As soon as I put it in my mouth I knew, even though I hadn’t eaten red meat for over 30 years. “I’m so sorry,” said the server as she took the plate away. “The chef likes to add little surprises!” I was definitely surprised. I’d told the main waiter in this high-end Helsinki restaurant … Continue reading I don’t eat meat: Traveling with a special diet
“Me llamo Kathryn. Mi esposo se llama Scott.” This prompted a stream of high speed Spanish from the neighbour who had let us into the building. Her name was Maria, but I had no idea what else she was saying. I wish I’d started with “No hablo Español,” instead of practicing my rudimentary language skills! … Continue reading Home Away from Home: an Exchange in Spain
“Do you want the scenic route or the fast route?” It was my first time flying into Las Vegas, a last minute get-away to see a show, and I hadn’t done my homework. “The fast route,” I told the taxi driver. Turns out the ‘fast” referred to speed and was on the highway. I spotted … Continue reading Travel Tips
Walking on the beach, I looked like any other tourist, minus the sunburn. I’ve taken an inordinate amount of pride in calling myself a traveller, rather than a tourist, these last 5 years. Yes, I have taken tours, but they tended to be more unusual ones, to the Arctic, the Middle East, the Galapagos. I … Continue reading Just a Tourist in Hawaii
Seven years ago today, I was on my “trip of a lifetime,” my first solo overseas trip and (I thought) one last big adventure before settling down on my well planned path to a comfortable retirement. Kowloon harbour on a water taxi. Despite having no words in each other’s language besides “thanks!” We communicated quite … Continue reading Riding the Wheel
“Ada’s having a YogaFest. Let’s go to Anguilla!” My suggestion was not as simple as it sounds. Anguilla was not an easy country to get to, especially from Barbados, even though it was less than 500 miles away. During Covid, Ada had to fly to Grenada, catch a ferry to Carriacou, then sail on a … Continue reading Living the Life on Anguilla
“I’ll go to Canada for that.” The doctor looked at me in— surprise? disbelief? “No. You can’t fly. You need to see a surgeon today.” And so began a new adventure. It had actually started a week earlier, on Old Year’s Night. I’d woken that morning thinking I shouldn’t have had that last margarita the … Continue reading Get Well Soon: Barbados Medical Adventures
“Oh, it’s so touristy,” a friend told me. “And really busy.” True. After all, the Amalfi Coast has been a popular tourist destination since the 18th century, part of the Grand Tour and later a favourite of the jet set. I’m sure I’d seen it in a Fellini film, as well as many other movies … Continue reading La Dolce Vita: a Week on the Amalfi Coast
We sit on the terrace in the vineyard, looking over the rows of grapes that slope down towards the lake. Their pinot gris was a bit sweet for me, but this glass is excellent. No, I’m not in France, Italy or Germany. I’m not in the Napa Valley or, closer to home, the Okanagan. I’m … Continue reading Surprising Switzerland
We were on a knife edge ridge, 2000 m high, east of Luzern in the Swiss Alps. “I can’t even see them!” Scott complained. “How can they be so LOUD?” But they were. The cows were like insects in the pastures far below us, yet the clanging of their bells was omnipresent and impossible to … Continue reading The Hills are Alive, with the Sound of …Cowbells? Hiking in Switzerland
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