Things to do

Life in Canada / Quebec / Things to do — 7 Comments
12
Mar 13

Carnaval in Québec City

In my head, the Caribou candy canes were not so big. Oh, I’d heard about them; a cute Carnaval attraction, filled to the brim with ‘Caribou’, a kind of souped-up mulled wine, spiked with brandy or vodka or both. Perfect for keeping out the icy chill and keeping up the party spirits, I thought a small stripy pipe o’ booze would be just the ticket, but when I was handed what looked like a walking stick, rather than the compact little twig I’d anticipated, I realised I was out of my depth. I was swimming in French-Canadian waters now but it wasn’t like I hadn’t been warned… “They know how to party in Québec” everyone had said and oh boy, do they ever…

I was mesmerised by the skill of the ice and snow statue carvers

Just… wow.

I’d been so excited about attending the Carnaval. For years I’d heard about the bikini-clad snow bathing, the ice sculptures and I’d dreamed of seeing people genuinely enjoying the cold weather rather than cowering away from it as we do in Britain. And it was everything I’d hoped that it would be; parents towed their red-cheeked, snowsuit-ed infants around in lightweight plastic sleds, couples held hands and ice-skated around the park, children shrieked with laughter as they played on the slides and begged to queue up to meet the star of the show, Bonhomme.

Ah, Bonhomme, the spokes-snowman of the Carnaval, who is idolised and adored in a positively Bieber-like fashion. Unlike most mascots, Bonhomme speaks (here he is meeting the Canadian PM), throughout Carnaval he has a hectic schedule gracing parties and doing his trademark high-kick dance at endless photos calls. I walked past a queue of some 100 people, waiting to get a photograph with him.

Queuing to see Bonhomme

Queuing to see Bonhomme

Even entry to the Carnival is with a cute little Bonhomme ‘effigy’, I tied it to my trusty Canada Goose and walked through the lyrically-named Plains of Abraham, straight into a winter wonderland. I’d been given a ceinture fléchée to wear, a sash with an arrowhead design, part of the traditional outfit of the French-Canadians in the 19th century.  I tied it around my waist, its ends peeking out under my parka. This was my first clue that this wasn’t just a party, the Carnaval had its roots in a more interesting place. Over the speakers, traditional French folk songs played, everywhere, the heavily-accented Québecois French was spoken, make no mistake – when you are in Québec City, you are in the heart of French-speaking French-Canada. You really need to try to speak French. It’s their language and it’s who they are. Québec baffles and fascinates me in equal measure. It feels like another country and its winter celebrations, the wearing of the ceinture fléchée, the pride in its long historical culture and traditions are all part of cherishing that uniquely French side.

Bonhomme's cheeky snow bath party

Bonhomme’s cheeky snow bath party

It was the last weekend of Carnival when I attended, I’d missed the ice canoe racing and snowboarding, but the ice sculptures from around the world still held their shape and Bonhomme’s Ice Palace continued to shine in the sun under the impossibly blue sky. They’ve built an ice palace each winter since the late 1800s, I stroked the glossy walls  of the latest incarnation and thought about how lucky I was to have a warm centrally-heated hotel to go to later and gratefully wriggled my toes in my  thermal socks.

It's official: Bonhomme's beach is open...

It’s official: Bonhomme’s ‘beach’ is open…

The big event of the weekend was the bain de neige, one of our group, a Lonely Planet reporter, Regis, decided to take the plunge – it looked like so much fun! I cursed my sprained ankle… next time. Although my consolation prize was a sleigh ride, something I’d never have done if I wasn’t limping. The bells jingled, the ponies stamped and we were off;  I burrowed under the fur throw as we trotted through the snow, up and around the park. I felt like I was in the most romantic of fairy tales, and yes – it was schmaltzy and cheesy and I absolutely loved it.

Cheesy, yes. Fun, definitely

Cheesy, yes. Fun, definitely

Later that night we watched the Carnaval parade, a whirl of lights and colour, dancing and music. The cold bit brutally at our fingers whenever we de-gloved to take photos. I was amazed to hear French versions of Mary Poppins songs as a float with a flying Poppins wheeled past, accompanied by a dozen dancing sweeps.

Parade time: it got a trifle weird

Parade time: it got a trifle weird

The final treat of the night was dancing at Bonhomme’s ice palace. Of course, dancing with a badly-sprained ankle is a terrible idea… but an irresistible one after a few Caribous. I’m still limping three weeks later. I can’t help thinking dancing in the snow, zipped up in my coat, having a blast in the minus-whatever-it-was temperature, the lights bouncing off the ice, the music so good and loud and the company so much fun probably has something to do with it… Oh, and that damn candy cane. The size of a hockey stick and full to the brim of hot, sweet, deceptively-strong Caribou… We shared it between us, waved the stick in the air to the music and by the time the hot drink was cold I somehow didn’t care so much about the sprain and the pain.

I think this just about sums things up...

I think this just about sums things up…

But I got it; when winter is so cold and harsh, when the weather beats you down every day with its intensity, you have to go out and embrace it. Celebrate being alive and enjoy all the good things that living in that climate can bring, connect with your inner snow-bathing, high-kick dancing Bonhomme.

Bonhomme's Ice Palace

Bonhomme’s Ice Palace

I travelled as a guest of Tourism Quebec, however – as always – my views are 100% my own.

Find out more:

Carnaval de Québec

Quebéc Tourism

I travelled as a guest of Québec Tourism and stayed at the Hilton.

Things to do / Whitehorse / Yukon — No Comments
7
Mar 13

On the hunt for Northern Lights in the Yukon

All the conditions were perfect. It should have been a dazzling display...

All the conditions were perfect. It should have been a dazzling display…

One of the major draws of the Yukon is the possibility of seeing the Northern Lights. I’ve dreamed of watching the night sky dance with colour since I was a child. I had high hopes for this trip to Whitehorse; there were “elevated activity” signs on the aurora forecast site, the skies were clear and all the conditions seemed right. But nature is a fickle thing and it turns out that the Yukon Northern Lights have decidedly diva-ish tendencies.

I won’t pretend I wasn’t disappointed when they failed to show, but compared to last time when I tried my luck in Iceland and froze my butt off shivering outside a bus in a deserted field, this trip was definitely more welcoming. Unlike many Aurora tours, instead of chasing the lights, Northern Tales have a camp set up, around half an hour beyond Whitehorse, far from the light pollution of the town. All the creature comforts that you could possibly need are there, from a crackling campfire to heated yurts and a slightly alarming drop-toilet.

There was something rather comforting about being tucked away in the warm, our hosts were boiling maple syrup on the stove to make maple taffy lollies, I sat and warmed my hands on a mug of cocoa and felt, well, not as sad as I thought I’d feel. I kept popping outside, to sit on a chair in the snowy field, to get my frosty fix of staring at the sky and feeling the bitter bite of cold air. After all, if you get a great reward like dancing lights in the sky shouldn’t you have to suffer a little first? I stared until my eyeballs got cold; every once in a while, I could see the clouds part; the stars twinkled and the more I stared, the more convinced I was that I could see… something. It felt like the sky sighing. Something moving and shifting and shimmering. And then disappearing again.

Turns out I am terrible at drawing hearts

Turns out I am terrible at drawing hearts

Our hosts were phenomenal; born cheerleaders and optimists, we stayed out till past 1am, hoping that our diva would show. They made snacks and hot drinks and even entertained us shooting slow-mo light shots… but no northern lights. I just read this morning that according to NASA, the ‘Solar Maximum’ – the summit of the sun’s 11-year cycle of activity, which gives the best Northern Lights – has shifted from May to autumn. That means it’s not over yet between me and my quest to see those dancing lights. If there’s a yurt and a campfire, turns out I’m happy to keep on chasing…

I travelled as a guest of Tourism Yukon. My views are 100% my own.

Travel Yukon

Quebec / Things to do — No Comments
4
Mar 13

Thrills and Spills at Valcartier Sliding Park, Quebec

Ow. The spill that came after the thrill...

Ow. The spill that came after the thrill…

I lay on the ground, my ankle crumpled beneath me, pain so sharp I pressed my face into the snow and tried hard not to throw up. No dazzling ski injury for me though. No heroic face-planting after some daredevil antics on the slopes, nope – typically, for a klutz like myself, I had fallen awkwardly and sprained my ankle trying to get up from an inflatable rubber ring at a ‘tubing’ park.

So much fun. Sit back and enjoy the view!

So much fun. Sit back and enjoy the view!

Injury aside, if you’ve never been tubing before, I cannot recommend it enough. We drove 20 minutes north of Quebec City to visit Valcartier and I loved everything about it; in the summer you splash around, having fun in water under the blazing sun. In the winter, when the temperatures plummet and the snow lies thick on the ground, they turn it into a sliding park so you can whizz down the slopes on huge rings, zoom around an ice track in mini-racers and enjoy treats like gravy-soaked poutine and fresh-made maple syrup lollies poured over snow to set.

Snowy-chewy super-sweet maple syrup lolly

Snowy-chewy super-sweet maple syrup lolly

They have 35 snow slides, an insane snow raft run where you hurtle down an icy slope at alarming speeds flying out of your seat as you sail over bumps and a crazy circular ‘tornado’ raft which spins you around as you power down the hill. For 50 years, this park has been making kids and adults screech with excitement and they recently welcomed their 13th million visitor. It’s old-fashioned, unashamedly low-tech fun with a family-friendly vibe and if you’re ever visiting Quebec, it’s an absolute must-do.

Madness. But terribly addictive!

Madness. But terribly addictive!

So, it’s two weeks later now and I am still limping after my bad sprain, but you know what? Worth it. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Next time I’ll just fall out of the ring, rather than trying to get up…

I travelled as a guest of Tourism Quebec. As always – my views are 100% my own.

For more info:

Valcartier Village

Visit Quebec

Quebec City Tourism

 

 

Things to do / Whitehorse / Yukon — No Comments
3
Mar 13

The Yukon: What to do in Whitehorse

Transformative. That’s how a friend recently described the Yukon and I think she’s right. You get the first clue that things aren’t going to be business as normal at the airport gate. As I sat, checking my phone and sipping coffee, I realised that almost everyone around me was chatting to each other. Was it a group outing? No. It’s just one of those places where everyone seems to know everyone and if they don’t – well, they’ll introduce themselves.

Even the carrier, Air North, are hands down the most friendly I have ever flown with; ridiculously polite and cheery, they handed out fresh baked banana and maple loaf for breakfast onboard which set me up for arriving in Whitehorse with a smile on my face. One of Canada’s three territories, far up north, the Yukon experiences brutal sub-arctic weather. Snow blankets the ground for months on end. Biting sub-zero temperatures are normal for months. The days are short throughout winter; you need layer after layer of clothing to simply get down the street without freezing. Thick soled boots, warm gloves, a hat. Just getting ready to go out is exhausting.

Out for an early-morning walk, crunching through the snow

Out for an early-morning walk, crunching through the snow

But oh! When you do… there is so much to be excited about. I found the light extraordinary, the colours dazzling, the strange physical sensation of feeling painfully cold oddly exhilarating. There’s a lot to do around Whitehorse; from Northern Lights spotting and learning to dog mush to going ice fishing or taking a plane sightseeing over a glacier. But don’t discount Whitehorse as a place to explore, it’s full of surprises…

1. I’ve written before about my long-suffering journey to find some decent coffee out here in Vancouver… sorry, Canada, you roast your beans too much for me! All the coffee that people rave about seems… burnt to me. So try to picture my delight when I took a sip of Bean North at the uber-funky Baked cafe and discovered heavenly just-right, perfect-roast coffee. I may have to get my beans sent from the Yukon in future as these are superb.

BEST coffee in Canada to date. Thanks, Bean North!

BEST coffee in Canada to date. Thanks, Bean North!

2. Bear with me on this. It could have been post-dog sledding-euphoria, or maybe just the giddy come-down after the amazing start of the Yukon Quest race but I really recommend you visit Duffy’s Pet Store on Alexander to check out their harness and dog bootie room! OK – where else in the world are you going to have the chance to browse harnesses for your dog? I spent a happy ten minutes imaging that Freddie was a sled-dog, we’d go whizzing across the tundra! I could imagine his little paws in the fluorescent booties, alas (or possibly for the best) after the Quest they were all out and only had the sensible black ones, so after one last moment of sled-fantasy, I left, bootie-less.

How could I not fall in love with this as a look for my dog, Freddie?

How could I not fall in love with this as a look for my dog, Freddie?

3. You don’t expect to discover fiery Caribbean cooking in the frozen north and yet walk into Antoinette’s on 4th Avenue and that’s exactly what you’ll find. I loved the funky dining room – bold reds on the wall and colourful art work – and the spicy flavours were just what I needed to warm up. The lime and chilli-spiked king prawns were so damn good I found myself greedily sucking the shells to get the last juicy drops. Gorgeous.

4. I’m a sucker for a local museum. I like the contents to be as random as possible, I love the feeling of being catapulted into another world entirely, getting to see other people’s interests and obsessions. In fact my favourite museums of all are those that clearly are the result of an enraged partner bellowing, ‘That’s ENOUGH! Get this crap out of my house’ and the collector yelling back ‘I’ll start a MUSEUM… It’s not crap, I’ll show you… I’ll show everyone!’ -  I’d like to point to the Chocolate Museum in Biarritz as a particularly fine example of this – all moulds and posters and no apparent point. I was fascinated by it. The Macbride Museum takes this to a glorious daft place with the ‘Cluttertorium’ I read the sign “…from the 1950s to the 1970s the museum simply put as many artifacts as it could in a random display… the Cluttertorium is designed to give visitors access to portions of the collection” and scrambled down the stairs. Fantastic! A pair of joke underpants, a plait of hair, spectacles… no rhyme, reason or connection except the Yukon. I adored it.

Any day I get to go to a museum like this is my best day.

Any day I get to go to a museum like this is my best day.

5. Using local products, inspired by the northern boreal forest, the Aroma Borealis herb shop sells gorgeous hand-made skin care and herb teas and makes for a good stop-off for gifts. I love their ethos of using Northern wild plants alongside organically-grown herbs and essential oils from around the world to create natural herbal bodycare. The Sweet Slumber crystal rock salt bath salts are fantastic.

I travelled as a guest of Tourism Yukon, as always, my views are 100% my own.

Find out more: Travel Yukon

 

restaurants / Things to do / Vancouver — 1 Comment
16
Jan 13

Vancouver Dine Out Festival 2013

Grab your cutlery…

One of my big reasons for moving to Vancouver was its amazing food scene. Seriously. The dining scene in this town is phenomenal. I adore the care and passion that goes into creating menus here; chefs are excited about sustainable seafood, the farm-to-table food movement is alive and well, and the 100-mile diet (the idea that you eat only food from a 100-mile radius to cut down on food miles) began here.

Every January the city holds a Dine Out festival with over 200 restaurants onboard offering special menus across three price points. This is great for so many reasons; it galvanises a post-holidays city into getting out and spending again, many hotels partner up to offer discount rates to encourage visitors in the slow season and – best of all – it means that everyone can try somewhere and something new at an affordable price. 

 

Sustainable local snapper. 100% delicious.

Sustainable local snapper. 100% delicious at Coast.

I got to have a sneak peek of the Glowbal Group‘s Dine Out offerings at a dine-around at Coast (one of my new absolute favourite places to eat), Black and Blue and Society. I’m going to try to find room in my already-packed-with-way-too-many-restaurants schedule (I admit it, I went a little crazy booking reservations) to go back and have a full portion of the juicy, tender grilled B.C. snapper and the next time the rain and clouds get too much I am off to Black and Blue for the most comforting, carb-packed ‘Blue Ribbon’ cottage pie which, frankly, oozed butter in the most cheering way. I would post a photo of it, but I INHALED the whole pie it was so damn good. Then thought – ‘hey – wasn’t I meant to take a shot of that?’ Sorry.

I wish this didn't make me want to lick the screen :(

I wish this didn’t make me want to lick the screen :(

One problem: I may have to leave town to avoid camping out at Glowbal Grill and eating ALL the Peanut Butter bars – kind of like a millionaire’s shortbread, but with the cunning idea of replacing the heavy shortbread with a light sweet rice cake and the caramel with a whipped wedge of peanut butter. I’m sorry to report I may have scared my dining companions with my whimpers of delight. So, SO good… But there – that’s the point of the Dine Out festival – find new favourites… click on the site, read the menus, make a reservation and try something new.

I ate as a guest of the Glowbal Group – my views are 100% my own.

Dine Out Vancouver: Book something delicious NOW!

 

Ski / Things to do / Whistler — 3 Comments
14
Dec 12

Powder and Pamper in Whistler

Terrified. That’s how I feel as I trudge towards the ski school check-in at Whistler village. I’m going to have my first ski lesson and I am absolutely bricking it. I should explain, a few years ago I had surgery on my spine. It took 18 months to get back to being OK again and I’ve just been too scared to try anything even slightly risky ever since. But I figured that it was time to stop being scared and start taking a few chances. After all, moving half way around the world seems to be working out OK, so why not learning how to do that swishy-snow-thing on one of the world’s best mountains too?

I signed up with a ‘Powder and Pamper’ package through Enjoy Whistler, so I can get a taste of whether hurtling at speed strapped to a couple of high-tech planks is my thing or not  – with a side helping of relaxing in the Scandinave Spa‘s outdoor hot pools and cold plunges afterwards. Earlier, I’d checked into the Westin, right in the heart of the village and decided that I’d get in some quality ‘relaxing in front of the fireplace’ time before I head out later. If, indeed, I can still still walk…

Radiating waves of confidence: meet Dave, my instructor

After nervously signing in, I’m despatched to the equipment hire area, which is when I start to feel seriously out of my depth. Everyone seems to know what they are doing except me. I get strapped into a pair of ski boots and rapidly discover that I cannot walk in them.
At all.
I’ll never even get to the gondola to get up to my lesson…  I sit sadly on a bench and wonder whether I should really do this when Dave appears. Dave is my instructor, a man of some 50 years experience who is a cross between santa and a cheerleader. He shows me how to walk (heel, toe), swiftly organises the right skis and poles for me, fits me with a helmet and confidently leads me out towards the gondola.

As we ascend the mountain in flurries of snow (Whistler was having record amounts of snow ‘dumping’ that day), Dave explains how to correctly hold my skis, where to put the poles while we’re in the lift and tells me a little about himself. By the time we arrive I am feeling completely relaxed and ready to learn. We take it slowly; first walking around the nursery slope learning the moves that I’ll be making once the skis go on. Next, learning how to actually put the skis on. We get joined at this point, by two late arrivals. There’s never more than four in the classes and even with the two extras, I feel like I get enough attention to be able to learn. I’ve snapped on one of my skis (“Toe in, heel down, stamp the bug!”) and we practice sliding around in circles on one ski. I like it! I feel excited; maybe this could be fun? We take a while to learn that there is no left or right ski and practice putting them on and taking them off.

One-legged skiiing? Whatever you say, Dave.

Just when I’m feeling all confident, Dave raises the stakes. We’re going to go down the slope and learn how to stop. On two skis. Dave wants me to do this by adopting a wide-legged stance and making the toes of my skis make a V shape. I show Dave just how well I can do this by falling over. It’s nice, flat on my back in the snow. Soft. The snow cooling on my already-achey muscles.

It feels tough, trudging sideways up the hill with baby-steps, I’m scarlet-faced and hot. This feels hard. Again I try doing what I’m told, but again, I just don’t get it. It’s only when Dave suggests that I imagine I’m carrying a tray that things start to fall into place. Add an imaginary basketball between my knees and whaddya know? I can stop! “Atta girl, Nikki! Whooo!” enthuses Dave as I wobble down the briefest incline on the hill and  successfully grind to a halt. I feel like something clicked. Amazingly, not my back. I’m getting this! I stomp up the hill again. Higher this time, then go back down, pointing skis in, bend aaaand stop, then rise, look forward, (holding my imaginary tray) and swoop forward. It feels great, I’ve a huge grin plastered over my face, I love this!

Soaking wet, bruised and completely delighted

Dave beams with pride and tells me that I’m graduating to level 2. We get to go over to the moving walkway that’s been installed on the slopes a little further up which takes us to what seems like a dizzyingly distant slope. My last task before we break for lunch is to zig-zag down the slope. I get 4 straight runs in, gaining more control each time I do it. It’s taken two hours and I am hooked. I’m soaked to the skin from the blizzard, covered in bruises, but could not be happier. I’ve conquered the ‘powder’ part of this package and am more than ready for my ‘pamper’.

First time I managed to stop without falling over. Whooo!

Find out more at Tourism Whistler.

Nikki travelled as the guest of Enjoy Whistler 

restaurants / Things to do / Vancouver — No Comments
22
Nov 12

Chowder Chowdown at the Vancouver Aquarium

The only accessory any smart Vancouverite needed tonight was a wooden spoon and voting slip from the Ocean Wise sustainable seafood Chowder Chowdown event at the Aquarium.

Forget designer bags or statement shoes: this spoon is all you need…

Twelve chefs, twelve delicious chowders, all competing for the honour of being voted the People’s Choice at the end of the night. I had such a great time; I hopped on the free old-fashioned trolley bus service that was laid on for the evening and rattled through town towards the Aquarium in Stanley Park. Once there, I was given my wooden spoon and slip and so galloped inside to start tasting.

What goes with chowder? Beer, of course! From the Granville Island Brewing Co.

What crowds! This was a sold-out event. I love that people turned out on a drizzly November evening to find out more about sustainable seafood and celebrate the great food culture of Vancouver. One of the first meals I ever ate in Vancouver, two years ago, was at C restaurant which was where I first read about the Ocean Wise initiative, the brainchild of the Vancouver Aquarium, dedicated to teaching consumers about how to make smart choices when it comes to sustainable seafood.

Better move fast…

In a nutshell this is the idea: overfishing is a huge threat to our oceans. The world’s marine life is quickly being depleted. A recent scientific study predicted a world-wide fisheries collapse by 2048. The only solution is to turn back from the brink, and to begin consuming seafood in a sustainable manner.

Definitely the winners of the best presentation award!

So, when you visit Vancouver, make sure you choose Ocean Wise seafood. It’s guilt-free eating because it fits these criteria:

  1. Abundant and resilient to fishing pressures
  2. Well managed with a comprehensive management plan based on current research
  3. Harvested in a method that ensures limited bycatch on non-target and endangered species
  4. Harvested in ways that limit damage to marine or aquatic habitats and negative interactions with other species.

100% sustainable AND delicious

All the restaurants that took part tonight work within those guidelines. I’ll be doing my best to support them — and so should you. It was a tough choice; I adored the spicy tomato-y flavour of Chef Alex Tung from Cotto Enoteca Pizzeria’s chowder and the amazing citrus foam on Chef Dana Hauser’s chowder from Herons -The Fairmont Waterfront, was superb. But the winner of the People’s Choice was new opening Chef Chris Whittaker for Forage at the Listel Hotel. I will definitely be stopping by to see what else they do… as well as feast on sustainable seafood!

The winners! Forage – whizzing about so fast I couldn’t catch’ em.

Inspired? You should be! Keep Exploring Canada…

 

Cocktails / food trucks / restaurants / Things to do / Whistler — 1 Comment
15
Nov 12

Five Things We Learned At Cornucopia

Whistler Village

First things first – Whistler is beautiful.

1: Wine dinners are good dinners
And no, not just because you get to try many different wines (although, yes – that is a bit of a bonus too) but because of how much you get to learn in a fun way. I went to the Tinhorn Creek winery dinner at Nita Lake Lodge‘s Aura restaurant. Over four mouthwatering courses, plus dessert, we sipped our way through Tinhorn Creek’s Oldfield series of wines and heard from their Viticulturist and Vineyard Manager, Andrew Moon on the fascinating process of what goes into creating the wines. Just two years ago I tried my first wine from the Okanagan in British Columbia, now I try hard not to drink anything else (did you even know that Canada made wine?! Alas, due to the industry’s current boutique size, they barely export at all. I suspect that in ten years time, Canada will be where Australian wines are now – everywhere and beloved). Tinhorn Creek was new to me, but I’ll be looking out for their wonderfully strawberry-ish Series 2 Bench Rosé  and ambrosial Kerner Ice Wine from now on. Fact of the night for me, was learning how the Rosé was made, I had no idea that in cold seasons you can make great rose from Cabernet Franc grapes, so in colder years, you are likely to have more Rosé being made.

2: It’s called Crush for a reason
The Crush tasting gala takes place in Whistler’s Sea to Sky ballroom in the conference centre in the village. It’s a chance for dozens of wineries to show off what they do and it’s a great opportunity to work your way through a dream of a wine list, one sniff, swirl and sip at a time. Of course the key part to managing that without needing to be carried out is the all-important ‘spit’ bit at the end. If you swallow down dozens of different wines, well – you can guess the rest… I’ve come to the conclusion that either Whistler folk are just very polite and fear causing offense by spitting in public or they really like to drink… I got there on Saturday evening and didn’t see one ‘spit’ all night! Everyone was awfully happy though. The room was heaving, men in suits accompanied women in thigh-grazing minis and vertiginous heels as they clomped from table to table. Earnest conversations took place over swirling glasses between winemakers and wine-lovers. I tried a few wines, sticking as always to my Canada-only policy, I loved Inniskillin’s Pinot Grigiot – I’d only tried their ice wine from the Niagara peninsular in the east of Canada so was delighted to see that they had west coast Okanagan vines too. Pineapple-y and fresh this is another for my To Drink list…

Glamour meets wine tasting at Cornucopia’s Crush.

3: Cooking demos always have great food
The Viking Stage Series of demos in the main foyer of the conference centre were great. If you love cooking shows then you’d love this. Chatty chefs cooking up a storm in front of you, explaining tips and tricks of the trade and then lovely, tasty samples coming out to the gathered crowd. Yum! I watched the Street Meet food truck chefs whip up heavenly sausage Arancini and pumpkin canollis which they paired with Vancouver’s Granville Island beers. Definitely a hot ticket and at $30 a great price to try something new.

4: When you put twenty champagnes in one room, people gon’ go cray-cray
Araxi‘s Bubbles and Oceans party is legendary in Cornucopia circles. One price, twenty different champagnes and sparkling wines and freshly shucked oysters and seafood canapes. “Go to the back room” everyone advised me. “The back is where it’s at”. So after queueing for 20 minutes in the minus 6 degrees chill, I tottered on frozen legs to the back room and found some rather delicious cavas and champagnes. The pours were generous and there was absolutely no question that there would be any spitting here at all! I wandered as best as I could through the packed restaurant to watch the live entertainment, Kytami, a new age “violinistextremist”, she was amazing and I’d love to see her in concert as it was tricky to thoroughly soak up her music over the cheery roar of the crowd. My advice on this is to come with friends and wear steel-toe capped boots. I have a bruised foot from some gal’s spindly heel who clobbered me in her rampage to grab some of the (admittedly delicious) shrimp!

Love this. These ladies had made their own hats. Too cute!

5: Everything is more fun in a hat
Oh wow, how I love a tea party. And how much do I love tea-infused cocktails! So the blend of the two at the gorgeous Fairmont Chateau Whistler in its Mallard lounge was my idea of heaven. It was a sold-out event and I loved the effort that everyone had made. All the women had feathery fascinators or smart cocktail hats. The triple-layered tea tray made me so homesick for Brighton and tea at the Grand! Gorgeous little ham and cheese puffs, pink-hued sweet scones with just-right clotted cream and oh! The cocktails were great too. I tried a green-tea infused Martini which was perfect. Loved this event. It was the first time it has happened at Cornucopia and it’s definitely going to be coming back next year.

I travelled as a guest of Tourism Whistler, but my views are 100% my own.

Sin categoría / Things to do / Vancouver — 2 Comments
2
Oct 12

Richmond Night Market

I’ve been eyeing up the Richmond Night Market ever since I first read about it, but every time I’ve visited Vancouver it was the wrong time of the year and it wasn’t on. Not this time! Finally I got to visit and it was just as good as I’d hoped.

Where to first?

I went with friends (by far the best plan if you want to eat as much as I did. Share and experience more!) we took the speedy Canada Line to Bridgehouse – just before it separates to go to Vancouver airport about 15 minutes from downtown – then followed the crowds across the gravel (wear flats!) to the market entrance.

Once inside we were overwhelmed with around 80 stands to choose from. I was glad I’d asked Sophia for a few pointers before I’d gone, especially about paying everything in cash – no one takes cards. First stop: the  ’Rotato’ Hurricane Fries stand. Mmm!


Next, crisp and salty sweet popcorn chicken which was so good, I couldn’t even wait for it to cool down before eating it!

Popcorn chicken: sweet, spicy and so, so good.

Along with all the great food, there was a really sweet ‘wishing tree’ area – people write down their hopes for the future and tie them to the trees. It was hard to not get a lump in your throat reading everyone’s wishes… most were for a happy, healthy life for friends and family and there were many requests for a swift recovery for relatives who were ill. But one wish made me laugh out loud, “ROBOTS” – the perfect antidote to all that tear-jerking sentimentality.

The Wish Tree area, just write down what you want, tie to the tree and hope for the best…

By now we were on a huge, giggly sugar/salt high and feeling slightly crazed, which is the only explanation I have for what happened next… We spotted some children with the best balloon we’d ever seen, it had feet! And kind of walked along… Amy declared that she had to have one – which is why we ended up wandering the market with ‘Mr Happy the Pig-Balloon’. Oh boy.

Yes, that is Mr Happy being offered a cupcake. As I said, we’d had a *lot* of sugar at this point…

Definitely one of my most fun nights out in Vancouver so far; great food, hilarious company and the evening ended with a train ride home with a pig-ballon… now, how often can you say that?!

 

 

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