less than 20 years ago.   The city, formerly known as “Ragusa”, is beautiful at ground level too.

8.  Kotor, Montenegro…climbing the walls

While Dubrovnik’s ancient walls were massive, they can’t claim to go as high as the walls above Kotor!   Not just hundreds but even thousands of years old in a couple of places, this was like walking along the Great Wall of China…in Europe.   One needs to be careful, however, as many of the structures are crumbling.  The walls will also test your physical fitness!  But Kotor is a quaint medieval town and well worth a visit even if you don’t climb the walls.

Part 2 of this list is coming soon!

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

A couple of entries in my “Wow Moments of the Year” list could also go here, but there are plenty of others to include.   Listed in chronological order, here are 7 of the best natural wonders of my travel year…

1.   The Dolomites of Northern Italy

Rock, rock and more rock!  The Dolomites of Northern Italy attracted me back for a second consecutive year of great scenery, skiing and cuisine.  In addition to the dramatic teeth-like outcrops, the rocks also have a reddish tinge that makes them glow as the sun begins to set in the  afternoon.  Being able to ski beneath and even through the rocks made it even more impressive.

2.  The Impossibly Blue Adriatic Sea (Croatia)

It’s hard to properly capture in a photograph, so you may have to take my word on this:  the Adriatic Sea, off the coast of Croatia, has the “bluest” water I’ve ever seen.   Best of all, there are many places to enjoy the water…Dubrovnik doesn’t have a monopoly on it!

3.  Durmitor National Park (Montenegro)

Rugged, remote and unspoiled, northern Montenegro is a riot of alpine beauty.  This photo reminds me of a fairy-tale landscape but there are equally dramatic vistas (mountain lakes, sheer cliffs, etc.) throughout the Durmitor National Park area.  You’ll want a guide; remember to assess his/her driving style before leaving, however!

4.  The seals of Inis Mór (Ireland)

I suppose my entire day of biking around Inis Mór could qualify for this list but stumbling on these seals in their natural environment was an unexpected highlight.  While they are graceful swimmers, they are comically awkward above the water.  The bleak but still attractive landscape only enhanced this island experience on the far western fringe of Ireland.

5.  Giant’s Causeway (Northern Ireland)

There is a complicated geological explanation for these geometric pillars east of Portrush but it is better to imagine them as part of a massive bridge for the ancient giants of Ireland and Scotland.  You’d be surprised how much fun it is to clamber around on geometric rocks; it’s particularly stunning with the dramatic coastal scenery of Northern Ireland in the background.

6.  Caimans and Howler Monkeys in Caño Negro, Costa Rica

My wildlife safari near the Nicaraguan border was filled with special moments but seeing caimans and howler monkeys in their home environment (often adjacent to each other) was the highlight. The caimans were respectful and photogenic, as you can see.  But seeing an albino hermaphrodite howler monkey (see photo at the top of this post) within 30 seconds of starting our river journey was also thrilling…and something that only a handful of people will ever experience.

7.  Sloths in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

Sloths are, frankly, disgusting creatures.  Covered with algae and as slow as their name suggests, they nonetheless are fascinating to watch.  When you see one, it’s hard not to ask yourself how such a bizarre creature ever evolved.  We saw one trying to sleep on our rainforest night walk in the mountains of Monteverde but never thought that we would see one active and alert on the hot and humid Pacific Coast.  We also saw engaging capuchin monkeys but I’ve already described a lot of monkey business here.

More lists to come…

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Travel is partly about freedom…so committing to a scheduled event is not something you want to do too often.  However, sometimes it is fun to anticipate a special event that you would never be able to experience at home.  Here are 6 of my travel year’s top events!

1.  Live Second City show in Chicago

I hadn’t planned to be in Chicago this year, much less attend a Second City performance.  In fact, I only bought my ticket 3 hours before the show began.  But when I had a free evening in Chicago, visiting the launching pad of so many comedic careers seemed like the right thing to do.  Just visiting the lobby was amazing, as the photographs show that virtually every comedian started their career with Second City.  The show itself was very funny too; as usual, I found the improv portion to be the funniest.  For some reason, the absurdly absurd  situations really resonated with me!

2.  Paris St. Germain v. Reims – Soccer Match in France

This one wasn’t planned either.  I was leaving Reims on a Saturday morning and assumed that their Ligue 1 team wouldn’t play until Saturday afternoon.  However, this weekend was the season opener and Reims happened to be playing a very rare Friday night game at home…against Paris St. Germain, the richest (if not the best) team in French soccer!  There were at least 10 national team players freshly returned from the World Cup on the Paris roster, so there was an exceptional level of skill on display.  Even more remarkable was the fact that Reims almost won!  Paris equalized the game midway through the second half, but the Reims supporters were still thrilled with a 2-2 tie.   It was a very exciting game and I had a great seat near the centre of the field.

3.  Heerenveen v. Feyenoord soccer match

This one *was* planned: my cousin belongs to the Feyenoord fan club and I knew seeing a Dutch “Eredivisie” soccer game in Rotterdam was going to be an overwhelming experience.  The crowd was definitely more intense than in Reims (although it was a little disappointed with a tie against underdog Heerenveen) and I will never forget the electrically-charged environment.  It was also great to see the game (and have pre- and post-game refreshments) with my cousin and his family.  I hope to take them to a hockey game in Canada someday.  Speaking of hockey…

4.  Hockey Night in Hungary

When you get a schedule of a bunch of overseas hockey games, you never know which ones are going to be the most memorable.  From my perspective, they kept getting better as we moved from the Czech Republic to Poland to Slovakia.  I’ve already described the game in Slovakia as one of my Top 5 “Wow” moments of the year but the next evening’s Hungarian game was pretty special too.  As you can see from the above photo, I had a great time playing hockey for “Team Canada” on this tour and the Hungarian game was a wonderful “grass roots of hockey” way to wrap things up.  It felt great to be a Canadian: the level of respect and appreciation shown here, as in the rest of our games, was unforgettable.

5.  Los Pacaminos at the Half Moon in Putney, England

This was booked far in advance and was the “wild card” of my music tour of England.  After getting tickets for a couple of “big name” concerts, I stumbled across a listing for a band called “Los Pacaminos” who were performing in a small pub just southwest of London.  Quick research revealed that this Tex-Mex bar band (see picture at the top of this post) actually consisted of veteran professional musicians and was fronted by none other than 1980s legend Paul Young (“Every Time You Go Away”, “Come Back and Stay”, etc.).  I was mere feet from the stage and had a great time…as did the band, who played none of Paul’s hits but did play fun song after fun song (many of them being Pacaminos originals).   My university band used to play a dismal version of “La Bamba”…so it was fun to hear these guys absolutely nail it!  They only play a few concerts each year; I was exceptionally lucky to see them perform.

6.  Jools Holland’s Rhythm & Blues Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall (London, England)

Booked even farther (more than 5 months!) in advance and anticipated to be one of the highlights of my tour, this concert more than lived up to my expectations.  Everything was exceptional:  the legendary and opulent 5200-seat venue was beautiful inside and out, the atmosphere was joyous, I had a great seat in the 12th row and the 20-piece band was excellent.  I never thought that I would hear Marc Almond (of Soft Cell) sing both “Tainted Love” and “Say Hello, Wave Goodbye” with a swinging R&B orchestra, but that’s what happened.   On top of that, renowned soul vocalists Joss Stone and Ruby Turner delivered great sets too.  Both the venue and the orchestra are highly recommended for any music lover visiting London.

I’ve recounted lots of highlights already.  But there are more year-end lists to come!

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I am pleased to report that I was never afraid of violence or crime during my year of travel.  However, that doesn’t mean that there weren’t terrifying moments.  I don’t just mean “scary”, as it felt when we saw the skills of our first Czech opponents on our hockey tour of Eastern Europe.  No, these are moments where I was genuinely afraid of what was going to happen.  Interestingly, they all involve transportation!  In chronological order, they are…

1.  Approach to the Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C.

There are two airports in Washington D.C.  Dulles International Airport is some distance away from the city and handles most international flights.  Reagan National Airport is much closer to the city and in fact is connected to the local subway system.  Sounds great…until your plane approaches the runway and you find yourself flying beside buildings, making sharp turns to avoid various no-fly zones (White House, Pentagon, CIA Headquarters), and making a very quick drop to terra firma.  I found out after landing that this airport makes every “Scariest Airport” list.

2.   Bus from Mostar to Trebinje (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

This route links the Federation of Bosnia & Herzergovina with the Republika Srpska.  The first part of the trip was OK.  However, as we approached the Republika Srpska frontier and passed through a few security checkpoints, the driver turned demonic and drove like a man possessed through the exceedingly twisty mountain terrain.  Crazy driving is one thing, but the driver also decided to eat, call friends, smoke, spit out the window and catch up on his paperwork at the same time.

3.  Drive to Northern Montenegro

Just a few days after the Trebinje bus, I found myself on an even longer and even more harrowing journey across almost the entire nation of Montenegro (and back again).  The scenery was spectacular but I was focused on surviving the high-speed mountain race in a jam-packed Volkswagen Golf.  I was beginning to think about confining my future trips to destinations with train stations, so I wouldn’t have to endure any more of this motorized madness!

4.  Boat to Cavtat (Croatia)

Dubrovnik is a beautiful city on the stunning Adriatic coast (see photo at the top of this post), although it is quite heavily touristed.  I thought it would be a good idea to visit a nearby small town…but I also decided to go there by boat.  I should have asked more questions about the *type* of boat, as it turned out to be a rather small craft that was tossed around the waves for almost an hour before we finally arrived in Cavtat.  I managed not to be sick – a small victory, but a somewhat miraculous one given the conditions on the water.

5.  Midnight Taxi to Portrush (Northern Ireland)

I had a very enjoyable day touring the hidden treasures of Northern Ireland with one of my former bandmates from my undergraduate days.  Alas, midnight arrived very quickly and my only transportation option was a taxi from Limavady back to my B&B in Portrush.  The driver was a really nice guy and we talked about our respective sports interests.  The only problem was that he did this whilst covering the distance in record time on a very narrow highway in near-complete darkness.  I didn’t get to sleep for quite some time after arriving.

As you can see, my terror was more or less confined to the first half of the year.  There were some isolated incidents of aggressive driving in both Peru and Costa Rica too, but I managed to distract myself by talking to others in the tour group.  Distraction appears to be the best strategy!

There are many more lists to come – stay tuned!

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Since returning home from my last trip, I have been asked on several occasions to name my favourite trip, place or experience of the year.  My answer changes daily and, yes, I usually say “it depends”!  However, I’ve now put together a number of different lists to try and describe some of the most memorable elements of the year.

I’m starting with the Top 5 “Wow” Moments of the year.  Many of these could also fit into my “Top Experiences” category (coming soon!) but I’ve chosen to separate these 5 because they were unexpected and/or carried an intense emotional rush when they happened.  At each of these moments, I said to myself:  “Now you’re really living!”  Here they are, in chronological order…

1.  First descent from Forcella Staunies piste above Cortina d’Ampezzo (Italy)

For the past 15 years, my favourite ski piste has been the “Black Rock” piste located just below the famous Jungfrau near Wengen, Switzerland.  The piste parallels a massive black rock and was unlike anything else I’d ever skied.   The scenery is spectacular and the piste is challenging enough to be exhilarating without even considering the scenery.

Now that I’ve skied the piste at Forcella Staunies above Cortina d’Ampezzo, however, I think I have to change my answer.  With massive, towering rocks on both sides (chair lift shown at top of this post), you can’t help staring upwards and marveling at your own insignificance.  Add to that the complete absence of crowds, the deep snow, a sense of impending doom and a long and challenging piste…well, there really is nothing else like it.  It was so awesome, in fact, that I could only ski it a few times.  I was utterly exhausted and began to worry that I would make a bad mistake if I continued.    The picture above says it all:  there really is no other place I’d rather be!

2.  The crazy part of the Cliffs of Moher (Ireland)

Don’t get me wrong:  all of the Cliffs of Moher are impressive.  But there is one portion north of the main entrance that many visitors never see.  It takes some effort to get there and there are several signs reminding you that you are proceeding at your own risk.  The formerly paved and “fenced” cliff-top trail is now unfenced and little more than a dirt path.

When you arrive at the highest and most treacherous part, you are overlooking the ocean from a height of more than 2 football fields.   It is straight down and it is terrifying.  Even more terrifying is how some people are actually sitting on or leaning over the edge.   I don’t think I’ve ever walked as cautiously as I did here.  At the same time, however, it is so beautiful that I didn’t want to leave.

3.  First view of Machu Picchu (Peru)

We had to get up at an uncivilized hour and ride a packed bus up a narrow, winding and scary mountain road.  We had to wait for 45 minutes to get through the maddeningly slow line-up at the main gate.   We had to carry a lot of (heavy) water to get us through the day.   Despite all that, it was still a “Wow!” moment to see Machu Picchu for the first time.  And once you get beyond the initial “wow”, Machu Picchu will change everything you think you know about “civilization”.

4.  Scoring the opening goal for “Team Canada” in Bratislava, Slovakia

This game was very meaningful for my team and there was a lot of emotion in the air.  We were also playing in a KHL (the Eastern European version of the NHL) arena with all of the luxuries and facilities you can imagine.  There were national anthems and lots of officials.  There was music pumping between whistles and we were wearing Team Canada uniforms.  The ice was fast and the pace of play was faster.

For whatever reason, I was “in the zone” for this one and playing like my life depended on it.  I felt like I could slow the game down and make moves that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to manage.  Scoring the first goal was such an adrenaline rush that I think I actually jumped up in the air when the puck went in.  I never do that – but I did here.  I guess it was a combination of representing my country, doing something I love, and having every element of the game just the way I wanted it.  It was a dream that actually happened.

5.  Meeting a howler monkey on the Monteverde rainforest canopy (Costa Rica)

It was such a rainy day that there was nobody else on any of the hanging bridges.  I was starting to get discouraged about the apparent lack of wildlife on the canopy tour.  All of a sudden, however, a very large black animal was 20 feet away from me.   I was utterly alone, suspended 40 metres above the forest floor, with an intelligent, unpredictable, non-captive and non-human primate.   We spent 10-15 minutes just hanging out; the monkey didn’t seem to feel threatened at all and I took hundreds of photos.  How cool is that?

Stay tuned for more lists!