Traveling |

Tag-Archive for » traveling «

Letters from Oli: The Maritimes and Quebec

02 Oct 2010 - Toulouse LeTrek

My friend, Oli

When my friend Oli set out to travel with his human companions across Canada to Vancouver on the west coast, I wanted to share his wonderful letters with you. Oli started his journey from his home in Mahone Bay on the coast of Nova Scotia, where I had met him a while ago. After a dubious start in our relationship, involving a damaged nose, sliced paw, surgery, and a cone, we became great friends. Oli is a cheerful, funny, optimistic soul, who likes to make people happy and holds no grudges: my kind of guy.

Here’s his first letter to me:

Hi Toulouse! We left my house and are off to the other side of the world! I’m so excited I could pee! Well, I DID pee… :-3 … But my bestest friend Saskia made sure I did it outside! Shahar—Saskia’s bestest friend—has gone ahead of us and will meet us in Montreal. That’s somewhere in Quebec, where everyone speaks

Village of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia

French (like YOU) and where cats are sophisticated, very friendly and chatty (that’s why they’re called “chats”. Millie, our old neighbor’s cat, told me.)

I got the whole back seat of the car, Toulouse! Luggage and camping supplies filled the back seat, but I got my place to stretch out like a little prince. I’m so spoiled! WOOF! :-3

We stopped at a large lake. Saskia kept saying it was “grand”. Then camped

Oli explores Grand Lake, NB

at a place called Perth and Over—funny name, I thought. A little like that place that was named after a good laugh! “Saint Louis of Ha Ha!” I guess Saint Louis was a funny guy as well as a saint.

We’d been driving for a long time and my tummy was grumbling for food as we drove along that big river—I forgot the name Saskia called it. “Sent Low-rents”…something like that. But then I saw the coolest thing, Toulouse! I looked up at the blue sky and I saw—arranged row upon row—puffy clouds that looked just like Krispy Creams! Really! They were round with soft smooth bottoms and rough tops that I could imagine were full of candied

Oli gazes at the moon

toppings. I pointed and pointed to Saskia, but she thought I was doing the hand-shake trick and laughed. “Oh, Oli! Not now! I’m driving!” But she got the idea. Within minutes she stopped the car at an outlook by the river and gave me some food-treats and water. They weren’t Krispy Creams but they filled my tummy. YAY!

Then we went for a nice walk through the grass and I ran to the river and found some cool sticks to chew and birds to chase. The river was so big, Toulouse! You could look across it and not see the other side even! But it

Oli camps at Perth-Andover, NB

didn’t scare Saskia. She made sure I got wet fetching sticks in the river and it was fun because I trusted her. I knew she wouldn’t put me in any danger. So I got wet and muddy too. And did you know that the water tasted a little salty? You could add noodles and—presto—soup du jour, as you would say!

Ok. Talk to you later, dude!

Your pal,

Oli

p.s. Can you tell that Saskia has been correcting my spelling so you can read this letter?

The Saint Lawrence Estuary

p.p.s. When will you send me those Pampered Pet treats Saskia told me about?

Well, it sure looks like Oli started off with a bang on the first leg of his journey across Canada. Just to clarify a few things for you, Grand Lake is located in central New Brunswick about midway between Fredericton and Moncton, and is that province’s largest freshwater lake. It’s a popular place for recreation, with several beaches and cottages on its shores. Perth-Andover is a village in New Brunswick, divided by the Saint John River. Saint-Louis-du-Ha! Ha! (yes! It really exists!) is a small town in Quebec near the south

oli trail to st lawrence river 150x150 Letters from Oli: The Maritimes and Quebec

Oli finds the way to the river

shore of the Saint Lawrence River. The Commission de Toponymie asserts that the parish’s name refers to nearby Lake Témiscouata. The “haha” is “an archaic French word for an unexpected obstacle or abruptly ending path.” Well, Oli and Saskia did stop there…Hehe… The village of La Pocatière, where Oli and Saskia camped, is located about a kilometer from the south shore tidal flats of the Saint Lawrence Estuary in Quebec. A Bombardier plant which manufactures subway and railway cars is located there too. They also make those cool “Skidoos” (the cool word for snowmobile).

Anyway, Oli’s next letter will be from somewhere in Ontario… See you then!

st lawrence river 150x150 Letters from Oli: The Maritimes and Quebec

The mighty Saint Lawrence River

I’m Toulouse LeTrek, the COOL Travel Cat!

Photos by Saskia Tait

This site is powered by donations. For your reading pleasure I do not clutter it with advertizing; nor do I charge any of these fine establishments, events or places for my reviews. If you are a patron who enjoys my articles or at the receiving end of one of my reviews you can show your appreciation with a donation (see right top sidebar).

Share and Enjoy:

The Zen of Travel: Getting the Best Seat on the Plane

21 Jun 2010 - Toulouse LeTrek

Toulouse on the go!

You’ve all experienced it: cramped legs competing with your stowed luggage, the incessant fight over the armrest, the kid kicking your back seat or the man in front of you reclining into your lap.

Exit rows, aisle or window seats and seats close to the front of the plane area typically considered the best for various reasons that range a gamut from comfort, to convenience and to safety.

Business people often prefer to sit close to the front of the plane so they can rush out ahead of everyone else to get to their all-important meeting on time. If you’re a nervous flyer, you might want to sit over the wing, where less turbulence occurs. If you are long-of-leg and looking for more leg room, an aisle seat gives you a chance to stretch—so long as you don’t trip the flight attendant handing out meals. They don’t like that and your chances of getting a meal go down considerably. The window seat gives you a view for those scenic flights, particularly over the Rockies, and during overnight flights it gives you a place to rest your head, so you don’t have to rely on the shoulder of that pesky passenger you were fighting the arm rest for earlier.

Experienced travelers suggest that “bulkhead seats” offer more legroom. Nina found this to be the case, but didn’t enjoy the somewhat claustrophobic feeling of facing a wall at arm’s length for six hours. Besides, not all bulkhead seats offer lots of room; some are cramped and uncomfortable. It depends on the plane. Which is why Nina and I have tried to familiarize ourselves with the various planes: each has its unique seating arrangement. If you want to know more use google, ask someone in the industry, or email me and I can tell you.

Surviving the Middle Seat

Recently, when we were rerouted at the last minute, Nina and I ended up with a middle seat on an international flight. That’s a long time to be the meat of a sandwich. The middle seat is usually the least desirable seat on the plane, for obvious reasons. Now you have to fight for two armrests!

Seats near the flight attendant stations can be noisy and therefore distracting and keep you from resting. Similarly, seats located near washrooms may fall prey to unsavory smells and high traffic. Even this scenario can be used to

toulouse airplane 300x225 The Zen of Travel: Getting the Best Seat on the Plane

Toulouse shares the middle seat with Nina's stuff

advantage—if you’re a writer and if you’re Nina, that is. On a flight to Denver from New York, Nina took advantage of the long queue of people to interview them about New York City. She made them her guaranteed prey; they had nowhere to go! :-3

Safety First

People keep asking me about where they should sit that would give them the best chance of surviving a plane crash. These are very deep and negative questions that make me think they should consider taking the train instead. Unfortunately, and not surprisingly, there is no clear-cut answer. One answer that I’ve heard often is that the rear of the aircraft is the safest. However other studies indicate that the safest place to sit is in the front of the plane within five rows of an emergency exit.

Ways to Get a Better Seat

Here are ten tips that can help you get a better seat, the one you want.

Buy your tickets early: pre-assignment gets more and more tricky the closer you approach the flight date.
Select your seat when you book your flight: this is an option most airlines and flights offer. Instead of letting them randomly pre-assign a seat, you can select one. Be sure you know the plane and what you want in a seat before picking one.
Checking in online as soon as you can also increases your chance of getting the seat you want. Most airlines let you check in online 24 hours before your flight leaves. You can confirm the seat you’ve already chosen or choose a better one.
Get to the airport early so you don’t lose your seat
Confirm your seat at the gate; this is your last chance to change your seat; sometimes you can change your seat there if the flight isn’t fully or over-booked
Get to know the various planes, and where the best seats are. This way, you will know which seat to book when you buy your ticket. It pays to be savvy!

Okay, I only gave you six; they were condensed into a powerful few. Now go and have fun. I’m Toulouse the COOL Travel Cat.

Toulouse’s Zen of Travel: Life (and travel) is full of choices; make them all impeccable and get the most out of it.

Share and Enjoy:

Category: World Travel, Zen of Traveling Tags: finding the best seat, getting the best seat on a plane, the karma of flying, the travel cat, the zen of travel, Toulouse LeTrek, toulouse the Travel cat, travel advisor, travel tips, travel wisdom, traveling, travelling, ways to get a better seat 3 Comments

Traveling in Switzerland: The Merula Bar in Merlischachen, where Brazil meets Switzerland

23 May 2010 - Toulouse LeTrek

A Happy Toulouse sips his Caipirinha on Lake Lucerne

Alexander, my new friend on Facebook, calls it “Caipirinha”. At least that’s how he advertizes this exotic drink at the Merula Bar that he and his wife Maira run on the shore of the Lake Lucerne in the little farming village of Merlischachen.

Located about 5 miles east of Lucerne, this charming village reflects the root of its name, which Alexander tells me loosely translates to “merry little town by the lake”. That’s only one story; the locals give several stories of how the place got its name. One is that it was named after a brave knight Hermanno de Merlischachen, who apparently lived in a tower on the peninsula where an estate called “Burg” (fortress) still exists today. Alexander told us that the name Merlischachen also derives from the Latin word “merula,” which means blackbird, and from the German word “Schachen,” meaning a small forest on a lake or stream; one of the reasons he called his bar the Merula Bar. Yet another story comes from the local coat of arms which is a green branch of an alder tree, “Erlenzweig,” hung with flowers and fruit on a gold background. It’s reminiscent of “im Erlischachen”, hence Merlischachen. While Nina gravitated to the romance of the knight (after googling him, she found nothing about this mysterious knight), I liked the “forest on a lake with blackbirds” explanation. It is an apt name for this quiet and charming village, where the only sound that stirs as you fall asleep each night is the constant lullaby of cow bells.

We were staying at the Schloss Hotel-Swiss Chalet complex in Merlischachen and during our daily walks in the

Lake Lucerne from Rigi 300x199 Traveling in Switzerland: The Merula Bar in Merlischachen, where Brazil meets Switzerland

Lake Lucerne from Mount Rigi

village, we visited some of our Merlischachen friends, two Swiss cows grazing in a neighbor’s back yard, just below our suite. Our walk on the Schloss Hotel grounds park led us along Lake Lucerne. Called the Vierwaldstättersee (“lake of the four forested Cantons”) Lake Lucerne is the fourth largest lake in Switzerland with meandering arms that cut through steep valleys and stretch from the city of Lucerne to the mountains of Rigi and Pilatus.

Nina will tell you that she heard the lively music first; but I know that it was my impeccable nose for Croque Monsieur that led us down the park path from the Schloss Hotel to this lively cantina-bar. Other locals had already discovered this little haven on the lake and were basking in the warm sun with a great view of the Swiss Alps.

merlischachen from above1 300x200 Traveling in Switzerland: The Merula Bar in Merlischachen, where Brazil meets Switzerland

The Charming Village of Merlischachen

We ordered two Croque Monsieurs and were thinking about what local beer we hadn’t yet tried when Alexander suggested the Caipirinha. Immediately intrigued, Nina asked him what it was.

Caipirinha is a traditional Portuguese Brazilian drink prepared with Cachaça (pronounced Ka-SHA-sa), lime juice, sugar and ice, Alexander explained. He then proceeded to mesmerize Nina by showing us how this wonderful drink from Brazilian cane sugar brandy is made. First he created a juicy “mash” of fresh limes (both flesh and peels) with Ypioca (Cachaça) using a mortar and pestle. Then he added ice (some people like to use crushed ice but we had chunks of ice) and brown sugar to taste.

Cachaça is the essential ingredient in Caipirinha, the national spirit of Brazil, Alexander told us. It is the spirit of Carnival, “the spirit of a country enjoying life.” Cachaça is a product of sugar cane and has a character somewhat

merula bar toulouse2 225x300 Traveling in Switzerland: The Merula Bar in Merlischachen, where Brazil meets Switzerland

Toulouse joins Alexander and Maira Eisenmann at the Merula Bar

similar to, though drier, than white rum (also made with cane sugar). However, while rum is produced from the molasses made from the sugar cane, Cachaça is produced directly from the juice of the cane. Ypióca Cachaça, the largest selling brand in Brazil, is produced only from the first crush. Locals drink Cachaça neat in small shot glasses. Others prefer a mix of Cachaça with lemon, passion fruit, tamarind, sugar and ice in a drink called a batida. Yet others drink it with limes, sugar and ice as a Caipirinha.

We sat on the patio and ate our Croque Monsieurs, feasting our eyes on the view of jeweled lake and snow-covered mountains. Within moments our exotic taste of Rio came. The potent and colorful “mash” of Caipirinha did an lively Spanish dance in my mouth and awoke my taste buds with a song of tart freshness. My whiskers curled with delight.

Nina laughed at me: “Your cheeks are puffing out again, Toulouse!”

She was one to talk; her cheeks were “puffing out” too… LOL!

Here is the recipe:

ypioca cachaca1 88x300 Traveling in Switzerland: The Merula Bar in Merlischachen, where Brazil meets Switzerland

Ypioca Cachaça, the Brazilian ambrosia

Caipirinha is made using 1 lime cut into 4 pieces, 2 1/2 ounces Cachaça, 1 to 2 Tbs. fine cane sugar, and crushed ice. First you crush the pieces of lime with the sugar thoroughly, preferably with a mortar and pestle. Then you add the ice, Cachaça, and stir or shake well in a tumbler. The lime pieces should remain in the glass, adding brilliant color and texture to this playful and zesty drink.

Photos by Nina Munteanu

Share and Enjoy:

Trendy Italian Cuisine Zurich Style: Ristorante Cucina

14 Apr 2010 - Toulouse LeTrek

Pizza Meister Saritas enjoys his craft

We’d been strolling Zurich’s trendy Kreis 5 neighborhood, along Heinrich-Strasse (our destination was eventually the Abaton Movie Theatre), when my nose—and practiced eye—caught sight of Ristorante Cucina, situated on a quiet corner of Luisenstrasse and Heinrich-Strasse. We weren’t in a hurry and my tiny tummy decided to “purr” loudly. Nina smiled and nodded. Within a moment she was climbing the small staircase and opened the great wooden door. Cucina’s stylish Mediterranean interior of crimson walls and leather chairs invited us in and we found a table by the window facing Heinrich-Strasse.

Our waiter, Johir, who comes from Bangladesh and has lived in Zurich for eight years, took our order and served us bread and olives. We selected the Cami 2006 Amarone red wine dela Valpolicella, a robust full-bodied and aromatic wine that just fills your mouth with elegant pleasure and lingers with fine scents of dried fruit. The

zurich cocina toulouse 300x230 Trendy Italian Cuisine Zurich Style: Ristorante Cucina

Toulouse enjoys the ambience of Cucina

elegant roundness and sense of adventure of Amarone makes it one of Italy’s wine treasures and a great choice to go with a flavorful Italian meal. We’d first ordered a glass each, but after a sip, Nina looked at me and we both nodded: we needed a bottle.

The combination of dark and green olives with artichoke hearts and exquisite wine sent us both spinning into a sensual paradise. According to Johir, the olives are olive oil-cured with fine herbs and presented with artichokes. The green olives were likely French provencal (imported from France); recognized for their excellent association with bread and cheese. The dark olives were likely the petite French niçoise olives blessed with a sweet nutty flavor, and known for their delicious pairing with bread and wine (fancy that! Just what we had). They may also have been Italian ligura, gaeta, or lugano olives. Either

zurich cocina olives wine toulouse 225x300 Trendy Italian Cuisine Zurich Style: Ristorante Cucina

Toulouse eyes the olives

way, they were exquisite and we just had to ask for more of them too.

Nina poured some Fiorucci aceto balsamico di Modena into a golden pool of extra virgin olive oil (Cubrol oro) and let the bread soak up the delectable mixture. As she gazed up in distracted euphoria I stole several more olives.

The award-winning restaurant (open since 1994) is best known for its brick-oven pizza, lovingly made to perfection by Herr Pizza Meister Saritas and his team of pizza makers. It’s no surprise that the Zurich Radio 24 cited Cucina as the best pizza place in Zurich, and possibly all of Switzerland! Saritas, who bakes with gusto and penache, invited me to oversee his team make their pizzas. Oval individual-sized pies are imaginatively created on a table by the oven then baked in the Cucina wood-burning stove and served on wooden cutting boards. The imaginative variety of pizzas is immense. The choice occupies at least two pages on their menu that includes antipasti, zuppe (soup), salatoni (salad), pasta fatta in casa (house-made pasta), risotto, carne (meat dishes) and pesci (fish dishes). Their pizzas al forno a legno (from wood burning stove) include a delectable variety of over thirty choices (that I counted on the menu) such

zurich cocina pizza meister saritas02 225x300 Trendy Italian Cuisine Zurich Style: Ristorante Cucina

Toulouse and Meister Saritas discuss oven-baked pizzas

as the Genovese (tomato mozzarella, ricotta and pesto), the Carnivora (tomato mozzarella, herb butter and sliced veal) and the Vichinga (tomato mozzarella with salmon and rocket lettuce). Intriguing ingredient selections include truffle oil, reisencrevettenschwanze, capers, raw rindshuft, rucola, rocket and eggplant.

Of course, being who we are, we didn’t order pizza. Instead, we both ordered something from their hausgemachte pasta. Nina ordered Tagliatelle (noodles) ai funghi porcini (noodles with mushrooms in a Weisenwein sauce—oohlala! It was fun and zesty with a lingering sweetness). I chose the Cannelloni alla fiorentina (Cannelloni filled with ricotta and spinach with mozzarella baked on top in a creamy rose sauce—“Perfeto!” or as they say in Switzerland, “Ausgezeichnet!”). This “comfort food” pinged all the sensual pleasure sites in my brain and sent my whiskers curling with the elegantly married tastes of cheese, spinach, pasta and sauce. The Italians have made the “marrying” of flavors an art and this dish was the equivalent to a Rembrant. We shared and congratulated one another on our “ausgezeichnet” choices then fell into eating in a reverent silence

zurich cocina canneloni alla fiorentina toulouse 300x225 Trendy Italian Cuisine Zurich Style: Ristorante Cucina

Toulouse drools over his Cannelloni alla fiorentina

punctuated only by sighs and deep breathing. In both cases, the meals paired exquisitely with the wine and the olives.

We had no room for desert (having filled on second-helpings of antipasti) but the ristorante serves some wonderful deserts according to the menu. Meals are advertized as going on average of 55 CHF when you count all the dishes and wine. Main dishes average 21.50 to 24.50 CHF.

When you’re in Zurich, treat yourself to a dinner and a movie on Heinriche-Strasse. Go check out Ristorante Cucina and say hi to Meister Saritas from me. :-3

Contact information:

zurich cocina pizza meister saritas toulouse1 300x300 Trendy Italian Cuisine Zurich Style: Ristorante Cucina

Herr Pizza Meister Saritas and Toulouse

Luisenstrase 40, 8005 Zürich
Telefon: 044 271 37 40
info@cucinarestaurant.ch

http://www.cucinarestaurant.ch
MO bis FR: 11h30-14h00 / 17h30-23h00

Photos by Nina Munteanu

Share and Enjoy:

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at the Montreal Airport

06 Apr 2010 - Toulouse LeTrek

Toulouse contemplates the toast at Moe's Deli & Bar

It started for me at 4 am on Sunday, when Nina snatched me off her writing desk and shoved me into her backpack (she isn’t very good at anything that early in the morning, so I’m lucky she didn’t drop me). our trip this time would take us from Halifax Airport to Montreal and finally to Zurich, where Nina was participating in a conference. The flight to Zurich from Montreal would take us nine hours but our lay-over in the Montreal Airport was just as long!

The drive to Halifax Airport was uneventful (a good thing) through dense fog and that signature Nova Scotia darkness that makes star-gazing a wondrous activity. But this morning the fog patches enveloped us in a mystical gray sea of mist that obscured everything, including the stars and even the road (NOT a good thing). The fog was a dark organic beast that sucked in all the light, like an existential being in one of Nina’s SF stories.

We made it to the Halifax Airport with plenty of time to spare. Security was uneventful (a change from Nina’s usual pattern; see my earlier post on the singing customs official) and we had lots of time to relax and catch up on emails over a Starbuck’s coffee and chocolate banana bread (Nina ate most of it—you can’t leave chocolate in front of her unattended; with her karma, I bet she’ll come back in her next “life” as a Hershey bar). Our flight to Montreal was also uneventful (Thank the Universe!). I couldn’t believe it; Nina slept through the free snack and drink service!

When we landed in Montreal at 8 am, we had a 9 hour lay-over at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport. Yeah, just

markov toulouse montreal 2 225x300 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at the Montreal Airport

Milcho assures Toulouse that the Coffee is Marvelous!

what I thought: brutal! Nina didn’t think so; she cheerfully surveyed the airport and settled in Moe’s Deli & Bar, where she set up her mobile office of two computers, notebook, and alien-pen. She was following my advice on the Zen of Travel! LOL!

Milcho Markov, a friendly Bulgarian who spoke with a rich modulating accent, served us breakfast. He’d moved to Montreal seven years ago and enjoys its cosmopolitan atmosphere. Nina ordered the Enchilada dejeuner and she and Milcho discussed climate change, the Bulgarian countryside, computers, why Montrealers like books about Toronto getting “nuked”, and the merits of tap water. When he returned with the coffee, he deftly handed her a stack of serviettes— like he knew her propensity to spill. No surprise; within minutes, she knocked over the coffee cream in her storytelling exuberance and those serviettes came in very handy. I think Milcho was a shaman in another life. :-3

Or was it the little stain on her shirt that gave her nature away?…

Deciding that we’d lingered there long enough, Nina set up her mobile office at another bar and we ate lunch and dinner over several Corona Extras. At 5 pm we boarded the Swiss Air flight, which was right on time (it’s Swiss, after all :-3). That flight too was uneventful (also a good thing). Nina originally had an aisle seat, ideal for stretching one’s legs and meeting necessities. But then she felt sorry for the lady from Berlin in the middle seat next to her whose entertainment monitor was broken and Nina offered to switch seats. Nice but not smart. It was a

swiss air flight 300x225 Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at the Montreal Airport

Swiss Air plane

long flight. Nina didn’t seem to care; she’d discovered that the wine and liquor was free, and went hog-wild ordering a bazillion coffees and Baileys (she didn’t need entertainment; she was her own entertainment. And mine too…:-3).

We landed at 6 am on Monday morning at the Zurich Airport and took the train into the centre of Zurich City. Our final destination was the Alexander Hotel on Neiderdorf Strasse in the Old Town of Zurich. But that’s another post…

I’m Toulouse, the cool travel cat. :-3

Photos by Nina Munteanu

Share and Enjoy:

Tag-Archive for » traveling «

Letters from Oli: The Maritimes and Quebec

The Zen of Travel: Getting the Best Seat on the Plane

Traveling in Switzerland: The Merula Bar in Merlischachen, where Brazil meets Switzerland

Trendy Italian Cuisine Zurich Style: Ristorante Cucina

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at the Montreal Airport

Help Send Toulouse To Patagonia

Pages

Categories

World Travel

Archives

Follow Toulouse On Your iPhone

Tag-Archive for » traveling «

Letters from Oli: The Maritimes and Quebec

The Zen of Travel: Getting the Best Seat on the Plane

Traveling in Switzerland: The Merula Bar in Merlischachen, where Brazil meets Switzerland

Trendy Italian Cuisine Zurich Style: Ristorante Cucina

Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner at the Montreal Airport

Help Send Toulouse To Patagonia

Pages

Categories

World Travel

Popular Posts

Tags

Archives

Follow Toulouse On Your iPhone