All around the Vancouver Boat Harbor,  are several flower beds with all sorts of colorful varieties. I was there jsut as fall was hitting and many, like these sunflowers, were on their last leg. Even though they were slowly wilting away, I couldn’t help but see a bit of beauty hanging on. And, now that winter has its firm grip on the northern hemisphere, I thought we could all use a touch of natural color. Enjoy these week’s Suh-Weet shot from Canada, and remember, it’s only a few more months until a fresh crop of sunflowers will come into bloom.

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Sunflowers in Vancouver is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

In general, I’m not a fan of Panama City, Panama. But, that’s not to say that there aren’t pockets of charm that you should visit. The old city is such a place. Reminiscent of Cartagena, it will take you back in time. Unlike Cartagena, the old town of Panama City feels like a ghost town. While many of the buildings have a veneer of upkeep, there’s a sadness in the quiet dignity of these buildings. As Panama City invests in yet another never-to-be-lived in high rise, the old city site patiently waiting to be rediscovered, not by the tourists, but by the Panamanians. Enjoy today’s Suh-Weet Shot and be sure to stop by to pay your respects when you visit Panama.

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The Colorful Old Town of Panama City is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Fancy a stroll along the harbor in Vancouver, Canada? Yeah, it really is this nice. No story today. It’s all about the view in this Suh-Weet Shot.

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Vancouver Boat Harbor is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

These mountains aren't only for skiing. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

I love the mountains in the summer. And, when I used to live in Colorado, I would go up every weekend to hike. Now that I don’t live there anymore, I still like to go back when I travel to the US in the summer to enjoy the crisp air, the various shades of green and the final touches of snow that stubbornly haven’t melted away. It’s easy to take a road trip from Texas to Colorado where I always see some interesting things along the way. I took this in July at the top of the mountains in Aspen. I estimate that we were about 11,000 feet up, give or take a few hundred feet. I know people think beach when they plan their summer getaways, but keep in mind the mountains in Colorado or elsewhere…and you might just get a few Suh-Weet Shots like this one.

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Aspen Valley in Summer is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Gondolas resting until the snow comes again. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

In October while back in the US, I had the chance to spend some quality time with mom and dad. As I’ve made my home as an expat in Colombia, that time is becoming ever more precious. Colorado is a favorite of us all. So, we made the road trip from Texas to Colorado in one…long…day trip.

It wasn’t ski season yet, so I didn’t expect in terms of crowds. And, I always preferred to go to the mountains in the summertime, low season when I lived in Denver. We headed off to the Vail Valley, my favorite. I typically go to Avon. It’s not the most charming town compared to some of the others around it. But, it’s central to many of the little towns in the area and I’ve made a couple of friends there. While I was prepared for few travelers, I wasn’t prepared for this.

It was desolate!

CLOSED!

Everywhere we went, shops were closed, restaurants were empty, streets were quiet. It was as close to a ghost town as I had ever seen the area. Normally, I wouldn’t mind. But, this was eerie.

A Reality Check While Exploring Edwards

I went out a couple of days with mom to walk around Edwards, Vail and Beaver Creek. Nothing was open. We often couldn’t escape from the seasonal biting wind because the shops were closed. And, what was open, wasn’t that interesting.

This was worth going out for - Larkburger's truffle fries

The one ray of hope was finding Larkburger in Edwards. I usually prefer to go to the Gore Range Brewery. But, on the tip of a local, we went for burgers for lunch one day. I think we were only the second customers all day. The burger was great, but the truffle and parmesan fries were to die for. They are a buck more than the traditional fries, but worth it. I may have to divide my loyalties on my next trip to the area.

I’ve also decided that I don’t like Edwards very much. There’s not a lot of charm to it. I guess I never noticed before. Barren streets. No hustle. No Bustle. And, the architecture seemed soulless. There are exactly two reasons to go to Edwards: Larkburger and the Gore Range Brewery.

Where are the people in Edwards?

What About Beaver Creek?

The park made for a great lunch setting

Mom and I decided to head out to Beaver Creek for lunch. Fearing that nothing would be open, we stopped off at the Avon Bakery and Deli to pick up sandwiches for a picnic in the park. This bakery is the bomb. Homemade, artisan breads, rolls, breakfast sandwiches, sweets. You can’t go wrong here. The only thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was the service: slow and unfriendly. Having said that, the food was so good we continued to go back. And, not once did we get good friendly service. Don’t miss this place, but don’t stick around once you have your goodies.

Once we got up to Beaver Creek (free parking, yes!) we encountered an equally deserted town. But, it’s friggin’ Beaver Creek. We headed to a little park in the sun, listened to the babbling brooks and hear what few aspen leaves were left fluttering in the light, crisp breeze. By the way, mom’s BLT from the Avon Bakery was awesome! Here it was actually nice to have the whole place to ourselves. When you have this kind of natural beauty around, you don’t want a lot of people nearby.

The town center was vacated mostly. It was weird. I didn’t like that.

Surely Vail Can’t Disappoint

Eerily beautiful Vail

Yes it can. Sigh. Trust me, it pains me to write this. Mom and I headed off to explore Vail, maybe do a little shopping and grab a bite to eat. The weather conspired against us. Cold drizzle followed us all morning. Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal. I’ve been to Vail plenty of times when the weather wasn’t perfect. But, with other things going on in town, it was part of the ambience. This time, with the town closed down (practically), there weren’t many places for us to spend our time. After grabbing a hot chocolate to go at the local Starbucks, we headed back to the hotel.

Lesson Learned?

Statue from Beaver Creek

I learned that as much as I like getting off the beaten path or going to places in their off-season, you can go when it is too off. Part of the charm of the Vail Valley, or any small town area, is that you can escape the crowds and have the place more to yourself. But, I also learned that I need more stimuli. I will certainly go back. I’ve been going up for most of the past 10 years and I won’t stop. And, it was great to have the time with my parents. But, lesson learned, there is a difference between off season and no season.

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The Difference Between Off Season Travel and No Season is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Clever marketing, no?

When you think of Texas, you probably don’t think of wine. But, that’s changing. Even though the state is the 5th largest producer of wine in the US, it’s sort of like the Canada wine region, unknown by most people outside of the region. My hometown, Fredericksburg, Texas, has become the hub of the state’s wine country. Wine tasting rooms have long been a presence on Main Street. But, I was struck driving on US Highway 290, west of town towards Austin, how many wineries have taken root.

The quickest and most fun way to get a crash course on what Texas has to offer is to attend the annual Fredericksburg Food and Wine Fest. Started in 1990, I’ve never had the chance to go. As luck would have it, the festival happened to be going on on my trip to Texas in October. Finally, I could go! Here are a few photos from my day drinking, err sampling wine.

Required gear? For god’s sake, you can’t be expected to carry your glass all day. I’ve never seen these around-the-neck glass carriers. But, by the looks of things, I was the one out of the loop. If you didn’t have one already, there was a vendor selling them in many handy colored leathers.

25 wineries from around the state showed up to show off. As you enter, you get a glass for the day. You have the option of a ¨taste¨ or a full glass. A taste was anywhere from a ⅓ to ½ glass.  Some were more generous pourers than others. Or, maybe after a few pours, I didn’t really notice anymore.

You might recognize the label from Becker Vineyards, one of Texas’ most successful wineries.

Viognier was very popular with many of the vineyards. I was not familiar with the grape before the festival. It is nice and crisp, dry and slightly fruity in its finish. I tried several. And, my favorites were from Becker Vineyards and Brennan Vineyards. My least favorite of the day was a Vermentino from Bending Branch. There were also lots of reds being poured. But, I was there in the afternoon, it was beautifully sunny so I preferred to start with the whites. And let’s just say, I didn’t make it long enough to try the reds.

Food was the other part of the story at the festival. While I do think there could have been more food stalls, once I found this pulled-chicken  sandwich spiced with guajillo chili from the Sunset Grill, I was in heaven. Their sliders looked pretty damn good too. Note to the Sunset Grill people: get this sandwich on your menu! Seriously!

In two large tents there were vendors selling everything from lavender soaps to chili spices to hot sauce to farm-raised feta cheese to balsamic vinegar, in lots of flavors. I asked the balsamic guys how they got away with using the name balsamic in their product. Turns out they import it from Italy and then flavor it in central Texas, often with organic ingredients. This was a cool, unexpected find. These bottles pictured here are from the Texas Hill Country Olive Oil company and are certified organic.

There was always music playing during the festival. Here I caught Jazz trumpeter, Jeff Lofton, belting it out for the crowd. I thought the music selection for the event was great.

Just for fun, people could enter the Great Grape Toss. I wonder if these purple balloons were filled with water, or wine? Regardless, the winners won a festival t-shirt.

I’m not sure what this guys’ name was, but this Scare ‘O-Lantern was guarding the items in the charity silent auction. Oh, and he was up for auction too. The event raised money for the upkeep and beautification of Fredericksburg’s Market Square.

The biggest thing I missed was the group cooking classes. There was a huge tent featuring the region’s top chefs. It was packed and I felt just a bit too self-conscious to walk up while the chefs were cooking to get any photos.

Plan for 2012

If you are can make it to Fredericksburg in October 2012, plan your trip around the Fredericksburg Food and Wine Fest. Next year it will be held on October 27.

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Disclosure: Thanks to Creative Marketing who runs this great event for giving me a press pass to get in and enjoy the day. As always, all opinions are my own.

Photo Essay: Fredericksburg Food and Wine Fest is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Watching the locks at the canal. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

I wasn’t a big fan of Panama City. If you’re going to travel to Panama, don’t spend more than a day there. The one thing that didn’t disappoint was the Panama Canal. While the tour has a strong touristy feel too it, watching the large cargo ships pass through the locks was amazing. The tour has lots of great history, video and live action to keep you interested and entertained. So, it wasn’t difficult to capture a Suh-Weet shot like this one of the Miraflores Locks.

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Miraflores Locks at the Panama Canal is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Harbour in Vancouver

Back in September, I had the chance to travel around Canada with G Adventures on a media tour to talk about career breaks. One of the highlights for me was having the chance to visit Vancouver for the first time. I have yet to meet anyone who had a bad thing to say about it. Well, the weather, maybe.

We arrived from Calgary in the late afternoon. The approach to the airport was one of the most beautiful I had ever seen. The forested-covered coastline dotted with green, lush islands just off the coast kept me engaged and only made me more anxious to land.

These yummy calamaris went well with the yam fries. Just sayin!

We were treated to a cool, clear night, perfect for getting lost. After wandering around the Nelson park neighborhood, we started craving a little sustenance. We wound up at the upscale, Joey Restaurant. A bottle of wine and a couple of crispy appetizers including calamari were all we needed. My lasting memory is that all the waitresses wore high heels. I didn’t know if I should be impressed or sympathetic.

Friday morning was full of radio and written interviews leaving us with the afternoon to explore. I had reached out to the Vancouver Tourism for some suggestions. They sent over a nice packet of information. And, after a careful review of the 100s of things to do, we wound up on foot again exploring. The sun was shining. What else were we supposed to do?

Walking Around Vancouver…the Whole City

Felt lucky to have seen this much color in Stanley Park in September

Fall hadn’t quite arrived, so the flowers in Stanley Park were holding their own. But, I’m sure that the first short cold blast took out the colorful petals all around. As we walked along the path that hugged the Lost Lagoon, we were kept company by the occasional jogger, a family of raccoons that were way too tame for my taste, and the families pushing their all-terrain baby strollers.

I think I could have spent all day here. But, there was more of Vancouver to see. I had the idea to take a carriage ride through the park to cover more ground. But, I couldn’t find it and like I said, there was more of the city to see. We spilled onto the marina and started heading toward the convention center. As I looked across the water, I thought we were seeing Vancouver Island. Later I realized it was merely North Vancouver.

After passing by the convention center, we entered the historic Gastown district. Trolleys, coffee and shops lined the streets. We slowly walked down Powell, sitting for a bit for a coffee and water. We looked at the map and saw that our final stop was actually across town, Granville Island. After a quick look at the map, I thought, hey, it’s really not that far.

One of the old lamps in Gastown

Over an hour later…and crossing the Granville Bridge by foot…

…we arrived.

Granville Island was filled with shops, high-end, waterfront restaurants and the stacked-stone sculptures of Jozsef Toth. Tim and I must have watched him for at least half an hour. I don’t know how he gets them stack up, but the garden of statues he built along the waterfront made the feat all the more impressive.

Real entertainment on Granville Island

I broke one of my travel rules when we headed for something to eat, don’t stop at the first restaurant you find. Whet is on the left-hand side of the road, just as you come onto the island. With an impressive view of the harbor and the sunset from its outdoor seating area, we couldn’t resist. A glass of white wine, a bowl of chowder and a seared tuna salad seemed like the perfect dinner after a long day of exploring. As good as the salad looked, it was a bit of a disappointment. I didn’t care too much as it was the end of  a long week and I was enjoying just being in Vancouver.

Seared tuna salad

After a short water taxi ride back across the bay, we made our way back to the hotel jumped in a cab and headed to the airport to catch our ride back to Toronto.

What to Do in Vancouver…Next Time

After getting a quick taste of the city, I got a sense of the city, but left so much unexplored. Here’s a quick list of what I would return to do.

1. Enjoy the city’s natural beauties. More time in Stanley Park is a given. But, I would also check out the UBC Botanical Gardens.
2. Eat the street food. I didn’t mean to avoid the street food. It just worked out that way. There are so many carts selling lots of yummy looking fare, I now know that lunch will be served outside!
3. Pop over to Victoria Island for day, maybe even for a night. With ferry service connecting the two cities, the ride over is likely to worth the trip alone.
4. Get active. Hiking, biking, kayaking. Between the mountains and water, I won’t be trapped in the city long. I’ll have to get out and explore.
5. Explore the nightlife. Vancouver is rumored to have great nightlife. While you can probably find me out in the Davie Village after dinner, Vancouver offers something for everyone.This is not a city to spend the night in you room.

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Getting a Taste of Vancouver is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

I learned pretty quickly that wine and Canada DO go together while traveling in Canada. And after a great Saturday morning touring wineries with my friend Janice, we sat down at Treadwell’s Vineyard Bistro located at the Southbrook winery. Just as all the wine was organic, so too were all the ingredients on this delicious creation. If the photo isn’t enough to make you drool, know that it was topped with red onion, mushrooms, Monteforte feta, and DOUBLE-SMOKED bacon. Based on a recommendation from our waiter, I paired it with the Southbrook 2010 Connect Rosé. It was a suh-weet lunch and I played around with my food until I got this week’s Suh-Weet Shot!

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Disclosure: My tour was organized and lunch paid for by the Niagara Tourism. All opinions, tips and advice are mine.

Organic Lunch at the Southbrook Vineyard is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures

Downtown Niagara On the Lake. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

So, you don’t have to be on a career break to go wine tasting, but all that world travel does give you a good excuse to explore and discover new and unexpected wine regions. It’s a personal favorite activity of mine. I went biking while wine tasting in Mendoza, Argentina. In Spain, while filming our series, I went down to the Alicante wine region to sample some lesser-known wines. And, of course, there’s always time to pop open the cava!

Beyond the better known wine-producing countries, sometimes the lesser-known wine producers will surprise…like Ontario, Canada.

Two hours by car outside of Toronto, I headed out with my friend Janice from SoloTravelerBlog to Niagara-On-the-Lake, the center of wine production in Canada. We spent the late morning and early afternoon at Greenlane and Southbrook wineries. Much of the time I kept trying to get my mind around the idea that there could be good Canadian wine. And, what we found in the morning was really good. Janice has a great write-up about our education in the vineyard  on her blog.

Barrels from Southbrook Winery. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Afternoon Matinee, Then Dinner in Niagara on the Lake

Niagara on the Lake was celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Shaw Festival. And Janice and I had tickets to see My Fair Lady, based on Shaw’s Pygmalion, thanks to the Niagara Tourism Board. In high school show choir we did a medley (definitely not a Glee-style mashup) of songs from My Fair Lady. As I watched the show, I couldn’t help but sing along to myself in sotto voce.

Mmmm. It tasted even better! Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Despite having a huge pizza from the Southbrook winery for lunch, I was hungry after the show. We headed out to The Old Winery restaurant, a couple of miles off the center of town. The restaurant’s decor was dominated by dark woods and leather chairs accented by modern finishes making it elegant, yet warm and friendly. One look at the menu and I knew what I had to have, the braised pork chop. Janice’s pistachio-crusted scallops served on a bed of lettuce looked pretty scrumptious too. I probably should have ordered the lighter dish, but after one bite of that lovely chop and mango salsa, I wasn’t too concerned with the quantity of food I had eaten all day.

A lighter alternative. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Ice Wine For Dessert

Our final stop was to the largest estate ice wine producer in the world, Pillitteri Estates Winery. I had no idea what ice wine was or how it was made. I mean, I was just learning that you could cultivate wine-quality grapes in Canada. And then there’s the little detail that I am not a sweet wine drinker. I like my wine dry and bold.

First made in Germany around 2000 years ago, ice wine came to Canada in the 1980s. And, the country now accounts for 75% of the world’s production. And, most of that comes from Ontario. Other than Canada, China is a huge consumer market for the sweet dessert wines. And, South Korea and Japan are big markets for Pillitteri too.

This cart is an icon of not just the winery, but of the family. Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

Pillitteri is now the world’s largest estate producer of ice wine. That’s quite and achievement for a winery that was founded in 1993. While touring around, I got to meet the founder, Sicily-born, Gary Pillitteri. It was brief but we talked about the carretto, or cart, that he brought over with him in 1948 and is the central feature in the company’s logo.

Ice Wine's a Pouring! Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

After touring the vineyard, we made our way to the tasting room. Harvested in the dead of winter when the temperatures reach a crisp -8 Celsius, these wines come alive unexpectedly. The grapes are pressed while still frozen and the juice is put into fermentation while it is still partially frozen. Fermentation takes quite a while, about four months. Having to keep the wine at 12 degrees Celsius slows it all down.

Prefer white or red? Copyright CareerBreakSecrets.com

So, what does they taste like? They reminded me of port wines. Sweet, but without the kick at the end. The finish is much smoother than the Port wine that I’ve had before. I have to say, I could see myself finishing a nice night with a glass of this! While I couldn’t take a bottle home with me, when I come across ice wine again, I will definitely leave room for this little nightcap.

A Day of Food, Culture and Ice Wine in Canada’s Wine Country is a post from: Career Break Secrets: Travel show, independent travel blog and advice for career breaks and around the world travel adventures