A day in Edmonton

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What to do with a day in Edmonton? After arriving the afternoon before, having a meal, then heading to a Tragically Hip concert, our first ever full day in Edmonton was wide open for anything we wanted. My wife knew she’d be putting up with dinner in a craft beer bar that night, so to even the score, we started the day at a 100% gluten-free restaurant for breakfast. We had the GF Diner in the Strathcona neighbourhood all to ourselves and enjoyed a lovely and delicious breakfast. My wife’s french toast was outstanding, and my breakfast hit the spot. I even liked the gluten-free toast.

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Alberta beer sampling

/ Greg / 1 Comment

With the move from Halifax to Saskatoon and all that entailed, this has been a year of shorter trips and vacations. One of those was a July road trip to Edmonton to see the Tragically Hip play on their last tour. Like all my trips this year, and owing to Saskatchewan’s limited selection of craft beer, I managed to find a way to sneak in some sampling and tastings over a couple of days in Edmonton.

On the afternoon before the Hip show, I noticed an interesting beer and wine store in the downtown and grabbed these two to put on ice back at the hotel. The Blindman Session ale was very tasty post-concert. I should have been smarter and grabbed more to bring back home.

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Back from the (other) coast

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I’m just back from a few days spent in Vancouver. Vancouver has always held a special, almost mythical place in my heart.  Growing up on the east coast, and having spent a good portion of my adult life within walking distance of the harbour in Halifax and never too far out of sight of the Atlantic Ocean, the coast on the other side of the country always appealed to me.  I didn’t make it out to Vancouver until I was 39 when my wife and I stretched out a work trip and spent a week falling in love with the city. Even before that trip, I had often dreamt of Vancouver. Truth is, I was in love with Vancouver before I had even set foot in the city.

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Retracing steps in Quebec City

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When I’m traveling solo, one of my favourite past times is simply wandering around the city I’m visiting. In Canada, I can’t think of a better city in which to walk around aimlessly than Quebec City.  I’ve been there often and think I’ve walked every street in the old city many times over. But seeing the architecture, the art and the people never gets old.  On my most recent visit in June, although my time was limited as this was a work trip, I managed to put a few kilometres of wear and tear on my shoes retracing some of my favourite steps. Seen many times over by my eyes, Quebec City will always hold a special place for me.  It is a uniquely beautiful city.

Porte Dauphine
Old Quebec
Place d’Armes
Église Notre-Dame-des-Victoires
rue du Trésor

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Beer tastings in Regina

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A quick two day trip to Regina to take in my first ever Roughriders game allowed just enough time to squeeze in a few craft beer tastings as I continue to explore Saskatchewan and western Canadian beers that I hadn’t been able to sample while living in Halifax. Beer Brothers, a beer-focused bar in downtown Regina, was the stop following an after work drive into the city from Saskatoon on a Friday afternoon. While my wife ordered from a reasonable selection of gluten-free options on their menu, I went to work trying a couple of beers. On the left, I started with three small samples and was especially impressed with the Rebellion margarita gose (lime, slightly salty and sour, a wonderful summer beer) and their double black IPA.  I’ve become quite the Rebellion fan since moving out here, and selected a pint of their regular IPA, now one of my go-to beers, for my meal.

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Courage and Grace, Too

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As the last strains of “Ahead by a Century” were just fading into the rafters of Rexall Place in Edmonton, Gord Downie walked to the front, his Tragically Hip band members fading quietly off stage. The spotlights centred on the Canadian icon, alone.

I can’t imagine Wayne Gretzky himself ever received an ovation the likes of which Gord was soaking in. I looked around the arena, and through my own teary vision, couldn’t see another dry eye. Yes, we all knew there was an encore to come, but in our own way we were all saying our thanks to Gord and his band. His was the music most of us in attendance had grown up to. The soundtrack of road trips, of summers, of that girl you just met or the girl who just left you. In that moment in Edmonton, we were all taken back to those indelible memories that have been woven into the fabric of our lives. We were saying thanks, but also saying goodbye. And we were all in awe of a man dealing with a terminal brain cancer diagnosis and his desire to tour one last time.

This was no dress rehearsal, it was his life.

Gord Downie alone on stage

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Green is the colour

/ Greg / 2 Comments

Although finding your place in a new city and a new province takes time, I’ve been pleasantly surprised how quickly my new hometown has truly felt like home. Before moving to Saskatchewan, I really only knew of the province through a few of its far reaching stereotypes – the cold, the wheat, and yes, the Roughriders. I’m still awaiting my first cold snap – moving here in April was a brilliant stroke of timing. I’ve sampled liberally a number of delicacies made with the staple crop of the province, and now, I’ve perhaps become a real Saskatchewanian (Saskatchewaner?)… I’ve seen my first Roughriders game in person.

Continuing the tradition of my wife and I taking an annual “honeymoon” trip in lieu of anniversary gifts, honeymoon #4 was a weekend in Regina to see our new favourite team.  Although this trip was a blast, my wife has insisted that honeymoon #5 be more along the lines of previous destinations (Puerto Rico, San Diego/Tijuana, Boston).  But I digress.

Game day in Regina got underway with an incredible bit of good luck and timing.  Off on a search for coffee, I stumbled into a celebration of the 1966 Grey Cup winning Riders team happening in our hotel.  They had brought along the Grey Cup and I got to spend a few minutes with this iconic symbol of Canada.  It’s dented and scratched up.  It’s clearly a good times trophy and I can’t imagine the likes of the parties it has seen in its 106 years of life.

Me with the Grey Cup

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Summer beers in Quebec City

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My recent trip to Quebec City didn’t have a lot of time for sightseeing and exploring, but I did manage to squeeze in some craft beer samplings around the work and networking that goes hand in hand with a conference trip. Shortly after arriving in one of the most beautiful cities in Canada, I was in need of a quick lunch, and the craft beer bar Le Projet was a short walk from my hotel. The delicious Horreum Beta, a session saison from Microbrasserie Pit Caribou, was a wonderful match for a truly outstanding poutine. Solid start to the trip.

Le Projet: Horreum Beta by Pit Caribou

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Across Canada, Chewy’s last trip

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After moving myself to Saskatoon to take a new job in early April, I returned to the Maritimes to pick up my wife and our dog for a 4,000km, seven day car trek from her family’s home outside of Fredericton, NB to Saskatchewan. I had missed my wife and dog something fierce for the six weeks. When I left them in Halifax at the end of March, before leaving our home to catch an early morning flight, I made sure to say a special goodbye to Chewy. He was suffering with some health issues, and I wasn’t sure I would ever see him again. Fast forward six weeks and a number of vet trips later, Chewy was there for me in New Brunswick.

The night I surprised him with my return, he jumped on the sofa beside me and laid down on top of me.  Our dog likes to be close, but not too close, so I could tell he really missed me. And the next morning, he wouldn’t let me out of his sight, even camping outside a bathroom up a steep flight of stairs to make sure he could be close. On this early morning, he had no idea the adventure he was in for…

Chewy in Nackawic, NB

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