tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19846438914572970452024-03-06T00:09:05.797-08:00VoyagevixenA blog about our travel adventuresVoyageVixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07446739037710259855noreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-84774578028399879362023-11-12T18:40:00.000-08:002023-11-12T18:40:36.466-08:00Kigali Rwanda Part 1<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />It’s been challenging years for everyone since the pandemic began. We had thought we might be able to return to travel earlier (with precautions) but we were further interrupted with unrelated health issues. After experiencing debilitating symptoms for some time I was diagnosed in December 2021 with very large fibroids - non-cancerous uterine tumours. With the diagnosis, coping with ongoing symptoms, waiting for a surgery date (and avoiding Covid-19 to not interrupt it), tumour shrinking injections and a long post hysterectomy recovery, we only recently felt it would be reasonable to embark on an overseas trip. I also share this bit of my story as I think many folks suffer in silence with these types of conditions. I think it is important to talk about it - know your body and follow up with your doctor if you see things that are out of sort. I am grateful I feel so much better now!<p></p><p>So here we are, after two days of travel, in Kigali Rwanda to trek & see wild mountain gorillas and chimpanzees, plus some other side quests. (Then we stop in Brussels, Belgium for 5 days on the way back to wander the streets, go to museums, galleries and check out the food scene!) We had initial interruptions and had to rebook our flights but once it got going it was generally smooth. Since the pandemic began we take some enhanced infection control measures while travelling including kn95 masks on the plane as much as possible (we did have to remove to eat), nose spray and mouthwash that is supposed to reduce respiratory infections, and used our co2 monitor in the airport and plane to gauge air quality. It was disappointing how many were flying without masks while obviously sick and coughing. I do wish infection prevention did not become so polarizing and we could agree on basics like cleaner air and masking while sick. No one wants to get sick and certainly not on a much anticipated trip - we also are not permitted to trek to see the gorillas if we are sick, so crossing fingers we stay healthy!</p><p>Again to manage the ongoing travel challenges we booked some buffer days in Kigali to avoid missing our pre-booked jungle trek days, which need permits and guides. With the extra time we are taking things slow. We arrived late Friday night and essentially went to bed when we got to our hotel. The first morning we started with breakfast at our hotel and then we walked from our hotel about 1.5 kms to explore the area around the Imbuga City Walk. The streets of Kigali are sparkling clean, with lush plants along the sides and very friendly people milling about. For dinner, we walked to a nearby Indian restaurant, Khana Khazana. </p><p>Our second day we spent at the Nyandungu Eco Park. It was about 9kms of walking checking out the lush plants, trees and wetlands. We got absolutely soaked by a big rain storm but it was still warm so we persevered. We were lucky to see a large variety of birds. Some bird highlights include African openbill, grey back fiscal (shrike), ibis, gray crowned crane among many many others. Although it is a maintained walk way we should have worn our hiking boots as the bricks are very slippery. And of course we hauled our umbrellas all the way from Canada but decided to only bring one on the walk which just got in the way so we embraced getting soaked. We stopped at the onsite restaurant, looking like drowned rats, and had some local chocolate, espresso and mango juice. We had a late lunch when we returned to the hotel and laid down for what was supposed to be a nap. Unfortunately that was a fail and we are now wide awake at 3:30 am and hungry from missing supper. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2H6shiabT-SWH9-sw1znADgMJipOgVvxwVLgyS5VDAJtzNHMyeXNNOfNTlfPZMjIsmUxpeOXC7_Mo1r6nmD5Al4u4qwOHgd0fAq2_rid967-jDWTNY4_276_cz_wddx9nu8aE6K9g7kGKERCrBUp9suawtshTgXkvrUg4gyp3zrzs7QG000LV23OpwTF-/s4032/IMG_9535.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2H6shiabT-SWH9-sw1znADgMJipOgVvxwVLgyS5VDAJtzNHMyeXNNOfNTlfPZMjIsmUxpeOXC7_Mo1r6nmD5Al4u4qwOHgd0fAq2_rid967-jDWTNY4_276_cz_wddx9nu8aE6K9g7kGKERCrBUp9suawtshTgXkvrUg4gyp3zrzs7QG000LV23OpwTF-/s320/IMG_9535.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><p></p><p><br /></p>voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-5598412626502200512023-05-14T07:31:00.004-07:002023-05-14T07:57:32.882-07:00Joshua Tree 2023<p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3ZNz8eDHXk7puYuJDUcmWgYZJCIMTJn04CHSDohmgQQs6oJ_pfEE8tjA0H9gJQyp8EZ8zPmlKCfLoKh5lQMLKB-N6eIsJmkZfKUgKrHTuaEnSYp0W5QN7uT3ZtJzHlePGTeDqfxqUiEmemQRvgSDxvN0Qc1JcwGeCu0vOtQlY1A7K5T3j-ifie7qrQ/s4032/IMG_6193.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju3ZNz8eDHXk7puYuJDUcmWgYZJCIMTJn04CHSDohmgQQs6oJ_pfEE8tjA0H9gJQyp8EZ8zPmlKCfLoKh5lQMLKB-N6eIsJmkZfKUgKrHTuaEnSYp0W5QN7uT3ZtJzHlePGTeDqfxqUiEmemQRvgSDxvN0Qc1JcwGeCu0vOtQlY1A7K5T3j-ifie7qrQ/s320/IMG_6193.jpeg" width="320" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br />We are back for our second visit to the perfect little <a href="https://homesteadmodern.com/modernist-cabin">Modernist Cabin</a> a few miles from Joshua Tree town and backing onto Joshua Tree National park. It is a one room cabin designed by modernist architect Ron Radziner, with outdoor shower, bbq and outdoor tub on one side and outdoor living room on the other, and lovingly decorated in mid century modern style. It is absolutely the perfect place for deep relaxation surrounded by the rocks, flora and fauna of the desert. The cabin is managed by Homestead Modern which manages a wonderful portfolio of architecture gems available for vacation rental including the stunning <a href="https://homesteadmodern.com/monument-house">Monument House</a> featured in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/07/t-magazine/monument-house-joshua-tree-hotel.html">New York Style magazine</a>. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">I’ve spotted countless birds including the Gamble’s Quail, hummingbirds, road runner, cactus wren, and many animals; rabbits, lizard, <a href="https://www.10000birds.com/white-tailed-antelope-squirrels-at-joshua-tree-national-park.htm">white tailed antelope squirrel</a>. The bird identification app I like best is <a href="https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/merlin-bird-id-by-cornell-lab/id773457673">Merlin Bird ID</a> from Cornell Lab. The absolute highlight was spotting a curious desert tortoise right by the cabin. He seemed enamoured with me as he tried to follow me a few times while I backed up avoiding cactus. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">We checked out the <a href="http://www.noahpurifoy.com/">Noah Purifoy outdoor museum</a> full of sculptures made out reclaimed items. It is very unique and there are so many installations. We also viewed the <a href="https://www.piscoandbier.com/transmission-sculpture-joshua-tree-daniel-popper">Transmission Sculpture</a> By Daniel Popper, large face with four hands located at <a href="https://www.themojavemoon.com/tranmission">The mojave moon Airbnb and retreat</a>. Note it is on private property, but the owners have kindly made a fenced viewing area for the public. You can only see more of the sculpture as a guest staying onsite. We checked out the Joshua Tree Farmer’s Market and Yucca Valley <a href="http://www.skyvillageswapmeet.com/">Sky Village Swap Meet</a> - we didn’t buy anything but it’s always fun to check out local events. I also had a good espresso at <a href="https://instagram.com/dezfinefood?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==">The DEZ</a> in Joshua Tree. We caught a glimpse of the <a href="https://autocamp.com/joshua-tree/?gclid=CjwKCAjwjYKjBhB5EiwAiFdSfpDVVNEQjI9a4bixMRuaClbRp-ALTCW9NESFByIQZMt9s1Rqy4NawhoCH8cQAvD_BwE">AutoCamp</a> - a glamping venue full of airstreams but the large fence prevented a good look.</span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">We also love checking out the unique local architecture. We spotted the <a href="https://www.travelandleisure.com/hotels-resorts/vacation-rentals/joshua-tree-area-55-futuro-house-airbnb">UFO type Futuro House Airbnb</a>: “<span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95)" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95);">the </span><a data-component="link" data-ordinal="1" data-source="inlineLink" data-type="externalLink" href="https://thefuturohouse.com/" rel="noopener" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0c548c; outline: 0px; text-decoration-color: rgb(12, 84, 140); text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration-thickness: 1px; transition: color 0.15s ease-out;" target="_blank">Futuro House</a><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95)" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95);"> was first concocted by designer Matti Suuronen in 1968 as a "portable ski chalet." The home resembles a small UFO thanks to its curved design and oval windows on all sides.” We had a coffee and walk around the Joshua Tree Retreat Center to check out the buildings <a href="https://www.njinla.com/blog/institute-of-mentalphyics-architectural-gem-joshua-tree?format=amp">designed by Lloyd Wright</a> son of Frank Lloyd Wright. “this metaphysical destination is home to the largest collection of Lloyd Wright buildings in the world. The sprawling 400-acre property was built between 1946–1957 and although the architect on record is Lloyd Wright, it is believed that his father, Frank Lloyd Wright “had a hand in the design of some of the structures.” </span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.95);">We also wanted to check out the famous mirrored <a href="https://www.invisible.house/">Invisible House </a>but the road that takes you close is private, but I could see it glinting in the distance from the main road. It was featured in <a href="https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/nvisible-house-in-joshua-tree-lists-for-18-million-dollars">Architectural Digest</a>. We didn’t see it but the <a href="https://www.kelloggdoolittlehouse.com/">Kellogg Doolittle House</a> is also in the Joshua Tree area. “</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86);">The house in Joshua Tree was designed in the 1980s by organic architect Kendrick Bangs Kellogg for artist Bev Doolittle and her husband Jay” also featured in <a href="https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/doolittle-house-joshua-tree">Architectural Digest</a>.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86);">We spent a lot of time just decompressing from the last three years. Lazy mornings on the patio while the desert is still cool, walks among the giant boulders and cactus in the evening. Travel always allows me to be more in the moment and for the </span></span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); font-family: times;">first time in a long time I feel relaxed.</span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); font-family: times;"> When travel </span><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(77, 81, 86); font-family: times;">comes to an end I also find myself having increased gratitude for home as well. </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again- to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more.” Pico Iyer</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38L-Q1M3tw8HNtHiGRWY8freFsWNRF8jLTXIv160nS2CcX5ZF_7H0iZfmrTJ8z6047zjY6mfLzelXdmtJ3VQjBpf4j-xE8bh8Ch25ra7yEuzAb1Bl6JHMDFglSjpZAdStnQTN1YGwKm6Ns7mjR9t9KT_E-K6YzEK0bzq5YH0R7eVd4-Ueuoi4ccYPfg/s4032/IMG_6377.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj38L-Q1M3tw8HNtHiGRWY8freFsWNRF8jLTXIv160nS2CcX5ZF_7H0iZfmrTJ8z6047zjY6mfLzelXdmtJ3VQjBpf4j-xE8bh8Ch25ra7yEuzAb1Bl6JHMDFglSjpZAdStnQTN1YGwKm6Ns7mjR9t9KT_E-K6YzEK0bzq5YH0R7eVd4-Ueuoi4ccYPfg/s320/IMG_6377.jpeg" width="240" /></span></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p>voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-61381596858116854222023-05-09T15:35:00.001-07:002023-05-09T15:37:10.160-07:00Palm Springs 2023<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">This is our fourth trip to Palm Springs, and our first trip in over 3 years. It’s a short, direct flight, relaxing vibe, lots of time outdoors, and for the first trip since the pandemic started it seemed like a good choice for an easy trip. Everyone has lost a lot in this pandemic, which still continues. Nothing feels as easy as it once did, bearing witness to the ongoing impact takes its toll while trying to navigate, live and work in this new reality. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span style="text-align: left;">Travel has always brought me a unique type of relaxation. Once you get to the airport or get on the road, a lot of stress is left at home, old routines are abandoned and every day has a bit of adventure. I’ve been deeply missing that over the pandemic (and I know I am privileged because so many have had terrible losses in this time). It was serendipitous that I should read this article yesterday: “</span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/07/a-holiday-is-more-than-a-break-a-chance-to-dip-a-toe-into-a-new-version-of-yourself?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0vP38x4zuNlR_oV9PZKO6ieVPLQ0-1-kHtulV_KXMbpVIC0Z88j8ICkXY">A holiday is about more than just a break. It’s a chance to dip a toe into a new version of yourself. </a></span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/may/07/a-holiday-is-more-than-a-break-a-chance-to-dip-a-toe-into-a-new-version-of-yourself?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0vP38x4zuNlR_oV9PZKO6ieVPLQ0-1-kHtulV_KXMbpVIC0Z88j8ICkXY">If you feel stuck, a trip can put you back in touch with your sense of adventure</a>”</span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #121212; font-family: times;"><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); font-size: medium;">So what have we been up to in Palm Springs? We are again staying at the fabulous midcentury small hotel <a href="https://www.orbitin.com/">Orbit Inn</a>, which sits below the famous <a href="https://www.psmuseum.org/visit/frey-house">Frey House</a>. All the rooms have their own entrance off the central pool, an easy place to relax. We have been enjoying slow mornings on the cool deck, morning trips for espresso, Palm Springs Art Museum, Architect Museum, traveling around the desert to view different DesertX art installations, the botanical gardens, watching the birds - so many hummingbirds!, checking out architecture and public sculptures, evening conversations with interesting guests, and lots of delicious vegan food and patios. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(18, 18, 18); color: #121212;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Tomorrow we head off to a cabin in Joshua Tree for the last four nights of our stay. Two favourite photos below, our pool at the cactus at the botanical gardens. You can see more on my Instagram and eventually my Flickr. </span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtR94IkGRZQu-j002WPaZh3Ywh917aWZJgwOSQU2uQ9voBpQ68IiRnncgGtCgf8JOSWatvkrwyLn8AvO6TaVIzLpBrEkf0pGLP8LqCpbyHRT8IjMOqhHfzhWwvZsjzjFuSC6sobVWj_UMFGO4ZxncL0St9DVOJ1xqKrUvozt-PK8PoCcMnPr7nNwrBA/s3968/IMG_5938.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3968" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwtR94IkGRZQu-j002WPaZh3Ywh917aWZJgwOSQU2uQ9voBpQ68IiRnncgGtCgf8JOSWatvkrwyLn8AvO6TaVIzLpBrEkf0pGLP8LqCpbyHRT8IjMOqhHfzhWwvZsjzjFuSC6sobVWj_UMFGO4ZxncL0St9DVOJ1xqKrUvozt-PK8PoCcMnPr7nNwrBA/s320/IMG_5938.jpeg" width="244" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KbIRaxZ-t3CPDspvaU8fk2YFT3_VX_KMzsjIcEsnoogxPe0vF5rNUi4jzaD3K2jKcKLfConsN0Rnq53syAkNb3OoXRnKmj9fqpVj4f43LedaJFPtadyrnu7a0a8HtFCJaibvoa_Z93mLGHfOVpQwy2B_F2jgfesK95bJYAW8Y-SYRiHUYU_zXCSKtg/s4032/IMG_6063.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3KbIRaxZ-t3CPDspvaU8fk2YFT3_VX_KMzsjIcEsnoogxPe0vF5rNUi4jzaD3K2jKcKLfConsN0Rnq53syAkNb3OoXRnKmj9fqpVj4f43LedaJFPtadyrnu7a0a8HtFCJaibvoa_Z93mLGHfOVpQwy2B_F2jgfesK95bJYAW8Y-SYRiHUYU_zXCSKtg/s320/IMG_6063.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="text-align: justify;"><br /></p>voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-61043682385004622722023-05-05T08:39:00.001-07:002023-05-05T08:50:43.872-07:00Travel Hacks <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Everyone has their favourite tips and tricks to make travel easier and more enjoyable. We have many old and new tricks and since this is our first trip and flight since the pandemic started we have a few more health and safety ones. Here are some of my travel hacks!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><span><b>Luggage</b>: First off, Travel Light, We do carryon only almost always. What helps this be successful is the right bags and accessories. We both use the Patagonia “</span>Black Hole® MLC® bag, is burly, soft-sided 45-liter suitcase with enough room for world travel and convertible backpack straps for comfy load carrying” and one personal shoulder bag. A soft sided bag allows for some stretch and being both a suitcase and back pack eliminates bulky wheels that take up space. We also each carry a reusable TSA compliant clear toiletries bag (many options on Amazon etc), for liquids, of course each item is less 100ml or less. Wear your bulkiest clothes and shoes on the flight to save some room. On longer trips we do laundry and ensure we bring clothing that mixes and matches. </span></p></div><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdltHlRB8qfDNb_AB-qG9sJECWH0LbcoxfgBj6FPRCZYcckiMhh-0BTGxvbbOFCVarLU0SzAxlB3Wd8vH_Mn4kcuKGQoOfloeUubTVjjdbuMdzw64AC-aPSIxQuer2qr2j4CB2EgjMx1cAOG3RYTBGZ9_mXrs9RuJ6oVQalWlKv0fW_Fy9CeMaaHaNQ/s2048/IMG_9090.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1955" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJdltHlRB8qfDNb_AB-qG9sJECWH0LbcoxfgBj6FPRCZYcckiMhh-0BTGxvbbOFCVarLU0SzAxlB3Wd8vH_Mn4kcuKGQoOfloeUubTVjjdbuMdzw64AC-aPSIxQuer2qr2j4CB2EgjMx1cAOG3RYTBGZ9_mXrs9RuJ6oVQalWlKv0fW_Fy9CeMaaHaNQ/s320/IMG_9090.jpeg" width="305" /></a></span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Accessories</b>: Some accessories are trip specific but in general we always bring a small power bar (so often there are not enough outlets!), two extra long charge cords for iphones, noise cancelling headphones, empty water bottles, plane snacks, <a href="https://www.tru.earth/">Tru Earth</a> laundry soap strips, flat rubber sink stopper, apple air tags in case we need to check a bag or for lost/stolen luggage, headlamp (we’ve been through a few power outages; hurricane Sandy and Brisbane floods etc, and a light was essential), two folding shopping bags, a super compact packable duffle bag in case we buy stuff to bring back (if hiking we bring a packable backpack, it packs to 2/3 of the size of a coke can!). Depending where you are going, you can pick up over the counter medication/supplies you might need but it can vary; we always bring tums, Advil, bandaids, sunscreen & bug spray (if applicable), and a thermometer. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Documents</b>: take a photo of your passport, driver license, health insurance, etc, and save them to something cloud based such as your email and ensure a trusted person at home has a copy. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Internet and apps</b>: Figure out how you want to access the internet. On trips I use it a lot for google maps! For short trips I have done Rogers “roam like home” that has a daily max data charge, on others I have purchased sim cards on arrival and for this trip I am trying the new E-Sim option and have selected Airalo (apple app store). Google maps is generally great for public transportation but I also check if there is a local metro app. Google translate app is terrific for communication and can even read labels and menus and translate! <a href="https://www.happycow.net/">HappyCow vegan travel guide</a> app is how I find all the best vegan food around the world. I use the Libby, By Overdrive App to download free magazines and books from the Calgary Library. I love using <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/">Tripadvisor</a> to check out things to do and then save them to a trip plan for easy reference (plus great traveller reviews). As well <a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/">Atlas Obscura</a> is fantastic for finding odd ball activities and interesting sites. And don’t forget to download the airline app as many have their entertainment system on the app, plus trip notifications and management. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><b>Tips for smooth security</b>: Check in as soon as you can online (usually 24 hours in advance), load your boarding pass to your iPhone wallet app, slip on shoes, keep electronics, passport and clear liquid bag in an external pocket or in easy reach to pull out for inspection. </span></p><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: times;"><b>Infection Prevention: </b>Let’s face it, no one wants to have a trip ruined by being sick or deal with health complications. We can’t always prevent illness and respiratory infections, such COVID-19 or even the common cold, </span><span style="font-family: times;">but </span></span><span style="font-family: times;">NPR had this January 2023 article</span><span style="font-family: times;"> </span><span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: 100%; color: #333333; font-family: times;">“Coronavirus FAQ: How do I avoid catching COVID while flying in 2023?” with some tips to consider: </span><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/01/09/1138627894/coronavirus-faq-how-do-i-avoid-catching-covid-while-flying-in-2023" style="font-family: times;">https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2023/01/09/1138627894/coronavirus-faq-how-do-i-avoid-catching-covid-while-flying-in-2023</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJzQrqUxmiS9fxyN9o5IuMrYmHe7JCP8CQuHXjExzsXWir699ZMPSnaceVukpSQQWiMwTvZIfYtFePQDpBGhZLuzqQaiwLOuW29ITJRafnTtPRAuLT9FzHMxRXPeEBzu8p2XkEhHNSgeD724koIipmFtffS6vpa1YCYt3mNedRv_gu_CT429NQmqL-w/s3098/IMG_5827.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3098" data-original-width="2936" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJzQrqUxmiS9fxyN9o5IuMrYmHe7JCP8CQuHXjExzsXWir699ZMPSnaceVukpSQQWiMwTvZIfYtFePQDpBGhZLuzqQaiwLOuW29ITJRafnTtPRAuLT9FzHMxRXPeEBzu8p2XkEhHNSgeD724koIipmFtffS6vpa1YCYt3mNedRv_gu_CT429NQmqL-w/s320/IMG_5827.jpeg" width="303" /></span></a></div><p><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: times;">We’ve missed a lot of trips since the pandemic began. </span><span style="font-family: times;">I don’t know what future trips will entail for COVID-19 precautions but for now I want to be more cautious and not miss out on any fun feeling sick!</span></span></p>voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-92176435449380783122019-04-28T16:21:00.000-07:002019-04-28T16:29:04.731-07:00Love Letter to Bankview<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWjNUGQvbBQLUmzLKQS3WDRrVOPLUiySPPBIh9VhqGFvyrHLS_u9tnWxsls4Zf5vwGhPOOjVTrwib3OTPZgq-PCxosStJ5Blo4U31LlU4Aokt0LaQF9h1qNj-0cI_G6HwWZICzjlVH58f/s1600/bankview+view.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="457" data-original-width="1600" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYWjNUGQvbBQLUmzLKQS3WDRrVOPLUiySPPBIh9VhqGFvyrHLS_u9tnWxsls4Zf5vwGhPOOjVTrwib3OTPZgq-PCxosStJ5Blo4U31LlU4Aokt0LaQF9h1qNj-0cI_G6HwWZICzjlVH58f/s320/bankview+view.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/devildotbunny/albums/72157615666744715/with/3375917086/"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">All photos copyright: Jason Auch</span></a></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none;">In 2002 we were looking for the right house in an inner city community. We discovered our dream house, an impossibly skinny 17 foot wide architectural infill, in <a href="http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/CNS/Pages/Social-research-policy-and-resources/Community-profiles/Bankview-Profile.aspx">Bankview</a>, Calgary, Alberta. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">We soon discovered that what makes Bankview great is the diversity; of people, amenities, green spaces, schools, architecture and activities. Bankview is full of wonderful neighbours and friends such as <a href="http://www.bankview.org/gail-simper-2017-community-advocate-award-winner/">Gail Simper winner of the 2017 Community Advocate Award</a>. You can read about more stellar residents in the <a href="http://www.bankview.org/awards/">Bankview Good Neighbor Awards</a>, and nominate someone today! The history project "</span><a href="http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~database/history/A%20STROLL%20THROUGH%20OLD%20BANKVIEW:%20%20SOME%2070+%20SELECTED%20SITES.htm" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">A Stroll Through Bankview: Some 70+ Significant Selected Sites</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">" also offers a comprehensive look at this unique community through the years. </span></div>
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The <a href="http://www.bankview.org/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Bankview Community Association</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> and Community Hall is a hub of activity that ties the community together. </span><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">In 2018, working with the Bankview Community Association and The City of </span>Calgary,<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> local artist </span></span><a href="https://chrispecora.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Chris Pecora </a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">made a wonderful </span></span><a href="http://bankview.chrispecora.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">graphic map of Bankview</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> and all the unique amenities including community, art, parks and recreation, history and architecture. </span></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">I’ll highlight some of my favourites from the map as well as other community assets. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">As they say; location, location, location! Nestled between the bordering communities of </span><a href="https://www.mountroyalstation.ca/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Mount Royal</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> to the east, </span><a href="https://www.mardaloop.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">South Calgary/Marda Loop</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> to the south and </span><a href="https://17thave.ca/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">17 Avenue Retail and Entertainment District</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> to the north, Bankview is a terrific location. So many amenities are located within walking and biking distance, including easy access to the bike trails along the Elbow River and </span><a href="http://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Pages/Locations/SW-parks/River-Park.aspx" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">River Park</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. </span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">For a gourmet market and cafe visit, </span><a href="https://www.ourdailybrett.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Our Daily Brett</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">, located in the same mini mall as </span><a href="https://www.starbucks.ca/store-locator/store/1006593/bankview-2509-14-street-sw-calgary-ab-t-2-t-3-t-8-ca" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Bankview Starbucks</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">, and </span><a href="https://fishmans.ca/locations/bankview/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Fishman's Dry Cleaners</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">.</span></div>
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Bankview is chock full of parks with the crowning jewel being the large <a href="http://www.bankview.org/bankview-histories-buckmaster-park/">Buckmaster Park</a>, which is home to the <a href="http://www.bankview.org/community-garden/">Community Garden</a> where residents can rent their own plot. Buckmaster Park boasts a view of downtown, benches, a hill for sledding, basketball court, street hockey space and many wild neighbourhood bunnies. It is also the site of many events organized by our fabulous <a href="http://www.bankview.org/">Bankview Community Association </a>like outdoor concerts, Halloween pumpkin lantern evening, and bonfires. <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The Bankview Community Association is situated in another sizeable park area, a block from Buckmaster park. This space has a soccer pitch, free tennis courts, basket ball court, event gazebo, and playground equipment. Smaller parks are sprinkled around Bankview with a variety of additional playground equipment. We even have our very own </span><a href="https://www.calgary.ca/CSPS/Parks/Documents/Locations/Off-Leash-Areas/bankview-off-leash-area-map.pdf?noredirect=1" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">off-leash dog park</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">The community green </span>spaces<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> also house a variety of public art including the </span><a href="https://www.avenuecalgary.com/City-Life/Calgary-Contemporary-Art-Katie-Ohe-Harry-Kiyooka-KOAC-Kiyooka-Ohe-Arts-Centre/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">Nimmons Cairn</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> by </span>renowned artist Katie Ohe, <a href="https://chrispecora.com/bankview-mural.php">Bankview Mural </a>by Chris Pecora and Cam Hoff, a dinosaur mural on 25 Avenue SW, and a very unique VW Beatle car turned into a spider on top of Bankview Starbucks. The diverse community architecture is another bonus such as the infamous 'soccer ball' geodesic dome house built in the 1970's, the historic Nimmons House, built in 1898, or the 2019 award winning <a href="http://www.rndsqr.ca/grow/">Grow Project</a>, a multi-unit condo complete with rooftop gardens. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">A short walk to </span>neighbouring<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> South Calgary brings you to the </span></span><a href="http://cspacekingedward.com/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">cSPACE Arts Hub</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "helvetica neue";">, in the historic King Edward building, - a community of artists, non-profits, entrepreneurs, event space and the weekly year round </span><a href="https://www.farmersmakersmarket.ca/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Farmers & Makers Market</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "helvetica neue";">. A block from cSPACE is the </span><a href="https://www.calgaryoutdoorpools.ca/calgary-outdoor-swimming-pools/south-calgary-outdoor-pool" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">South Calgary Outdoor Pool</a><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "helvetica neue";"> and the </span><a href="https://calgarylibrary.ca/locations/GIUFFRE/" style="-webkit-text-stroke-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); -webkit-text-stroke-width: initial; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">Giuffre Family Library</a><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue";"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;">. What more </span>could<span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: initial;"> you ask for?</span></span></div>
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So what's your favourite thing about Bankview?<span style="font-kerning: none;"></span></div>
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voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-53421247332446990402018-03-16T18:42:00.000-07:002018-03-16T19:05:30.943-07:00Vietnam & Cambodia<span style="font-family: inherit;">We started our trip to Vietnam by flying to Hanoi via Seoul, Korea. With Instagram I have gotten quite lazy at blogging as I can just quickly post a photo and story immediately, so this entry is overdue! We picked up a SIM card at the airport which </span>made<span style="font-family: inherit;"> for super easy navigation and internet on the go. We stayed in a central mid-range hotel in the Old Quarter; </span><a href="http://www.essencehanoihotel.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.essencehanoihotel.com</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. The surrounding streets are filled with a mix of architecture, tiny roadside pop up kitchens, thousands of scooters and even more people. The traffic reminds me of schools of fish dancing in between each other. It looks like chaos but is carefully choreographed with everyone knowing how and when to move, we never saw a single accident! We did a lot of walking to the nearby lake, vegan friendly restaurants, temples and markets. A highlight was the </span><a href="http://www.vme.org.vn/home/" style="font-family: inherit;">Vietnam Museum of Ethnology</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which has expansive, well curated exhibits about the cultural groups that call Vietnam home, including history, art, housing, textiles and more. We also visited the Hoa Lo Prison, also called the "Hanoi Hilton" where Vietnamese colonial subject sea later America POWs were imprisoned. It is interesting to see history from the perspectives of other countries, and reminds me there are no real winners in war. Atlas Obscura has an article with many photos: </span><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/h-a-lo-prison" style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/h-a-lo-prison</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Vegan food was easy to find using <a href="https://www.happycow.net/">https://www.happycow.net</a>, but many regular spots we walked past did not seem to have vegan options. Our favourite was the amazing gourmet vegan meals at <a href="http://uudamchay.com/">Uudam Chao</a>. My only regret was not trying it the first night so we could eat there every evening. It is expensive by local standards but a bargain by Canadian pricing. Check out a few of the delights below:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Most days we also visited <a href="https://www.happycow.net/reviews/la-studio-hanoi-72278">La Studio</a> for a lovely coffee, dessert or the outstanding cashew cheese and carrot 'lox' bagel. We had also read about the famous cheap vegan banh mi (Vietnamese sub) shop, called <a href="https://www.happycow.net/reviews/vegan-banh-mi-hanoi-62847">Vegan Banh Mi</a>. So we set out to find it using our GPS map. As we were getting close, a </span>friendly<span style="font-family: inherit;"> lady </span>ushered us down the alley to a small room with plastic stools and an outdoor kitchen. <span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">We enjoyed two Banh Mi subs, two appetizers and a dessert for about $3.50 Canadian. The dessert was really great. It’s not a fancy - just good street food right off the alley. Nearby, w</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">e also discovered the </span><a href="http://marouchocolate.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Marou Chocolate</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> flag ship store which sells </span>gourmet, expensive chocolate. (Cheap lunch and then fancy chocolate - it's all about balance!)<span style="font-family: inherit;"> This chocolate comes from Vietnam and much of it is dark chocolate and therefore vegan. It is the silkiest dark chocolate I have ever had and I must admit we ate more than a few bars! You can read a great article about the company here: </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/t-magazine/food/marou-vietnamese-chocolate.html" style="font-family: inherit;">https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/06/t-magazine/food/marou-vietnamese-chocolate.html</a><br />
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From Hanoi, we flew to Da Nang and took a taxi to our hotel in the quaint city of Hoi An, known for its well preserved old town, canals and architecture. While the hotel we picked was well situated in the old town and had a decent pool, it could have been better; it really needed a refresh and some maintenance. However, it provided a good starting point for each day of exploration and some free dodgy bikes. We did manage to ride the bikes out to see the ocean, a 12 km round trip. The streets in the central old town are for pedestrians and bicycles only (well mostly, some scooters do sneak in), making for a nice place to wander. There are many art shops and the area is known for rice paper paintings and intricate paper cards with pop up designs. The streets come alive at night with markets as well. The food was good and we spent lots of time watching people go by while having coffee. One of our favourites was the veg friendly <a href="https://www.happycow.net/reviews/what-else-cafe-hoi-an-101159">What Else Cafe</a> and our hotel was also close to the tasty all vegan <a href="http://www.karmawaters.org/">Karma Waters</a> and vegetarian <a href="http://www.annenhoian.com/home.html">Annen</a>.<br />
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The highlight of Hoi An was <a href="https://www.vietnamcatwelfare.org/jacks-cat-cafe/">Jack's Cat Cafe</a>, which is a small vegetarian/vegan cafe alongside a cat rescue centre. The cafe helps fund the costs of the shelter. We took a taxi there as it is a few kilometres from the centre. We couldn't find a taxi for the way back so it was a long hot walk home! But it was worth it to see so many spoiled cats lounging around in the pretty courtyard. We enjoyed a nice lunch while watching the antics of the cats and were able to make a donation to towards their care.<br />
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From Hoi An we flew to Siem Reap, Cambodia for a few days. At the airport we were able to get a mobile SIM card for $3.00USD and an inexpensive taxi to our hotel. We stayed at <a href="http://www.frangipanivillahotel.com/villa-hotel-1-overview.html#.WqxCBWYZOLs">Frangipani Villa Hotel</a>, which is a good value midrange hotel. We didn't expect it, but we enjoyed Cambodia more than Vietnam. We packed in a lot of activities in our short time including <a href="https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/668">Angkor Wat</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beng_Mealea">Beng Mealea</a> temples. Angkor Wat is the larger and more famous of the two temple sites. The day we visited Angkor it was over cast with rain and quite busy. We still enjoyed wandering around the site looking at the ornate carvings and building techniques. We were very fortunate to be among the first tourists to arrive at Beng Mealea on a very sunny day. The site is much smaller, and less manicured but was more fun to explore.<br />
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Spirit House at Angkor Thom</div>
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Our other big adventure was visiting <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attraction_Review-g297390-d1020085-Reviews-Kompong_Phluk-Siem_Reap_Siem_Reap_Province.html">Kompong Phluk Floating Village</a>, in which houses are built on stilts over the water. We explored the village by motorboat until we reached the mouth of the lake where we transferred to small canoe for a tour of the mangroves before heading back via the river boat. Both vessels had female captains! The girl with the canoe was around 13 years old and worked hard paddling us around. To explore these three different sites we hired the nice taxi driver we met at the airport.<br />
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After all our jam packed tours we spent the rest of the time lounging in the lovely hotel pool and checking out the city. The tuktuk taxis, which are scooters with a special trailer attached for passengers, are very affordable and plentiful. One of the days a driver just followed us from stop to stop for the day and then back for our hotel for a cost of $6.00.<br />
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We also had some of the best food of the entire trip in Cambodia and our number one favourite was <a href="http://moringasiemreap.com/#page-top">Morgina bar</a> which we visited every day it was open. The tofu nuggets and Banh Mi were out of this world! The space has a great ambiance with outdoor sheltered tables. We met a nice couple from Australia there and visited for a few hours one evening. We also shared a able another night with an American man who works remotely and rides a bike everywhere, such great stories! Another unexpected food delight was discovering a roadside treat called <a href="https://www.gnarfgnarf.com/cambodian-kralan-sticky-rice-stuffed-in-bamboo-sections/">Kralan</a>, which we were introduced to via our driver. It is a sweet treat of sticky rice, a few beans and coconut milk stuffed inside a bamboo stock and then cooked on an open fire, in little carts on the side of the road. You just peel the bamboo and eat, no packaging or utensils required. With happy tummies we left Cambodia to head back to Vietnam!<br />
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We started our visit to Ho Chi Minh on a sour note, falling prey to a taxi scam at the airport, in which the normal rate was inflated by 4 times. We realized the price was outlandish, but being that we didn't want to escalate the situation or have him drive off with our bags, we paid the fare after letting him know the price was not fair. Looking back, there are several preventive measures we could have taken including taking a photo of the taxi, keeping the slip of paper given to us at the taxi stand rather than handing it over to the driver as requested and insisting the taxi drop us in the designated hotel spot (he of course had an excuse about the construction preventing him from parking there). For more tips on taxi scams see; <a href="https://traveldave.co.uk/taxi-scam-ho-chi-minh-saigon-vietnam/">https://traveldave.co.uk/taxi-scam-ho-chi-minh-saigon-vietnam/</a>.<br />
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When we confirmed with the hotel that the price was ridiculous we decided to not pursue it, as we also didn't want the driver to possibly end up facing a harsh punishment. For example; <a href="https://tuoitrenews.vn/society/35975/two-18yrold-vietnamese-sentenced-in-jean-valjeanlike-bread-theft">Two 18-yr-old Vietnamese sentenced in Jean Valjean-like bread theft</a>. We were initially quite annoyed at being taken advantage of, but that negative energy is wasted, so instead we made several <a href="https://www.kiva.org/lender/capri5833">Kiva loan donations</a> to low income folks in Vietnam. As the saying goes "How people act is their karma, how you react is yours." Ironically, I had been admiring the driver's Bodhisattva statue in his taxi. (<i>In Buddhism, Bodhisattva (/ˌboʊdɪˈsʌtvə/ BOH-dih-SUT-və)[1] is the Sanskrit term for anyone who, motivated by great compassion, has generated Bodhicitta, which is a spontaneous wish and a compassionate mind to attain Buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings. </i>source <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva</a>)<br />
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Outside of this initial poor experience, the rest of the city visit was uneventful. We were warned about risks of theft but we didn't experience any concerns. We try to travel with out flashing expensive gadgets, keeping items close and not showing off. I can understand the temptation to steal when many are struggling with poverty and low wages. Sources vary but "According to the Japan External Trade Organization, the average monthly salary of a Vietnamese worker last year was $145 in Hanoi and $148 in Ho Chi Minh City" (source <a href="http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/vietnams-minimum-wage-to-increase-1418-per-month-in-2015-29590.html">http://www.thanhniennews.com/society/vietnams-minimum-wage-to-increase-1418-per-month-in-2015-29590.html</a>)<br />
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We booked a fancier hotel in Ho Chi Minh, which was still a bargain by Canadian standards, so we'd have a reprieve from the busy streets, plus it also has a nice roof top pool. This proved to be money well spent as we spent time hanging out at the hotel than we normally due trying to get over our chest infections. Unfortunately mine started the day before we left so by this point it had been progressing for a few weeks. I finally relented and used our emergency travel antibiotics which did seem to help. The recovery was hampered by the poor air quality across Vietnam. Check out the photo below for a comparison between Hanoi and Calgary in January 2018! Unfortunately richer western nations are also responsible for this pollution through outsourcing a lot of manufacturing to save money. (See: <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/jan/19/co2-emissions-outsourced-rich-nations-rising-economies">CO2 emissions are being 'outsourced' by rich countries to rising economies</a>).<br />
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We were fortunate to have several good options for food as well. Our favourites restaurants included: <a href="http://humvietnam.com/en/home">Hum</a> a fancier placer with tranquil ambiance, <a href="http://www.pivegetariansaigon.com/">Pi Vegetarian Bistro</a>, and <a href="https://www.happycow.net/reviews/vegan-kitchen-ho-chi-minh-city-91953">Vegan Kitchen</a>.<br />
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A highlight of Ho Chi Minh is the <a href="http://baotanglichsuvn.com/trang-chu.html">Museum of History</a> where we enjoyed a great exhibit on Buddhist statues, jewelry, and cultural artifacts. It is housed in interesting building with a lotus pond in the courtyard. There are quite a few green spaces in the city where we relaxed in the cooler evenings. After Ho Chi Minh the next stop Tokyo, Japan!<br />
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<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-8813417089942963842018-01-28T03:19:00.000-08:002018-03-04T18:52:48.174-08:00Vietnam via Korea<span style="font-family: inherit;">Our trip starts with three nights in Seoul, South Korea, which is not a lot of time, but it does break up the long flights and allows us to start to explore this neat city. The city streets are very full and at night reminded us of Bladerunner. There was also a weird sound we heard from our airbnb that sounded like a whale being assaulted - we never did figure out the source. Our first day we spent wandering the streets as we usually do when in a new place. We enjoyed the <a href="http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273731">Insa-Dong Art Street</a> area, full of art and antique shops along winding alleys.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We decided we wanted to go to the DMZ - Demilitarized Zone, specifically the JSA - Joint Security Area, between South and North Korea. The JSA is the area of the DMZ where you can see both South and North Korean soldiers standing on opposite sides. As well there is a building where you can technically stand in North Korea. This takes advance booking and requires that color copies of your passport be submitted and you must attend as part of a tour. (For more information on tours see: <a href="http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273731">http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/SHP/SH_EN_7_2.jsp?cid=273731</a>) We were set to go, but then South and North Korea booked Olympic talks for the exact same day and the JSA portion was cancelled. There had also been recent defections of North Korean soldiers and we watched a fascinating, and heart breaking news story about the efforts of the South Korean hospital, that resulted in saving the defector that was shot. You can read more about this case here; <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-video-soldiers-shoot-defectors-dmz-escape-pyongyang-south-a8068706.html">http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-video-soldiers-shoot-defectors-dmz-escape-pyongyang-south-a8068706.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So we couldn’t go the the JSA area but we went to another portion of the DMZ on a small tour bus. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The guide thought J was Ryan Reynolds so that was pretty fun. Unfortunately I was sick so I had to wear a mask on the bus. It’s a common cultural phenomenon in Korea to wear a mask when sick or as prevention. At least I found a nice one in black that I can use again in case of some sort of outbreak at home. Speaking of outbreaks, I was so impressed with the comprehensive emergency supplies in the metro stations; gas masks, blankets, water, flashlights, etc, sadly in place in case of attack. But I digress... at the DMZ we went to four locations; Imjingak Park, 3rd Infiltration tunnel, the Dora Observatory and Dorasan Station. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The first stop, Imjingak Park, does not require visitors to go through any security check points so it tends to be more accessible and popular with tourists. “Imjingak Resort, located 7 km from the Military Demarcation Line, is now at the forefront of tourism related to the Korean War. Imjingak was built in 1972 with </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">the hope that someday unification would be possible. The three-storied Imjingak is surrounded by several monuments, Unification Park and North Korea Center.” (Source: <a href="http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264487">http://english.visitkorea.or.kr/enu/ATR/SI_EN_3_1_1_1.jsp?cid=264487</a>) This area had a powerful display of ribbons and messages attached to the barbed wire fence as well as the Th</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">e Stone of Peace Wall sculpture. From the plaque on site; “This sculpture is made from stones collected from battlefields all over the world that have witnessed the suffering and grief of war. It is my sincere wish that the bringing together of these stones collected from 86 battlefields in 64 different countries will be a stepping stone for the reconciliation of the Korean People and mark the beginning o</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">f</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> a century of peace and harmony for all mankind.” - Li, Chan-Yeul, Governor of Kyonggi Province (Ja</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">nuary 1, 2000). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The 3rd Infilitration Tunnel was an attempt from North Korea to invade South Korea, although North Korea says it was for mi</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">ning. At the site you descend a very steep, very long walk way under groun</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">d to get to a section of the original tunnel. I wanted to take a picture of this, as it was like the pitch of a slide, </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">but photos are not allowed - trust me it was steep. I am not a big fan of steep hikes, being deep under ground, or small spaces, and the constant smashing of my hard hat clad head on the tunnel ceiling did not make me a bigger fan. However, it was very interesting to learn about! Once we hiked out of the depths we watched an informative documentary on the DMZ and the conflict. It was particularly interesting to learn how the wild animals thrive in this area with out human abuse and interference. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The next stop was the Dora Observatory where you can use the binoculars to peek into No</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">rth Korea. Although we were quite far we were still able to see buildings. We also went to he Dorasan train station, a station set up in hopes of future South and North reunification. It is the end station of the Gyeongui Line. The station is essentially empty except for tourists, waiting one day to be filled with North and South Koreans freely passing through.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The cancellation of the JSA portion left us with a free afternoon which we used to explore the excellent modern art museum; <a href="http://www.arariomuseum.org/">Arario Museum</a>. In our short trip we found great vegan food using our favorite travel app <a href="https://www.happycow.net/">Happy Cow Veg Directory</a>. To our delight there was an all vegan bakery <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thebreadblue_sc/">The Bread Blue</a> with terrific panne au chocolate! Our favorite dining spot was a wee cafe, <a href="https://www.happycow.net/reviews/dalyang-sweet-kitten-seoul-72719">DalYang - Sweet Kitten</a>, a bit out of the way but accessible by metro, and has amazing burgers. The sweet staff person was concerned for our us finding food for the flight the next morning so she insisted we take two free muffins. A nice way to end a visit! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">You c</span><span style="font-family: inherit;">an see photos of the trip and food at </span><a href="http://www.instagram.com/voyagevixen" style="font-family: inherit;">www.instagram.com/voyagevixen</a><br />
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<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-62864023833523142392017-03-18T18:01:00.003-07:002017-03-18T18:02:16.224-07:00Aloha Hawaii<span style="font-family: inherit;">As a friend of ours was getting married on the Big Island of Hawaii, we decided that was a great reason to take a trip. We spent two weeks in Hawaii, mostly on the Big Island with the last few days in Honolulu. We flew into Honolulu for one night and then flew to Kona. As we were arriving late in Honolulu, I smartly packed some vegan pizza pockets for dinner! After arriving in Kona, we picked up our reserved car at the airport via National (great service - highly recommend). We were lucky to get a free upgrade to a fun new, 4WD, jeep! Our first stop was for lunch at </span><a href="http://kayashawaii.com/KAYAS_Hawaii/Home.html" style="font-family: inherit;">Kaya's Store</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which has great coffee and vegan pastries. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We stayed in </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waikoloa_Village,_Hawaii" style="font-family: inherit;">Waikoloa Village</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> at the </span><a href="http://www.fairmont.com/orchid-hawaii/" style="font-family: inherit;">Fairmont Orchid</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> (specifically because they offered </span><a href="http://www.fairmont.com/orchid-hawaii/dining/" style="font-family: inherit;">vegan options at their restaurants</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">). We enjoyed meals at the beach front Hale Kai restaurant, and a nice fancy dinner at </span>Browns' Beach House<span style="font-family: inherit;">, which has a </span><a href="http://www.fairmont.com/orchid-hawaii/pdf/orc-browns-vegan-menu-may-2016/" style="font-family: inherit;">separate vegan menu</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">! </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">We also picked up great snacks, deli items, and breakfast pastries from the </span><a href="https://www.islandnaturals.com/locations" style="font-family: inherit;">Kona Island Natural Market and deli</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. We enjoyed a healthy meal and large fruit plate at the nearby vegetarian restaurant, </span><a href="https://www.underthebodhi.net/" style="font-family: inherit;">Under the Bodhi Tree</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">The hotel was terrific with a big pool, terrific beach access, and several </span><a href="http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/green-turtle/" style="font-family: inherit;">green sea turtles</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> hanging around. Our friend's wedding was just down the road at the<a href="http://www.lavalavabeachclub.com/"> Lava Lava Beach club</a>. It was a beautiful ocean side ceremony with a great dinner on the beach. By surprise, our neighbours and friends, also happened to be on the Big Island so we had a visit with them at the Hilton hotel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We went on a nice (hot) 8km hike (where we stumbled upon more green sea turtles and <a href="https://lookintohawaii.com/hawaii/34168/queens-bath-keanalele-waterhole-beaches-big-island-kailua-kona-hi">Keanalele waterhole</a>), checked out the nearby <a href="https://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/regions-neighborhoods/kohala-coast/puako-petroglyph-archaeological-preserve/">petroglyphs</a>, relaxed by the pool and went up <a href="http://www.ifa.hawaii.edu/info/vis/visiting-mauna-kea/visiting-the-summit.html">Maunakea</a>, a dormant volcano! J really wanted to go to the top to see the <a href="https://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/regions-neighborhoods/kohala-coast/puako-petroglyph-archaeological-preserve/">Mauna Kea Observatories</a>; a height of 14,000 feet! This posed a bit of an issue as we did not bring any warm jackets to save space. We are totally committed to carry-on only whenever possible with our awesome<a href="http://www.patagonia.com/product/headway-mlc-convertible-carry-on-shoulder-bag-45-liters/48765.html"> Patagonia MCL carry-on convertible backpacks</a>; which even fit our snorkelling masks, shorty fins and all our other needed items. We solved the problem by picking up some jackets at the Kona Salvation Army, which proved to be wise as the temperature dropped significantly, and the top of Maunakea was snow covered. Once you get the to the <a href="https://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/regions-neighborhoods/kohala-coast/puako-petroglyph-archaeological-preserve/">Maunakea visitors centre,</a> 9200 feet, you require 4WD to go up the remaining winding, super steep road. Our jeep actually stalled at the very top due to the reduced oxygen levels, and I certainly felt winded and light headed. Once at the top we took photos of the gigantic telescopes and enjoyed the view. It was very eery to be above the clouds looking down. Everyone has to depart by 7pm to not interfere with the astronomy work, due to vehicle lights and dust. We travelled back down to the visitors centre and spent a few chilly hours taking star photos and listening to the staff discuss the constellations. We were rewarded with a super clear night and I am anxiously awaiting J's photos to be posted to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/devildotbunny">flickr</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Next we drove to </span><a href="https://www.gohawaii.com/big-island/regions-neighborhoods/hilo/" style="font-family: inherit;">Hilo </a><span style="font-family: inherit;">area and stayed in an </span><a href="https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/16710067" style="font-family: inherit;">airbnb cabin right on the beach</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, outside of the </span><a href="http://www.to-hawaii.com/big-island/cities/pahoa.php" style="font-family: inherit;">town of Pahoa</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. This location was terrific to watch the waves crash on the rocky beach, take a short walk to the nearby </span><a href="http://www.tropicalsnorkeling.com/snorkeling-kapoho-tide-pools.html" style="font-family: inherit;">Kapoho Tidal Pools</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, access to Hilo and other attractions, plus cabin had a well equipped kitchen, so we were able to cook many meals with vegan supplies from the </span><a href="https://www.islandnaturals.com/locations" style="font-family: inherit;">Islands Natural Market and Deli in Pahoa and Hilo</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Pahoa is a sweet little town, with a hippy beach vibe (apparently there are nearby clothing optional, beach drumming circles), and we enjoyed delicious vegan pizza from </span><a href="http://www.stratosnewyorkpizzeria.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Strato's</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. We were also able to donate the jackets we picked up from the Kona Salvation Army (for the Maunakea excursion), to a Pahoa charity. The clothing donation is located right at the dump, which was also outfitted with great recycling bins, ensuring as much as possible is diverted from land fill. (As our airbnb was more remote it did not have garbage pick up so we had to drop our garbage off on our last day in the area.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The tidal pools were great for snorkelling as they offered a sheltered area way from the crashing waves. We saw many tropical fish and coral. The entry is a bit tricky as you climb over sharp lava rock; having the shorty snorkelling fins proved helpful for entry. We also spent some time in Hilo and checked out the nearby <a href="http://www.htbg.com/">Hawaii Tropical Botanical Gardens</a> - I've never seen so many orchids! The gardens also end at the beach with stunning views of cliffs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The highlight of the trip was seeing red hot, flowing lava at <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Attractions-g3135627-Activities-Kalapana_Island_of_Hawaii_Hawaii.html">Kalapana Lava Viewing Area.</a> We read up on it on tripadvisor, a great site to get up to date travel information from fellow travellers, which helped us decide what to do and how to get there. Once you arrive at the parking area you must travel by foot or bike the rest of the way, which is 14kms round trip, plus the distance spent exploring. We opted to rent bikes on site, to more easily reach lava viewing area. The bikes were $20 USD each with a lock, headlamp and a bottle of water. Headlamps and lots of water is a must! We travelled by bike on the gravel emergency access road, which had a few gentle hills. At the end we locked up our bikes and had the option of going towards the sea viewing area or inland to the rocky lava field. Taking advice from tripadvisor, we opted for inland and we were not disappointed! We spent hours until dusk exploring the field and getting within a few feet of red hot, flowing lava. It was a truly amazing experience worth the trek, heat and fumes. It is against Hawaiian culture to poke the lava with sticks etc, and while tempting, we respected this rule, enjoying just watching the lava suddenly appear in different spots as we walked around. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We spent another day exploring </span><a href="https://www.nps.gov/havo/index.htm" style="font-family: inherit;">Volcano National Park</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, where we checked out the Jaggar Museum and viewed the </span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Halema‘uma‘u Crater, spurting lava, from the observation deck. We also checked out the </span><a href="https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/craterrimtour_steam.htm" style="font-family: inherit;">steam vents</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which are just like they sound - cracks in the earth with steam flowing out, and the </span><a href="https://www.nps.gov/havo/planyourvisit/craterrimtour_tube.htm" style="font-family: inherit;">Nahuku - Thurston Lava Tube</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, which is like a long cave left behind by flowing lava, surrounded by lush forest. On our last day on the Big Island we dropped our car at the Hilo airport and headed to </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Honolulu; the inter island flights are super easy and quick. As Honolulu is a large city with good public transportation we opted to not get a rental car.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">When J was little, he and his family, went to Waikiki and stayed in a condo a few blocks from the beach. On this trip, he spotted the </span><a href="https://www.royal-hawaiian.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Royal Hawaiian</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, a bright pink, vintage, ocean side hotel, and vowed one day to stay there. I was easily convinced as it reminded me of the </span><a href="http://www.grandbudapesthotel.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Grand Budapest Hotel</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, a favourite movie. The original portion of the Royal Hawaiian was built in 1927 and offers old world charm and luxury. We were given a free upgrade to a junior suite, which had an extra sitting room! I adore this hotel with its quaint pool (plus free access to the pool at the adjacent Sheraton), ocean front location, and lovely vintage decor. We spent time bobbing in the waves and relaxing by the pool. As luck would have it a dear friend, who now lives in Australia was also in town for a conference, so we enjoyed an evening visiting at the beachside restaurant. </span></div>
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Honolulu is a very different experience than the slow moving towns on the Big Island and offers a lot of urban activities. We travelled around by city bus and walking. We were delighted with the terrific art at <a href="https://honolulumuseum.org/">HOMA - Hawaii Museum of Art</a>, which had diverse exhibits including contemporary Hawaii design, historical and multicultural artifacts. The building itself is beautiful and has lovely inner courtyards with plants and ponds. Our favourite place to eat was <a href="http://downbeatdiner.com/home/">Downbeat Diner</a>, which has a vegan option for every item on the menu. It is a funky, rockabilly diner, located downtown, but the bus stop is right at the door! While downtown we checked out the older buildings and vintage shops. We checked out <a href="http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/stores/honolulu">Whole Foods Market</a> for snacks but ended up preferring the <a href="http://www.downtoearth.org/">Down to Earth</a> all vegetarian market. Down to Earth had a terrific deli, hot buffet, and great snacks. I also loaded up the remaining room in my wee carry-on with a few vegan items not easily found at home.<br />
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Hawaii was a terrific, relaxing trip. We had way more adventure and fun than we anticipated and spent time with great friends! To check out my photos head over to <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157678542570702">Flickr</a> or <a href="https://www.instagram.com/voyagevixen/">instagram</a>.<br />
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<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-26231686562993181382017-02-25T01:27:00.000-08:002017-02-25T09:59:13.174-08:00Morocco; hardship + time = adventure <span style="font-family: inherit;">First of all, this post is shamefully late as we were in Morocco in October 2016. As we are now traveling in Hawaii, I thought it best to get this post up on the blog! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We arrived in late in the evening in Casablanca, Morocco by plane from Lisbon, Portugal. On landing we immediately picked up a SIM card in the airport, which was installed and set up but the very helpful clerk; instant calling, internet and GPS maps! We fondly recall the adventures of our early days of travel with our well worn lonely planet book, and internet cafes, to help us navigate foreign lands. It is almost too easy now with an unlocked smart phone and local SIM cards. We spent one night in Casablanca before taking the train to Marrakesh. We booked our tickets for the train right at the station and the tickets for first class (enclosed, shared cabin with air conditioning) were very cheap. The train was comfortable, easy to navigate and provided a great opportunity to see the landscape. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We were met at the Marrakech train station by a car from our accommodations </span><a href="http://riadstar.com/" style="font-family: inherit;">Riad Star</a> located in the bustling <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/331">medina</a> which is also a Unesco World Heritage site. The medina was founded in 1070 as the political, cultural and economic heart; it is the enclosed, central area of the city, filled with homes, markets, shops and restaurants, with narrow winding paths for pedestrians and sometimes donkeys and scooters<span style="font-family: inherit;">. A Riad is like a bed a breakfast in a traditional house, which typically has an enclosed central courtyard/garden square for relaxing and which you can view from your window. Our Riad had a terrific rooftop patio which offered a great place to relax, sunbathe, watch the stars and listen to the melodic sounds of the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzqpYDpY3r4">call to prayer</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We spent our days wandering the medina, checking out the gardens; <a href="http://jardinmajorelle.com/ang/">Jardin Majorelle</a>, <a href="http://www.lejardinsecretmarrakech.com/en/">le jardin secret</a> and taking photos of all the cats! Every store and restaurant seemed to have a cat or two and many strays milling around. The locals spoke fondly of all the cats and provided food and water for both the shop cats and strays. One evening we were at the local cafe we frequented and the regular cat was doing her nightly dance begging for food. Suddenly her head shot up and she darted across the medina road towards a man walking in the crowd. He bent down and scratched her head and went about his way. The cat spent some time pacing excitedly back and forth, eventually returning to under our table. We were perplexed that she spotted this man in the crowd and ran to him with such purpose. A few minutes later the mystery was solved when the same man reappeared, and she ran to him again, as he put down a large bag of scraps for all the medina cats. We also learned that cats are quite revered in Islamic cultures; this article provides some history on the role of cats <a href="http://muslimheritage.com/article/cats-islamic-culture">Cats in Islamic Culture</a>. Many people do not have a lot of extra money but sill they try to provide the basics for the cats. Sadly there is a lack of spay/neuter and vet services. We made a donation to <a href="https://spana.org/about-us/our-work/where-we-work/morocco">SPANA</a> to support their work in spaying/neutering and providing vet care to the many strays.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">A highlight of the trip was a day trip into the <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlas_Mountains">Atlas Mountains</a>. We hired a driver to take us on a tour which allowed us to go at our own pace. We checked out a few local stores and artisans along the way and took in the desert scenery. The hike was picturesque with a waterfall at the top of the first section, and a mountain side cafe. The rocks were quite slippery but our guide was fully committed to ensuring that I did not fall, and literally held my hand in the most difficult sections. We decided to not venture on to the higher section as I was not eager to traverse the precarious hand made ladder that started the next leg.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As the title eludes to, Morocco also offered some more difficult travel experiences, but as time passes it turns into fond memories of adventure. We did fall prey to one of the common scams, the henna assault, in which a woman forcefully grabbed my hand and started applying henna while ignoring my protests and then demanding money. It was annoying but somewhat understandable as people are trying to survive; the minimum wage is about $<a href="http://country.eiu.com/article.aspx?articleid=1101794494&Country=Morocco&topic=Economy&subtopic=Forecast&trackid=43&alert=f35f93c5-7816-4575-a277-3805c76da296" target="_blank">300 USD a month</a>, and of course many earn less than that. A nice shop keeper let me use his sink to wash off the henna. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">But mostly the difficulty was due to the trouble finding good vegan food, which often left us hangry (hungry + angry). </span>We were also spoiled by the plentiful, flavourful, affordable vegan offerings of Portugal just prior to Morocco. (We were also surprised that Moroccan restaurants were more expensive than anticipated). Over the last 24 years, we have travelled in more than 40 countries first as vegetarians, and for the last 7 years as vegans, and we found Morocco was uniquely challenging. I also had (incorrect) visions that falafel and hummus would be plentiful, like our experience in Jordan. In Morocco the staple dish is the </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tajine" style="font-family: inherit;">tajine</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, a clay pot baked stew of meat and vegetables with couscous, and even when it is just vegetables it often has meat broth. With advance notice, our Riad did provide a welcome dinner of vegan tajine but day to day it was difficult to find good vegan food. We did use the trusty <a href="https://www.happycow.net/">Happy Cow Vegan Dining Guide</a> but the one </span>vegetarian<span style="font-family: inherit;"> spot we went to was quite terrible. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">We took the train back to Casablanca for our last night. J smartly booked us into a posh hotel and we spent the entire time lounging in the pool (except for the spa massage and the delicious taco salad we found a the nearly mall). To check out my trip photos head over to; <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/sets/72157671719301674">https://flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/sets/72157671719301674</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" id="fbPhotoSnowliftCaption" style="color: #1d2129; display: inline; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; line-height: 18px; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0">A final note; Morocco, is the 6th predominately Muslim nation we have visited in our years of travel. And like everywhere, we found lovely people just trying to do their best </span></span><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: inherit;"><span style="letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px;">(previous nations; Jordan, Palestine, Malaysia, Indonesia, Egypt)</span></span><span aria-live="polite" class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; line-height: 18px; outline: none; width: auto;" tabindex="0">. Don't buy into propaganda; Good people come from all cultures and all faiths (and non-faiths).</span><span class="fbPhotoTagList" id="fbPhotoSnowliftTagList" style="color: #1d2129; display: inline; font-family: inherit; letter-spacing: -0.23999999463558197px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="fcg" style="color: #90949c;"> </span></span><br />
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<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-80390502344477136912016-12-02T12:05:00.001-08:002016-12-02T12:12:32.331-08:00Portugal Vegan Food Tour Portugal has absolutely amazing vegan food and we were pleasantly surprised at the prices when compared to home or other European large cities. We spent our time in Lisbon and Porto, and as always, utilized the fabulous vegan dining travel directory; <a href="https://www.happycow.net/">https://www.happycow.net</a>. We found staple grocery items at the health food stores as well. My favourite grocery item to get in Europe is vegan jarred ravioli and dark chocolate covered rice cakes.<br />
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In Lisbon our favourite vegan spot was <a href="http://Ao 26 - Vegan Food Project">Ao 26 - Vegan Food Project</a>. I had researched this spot before our trip by going through their Facebook feed, and based on the tasty looking photos, we booked an airbnb around the corner. Wise move indeed. Ao 26 is a bright and welcoming space with a casual, slightly upscale, bistro vibe. It is perfect for lunch or dinner, which we enjoyed repeatedly. They have English menus and wonderfully friendly staff. The menu is full of delectable appetizers, mains, salad as, specials of the day and dessert. For lunch we generally ordered one of the homemade burgers with fries. Their house made vegan cheese platter and their tempura vegetables are great appetizers. My dinner favourite was the cornbread crusted tofu with potatoes. J enjoyed the seitan steak on more than one occasion but his absolute favourite was a house special that had amazing creamed potatoes. The chocolate mousse is always a great way to end the meal.<br />
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A staple lunch spot for us is <a href="https://www.facebook.com/primobasilico">Primo Basilico</a>, located on a very vibrant narrow street, serving the best focaccia style pizza we have ever had. It is a small space, with a few stools and counter but it also has a sitting area next door with 5 or 6 tables. The restaurant is not exclusively vegan but has terrific vegan options including a several types of pizza and calzones. Pizza is available by the slice or an entire pan. The vegan pizza does not have vegan cheese but you don't even notice as the focaccia and toppings are so fresh and flavourful. The prices are very affordable as well.<br />
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It was hard to be torn away from our two favourite spots but <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FoodTemple/">The Food Temple</a> came highly recommended so we ventured out one evening to give it a try. (Reservations are strongly encouraged.) We found the small restaurant tucked away on a side street, with live music playing outside. It has a fun, casual hippie vibe and due to the limited space we shared a table with another couple. The staff work seamlessly together in the compact, open concept, kitchen and quickly served us our selections. The food is tapas style and changes regularly. We enjoyed everything we ordered and had a fun evening!<br />
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When exploring further out of the centre, we had lunch at <a href="http://www.miss-saigon.pt/?lang=en">Miss Saigon.</a> The spot seems very popular as there was a line up to get a table. Everything was delicious and health focussed. We enjoyed the set daily combo plates which offered a good variety, and ended with dessert. </div>
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We then traveled north to Porto and found more great vegan dining. We had a terrific vegan pizza from the veg friendly take away spot <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hand-Go-346811645505446/">Hand Go</a>. In fact it was so great we had to order extra. It comes topped with a very good vegan cheese and loaded with vegetables. </div>
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Another great lunch spot is the all vegan <a href="https://www.facebook.com/blackmambapt/">Black Mamba burgers </a>which has a cool vibe with a focus on good food with a side of animal activism. We had homemade burgers and fries and dessert. The portions, prices and staff were all great.</div>
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Our top pick for Porto is <a href="http://www.emcarneviva.pt/home/?lang=pt">Em Carne Viva</a>, an elegant vegetarian restaurant with lots of vegan options. The interior is a beautiful restored house with lots of bright white details. We ate there several times (like daily). We also enjoyed a wonderful thanksgiving dinner there with two of our friends. Meals began with a savoury plate of warn buns infused with vegetables and seitan pastry puffs. My favourite meal was Garden of Autumn with mashes roasted chestnuts, chi take mushrooms, seitan on a bed of gravy. The prices were very reasonable especially considering the exceptional quality, portions, setting and lovely staff.</div>
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Portugal was a very tasty adventure! For more photos see: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157673489976092">https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157673489976092</a></div>
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<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-23463967993908217432016-11-19T20:41:00.003-08:002016-11-19T22:03:08.205-08:00Portugal<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Portugal was a surprising delight! It melds old world Europe with a modern urban vibe, plus it is well priced. We spent our time in <a href="http://www.golisbon.com/">Lisbon</a> and <a href="http://www.gooporto.com/">Porto</a> with a day trip to <a href="http://www.sintra-portugal.com/index.html">Sintra</a>. This trip we opted for carry-on only made possible by our fabulous <a href="http://www.patagonia.com/product/headway-mlc-convertible-carry-on-shoulder-bag-45-liters/48765.html">Patagonia Headway MLC bags </a>- the perfect size and thoughtfully laid out. They convert easily to backpack, suitcase or shoulder bag. Carry-on only made the trip a breeze; no waiting for luggage, and easy to lug around while walking or taking public transport. I can't say enough good things about the bag and found it easy to pack all the required items including a spare set of shoes and flip flops. Check out the video:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/DcZfvw6BFHQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DcZfvw6BFHQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">We arrived first in Lisbon and rented a great airbnb apartment in the <a href="http://www.golisbon.com/sight-seeing/bairroalto.html">Chiado Neighbourhood</a>, which is very central to the metro, museums, shopping, the ocean and most importantly right in the middle of the quaint winding, cobblestone streets. Our favourite thing to do in interesting cities is to wander about and see what we find. The streets of Lisbon did not disappoint! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">While</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> we generally do not buy much when travelling we do like to continue the world wide search for the retitrement Picasso. This search brought us to the <a href="http://www.golisbon.com/sight-seeing/feira-da-ladra.html">flea market</a>;<i> "<span style="background-color: white;">Lisbon's flea market is called locally the Feira da Ladra, often thought to mean "Thieve's Market" (in Portuguese "ladra" is a woman thief) but it actually derives from "ladro," a bug found in antiques. A market of this type is thought to have been in place in Lisbon since the 12th Century and the name Feira da Ladra was first mentioned in the 17th Century."</span></i><span style="background-color: white;"><i> </i>The market sprawls </span>along narrow streets perched on a steep hill and sells assorted junk, art, ceramics, used clothes, household items and antiques. We love antique stores and flea markets; they give a great glimpse into life over the years. It is like going to a free museum where if you really like an item you can take it home! </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I couldn't resist and picked up a colourful, small, locally made ceramic sardine. J</span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> asked me several times if I might want to purchase a second but I insisted one would be fine. (Of course days later we made the trek again when I needed a second). </span></span><span style="font-family: '"times"', '"times new roman"', serif;">We try to not have a completely packed schedule so we can be open to what ever comes our way, which also allowed us to stumble across a Vintage Festival packed with vehicles, antique furniture, art and other treasures from Portugal's past.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Lisbon is also home to several terrific museums. We checked out; <a href="http://www.museuartecontemporanea.pt/en">MNAC</a> Museum of Contemporary Art, <a href="https://www.maat.pt/en/about">MAAT </a>Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, and <a href="http://en.museuberardo.pt/">Museu Berado</a>. (Sadly we missed out on the M<a href="http://www.mude.pt/">UDE</a> - Design and Fashion Museum as it was under repairs). All three museums were well worth the visit. MAAT is also connected to the <a href="http://www.edp.pt/en/sustentabilidade/fundacoes/fundacaoedp/museudaelectricidade/Pages/MuseuElectricidade.aspx">Electricity Museum </a>which is inside a historic power station, filled with very educational exhibits and a cool 1970's electric car; the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enfield_8000">Enfield 8000</a>. We were very fortunate to arrive just the same week that MAAT opened and we had the special treat of attending a lecture from Ray and Charles Eames grandson; <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/the_design_genius_of_charles_and_ray_eames">Eames Demetrios.</a> He brought a very personal feeling to the works of his grandparents. The museum collection also showcased an original prototype of the famous Eames fibreglass chairs and a touching love letter from Charles to Ray. Museu Berado has a phenomenal contemporary art collection and it is totally free to visit! It is a nice collection of international superstars such as Picasso, Warhol and Calder as well as local works. It also allowed us to stumble upon a terrific recycled, trash graffiti racoon artpiece by <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2015/06/01/arturo_bordalo_ii_s_amazing_animal_street_art_made_from_trash_on_lisbon.html">Artur Bordalo</a> on a nearby street.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">From Lisbon we took a day trip on the train to nearby Sintra, a quaint town with amazing monuments, castles and gardens. We were initially going to take the cheap tourist bus loop to hit all the sights but it was very crowded. We decided take individual tuktuks and cabs between the sights; more expensive but also more delightful. We made the rounds to the National Palace, Castelo dos Mouros, the brightly coloured Pena Palace, and Quinta da Regaleira filled with secret tunnels and the awe inspiring 27 foot deep <a href="http://www.amazfacts.com/2012/02/initiation-well-in-town-of-sintra.html">Initiation Well</a> that looks like an inverted tower. The last three on the list were all surrounded with lush, magical gardens with water features. We spent a very full day wandering around all these sights. Below are photos of Pena Palace and the Initiation Well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Then we set off for 5 nights in Porto taking the train north and enjoying the scenery as it rushed past. We again had a well situated airbnb which happened to have 2 bedrooms which ended up coming in handy. Porto has some amazing graffiti art so we spent quite a bit of time exploring the streets taking photos. Our luck followed us to Porto and we arrived just after the exhibit featuring works by Joan Miro, opened at the <a href="http://www.serralves.pt/en/">Serralves Foundation.</a> The works were confiscated from a bankrupt bank and had not previously been on public display. Joan Miro is a favourite artist of mine, and while his museum is Spain is even more impressive, this exhibit was full of very interesting works and we enjoyed a documentary of his artistic process. The museum also had several other fabulous exhibits and is situated in a lush garden. While in Porto, we had the extra special surprise of being joined by our dear friends for a night, on their way home from hiking in the Azores. We spent a day with them checking out the amazing bridges, architecture, a ride in the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funicular_dos_Guindais">Funicular</a>, and shared a great Thanksgiving dinner.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">After Porto we took the train back to Lisbon and spent a luxurious night in the <a href="http://www.memmohotels.com/alfama/m/hotel-overview.html">Memmo Alfama </a>boutique hotel before heading to Morocco. Check out my Portugal Photos here: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157673489976092">https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157673489976092</a></span></div>
voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-50819965995632921282016-03-04T12:32:00.001-08:002016-03-04T12:36:00.635-08:00European Vegan Food TourOver our four week trip to Amsterdam, Prague, Budapest and Vienna, we enjoyed some delicious vegan food! One of our favourite parts of travelling is checking out the local vegan scene. Some think being vegan while travelling means missing out but we find the opposite is true. Being vegan means you get off the beaten path to find restaurants and local vegan specialities. As always, our number one vegan travel trip is the <a href="http://www.happycow.net/">HappyCow Worldwide Veg Dining Directory</a> available as a free website or smart phone app. The site has over 40,000 listings, and I have contributed over 740 photos and reviews!<br />
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Starting in Amsterdam my favourite spot was <a href="http://vegabond.nl/">Vegabond</a> a simple vegan cafe with limited seating and a well stocked vegan specialty grocery. They make a great sandwich with locally made cashew basil pesto cheese. The coffee and desserts are also terrific. The shop has all the required vegan staples; faux meat, non-dairy cheese (including my favourite <a href="https://www.vegusto.co.uk/">Vegusto</a>), cookies, candy, ravioli and pasta. We ventured further out and went to the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lovinghutamsterdam">Loving Hut</a> which had some nice filling dishes including a devious crispy faux chicken and a great tiramisu for dessert. Another further out spot is <a href="http://koffieendekoeck.nl/">Koffie ende Koeck</a> which had a nice sandwich, baked goods and coffee. I had high hopes for the vegan butcher I had heard about; <a href="http://www.vegetarischetraiteur.nl/">De Vegetarische Traiteur</a>, but we were a little underwhelmed with the offerings. It is still a good place to check out and their frozen take home items look good. In fact, we more than once enjoyed their delicious faux chicken product available on a bagel at the chain <a href="http://www.bagelsbeans.nl/en">Bagel and Beans</a>. A local recommended we check out <a href="http://www.restaurantgoldentemple.com/">Golden Temple</a>, a vegetarian spot with a fun atmosphere. The flavours combinations (Indian, Asian and Mexican) sometimes were a bit different than expected, but we did enjoy our meal. The pakoras were particularly tasty. We checked out the <a href="http://www.terrazencentre.com/">TerraZen Centre</a> one evening for an interesting mix of Japanese and Caribbean food. The space is small but the staff are friendly and we had a nice time. A favourite spot around Europe is the vegetarian falafel chain <a href="http://www.maozusa.com/restaurants/locations/amsterdam">Maoz</a>, which we enjoyed a few times. The best part is the all you can fill toppings bar with the great cilantro sauce. Amsterdam also has a candy shop, <a href="http://www.candyfreaks.com/">Candy Freaks</a>, with vegan options clearly marked. We picked up some great licorices and chocolate covered raisons, which I haven't had in years! Amsterdam is also lucky to have a vegan shoe store; <a href="https://www.vega-life.nl/">VegaLife</a>, where J picked up a new belt. We found over all that Amsterdam vegan spots were more casual and cafe like and the city could do with a nice fancy vegan option.<br />
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Cupcakes from Vegabond Cafe</div>
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Part of the reason we opted to go to Prague is that we heard the vegan scene is really growing. We picked out our airbnb to be closed to a vegetarian spot; <a href="http://etnosvet.cz/en">Etnosvet</a> and <a href="http://etnosvet.cz/en/vegetarian-bistro">Etnosvet Cafe</a>. The cafe is all vegan and was our regular breakfast spot for yummy grilled panini with vegan cheese and espresso. It is a small shop with a few seats at the window. The vegetarian restaurant (with vegan options clearly marked) is around the corner. The setting is fancier - a great spot for a nice dinner. I loved the mock Peking duck, and peanut satay the best. There are few vegan options for both appetizers and mains; it is just lacking a vegan dessert. Our other common spot was <a href="http://momentcafe.cz/">Moment Cafe</a>, an all vegan spot across from a nice park and near the train. We loved the vibe and the great staff. We ate many meals here and often stopped in later for a coffee break too. It is a great place for breakfast, lunch or supper and they have lots of desserts. Items I particularly liked; vegan egg spread, waffles, seitan bagel, and the soups. They also have great daily special meals. Prague also has a small shop and restaurant called <a href="https://www.facebook.com/puro.green">Puro</a> which is affiliated with the awesome vegan grocery chain, Veganz. We stopped in a picked up a few vegan snack items. However, we found the health food store, <a href="http://www.bioobchod.cz/">Bioobchod</a>, near our accommodations to have more of the items we were looking for. It is all vegetarian, with lots of vegan items. There was a great selection of violife and other vegan cheeses, vegan sliced meats like wheatly, and vegan snacks. It also has pasta, canned goods, and a bakery area.<br />
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After connecting on social media, we also met up for coffee with Randi, one half of the full-time travelling duo behind the <a href="http://www.veggievisa.com/">Veggie Visa</a> website. We had a great visit! <i>"Veggie Visa’s mission is to discover vegan lifestyle options all over the planet. Whether it be a delicious restaurants to dine at, great places to shop, vegan recipes, or health and wellness information, the site is devoted to traveling the globe to bring you great vegan resources, tips, and stories."</i><br />
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Grilled Panini from Etnosvet Cafe</div>
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Now Budapest has quite a few vegetarian and vegan restaurants, unfortunately due to the holidays some were not open the entire time we were there and others were only open part of the time. We were grateful we booked an apartment with a kitchen as we used it a few times. We stocked up on items from the <a href="http://www.bioabc.hu/">Bio ABC health food market</a> and picked up fruits and vegetables at the <a href="http://www.budapestbylocals.com/great-market-hall.html">Great Market Hall </a>(central market). However, Budapest is home to one of the most amazing things I have ever eaten; vegan fried cheese from <a href="http://www.napfenyesetterem.hu/english">Napfenyes Restaurant and Pastry Shop</a>. This delightful dish was recommended to us by our new friend Randi, of Veggie Visa. She does a nice review of this delicacy in her article; <a href="http://www.veggievisa.com/vegan-food-tour-in-budapest-hungary/">Vegan Food Tour in Budapest, Hungary</a>. Napfenyes is also home to amazing vegan cream filled eclairs. I admit we packed a few (several) for the train ride to Vienna. This spot also had great pizza and salad options, plus J's new favourite, a vegan napoleon square for dessert. Another great spot is <a href="http://vegankozmosz.hu/eng">Kozmoz Vegan Restaurant</a>, and the highlight was the layered chocolate pancake dessert. HappyCow lists <a href="http://madalcafe.hu/">Madal Cafe</a> as vegetarian friendly but it did not have a lot of options other than a few raw dessert items. However, the espresso is excellent so we stopped there regularly. There are also many <a href="http://www.hummusbar.hu/eng/">Hummus Bar</a> franchises with a good selection of vegan friendly hummus, falafel, soups and salads. </div>
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Vegan fried cheese!</div>
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And on to Vienna, the highlight here was not one but two all vegan grocery stores: <a href="http://www.maranvegan.at/">Maran Vegan</a> and <a href="http://www.happycow.net/reviews/veganz-vienna-48986">Veganz.</a> Veganz is a chain of all vegan grocers, the first of which we went to in 2012 in Berlin. The Vienna store is terrific and we picked up some European favourites including vegan ravioli. Maran Vegan is actually a larger store and has a larger deli and produce area. Both stores had expansive selections of vegan cheese, faux meats, snack items, pasta, bakery items, personal care items etc. Whenever we visit a vegan grocer I always pick up a new reusable bag for a souvenir, and I particularly loved the all black one from Veganz. With the lovely groceries we made dinner a few times in our flat, after long days of wandering. We regularly visited <a href="http://www.swingkitchen.com/">Swing Kitchen</a>, and all vegan burger joint. We went to both locations and loved the burgers, sides, and the soft dipped ice-cream cones! It was a novelty to have such a yummy vegan fast food joint with a fun atmosphere. For a more upscale and health focussed option, we loved <a href="http://www.tian-bistro.com/">Tian Bistro</a> a vegetarian spot with lots of marked vegan options. The baked potato stuffed with cashew cream, and the tempeh salad were our favourites. <a href="http://www.pirata-sushi.com/PIRATA/Karte.html">Pirata Sushi </a>was also a good spot with a variety of all vegan sushi. </div>
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Vegan groceries </div>
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To check out more vegan food photos see: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157658369449113">https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157658369449113</a></div>
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<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-55240274622787681662016-02-19T17:41:00.000-08:002016-02-21T19:40:34.175-08:00Amsterdam, Netherland<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We started our Europe trip with 2 nights in Amsterdam, to settle into the new time zone. We stayed at the convenient <a href="http://www.westcordhotels.com/hotel/city-centre-hotel-amsterdam/">WestCord City Central Hotel</a>. Then we spent the next nearly 3 weeks travelling around Europe before returning for our final week in Amsterdam. We stayed in an Airbnb flat in the core of De Wallen, which was much closer to the <a href="http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/areas/amsterdam-neighbourhoods/centre/red-light-district">Red Light District</a> than I anticipated (3 windows were a few feet from our door).<br />
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Some come to Amsterdam for the legalized pot and prostitution, but I was all about the cat museum, adorably called <a href="http://www.iamsterdam.com/en/visiting/areas/amsterdam-neighbourhoods/centre/red-light-district">Katten Cabinet</a>. The museum is in a tall row house, with cat related art exhibits and small museum store on the first 2 floors, then vacation rentals above and finally the owner's suite on the top floor. The exhibits are very diverse with the common theme of portraying a variety of cats. There are posters, sculptures, paintings - including a Rembrandt, etchings - including a Picasso, textiles, signs, advertising pieces, household items emblazoned with cats, ornaments, photos and a few real life cats wandering around. I loved the experience and saw many, mostly women, also enthralled, (some with bored looking husbands/boyfriends in tow). The backyard contains several cat related tin signs and a few chickens running around, and the staff person said the owner calls them his two-legged cats.<br />
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Some of my readers may not know this but I started collecting cat related items when I was a young child. It all started when my maternal grandmother gave me a small china ornament of a cat sitting on a boot. From there I amassed many cat related items in my childhood. A highlight was shopping at The Bay and finding a cat comforter with matching cat sheets, which complimented my cat wallpaper, and the little cat foot prints I insisted my mom paint on my dresser. I slowed down on my cat collecting in my tweens and focussed in on the vintage Shafford black cat collection from 1950's Japan. The first one I bought was a mug in a small antique store in Red Deer, Alberta, which was later joined by a teapot from a BC flea market. As an adult I've added more pieces to <a href="https://flic.kr/p/q39uVR">this collection</a>. In 1986 I also desperately wanted the Franklin Mint "Cats of the World" Collection and they were simply too expensive. Last year, at an estate sale, nostalgia won out and I <a href="https://flic.kr/p/qsGA65">bought 15 of them</a> for a bargain (which joined a few my sweet husband had previously purchased for me). Surprisingly our house is not overrun with cat kitsch, most of it is regulated to an old steamer trunk, and I promise we only (currently) have<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157663169029182"> one real life cat; Milli.</a><br />
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Ok enough about cats... Amsterdam offered many other sights and things to do. The city is very <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157662623581785/with/23666909864/">picturesque with all the water filled canals</a> and we often spent time just observing the street life. The streets are quite boisterous in the evenings but we did not have any negative experiences. Pro Tip; the 'coffee shops' don't actually sell coffee which is evident by the plumes of pot smoke spilling onto the streets; to find coffee you need to look for a cafe. We don't tend to do a lot of shopping but we did visit the Tesla store and picked up some shirts. We also visited the <a href="http://nl.seashepherdstore.com/en/">Sea Shepherd store </a>where I added a towel to my collection.<br />
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We used the trams to get to the further out lying areas. We visited two excellent museums; <a href="http://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en">Van Gogh Museum</a> and <a href="http://www.stedelijk.nl/en">Stedelijk Museum</a>. The Van Gogh was a truly immense collection of Van Gogh works and information on his life. Stedelijk is dedicated to contemporary and modern art and design. I particular enjoyed the design portion with art in everyday objects such as, well designed kitchenware and furniture. On a different note, we also visited the <a href="http://www.redlightsecrets.com/">Red Light Secrets - Museum of Prostitution</a>, which gave a informative overview of the issues and history. One particularly powerful exhibit was set up like a Red Light window, with the museum visitor on the side of the woman working, and a life sized screen on the other side playing a video of the many types of people who pass by, including the curious, the friendly, the embarrassed, the rude, and the abusive.<br />
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Amsterdam is also home to <a href="http://www.annefrank.org/">Anne Frank's house</a>, the young jewish girl who wrote a diary of her time in hiding from Nazis during the second world war. The exhibit is extremely informative, and is well set up items that belonged to the Frank family, Anne's diary, photographs and educational video. It is is an important and popular place to visit, so we opted to purchase booked tickets online, which allowed us to go at a specific time and avoid the line up. The canal house contained a business owned by Anne Frank's father Otto, while the hiding place is in a annex out back and above, the entrance hidden by a movable bookshelf. Anne Frank's family hid there with four other Jewish people (Hermann and Auguste Van Pels and their son Peter, and Fritz Pfeffer). <a href="http://www.annefrank.org/en/Anne-Frank/Not-outside-for-2-years/The-Helpers/">Four of Otto's employees</a> risked their lives to hide everyone and provide all their provisions over the more than two years they hid in the annex, before they are discovered by Nazis in 1944 and sent to concentration camps. Otto was the only one to survive the camps. It was an emotional experience to walk up the narrow staircase and stand in the rooms seeing the same walls that surrounded these eight people.<br />
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Anne Frank's life would have been much different had she and her family not been<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/11/24/anne-frank-and-her-family-were-also-denied-entry-as-refugees-to-the-u-s/"> denied entry to the USA as refugees.</a> Canada also turned away Jews fleeing persecution and death in Nazi Germany. "It was 1939 and 907 Jewish refugees aboard the German transatlantic liner St. Louis were seeking sanctuary from Nazi Germany. Canada refused to take them in and the ship sailed back to Europe, where 254 would later die in concentration camps." (source: <a href="http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1174272-canada-turned-away-jewish-refugees">The Chronicle Herald</a>) As a global community we need to learn from history and respond to the worlds' suffering, injustice, poverty, war and those fleeing, in a compassionate manner.<br />
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<i>“I think the purpose of life is to be useful, responsible, honourable compassionate. It is, above all, to matter: to count, to stand for something, to have made some difference that you lived at all.”</i> - Leo Rosten<br />
<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-819280382466180622016-02-14T12:14:00.001-08:002016-02-14T12:14:48.344-08:00Vienna, AustriaWe arrived in Vienna via train from Budapest, Hungary. For some reason in Vienna we had a difficult time finding information on public transportation schedules, so we opted for a taxi from the station to our airbnb rental in the Neubaugasse neighbourhood. The flat was magnificent, in an old building with an ancient but working elevator. The ceilings were high, with light filled windows. Vienna was snowier than our previous stops, and we were thankful for the extra layers in the damp cold. It was interesting to see flowers point through a light dusting of snow.<br />
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The view from our flat;<br />
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Vienna was our shortest stop, five nights, and we spent it immersed in wandering the streets and checking out the museums. We also did not anticipate the national religious holiday on January 6 called Epiphany which saw most shops and restaurants closed for the day. We tend to skew towards contemporary art exhibits but we enjoyed exploring the history in <a href="http://www.hofburg-wien.at/en.html">Hofburg Imperial Palace</a>, which is a very historically accurate glimpse into the Habsburg empire. It includes furnished Imperial apartments, Sisi museum, silver collection and a large collection of Imperial utilitarian objects. We also learned a lot about the rather tragic life of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empress_Elisabeth_of_Austria">Empress Elizabeth </a>who was married into imperial life at sixteen years old, lost her son to suicide, suffered deep melancholy, and was ultimately murdered. The exhibit did a good job engaging with visitors via the stories, authentically decorated rooms and artifacts.<br />
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<a href="https://www.mumok.at/en">Mumok Modern Art Museum</a> was a fantastic experience with great exhibits in an interesting building. I particularly enjoyed the tapestries by Ulrike Muller. A local recommended the free exhibit at the <a href="http://www.kunsthallewien.at/#/en">Kunsthalle Wien</a> which had an interesting mixed media show called Political Populism, exploring current and historical social issues. We also enjoyed the artistic, and often political, graffiti displayed around the city.<br />
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Vienna was also fabulous for vegan food, but that's another blog post!<br />
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For my photos on Vienna see: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157663100881976">https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157663100881976</a><br />
<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-13840855815594703662016-01-24T09:19:00.000-08:002016-01-24T10:04:40.931-08:00Budapest, Hungary<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We travelled to Budapest from Prague via train, my preferred way of travel. Trains take much longer than a flight but are a more comfortable way to get from one place to another. You just show up a few minutes before the train departs and hop on. The train also does not give me the same headaches and cramps as a plane and offers a more spacious and scenic experience. There is nothing like going down to the dining car and enjoying a freshly made espresso and taking advantage of the free wifi. From the news one might expect that the train experience would be difficult, but as always the media often only shows one angle. The train was safe, comfortable, affordable and the stations in both cities were terrific. We took the metro from the Budapest train station and then a 1km walk to our airbnb, a quaint loft apartment in a historic building in the city centre. The first night we had an exciting trip to do laundry a 24 hour laundromat, which even provided wifi!</div>
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The second bath we tired was Gellert Baths, on the other side of the river from our central accommodations. We walked there and again agreed to meet in the central indoor pool that we both could see when we entered. I must stay that the halls are a maze and it took a me a long while to find the central pool again. The Gellert Baths are stunningly beautiful with an Art Nouveau style. The outdoor pool is much smaller than Szechenyi but we enjoyed it as well.</div>
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Next up was the Rudas Baths. We walked to the Baths, also across the river from our accommodations, but via a different bridge, and when we arrived there was a long line up and no further patrons were being admitted. After waiting awhile we decided we'd wake up early and try again another day. The following day, after being jolted awake by an unfamiliar alarm clock, as I was now quite used to waking when the mood struck me, we bundled up for the cold, early morning, 1.5 km walk. Once we arrived there was a large number of people milling about in the waiting area and no one selling tickets. We waited around perplexed until I asked a local person what was going on. It seems that there was an electrical problem and that it could be hours before it was fixed (they were still waiting for an electrician to even arrive). So we trudged back across the cold bridge to re-group at our flat. Did I mentioned this was all pre-coffee? The lesson; the early bird does not always get a birdbath. So we decided that Rudas was not meant to be and for our final trip to the Baths we went back to Szechenyi and had another great soak. I would certainly recommend checking out the various baths in Budapest for a interesting and fun experience. Apparently they also have late night disco parties at some baths but we decided that might be too interesting.</div>
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We spent New Year's Eve enjoying the outdoor energy, checking out the Christmas markets and the impromptu street fireworks. Teens and young adults put on their own fireworks all over the central squares. The streets were lively with everyone enjoying the evening. We had intended on spending part of the evening at the offbeat attraction, the <a href="http://catcafebudapest.hu/"><span style="color: #e4af09;">Cat Cafe</span></a>, however they were closed for the festivities. We did get to the cafe on another day and it was well worth it. There are ten formally homeless cats that lounge around the premises, spoiled with seemingly unlimited houses, beds, perches, climbing trees and hiding spots. The friendly cats wandered around to customers for a pet. There are strict rules of not picking up the cats or feeding them. I have never seen such a spoiled and content group of felines! It was nice spot to have an espresso and get int some cat therapy.</div>
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Our to do list included exploring the cities <a href="http://visitbudapest.travel/activities/budapest-baths/"><span style="color: #e4af09;">thermal baths</span></a>. We attempted to try three different baths and succeeded with two. For the first experience we decided on the Szechenyi Baths, a large and popular destination. Upon arrival it is pretty straightforward to purchase tickets and head to the locker rooms, were your admission wrist band operates a locker. However, it is rather chaotic inside and a bit of a maze to find your way in and out. More than one gentleman wandered into the ladies change room and judging by the embarrassment I don't think it was intentional. The complex boasts 18 pools of which 15 are spring fed. We had agreed to meet in the outdoor thermal pool, however there was two large, very full pools. After J chased down my look alike he finally located me in the pool I believe we had agreed to meet in. Interestingly, bathing caps are not required in any thermal pools but it you attempt to enter the outdoor lap pool with out one the staff will descend upon you immediately. In fact it seemed to be their primary job. We wandered around the interior pools trying each one out, and they varied in size and temperature. We preferred the the outdoor thermal pool, and spent the majority of the time there. It was very relaxing, warm and full of diverse tourists and locals. There was even a stone chess table with men playing a game. My big lesson from he experience would be to bring flip flops as the floors are pretty dingy from the multiple shoes. As well, as a Canadian I pride myself on my hardiness in dealing with the cold weather, and would not have been that bothered by the chilly walk outside to the pool, except for the ice melt salt burning into the soles of my feet. So again, bring flip flops.</div>
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Another highlight was the <a href="http://www.ludwigmuseum.hu/"><span style="color: #e4af09;">Ludwig Museum</span></a> for contemporary art. The museum itself is in a very interesting building. The exhibits were terrific and included european and international artworks. I discovered a new favourite artist; Laszlo Lakner, a native of Budapest. After much hype, we also decided to visit the <a href="http://www.terrorhaza.hu/?language=eng"><span style="color: #e4af09;">House of Terror Museum</span></a>. It contains exhibits related to the fascist communist dictatorial regimes in 20th-century Hungary and is also a memorial to the victims of these regimes, including those detained, interrogated, tortured or killed in the building." (source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Terror"><span style="color: #e4af09;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Terror</span></a>. The museum had some interesting elements such as intense music and lighting and artistic displays. Unfortunately, it lacked a cohesive flow and did not pull the viewer in. There was a lack of interpretive signage. For example you could pickup a written explanation in different sections that was often quite long but did not connect to the display well. They instead seemed to give a lengthy history lesson versus engagement. In one part you walk through a maze that appears to be bars of soap with no explanation. There was the option of a recorded guided tour but they were out of the headsets, and I believe an exhibit should be able to stand on its own with out such a guide. In fact we never use the guides. We have previously visited some very profound and emotional sites including the <a href="http://voyagevixen.blogspot.ca/2014/05/entering-gates-of-hell.html"><span style="color: #e4af09;">Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp</span></a> memorial in Berlin, that did a much better job connecting with the viewer. Within in Budapest a profound exhibit was the simple memorial on the banks of the Danube river. Shoes on the Danube Bank is a memorial in Budapest, Hungary. Conceived by film director Can Togay, he created it on the east bank of the Danube River with sculptor Gyula Pauer to honor the Jews who were killed by fascist Arrow Cross militiamen in Budapest during World War II. They were ordered to take off their shoes, and were shot at the edge of the water so that their bodies fell into the river and were carried away. It represents their shoes left behind on the bank." (source: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoes_on_the_Danube_Bank"><span style="color: #e4af09;">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoes_on_the_Danube_Bank</span></a>) The bank is lined with cast metal shoes of all sizes symbolizing the men, women and children murdered.</div>
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For my photos on Budapest see: <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157662804346371"><span style="color: #e4af09;">https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157662804346371</span></a></span></div>
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voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-3933442211752744522016-01-09T14:10:00.001-08:002016-01-24T10:27:33.936-08:00Prague, Czech Republic Prague is a picturesque city with stunning, intact, heritage architecture. As with all our travels we like to <a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fl%C3%A2neur" target="_blank">flaneur</a>; taking in the sights, sounds, and even smells of the urban life as we wander the streets, and Prague is an especially nice place to do this. In addition to the architecture, there are many parks, squares, benches, and public art to enjoy. We came to Prague with only a few items planned on our itinerary; vegan food and contemporary Art; we were not disappointed with either.<br />
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Our Prague stay started with arriving via a short flight from Amsterdam, which we had spent two nights in to break up the travel (on our way out of Europe we spend a week in Amsterdam). We normally take the metro to our accommodations but the Airbnb host offered to arrange a taxi for a reasonable fee. Our <a href="https://www.airbnb.ca/" target="_blank">Airbnb</a> was wonderfully located next to metro and tram stops, shops, and vegan friendly dining. We love Airbnb as it allows us to pick a place based on price, location, amenities, sights, lively neighbourhood etc so I always opt for a property in a central area, near metros, and vegan friendly dining (the happycow veg dining directly helps with this). The other benefit is it almost always cheaper than a hotel and since we opt for apartments, they are larger and have a kitchen as well.<br />
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As mentioned already, just wandering the streets you will stumble upon countless historic buildings and interesting architecture, including a great number of grand churches. We explored several of the recommended sites including <a href="http://www.prague.cz/old-town-square" target="_blank">Old Town Square</a>, the <a href="http://www.prague.cz/astronomical-clock/" target="_blank">astronomical clock</a>, <a href="http://www.myczechrepublic.com/prague/sightseeing/charles_bridge.html" target="_blank">Charles pedestrian bridge</a>, <a href="https://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=651" target="_blank">Dancing House</a> and the <a href="https://www.pragueexperience.com/places.asp?PlaceID=601" target="_blank">castle</a>. We also spent time window shopping the antique stores and enjoying the open air Christmas markets selling trinkets, and food, decorated with lights and festive displays. We also went to the Kolbenova flea market, best described as a garage sale crossed with liquidation world, a gun show and a butcher. This interesting article captures some of the experience; <a href="http://procrasti-nation.eu/ultimate-guide-kolbenova-europes-weirdest-flea-market/" target="_blank">The Ultimate Guide To Kolbenova In Prague, Europe’s Weirdest Flea Market.</a><br />
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We explored some terrific museums including the fantastic Brave New World exhibit at <a href="http://www.dox.cz/en/" target="_blank">Dox Museum</a>. It was a little further from the centre but worth the trip. A well curated exhibit in a great space. We also enjoyed the Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali and local contemporary artworks on display at the <a href="http://www.goap.cz/" target="_blank">Gallery of Art Prague</a>. The <a href="http://www.ntm.cz/en" target="_blank">National Technical Museum</a> has an extremely large and varied collection including a particle accelerator, vehicles, vintage household technology, toys, chemistry, printing, mining, astronomy, time measurement etc etc. We spent several hours exploring the exhibits and cold have easily spent several more. We also stopped into the small but informative <a href="http://www.muzeumkomunismu.cz/" target="_blank">Museum of Communism</a>.<br />
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An unexpected museum we stumbled upon was the <a href="http://applemuseum.com/en/" target="_blank">Apple Museum</a> and it was amazing! The museum is dedicated to the history of the Apple computer company and Steve Jobs. There is an expansive and amazing display of vintage Apple products including the original Apple 1 computer. The entire space is bright, well thought out and a great experience. Some unique aspects include Steven's food Cafe - vegetarian raw (all vegan except honey) featuring foods Steven liked, Integrated USB chargers in Cafe to recharge your iPhone/iPod, wifi, and iPad based Internet terminals. The experience was enhanced with some of Steve's favourite music playing in the lobby and Cafe, the voice over if Steve Job's <a href="http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=D1R-jKKp3NA" target="_blank">commencement speech</a> in the exhibit, apple air freshener, Macintosh Apple tree in the courtyard and super cool, and sleek subterranean bathrooms. The museum was an expected highlight of our visit to Prague. When travelling you never know what you'll find!<br />
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For Prague photos see: <a href="https://flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/sets/72157660326031304" target="_blank">https://flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/sets/72157660326031304 </a><br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone<br />
<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-42097030599515942602015-12-13T21:18:00.000-08:002016-01-24T10:27:49.114-08:00Count down to Europe<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On December 18, 2015 we will head to Europe for 4 weeks and experience 4 more countries we have never visited; Netherlands, Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria. A few have asked about whether we would still travel with the recent acts of terrorism. The reality is that terrible things and wonderful things happen everyday in every corner of the world. A real tragedy is the actions of a few are being used to vilify entire groups of people and to prevent people from knowing their global neighbours.</span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">"We think that by protecting ourselves from suffering we are being kind to ourselves. The truth is, we only become more fearful, more hardened, and more alienated. We experience ourselves as being separate from the whole. This separateness becomes like a prison for us, a prison that restricts us to our personal hopes and fears and to caring only for</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"> the people nearest to us. Curiously enough, if we primarily try to shield ourselves from discomfort, we suffer. Yet when we don’t close off and we let our hearts break, we discover our kinship with all beings. His Holiness the Dalai Lama describes two kinds of selfish people: the unwise and the wise. Unwise selfish people think only of themselves, and the result is confusion and pain. Wise people know that the best thing they can do for themselves is to be there for others. As a result, they experience joy.</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i><br /></i></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><i>When we see a woman and her child begging on the street, when we see a man mercilessly beating his terrified dog, when we see a teenager who has been badly beaten or see fear in the eyes of a child, do we turn away because we can’t bear it? Most of us probably do. Someone needs to encourage us not to brush aside what we feel, not to be ashamed of the love and grief it arouses in us, not to be afraid of the pain. Someone needs to encourage us that this soft spot in us could be awakened and that to do this would change our lives."</i> [Pema Chodron, When Things Fall Apart, p. 87-88]</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="color: #141823; display: inline; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">So we will continue to travel; meeting new neighbours, savouring wonderful vegan food, wandering down streets that have seen a million feet, taking photos, soaking up art and architecture, getting lost and found again, and </span>exploring new favourite places.</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;">"We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again-to slow time down and get taken in, and fall in love once more."</i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"> Pico Iyer</span><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/8751723@N02/albums/72157651912559902">Photo: Petra, Jordan</a></div>
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voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-36541597480467924032015-08-30T09:58:00.000-07:002015-08-30T09:58:50.337-07:00Canadian Online Vegan-Friendly ShoppingIt used to be that all the online shopping options were USA based such as <a href="http://www.veganessentials.com/">Vegan Essentials</a> and <a href="http://www.foodfightgrocery.com/">Food Fight</a>. (I've successfully ordered from both shops). It is great to have these options but with shipping costs, shipping times and customs fees it can be expensive and difficult, especially when dealing with perishable items. Canadians now have a few more options for online shopping to get those hard to find vegan friendly items. I have been a long time customer of <a href="http://niceshoes.ca/">Nice Shoes</a>; Canada's Vegan Shoe Store. Nice Shoes has a fantastic selection of men's and women's shoes for all occasions. Plus they have belts, bags, purses, wallets, shoe care, socks and even some chocolates. Their shipping is fast, service friendly and a wonderful selection of items. Another place I frequently shop is <a href="https://well.ca/">Well.ca</a>, which is not a vegan store but has a large selection of vegan friendly food, personal care and household items, plus free shipping if you send $29.00.<br />
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Now onto my latest online shopping crush: <a href="http://vegansupply.ca/">Vegan Supply</a>, which opened in May 2015 and is located in Vancouver, BC. (There is also an Eastern vegan online store, based in Toronto, that I have not shopped at: <a href="http://www.vwordmarket.com/">The V Word Market</a>). Vegan Supply stocks all sort of items not normally available in Canada. My first experience dealing with the force behind Vegan Supply was ordering vegan items from Antony and Sons in December 2014, before they had their dedicated vegan company Vegan Supply. You can read more about it in my <a href="http://voyagevixen.blogspot.ca/2014/12/calgary-vegan-round-up.html">Calgary Vegan Cheese</a> post. Fast forward to present day; I made a large and varied purchase of items in August 2015, pictured below.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfId35g-XmpgBSfmL0q1BLheStoU-ZAECFwjan9ToyOIIGFofzRwaRW_-dNOO45ShYiD3HLHOOQRewOsoszS0y-IBChQwXfPo00e-rVviy1kx3or9oYd0ekEvf6XoqwiiztCGahJETMyH/s1600/vegan+supply.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZfId35g-XmpgBSfmL0q1BLheStoU-ZAECFwjan9ToyOIIGFofzRwaRW_-dNOO45ShYiD3HLHOOQRewOsoszS0y-IBChQwXfPo00e-rVviy1kx3or9oYd0ekEvf6XoqwiiztCGahJETMyH/s400/vegan+supply.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Let's start with dessert first! I have long loved <a href="https://jjssweets.com/">Cocomels</a>; the original coconut milk caramels. I ordered an old favourite, 2 boxes of the sea salt naked Cocomels. I also tried the chocolate covered Cocomel with sea salt; divine! The caramels have a real buttery taste with a pleasant, but not over powering, coconut flavour. Dipping them in chocolate takes the taste up to another level.<br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Vegan Supply has a good selection of vegan meats and I opted for; <a href="http://www.louisvilleveganjerkycompany.com/">Louisville Jerky</a>, <a href="http://www.viana.de/en/our-products/snacks-picknicker/">Viana Picknicker</a>, and the <a href="http://beyondmeat.com/products/view/the-beast-burger">Beyond Meat Beast Burger</a>. The maple bacon flavoured jerky was the best I've had and it boasts 12 grams of protein per bag, gluten free and most important delicious! I've had the Viana Picknicker before while traveling in Europe, and itt is a great on the go snack similar to salami. Last but definitely not least, I finally tried the much praised Beast Burger. Outside Magazine recently wrote an article on this product titled <a href="http://www.outsideonline.com/1928211/top-secret-food-will-change-way-you-eat">"The Top-Secret Food that Will Change the Way You Eat"</a> A quote fro the article; </span><i style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 1.2381;">More protein than beef. More omegas than salmon. Tons of calcium, antioxidants, and vitamin B. In their secret R&D lab, the scientists at Beyond Meat concocted a plant-protein-based performance burger that delivers the juicy flavor and texture of the real thing with none of the dietary and environmental downsides. </i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 1.2381;">The burger was truly the best store bought vegan burger I have ever </span><span style="line-height: 19px;">tried. It had a great favour, texture and no odd after taste that I sometimes find with veggie burgers. For those concerned about gluten (not me I love gluten!) the burger is also gluten free. It grilled up well on the BBQ and my only regret is that I did not order more!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Now for the area in which Vegan Supply really excels; a robust variety of vegan cheese! I ordered cheese from; </span><a href="http://vtopiancheeses.com/" style="line-height: 19px;">Vtopian</a><span style="line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://fieldroast.com/product/chao-slices/" style="line-height: 19px;">Chao slices from Field Roast</a><span style="line-height: 19px;">, </span><a href="http://miyokoskitchen.com/" style="line-height: 19px;">Miyoko's Kitchen</a><span style="line-height: 19px;"> and mac and cheese from </span><a href="http://ca.daiyafoods.com/" style="line-height: 19px;">Daiya</a><span style="line-height: 19px;">. I have had Vtopian cheese on numerous occasions and it is always delicious This time we got the Camembert which is a heavy creamy consistency with a slightly sweet cheese flavour. It spreads well and was used on bread and on top of perogies. I also purchased a Vtopian seitan cheese ball which is my favourite. It is a deletable hazelnut cheese wrapped in maple seitan. Perfect for parties or eating straight up on fresh bread. Up next is Chao slices, which are now my favourite vegan cheese slices! They have that more processed cheese slice taste, vs gourmet aged cheese, but that is not a bad thing. They worked very well in cheese sandwiches and grilled cheese. My favourite flavour was the Tomato Cayenne, but all were terrific. My overall favourite cheese pick was Miyoko's in Winter Truffle and Smoked Farmhouse. The winter truffle was the softest and had deep mushroom flavour. The smoked farmhouse was out of this world with a smoky, deep umami flavour and firmer texture. I love pairing good vegan cheese with an organic baguette or ciabatta bun from </span><a href="http://www.acebakery.com/" style="line-height: 19px;">Ace Bakery</a><span style="line-height: 19px;">, found locally at Superstore or Co-op.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Now the Daiya mac and cheese is not straight up cheese but the noodles come with a soft cheese pouch similar to velveeta. Out of the two I ordered, I've only tried the Deluxe White Cheddar Style Veggie, and it was pretty good, although I've heard the Deluxe Cheddar Style is better so I will be ordering that kind next time. The noodles cooked up nicely (which surprised me a bit as they are gluten free) and the cheese pouch mixed in well. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Vegan Supply is a terrific addition to the Canadian vegan community. My order was processed quickly, with great communication. When shipping perishables you need to purchase ice packs and choose the two day shipping options. This of course adds to the price but it is certainly much cheaper than a trip to the United States! I opted for UPS and the box arrived well packaged and still cool even in a heat wave. I recommend shipping to a location where you will be present to collect it. I shipped it to work and kept it in the fridge until the end of the day. Next time I will try out the cheaper expedited shipping option via Canada Post. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 19px;">Happy shopping!</span></span>voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-45514207398524489672015-04-12T17:04:00.000-07:002015-04-12T18:52:37.552-07:00Tel Aviv Vegan Food TourA big part of our love of travel is exploring the local vegan cuisine and Tel Aviv did not disappoint! There has been a lot of press on the vegan friendliness of Israel such as; <a href="http://www.timesofisrael.com/israelis-growing-hungry-for-vegan-diet/">http://www.timesofisrael.com/israelis-growing-hungry-for-vegan-diet/</a>. Although we had a kitchen in our fabulous Airbnb rental we opted to enjoy the local vegan offerings at the many vegan and vegan friendly establishments.<br />
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Our favourite breakfast stop was <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Seeds/1451947905063432">Seeds</a>, an all vegan bakery. We enjoyed assorted pastries, my favourite being the danishes, along side espresso and even iced coffee.<br />
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Our favourite overall restaurant was <a href="http://buddhaburgers.co.il/new/">Buddha Burgers</a>, offering an extensive all vegan menu, complete with amazing desserts. Featured below is a Schnitzel plate and a dreamy slice of strawberry pie.</div>
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Other spots we enjoyed included vegan sushi from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-green-roll/1468023760139334">The Green Roll</a>, frequent meals at the<a href="http://vegshawarma.co.il/"> Vegan Shawarma</a> (including vegan Mr Donuts), and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/greencatvegan">The Green Cat</a> vegan pizza joint. We also stopped by a health food store and picked up some vegan cheese slices and snacks. </div>
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We mostly opted to visit all vegetarian/vegan spots while in Tel Aviv but we were told that many average restaurants also have great vegan options. Check out <a href="http://www.happycow.net/asia/israel/tel_aviv/">HappyCow Restaurant Guide</a> for the extensive vegan options in Tel Aviv!</div>
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voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-77967451159107981582015-03-27T21:26:00.000-07:002015-03-27T22:21:12.853-07:00Travelling the Holy Land<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I think it is clear that I could not make a career out of travel writing, as I am too busy enjoying the experience to take time to write it down! This post on Israel comes a few weeks late. After spending nine wonderful days enjoying Jordan, we flew from Amman to Tel Aviv, Israel. It is possible to cross by land but it looked more complicated so we opted to fly. We rented a <a href="https://www.airbnb.ca/rooms/2218810">fabulous Airbnb apartment </a>centrally located in the heart of the city and short walk to the <a href="http://www.cityguide.co.il/tel-aviv-areas/west/tel-aviv-beaches/frishman-beach/">Frishman Beach</a>. The apartment building was modest which hid the amazing flat, well equipped for any traveller! The first thing we did was tackle the mountain of laundry that accumulated during our adventures in Jordan. We love staying in Airbnb apartments as it gives a chance to live in a local neighbourhood, has convenient amenities and is generally far cheaper than a hotel.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">On our first day out we headed to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dizengoff_Center">Dizengoff Centre,</a> a large mall, in search of a local SIM card for my phone, in order to have affordable internet and cellular access with out any roaming fees. All of the signage is generally in Hebrew but we found everyone we encountered also spoke English and were happy to assist us in finding our way. We found a mobile shop in the centre and purchased a <a href="http://orange.co.il/en/en/Mobile/Services-and-Apps/bigtalk_customserv">Orange brand</a> SIM card, which the clerk cheerfully installed and set up. The SIM card was a valuable asset on our trip and allowed us to use GPS maps to navigate, find vegan friendly spots on the <a href="http://www.happycow.net/">HappyCow app</a>, look up attractions, post photos etc. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We spent a lot of time walking the streets of Tel Aviv taking in the local scene. I was pleasantly surprised by the urban design including, public squares, gathering places, parks, benches, green space, public art etc. Two very interesting streets are <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/travel-in-israel/taking-refuge-on-the-boulevards-of-tel-aviv-1.405188">Chen and Rothschild Boulevards</a>, which both have a large green space median down the centre for walking, cycling and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fl%C3%A2neur" style="color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">Flâneuring.</a><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"> We spent a great deal of time up and down these boulevards, and similar ones, in our wandering. Tel Aviv could teach many other cities about the importance of space to rest, visit, and watch the world go by. Tel Avi had terrific benches in wonderful configurations, including beach loungers set up in some parks. Oh and many many wonderful cats, some of them taking over the benches.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">We stumbled upon a weekly outdoor antique market near </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dizengoff_Square" style="line-height: 22px;">Dizengoff Square</a><span style="line-height: 22px;">, which is built around a large artwork; </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fire_and_Water_Fountain" style="line-height: 22px;">"Fire and Water Fountain"</a><span style="line-height: 22px;">, a fountain and kinetic sculpture that plays music, by the artist Yaakov Agam. We purchased a small antique metal art tile and collection of vintage, woodcut, prints by the Israeli artist; <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob_Pins">Jacob Pins</a>. We explored many diverse areas of Tel Aviv including the crowded streets of </span></span><a href="http://www.cityguide.co.il/tel-aviv-areas/center/carmel-market-area/" style="color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">Carmel Market</a><span style="line-height: 22px;"><span style="color: #252525;">, filled with fruits, vegetables, and assorted wares, and the cobblestone streets, surrounded by stone old buildings in </span><a href="http://www.cityguide.co.il/tel-aviv-areas/south/jaffa/" style="color: #252525;">Old Jaffa</a><span style="color: #252525;">. </span><span style="background-color: white;"><i>"</i></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18px;"><i>Jaffa has been one of the major port cities of the Mediterranean Sea for eons. Most archeologists believe that some kind of town existed on these parts ever since 7,000 years ago, and that this town had an active port since the </i></span><span style="line-height: 18px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><i>Bronze Age."</i></span> </span><span style="background-color: #fbfbfb; color: #5f5f5f; line-height: 18px;">(</span><span style="color: #5f5f5f;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">source: <a href="http://www.cityguide.co.il/tel-aviv-areas/south/jaffa/">http://www.cityguide.co.il/tel-aviv-areas/south/jaffa/</a>). </span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 18px;">Carmel Market</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxbFJV1ZQYV14fXw72xl2pL7P5RRJ-zPr_ySLw-puUmnRTpJF5J9aD0x564VrXHkg75ZnfZ4WaMViHdZsI79X5a40qFwmRi4wvP8OU75KHNK-VMJZoVjinv5DhYXm5PlBX8CG6U_MO0LI/s1600/carmel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidxbFJV1ZQYV14fXw72xl2pL7P5RRJ-zPr_ySLw-puUmnRTpJF5J9aD0x564VrXHkg75ZnfZ4WaMViHdZsI79X5a40qFwmRi4wvP8OU75KHNK-VMJZoVjinv5DhYXm5PlBX8CG6U_MO0LI/s1600/carmel.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">We also spent a great deal of time exploring fabulous museums including: </span></span><a href="http://www.ilanagoormuseum.org/eng/" style="color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">Ilana Goor Museum</a><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">, </span></span><a href="http://www.tamuseum.org.il/default.aspx" style="color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">Tel Aviv Museum of Art,</a><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.tamuseum.org.il/helena-rubinstein-pavilion" style="color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">Helena Rubinstein Pavilion for Contemporary Art,</a><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22px;"> and the </span></span><a href="http://www.dmh.org.il/default.aspx" style="color: #252525; line-height: 22px;">Design Museum Holon</a><span style="color: #252525;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">. The Ilana Goor museum was very unique as it is also the residence of the artist Ilana Goor and is filled with her own art work plus her extensive collection of other artists' work. The house had a very passionate and eccentric feeling to it. All areas, except her private bedroom, were open for visitors to explore. We purposefully sought out this museum as we learned that she had sculpture from </span><a href="http://galyatarmu.com/" style="line-height: 22px;">Galya Tarmu</a><span style="line-height: 22px;">, who painted a painting we were fortunate to have purchased in a Las Vegas antique shop. When we arrived at the museum we were pleasantly surprised to find four art works by Galya! The Tel Aviv Museum of Art had a diverse </span><a href="http://www.tamuseum.org.il/collection-lobby" style="line-height: 22px;">permanent collection</a><span style="line-height: 22px;"> of contemporary art with pieces from Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollack, Max Ernst, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, to name just a few. There was also a fascinating special installation by Tom Friedman called "Up in the </span></span></span><span style="color: #252525; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="line-height: 22px;">Air." You can see a video below:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Tel Aviv is also home to the <a href="http://www.white-city.co.il/english/index.htm">"White City of Tel Aviv" a UNESCO Heritage Site</a> filled with unique Bauhaus style buildings.<i> "Tel Aviv has the largest concentration in the world of buildings built in the "International Style". This style was brought to Tel Aviv in the beginning of the 1930's by European graduates of European architecture schools. Their source of inspiration was the modern architecture movement dominant in Europe in the 1920's. The main principles of the modern movement are – architecture is an expression of volume and not mass, asymmetrical composition and regular repetition instead of classic symmetry, avoidance of all decorations that do not have a useful purpose."</i> (Source: <a href="http://www.white-city.co.il/english/index.htm">http://www.white-city.co.il/english/index.htm</a>). We enjoyed an informative walking tour of some of the area via the <a href="http://www.bauhaus-center.com/">Bauhaus Centre</a>. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HUL02xEjvJNTJh9B3luumnBRZLSP-i9RLsFJLKA5rV30dqd9uUGrOpxO4X8ndt7esHitUbQQWGT9ugrhOtAx9e6jcI4RwLW2X8Yn4Vep4b7_F0dBz25_cVQ4QK6PgbpG7gtkTecL2gI0/s1600/bauhaus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6HUL02xEjvJNTJh9B3luumnBRZLSP-i9RLsFJLKA5rV30dqd9uUGrOpxO4X8ndt7esHitUbQQWGT9ugrhOtAx9e6jcI4RwLW2X8Yn4Vep4b7_F0dBz25_cVQ4QK6PgbpG7gtkTecL2gI0/s1600/bauhaus.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">No trip to the region is complete without exploring some of the religious sites. Even as Atheists we appreciate the history and religious importance of the region. We booked a private tour with <a href="http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserReviews-g293984-d2103179-r257089136-Rent_a_Guide_Israel_Tours-Tel_Aviv_Tel_Aviv_District.html#REVIEWS">Rent a Guide Israel Tours </a>to see Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The private tour was in a comfortable van and allowed us to go at our own pace. Our guide Ofer was very knowledgeable about the history, cultures and religions in the region. We started the tour in the <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Jerusalem/Old_City">Jerusalem Old City</a> which is divided into four quadrants; Christian, Armenian, Jewish and Muslim. We spent the hours visiting many ornate churches, wandering side roads and browsing market stalls. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzWltIXqoisaGCPlpvCpTOJ99ZW8zLyojP3_ZFwLC8m_NEZHknjNojnwOxAy2d3-pUnGRmAVciBxG-E4NFSYrM4XWq5E-OdbjtvEVYdbc6R1QJ6bJ48-Yr1FImV0uLyEY6KfMd6GWvsUX/s1600/jerusalem.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzWltIXqoisaGCPlpvCpTOJ99ZW8zLyojP3_ZFwLC8m_NEZHknjNojnwOxAy2d3-pUnGRmAVciBxG-E4NFSYrM4XWq5E-OdbjtvEVYdbc6R1QJ6bJ48-Yr1FImV0uLyEY6KfMd6GWvsUX/s1600/jerusalem.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We saw the <a href="http://www.churchoftheholysepulchre.net/">Church of the Holy Sepulchre</a> built on the site of Jesus's crucification and the tomb where he was said to have been buried. We toured the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cenacle">Cenacle</a> which is where the Last Supper was said to have occurred. We also visited the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall">Western Wall</a> (also called the Wailing Wall); "<i>It is a relatively small western segment of the walls surrounding the area called the Temple Mount (or Har Habayit) by Jews, Christians and most Western sources, and known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary (Al-Haram ash-Sharīf)</i>" (source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Wall</a>). It is an important site for Jewish prayer and pilgrimage. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Mount">Temple Mount</a> is an important religious site within Judaism, Christianity and Islam. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock">Dome of the Rock</a> <i>"is a shrine located on the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem. It was initially completed in 691 CE at the order of Umayyad Caliph Abd al-Malik during the Second Fitna. The Dome of the Rock is now one of the oldest works of Islamic architecture.[1] It has been called 'Jerusalem's most recognizable landmark'.[2] The octagonal plan of the structure may have been influenced by the Byzantine Chapel of St Mary (also known as Kathisma and al-Qadismu) built between 451 and 458 on the road between Jerusalem and Bethlehem.[3] The site's significance stems from religious traditions regarding the rock, known as the Foundation Stone, at its heart, which bears great significance for Jews, Christians and Muslims"</i> (source <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock</a>). </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Western Wall</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pOr33rfqRnZtbwwASOI0OwS77NgRPLaTi3khjPZyUjo-kWv1pea2ud_2VQaaCwwFczOKnF4YWdrg6l4fHoqDDw6qs-OKbAaeufHWMx0LAzEdRvx4mLOtWf2BPcyQySqYzhWotC3TIepE/s1600/wailing+wall.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8pOr33rfqRnZtbwwASOI0OwS77NgRPLaTi3khjPZyUjo-kWv1pea2ud_2VQaaCwwFczOKnF4YWdrg6l4fHoqDDw6qs-OKbAaeufHWMx0LAzEdRvx4mLOtWf2BPcyQySqYzhWotC3TIepE/s1600/wailing+wall.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">After Jerusalem we headed to <a href="http://wikitravel.org/en/Bethlehem">Bethlehem</a>. When we arrived we changed to a Palestinian tour guide who took us through the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_West_Bank_barrier">Israeli West Bank barrier</a> separating the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Palestine">State of Palestine</a> from Israel. On the other side we took a car past the wall, covered in graffiti and political slogans to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manger_Square">Manger Square</a>, which sits in front of the Church of Nativity.<i> "The Church of the Nativity is a basilica located in Bethlehem, Palestine. The church was originally commissioned in 327 AD by Constantine and his mother Helena over the site that is still traditionally considered to be located over the cave that marks the birthplace of Jesus of Nazareth"</i> (source: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_the_Nativity</a>) We explored the church and viewed the site where Jesus was born, which is marked with a silver star on the floor (seen in the photo below). The church is very ornate inside and was undergoing painstaking restorations in some portions. We toured some of the surrounding buildings and ended our tour at a very nice gift shop filled with religious items, souvenirs and local olive wood handicrafts. After shopping we went back through the security gates in the wall and re-united with our original guide. All of the people we met on our tours of both cities were friendly and welcoming. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Church of Nativity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Israeli West Bank Barrier</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">We loved the week we spent in this ancient region and I dearly wish for peace and prosperity for all. </span><br />
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<br />voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-42442579901211584442015-03-02T21:27:00.001-08:002015-03-27T21:45:19.319-07:00Jordan Vegan EatsWhen travelling we check out the traditional foods for items that are naturally vegan. Luckily <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordanian_cuisine" target="_blank">Jordanian Cuisine</a> has many vegan options. In Jordan we enjoyed hummus, falafel, <a href="http://landlopers.com/2011/06/16/learning-make-foul-jordans-oldest-important-dishes" target="_blank">foul</a> (a mix of fava beans and spices), pita bread, <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fattoush" target="_blank">Fattoush salad,</a> tabouleh salad, baba ghanoush, olives, and diverse fruits! <br />
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In Amman we found a vegetarian restaurant on HappyCow; <a href="http://www.happycow.net/reviews/hashem-amman-21505" target="_blank">Hashem.</a> It is a busy spot with outside seating. There is no menu but they come by and take your order which can be a combination of the following; hummus, foul, falafel, pita. It is served with a side of onions, mint and tomatoes. I have never tried hummus with mint before and it was delicious! It was extremely cheap and some of the best hummus and falafel I've ever had! <br />
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However, there is also a lot of dishes with meat or dairy so we often found ourselves eating a combination of the hummus, salads, falafel, assorted dips and pita for three meals a day. I had never considered falafel as a breakfast food before!<br />
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While in the region we also enjoyed <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkish_delight" target="_blank">Turkish Delight</a>, a sweet fruit jelly, and Turkish coffee infused with cardamon. <br />
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhonevoyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-38278027741052071322015-03-02T07:19:00.001-08:002015-03-27T21:45:31.942-07:00Dead SeaWe began our time in the <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea" target="_blank">Dead Sea</a> area by relaxing at the tranquil <a href="http://m.sixsenses.com/evason-resorts/ma-in/six-senses-spa-at-evason-main" target="_blank">Evason Hotsprings Hotel. </a> We spent our time relaxing in the thermal pool fed by the natural hot springs. <br />
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The next portion we enjoyed checking out the Dead Sea while staying at the adjacent <a href="http://www.kempinski.com/en/dead-sea/hotel-ishtar/welcome/" target="_blank">Kempinski Hotel.</a> The pool was great and overlooked the Sea. Floating in the Dead Sea was like nothing I've ever experienced! It was like being suspended in pudding. We were rubbed with Dead Sea mud which reportedly has healing properties. Sadly the <a href="http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/bigpicture/2015/01/21/declining-water-levels-dead-sea/trojg9QUNZSRLeZzBD765M/story.html?event=event25" target="_blank">Dead Sea</a> is under threat of drying up. <br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhonevoyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-16112386766418913862015-02-22T09:17:00.001-08:002015-03-27T21:45:42.810-07:00Petra<br />
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We took a taxi from our Amman hotel to the airport to pick up our rental car. We decided it would be easiest to rent from the airport which is outside of the city. We had reserved a Mazda 3 but ended up with a type we've never heard of; Ssangyong! The trip to Petra was easy, with easy to access gas stations (but always keep a full tank as stations are harder to find in smaller areas), well maintained highways, good signage and GPS on my phone. It's surreal to drive down the highway and just see camels hanging out. We had a few dogs try to chase us but happily we didn't run any over! <br />
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Once we arrived in Petra we found our hotel, <a href="http://m.moevenpick-hotels.com/petra" target="_blank">Movenpick</a>, right near the gates to Petra. Our room was nice with a large patio. The lobby reminded me of a luxurious hotel of a bygone era. Because it is off season there is a lot less tourists, and the cooler temperatures are perfect for hiking. <br />
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On the advice of a <a href="http://landlopers.com/2011/08/22/petra-by-night" target="_blank">Land Lopers</a> article we decided against going to the Petra at night event. Instead, We purchased a 2 day pass at a cost of 55 Jordan Dinar per person. After the first night we were up early before the crowds to explore Petra. This turned out to be a great plan, we enjoyed the hike and sights with hardly any other tourists. The hike begins immediately with many ancient carvings, cave dwellings and tombs. As you pass through the <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siq" target="_blank">Siq</a> you begin to glimpse the magnificent <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Khazneh" target="_blank">Treasury Building</a>, which is actually a mausoleum. We opted to hike up to <a href="http://m.roughguides.com/destinations/middle-east/jordan/petra/ancient-city/monastery-route/" target="_blank">The Monastery</a>, actually a tomb, as well. The hike is worth it! At the top we rested with fresh fruit juice, friendly cats and enjoyed the view. Food, drinks and trinkets are available in spots scattered through out Petra. The second day we hiked up to another mountain top and took in the view of the amphitheatre. <br />
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After three nights in Petra we jumped in the rental car to head to our next destination near the Dead Sea. The trip should have been about three hours but took us five thanks to getting lost in the town of <a href="http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tafilah" target="_blank">Tafila</a>. After trying to find the turn off four times, going down a one way the wrong way, and traversing across the centre of town three times we had to concede that google maps was as confused as us. The alleged turn off existed only in GPS. Of course all this heavy GPS use left us with an almost depleted iPhone battery and still a long way to go to our destination. We stopped in town and after possibly illegal parking in a bus terminal, a lot of sign language, and two purchases we found a car charging adapter for the cigarette lighter. (The cars built in USB charger is apparently just for show). A local pointed us in the general direction to get back on the right route. We drove out of town and took the turn off he had described. We figured at least it seemed to be heading towards the Dead Sea, in all honesty we were driving more by "feel" at this point. We started to traverse an extremely winding road, carved into the side of a mountain, that dropped alarmingly in elevation as we drove. As we got to the bottom GPS caught up and we found ourselves headed in the right direction on the highway adjacent to the Dead Sea. From there we easily found out next stop; <a href="http://velvetescape.com/2011/12/ma-in-hot-springs-jordan/" target="_blank">Evason Ma'an Hotsprings.</a><br />
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- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhonevoyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-78276972061524886922015-02-15T11:19:00.001-08:002015-03-27T21:46:05.537-07:00Adventures in AmmanWe are in Amman for two nights. We started our first morning with a walk to downtown Amman. On the way we found a cellular dealer and picked up a SIM card so we can easily stay connected and most importantly use GPS.<br />
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We walked over 12kms and thanks to the hilly landscape the equivalent of 34 flights of stairs. We checked out the impressive <a href="http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/roman_ruins.html" target="_blank">Roman ruins amphitheatre</a> built in 138-161 AD. <br />
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We also toured the fantastic <a href="http://www.royalautomuseum.jo/default.aspx?Lang=en" target="_blank">Jordan Automobile Museum</a>. The collection was amazing containing cars we've never seen elsewhere. <br />
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Now we are off to Petra in our rental car!</div>
voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1984643891457297045.post-31778542489744182702015-02-08T20:31:00.001-08:002015-08-22T22:05:24.787-07:00More Calgary Vegan Delights!<a href="http://www.heartschoices.com/#!thai-vegan-cafe/c16ym">Heart's Choices </a>recently opened up their new Vegan Thai Cafe and grocery. They have fantastic meals, including my favourite dish; satay skewers with a peanut sauce. As well they have vegan cakes and desserts from <a href="http://www.purplepastrychef.ca/">Purple Pastry Chef</a> and vegan chocolate bars from <a href="https://sjaaks.com/categories/show/Eli%27s+Earth+Bars">Sjaak's</a> and<a href="http://gomaxgofoods.com/"> Go Max Go Foods.</a> In addition they sell hand crafted, local made, cultured cashew based vegan cheese.<br />
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My regular go to restaurant is the very tasty all vegetarian (and mostly vegan) <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/tamarindvietnamese/">Tamarind Vietnamese Grill & Noodle House.</a> Favourite dishes include: Deep fried wonton, Crispy spring rolls, Tamarind house special noodle soup (Pho Dac Biet), and Pad thai. Generous portions, affordable prices and lovely staff!<br />
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My favourite coffee shop, <a href="https://www.philsebastian.com/">Phil and Sebastian</a>, often have a vegan muffin or cake donut at the Mission and Marda Loop locations I frequent. Speaking of donuts, did you know you can also advance order vegan doughnuts from <a href="http://jellymoderndoughnuts.com/">Jelly Modern Doughnuts</a>? Make a great birthday surprise sure to delight the vegan in your life!<br />
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Fresh pressed juices have exploded on the scene in Calgary with many different purveyors. I've enjoyed <a href="https://www.facebook.com/welljuicery">Well Juicery</a> (also found at Phil and Sebastian) and my all time favourite <a href="http://www.crujuice.com/">Cru Juice</a>. (Cru also has an amazing nut based milk with vanilla bean.) Cru Juice is available from their store front and various spots around town including the little neighbourhood bodega and caterer O<a href="http://ourdailybrett.com/">ur Daily Brett.</a> Our Daily Brett does a great job remembering the vegans and often has a section of vegan friendly salads, dips, soups and <a href="http://sidewalkcitizenbakery.com/">Sidewalk Citizen Bakery </a>breads. They make a new daily meal to go, which is sometimes a vegan friendly offering. Sign up on their website to get their weekly menu.<br />
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And you are looking for gluten free and vegan baking look no further than <a href="https://www.facebook.com/BakedFromTheHeartCalgary">Baked From the Heart</a>! I admit I rarely like GF baking but their moist, tasty mini cupcakes topped with piles of rich icing have swayed me! I'm glad I had some GF guests coming over to have an excuse to check out their wares.<br />
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Oh and a little bonus <a href="http://justins.com/product/dark-chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-double-cup/">Justin's Dark Peanut Butter Cups</a> are now available at Starbucks!voyagevixenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05960507105605134915noreply@blogger.com1