Favourite experiences of 2013

January 8, 2014December 29, 2014 / Greg / Leave a comment

Travel, whether near or far, never fails to reward me with stories, sounds, smells and a whole host of memories that I cherish… memories that I wouldn’t trade for any material possession. Some travel experiences are small things – a chance conversation, a taste of something my palate hasn’t had before, or just a feeling from being somewhere that moves something inside me. Looking back at 2013, these are the five experiences that were the most memorable.

1. Sea to Sky Highway road trip

It was a sunny Sunday morning in June, we had picked up a cute Fiat with a sunroof and about twenty minutes after leaving downtown Vancouver, we were on the Sea to Sky Highway. To say that it was a scenic drive would be a massive understatement. Perfect blue skies, snow-capped mountains and crystal clear water formed the backdrop to this road trip. Whistler was the end destination, but it was the journey that is burned in my mind. I felt alive and giddy behind the wheel anticipating what was around the next bend of the highway.

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Best eats of 2013

January 2, 2014December 29, 2014 / Greg / Leave a comment

My travels in 2013 gave me some very memorable eating memories. Here are a few of the many great things I ate while away this year.

San Juan: Mofongo

Having now tried the national dish of Puerto Rico, I wonder where mofongo has been up to this point in my life. This is a dish made with fried green plantains that are mashed with olive oil, garlic, some fried pig bits and then filled with meat. While in San Juan I tried two versions. The one on the left from Cafe Manolin, a 50’s style diner, was filling and delicious as I waited out a torrential downpour. The one on the right from Restaurante Airenumo was a more upscale version and the best meal of the five days in Puerto Rico.

Mofongo

Vancouver: Vij’s

Vij’s was a bucket list restaurant for me. For years and years, I’ve known I would eat here once I got to Vancouver. This meal was perhaps the best overall meal from the year of travel. Exceptional service and feeling like you were dining in someone’s home only made it that much better. The food was sublime: flavourful, perfectly spiced, interesting and inventive. Making this the perfect evening was getting a chance to say hi to Vikram Vij himself.

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Looking back on 2013

December 30, 2013December 29, 2014 / Greg / Leave a comment

By any measure, I feel pretty fortunate to have had the year of travel experiences I had in 2013. Seven separate trips covered a bit more than 37,000 km in the air and a couple thousand kilometres more by train and car. There were a few return visits to favourite locales and a couple of trips to places I have wanted to visit for many, many years.

Pittsburgh

Ahhh, February in Pittsburgh (you won’t see the city selling that as part of their tourism pitch). This travel year started off with an unexpected work trip to Pittsburgh, a place I’ve been a couple of times before and of which I am very fond. I think it’s truly one of America’s most underrated cities. The limited down time on this trip had me reacquainting myself with a favourite sandwich and taking in a Penguins game with Sidney Crosby’s three points leading the Pens to victory.

Toronto

An early spring trip to visit my sister was next up. This trip was mostly a time to catch up, quite a bit of that being done at her wine club over some great wines. I’ll admit something few Canadians will – I love Toronto (minus its current mayor) and really enjoy visiting the city. A first trip to the Distillery District and a stop for a peameal sandwich, a must on every visit, were a couple of the highlights.