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Travel Flashback: Iqaluit, Nunavut (August 2013)

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

This was quite different from our usual summer holiday destinations.  After picking us up from Iqaluit’s airport, the hotel’s shuttle bus driver refused to believe that we were just there for fun. It seems that everybody from the south who visits Iqaluit is there for business or government reasons.  The few tourists who fly here usually continue onward to more remote Nunavut communities.

"Welcome to Iqaluit", in the 4 languages of Nunavut
“Welcome to Iqaluit”, in the 4 languages of Nunavut

But maybe I should back up a little bit. What is Nunavut? It is a massive territory of about 2 million square kilometers occupying the coldest and most remote part of Canada.  If it were a country,  Nunavut would be the 15th largest country in the world.  Despite its massive size, only about 32,000 people live in the entire territory…and, unless you happen to be on a very large cargo ship during the one ice-free month of the year, the only way in is to fly.   You cannot drive to Nunavut.

Overlooking Iqaluit's harbour
Overlooking Iqaluit’s harbour

Even to many Canadians, Nunavut remains a mystery. It doesn’t show up on any old maps because it was part of the Northwest Territories until 1999. Of the 32,000 people, approximately 84% are Inuit. Inuktitut is the language most commonly spoken.  Iqaluit is the capital and largest city, although it has fewer than 7,000 inhabitants.

Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, at the edge of Iqaluit
Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park, at the edge of Iqaluit

Our shuttle bus driver was correct:  we didn’t see many other tourists in Nunavut.   It is very expensive to get there:  unless you buy your tickets on the annual “seat sale” day in February (which we did, irrevocably committing to our trip 6 months in advance), it will cost you more to take the 3 hour domestic  flight from Ottawa than it would to fly 8 hours to Europe.   Because almost everything has to be flown in, the costs get worse once you are there.  Would you believe $12 for a 2L soft drink at the grocery store?   In general, prices are double to triple what you would expect to pay in southern Canada.

Looking away from Iqaluit's harbour
Looking away from Iqaluit’s harbour

Despite all that, visiting Iqaluit was a remarkable experience.  20 years ago, it was only a small village.  It has at least doubled in size since then.   Even so, the land around the city is so…endless.   And empty.  It only took a 15-minute walk in any direction to be  utterly alone.   Sylvia Grinnell Territorial Park (just past the airport – see photo at the top of this post) was typical: desolate, beautiful, and vast in every sense of the word.

We gained a profound appreciation for the power of nature: we came across lots of animal skeletons during our walks.   With temperatures plummeting to near 0’C on summer nights, heat was rarely a problem.

Cemetery near the edge of Iqaluit, at the start of the coastal trail to Apex
Cemetery near the edge of Iqaluit, at the start of the coastal trail to Apex

Rather than craving heat, however, we found ourselves craving wind.  When the winds blow, which is often, the insect threat is neutralized.  However, when the wind lets up and the sun shines, the voracious mosquitoes and blackflies become oppressive.  Not only were these insects huge and hungry, they roamed in massive packs and were only mildly deterred by industrial strength insect repellent.  We went through an entire bottle of “Deep Woods Off!” in a single two hour walk along the coast.

Abandoned buildings of the Hudson's Bay Company, in front of the hamlet of Apex
Abandoned buildings of the Hudson’s Bay Company, in front of the hamlet of Apex

We really enjoyed our walks to the Territorial Park and the “suburb” of Apex (about 5 km from Iqaluit).   While there weren’t a lot of touristy things to do in Iqaluit, visiting Nunavut is more about experiencing the land than about seeing urban sights.  Although we did visit the craft stores and the museum, we found everyday tasks such as buying stamps and grocery shopping to be just as interesting.

Even though they are in the same country, the differences between Kingston and Iqaluit are far greater than the differences between Kingston and a similarly-sized town in, for example, Sweden.  Great travel can really make you think – here, we found ourselves asking what being “Canadian” really means.

A high school in Iqaluit - possibly from the 1970s!
Night view of Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit – possibly built in the 1970s!

If you ever get the chance to go to Nunavut, I highly recommend taking advantage of the opportunity.  Even better would be to also visit a community outside of Iqaluit, to see what a more traditional Inuit community is like.   We’d like to see Pangnirtung someday:  apparently, its setting in the mountains and on Pangnirtung Fjord is spectacular.   However, even if you only visit Iqaluit, a trip to Nunavut will still leave a vivid impression on you.  And you can even get a decent shawarma while you’re there:  you’ll find a Lebanese take-out place just outside the airport.

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Travel Flashback: Arson in Quebec 2009

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Most trips are unconditionally enjoyable. However, our ski trip to Baie-St-Paul and Quebec City, Quebec in March of 2009 was beset by a few problems.

First, it was absolutely frigid, particularly for mid-March. This took some of the thrill out of high-speed alpine skiing.  Second, the “daily” ski bus that was supposed to take me from Baie-St-Paul to Le Massif stopped running on weekdays. Third, and worst of all, an arsonist torched our B&B in Baie-St-Paul.

Even on March 16, the snowbanks are as high as a telephone booth
Even on March 16, the snowbanks were still almost as high as a telephone booth

The cold was fierce but manageable, as Le Massif’s on-hill food and beverage offerings were better than those found at other Eastern Canadian ski areas. Although it was necessary to retreat inside every hour or so, I enjoyed lots of delicious hot chocolate. The second problem (caused partly by not reading the fine print on the bus schedule) turned out to be moot, because of the third problem.

It was Monday evening. After a charming cheese fondue at a Baie-St-Paul restaurant, we retired early in preparation for a busy Tuesday. We were awakened at 10:45 p.m. by a fire alarm. We are both used to fire drills but this was a little different. We heard a couple of odd noises and lots of anxious-sounding French outside our door. Taking a quick peek down the hall, we saw flames filling the back doorway.

Baie-St-Paul really is a charming place.
Baie-St-Paul really is a charming place.

If you have never been in a burning building before, I can tell you that it is very scary. You cannot reason with fire. You also can’t tell where it is coming from or where it is going. There is only one thing on your mind: not getting caught in the fire. Quickly grabbing one or two items of clothing and hastily putting on our coats and boots, we left behind the rest of our possessions in the room and ran out. We might have had another minute to escape, but who knows?

We were soon taken to a nearby motel that had considerably less charm but, in its favour, was not on fire. We spent a substantial portion of the next day at the local police station, being interviewed in connection with an arson investigation. Not that we were accused: they just wanted to know what we saw and heard. Afterwards, under close police supervision, we were able to retrieve the rest of our belongings from the charred B&B.  Everything was rather smoky but it was nice to finally brush our teeth, put on fresh clothes, etc.

Our B&B in Baie-St-Paul, just a few hours before the arsonist struck
Our B&B in Baie-St-Paul, just a few hours before the arsonist struck

We found out later that the fire had been set by a disgruntled and unstable former employee of the B&B. While we were certainly scared and inconvenienced by the fire, we remain thankful that nobody was hurt. The outcome could have been much, much worse.:  there were about 20 guests in the B&B that night.  The arsonist was eventually convicted of arson and was sent to prison.  While I can’t find the details of the actual prison sentence, I do know that the arsonist’s lawyer was suggesting a prison term of three years…while the prosecutor was seeking a sentence of seven years.

The B&B was rebuilt soon afterwards and we continue to receive e-mail from them to this day.  Alas, we have not yet returned to Baie-St-Paul. I think a few more years need to pass before we are ready for that.  Here is a newspaper story that was written right after the incident, while here is an early account of the criminal proceedings.

Skiing through the trees at Mont-Ste-Anne
Skiing through the trees at Mont-Ste-Anne

After leaving Baie-St-Paul on Wednesday, we spent the remainder of our holiday in Quebec City.  I was able to do some intense skiing at Mont-Ste-Anne; we both enjoyed the (slightly) warmer temperatures and the city’s wonderful dining opportunities.   Our Quebec City hotel was a concrete monstrosity from the 1960s but, in the circumstances, we were willing to settle for a little less character and a little less arson.

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Travel Flashback: Ultimate Soccer Experience in Stockholm, 2012

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

Sweden doesn’t enjoy a high profile among Canadians considering a trip to Europe.  It may be perceived as being somewhat similar to Canada, both geographically and culturally…and therefore perhaps not quite “exotic” enough as a destination.  However, we loved it there and hope to return someday.

While I hope to report more on Sweden in a later post, I’ll cut to the chase in this one: even if we had done nothing else in Stockholm, the evening of August 15, 2012 completely justified our three day visit to that vibrant, beautiful and multicultural city.  The final international soccer game to ever be played in historic Råsunda Stadium was scheduled for that evening.

Fun at halftime. This is how close we were to the field!
Fun at halftime. Every attendee was given a Swedish flag!

While it has hosted the Swedish national team for many decades, Råsunda is best known as the stadium that hosted the 1958 World Cup.  In turn, the 1958 tournament was notable because it was Brazil’s first ever World Cup victory and also marked the emergence of a brilliant new 17 year-old superstar named Edson Arantes do Nascimento…better known as Pelé.  Pelé is generally acknowledged to have been the greatest soccer player of all time.  In the final, Brazil defeated Sweden by a score of 5-2.  And now, 54 years later, the stadium was being retired with a match between the current national soccer teams of Brazil and Sweden.

Neymar prepares to humiliate a Swedish defender
Neymar prepares to humiliate a Swedish defender

I found out about this match in a most unusual way.  Earlier that year, I had been asked at the last minute to play in a hockey tournament in Kingston.   A team from Sweden had arrived without 3 of their players and were looking for some local replacement players.   One of the tournament organizers heard that I was “Swedish” and I was contacted to play.  While my background is actually Swiss and Dutch, it is not uncommon for people to confuse Sweden and Switzerland.  In any case, I brought along a couple of (equally non-Swedish) friends from my local team and we all had a great time playing for the Swedish squad.  We even made it to one of the tournament finals.

Neymar takes a first-half free kick against Sweden
Neymar takes a first-half free kick against Sweden

I stayed in touch with a couple of the Swedish hockey players and I asked one of them about going to a pro soccer game when visiting Sweden that summer.  He told me that the timing was not right for a regular league game…but that an international match between Sweden and Brazil would be played while we were there.    Although he couldn’t make it to that match, he gave me the contact information for the tickets and I embarked on a complicated journey to purchase them from Kingston.  It was a crazy roller-coaster of very long-distance phone calls, credit card follies and international money orders.  I persevered, however, and we were able to get tickets only a few rows from the field!

Somebody must have cancelled their purchase right before I bought those tickets, as the game was completely sold out.  We arrived to a scene of sheer madness:  there even was a samba band playing at the entrance, complete with outrageous Carnival costumes.  It was a little bit of Rio in Scandinavia.

A little bit of Rio in Stockholm, Sweden.
A little bit of Rio in Stockholm, Sweden.

Just a few minutes after we settled into our seats, the ceremonies began.  First, we saw some of the Swedish players who played in that 1958 final.  Then we saw some of the Brazilian players who played…including Pelé himself!  Wow!  He said a few words about the 1958 World Cup and even performed the ceremonial opening kickoff (see photo at the top of this post).  For a soccer player and fan like me, it is truly amazing to be able to say that I saw Pelé kick a soccer ball.   He was 71 at the time and still looked like he could control a game.

Pelé runs off the field after performing the ceremonial opening kickoff
Pelé runs off the field after performing the ceremonial opening kickoff

The game was equally thrilling.  Led by Neymar (the “next Pelé”), and having just finished playing at the Olympics in London, the Brazilians made the Swedes look like amateurs.  The final score was 3-0 but it could have been much worse.   Their ball control was particularly amazing:  we could not believe how Neymar (and many of his teammates) could do such magical things with the ball while also running at full speed.    It is far more impressive in person than on television.   Even the partisan Swedish crowd had to applaud the impressive display by the Brazilians.

It was a "friendly" match, but there were still some hard tackles (and resulting injuries)
It was a “friendly” match, but there were still some hard tackles (and resulting injuries)

We felt sad when the game ended, as it had been so entertaining, but for the Swedish fans it was especially poignant because this was the last hurrah for their fabled national stadium.  There was a great deal of emotion in the air on that beautiful northern evening:  we felt honoured to have been a part of it.

Getting back to our hotel on a ridiculously packed subway was a chaotic experience but it did not diminish the thrill of seeing both the greatest soccer player of all time and (possibly) the greatest soccer player of the near future.  We will be extremely lucky if we ever see something like that again.

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Travel Flashback: St. Moritz 2012

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

The exclusive Swiss village of St. Moritz is a very famous mountain resort.  In fact, some say that winter tourism was invented here in the 19th century.  Having that kind of history, as well as hosting the Winter Olympics on two occasions, you can imagine how much it costs to vacation in St. Moritz. When you also consider the strength of the Swiss Franc and the high cost of living in Switzerland…let’s just say St. Moritz will never top the list of budget-friendly ski resorts.

However, it *is* possible to ski here without bankrupting yourself.  My friends and I stayed in the nearby village of Celerina and relied on the very efficient (it is Switzerland, after all) shuttle bus system to get around.   The buses were included with our ski pass, even in the evenings.

At the summit of Piz Nair (Corviglia, St. Moritz, Switzerland)
At the summit of Piz Nair (Corviglia, St. Moritz, Switzerland)

We also stayed in a very “basic” B&B with shared washrooms and shower facilities. We avoided dining in St. Moritz itself, opting instead for local haunts in Celerina and other neighbouring villages such as Samedan. It was also a pleasant surprise to discover that on-mountain lunches in quaint alpine huts were relatively affordable.

We ate outside at this mountain restaurant on Corvatsch
We ate outside at this mountain restaurant near the top of Corvatsch

Was it worth it? Absolutely.  While St. Moritz is full of very wealthy visitors, not that many of them actually ski on the slopes of Corvatsch and Corviglia. There are relatively few lift lines on sunny days (it’s one of the sunniest ski resorts in the world) and no lift lines at all when the weather is less than brilliant. Similarly, hardly anybody bothers to venture out to the remote but thrilling glacier skiing at Diavolezza and Piz Lagalb. We couldn’t believe how often we were the only skiers in the cable cars that were built to accommodate 80 people.

The rest of my ski posse, enjoying an empty cable car at Piz Lagalb (near St. Moritz, Switzerland)
The rest of my ski posse, enjoying an empty cable car at Piz Lagalb (near St. Moritz, Switzerland)

The skiing itself is wonderful too. There may not be a mountain that dominates as much as the Matterhorn (Zermatt) or the Eiger (Grindelwald) but there are still massive peaks in every direction. The pistes aren’t crowded and everybody takes relatively long lunches.  At Diavolezza and Lagalb (see my “About Me” page for another photo from this area), the pistes were basically empty and we were making “first tracks” long after we arrived.

My ski posse at Corvatsch. Even on a beautiful day like this, the pistes are not crowded at all.
My ski posse at Corvatsch. Even on a beautiful day like this, the pistes are not crowded at all.

6 days of skiing was just enough time to experience all that St. Moritz has to offer.  We spent 2 days in each of the Diavolezza-Lagalb, Corviglia-Piz Nair and Corvatsch ski areas.   The layout of Corviglia-Piz Nair was a little awkward and  accordingly it was probably our least favourite of the three areas.  However, when you made it to the highest pistes, even Corviglia delivered its fair share of “wow” moments.

View from the top of the Corvatsch ski area: 3303 meters above sea level
View from the top of the Corvatsch ski area: 3303 meters (almost 11,000 feet) above sea level

The St. Moritz area is also notable for reasons unrelated to wealth and skiing.  It is one of the areas where  Rumantsch, Switzerland’s fourth language (after German, French and Italian), is spoken.  Rumantsch is spoken by maybe one percent of the Swiss population but is enjoying a renaissance after being discouraged for many years.  It derives from Latin and sounds somewhat like Italian spoken with harsh German consonants…just like Ladin in Val Gardena, Italy.

I'm enjoying the empty slopes at Piz Lagalb!
I’m enjoying the empty slopes at Piz Lagalb!

Actually, because St. Moritz caters so much to foreign tourists (many of whom have relatively little interest in skiing), I think staying in a nearby village is the best way to ski this beautiful terrain while still getting a feel for the local culture.  If you want to see how the truly wealthy guests experience the Swiss Alps, you can still crash one of the opulent hotels.   They usually open their doors to non-guests in the evenings and we took advantage of that at one of the posh Celerina hotels.  It was like stepping back in time to the 1920s, with waiters in tails, salon orchestras, nameplates for guests and the like.   We lingered over our drinks for a long time and enjoyed a “genteel” experience at a budget price.

I don't remember what I was celebrating here, but I'm sure it was very important (Diavolezza, near St. Moritz, Switzerland)
I don’t remember what I was celebrating here, but I’m sure it was very important (Diavolezza, near St. Moritz, Switzerland)

That’s really the key to budget travel:  with a bit of research, you can save bushels of money on food and accommodation but still experience  the essence of almost any place in the world.

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Travel Flashback: Iceland 2008

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(Kingston, Ontario, Canada)

After nearly 140 posts, it is finally time to move on from my 2014 travels.   This is the first in a series of “Travel Flashback” posts that revisit some of my pre-2014 travels.  Of course, I still have some  travel plans going forward, so I will report on those too as they happen.

Like most great trips, our trip to Iceland in the summer of 2008 was not the culmination of years of planning.  I had always been intrigued by Iceland but assumed that it would be too expensive for a high-season trip.

Geyser at Geysir, Iceland
Geyser at Geysir, Iceland

Iceland *was* expensive while we were there, as this was just prior to the Icelandic banking crisis of late 2008, but we were prompted to visit by a tremendous promotional airfare from Icelandair.  We committed to our extremely cheap flights about 6 months in advance and began reading up on economical ways to travel through this notoriously expensive country.   In a nutshell: we kept our costs down by utilizing shared bathrooms and eating lots of Thai food.  Iceland has a small Thai community and it turned out that our favourite international cuisine was the cheapest dining option (other than hot dogs)!

It was apparently safe for me to stand this close to a geyser!
It was apparently safe for me to stand this close to a geyser!

We saw so much in Iceland that it is impossible to capture it all in a single post.    How much did we like it?  We often joke about applying for accreditation and/or compensation from the Icelandic tourism authorities, as we have said on many occasions that it was our favourite trip ever.   In short:  if you love the outdoors and have any sort of interest in geology, Iceland is a stunning place to visit.   It may not get hot in the summer (the high was 16’C when we were there) but there is plenty of daylight.   Thanks to the moderating ocean currents, the winters aren’t as cold as you might expect:  we were told that it rarely drops below -10’C.

Seriously big waterfalls (note tiny people near top left) at Gullfoss, Iceland
Seriously big waterfalls (note tiny people near protruding rock at far left) at Gullfoss, Iceland

We flew into the capital city of Reykjavik after a flight of less than 5 hours from Toronto.   Iceland only has about 300,000 inhabitants, two-thirds of whom live in Reykjavik.    This is where you experience cutting-edge urban Iceland.  After a couple of days in the Reykjavik area, we set off on a day-long journey to the northern city of Akureyri.

Our bus, taking a break right in the middle of the bleak Icelandic interior
Our bus taking a break right in the middle of the bleak Icelandic interior, “near” Bláskógabyggð

I’ll focus on the even more spectacular Northern Iceland in a future post.  For today’s post, I’m focusing on the photos from our trans-Icelandic odyssey.    We had not yet been to Nunavut but the Icelandic interior looked like our “mental image” of Canada’s northern tundra.

This is the road we took across Iceland.
This is the road we took across Iceland.

The road is only open for a couple of months of the year.  *Nobody* lives in the interior.  In fact, rather than put them into prison,  it was an ancient Icelandic custom to exile serious criminals to the bleak interior.   If they survived for 20 years, they could return to society.

One of the legendary Icelandic horses (apparently just sleeping) near Gullfoss, Iceland
One of the legendary Icelandic horses (apparently just sleeping) near Gullfoss, Iceland

There is plenty of bizarre geological bubbling, gurgling and exploding in Iceland, as it lies at the intersection of the North American and European plates.  In fact, the word “Geyser” comes from the Icelandic “Geysir”.  Hot springs, geysers and riotously coloured landscapes are everywhere.   So are massive waterfalls…and we saw all of these within the space of a couple of hours, in addition to the stark desolation of the Icelandic tundra.

More bleakness in the Icelandic interior
More bleakness in the Icelandic interior “near” Bláskógabyggð

I’ll eventually write some more about Iceland but the next post will be about something else altogether.   I’ve also just committed to some shorter trips in the next couple of months…stay tuned for a series of surprises!