Travel

The first full day in Copenhagen

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It didn’t take much to shake off a bit of jet lag after traveling to Denmark.  A good night’s sleep, some hotel coffee and a chunk of a pretty tasty gluten free bread we picked up on the way to the hotel the day before (more to come on the variety of gluten free products readily available in Scandinavia in another post), and I’m pretty much ready for a big day of exploring Copenhagen.

The morning starts easy enough with some wandering in the Nørrebro neighbourhood.  Not on the beaten path of all visitors, this is a great location to get a feel for everyday life in the Danish capital.  On a lovely 28°C day, I spent some time in Assistens Cemetary, unaware on entry that Hans Christian Andersen was buried here.  Following a few directional signs, I came upon his final resting place:

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Copenhagen evenings at Tivoli

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After two relatively painless flights – Halifax to Reykjavik, then onward to our destination, we’re in Copenhagen as two sleep deprived people on day one of our Scandinavian trip.  We’re at our hotel by about 2:30pm local time and our goal for the day is a snack, a nap and then to spend an easy evening at Tivoli.

Tivoli for your first evening in Denmark may sound like an odd choice, but this is not a run of the mill amusement park.  Trust me, I spent four hard summers working at a conventional amusement park and as a result, don’t generally enjoy visiting them to this day.  At Tivoli, there are high end restaurants, bars and cafes.  Within its walls are an abundance of manicured lawns, lakes and places to simply people watch.  On our first night, we simply explored and wandered around Tivoli.  Although the rides were enticing, we elected to keep our feet on solid ground.  Just inside one of the main entries is the Pantomime Theatre:

Pantomime Theatre Continue reading →

First reflections on Scandinavia

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Fourteen days.  Four countries.  A multitude of trains, planes, subways, boats and buses.  Having returned from an amazing tour of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Iceland, I’m reflecting on a trip I’ve wanted to make for many years.   Sitting in the airport in Reykjavik yesterday afternoon, my love asked me what my favourite part of our trip was.  It’s a question to which I’m not sure I can provide an answer.  This is a trip that really felt like four smaller voyages wrapped into one.  As I sit on my sofa this morning, having been awake for a few hours adjusting to the change in time, I know it was a great trip – my feet are sore, my camera’s memory cards are full, and my spirit is rested.

More reflection and stories coming on the trip over the next few weeks.  For now, a picture of what was one of the deciding factors in making Scandinavia the destination this year over a whole host of places on our “must visit” list.  Food is always an important part of our adventures and Scandinavia gave my love (who has Celiac disease) a chance to have something she hasn’t been able to have in years – a (gluten free) Big Mac in Stockholm:

Gluten-free Big Mac in Stockholm.

Photos of the National War Monument

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It’s hard not to feel proud to be Canadian when visiting Ottawa.  The multitude of Canadian flags, the equal opportunity use of both of our official languages, and a wonderful selection of museums with many of our key national artifacts are all part of the experience.   My favourite patriotic aspect of our capital is the National War Monument.  Whether simply walking past it, or taking the time to visit, it leaves its mark.   One of the evenings of my stay, I wandered out of the hotel just to sit by the monument and be in its presence.  Here are a few of the photos I snapped to remember the moment:

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Ottawa Cycling Tour

/ Greg / 1 Comment

With my love fully immersed in her conference, I decided to rent a bike and take advantage of Ottawa’s wonderful bike paths.  I got an early start to get some riding in before the heat would become oppressive later in the day.  After picking up my bike and helmet from a local shop downtown, I’m off along the Ottawa River trail heading west away from downtown.

The bike trails around Ottawa are beautiful, and a great feature of the city helping to promote a healthy lifestyle:

Ottawa River cycling path Continue reading →

Touring Parliament and the Royal Canadian Mint

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After a morning city tour of Ottawa on our first day in the city, we’re excited to tour the Centre Block of Parliament in the afternoon for a couple of reasons.  First, the obvious thrill of standing in the place of so much of our country’s political history; Secondly, to escape the heat for about an hour.  We end up with a lovely tour guide who initially says she’s from Halifax.  After asking where everyone is from, she admits after our reply that she’s really from Dartmouth, but I think we’re the only ones who get her “City of Lakes” reference.

After the requisite security check, we’re off upstairs to just outside the House of Commons.  As the House isn’t sitting on this holiday Monday, we get a great view of the House from inside its doors:

House of Commons Continue reading →

Ottawa: First stop, city tour

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One of the joys of an early morning flight is arriving at your destination with a full day ahead of you.  We’re checked into our hotel and off on our first day in Ottawa by 9:30am.  After a stop at Bridgehead Cafe for a much needed coffee jolt and at Parliament to pick up tickets for an afternoon tour, we decide on a city tour to kick off our trip.  It’s a common travel pattern for us – use the first morning to quickly get an overview of a city before exploring it in more depth during the rest of the trip.

It’s a sweltering day with the temperatures already pushing 30C when we hop aboard the bus.  Taking a seat on the top level, I’m glad I liberally applied sunscreen before leaving the hotel.  Here we are just as the tour is about to get started:

Me and my love on the tour bus Continue reading →

(Re)Visiting Ottawa

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I spent about a year living in Ottawa in the mid 1990s while working for Nortel during my undergraduate degree program.  Back then, Ottawa and I didn’t get along well.  It was cold, I didn’t have quite the sense of adventure I do now, and it was the first time I lived away from Halifax.

Today I’m sorting through pictures from a four day mixed work/vacation trip to our nation’s capital where I had the chance to explore the city with a fresh set of eyes after all these years.   I’ve worked in the city since then, but really only had the chance to see the inside of the airport, cabs, hotels and offices.  I’ll be posting more over the next week on the trip.  Safe to say… Ottawa and me… we are now back on speaking terms.

National War Monument

Visiting Halifax? Seven tips for great local experiences

/ Greg / 1 Comment

I feel pretty fortunate to live in Halifax. For a town of about 400,000 people, it punches well above its weight for food, drink, art and music. When I travel, I’m always looking for things that let me get a taste of the culture; a brief feel for what it would be like to live in a place. With that in mind, here are 7 ideas for the visitor looking to get a feel for my hometown. Whether you’re in town for a day or a week, check out a couple of these aimed at the food/drink/music loving 30-something.

1. A show at The Company House (@thecompanyhouse) – I think this is Halifax’s friendliest bar. If it was in my immediate neighbourhood, I might never leave. The music here tends toward the singer-songwriter, folksy/acoustic in style, and frequently local. The sound is first rate. There’s a great selection of drinks and a limited menu of bar snacks that enhances the feeling that you’re watching a show in a good friend’s living room.

2. Eating a Banh Mi in the Public Gardens – Stop at Indochine Banh Mi (@IndochineHfx) on South Park St. across the street from our fabled Victorian gardens to pick up one of the best sandwiches in town. Then find a bench in the park overlooking the pond from which to enjoy lunch. You are guaranteed to leave here more refreshed than when you entered.

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A last note on Toronto

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The trip to Toronto with my Dad was a blast.   Reconnecting over baseball, beer and a selection of artery clogging foods is a pretty great way to spend a few days.  Before going on an afternoon brewery tour, we walked through the locomotives and rail cars in the Roundhouse Park in downtown Toronto.  My Dad is a walking encyclopedia of North American rail history.  Looking back over the pictures from the trip, this one below is one of my favourites – I got an action shot of Dad sharing some of his knowledge with me on one of the locomotives in the park: