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Skiing Quebec on a Budget

If you’re looking for a Northeastern ski area with a dose of affordable French flavor, then a visit to Quebec’s Eastern Townships is in order. With a lift ticket at Stowe reaching $115 this winter, you can head another hour north and be skiing at a quarter of the price. This is especially true with the current rate of exchange at US$1 to CAN$1.35. On the shores of Lake Memphremagog, Owl’s Head offers the best of Vermont skiing, but at absurdly low prices. For a measly US$54, you get one night lodging, breakfast, and a lift ticket! And this being Quebec, that breakfast will include freshly baked croissants, patisserie, and café au lait. Not a bad way to celebrate Owl’s Head’s 50th anniversary this ski season. 

 

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Head to Manly Beach for the Inaugural Australian Open of Surfing

If you happen to be in Sydney this coming February, make your way to Circular Quay and the 30-minute ferry to Manly Beach. From February 11-19, 2012, the birthplace of Australian surfing will be the home of the Australian Open of Surfing. Grab your “cozzie” (Aussie slang for swimsuit) and head on out to one of Sydney’s favorite beaches to watch the surfing elite compete for close to $500,000 in prize money. Live music, fashion, and art shows will accompany the spectacle. If you’re feeling hungry, order some oysters, scallops, or the salt and pepper squid at local seafood favorite, Garfish. If you have to order shrimp on the barbie just to practice your Australian accent, go for it. Whatever happens in Manly stays in Manly. 

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Urban Renewal Awards, Vento Nature Sanctuary, St. Paul, Minnesota

On the banks of the Mississippi River, Vento Nature Sanctuary is now home to bald eagles, blue herons, and acres of restored wetlands. It’s also popular with rock and ice climbers who like to propel themselves up the steep walls that rise from the river.  Yet, Vento was once a dying rail yard, left to rust by the Burlington National Railroad. Thanks to a grant from the city’s Metropolitan Council and private donations, all contaminated soil was removed and the boundaries of the park were expanded so folks can have more green space to play.
 

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Greece Week with Heritage Tours: Hiking from Oia to Imerovigli at Sunrise

Santorini exceeds all expectations, with stunning vistas of the caldera and its volcanic islands rising from the Aegean waters wherever you look. To take advantage of this breathtaking scenery without the crowds, head to the hiking trail atop the bluff that connects Oia with the towns of Imerovigli and Fira. We wandered off at 7 am from our room at Mystique with our guide Eugenia, striding atop this sliver of land above the whitewashed buildings. To the right was the caldera, to the left more majestic islands that make up the Cyclades. We stopped at several picturesque family-run churches atop the bluffs, bordered by red poppies and blue wildflowers in bloom, an ideal place to get married. The entire walk from Oia to Fira is 9.5 kilometers, approximately 3 hours, but we got sidetracked by donkeys and a snack bar selling damn good lattes and never made it past Imerovigli. 

 
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Top 5 Bike Rides in America During Fall Foliage, Bend, Oregon

If you’re just checking in, I’m devoting this week to my favorite places to road bike during fall foliage. Autumn colors are not usually associated with the Northwest, the land of conifers. Yet, due east of Bend, aspen groves provide enough color to satisfy the local contingent of riders. It doesn’t hurt that the backdrop is the Cascade Range, with North, Middle, and South Sister Mountains rising 10,000 feet above town. A great 32-mile jaunt takes you north of Bend along Innes Market and Tumalo Roads to take in that glorious variety of terrain central Oregon is blessed with—high desert, snowcapped peaks, sparkling lakes, raging rivers, and flower-filled meadows. Start at Hutch’s Bicycle Shop in Bend (where you can rent bikes and pick up the detailed route) and head northwest on Columbia Street. Three miles in, you’ll be coasting downhill past Shevlin Park gaping in awe at the Cascade Mountains and the splash of color in the nearby forest of aspens and poplars. Pedal along the Deschutes River and then stop in Tumalo, the midpoint of the loop, to fill up your water bottles or have lunch at El Caporal. You’ll need that extra burst of energy for the steady climb back into Bend. Afterwards, don’t miss the microbrews on the patio of Crux Fermentation Project, well-earned.  

 
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Cape Town’s Rise to Culinary Prominence

It wasn’t so long ago that the signature dinner in Cape Town was a traditional braai, a barbecue featuring copious amounts of meat like boerewors sausages. If that didn’t satiate your carnivorous cravings, you could always stop at the local butcher for a bag of biltong, the popular South African snack of air-dried beef jerky. Then the Apartheid regime ended and the city started to embrace its diversity of cultures, especially when it came to expanding the palate at your nightly meal. The fusion of Dutch, French, Malaysian, Indian, and African cooking has melded to create an exciting new cuisine. 

The latest batch of talented chefs take full advantage of Cape Town’s melting pot and its envied locale, straddling the Atlantic and Indian Oceans as the largest city on the southernmost point of the continent. Everywhere you look is water and thankfully the fresh bounty of the sea now appears on the menu alongside the many types of meat, all washed down with South Africa’s world-class pinotage and sauvignon blanc vintages. You don’t have to step far from your hotel room to find a restaurant that scintillates the taste buds. Fine dining is sprouting up in all parts of the city like the blooming of king proteas, the national flower, at the city’s Kirstenbosch Botanical Garden. So pick a neighborhood, any neighborhood. 

My entire story on the Cape Town dining scene can be found in the February/March 2017 issue of Virtuoso Traveler. 

 
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Kennebunkport Paints the Town Red This February

Celebrate Valentine’s Day on the Maine coast, where Kennebunkport is painting the town red for romance. Throughout the month of February, all businesses at Dock Square in downtown Kennebunkport will be decked out in red lights. Better yet, hotels, restaurants, galleries, and shops will welcome travelers with savings, from Red Plate dining specials to Five Shades of Red hotel packages, and Red Tag sales from retailers. The “Love KPT” lodging package includes a two-night stay for two people at The Boathouse Waterfront Hotel (starting at $373) or the Kennebunkport Inn (starting at $405), arrival goodies of red wine and chocolate-covered strawberries, a three course dinner for two, and a late check-out at noon. To help curate the perfect romantic getaway, couples can call upon Kennebunkport Resort Collection’s Cupid Concierge, Tasha Harper. Her job is to enhance the romance and take care of all details, from planning a surprise engagement to placing a love note with rose petals on the pillow at turndown. The Cupid Concierge can be reached at cupid@lovekpt.com. 

 

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