To Travel is To Live

When I was first told I would be going to Hawaii, the first place that popped into my head was Pearl Harbour.  I had to see this museum and monument and learn more about what happened that fateful day.  The more I learn about the wars that shaped our world, the more aware I feel I become about keeping the peace and what is important.   We chose the Passport ticket option from one website .  For $65, you have access to all four museums on site at the memorial.  The USS Arizona museum is filled with educational and informative tidbits - the audio tour guide is a great way to experience the museum and really feel the emotion and heartbreak that the survivors, to this day, felt.  Not only does the tour give you facts about the events leading up to, and including, the bombing by Japan, but actual stories are told, bringing those few hours to life once again.  Walking through the museum in my own world, listening to the tour, I was overcome by emotions tha...

“Angie!   Angie!!” bellowed the short, compact man in front of us, adorned in his cooking whites, surrounded by the tools of his trade.   Chef Paulo Monti beckoned his assistant without so much as a second thought, while continuing on with our Tuscan cooking lesson.   Ten expectant and curious pairs of eyes eagerly awaited his next instruction as we peered over each other’s shoulders to catch a view of the next tip or trick our wise leader would share.   Angie, the meek mannered yet agile assistant, raced between our counter and the kitchen 40 feet away, keeping the dishes clean, the food supplies stocked and setting up all sorts of Italian cooking gadgets and utensils.               CucinaItaliana , run in the back of a quaint hotel restaurant in the outskirts of Lucca, offers cooking classes that range from half day marathons (as was our adventure) to 7-day treks involving examination of ingredients...

It’s that time of year again, when the days of December run out and turn into the first few hours of January, marking the end of one period and the beginning of another.   It also tends to mean celebration and parties, so much so that people feel obligated to ‘do something’ each and every New Year’s Eve.   Surmising this tendency, I decided to look into some of the New Year’s Eve celebrations that are common in the locations I’ve either traveled to or plan to visit in the near future.   Here in Calgary, the traditions are common with other Canadian cities – people drink and drink a lot.   Sometimes there is dinner, sometimes dancing, but there is always a lot of liquor.   Every pub and nightclub realizes this and offers the same type of party that occurs on a typical Friday or Saturday, only for a vastly inflated cover price and maybe higher priced drinks.   For people looking for something a bit more special and unique, though, Calgary offers some...

Before I had a handle on this blogging thing, I created a blog specifically for Italy.  It still exists, but as I hope this blog takes off and becomes more widely read, I am posting a link to my Three Weeks In Italy blog to share. http://dainas3weeksinitaly.blogspot.ca/

My last post for our San Diego/Cabo San Lucas trip is mainly about some of the pictures taken during our last day.  I am already planning to return to Cabo in February to finish off my scuba certification in preparation for Kauai in March.  It's one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, right up there with Capri, Italy!   A few things we learned this trip:  Many sites I read stated to take pesos as they would be cheaper to use as currency overall.  This did not seem to be the case, as the exchange rates varied a lot between vendors.  Most businesses preferred US dollars anyway.  Most places take credit card, but cash is a good idea just in case a credit card line is down.  Get cash before you go because each time you use an ATM down there, you are charged more than $15 for the transaction.   A Cabo stay doesn't necessarily mean an all-inclusive is the best way to go.  There are so many other options for restaurants and enter...

When I first booked Lake Louise for my AGM, I thought it would be a nice, relaxing weekend of eating and the spa, similar to Banff last fall.  But then I started reading about what to do there and realized there was an abundance of train history right outside the doors of the Chateau.  In fact, the Chateau itself has a rich history involving CPR and Sir John A MacDonald is pictured arriving via the train (his only journey out West) with his wife to visit the beautiful hotel.   So, I did a bit of research and came up with an easy, yet busy, itinerary for checking out train paraphernalia. Saturday was filled with excitement, as I woke Bryan up way too early for his liking on a weekend, but he knew we were going to be doing something more than sitting around, so he did get up only slightly behind schedule.  We ate a lovely breakfast at the Poppy Brasserie, which serves an expensive, decadent brunch ($30 per person - yikes!), and followed this with a hike up to ...