What Is the Montreal Fireworks Festival? This is one of the largest fireworks festivals in the world. It takes place every year between June and August, bringing pyrotechnic companies from several countries together to c…
By Marco Vasconcelos · Aug 01, 2025 · 10 min read
Montreal International Jazz Festival: The Event That Brought Us Here There is one part of Montreal's summer that Alice and I simpl…
Jun 18, 2026 · 12 min read
Forty Three Years in Pernambuco Without Sailing Once I lived in Pernambuco for 43 years and had never sailed. Not once. Not at Cab…
Jun 17, 2026 · 9 min read
Getting Around Montreal and Understanding Public Transportation Want to know how to get around Montreal ? The city is not designed…
Jun 15, 2026 · 12 min read
What Is This River Shuttle, and Why Do So Few Visitors Know About It? After several Montreal summers, Alice and I learned that som…
Jun 15, 2026 · 9 min read
Goodbye Taxis, Hello Hairpin Turns: Beginning Our Northern Adventure Some travel days unfold exactly as planned. This was not one…
Jun 11, 2026 · 8 min read
Our Expectation: Escape the Cancún Resort Bubble and Find the Real Mexico The trip began with an airfare promotion too good to ign…
Jun 08, 2026 · 10 min read
Time Genuinely Slows Down in Bacalar That is not a figure of speech. You feel it physically after leaving the car: fewer horns, sm…
Jun 08, 2026 · 9 min read
What Is MURAL Festival, and What Makes It Different? Most art festivals work like this: you enter an enclosed space, see completed…
Jun 04, 2026 · 6 min read
Montreal's Best Parks Beyond the Obvious Choice Everyone mentions Mount Royal when discussing Montreal's best parks. It is the obv…
May 20, 2026 · 7 min read
Câmara de Lobos: A Strong Local Identity Navigators João Gonçalves Zarco and Tristão Vaz Teixeira named the village after the larg…
May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
Funchal Through a Reality Filter During eight days on Madeira, Funchal served as our strategic base. We reserved two full days to…
May 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Le P'tit Train du Nord is a 232 kilometer linear park built on an old railway line in the Laurentians region of Quebec. It is one…
Apr 16, 2026 · 1 min read
Why did we include Paros in our trip for two? As first time sailors through Greece's Cyclades, Alice and I chose a less obvious tr…
Apr 14, 2026 · 7 min read
Driving in the Greek islands: what we learned Whether a rental car is worthwhile depends on each island's size, how long you will…
Apr 10, 2026 · 9 min read
Where should you stay in Milos? Milos is a hidden jewel of the Cyclades. The island where the famous Venus de Milo was discovered…
Apr 08, 2026 · 5 min read
Why three days in Milos is not enough Milos seems carved by hand to remind us that life can be lighter. The “Island of Colors” beg…
Apr 08, 2026 · 4 min read
Lagos cliff walk: Praia da Batata to Ponta da Piedade The trail from historic Lagos to Ponta da Piedade is essential for nature lo…
Apr 07, 2026 · 4 min read
A relaxed start from Lagos We did not jump out of bed at 6 am. After a proper breakfast in Lagos, we drove to Albufeira Marina . I…
Apr 07, 2026 · 4 min read
Olhão: nature and authenticity in Ria Formosa Albufeira and Lagos make excellent Algarve bases, but travelers wanting raw nature,…
Apr 07, 2026 · 3 min read
On our first trip to Portugal, we wanted to know whether Instagram's colorful palace justified hours in line. My uncle has lived n…
Mar 30, 2026 · 4 min read
A city where history stays visible Chania is an open air museum. Its heart is the Venetian Harbor , built in the 14th century and…
Mar 30, 2026 · 4 min read
The Megalopotamos River makes Preveli unique The Megalopotamos River cuts through the gorge and reaches the sea on Preveli's sand.…
Mar 29, 2026 · 2 min read
A 300 meter giant in southern Crete In Rethymno, Kourtaliotiko Gorge rises more than 300 meters around the road. Wind channeled th…
Mar 28, 2026 · 3 min read
Staying nearby gave us an advantage We were based in North Vancouver , so reaching the park was easy. Arrive early. The first time…
Mar 27, 2026 · 2 min read
An unplanned British Columbia detour A Flair Airlines deal from Montreal took us to Vancouver over the April Easter holiday. Sea t…
Mar 26, 2026 · 2 min read
Where to stay: three realistic choices Montreal to Sandbanks is about 380 km , roughly four hours. Stay at least one or two nights…
Mar 26, 2026 · 3 min read
Frozen in real life The famous Mur de Glace , or Ice Wall, felt exactly like Elsa's castle. This is no human construction; winter…
Mar 25, 2026 · 2 min read
From Montreal, Parc Omega is simple by car. Its signature experience is feeding wild animals through the window while staying warm…
Mar 25, 2026 · 2 min read
We visited on a mild 5°C weekend in mid March. Late season meant some attractions were already closed, but we tested the park's ma…
Mar 24, 2026 · 2 min read
Why does everyone talk about Montreal? Montreal has two faces. Summer brings festivals, terraces and outdoor life; winter turns th…
Jan 28, 2026 · 7 min read
A Quebec Spring Break ritual For many Montreal families, driving to Cape Liberty in New Jersey and boarding Royal Caribbean's Anth…
Nov 27, 2025 · 5 min read
How Montreal became part of our lives We have lived in Montreal since 2018. Over the years, I have watched visitors line up for ex…
Nov 27, 2025 · 5 min read
Understanding Pico do Arieiro At 1,818 meters , Pico do Arieiro (officially Pico do Areeiro in European Portuguese) is Madeira's t…
Sep 21, 2025 · 4 min read
PR9: a green fairy tale in Madeira PR9 Levada do Caldeirão Verde begins at Casa das Queimadas and runs for roughly 12 km round tri…
Sep 19, 2025 · 4 min read
Driving in Madeira is an experience in itself: dramatic mountains, tunnels that seem endless and a new viewpoint around every bend…
Sep 18, 2025 · 5 min read
Madeira has turquoise water, dramatic coastal trails and mountain viewpoints, but few places feel as unreal as Fanal Forest . Its…
Sep 18, 2025 · 4 min read
Madeira may be known as the island of flowers, but Ponta de São Lourenço proves that its nature can also be dry, raw and dramatic.…
Sep 16, 2025 · 4 min read
Paradise does not always begin at arrivals The Riviera Maya offers turquoise water, Maya ruins, resorts and cenotes. Cancún Airpor…
Aug 19, 2025 · 5 min read
Mandrakia Mandrakia looks like a Cycladic postcard. Whitewashed buildings surround a small cove, and brightly painted syrmata , tr…
Aug 18, 2025 · 3 min read
Why Cozumel attracts so many boat tours Cozumel is famous for clear Caribbean water and reef diving. El Cielo , named for the star…
Aug 18, 2025 · 4 min read
Why cenotes make Yucatán special Cenotes are natural openings into the limestone aquifer beneath the Yucatán Peninsula. Some are o…
Aug 17, 2025 · 3 min read
Our private day on the water in Milos Greek rules allow certain low powered boats to be rented without a formal boating licence. I…
Aug 16, 2025 · 4 min read
A Quebec summer half day in Saint Côme About 90 minutes from Montreal, Au Canot Volant offers a simple combination: hike through t…
Aug 15, 2025 · 3 min read
A word about Bacalar Bacalar is a freshwater lagoon rather than a Caribbean beach destination. Its changing depths and limestone f…
Aug 15, 2025 · 4 min read
I could promise ten easy steps to escape corrupt police in Mexico. It would be good for SEO, but it would be a lie. You can do eve…
Aug 15, 2025 · 5 min read
What is Los Rápidos? Los Rápidos is a narrow channel connecting sections of Bacalar Lagoon. The gentle current carries swimmers th…
Aug 14, 2025 · 3 min read
Where is Cyprus Lake Campground? Cyprus Lake Campground sits inside Bruce Peninsula National Park , south of Tobermory. Its greate…
Aug 14, 2025 · 3 min read
In July 2023, I took the Flowerpot Island Drop Off Cruise from Tobermory with Blue Heron Cruises. The combination of glass clear w…
Aug 13, 2025 · 3 min read
Canada is not only snow For most of the year, Quebec's river landscapes sit under cold or ice. From roughly June through August, w…
Jul 24, 2025 · 4 min read
Travel time: flight versus ferry A domestic flight may last less than an hour, but total time includes airport transport, early ar…
Nov 22, 2024 · 3 min read
Slow ferries versus fast ferries Conventional ferries are large, slower and generally more stable. They carry vehicles and provide…
Nov 21, 2024 · 4 min read
Multi city flights for Greece and its islands An open jaw itinerary can save time: arrive in Athens and leave from Crete, for exam…
Nov 20, 2024 · 4 min read
Montreal's deep relationship with water Montreal is an island shaped by the St. Lawrence River. Water drove trade, industry and se…
Mar 18, 2024 · 4 min read
Whale watching adventure in Quebec Where the Saguenay River meets the St. Lawrence, cold nutrient rich water supports one of Canad…
Mar 15, 2024 · 4 min read
