Category Archives: Posts from Base Camp

Posts from Kingston, Ontario, Canada

Travel Plans for 2025

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

A couple of posts ago, I said that I was in the process of confirming my plans for my spring trip. Today’s post reveals those details, as well as the other major trip I have planned for later this summer.

Downtown Rouen, France (but not the South) – July 2018

As has been the case for most of my recent major trips, lawn bowling competitions are “anchoring” each trip. But, especially for the first trip, there should be time for other activities as well. So, here we go…

Awkward intersection in Vitré, France (but not the South) – July 2018

My first trip is to southern France. I will be spending non-competition time in Lyon and Annecy, but also hope to explore some of the “off-the-beaten-path” Ardèche region. I wasn’t too far from this part of France in 2020, but once again it was for skiing purposes.

Bayeux’s Cathedral at 11:00 p.m. (not the South of France) -July 2018

I’m quite excited about this trip. I spent a little bit of time in Lyon last year, but somehow managed to miss out on the oldest (and perhaps most riveting) part of the city. I’ll make up for that this time around. But I also hope to revisit a great restaurant I visited in the Part-Dieu neighbourhood. And Annecy is apparently known as the “Venice of the Alps”!

The Arc de Triomphe, overlooking l’avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris (not the South of France) – July 2018

Later this summer, I will be travelling to Calgary, Alberta, for a major Canadian competition. I’ve been in the Calgary area a couple of times for skiing, but this will be my first proper visit in the summer. The closest I’ve come is a summer 2013 visit to the Edmonton area.

The mighty Seine, from the Eiffel Tower, Paris, France (not the South) – July 2018

In addition to these trips, I will once again be crisscrossing Ontario in the summer months. And depending on how the season goes, maybe another (Canadian) trip will materialize. But even if that doesn’t happen, France and Alberta tick all the boxes for me this year. I put a lot of thought into selecting them, and I look forward to sharing them with you when the time comes!

Low tide at Saint-Servan, France (not the South) – July 2018

For fun, the photos for today’s post are all from my summer 2018 trip to (not southern) France. Except for the cover photo at the very top – that’s from Alberta!

Travel Flashback: Road Trip to Timmins (2000)

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

For today’s post, I’ve decided to go way back…25 years, to be precise. I was just starting my 2nd work career, and funds were relatively scarce for summer vacation purposes. We accepted an invitation to visit one of my law school friends in Timmins, Ontario, and hit the road in my (then) trusty Dodge Neon.

The non-existent community of Khartum, Ontario

Wikipedia describes the Timmins economy as “based on natural resource extraction.” In other words – lumber and mining play a huge role. More than 40,000 people live there, and it is the largest city in northeastern Ontario. As it is about a nine-hour drive due north from Kingston, we stopped overnight in North Bay before making the final push.

Eganville , Ontario – where french fries matter!

On the way, we stopped in small Ontario places like Khartum (which consists of a sign but no actual community), Eganville (home of legendary french fries), and Matheson (an important highway junction). And we also visited Rapides-des-Joachims, a tiny Quebec hamlet on an island accessible only from Ontario.

This local dog accompanied us throughout our visit to Rapides-des-Joachims, Quebec

While my friend’s house was in the city of Timmins, we didn’t spend too much time there. He also had a cottage just outside the city, and that turned out to be the base for most of our visit. Staying on a remote lake is a good way to experience this part of Ontario. Our only real “sightseeing” stop in Timmins itself was at the Hollinger Mine, where we went on an underground tour. The photo at the very top of this post is a restored typical miner’s house (a “Hollinger House”) from the glory days of mining in Timmins.

Ding Ho Restaurant in Matheson, Ontario. It’s still there, and still highly rated!

As a child, I had usually spent a week or so each summer at a friend’s cottage on Eagle Lake. It was about 45 minutes north of Kingston, close to the village of Sharbot Lake, Ontario. It was a special place, with neighbouring cottagers from all over Ontario and the northern U.S. I guess I wasn’t completely unfamiliar with cottage life, but whatever cottaging skills I had were already quite rusty by 2000. By now, they are probably non-existent! But I could still handle a canoe when we visited Norway in 2010.

About to enter the Hoillinger Mine in Timmins

Staying at the cottage was a great way to “get away from it all.” But all good things must end. Our circuitous route home took us through Ville-Marie (northwestern Quebec) and then through and around Ontario’s Algonquin Park. The pictures from that journey seem to be from a completely different era. And I suppose they are.

Near Kenogami Lake, Ontario

I’m particularly struck by a picture of a disused church (formerly known as St. Leonard’s Anglican Church) in the ghost town of Rockingham, Ontario. It had been abandoned since 1941, but the local community restored it in 1999-2000. The setting, at the edge of a thick forest, is very evocative. It’s well worth a visit if you find yourself in the area.

The former St. Leonard’s Church in Rockingham, Ontario

Coming soon: my 2025 travel destinations revealed!

My interview with Bob Dylan

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

On New Year’s Day, I went to the Screening Room (our local independent cinema) and watched “A Complete Unknown”. It’s a new biopic about Bob Dylan, touching only on the period between 1961 and 1965. It made me think about a Dylan experience I had 35 years ago, in the spring of 1990.

At that time, I was the Music Director of CFRC-FM (Queen’s University Radio). My role involved liaising with the record companies. They would provide us with new releases, and we would provide them with feedback on how our programmers liked the new stuff. College radio success was often a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

Sometimes, we would get special opportunities. A band might stop by the station for an interview or even a quick performance. And we would occasionally get free passes to concerts. Most of my interviews involved Canadian bands such as the Northern Pikes or the Grapes of Wrath. I have to admit, it was cool to go the show and be acknowledged by the band from the stage.

As bands became better known, they tended to become very selective with their interviews and appearances. International stars usually didn’t need to do promotion with university stations, although some might make an occasional appearance out of nostalgia (a lot of musicians had been college radio DJs themselves). But even the more prominent acts would still reserve a few tickets for local media, including our station.

One day, I received a call from the Canadian rep for Columbia Records. Bob Dylan was playing at the Kingston Memorial Centre the next night…would I be interested in a pair of tickets? Of course, I said yes. I played some Dylan on my show from time to time. But then the rep continued: would I be interested in interviewing Bob?

Deep breath.

I said I would be happy to do that. The rep told me to get to the arena in the late afternoon, pick up the tickets at the box office, and let the box office staff know that I was there to interview Mr. Dylan.

Needless to say, I didn’t sleep too well that night. Not only is Bob Dylan one of the most famous musicians ever, but he also had a reputation for doing very, very few interviews. And even when he did them, he had a reputation for being…a challenging interview. Nothing would be worse than being unprepared for an interview with Bob Dylan.

I worked very hard to come up with questions that were informed, but not obsessive. Unique, but not silly. The parameters were challenging indeed. I felt like I was preparing to defend my doctoral dissertation on contemporary popular music…in front of the guy who revolutionized it.

On the day of the concert, I arrived at the Kingston Memorial Centre with the 97th draft of my profound but cool interview questions. I confidently strode to the box office, and picked up my free tickets. And then I asked the clerk…would Mr. Dylan be available for our interview now? She asked me to wait a minute, and disappeared from view. This may well have been the longest minute of my life. It was all becoming very real. Bob Dylan was in the building, and I was about to interview him. I was 21 years old.

The clerk eventually returned. She said that the label rep had indeed mentioned the interview to the venue management. Alas, in a very apologetic tone, she said Mr. Dylan was unfortunately no longer able to do any interviews that evening.

At the time, I was naturally very disappointed. But, in retrospect, maybe it was better that Bob wasn’t available. No matter how good my 97th draft of questions may have seemed then, I think I would do a much better job now. I probably wasn’t ready to defend my dissertation in 1990.

I suspect that Bob Dylan remembers little about his May 30, 1990, visit to Kingston. After all, he calls his 60+ years of performing the “Never Ending Tour.” He’s done thousands of concerts all over the world. But we’re all human. Maybe, just maybe, he felt bad about not doing the interview. And if he did, it’s not too late. He can have his people call my people. I might be able to carve out some time for him.

Travel Endpoints!

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

You either like travel planning, or you don’t. Very few people are neutral about this. Fortunately, I really enjoy structuring a trip. It may sound strange, but one of the best parts for me is figuring out my “endpoints”. For an overseas trip, this means the airports for my arrival and eventual departure.

I’m about to start that process now. I have an overseas trip planned for a couple of weeks in the spring, and I already know how I will be spending most of my time. But there is still some unaccounted time at the beginning and end of the trip. This makes the endpoints really important.

When I was in Europe earlier this year, my endpoints were Lyon (new to me) and Zürich  (not at all new to me). I was happy to explore Lyon, and I decided to end my trip in Winterthur (very close to the Zürich airport) as an alternative to Zürich.

Selecting those key endpoints for my spring trip is a complex challenge. As always, I am striving to keep my travel costs at a minimum. But it is a mistake to focus only on airfares. Taking direct flights, rather than dodgy itineraries with multiple connections, reduces the risk of lost luggage and/or missed flights. Ground transportation can also be very expensive, depending on the country.

I also have to consider the timing of my trip. For example, I love visiting Zweisimmen (Switzerland), but it is best in the summer or winter. At other times of the year, the weather can be dreary and many things are closed. So, I need to consider whether my proposed early- and late-trip locations are open or shut at that time of year.

But it is also possible for a location to be “too perfect” at a certain time of year. I need to check whether there is something special happening that could makes prices and crowds oppressive. I’m not planning on visiting the French Riviera in February, but it might not be a great idea in any event…that’s when the Fête du Citron (Lemon Festival) is held in Menton.

Despite all these caveats, the flip side is this: whatever I decide, I should have the opportunity to experience something truly different. Hopefully, I will get to some places I’ve never been before. And it’s really fun to dig up special experiences, even if I’ve been to one of my endpoints before. I had been to Chicago in the summer of 2013, so initially I wasn’t thrilled to be marooned there in the winter of 2014. But I managed to have a great winter stay there, despite the frigid temperatures.

I expect that the endpoints of my upcoming trip will be finalized by the time of my next blog post. I’m really looking forward to the thrill of the chase, especially as my home town is damp, cold, and dark right now.

The pictures from today’s blog are all from a December 2 walk at Lemoine’s Point in Kingston. And, other than the cover photo at the very top, they are all in chronological order!

Travel Flashback: Yukon and Alaska (2003)

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

In the summer of 2003, we visited a friend from Hinton, Alberta, who had recently moved to Whitehorse, Yukon. It was my first, and so far only, visit to this northern Canadian territory.

The Yukon River, near Whitehorse, Yukon. It’s big, of course.

The strongest impression I had from the Yukon was the space. It wasn’t completely isolated (the Alaska Highway passes through Whitehorse), but I never had the feeling of being crowded either. The streets were wide and everything just seemed…big. Despite not being on a sea, ocean, or even a lake, even the boats were big (see the SS Klondike photo at the top of this post).

Our train on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad, on the way to Skagway, Alaska.

The most “touristy” part of our trip (and thus the most photographed) was our journey on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad to Skagway, Alaska. This railway originally ran from Whitehorse to Skagway, and it was the main route to the Yukon interior during the Klondike Gold Rush. The railway closed in 1982, but then reopened again in 1988 as a summer heritage railway.

Bleak terrain on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad,

During our visit, the first part of our trip was by bus: only the portion from Bennett (B.C.) to Skagway was operational. It now runs from Carcross (Yukon) to Skagway, and there are plans to have it once again run the entire length from Whitehorse to Skagway. There were some anxious moments en route…this is not easy terrain! But we made it to Skagway safe and sound. In fact, the line ends right on the docks where cruise ships stop in Skagway.

Hiking in the Dewey Lakes area, just above Skagway, Alaska.

Skagway is a small town, with only about 1,200 residents. You’re never far from nature, so it is easy to find appropriate hiking trails close to town. As we didn’t have a lot of specialized equipment, we limited ourselves to the Dewey Lakes area.

Hiking in the Dewey Lakes area, just above Skagway, Alaska.

Even though this was close to town, we really felt like we were “off the beaten track”. In some ways, the terrain (and tricky footing) was similar to our hiking adventure on Vancouver Island in 2023.

A saloon in downtown Skagway, Alaska.

Back in town, the local tourist industry really plays up the gold rush days. And with good reason: those were Skagway’s glory days, when the population was around 12,000! We found an old-fashioned saloon, and many other buildings that haven’t really changed in more than a century.

Jefferson Smith’s Parlor, in downtown Skagway, Alaska.

Given the small population, and the popularity of summer cruises along the Alaska coastline, Skagway is really transformed when a ship arrives. The inlet that ends at Skagway is quite narrow, but we still saw some fairly large ships sailing into port.

Between the docks and downtown Skagway, Alaska.

After a couple of nights in Skagway, we returned to Whitehorse. However, our “return” tickets on the White Pass and Yukon Route Railroad were actually for a bus on the return leg of our journey. I presume that this is to maximize the benefits from the short summer tourist season.

Exploring the coastline on the Taiya Inlet at Skagway, Alaska.

I think our two nights in Skagway were just right for us at the time. One full day of hiking and exploring the town felt appropriate. Since few of the cruise passengers actually stay overnight here, the evenings were very quite and peaceful.

I went through a phase where I would dramatically scale steep rocks.

Coming up – another international adventure!

Travel Flashback: My most northern destinations

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

The summer is a great time to head north. With the long hours of daylight, there is so much more to see! On that note, here are some of my most northern destinations…

Overlooking Iqaluit’s harbour

In Canada, the farthest north I’ve been is to Iqaluit, the capital of Nunavut (Canada’s largest territory). After getting over the sticker shock, I developed a much deeper appreciation for the differences between the various parts of Canada. As I wrote in this post about my 2013 trip to Iqaluit, you should take advantage of any opportunity you might have to visit Nunavut. You will never forget it!

“Welcome to Iqaluit”, in the 4 languages of Nunavut

2013 was a great year to go north. Later that summer, I found myself in Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories. Yellowknife is still connected by road (albeit a very long road) to the rest of Canada, which meant that it had some superficial similarities to other Canadian cities. But, as with Nunavut, I felt that a true Northern experience would require a trip to one of the smaller outlying communities. That remains a travel goal of mine.

Floating houses in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

And yes, I’ve been to the Yukon Territory (and Alaska) too! However, so far, I haven’t converted that experience to a post on this blog. It’s a rainy day project of mine to track down some pictures and make it happen. The same goes for my 1999 trip to Harrington Harbour, Quebec, a remote village on the north shore of St. Lawrence River (near Labrador).

Downtown Grímsey, right beside the Arctic Circle

Despite living in Canada, the farthest north I’ve ever been was in…Iceland! In 2008, we spent a remarkable two weeks there. We even made it to Grimsey, an island north of the Arctic Circle. Sure, the journey by boat made us sick, but once again it was an experience that we’ll never forget.

The boat we took back to Balestrand, Norway

On mainland Europe, I’ve been to each of the Scandinavian countries. But within those countries, my most northerly destination was Fjærland, Norway (see photo at the very top of this post). You can find the details in this post about our 2010 adventure in the Norwegian fjords. Interestingly, I wasn’t particularly struck by the “northernness” of this area. It was beautiful, to be sure, but in an Alpine way! Sometimes, it felt like we were in Switzerland rather than Scandinavia.

Broch of Gurness, Orkney

Another northern destination that left an impact on me was Orkney, a cluster of islands off the northern coast of Scotland. Like many other northern destinations, there weren’t a whole lot of trees in Orkney. But, as you can see from these two posts (one about ancient Orkney, the other about “relatively more recent” aspects of Orkney), you don’t need a lot of trees to be a captivating place. We haven’t returned yet, but one day we will.

Kirkwall Bowling Green, Orkney – I hope to play here for real someday!

As I reviewed my blog posts about these northern destinations, two common themes emerged: (1) the north is unforgettable, and (2) we’ll return someday and dig even deeper!

My local haunts in downtown Kingston

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

In response to popular demand (and Keith), I’m finally including some pictures from my historic hometown of Kingston. This post focuses on some of my “haunts” in the downtown core.

Amadeus Cafe Restaurant in Kingston, Ontario

Amadeus Cafe has been serving Austrian and German food on Princess Street for at least 30 years now. Whenever I need a fix of schnitzel or smoked farmer sausage, this is a no-brainer. Even the side dishes are excellent, and they have a great selection of beverages on tap. I recommend it without hesitation. But ensure you make a reservation: it can get busy!

Mango Restaurant in Kingston, Ontario

The official name is “Mango Thai & Pan-Asian Cuisine.” I’m usually skeptical of places that “specialize” in more than one type of cuisine, but Mango is actually a good choice for diners who don’t all share the same tastes. It’s conveniently located right across the street from Amadeus, if one of them is fully booked.

Something Else Records (left) in Kingston, Ontario

The team at Something Else Records knows me by name, so I guess I’m at this Wellington Street store quite a bit. It’s more comfortable than your typical record shop, and they’ve made a lot of special orders for me over the years. And there’s a pub, a Caribbean roti place, and a tea room on the same side of the street!

Pan Chancho Bakery in Kingston, Ontario

Pan Chancho Bakery is a Kingston institution. It grew out of the even older Chez Piggy restaurant, about a block away on Princess Street, and even serves food of its own now, too. My favourite treat here is a batch of balsamic mushrooms from the deli counter.

Mio Gelato (centre) and Woodenhead’s Pizza (right) in Kingston, Ontario

After a good meal, or even before, there’s nothing wrong with having some gelato. It’s the right thing to do. And while it’s located on touristy Ontario Street, Mio Gelato has been serving up high quality gelato for a long time now. I’m partial to the intense fruit gelatos, but dark chocolate gelato is really good too (dark chocolate and raspberry is my favourite combination).

The Prince George Hotel, City Hall, and (at back) the old Firehall on Ontario Street in Kingston, Ontario. And the black car clearly just ran a red light.

While I haven’t been there much lately, I also used to really enjoy the oven-fired pizza at Woodenhead’s. Arbre Amore was my favourite kind. Woodenhead’s is right beside Mio Gelato and just a block from City Hall (see above photo, as well as the photo at the very top of this post). This place can be noisy, so be prepared!

While Kingston has a beautiful downtown, I have lots of favourite places outside the downtown core too. I’ll cover some of those in an upcoming post!

10 years later – what has happened since?

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

During my 2014 travel year, I visited a lot of countries. You can look at the countries and statistics in this post: Travel by the Numbers | Pierre Vanderhout’s Travel Blog.

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

Looking back, it is even more interesting to see where I thought about going (to the point of checking airfares and flight schedules)…but ultimately didn’t visit then. Those countries were: Chile, Argentina, Ecuador, Fiji, French Polynesia, the Cook Islands, New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Namibia, Slovenia, Latvia, Lithuania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Kosovo, Serbia, (North) Macedonia, Russia, Ukraine, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis, Bermuda, Bhutan, the United Arab Emirates and Greenland. Oh yes, I also wanted to visit Saskatchewan!

A Christmas market in downtown Copenhagen, Denmark, with Christiansborg in the background

Even in 2014, real-life events took some of these countries off the list. And obviously a lot has happened since then. But have I made it to any of those places in the intervening 10 years?

Absolutely stunning view just below Sunset Point (Bryce Canyon, Utah)

The answer is…yes! Most notable was a couple of weeks in South America, where I managed to visit both Chile and Argentina. I also finally made it to Saskatchewan! That was important to me because it was the only Canadian province or territory that I had never visited. Alas, I haven’t yet made it to any of those other countries…before or after 2014. In a way, I suppose that I have been to Slovenia, although it was still part of Yugoslavia at the time.

At the top of Horseshoe Bend (near Page, Arizona)

A lot of my travel since 2014 has been to previously visited countries, provinces, and states. However, I have visited a couple of completely new entities since then: Denmark and St. Pierre & Miquelon, which is a “self-governing territorial overseas collectivity” of France. I certainly hadn’t foreseen those destinations in 2014. And while there aren’t any remaining Canadian provinces or territories to see for the first time, I have since made it to several “new” American states: Nevada, Utah (see photo at the very top of this post), Arizona, and Pennsylvania.

Bastille Day – St. Pierre & Miquelon

Looking ahead, I know I’ll be taking at least two international trips in the next 12 months. Stay tuned to find out if those trips include any of the “2014 wish list” destinations!

Missed Opportunities?

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

From time to time, travel plans get disrupted. Today’s post is about plans that just didn’t work out!

“The Bean” in winter, downtown Chicago (an unplanned stand-in for Memphis, Tennessee)

In a February 2023 post about “Travel Regrets”, I mentioned a couple of plans that were thwarted. These included never making it to Memphis, Tennessee in March 2014, and the July 2016 visa issue that delayed our crossing from Chile to Argentina at a remote outpost in the Andes. Today’s post covers a few more examples.

North shore of Schiermonnikoog (Friesland, the Netherlands)

Weather has played a role in many of my missed opportunities. In August 2014, I had arranged to go on an extended wadlopen (a hike across the muddy sea floor during low tide) from the Dutch mainland to one of the Frisian islands. This day-long activity requires a guide…and also decent weather. Learning of the expected high winds and thunderstorms, the guide decided to pull the plug. While it was disappointing, I still managed to make it out the Frisian island of Schiermonnikoog by boat. And I went for a nice walk around the dunes.

Inside the “Los 36 Billares” billiards cafe (Buenos Aires, Argentina)

Poor weather also prevented me from setting foot in Uruguay. During our stay in Buenos Aires, we had hoped to take a boat across the Rio de la Plata to the historic city of Colonia del Sacramento. But nasty weather forced us to back down from that plan and spend another day in Buenos Aires instead. Among other things, we ended up having enjoyable refreshments in a billiards cafe!

Specialty shop in Westport, Ireland. I went in for the vinyl but came out with a book!

Dismal weather also torpedoed my planned ascent of Croagh Patrick, a (relatively) large mountain just outside the quaint western Ireland town of Westport. Rain, wind, and clouds conspired to make that extended trek unpleasant and possibly dangerous. Instead, I explored some local Westport institutions, such as a quaint bookstore and the local “chippy”. It wasn’t the plan, but I still have the book I bought!

The Grand Canyon, on the “Day After”

Another more dramatic weather incident happened in 2019, when I was supposed to descend the Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. Not only did we not go on that much-anticipated hike, we couldn’t even leave our hotel. And the hotel was without power for 24 hours as the state was battered by a fierce blizzard. Unlike the other “missed opportunities”, there was nothing to take the place of the canyon descent. We were cold, unable to travel, and could do little more than ensure we had enough to eat. While we managed a brief visit to the Grand Canyon the next morning, there wasn’t enough time to try even a short descent.

Overlooking the Tara River Canyon – northern Montenegro

While weather jettisoned all of the above plans, nature wasn’t always to blame. During my May 2014 stay in Kotor, Montenegro, I signed up for a guided tour to Albania. I thought it would an interesting trip, as Albania had been so isolated before the fall of the Iron Curtain. Alas, I was the only person who was interested and the excursion was cancelled. A small group was interested in heading up to Durmitor National Park in northern Montenegro, and it seemed to be a reasonable alternative, so I decided to take that trip instead. While the tour guide’s driving was terrifying, I did end up seeing some little-known but spectacular scenery.

Looking straight down at the Tara River (northern Montenegro)

Even if things don’t work out as planned, they (usually) still work out in a different way…the great Grand Canyon Blizzard of 2019 being a notable exception! Sometimes the unplanned alternative even surpasses the original intention. But no matter the outcome, these missed opportunities give me a great reason to go back to some of my favourite destinations.

Switzerland 2024: The debrief

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

After any significant sports competition, I prepare a “debrief” that captures my impressions and learnings from that event. I decided to do the same for this trip…my first significant international trip in four years.

Photo time on the Maulerhubel (above Winteregg, Switzerland)

Firstly – and I don’t think I can overstate this – I am so lucky to have a connection to Switzerland. And it doesn’t get old. I know I’ve taken hundreds (if not thousands) of pictures in Wengen, Grindelwald, and Mürren over the years, but I never tire of taking even more photos in this truly beautiful setting.

More photos…this time at the top of the Gimmeln lift (above Gimmelwald, Switzerland)

And while the slopes in the Zweisimmen area may lack the sheer size that you see at Wengen, it is still special to be there too. Knowing that my ancestors lived on (and worked) these mountains creates a special bond that I don’t feel anywhere else. It is only enhanced by knowing that I am related, however distantly, to many of the area residents!

The fearsome Birg lift station (top left), high above Mürren, Switzerland

But the mountains are only part of it. Beyond the natural beauty is something that doesn’t depend on where you are. Ironically, because holidays tend to be rushed, that something is…time.

View from our lunch spot at the Schilthornhütte, high above Mürren, Switzerland

In the inevitable extended periods of travel, whether by plane or by train, there is time to just…think. I used to think that “dead” time like that was just a necessary evil. But now I think it’s a blessing in disguise because, in our (hectic) daily lives, how often do we get a chance to just think deeply? This trip was great for that.

The ski posse having lunch at the Schilthornhütte…I took the previous picture from where my orange jacket is visible

The “deep thinking” isn’t just about the spectacular Swiss setting. It can be about almost anything. Part of the “deep think” is appreciating all of the great things about home.

Looking from the Schilthornhütte towards the Schilthorn summit (which we would soon visit)

Another part of the “deep think” is prioritizing the opportunities that lie ahead. Prioritizing is something that’s hard to do when you’re running from one thing to the next. But things can become much clearer when you have no cell phone, no internet connection, and no daily living concerns. This is when you discover your true passions and what is truly important to you.

Every direction you look, there’s a spectacular view (Mürren, Switzerland)

So, while I was naturally sad that my time in the mountains had come to an end, I felt energized by (and truly focused on) what was still to come. And isn’t that a perfect way to end a holiday?

Skiing down from the upper Mürren slopes to the lower Mürren slopes requires going through this narrow chasm. It is notorious for difficult conditions. But it is also a thrill to navigate!.

Stay tuned – this is going to be a great year, and it’s only just getting started!