When I committed to spending a night at the Ice Hotel in Quebec, Canada, I pictured a cozy well-lit room with warm beds and a fireplace.
Tag: Winter Travel
Lords of the Arctic
After a productive morning with ample bear sightings, we stopped by the bay for a quick picnic lunch.
Outside, the temperature was -17°C . Continue reading “Lords of the Arctic”
Fête des Lumières – Cont’d
The best show of festival 2013 was at Place des Terreaux, where lights were projected on two historical buildings around the square – namely Lyon City Hall
And Saint-Pierre Palace, a former Benedictine convent turned Museum of Fine Arts.
The shadow or Adam by Rodin (On the left)
The award-winning show transformed the square into a remote planet where the “Prince of Lights” was the only inhabitant, who plunged into darkness by swallowing the light. The facades of the buildings swung and swayed as he explored exotic regions on the back of a giant insect, amidst sprawling plants, and under the starry sky. Continue reading “Fête des Lumières – Cont’d”
Fête des Lumières – Lyon, France
At night fall, the festival begins.
According to the program, there are 78 performances, displays and light shows around the city of Lyon. It is daunting, if not impossible, to see all in one night. So we decided to focus on one area and see as much as possible in that area.
Since we were already in Vieux Lyon, we started the walk from there…
Then we moved across the Bonaparte bridge, following the opening theme of Lawrence of Arabia (see video recording below), to this grand symphony show on the banks of the Saône river. Continue reading “Fête des Lumières – Lyon, France”
Nice Christmas Market
After the glorious sunset and on my way back to the hotel, I got side-tracked by these newly installed Christmas decorations…
Nice, France
I still remember the first time we visited Nice in November 2005.
We stayed at Hotel Beau Rivage, where the famous painters and writers – Henri Matisse, Scott Fitzgerald, and Friedrich Nietzsche – once frequented back in their days.
Looking out the window, we spotted a bell tower and red tile roofs that are evocative of nearby Italy.
Shirakawa-go in the Snow
After spending a bitter-cold and somewhat uncomfortable night in our farmhouse, we woke up to a pleasant surprise!
Looking out the window
The snow was coming down like down feathers… Continue reading “Shirakawa-go in the Snow”
Japanese Farmhouse Stay
The best way to experience Shirakawa-go is to stay overnight at one of the farmhouses.
Shirakawa-go
Deep in the remote mountains of Gifu Prefecture
lies a little village Continue reading “Shirakawa-go”
Sake Brewery Tour
Hida Takayama (飛彈高山) has what it takes to produce the best sake: an ideal climate, pristine mountain stream and high quality local-grown rice.
There are six breweries in the city opening to the public. They are easy to identify – just look for the giant cedar ball hanging outside the entrance.
Travel-Gourmand.com 