Category Archives: Posts from Base Camp

Posts from Kingston, Ontario, Canada

How to Make Travel Last Forever

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I recently spent an evening looking back at my blog posts from my self-guided music tour of England in November of 2014.  As I read the posts, two related thoughts came to mind. The first one: What a cool trip!  The second one:  I’m so glad I wrote it all down!

Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire
Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire

That, in a nutshell, is how to make travel last forever. It goes without saying that you should enjoy your travels and do things that interest you.  However, writing down my thoughts as I went along helped me to later relive those moments with more than just a vague feeling of “that was fun”.

Thayers Inn in Littleton, New Hampshire. We stayed in this very historic (and rustic) hotel.
Thayers Inn in Littleton, New Hampshire. We stayed in this very historic (and rustic) hotel.

It’s easy to take lots of pictures; in fact, I have more pictures (prints and electronic) than I know what to do with.  Taking that little bit of extra time to record your impressions while they are still fresh in your mind will give the photos context and will make the memories yours alone…rather than just another snapshot that you could find in a million places on the Internet.

Downtown St. Johnsbury, Vermont, U.S.A.
Downtown St. Johnsbury, Vermont, U.S.A.

In 2014, I did most of my writing during travel “down times”: on bus and train rides, in airports, in restaurants (I was mostly traveling solo and it made waiting for food a lot easier), and when attractions were closed.   On busy days, it was often in the form of point-form notes.  If I at least wrote down a few key words, it would be a lot easier to fill in the gaps later when I had more time.

Inexplicably lopsided view of the state Capitol building in Montpelier, Vermont, U.S.A.
Not every photograph is brilliant:  witness this Inexplicably lopsided view of the state Capitol building in Montpelier, Vermont, U.S.A.

Of course, you don’t need to record your thoughts in the form of a blog.  I kept written journals during many of my pre-2014 trips and then used the journals to prepare captions after I made prints of my photos and put them into photo albums.   I also kept a journal during my 2014 travels, although not on every trip.  I was busier on the group tours and I simply didn’t have the time to both blog and write a journal.

Lake Champlain, Vermont, U.S.A.
Lake Champlain, Vermont, U.S.A.

If you don’t keep a contemporaneous record, you end up facing the situation I have with our 2009 drive home from Nova Scotia through the Northeastern United States:  there are lots of interesting pictures from places we’d never seen before (and may never see again), but the passage of time has dimmed their significance and some of them can no longer be associated with a particular place.  I know the photo at the top of this post is somewhere in northeastern Vermont…but that’s all.

Paul Bunyan statue in Rumford, Maine, U.S.A. Apparently, there is now a small statue of Babe the Blue Ox here too!
Paul Bunyan statue in Rumford, Maine, U.S.A. Apparently, there is now a small statue of Babe the Blue Ox here too!

All of the pictures in today’s post are from that trip.  I wish I could prepare a meaningful narrative about them but my specific recollections are very few.  For example,  I still remember that Bangor, Maine is Stephen King’s hometown and that Littleton, New Hampshire is a very quaint place for an overnight stopover.  We stayed in a positively ancient hotel there and visited what had to be one of the world’s largest candy stores.  I also suspect that there were not a whole lot of specific sights in east-central Maine…but maybe that’s just because we did a lot of driving that day and accordingly we had stopped “seeing”?  It would be a lot easier to say, if I had kept a journal.

Stay tuned for more flashbacks from unique northern destinations!

Road Trip to see Paul McCartney in Nova Scotia (2009)

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

In about one week’s time, we are going to check off another item on our musical bucket lists.  Music is very subjective, of course, but I think the magnitude of this upcoming concert is similar to our evening with former Beatle Paul McCartney in Halifax, Nova Scotia back in July of 2009.

Paul McCartney live in Halifax, Nova Scotia (July 2009)
Paul McCartney live in Halifax, Nova Scotia (July 2009)

Driving to Nova Scotia from Ontario does not enjoy a great reputation. Yes, there were some long stretches of tedium. However, we were pleasantly surprised by our overnight stay in Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, where we found an attractive downtown core with excellent food…and even bought a pair of Helly Hansen (see my previous post) shorts!

Waterfalls at Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec
Waterfalls at Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec

Next up was a long drive through New Brunswick. We had big plans for Fredericton but the legislature building was closed for renovations and the downtown generally seemed closed when we arrived late in the afternoon.  We pressed on to the tiny town of Sackville, home of Mount Allison University, to spend our second night on the road.   We stayed in a college residence: an excellent accommodation option in the summer months.  We also felt compelled to visit Mel’s Tea Room:  the jukebox, stools and menu were all in accordance with our expectations.

Mel's Tea Room in Sackville, New Brunswick
Mel’s Tea Room in Sackville, New Brunswick

Early the next day, we crossed the border into Nova Scotia.  It was the day of the concert so we didn’t have much time to catch up with our friends before heading to the show.

So what is a Paul McCartney concert like?  Unlike his 1970s concerts with Wings, Paul’s latter-day concerts fully embrace his Beatle past.  It is truly remarkable to hear so many Beatles classics sung by the man who actually wrote them.  You get a feeling that you are a part of history:  many of these songs will be considered the “Classical Music of the 20th Century”.

Waterfalls at Grand Falls, New Brunswick
Waterfalls at Grand Falls, New Brunswick

However, and this may seem like sacrilege to some, Paul has been emphasizing his Beatles hits (and his essentially solo “Band on the Run” album) in concert for so long now that I sometimes found myself wishing that he would skip some of the more overexposed or less-melodic songs.    “Paperback Writer” and “Get Back”?  Er, heard those the last time, thanks…don’t really need to hear them again.   On the other hand, I certainly can’t find fault with songs like the enormously popular “Hey Jude” and it was great to hear energetic versions of only slightly-less familiar tracks like “All My Loving” and “I Saw Her Standing There”.   These songs still sound fresh and brilliant after half a century, and they weren’t even singles in most of the world!

Welcome to Nova Scotia!
Welcome to Nova Scotia!

So, while I would have liked to have heard a few more surprise selections from his solo work (“No More Lonely Nights”, for example, was a huge hit and has a great tune to boot), it is a very minor quibble.  To be fair, I also have seen Paul McCartney perform live before and have seen several of his concert videos.  The bottom line is that his concerts are about three hours in length, immaculately performed, and feature 95% of the songs that casual fans will want to hear.

McCartney still clearly loves performing and his band looks equally thrilled to be there.  I’ve never seen so many people be so happy at a concert from beginning to end.  This “shared experience” makes it easy to understand why many reviewers employ quasi-religious language when describing McCartney shows.  Tickets aren’t cheap but, if you’re a fan, I have no hesitation in recommending these concerts.

Things get a little chaotic during "Live and Let Die"
Things get a little chaotic during “Live and Let Die”

After all that, you may be wondering who we’re seeing next week.  It’s another living legend whose story is every bit as compelling as (and perhaps more so than) Paul McCartney’s.  Feel free to guess…or stay tuned for my report in about a week’s time!

Travel Flashback: Bergen, Norway (2010)

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I’m a big believer in serendipitous travel.  When we were researching our 2010 trip to Norway, we thought it would be nice to see the Atlantic coast of Norway.  At the same time, it seemed like a waste of time to travel out to the coast from Oslo…and then back again to Oslo for the flight home.  It turned out that Icelandair served a number of Norwegian cities from Reykjavik…so we were able to book a flight into Bergen and then out of Oslo at no extra cost.  We didn’t know much about Bergen but figured that there must be something worth seeing.

As it turns out, there was plenty to see.  We quickly learned that Bergen was one of the major Hanseatic League cities:  a Germanic trading organization that linked the Baltic States, Scandinavia, Germany and Poland.  Of course, there was no united “Germany” yet, but German was definitely the language of commerce.

Close-up of buildings in the historic Bryggen district of Bergen
Close-up of buildings in the historic Bryggen district of Bergen

The historic Bryggen district, dominating Bergen’s waterfront, contains a large number of brightly coloured wooden buildings from the Hanseatic days.  We spent the better part of a day exploring the various museums embedded into the Bryggen buildings.  Everybody takes pictures of the exteriors but the dark interiors are equally fascinating.  And there is a lot of dried fish, too.

On our first evening in town, we took a gondola lift up to a park located high above Bergen’s harbour.   In just a few minutes we were hiking around a verdant wilderness, wondering whether there might be bears, and completely forgetting that we were in Norway’s second largest city.

One of many historic buildings on the Bergen waterfront
One of many historic buildings on the Bergen waterfront

Bergen is also a modern city and we spent some time shopping and visiting markets.  This was the summer right after the Vancouver Winter Olympics:  Norway’s men’s curling team had made a real splash at the Olympics with their outrageously colourful curling pants.  By the summer, however, the novelty had begun to wear off.   and we saw a lot of plaid curling pants for sale.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any that fit me.

A quaint little red house, hidden from the street in Bergen
A quaint little red house, hidden from the street in Bergen

While I was unsuccessful in the curling pants department, I did find a Helly Hansen rugby shirt (Helly Hansen being a famous Norwegian brand of sports & outdoor clothing) that was almost as striking.  To this day, it attracts cries of “Where’s Waldo?” whenever I wear it.  The shirt has turned out to be a nice souvenir that I’ll forever associate with Bergen.

As Bergen was the first city we’ve ever visited in Norway, we will also forever associate it with huge and unique breakfasts.  As the price of food in Norway was quite outrageous, we learned to take extreme advantage of the hotel’s smorgasbordesque breakfast and not eat again until dinner.

Our hotel in the modern part of downtown Bergen
Our hotel in the modern part of downtown Bergen

I suppose the amount of fish at breakfast was to be expected; this is, after all, a country with a huge fishing heritage.  Yet it was the cheese, of all things, that was most surprising.   For the first time, we ate brunost…or “brown cheese”.   Here’s a link to a Guardian article about it: from its orange-brown colour to its fudge-like texture to its surprising sweet and salty flavour, it is something else that I will never forget.  Just like some of my favourite Dutch treats, brunost does not seem to have caught on much outside its home country.

Just one of the quirky things we saw in Bergen
Just one of the quirky things we saw in Bergen

Bergen is a beautifully situated city and a great springboard for exploring the fjords.  If we make it to Norway again, we will focus on the Atlantic Coast…and it would be great to start with a return visit to this very livable place.

The Thrill of the Chase

(KIngston, Ontario, Canada)

As I mentioned in a recent post, the dates have been chosen and I am now deep into the “venue selection process” for this winter’s ski trip. It’s not on the same scale as planning an entire year’s worth of travel, but this is the most complicated travel problem I’ve faced for quite some time.  Today’s lengthy post, illustrated with some pictures from March of 2010, is all about figuring out when and where to ski.

Fun on the rooftops in Grächen, Switzerland (March 2010)
Fun on the rooftops in Grächen, Switzerland (March 2010)

There are usually about 6 of us, coming from 4 or 5 different countries (depending on the year) and two continents. Thanks to e-mail, this is not an insurmountable barrier.  However, while it is great to be in regular contact with my “ski posse”, it can sometimes still feel like herding cats when it is time to make a decision.  Not only are we in different time zones, but we all in different professions (with their own “seasons”) and our countries all have different “high seasons” for holidays.  In Canada, for example, there can be a lot of competition in the workplace for “March Break” vacations.

Geography, economics, and our own preferences dictate that the ski venue will be in Europe. We also like to discover new resorts, so we rarely say “let’s just go back to the same place as last year”. This is where things get really complicated.  Europe is a small continent but there is a huge amount of skiing.

Not every ski resort is quaint (Cervinia, Italy)
Not every ski resort is quaint (Cervinia, Italy)

The first consideration is the time of year.  February is traditionally the month for ski holidays  in Europe, so prices are often double what they might be in January or March.  As January is also the coldest month and high-altitude skiing means even colder temperatures, this means that we will generally ski in March.

Skiing in March rules out a lot of the lower-altitude resorts, as we need to be sure that the resort will have sufficient snow.  This means that we are more or less confined to the Alps.   This is not a terrible fate but it does rule out some interesting off-the-beaten-path possibilities.

The Matterhorn (Zermatt, Switzerland)
Skiing by the Matterhorn (Zermatt, Switzerland)

The next consideration is national price levels.  While we always stay in inexpensive accommodation, a strong currency and high standards of living can sometimes push even the cheapest accommodation out of reach.  Right now, pretty much everything in Switzerland is out of the question because of the very strong Swiss Franc.  It’s not just the hotel cost: we also have to consider the cost of lift passes, ski rental, food, and transportation to/from the resort.

As we enjoy exploring different pistes and most European bookings need to be for a week, the resort needs to be of a certain size to hold our interest.    We don’t want to ski the same slopes six days in a row.  This rules out all but the largest stand-alone resorts.  Generally, we are looking for a ski “region”, where a single pass gets you access to a variety of different resorts (ideally linked by pistes rather than by bus or train).  We try to avoid purpose-built resorts:  it’s much more interesting to ski in and around real Alpine villages.

3700m above sea level: skiing across the Swiss/Italian border above Zermatt and Cervinia
3700m above sea level: skiing across the Swiss/Italian border above Zermatt and Cervinia

Once we think we’ve found a region or resort,  we also need to consider our access to the ski lifts.  An otherwise perfect village 6 miles from the nearest lift does not work.  Ideally, we want something in the “middle” of the region that allows us to access all of the resorts covered by the weekly ski pass.

We also need to find accommodation for 6 unrelated people.  Ideally, this would be in 6 single rooms, although this is not always possible.  Most hotels don’t have many single rooms, as the economics favour putting more than one person in a room.   Also, many seemingly ideal hotels are booked a year or more in advance, either by tour groups or by returning skiers who have enjoyed the resort in the past.

Some of the posse at Zermatt, with the Matterhorn looming large in the distance
Some of the posse at Zermatt, with the Matterhorn looming large in the distance

We also need to eat!  One of the great attractions of European skiing is the (usually) excellent on-mountain and in-resort dining.  However, this is not always the case.  Evening dinners can be problematic:  after 8 hours of skiing, we don’t want to wander all over town trying to find a reasonably-priced place with good (local) food that has tables available and appeals to all 6 of us.  Lately, we’ve found that a well-chosen hotel offering half-board (with each day’s breakfast and dinner included) is a good solution to this problem.  But good-value accommodation and good food don’t always go hand-in-hand.

With all of these considerations, the initial stages of the search can be overwhelming.  Nobody wants to let the others down with a lousy venue or a proposal that not everyone can afford.  This year, I did have a small crisis at one point and wondered whether we should just go back to a “safe” resort that we’ve visited before.

More fun at the Swiss-Italian border, high above Zermatt and Cervinia
More fun at the Swiss-Italian border, high above Zermatt and Cervinia

However, after much research and some frustrating late nights at the keyboard, the chase appears to be coming to a successful conclusion.   It looks like we’ve found our 2016 ski region and we are down to a couple of hotels in 2 different resorts within that region.

This year’s destination is the cross-border Via Lattea (“Milky Way”) ski region in northwestern Italy and southeastern France.  This region hosted the skiing events for the 2006 Winter Olympics in Torino (Turin).  Whichever hotel we choose, we will indeed have quality accommodation in a large ski region (that most of us have never visited before) with great food, interesting local culture and sights, good access to lifts, and very reasonable prices.   While it was a challenge at the time, it is great to know that the long hours of preparation will not be in vain!

Travel Flashback: Estonian Road Trip (2012)

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

We spent almost our entire Estonian holiday in the capital city of Tallinn.  However, we did embark on one out-of-town adventure:  a road trip to Haapsalu!

The decision to visit Haapsalu was more or less a random one.  There were several potential destinations but Haapsalu was close and accessible by a full roster of buses.  We figured that, if it didn’t live up to expectations, we could come home on an earlier bus.  As it turned out, we stayed longer than expected and caught the last bus of the day back to Tallinn.

Haapsalu Castle
The 13th Century Castle in Haapsalu, Estonia

While we didn’t know too much about Haapsalu, the most difficult part of the trip was buying the bus ticket.   Few tourists in Estonia travel by local bus from Tallinn, so I had to resort to some creative communication techniques at the bus station.  It was probably very amusing for the ticket agent.

Fun in the Haapsalu castle
Fun in the Haapsalu Castle

Haapsalu is a very quaint town on the Baltic Sea.  It used to be a favored summer retreat of the Russian tsars:  the covered portion of the Haapsalu railway station platform is 216 metres long  and is the longest in the former Russian empire (see photo at the top of the post).   The tsars, and many others, would come to Haapsalu to partake of its legendary mud cures.  The famous Russian composer Peter Tschaikovsky also spent a lot of time here; there is a bench that plays parts of his symphonies when you sit down on it.

On the waterfront in Haapsalu, Estonia
A waterfront reminder of Haapsalu’s glorious past

After a short walk from the train station (which, despite its oversized platform, was closed to trains and was now just a railway museum and a bus station), we were in the middle of Haapsalu’s historic downtown.  We had a delicious meal at a local cafe:  the picture is slightly out of focus, but I think you can probably tell that the dessert was decadent.  Later in the day, I had a bottle of kvass (a fermented beverage made from black rye bread)…it didn’t quite match up to the cake, but it was still something that I had to try while in Estonia.  Much tastier Estonian beverages were pear cider and Vana Tallinn; I’ll have more on those in a future blog.

Dessert in Haapsalu, Estonia
Dessert in Haapsalu, Estonia

Our first stop after lunch was the 13th-Century Haapsalu Castle.   It is right in the middle of downtown and we enjoyed climbing all over the huge complex.

Mysterious abandoned factory on the Haapsalu waterfront
Mysterious abandoned factory on the Haapsalu waterfront

The Haapsalu waterfront still housed a number of ornate buildings dating back to the Tsarist era.  While some had recently been restored to their former glory, there were still signs of neglect from the Soviet period.   There were also some anti-touristic buildings:  we saw a largely abandoned factory that had clearly been built when Estonia was part of the Soviet Union.  The most surprising part was how such an ugly, industrial building, with no need for water access, could be placed in such a prime waterfront location.   We also saw a suspicious-looking building that looked like it was a combination of apartments and a surveillance tower:  what was the real story?

Mysterious building in Haapsalu, Estonia
Mysterious building in Haapsalu, Estonia

It wasn’t the only mystery.  There was also an extremely odd sculpture in the harbour:  for reasons we don’t fully understand, a polar bear (which is by no means native to this region) rises majestically out of the water…near the curiously-named Africa Beach.  Were these simply examples of the quirky Estonian wit?  We left Haapsalu with more questions than answers.

Mysterious sculpture near Haapsalu's Africa Beach
Mysterious sculpture near Haapsalu’s Africa Beach

The combination of a beautiful downtown, a historic castle, puzzling relics and the shadow of the Soviet era all combined to make Haapsalu a fascinating day trip.   It would be interesting to visit it again in a few years, to see whether it has taken further steps towards regaining its glamorous past.

Looking Ahead

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Things have been quite busy since returning from our road trip to Southwestern Ontario.  We managed to get out for a day trip to Perth but otherwise have been staying close to home.

The end of the summer travel season is a time to pause and consider what adventures lie ahead.  Music certainly seems to be at the forefront, with 5 major concerts between now and April. This October, I’ll be traveling out of town to attend one of those “bucket list” concerts that I honestly thought I’d never get to see. Stay tuned for my report on that!

Very cute Shepherd puppy from Belgium
Very cute Shepherd puppy from Belgium

I have already set aside some time in early 2016 for skiing. The dates have been chosen but the destination is still very much a work in progress. One thing is certain: given the “candidates” that are in the running, it will be a spectacular setting.

As for the shorter term, the plans are for more local travel…and hopefully to burn through some more of the frequent flyer points and other rewards that I accumulated during my big year of travel. Some of those points will expire soon and I will need to do something with them.  I’ve often entertained the notion of going on a low-cost last-minute trip and, if my schedule allows it,  I might be able to do that this fall.

Exotic bird at the Sheep Dog Trials
Exotic bird at the Sheep Dog Trials

Unfortunately, it is becoming more and more difficult to take advantage of most frequent flyer programs.  With blackout periods, “service” fees, and nasty itineraries involving 18-hour layovers between one-hour flights, some of these “rewards” seem illusory.   I prefer to use my points on travel but may well be forced to cash them in for gift cards if I can’t make the logistics work for me.

Zebras are apparently black with white stripes...not white with black stripes
Zebras are apparently black with white stripes…not white with black stripes

Regardless of whether I can squeeze in some last-minute trips, I will still be posting on this blog.  However, the posts will likely not be as frequent for the next few months.

The pictures from today’s blog are from the Kingston Sheep Dog Trials.  This annual event was held earlier this month just east of the city at Grass Creek Park.  I had never attended before and will admit to some skepticism about the event.  However, it was actually fascinating to see the border collies herding the reluctant sheep.  It is amazing what these dogs can do.

Kingston Police Canine Unit demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials
Kingston Police Canine Unit demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials

As our family once had a majestic (and bilingual) German Shepherd, I was also very interested in seeing the police dog demonstration put on by the Kingston Police at the Sheep Dog Trials.  The police dogs are actually German Shepherd/Belgian Malinois crosses but the characteristic intelligence and determination of the German Shepherd was very much in evidence.

Kingston police dog attacks the "bad guy" during a demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials
Kingston police dog attacks the “bad guy” during a demonstration at the Sheep Dog Trials

Other dog events included an agility competition and “dock diving”.   There were many dog lovers at this event and it was also fun just to look at the other dogs in attendance.  We were briefly tempted to import a Shepherd from Belgium after seeing the puppy pictured above!

I’ll be back soon with more travel writing and photos!

Travel Flashback: Helsinki, Finland (2012)

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

After a very enjoyable trip to Estonia, we hopped on a ferry from Tallinn to the Finnish capital of Helsinki.

We only stayed for two nights in Helsinki before moving on to Stockholm, so I can’t pretend that we truly “experienced Finland” based on our brief stay in the capital.  However, we also felt very much at home there, possibly because both the climate and the landscape were so similar to what we have in Canada.

Sibelius Monument in Helsinki
Sibelius Monument in Helsinki

We bought a transit day-pass and traveled on what was essentially a “Hop on, Hop off” tram route that circled the downtown core and passed by all of the major sights.  We started with a tour of the Olympiastadion (Helsinki hosted the 1952 Summer Olympics); there was a great view from the top of the tower.

From there, we visited a monument to Jean Sibelius, probably Finland’s most famous composer.  I was not familiar with his music but the monument was still worth a look anyway.  We moved on to the Temppeliaukion kirkko (“Church in the Rock”), a very modern structure built (as the names suggests) right into a massive slab of rock.

Helsinki Cathedral
Helsinki Cathedral

Every tourist in Helsinki visits the Helsinki Cathedral and we weren’t about to break with tradition.  Despite its imposing exterior, it is very spartan on the inside:  there is no fussy ornamentation anywhere.  Sadly, we couldn’t compare it to the (Eastern Orthodox) Uspenski Cathedral as it was being used for a private function that day.   However, we did experience a bit of the Russian influence by visiting an interesting Russian bookstore (where I picked up a scary but fascinating collection of Soviet propaganda posters).  Helsinki is only about 300 km from St. Petersburg and it has been used on many occasions as a movie substitute for Soviet or Russian cities.

Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki
Uspenski Cathedral in Helsinki

The most enjoyable part of our visit was probably our trip to Suomenlinna, a sea-fortress complex (see photo at the top of this post) built on six islands just south of the city.  Ancient fortifications remain in place here and it is also the site of parks and al fresco restaurants.   We had fun climbing and exploring the ruins; in fact, we stayed much longer than expected and ended up eating dinner on the island rather than in Helsinki itself.  We even saw the last surviving Finnish submarine.

Climbing around Suomenlinna, just south of Helsinki
Climbing around Suomenlinna, just south of Helsinki

Finland’s long struggle for independence was quite evident at Suomenlinna.  Finland has only existed as an independent country since 1917:  for the previous century, it belonged to Russia…and it belonged to Sweden for the 6 centuries before that.  To this day, about 5% of Finns still speak Swedish as their first language.

The last surviving Finnish submarine (at Suomenlinna)
The last surviving Finnish submarine (at Suomenlinna)

I haven’t talked much about the food in Helsinki.  After the extremely low prices in Estonia, almost every Finnish menu induced a serious case of sticker shock and, as a result, we didn’t eat out very much.   This was perhaps a blessing in disguise, as we were taking an overnight ferry to Stockholm that included an all-you-can-eat smorgasbord!

Church in the Rock (Helsinki, Finland)
Interior of the Church in the Rock (Helsinki, Finland)

I’m really not a fan of all-you-can-eat buffets, but the one on this ship was excellent.  The food was of a very high quality and the price reflected the fact that you were expected to eat a certain amount of seafood, etc.  All drinks (including beer and wine, although these were dispensed from kitchen-sink-style taps and didn’t look very appetizing) were included too.  Sadly, we were so caught up in the experience that I forgot to take pictures!  Anyway, after a breakfast on board, we arrived in Stockholm the next morning and didn’t need to eat for a long time afterwards.

Travel Flashback: Unusual Sights in East-Central Alberta (2013)

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

I took a lot of pictures at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village; I’ve included a few more here (including the picture above) that weren’t in my original post on that fascinating site.  There are many other things to see east of Edmonton, however.

The giant sausage monument in Mundare, Alberta
The giant sausage monument in Mundare, Alberta

Near Vegreville and its giant Pysanka, there is another rural community with a huge monument.  Mundare is neither as large nor as famous as Vegreville but it honours its roots with…a giant sausage!   It sounds a little peculiar but the biggest business in town is indeed Stawnichy’s Meat Processing, right on the main street of Mundare.  There was a substantial Polish and Ukrainian population in the area so Woytko Stawnichy established a small grocery store here in 1959 with one small sausage smoker.

Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

Over time, the sausage business prospered and became the focus of the Stawnichy family business.  To better service its loyal customers who now live and work in the big city,  there is even a Mundare Sausage House (and the associated Uncle Ed’s Restaurant) in the provincial capital of Edmonton.  However, the manufacturing facility and the heart of the business remains in tiny Mundare.  We didn’t go deep into the facility but were given some “Stawnichy’s Sausage” pins as souvenirs.  A tip and/or a warning, depending on how you feel about such aromas:  even the reception area smells strongly of sausage.

The Hilliard Hotel - formerly located in Hilliard, Alberta, and now in the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
The Hilliard Hotel – formerly located in Hilliard, Alberta, and now in the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

I would have loved to see more of the giant “monuments” in Alberta., such as the world’s largest pierogi in Glendon, the world’s largest badminton racquet in St. Albert, the world’s largest bee in Falher, the world’s largest beaver in Beaverlodge, or the world’s largest golf tee in Trochu.   Seeing all of Western Canada’s strange structures could easily form the basis of a bizarre road trip.  As we needed to return to our home base in Camrose that evening, we reluctantly started to head back via the town of Viking,

Entrance to the "Viking Troll Park" in Viking, Alberta
Entrance to the “Viking Troll Park” in Viking, Alberta

Most Canadian hockey fans will recognize Viking as the home of the Sutter brothers.  Incredibly, six brothers from the Sutter family all went on to play professional hockey in the National Hockey League.   While Viking recognizes its claim to fame, the town is extremely quiet and otherwise typical of many other farming communities in this part of the province.  The name “Viking” comes from the large number of Scandinavian immigrants who settled here.   There is even a “Viking Troll Park”, pictured above.

Modern grain elevators at Viking, Alberta
Modern grain elevators at Viking, Alberta

In our ongoing mission to support independent restaurants, we found ourselves at the “Viking Burger Queen” for dinner.   It was by no means fancy but we quite enjoyed chowing down on some substantial pizzas after a long day on the road.

The "Viking Burger Queen" in Viking, Alberta
The “Viking Burger Queen”  (and part of our tank/truck) in Viking, Alberta

As I’ve mentioned in some of my previous posts, we are about to head out on another adventure.   We are visiting one of the extremities of Canada but will also be visiting another country during the trip.  Notwithstanding the very rough sailing experience described in one of my recent blogs, we will be braving the open seas once again to make this an international trip.  It just might be the strangest international trip you can make by boat from Canada.

Intrigued?  I expect to be posting a little more frequently over the next couple of weeks, although that will naturally depend on the availability of Internet access.   Stay tuned!

Travel Flashback: The Ukrainians in Alberta (2013)

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

After visiting the Northwest Territories, we stopped off in Alberta to visit family and do some wandering in the less-touristed areas east of Edmonton.

We had reserved a mid-sized rental car but we were in for a surprise when we arrived at the Edmonton Airport…there were no mid-sized cars left.  Our choice: a jeep or a “mid-sized” pick-up truck. As we rather like the protection that doors offer, we opted for the mid-sized truck.  “Mid-sized” for Alberta, perhaps, but absolutely gigantic to our urban Ontario eyes. Anyway, we certainly felt safe in what we affectionately called “the tank”.

Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

Having a vehicle allowed us the luxury of seeing some small-town sights:  public transportation is not terribly well-developed in Canada and rural Alberta is no exception.  On our first full day with the truck, we visited two Ukrainian-themed sights:  the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village, just east of Elk Island National Park, and the town of Vegreville.   We also visited some other small towns but I will save those for future posts!

This would have been from the very early days of Ukrainian settlement in Alberta
This would have been from the very early days of Ukrainian settlement in Alberta

We spent several hours at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village.  It is a collection of historic buildings from all over eastern Alberta that have been moved to a single location.  It is like you are in a typical Alberta village from the early twentieth century that has a sizable Ukrainian immigrant population.

It’s not just a bunch of relocated buildings, however.  Most of the buildings are “inhabited” by role-playing guides.  We could actually talk to the shopkeeper, the sergeant at the R.C.M.P. detachment, and the labourer at the grain elevator (see photo at top of post)…all of them remaining in character (and even speaking with Ukrainian accents, where appropriate) throughout.

A building supply store from the past (note the Ukrainian text) at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
A building supply store from the past (note the Ukrainian text) at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

The churches were anticipated highlights, of course, reminding us of what we had seen in Finland and Estonia the previous summer.  However, we were equally as impressed by a couple of buildings on the outskirts of “town”.  One was a sod house, being an immigrant’s first Canadian home, while the other was a slightly sturdier and roomier house that might have been an immigrant’s second Canadian home.

Sod house at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village
Sod house at the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Village

Being inside the sod house was a real revelation for us.  Until then, it had been very difficult to visualize what immigrant life was like in Canada one hundred years ago:  most buildings surviving from that era belonged to established and relatively affluent Canadians.   Surviving in such a dark and damp house must have been incredibly challenging.  And we saw it in the summer:  how would it have been during the frigid Albertan winter with so little daylight?

A grocery store specializing in products for the Ukrainian community
A grocery store specializing in products for the Ukrainian community

After a lunch of perogies, sausage and cabbage, we drove east along the Yellowhead Highway to the town of Vegreville.  Small Alberta towns are known for their oversized “sculptures” that reflect the special features of that community.  Vegreville had a substantial Ukrainian population, so the decision was made to commission a massive Pysanka (Ukrainian Easter Egg) as part of the R.C.M.P.  Centennial celebrations in 1974.

The world's largest Pysanka (Vegreville, Alberta)
The world’s largest Pysanka (Vegreville, Alberta)

The Vegreville Pysanka is quite famous – it has even appeared on Canadian stamps and been visited by Queen Elizabeth II.  But it’s not just big:  it moves!  It also was quite a technical accomplishment, as the design was the first computer modeling of an egg.   While we didn’t stay in Vegreville for very long, it was still a nice way to “cap” our Ukrainian immigrant experience.

My next blog entry will focus on some other highlights (though not necessarily famous ones) of our Alberta visit.  In the meantime, we are busy planning for our international journey in July!

Travel Flashback: Andermatt 2012

(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

A couple of months ago, I wrote about skiing in the famous Swiss ski resort of St. Moritz.  We did it on the cheap by staying in a rather “rustic” pension in the nearby village of Celerina.  Seeking even more Alpine fun, a couple of us moved on to the remote village of Andermatt for some additional skiing.

Andermatt could not be more different from St. Moritz.  No champagne and caviar: everybody was here to ski.  A lot.  Andermatt is one of those smaller-scale resorts that attracts hard-core skiers because of the extensive off-piste opportunities.

Pausing halfway between Andermatt and Sedrun
Pausing halfway between Andermatt and Sedrun – clearly having a miserable time in the March sun

How hard-core were the skiers here? We’re usually among the first on the slopes, but here we never saw anybody else at breakfast. The breakfast room opened at 7:00 a.m. and everybody was out of there by 7:15 a.m. when we arrived.

Although the total number of lifts and pistes wasn’t on the same scale as Zermatt, for example, the vertical drop was still huge. It was also possible to ratchet over to the nearby resort of Sedrun, as it was included in the same lift pass.

You can ski right through real villages here!  This is just above Sedrun.
You can ski right through real villages here! This is just above Sedrun.

Whether we were in Andermatt, Sedrun, or somewhere in between, we never had to line up for the lifts.  I didn’t see too many day trippers here:  it’s just a little too far from big cities, at least by central European standards.  With no crowds, it was relatively easy to ski every single marked piste in the combined ski areas…and then return to our favourites over and over again.

Figuring out the best route down - high above Andermatt on the Gemsstock
A mock-serious moment high above Andermatt, scoping  out the best route down from the top of the Gemsstock

We also saw a lot of unusual things.  One fellow (who, like a number of the skiers here, was a real individualist) brought his dog with him on the chairlift.  That was cute, although I wondered how he would ski while carrying the dog.  The answer:  his dog RAN down the pistes!  I’ve never seen anything like it.  It was a fairly large retriever and he just took off after his swift-skiing owner all the way down.   I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog that happy.  He had the goofiest grin on his face as he jumped into his owner’s arms at the bottom of the next lift. In a smaller resort like Andermatt, this kind of thing can happen.

The narrow main street of Andermatt:  lots of snow even in mid-March!
The narrow main street of Andermatt: lots of snow even in mid-March!

The town itself was pretty sedate, especially after the slopes had closed for the day:  it was nothing like the pumping party scene you might find in the larger Austrian resorts.   I remember how loud the squeaking snow sounded as we walked back to our hotel at night.  You could see thousands of stars in the sky and really feel like you were “off the grid”.   This was also one of the few Swiss resorts where we could afford a hotel room with our own bathroom.

The bottom of the piste...and our hotel in Andermatt!
The bottom of the piste…and our hotel in Andermatt!

Staying here for an entire week here might be pushing it, unless you hired a guide to explore the back country.  However, as you can probably tell from the pictures, I had a blast being a scruffy powder hound here for a few days…an enjoyable contrast to the Belle Époque elegance of St. Moritz.