-
Lazy days alongside the canals of Bruges
We were nearing the end of our trip when we arrived in the enchanting city of Bruges. Our Eurail pass was spent. Our hostel card tattered. Our guidebook was a few crumpled pages. Our days in Europe were numbered. Soon we would make our way across the English Channel to Point B on our map: London. If Bruges had been at the beginning of my trip I would have taken more photos. The city is beautiful, in a fairytale kind of way – the gingerbread buildings, the swans gliding on dreamy canals, medieval bridges and cobbled lanes, and flowers overflowing everywhere. We stayed three nights in a comfortable youth hostel…
-
A grey day brightened by orange at Southbrook Vineyards
Red wine. White wine. Orange wine? The first time a waiter suggested orange wine, I was confused. The second time, I was curious. It was time to investigate. I thought it would be a solid use of my research and policy skills. Or “if I am 100% honest” (to use an expression from my teenager daughter), just good plain fun. What is orange wine? Orange wine is “skin-on” fermented white wine. The orange hue comes from contact with the skins. In Ontario, “skin fermented white wine” is a relatively new category approved by the VQA, Ontario’s wine authority. What does it taste like? I inquired at my local LCBO if…
-
Gezellig in Rotterdam
I recently went to a restaurant in Ottawa named Gezellig (gah-zell-ig). The restaurant characterizes gezellig as “convivial, cosy, or nice atmosphere, but also belonging, general togetherness, or time spent with loved ones…” It has many similarities to Hygge, a Danish concept I admire. I was not familiar with this Dutch adjective when I was backpacking. In hindsight, it’s the perfect word to describe the common room at our hostel in Rotterdam. It was gezellig. In my journal, I provided a detailed description of the common room where I spent many hours hanging out with fellow backpackers and watching MTV. It had a TV, three couches, a coffee table and another…
-
A friendly face in Amsterdam
As a Canadian, my journey started with a plane trip across the Atlantic Ocean. Once on European soil, Sarah and I aspired to cover a lot of territory. So we backpacked for three and a half months. We met many Americans doing the thing. The Aussies and Kiwis we met took this to another level, often travelling for a year. It was less common to met Europeans on these lengthly multi country backpacking trips. Until we met Yöst. Yöst was Dutch. When we first meet him in Italy he declared he was doing Europe “the American way”. By the time we bumped into him in his home town Amsterdam, it…
-
A little stroll around Luxembourg
A nice amenity of many youth hostels is a communal kitchen. Sarah and I liked to dine out to sample the local cuisine as much as possible, but cooking our own meals helped stretch our meagre budget. It had been a long time without a kitchen, so we were pleased our hostel in Luxembourg city was equipped. The tiny landlocked state of Luxembourg is situated in the centre of Europe and is home to several European Union institutions. Otherwise, I cannot tell you much. We were in Luxembourg for less than 24 hours. Essentially an afternoon stroll around this petite city located dramatically in a gorge. I kept a list…
-
A record store in Paris
We stumbled across a huge record store. It was massive. Each floor was filled with individual music stations where you could preview a selection of CDs. The stations were equipped with nice big headphones that blocked out noise. I could listen to the CDs undistracted by the hum of the crowds around me. And when I choose a song to preview, it was not the first 30 seconds. I could listen to the entire song. I went from station to station for hours listening to music: discovering new albums, getting energized by familiar songs, and searching for the earworm song from Gandia. 🎵 Please don’t go, please don’t go, please…
-
The story of Shawn & Ed Brewing Co.
“Once upon a time” may be a fine start for a fairytale. But the stories that begin with “It all started more than 25 years ago” are the stories that hook me. What dream has been brewing for more than 25 years? Could it be a dream to open a beer garden? Well, close. In the case of Shawn and Ed it was “two friend’s dream to one day open up a brewery.” So when an ideal building becomes available some 20 years later, the two friends were ready to execute their dream and Shawn & Ed Brewing Co. came to fruition. Like an old friendship, the historical building in…
-
Fresh tracks in the snow
If you are a skier and hear someone say “fresh tracks” you likely visualize tracks in an attractive curvy pattern down a white ski slope. Perhaps you like to stop part way down the hill to look up and admire your tracks in the pristine snow. This really is one of life’s greatest joys. So you likely have a smile on your face now. You are welcome. I have hung up my skis (for now). Fresh tracks may have a different meaning, but they still bring joy. Early this morning, the snow was pristine when I walked my dog Caramel. We were lucky to make fresh tracks in the snow.…
