We were lucky enough to spend 24 hours (okay, maybe 22) in Glasgow recently. We had a fine Scottish afternoon tea, enjoyed a wonderful music-themed tour, had drinks at a pub, dined at a nice restaurant and bedded down at the sleek, new Virgin Hotel. Here’s a look at our brief stay. A MARVELOUS MUSIC TOUR We met our Glasgow Music City Tour guide, local music critic Fiona Shepherd, outside the Clutha and Victoria pub in town, one of the city’s oldest. She told us she had reviewed a Shania Twain performance at The OVO Hydro, the city’s splashy arena. Read more
Europe
Time Out has just issued its annual list of the world’s 40 coolest neighborhoods. Of course, it’s entirely a judgment call; what I call cool might be considerably different from what you like. Still I enjoy these lists. So here are some highlights that include some of my fave countries and U.S. states to visit. UNITED STATES California impressed with two spots in the top 30. The vibrant and funky Arts District in Los Angeles was 13th overall and second in the U.S. only to the Mid-City district of New Orleans. Here’s a Vancouver Sun story I wrote that talks Read more
We’re on the first hole of the quirky, delightful, 12-hole Shiskine Golf Course on Scotland’s Isle of Arran. I’ve been set up to play a round with three members of this fiery green links course on the west side of the island, and I hit a slow putt that has absolutely zero chance of making it to the hole. “When we hit a putt that’s short of the hole, Canadians yell, ‘Skate, skate,” I tell them. “That’s great” one of my partners, Alice Anderson, says with a laugh. “When we hit a putt like that we yell, “Taxi!” For the Read more
Thinking of a trip to Europe this fall? Try flying into Oslo, Edinburgh or maybe Madrid if you want to save money. With help from Expedia, Travel + Leisure magazine has issued a list of 11 European airports and computed the cost of an airline ticket today, compared with during the peak summer months. Here’s what they found, with the percentage decline in ticket prices from summer to today in parentheses. Oslo (-40%). Stockholm (-35%) Hamburg (-35%) Ibiza (-35%) Copenhagen (-30%) Madrid (-30%) Dublin (-25%) Brussels (-25%) Geneva (-25%) Edinburgh (-25%) Florence (-20%) That’s a fun list. Not to rain Read more
EDINBURGH – This one of the world’s great cities; a handsome, sturdy, regal place of stone and rock and history that seeps into your bones. There are also lovely gardens, sumptuous hotels, excellent food, and, yes, the odd place to try a wee sip of whisky. I recently visited for a few days and did five tours that included the Royal Mile, the Palace at HolyroodHouse, Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Yacht Britannia and a Johnnie Walker whisky experience. Here’s a look at all five. MERCAT ROYAL MILE AND EDINBURGH CASTLE TOUR The Mercat Secrets of the Royal Mile Tour (Mercat Read more
