I’m utterly astonished. It was one thing for a bunch of young Canadians on holidays in Malaysia to peel off their clothes and take selfies on a mountain that locals consider sacred. And it was another thing for some goofball Canadian in Florence to pee on the beautiful monument known as Il Duomo the other day, after complaining there weren’t enough washrooms around. Those are just people being stupid and hurting themselves. But now I see reports on how the Mounties, authorities at Vancouver International Airport and others are seeking a crackdown on folks who point lasers at aircraft. I Read more
Canada
The “gallumph” sound of water bouncing off ancient rock covered in pretty patterns of moss and lichen. The way the sun gleams on the surface of a shimmering lake. A solitary pine tree, bent with the wind and eking out a living on a rocky islet. Not to mention great food, golf, sunset boat excursions, shopping, swimming, lake tours on the Segwun or Wenonah steamships, friends, quiet hikes, diving loons and old wooden boats varnished to a glossy sheen. Come summer, there’s no place on earth I’d rather be than Muskoka. I’m lucky enough to have three good friends with Read more
Looking for a travel deal this summer? Look south. And way, way east. But not to the west coast of the U.S. A useful study from the folks at Trip Advisor finds that a three-day visit for two people to any of several great cities in the U.S. south is your best financial bet. If you’re looking overseas, you’re better off to consider the Far East. If you’ve got money to burn, on the other hand, try Seattle, Cancun or Zurich. The Trip Advisor study looked at the price of a four-star hotel (personally I’d study 3-star hotels if I Read more
I wrote this blog for the Toronto Star last year after a nice visit to Buffalo. From what I hear, things have improved even more since I was last in town… BUFFALO, NEW YORK – Mea Culpa. For years, as I recall, the head of media/public relations for Buffalo Tourism had been bugging me to come on down and check things out. I envisioned cool architecture and chicken wings and a nice Frank Lloyd Wright building Ihad heard about. I covered the Buffalo Bills off and on for the Star’s sports section in the early 2000’s, but I didn’t have Read more
We in eastern Canada hear a good deal about Vancouver and Victoria and the rest of Vancouver Island. Likely anyone who reads travel stories is familiar with Whistler and probably the Okanagan, home to lovely deserts, wineries and more. I’ve had a good deal of experience with those locations, so when the folks at British Columbia tourism last year suggested The Sunshine Coast, I jumped at the idea. Over the space of three or four days it became one of my favourite spots in Canada; kind of a cross between B.C. and California; with great hotels, lovely scenery, nice spas Read more
