The traveller was active; he went strenuously in search of people, of adventure, of experience. The tourist is passive; he expects interesting things to happen to him. He goes "sight-seeing." ~Daniel J. Boorstin

10
May
Photo by: greyvdm I am happy to announce that Grey and I are finally realizing our dream of going to Europe! Our wedding is coming up on the 1st of September, and 2 weeks later we will be jetting off to London, Paris and Berlin, with a final stop in Brighton, UK before returning home to Canada. We’ll be using Airbnb.com for our accommodations, and I can happily report that our first experience with Airbnb in Brooklyn was fantastic! It will be great to have a kitchen, live like the locals and really immerse ourselves in the culture.  It also makes be happy to be blogging more often, leading up to the trip and of course while we are there.  Happy travels, all! 

Photo by: greyvdm

I am happy to announce that Grey and I are finally realizing our dream of going to Europe! Our wedding is coming up on the 1st of September, and 2 weeks later we will be jetting off to London, Paris and Berlin, with a final stop in Brighton, UK before returning home to Canada.

We’ll be using Airbnb.com for our accommodations, and I can happily report that our first experience with Airbnb in Brooklyn was fantastic! It will be great to have a kitchen, live like the locals and really immerse ourselves in the culture. 

It also makes be happy to be blogging more often, leading up to the trip and of course while we are there. 

Happy travels, all! 

18
Apr
Lighthouse in Iceberg Ally; St. Anthony, Newfoundland.

Lighthouse in Iceberg Ally; St. Anthony, Newfoundland.

20
Mar
Photo by: greyvdm Chelsea, New York City.

Photo by: greyvdm

Chelsea, New York City.

12
Mar
Photo by: greyvdm Grey and I had a short but sweet weekend trip to New York City recently, and I wanted to share a few favorite places we discovered: Iris Cafe in Brooklyn Heights is a great little spot with yummy brunch and amazing coffee! There are beautiful brownstone homes to admire in the neighborhood, and it’s fairly close to the Brooklyn Bridge Park. WTF Coffee Lab is located in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn and has possibly my favorite cappuccino in New York so far.  And last but not least, I came across the delicious Early Bird Granola at the Chelsea Market in Manhattan. It is a delicious blend of salty and sweet granola with southern pecans. It only took me a week to finish and I can’t wait to get back to New York so I can stock up!  See you again in September, New York!

Photo by: greyvdm


Grey and I had a short but sweet weekend trip to New York City recently, and I wanted to share a few favorite places we discovered:

Iris Cafe in Brooklyn Heights is a great little spot with yummy brunch and amazing coffee! There are beautiful brownstone homes to admire in the neighborhood, and it’s fairly close to the Brooklyn Bridge Park.

WTF Coffee Lab is located in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn and has possibly my favorite cappuccino in New York so far. 

And last but not least, I came across the delicious Early Bird Granola at the Chelsea Market in Manhattan. It is a delicious blend of salty and sweet granola with southern pecans. It only took me a week to finish and I can’t wait to get back to New York so I can stock up! 

See you again in September, New York!

7
Feb
Photo by: greyvdm Market Street Railway car. Jones Street, San Francisco

Photo by: greyvdm

Market Street Railway car. Jones Street, San Francisco

2
Feb
It feels like we’ve been on travel hiatus lately, and planning a wedding has definitely been contributing to our dry spell (Not that I am complaining; the planning is really fun, plus I get to organize a big European trip for next Spring!) When a friend suggested we head to New York for a weekend at the end of February, the Porter seat sale made it pretty tempting. An expensive hotel could have gotten in the way of an affordable getaway, so I thought this may be the opportunity to finally try Airbnb out! Airbnb is a great resource for finding apartments to rent for short term stays in 192 countries. Many people host guests in extra bedrooms in their homes, and others rent out entire apartments/houses which is a great way to become a local while you’re visiting a city! I will surely give an update when we get back from our restored Brooklyn Brownstone! From the glowing reviews it looks like it will be a positive one. :)

It feels like we’ve been on travel hiatus lately, and planning a wedding has definitely been contributing to our dry spell (Not that I am complaining; the planning is really fun, plus I get to organize a big European trip for next Spring!)

When a friend suggested we head to New York for a weekend at the end of February, the Porter seat sale made it pretty tempting. An expensive hotel could have gotten in the way of an affordable getaway, so I thought this may be the opportunity to finally try Airbnb out! Airbnb is a great resource for finding apartments to rent for short term stays in 192 countries. Many people host guests in extra bedrooms in their homes, and others rent out entire apartments/houses which is a great way to become a local while you’re visiting a city!

I will surely give an update when we get back from our restored Brooklyn Brownstone! From the glowing reviews it looks like it will be a positive one. :)

9
Oct

My mom recently came to visit me in Toronto for a week, so now that she is gone, I am thinking about the recent trip we made to the west coast of Newfoundland. The picture above was taken in Northern Peninsula.

If you make the trip to the northern part of the island, you should visit the viking archeological site L’Anse Au Meadows.

The Parks Canada website says:

“The reconstructions of three Norse buildings are the focal point of this archaeological site, the earliest known European settlement in the New World. The archaeological remains at the site were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. Exhibits highlight the Viking lifestyle, artifacts, and the archaeological discovery of the site. Visitors can also explore the hiking trails to nearby bays and lakes.”

Below are a  few highlights from our visit. Enjoy!

25
Sep
Photo by: greyvdm A beautiful view of Central Park from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York!

Photo by: greyvdm

A beautiful view of Central Park from the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York!

31
Jul
Photo by: greyvdm Presidio, San Francisco

Photo by: greyvdm

Presidio, San Francisco

12
Jul

A little promotion for my home province, my mother-land, Newfoundland and Labrador! (I’m also in this video. Look for me, Grey and our awesome new Linus bicycles!)

Quote from the Newfoundland and Labrador Youtube page:

“For three hot, humid nights in Toronto, we took to the streets and brought some fresh Newfoundland and Labrador air with us. We projected NL imagery of whales, icebergs and clotheslines at three downtown locations, letting people picture themselves in Newfoundland and Labrador, and enjoy a breath of fresh air.”

Enjoy!

9
Jul

If you ever find yourself in beautiful Gros Morne National Park in Western Newfoundland, be sure to take a Bon Tours bout tour. They offer 4 different tours in the area, including the Western Brook Pond Boat Tour which we were very excited for.

After a 45 minute easy hike into the pond, we got on board a boat that took us though a pond and surrounding mountains carved by glaciers. The picture alone should sell you for sure!

4
Jul
Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Western Brook Pond, Gros Morne National Park, Newfoundland and Labrador.

29
Jun
St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador.

St. Anthony, Newfoundland and Labrador.

19
Jun
Lovely day for a ride!

Lovely day for a ride!

10
Jun
Photo by: greyvdm I may be stuck at work until 5pm, but as soon as I am out, I get to ride my brand new bike!

Photo by: greyvdm

I may be stuck at work until 5pm, but as soon as I am out, I get to ride my brand new bike!