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Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of var

Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of var

Québec City will always stand-out from amongst the other big cities in Canada. Its charming quaintness emanates from a blend of North American and European cultures that is not intrinsically and purely North American, but not comprehensively European either. Rather, it has a unique characteristic that embraces the combined heritage of all the peoples that have lived in that land while never losing touch with its French connections. The result is a seamless amalgamation of var

We slept in that morning, since it was drizzling. I made a huge breakfast of egg, turkey bacon, and toast, in addition to the boys’ cereal bowls. When the sun came out, we took the Cabriolet to the Lower village and went to the Pirate’s Park , Lac Miroir , and Captain’s Harbour . We let our little boy play for a bit. My husband joked that we drove all the way to Mont-Tremblant just to spend one morning in a playground. At the park, we saw a group of yoga-enthusiasts spread ou

We did return to Mont-Tremblant the following summer. We timed our visit to with “Tremblant Beneath the Stars 2016” weekend and established the final dates for the hotel booking that we reserved with the resort company the year before. The resort agent told us that we had a two-bedroom suite assigned to us at Le Sommet des Neiges, a lovely all-suite complex in the heart of the Pedestrian Village. The hotel’s stately stone entrance welcomed us when we arrived. Inside, the déco

We woke up early the following day to have a relaxing breakfast before our appointment with the resort company (the timeshare presentation that my husband signed up for the previous day for the sole purpose of getting the vacation deal for next summer). We took the car to their Club House and spotted several deer along the way. At the lobby, we were welcomed by a couple of agents who offered us coffee then introduced us to their supervisor. We had a few minutes with him at hi

The next day, after a breakfast of eggs, bacon, toast, and cereal, we ventured out again to do some more exploring. We were happily surprised by the telescope extravaganza that greeted us at the playground at the base of the mountain. This was part of the "Tremblant Beneath the Stars 2015" event taking place that weekend (please see previous story for details). It was like an outdoor museum with various kinds of telescopes, from the homemade wooden types, to the state-of-the

In the West Coast, Whistler-Blackcomb is the most popular spot for a mountain getaway. As a former West Coast resident, I had visited it a few times. It is a staple itinerary item when playing tourist guide to visiting family and friends, and in some cases, even colleagues. (I worked for an international company in Vancouver and had the chance to play host to visitors from our bases abroad.) In the East Coast, you would often hear of Mont-Tremblant, especially from the reside

“Je me souviens.” I see this on every vehicle licence plate in Québec. In fact, that was the first thing I noticed as we drove around Montréal on my very first visit way back in 2005. Most Canadian vehicle plates display a slogan that exemplifies the province or territory they represent. Having lived in Vancouver for nine years, I know that British Columbia vehicle plates say, “Beautiful British Columbia,” which I think is a very apt title. The Northwest Territories display,

I came back from the Toledo trip in time for a seven o’clock anticipated Saturday Mass. Instead of going back to the bus depot, I requested our tour bus driver to drop me off at Gran Via, closest to my hotel street and from there, I walked for less than five minutes to the 17th- century Iglesia de Nuestra Senora del Carmen y San Luis Obispo on Calle del Carmen. This church used to belong to the old San Damaso Carmelite Convent that has since been disentailed. It continues to

As our tour guide promised, he took us to Damasquinados Suarez to get authentic and quality Toledo artisanal souvenirs. They special in damascene art. This refers to the ancient Moorish craft of laying gold, silver, or copper threads on non-precious metals like iron and steel. These are then fired so that the underlying metal oxidizes and becomes black, leaving the gold to stand out in sharp contrast. The craft is believed to have its roots in the oriental-style craft work in

Toledo is the capital of the autonomous region of Castille-La Mancha. It is only 70 kilometers from Madrid, that’s why I did not think twice about visiting. I had always wanted to go there. In my imagination, Toledo appears as a colourful backdrop of medieval castles for richly adorned knights riding atop their majestic horses. The day tour that I booked began with a comfortable coach ride. About three quarters of the bus was full, mostly solo travelers like me. It was just f

After the bullfight tour, I had no desire to gallivant in the Old Town or along Gran Via, even though the sun was still bright at nine o’clock and there were interesting things to see along the avenue. I just went back to my hotel to rest for a bit and have a quiet dinner at a nearby restaurant. Interestingly, my hotel, which had recently been renovated at the time of my visit, featured a Japanese theme. My room, which was on the highest floor, was furnished with contemporary

We left the sports bar after half an hour and proceeded to our main destination – La Plaza de Toros de las Ventas del Espiritu Santo, or simply, Las Ventas, Madrid’s main bullring. The impressive Mudejar-style building is made of red bricks and ceramic tiles, making it stand out from the rest of the structures around it. We did not have to line up, since we already purchased our tickets from the tour company. The only thing our guide did was to give instructions on who goes w

This afternoon was going to be quite interesting - I was sure of that. I was going to see an Egyptian temple, then watch a bullfight. Could anything be even more contrasting than these? I found the storefront where I was to meet my guide for the bullfight trip. She was a young lady in her early twenties, wearing a shirt with the logo of their company. She told me she would walk me to their office where I could pick-up my tickets. Beside it was a bus depot, where the tour bus

That night was the last night of the official tour, so we held our farewell dinner at the hotel’s restaurant, followed by some picture-taking and exchange of contact information. Our Tour Director gave instructions regarding check out and airport transfers for the next day. Most of my tour mates, including my travel amigas , were leaving Spain at various times in the morning, with Ms. Lady Leader’s group departing at dawn. We said our good-byes and turned in early, I had deci

The main reason for our visit to Avila was to see the Shrine of Saint Teresa of Avila (also known as Saint Teresa of Jesus), who was born and spent her years there as a Carmelite nun. Since childhood, I have admired these two female saints with the same name – Saint Therese of Liseux (also known as Saint Therese of the Child Jesus) and Saint Teresa of Avila, and I had longed wished to visit their shrines. Although they were both great women of faith and have dedicated their l

For lunch, my travel amigas and I decided to pick a place closest to the gate where we were supposed to meet our Tour Director. Along Calle de San Segundo, right outside the Tourist Information Office, was a line of hostels, restaurants, and bars, mostly with outdoor patio seating along the pedestrian street. After quickly scanning the menu posted outside, we went to Restaurante Casa de Postas, a steakhouse that had a beautiful, covered terrace, as well as a huge trellis out

From Madrid, we took a day trip to Avila. Avila certainly gave us a grand welcome. As we arrived, we were greeted by the formidable walls dramatically surrounding the whole city with the red tile rooftops of houses peeking out in between the watchtowers and the turrets. I felt like I was transported back to the 16th century. In fact, Castilian writer Jose Martinez Ruiz said the same thing in his book, El Alma Castillana (The Castilian Soul) ,” that Avila is “perhaps the most

On our second day in Madrid, we drove around the city once more, but this time stopped at some of the major landmarks – Royal Palace, Sabatini Gardens, Almudena Cathedral, Basilica de San Francisco El Grande, Plaza de Cibeles, Puerta de Alcala, Buen Retiro Park, Gran Via, and Puerta del Sol, where we had the chance to take some pictures and do some souvenir shopping. By noon, our Tour Director left us at Plaza Mayor to enjoy a meal at one of the many restaurants around the ar