Tulip or not tulip….the answer is to always tulip! Visiting Amsterdam during tulip season seems like a MUST. The best time to see tulips in Amsterdam is from March - May, especially mid April, according to their tourism websites.
Travel: Top 10 Things to Do in Nova Scotia
I recently had the pleasure of working with Tourism Nova Scotia and Destination Canada on their @VisitNovaScotia and @ExploreCanada campaign.
Whale Watching, Cape Ann
“Consider the subtleness of the sea; how its most dreaded creatures glide under water, unapparent for the most part, and treacherously hidden beneath the loveliest tints of azure. Consider also the devilish brilliance and beauty of many of its most remorseless tribes, as the dainty embellished shape of many species of sharks. Consider, once more, the universal cannibalism of the sea; all whose creatures prey upon each other, carrying on eternal war since the world began. "
― Herman Melville, Moby Dick
I've never been whale watching before, so when my sister got all of us tickets for my birthday in July, I was BEYOND thrilled about the prospect!
It's incredible that we're able to venture out, far out, into the Atlantic ocean, where deep, DEEP waters hide these wondrous creatures and if you're lucky you get to hang with the whales for a bit. How awesome is that? I can't even...
They.are.amazing.
Smooth, gentle, ENORMOUS. I felt very small. We all did.
Come with me to Gloucester, Massachusetts where we set off from Cape Ann one early morning...
Vancouver: a thing of beauty
If you follow me on Instagram, you may recall that we were in Vancouver a couple of weeks ago.
I had never been before, and had always heard how beautiful Vancouver is, how green, how lush, how the mountainsblahblah blah.
You guys, SHE IS A THING OF BEAUTY!!
MIND. BLOWN.
Here's a 2.5 hour walk to and from Stanley Park.
Fly Porter
Ever since Toronto introduced the "Toronto Island Airport" I've been a fan. A city airport? What a great idea! First it was the convenience of it being in the heart of the city and the incredible Porter lounge, outfitted with MACs and a kitchen with Starbucks beverages, and all the snacks you could want.
Soon, the service and reliability of flying Porter became apparent and now, it's expanding! Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport will soon have a pedestrian tunnel between the mainland and the island. As it stands now, the ferry ride between the two may not make much logistic sense although it serves as a nice break for passengers to take in the gorgeous Toronto skyline.
Labor Day Long Weekend: Block Island, Rhode Island
Long weekends are for ferry rides, champagne celebrations, mass production of breakfasts, petting zoos, wishing rocks, pink lemonade, outdoor showers, badminton and croquet tournaments and lots of photo ops.
Miami: Fontainbleau Hotel
What a glorious stay at Miami's Fontainbleau Hotel.
Not only is it one of the most beautiful hotels in South Beach, it also has the best service I've ever encountered, both indoors and out, not to mention the incredible Hakkasan restaurant.
After I was stung by a jelly fish one afternoon, the Lapis Spa staff's immediate concern and quick response helped ease the pain (and who knew vinegar is the solution!) and allowed me to get back into the ocean soon after.
We're immensely thankful to the kind staff of the Fontainbleau, who generously donated the luxurious Lapis Spa products for the Nashua Soup Kitchen. We were happy to bring back a giant box of mini shampoos and lotions, that we distributed at the NSK this past weekend.
Thank you so much Fontainbleau, we'll most definitely be back!
Greece: Ferry from Santorini
Goodbye Santorini! Hello Sunset!
Greece: Santorini, Skaros Rock
Certainly one of the most unique places to stay would be inside a cave, wouldn't you say?
Hotel Sunny Villas, with its incredible caldera and sunset views, was one such place and with it being situated in front of the famed Skaros Rock, it was an ideal location for a morning hike.
Now, I'm not a hiker, and not an adventure seeker, either, so seeing a well-trodden path on Skaros made me feel confident about this type of hike.
Then we met a group who had just done the hike and were resting at the foot of it, amongst them was an older lady with a cane.
They told us that there's a hidden CHURCH on the other side of Skaros Rock, that is only accessible if you hike over some fallen rocks, which, when you approach them, appear to be the end of the road. However if you hike OVER these trecherous rocks (with a sheer drop on the other side) the path continues on down to the church. With an incredible view.
And a closer view of Heaven I thought, if I slipped.
BUT.
The old lady did it.
So we gave it a go, and of course at the pile of fallen rocks, the camera was put away, but you can see that they were right.
Totally worth it.
Heaven, on earth.
Greece: Santorini, Dogs + Photogs
The sunset in Oia brought every tourist to it's tip, each person vying for a comfortable spot to enjoy sun down.
Then, there was this dog, like the Lassie of Oia, leading the way for tourists, and braving great heights for a photo op; finally settling down in a nook that stuck out way over the water.
Greece: Santorini, Night
We saw the sun setting over Santorini, now, how about when night falls?
Greece: Santorini, Sunset
A sunset in Santorini is such a sight.
Greece: Santorini, Blue Domes
We spent a good deal of time trying to find the famed blue-domed church, you know, the one that appears on every single Greek postcard or Google search for Santorini. Our quest to find the exact blue dome left us still searching several churches later. After meeting other tourists also in search of it, we all decided that there must be a separate, private, rooftop view of that particular view of that particular blue-domed church. We'd continue our search later...
Greece: Santorini, A Gander
Literally within seconds of putting our luggage down at our hotel, we were off to explore the island that is Santorini. Here's what we found along the way.
Greece: To Santorini
Time for another ferry ride, this time to Santorini! That was the littlest truck we'd ever seen!
