(Los Angeles, California – January 13, 2016) WOW air, the ultra-low-cost transatlantic airline from Iceland, has announced fares from Los Angeles to Iceland for as low as $99 for flights including taxes. Travelers also have the option to continue their trip to WOW air´s 21 European destinations including London, Paris, Berlin, Frankfurt, Dublin, Amsterdam, Copenhagen and Stockholm. Flights to the other European locations start as low as $199 … [Read more...]
Saskatchewan, Moldovan Wine Cave & a Saskatoon Restaurant: How do they all Connect?
As we descended onto the twinkling lights of Saskatoon below we flew next to a significant lightning storm. Jagged bolts of lightning lit up massive thunderheads for a moment - alternating between bright white and pink light. This lightning is the cause of hundreds of fires that are burning out of control in the northern part of the province having displaced some 13,000 people. The economy seems to be doing well here according to my driver … [Read more...]
Time to Fall for Niagara
Niagara Falls is one of the great natural spectacles that everyone should have on their bucket list. This dramatic set of waterfalls has long since been a hotspot for honeymooning holidaymakers from across the globe, but the LGBT community are catching on fast. Despite not having a designated gay area in any of the three major towns surrounding the Falls (Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake and St Catharines), there is plenty to see and do here, … [Read more...]
Even the Natives Don’t go Native
We were in Paradise! There were six of us holed up in a luxury three-bedroom condominium resting at the top of a hill. From our lofty perch we overlooked the most beautiful turquoise water of the southern Caribbean Sea that surrounded the Island of Tobago with a fine-grained sandy beach that stretched in both directions as far as any of us cared to look. We sat on cushy cloth-covered deck chairs at our swimming pool, sipping our second or … [Read more...]
Saudia Inaugurates Services at LAX, Only Nonstop Flight between LAX & Saudi Arabia
(Los Angeles, California – April, 2014) Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia), the flag carrier airline of Saudi Arabia, inaugurates service at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with the only nonstop flight between Los Angeles and Saudi Arabia. The three days per week service to Jeddah operates on new Boeing 777-300ER aircraft featuring a three-class cabin configuration, the first-of-its-type. “Saudia’s inaugural flight to Los Angeles is a … [Read more...]
An Unfinished Dream
Every Wednesday evening between March and October, Charles Dickens visits the house in which he made an early London home. He must have great affection for it. “Oliver Twist” was born here; so were his two eldest daughters...At 7:30, the lights in the basement library are dimmed, and a long-haired actor in full Victorian dress strides through the open door, marches towards a burgundy-coloured velvet armchair, and regales his “guests,” their … [Read more...]
A Lure to the Distillery District in Toronto: Stirling Room
On my way to Stirling Room, strolling down a brick-paved street edged by charming restored Victorian-era buildings of Toronto's Distillery District, I felt that I was in a previous age - a time when the upper crest of society enjoyed culture and life more fully at a slower pace than our busy life in this modern age. From their times we today can relish the renovated Victorian architecture in its pedestrians-only aura - no modern traffic to mar … [Read more...]
Touring Toronto: Bruce Bell best man for the job
In 1966 Toronto, you could smoke in elevators, but men had to doff their hats. In the early 19th century, when Canada was very much British, you could be hanged if caught singing the pro-United States protest song "Yankee Doodle Dandy,". In the now super-trendy and expensive Yorkville section of the city, folk legends like Joni Mitchell and Gordon Lightfoot got their musical start during that neighborhood's edgy bohemian days. And … [Read more...]
Tuscan Delights
When I first married into a Tuscan family, I was stunned at the sheer number of butcher shops that stood under the elegant porticos in Greve-in-Chianti's gracious piazza. This tiny town in the middle of the Chianti Classico wine country has a score of butchers, many more than I would have thought could possibly earn a livelihood from the miniscule population. Americans may be known for consuming large quantities of beef, but Tuscans are … [Read more...]
Varadero Golf Club – A Paradise for Golfers
"I must come back and enjoy this golf course!" my colleague sighed as we stood beside the 'Xanadu Mansion', the Club House of the Varadero Golf Club - Cuba's only 18-hole golf course. He went on, "Imagine we can combine a holiday by everyday romping on this beautiful beach with its talcum sand and relaxing waters then play [playing] a game of golf. It will be a perfect vacation for golfers seeking a fulfilling holiday." My colleague had a … [Read more...]