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The Art of Making Memories
He had me at Hygge. Then there was Lykke.* And now happy memories. * These Danish words have become quite popular, but as a quick refresher: Hygge (hoo-gaa) is a cosy feeling of contentment and Lykke (luuh- kah) is happiness. Meik Wiking, CEO of the Happiness Research Institute, has made a trilogy. Cue Star Wars music. 🎵 Duuh Duuh da da da Duuh Duuh… 🎵 A trilogy of insights, advice and tips on happiness research. The Art of Making Memories: How to create and remember happy moments is his latest book from the Copenhagen institute spreading happiness and joy. Clearly, I am a fan of nostalgia. I devote a whole…
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A hyggelig time
There is a warm glow from the fireplace. The air smells of tangy Balsam fir. The soft lights on the Christmas tree twinkle. The dog is curled up on the sheepskin rug basking in the heat of the fire. On the mantle are homemade clay pots from our wedding filled with cedar clippings from the garden, and three little reindeers from my childhood. It’s cold outside. I am cozy in my wool socks, under a soft blanket on my couch, sipping warm cinnamon tea and eating a gingerbread cookie. My husband and daughter are sitting nearby quietly reading. Hygge (pronounced hoogaa). I have used the word hygge so many times…
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Touring Flat Rock Cellars and beyond
I am standing among large stainless steel drums at Flat Rock Cellars. The air is cool and smells of musty grapes. In contrast to the crisp air, the glass of wine in my hand, the 2017 Twisted, is bursting with luscious tropical fruits like pineapple and guava. It lives up to its nickname “Tahiti in a glass”. I am amazed at the bold flavours in the wine. Tate, my knowledgeable tour guide, tells me the owner carefully choose the specific varietals best suited to their unique plot of land on the Twenty Mile Bench. Three of these varietals (Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Chardonnay) are in this wacky twisted blend. Other Flat…
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Wine and art at 13th Street Winery
It’s harvest time and I am touring wineries in Niagara’s Twenty Valley. Skies blue or grey, the valley glows with countless shades of amber, gold and copper. Approaching 13th Street Winery, I admire the bold sculptures in the garden silhouetting the sky: dark beams of wood bent under the weight of another, twisted black metal atop a small hill, running wolves in the distance. The verandas surrounding the crisp white buildings invite guests to relax and enjoy a baked good from the farmhouse bakery. It is after all famous for its butter tarts. But this is a quest for another day. Today, I am here for wine. I enter the…
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An entertaining tasting at Creekside Estate Winery
“This is going to be fun,” enthuses Krissy, my host at Creekside Estate Winery. “Let’s taste the wine from the front yard and the back yard.” She’s grinning as she lines up stemless glasses on the smooth-tiled tasting bar in front of me. A bright red Massey Harris tractor is displayed in the front yard, close to the road, where cars and trucks rumble by, kicking up dust. The backyard block by contrast is serene: a small pond trickles and lush late-season hydrangeas bloom. Two plots of land in close proximity, yet producing very distinct Sauvignon Blancs. The grassy nose from the front yard wine* is bold, with a punch…
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Two different views on Rome
“… places tend to look the way you feel when you look at them.” Ian Frazier Reading my entry on Rome, I was struck by how your state of mind can affect your travel experience. According to my journal, I was feeling “blah”. Much of my entry was written from this grumpy point of view. On the second day, I was exhausted and quite frankly overwhelmed by all the ancient sites. We were too cheep to join a tour for the Colosseum and Roman Forum, so it was a jumble of confusion. I still kept snapping photos through it all (despite Sarah’s look of “will you put down that camera…
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Dressing up for Florence
Some places deserve a special occasion treatment. For grungy backpackers, this means a skirt. Florence deserved a fresh look. Moreover, we had been advised a long skirt was more respectful for church visits. Our new frocks did not slow us down. I was a little surprised when I read my journal that we spent only one day in Florence and packed in so many sites. A visit to the Uffizi gallery in the morning inspired me to take an art history course at university the following year. In the afternoon, we toured Brunelleschi’s famed Duomo, the Baptistery and Giotto’s Bell Tower. To get the most value out of our new…
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An interesting meal in Parma
Sarah and I carefully counted our lira and choose a restaurant in our guidebook. A dinner out in Parma was a priority, the city famed for prosciutto and Parmigiano. We arrived that day from the Ligurian region where we had been obsessed with the sweet basil Genovese pesto (see Genoa). What food discoveries would we make in the Emilia-Romagna region? Snug at our rustic wooden table, we were surrounded by boisterous Italian voices and the aroma of sweet garlic. Is that bacon I smell? The scrawls on the chalkboard menu were unfamiliar. As a vegetarian, Sarah was careful to stick with dishes she recognized. Scanning the written menu, she spotted…
