A magical lookout high above the largest freshwater lake on the planet. A beautiful and easy hike along quiet, rocky beaches that reveals crystal clear water and a stunning rock arch jutting out into Lake Superior. Bountiful and beautiful white-tailed deer grazing in deep green forests. If Sleeping Giant Provincial Park was a few degrees south of latitude it might be the most visited park in Ontario. Instead, it’s something of a well, sleeping giant, an amazing and powerful and evocative and beautiful headland that stretches out into the majesty that is Lake Superior. I arrive on a perfect, 20 Read more
Canada
A great hotel any time of the year. But especially wonderful on a Canada Day weekend. The Fairmont Chateau Laurier is a Canadian institution that has one of the most iconic settings in the country. It rests alongside the Rideau Canal, a UNESCO Heritage Site. Just the other side of the canal you’ll find the glorious stone of Canada’s Parliament buildings. Many rooms at the Laurier have views of both the canal and Parliament. If you’re lucky enough to have room 202 like I did this past weekend, you’ll also get a view of the Ottawa River and the Gatineau Read more
Fittingly, my first exposure to the now famous Canadian flag was at a hockey game. Oddly enough, it was in Oakland, California. I grew up in the suburbs of San Francisco and always enjoyed sports. Once, perhaps as part of a school field trip, we went to a game at the Oakland Coliseum Arena to see the California Seals play. I remember, I think, the white skates. I definitely remember trying to figure out what icing meant. The rules confused me and I didn’t really understand what was happening on the ice (something my kids will say has stuck with Read more
Staying home to avoid the U.S. dollar this summer? Here’s a look at some fun and funky things to do across Canada, mostly along the Trans-Canada Highway. ST. JOHN’S The eastern end (or beginning) of the TCH starts in St. John’s, where you’ll find colourful houses lining the rocky coast of the harbour. You can take a great walk from there to the top of Signal Hill, where a couple years ago I spotted a military guy firing off a symbolic round of blanks in recognition of the city’s first cruise ship of the year. NOVA SCOTIA Just a few Read more
Canadians would rather travel with their mobile phone than with a loved one, says a study from hotels.com. And we’re not averse to booking a hotel room while on the toilet. The company’s Mobile Travel Tracker study found that two-thirds of Canadians (66 per cent) named their mobile phone as their favourite travel accessory, compared to 47 per cent who said their best friend or loved one. (Maybe they use their mobile phone to do live chats with their spouse, but still….) The study also found that 69 per cent of Canadians spend one to two hours a day on Read more
