Posts from Base Camp

Records on the Road

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posts from Base Camp

Who Reads This Blog?

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Skiing the Matterhorn 2010

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Northwest Territories 2013

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Travel Flashback: Estonia’s Singing Revolution (2012)

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 3

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(Whistler, British Columbia, Canada)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 2

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(Whistler, British Columbia, Canada)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Posts from the road

Skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb: Part 1

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(Whister, British Columbia, Canada)

How did I find myself spending a week skiing at Whistler-Blackcomb?  It’s a long and complicated story.  It’s even more difficult to explain how I have never been skiing west of Kingston, despite skiing for more than 30 years in eastern Canada, Europe and even (on one bizarre occasion) Africa!  Anyway, I’m here now and some would say that it’s about time.

Whistler-Blackcomb is frequently named as the top ski resort in North America.  It has hosted World Cup downhill races and also hosted the alpine skiing events during the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.  This last part was sufficient for me:  I have a special connection to the 2010 Olympics and skiing on the downhill course was another bucket list item that I hoped to achieve some day.  Even so, I didn’t do a lot of research on this trip:  I didn’t even have a chance to look into which pistes were used for the 2010 Olympic alpine skiing events.

More Olympic rings, this time at the Olympic Plaza in Whistler Village
More Olympic rings, this time at the Olympic Plaza in Whistler Village

We decided to spend the first day on Whistler Mountain.  Conventional wisdom here says that you immediately move to the highest elevations and only return to the village at the end of the day.  However, we found that the very high winds, resulting icy surfaces and cold temperatures made the high-altitude conditions rather less than ideal.  We moved lower, where there was some shelter from the wind, the temperatures were a little warmer, and the snow was staying on the pistes.

We found a black-diamond-rated piste called “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” that led to Whistler Creekside Village.   The entrance to the piste was almost completely blocked and there were all kinds of warnings about “difficult snow conditions” and the fact that snowmaking was also in progress.  We decided to try it anyway.

Some of the warning signs at the top of the "Lower Dave Murray Downhill" (Whistler Mountain), which turned out to be quite a special piste
Some of the warning signs and barriers  at the top of the “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” (Whistler Mountain), which turned out to be quite a special piste

It was a splendid decision.  The “difficult snow conditions” consisted of snowmaking (how can fresh snow be considered a difficulty?) and a nearly-abandoned piste with some significant snow accumulation.   It was -1’C and the sun was shining brightly on us.  We skied this piste over and over again, barely stopping and barely believing that nobody else was taking advantage of the great conditions.  After completing each run, we climbed into the next gondola without waiting and repeated the process all over again.

In such icy conditions, trail ratings are of little guidance.  While the Dave Murray Downhill was a little steep in one or two places, it certainly wasn’t as difficult as some of the mogulled-up and icy “intermediate-rated” pistes we have encountered thus far.

View of Whistler Mountain from the bottom of the "Seventh Heaven" area at Blackcomb
View of Whistler Mountain from the bottom of the “Seventh Heaven” area at Blackcomb

We eventually skied on the “Upper Dave Murray Downhill” (which wasn’t directly connected to “Lower Dave Murray Downhill” today because of poor conditions near the junction) as well and ticked that one off the list too.  We later found out that not only is the Dave Murray Downhill piste used for World Cup ski races, it also hosted the alpine skiing events at the 2010 Olympics.  It was great to discover that our favourite piste of the day turned out to be Olympian!

View of Whistler Village from about halfway up Blackcomb Mountain. Not much (natural) snow at the lower elevations!
View of Whistler Village from about halfway up Blackcomb Mountain. Not much (natural) snow at the lower elevations!

It was a great way to start the week of skiing and it more than made up for the fact that the lifts to the very peak of Whistler and to the “Symphony” area were closed due to the high winds.  There was also a great vegan restaurant right at the start of the Lower Dave Murray Downhill where I enjoyed a very good (and, by Whistler standards, very affordable) African Peanut Soup and a Quinoa-Vegetable Salad.  We’re definitely going to return there on our next day of skiing at Whistler Mountain.

Before returning to Whistler Mountain, however, we decided to spend our second day of skiing at Blackcomb Mountain.  Stay tuned for more details on that!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Northern Italy 2012

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

A few weeks ago, I wrote about skiing in St. Moritz.  However, on that same trip, I was also fortunate enough to visit a couple of very different places in Northern Italy: Varenna and Milan.

Varenna (see photo above) is a beautifully situated small town on the mountainous shores of the Lago di Como (Lake Como). Even in March, the climate is comfortable, despite being so close to the snowy ski slopes of the Alps.  Varenna is quite hectic in the summer months  but in March I was able to enjoy all of the benefits without any of the crowds.  I walked along the lake, shaded from the sun by palm trees, and enjoyed some locally made gelato.

The south side of Varenna, seen from a distance
The south side of Varenna, seen from a distance

Alas, I was only able to spend one night in Varenna.  I look forward to visiting again someday…hopefully, in the pleasant Italian spring.

From Varenna, I took an Italian train to the border town of Tirano and then a Swiss train across the legendary Bernina Pass to St. Moritz.   After 6 days of skiing in St. Moritz and 3 more days of skiing in the relatively unknown Swiss resort of Andermatt, it was time to spend a few days in Milan (Milano, in Italian) before flying back to Canada.

The northern harbour of Varenna - I stayed in the narrow golden hotel at the left.
The northern harbour of Varenna – I stayed in the narrow golden hotel at the left.

Milan is a prosperous, hard-working city in one of the richest parts of Italy.   Much of the city is functional rather than beautiful, but it is still home to a couple of very special sights.

Duomo di Milano
Duomo di Milano

The Duomo di Milano (Milan Cathedral) is massive.  It totally dominates the Piazza del Duomo in downtown Milan.  While the cathedral is still very much an active place of worship, visitors are also permitted to climb up to the roof.  It is a very strange sensation to climb up to and around the roof of such a large building, let alone such a large cathedral.

Almost at the top of the Duomo di Milano
Almost at the top of the Duomo di Milano

Although we had to pass through some relatively heavy security at the Cathedral, it was possible to just show up and visit.  Our other major destination in Milan required much more planning.

On the top of the Duomo di Milano. Very cheesy.
On the top of the Duomo di Milano. A very cheesy photo.

We purchased our tickets to the refectory of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie several months in advance, committing to a very specific date and time.  It was not possible to just show up, as the site was unable to accommodate all of the people who wanted to see it.   Why?  The refectory is the home of Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”,  one of the most famous works of art in the world.

Designed in 1861, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan is one of the world's oldest shopping malls. Prada on the left, Louis Vuitton on the right.
Designed in 1861, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan is one of the world’s oldest shopping malls. Today, Prada is on the left and Louis Vuitton on the right.

By passing through a complicated series of doors and climate-controlled rooms, we were suddenly looking at “The Last Supper”.  There were only about 12 of us and we were permitted to stay for 15 minutes.  While photographs are absolutely forbidden, I can say that “The Last Supper” is very big, as it occupies an entire wall of the chapel.  After seeing so many images of it in miniature, the size and scope was quite a surprise.

Porta Sempione ("Arch of Peace"), near our hotel in Milan
Arco della Pace (“Arch of Peace”), near our hotel in Milan

Even though it has been deteriorating almost since the day it was completed in 1498 (due in part to the materials used by da Vinci), “The Last Supper” is still an extremely impressive sight.  As with Michelangelo’s ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, it is a religious work of art that can also be enjoyed simply as a great artistic achievement.  It was very special to see this mural in the exact spot that it was created more than 500 years ago.

Jumping back to the present:  it’s time to travel again!  I’ll be spending the next week in another one of those places that I really should have visited before…but somehow never got around to it.  Stay tuned!

Posts from Base Camp

Travel Flashback: Iqaluit, Nunavut (August 2013)

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

This was quite different from our usual summer holiday destinations.  After picking us up from Iqaluit’s airport, the hotel’s shuttle bus driver refused to believe that we were just there for fun. It seems that everybody from the south who visits Iqaluit is there for business or government reasons.  The few tourists who fly here usually continue onward to more remote Nunavut communities.

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

But maybe I should back up a little bit. What is Nunavut? It is a massive territory of about 2 million square kilometers occupying the coldest and most remote part of Canada.  If it were a country,  Nunavut would be the 15th largest country in the world.  Despite its massive size, only about 32,000 people live in the entire territory…and, unless you happen to be on a very large cargo ship during the one ice-free month of the year, the only way in is to fly.   You cannot drive to Nunavut.

Overlooking Iqaluit's harbour
Overlooking Iqaluit’s harbour

Even to many Canadians, Nunavut remains a mystery. It doesn’t show up on any old maps because it was part of the Northwest Territories until 1999. Of the 32,000 people, approximately 84% are Inuit. Inuktitut is the language most commonly spoken.  Iqaluit is the capital and largest city, although it has fewer than 7,000 inhabitants.

Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, at the edge of Iqaluit
Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, at the edge of Iqaluit

Our shuttle bus driver was correct:  we didn’t see many other tourists in Nunavut.   It is very expensive to get there:  unless you buy your tickets on the annual “seat sale” day in February (which we did, irrevocably committing to our trip 6 months in advance), it will cost you more to take the 3 hour domestic  flight from Ottawa than it would to fly 8 hours to Europe.   Because almost everything has to be flown in, the costs get worse once you are there.  Would you believe $12 for a 2L soft drink at the grocery store?   In general, prices are double to triple what you would expect to pay in southern Canada.

Looking away from Iqaluit's harbour
Looking away from Iqaluit’s harbour

Despite all that, visiting Iqaluit was a remarkable experience.  20 years ago, it was only a small village.  It has at least doubled in size since then.   Even so, the land around the city is so…endless.   And empty.  It only took a 15-minute walk in any direction to be  utterly alone.   Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park (just past the airport – see photo at the top of this post) was typical: desolate, beautiful, and vast in every sense of the word.

We gained a profound appreciation for the power of nature: we came across lots of animal skeletons during our walks.   With temperatures plummeting to near 0’C on summer nights, heat was rarely a problem.

Cemetery near the edge of Iqaluit, at the start of the coastal trail to Apex
Cemetery near the edge of Iqaluit, at the start of the coastal trail to Apex

Rather than craving heat, however, we found ourselves craving wind.  When the winds blow, which is often, the insect threat is neutralized.  However, when the wind lets up and the sun shines, the voracious mosquitoes and blackflies become oppressive.  Not only were these insects huge and hungry, they roamed in massive packs and were only mildly deterred by industrial strength insect repellent.  We went through an entire bottle of “Deep Woods Off!” in a single two hour walk along the coast.

Abandoned buildings of the Hudson's Bay Company, in front of the hamlet of Apex
Abandoned buildings of the Hudson’s Bay Company, in front of the hamlet of Apex

We really enjoyed our walks to the Territorial Park and the “suburb” of Apex (about 5 km from Iqaluit).   While there weren’t a lot of touristy things to do in Iqaluit, visiting Nunavut is more about experiencing the land than about seeing urban sights.  Although we did visit the craft stores and the museum, we found everyday tasks such as buying stamps and grocery shopping to be just as interesting.

Even though they are in the same country, the differences between Kingston and Iqaluit are far greater than the differences between Kingston and a similarly-sized town in, for example, Sweden.  Great travel can really make you think – here, we found ourselves asking what being “Canadian” really means.

A high school in Iqaluit - possibly from the 1970s!
Night view of Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit – possibly built in the 1970s!

If you ever get the chance to go to Nunavut, I highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity.  Even better would be to also visit a community outside of Iqaluit, to see what a more traditional Inuit community is like.   We’d like to see Pangnirtung someday:  apparently, its setting in the mountains and on Pangnirtung Fjord is spectacular.   However, even if you only visit Iqaluit, a trip to Nunavut will still leave a vivid impression on you.  And you can even get a decent shawarma while you’re there:  you’ll find a Lebanese take-out place just outside the airport.

The Odyssey Continues…