Jim Byers photo Italy can be unbearably hot and crowded in August, but by September it’s cooler and far less congested. Try Sorrento, where I shot this cool cafe last November. I love summer. But it’s often the WORST time to visit so much of the world. It’s especially bad in Europe, mostly because it’s full of people like you and me. Especially me. And it’s hot. And the locals are all on holiday. Notwithstanding the fact I met my wife in August in Rome in 1979 (it’s our 33 rd wedding anniversary today, by the way, so HAPPY ANNIVERSARY Read more
Canada
Jim Byers photo Moraine Lake might be the most beautiful body of water on the planet. A couple weeks ago I wrote about the sumptuous Post Hotel and Spa in Lake Louise; a fabulous hotel with all the amenities you could want. This time I’ll fill you in on a couple other options: one quite highly priced but with perhaps the greatest mountain view on the planet, and the other quite reasonable and family friendly and with one of the top breakfast dishes I’ve ever had. The Moraine Lake Lodge Sits at one end of what might be the Read more
It seems the world has fallen in love with food-related holidays. Everywhere I go I see folks snapping photos of their meals and posting reviews and sharing information about the hottest spots. Now there’s a new Canadian travel company offering culinary adventures in some wonderful parts fo the world. Toronto-based Foodie-Trips.com aims to “educate, amaze and entertain those looking to broaden their gastronomic knowledge by offering unique culinary adventures around the world.” Their upcoming travel experiences include such sensational settings as Paris, Venice and, closer to home, wonderful Prince Edward Island , where I’ve had amazing meals and where the farm-to-table movement (and sea-to-table) Read more
CALGARY – The greatest outdoor show on earth? It just might be. Hard to believe, but I’d never made it to the Calgary Stampede prior to last week. I know, I know. It makes no sense. But at least I made up for it with a rollicking good time involving pancakes and champagne at 9 a.m., a great Stampede parade, mini-hot dogs, a new pair of cowboy boots and a wonderful afternoon watching cowboys ride buckin’ broncos and little kids chasing ponies in the dirt and the famous Chuckwagon races. My wife and I decided (mostly her to be fair) Read more
LES ILES DE LA MADELEINE, QUEBEC – I had a business call to make to Toronto and was on the phone with a co-worker. “How’s your trip,” he asked me. “It’s absolutely spectacular out here,” I said. I told him about the endless and glorious and empty beaches and the adorable towns and the wildly colourful houses and the incredible food and the utterly fabulous art and the local beer and the towering cliffs and the red rock coastline pockmarked with caves and carved into arches and the pounding surf and the gentle lagoons. I think I sounded like a National Read more
