Creative Wanderings in Toronto

Even biking the Toronto Islands off-season is a delight. Taking a guided tour with Toronto Bicycle Tours, I discovered a pristine, undeveloped stretch of sand.

Sculptor Duane Linklater created this series of concrete gargoyles that are replicas of those found around Toronto. This series that’s set in a green space populated with box elder, maple and hickory is referred to as Monsters for Permanence, Beauty and Individuality. It’s along a section of the Lower Don Valley Trail that’s well used by everyone from walkers to cyclists.

continue reading "Creative Wanderings in Toronto "

The Scenic Toronto Islands

Bicycling the Toronto Islands (with Toronto Bicycle Tours) in the off-season couldn’t be more idyllic. This scenic chain is a short ferry ride from downtown and is car-free. 

Among the many discoveries I made: 19th century St. Andrew’s Anglican Church. The stained glass, visible also from the exterior, is quite impressive. Interestingly, it was moved to this current scenic location without anything breaking!

continue reading "The Scenic Toronto Islands"

Biking in Denmark - Part 1

 

Biking around Denmark’s scenic Fyn (Funen) Island, I made many art discoveries, including in the town of Faaborg. This creative mural by Els Cools references the city’s bell tower. (In the foreground are mini bell tower sculptures in flowerpots, an art installation by Bruno MacDonald.)

As I bicycled along serene country roads on Tasinge Island in Denmark, I found a delightful abundance of nature around each and every turn. (This is the estate of the 17th century Valdemar’s Castle.)

continue reading "Biking in Denmark - Part 1"

Luxe Properties in Scotland Connecting Guests With Nature

At most any posh accommodation, pampering is de rigueur. But, I look beyond the spa features and wine tastings, craving myriad outdoor experiences. Two luxe properties in Aberdeenshire, Scotland are not only set in bucolic surroundings, but both are rich in activities that connect guests with the natural environment. This is my latest for Forbes on Glen Dye & Cottages and The Fife Arms. 

continue reading "Luxe Properties in Scotland Connecting Guests With Nature"

Photos: Taiwan

Taiwan is a land of hot springs where steam billows over calm waters. A land of deep gorges and serrated peaks where wisps of mist float. A land of lakes where the sounds of cicadas cuts through the silence. And all of this can be experienced from a bicycle saddle. Taiwan is extremely bike friendly, with hundreds of miles of bike paths networking the country, and plenty of opportunities to rent bicycles. Among the numerous bucolic green spaces that are a must for cyclists is Sun Moon Lake that’s especially atmospheric if you visit in the early morning.

continue reading "Photos: Taiwan"

Photos: South Korea

Networked with bike paths, South Korea is one of the most bike friendly countries in the world.  On a two-week trip, I pedaled on mostly paved dedicated bike path from Damyang to Mokpo, taking my bike first on a ferry to Jeju Island and then to tiny Udo Island.  Along the way, I found lush landscapes, verdant agricultural lands, primeval forests, and scenic waterfronts where older female divers freedive for abalone and conch and then serve the shellfish raw on a seaside table.  One morning, I walked through a Metasequoia Forest where only foot traffic is allowed. Another day, I hiked Halla Mountain, the country's highest peak that rises over 6,000 feet above sea level. (It's on Jeju Island, off the south coast.)  Udo Island , a wee island, can easily be visited on a day trip from Jeju Island. Cycling there is idyllic with nothing but seaside and verdant vistas interspersed with small cafes and accommodations.

continue reading "Photos: South Korea"

Top Exotic Bicycle Trips

What better way to intimately connect with a destination, whether far-flung or close-at-hand, than straddling a bicycle saddle? With the slow pace of cycling, you become acutely aware of your surroundings: the scent of conifer trees, the sight of locals working the rice fields, the chorus of cicada sounds, or the bracing chill from a salty breeze. Some places, such as Amsterdam, France’s Loire Valley, or Copenhagen, take center stage as being ultra bike-friendly. But, though not as well-recognized, there are other bike-worthy parts of the world that merit exploring. Madagascar, South Korea and the Azores are three exotic gems that share their own piece of paradise with cyclists. I recently wrote about these and other bikeable destinations for the Evening Standard-The Independent.

continue reading "Top Exotic Bicycle Trips"

South Korea In Pictures

South Korea recently has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. But this is a country webbed with a sophisticated network of bicycle trails, many that are completely segregated from traffic. I recently bicycled from Damyang, south of Seoul and then took the ferry with my bicycle to Jeju Island. I found South Korea to be a country of lush landscapes, verdant agricultural lands, primeval forests, dense stands of bamboo, and scenic waterfronts where older female divers free dive for abalone and conch and then serve the shellfish raw on a seaside table. This YouTube video slideshow provides a window into my adventures.

continue reading "South Korea In Pictures"

South Africa In Pictures

Bicycling South Africa’s Western Cape with VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations, I coursed through a land full of contrasts: rugged coastlines and arid fields; palatial wine estates and townships roiled by poverty; dramatic gorges and simple blooming gardens. As I rolled through steep hairpin turns, I came upon a family of baboons frolicking on the asphalt. Strolling along a seaside boardwalk gave me a close-up view of dozens of penguins whose feathers were ruffled from the wind. Other roadside finds included a wild ostrich that took a fancy to a cyclist who wasn’t in our group and decided to chase him at high speed along the highway. This was a journey that revolved around integrating all of the botanical, geological, agricultural and cultural phenomena that make up South Africa’s Western Cape. This short YouTube video slideshow provides a window into my adventure.

continue reading "South Africa In Pictures"

Cayman Islands in Pictures

The Cayman Islands that I recently experienced is the one few spend the time to become acquainted with. Not the Caymans of snorkeling, diving, endless hours on the beach or stepping off a cruise ship for a quick visit. My Cayman Island travels -- aside from Grand Cayman, I overnighted on Cayman Brac and Little Cayman -- was all about wandering walking trails through the dense forests, spying exotic parrots, browsing contemporary art in the National Gallery, bicycling to an iguana nesting sanctuary, and strolling through orchid and palm gardens.

My short YouTube video slideshow provides a small window into the authentic Cayman Islands that I know.

continue reading "Cayman Islands in Pictures"

The Best Urban Rails-to-Trails in the U.S.

As transit networks for human-powered activities, rails to trails are bringing together communities, linked by a shared interest in a safe way to commute and commune with nature, and, in the process, protecting natural resources while also revitalizing local businesses.

1. Illinois Prairie Path, Illinois

Nicknamed the Roarin' Elgin, the now retired Chicago, Aurora & Elgin Railroad once carried commuters and freight between Chicago and its suburbs. Its legacy, the 62-mile Illinois Prairie Path (IPP), one of the country's oldest rails to trails, is perfect not only for the botanically inclined but also the committed commuter.

2. Ojai Valley and Venture River trails - California

Urban grittiness is evident along the six-mile Ventura River trail where rotating and decommissioned oil derricks are in plain sight. But art installations also dot this trail, such as a bronze of oranges, reflecting the produce the railroad once transported, and other Ventura themes.

3. Burke Gilman Trail - Washington

 Traced by a sandy beach, Golden Gardens as well as other parts of the trail offer views of the mighty Olympic Mountains, even snow-capped Mount Rainier, in the distance.

4. Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, Florida

The path -- it's dotted with aluminum sculptures as a nod to its railroad history -- allows bladers, walkers and cyclists to safely and scenically traverse the Gulf coast, tidal waterways, myriad leafy parks and quaint neighborhoods in a state that's hardly noted for its pedestrian-friendly clime.

5. Minuteman Bikeway - Massachusetts

Short but oh-so-sweet, the 10-mile-long Minuteman Bikeway wanders through the landscape touched by the Revolutionary War, paralleling the Battle Road, aka Massachusetts Avenue, the route taken by British soldiers that marched to Concord. Following the path of the Lexington & West Cambridge Railroad from Cambridge to Bedford, this rail-to-trail is heralded as a year-round commuter way, even in the dead of winter.

6. Washington & Old Dominion Trail - Virginia

Many cyclists, joggers and bladers escape D.C. or commute on this trail that compliments the capital's retinue of memorials and monuments with lessons in history that are blended with a sense of peace rarely found in the chaotic Beltway.

7. Silver Comet Trail - Georgia

For 22 years since 1947, passengers could board a luxury train that cruised over towering trestles and through tunnels bored into mountains as it made the trip from New York to Birmingham, Alabama. That storied corridor has been transformed into the 62-mile Silver Comet Trail that spans Smyrna, Georgia (on the outskirts of Atlanta) to the Georgia/Alabama border near Cedartown in a rural North Georgia corner that's a mix of hardwood forests and rolling fields.

Find out more about this these seven urban rails to trails in the article I wrote for NationalGeographic Traveler - Intelligent Travel.

continue reading "The Best Urban Rails-to-Trails in the U.S."

My Favorite Car-Free Islands in Europe

Who doesn't love islands? But I'm quite particular, favoring those that harken to an earlier time, when cars didn't exist as the primary means of transportation. Yes, I search out car-free islands because it's these landscapes where I can feel free to explore in a pollution free environment, without the squealing of brakes or the honking of horns, where I can depend on human-powered locomotion to visit historic sites or just peacefully prowl around coves, hamlets and green spaces. You never know what you'll discover when you're not in a rush.

I recently wrote an article for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Traveler  on my favorite car-free islands in Europe.

Comino Island - Photo by Bill Kasman, Flickr

These are some of my finds on my top five:

• Buyukada, Turkey Grand villas, some with gingerbread detailing, line the lanes that weave down to the south end of the island, which is largely draped in emerald hues from dense pine forests.
•  Hydra, Greece - A two-hour climb brings hikers to the Monastery of Prophet Elias that hovers above the capital. A much shorter jaunt is the coastal walk to Vlychos Beach, an ideal destination for families.

•  Veliki Brijun, Brijuni National Park, Croatia - Dinosaur footprints, such as the imprint of large carnivores similar to Theropods, have been discovered all over the island.

•  Ile d'aix, France - The northeast portion is especially lovely, blanketed with thick pinewoods and rimmed with two jewels: Baby Beach and Yellow Sands Beach. 

•  Comino Island, Malta - Hiking through the wildflower-speckled landscape, a path courses to an isolated, rubble-ridden area, a perfect setting for the 17th century St. Mary's Tower that withstood sieges far beyond what the archipelago's other towers tolerated.

continue reading "My Favorite Car-Free Islands in Europe"

Europe's Five Best Bicycle Routes

Bicycling, one of my favorite means of traveling, isn't just a mode of transportation. More importantly, it's a way to get in touch with the land and its people. It's the ultimate way to stop and smell the roses, to use a cliche. I recently wrote about five great bicycle routes in Europe for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Travel.

These are just a few of my endearing and surprising finds along those routes: 

• In Norway's Lofoten Islands, guests can overnight in the sometimes Spartan rorbuer or fishermans' cottages, and even cast a line through a hole punctured in the floor.

• A shock of pink may sweep across the Sinis Peninsula on Sardinia's West Coast as flocks of flamingos congregate.

• Those who island hop with their bicycle along the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia will find that a large expanse of bucolic Mljet Island is taken up by a national park with a unique feature: a pair of saltwater lakes encircled by pines (a 12th century Benedictine monastery sits on an islet in the larger of the two.)

• When cycling in the northern Peloponnese peninsula in Greece, it's not unusual to zip down steep sections where a symphony of bells herald herds of goats and sheep crossing the road.

• Even novice cyclists can happily ride through the fairy-tale world of Germany's Black Forest because the southern route eliminates the heart-pounding ascents this sylvan landscape -- it includes some Ice Age-remnants and verdant nature reserves --  is noted for.

continue reading "Europe's Five Best Bicycle Routes"

Portugal's Centro Region in Pictures

Though I visit Portugal pretty much every year, there's always something -- or more than something -- to be discovered. On my latest trip to the Centro region, I spent one day feeling like I stepped into Hogwarts, the fictional school of magic created by J.K. Rowling in her Harry Potter novels.  As I roamed the ornate halls and library in 13th century Coimbra University, passing some students garbed in the traditional long black cape, I found it surprising that I never realized that this university may have  provided Rowling, who once resided in Portugal, some inspiration.

This region is brimming with a rich diversity of culture. Not only is it home to one of the oldest universities in the world, but a section of the coast is lined with a dense pine forest; abandoned stone villages have been transformed into charming accommodations; and a network of bicycle paths attract cyclists, and joggers, as well as parents pushing strollers and older citizens just out for a stroll. The accommodations range from the luxe and contemporary, such as the Areias do Seixo Hotel and the Cooking and Nature Emotional Hotel to the traditional (Hotel Quinta das Lagrimas) that dates back centuries and protects a spacious garden. The quaint cobbled village of Obidos is perched on a hill ringed by fortifications while the Santa Clara Monastery offers up its archeological finds for the visitor to inspect.  My short YouTube video slideshow reveals some of my finds in this lovely region.

continue reading "Portugal's Centro Region in Pictures"

Taiwan In Pictures

With hot springs beckoning bathers, serrated mountain peaks looming over placid lakes, and pebbly beaches fronting calm bays, Taiwan is a nature-lovers paradise. Whether it's Sun Moon Lake, the country's largest such body of water, or Taroga Gorge tiny pedestrian bridges lead to the interior that's peppered with red-roofed shrines and tumbling waterfalls, Taiwan is a magnet for those seeking adventure on all levels, from thrill seekers to those who prefer things more on the tame side. Cyclists will find level paths along waterfronts, such as the Keelung  or  Dongsham rivers, where they'll want to stop for a picnic at a scenic viewing pavilion.

Sounds of cicadas
Steam swirls above Beitou Springs
Misty veil obscures

Check out my short YouTube video slideshow for a window into Taiwan's natural side. 

continue reading "Taiwan In Pictures"

Cascais, Portugal in Pictures

Just 30-minutes from Lisbon, Cascais is a standout for its beaches fronting the Atlantic that can be accessed by bicycle. But downtown Cascais is an epicenter for museums of many stripes, including the Paula Rego museum designed by the Portuguese star architect, Eduardo Souto de Moura. Don't miss the Pousada de Cascais that was built in the historic citadel and blends the ancient with the ultra contemporary. The intriguing landscape fronting the windswept Atlantic is accessible by a ribbon of bicycle paths. Check out my short YouTube video slideshow for a window in to what I love about Cascais.

continue reading "Cascais, Portugal in Pictures"

A Very Hidden Gem In Maine

It's so easy to bypass a simple roadside stand when you're driving country roads. Even at those low speeds, you miss the subtle markers in scenery that brims with items demanding your attention. If I were walking or taking in Maine's pristine scenery from the seat of my bicycle, I would not have almost missed it the first time. But the word "PIES" displayed in bright pink chalk on a small blackboard beside a single lane road somehow stuck with me.

My friend and I were in southern Maine for several days, not far from the New Hampshire border, when, one morning we had a craving for homemade pies. Where else to find 'em than Maine? Except we couldn't find any. Then I remembered the pink "PIES" sign on some road we passed the other day. My friend was skeptical. Did it really say "pies?" And, then I wondered if the pie would even be worth trying. With thoughts of blueberry, apple, apricot and rhubarb pies twirling in our heads, we set off to look for this sign. And, curiously, after leaving our accommodation in Biddeford Pool, I spotted the sign as we zoomed by. I cried out "Pies." But we were already long past it. Was it worth making that U-turn? Yes!

Beside the sign was a small driveway and a parking lot adjacent to a self-serve farm stand that was carefully decorated and stocked with homemade everything. Freshly baked pies were each stacked atop doilies and placed in a glass case. That day it was apple and blueberry. Shelves held jellies and jams, including several with habanero peppers. Lobster meat was stored in a cooler as was pesto sauce in little tupperware-type containers. There were chocolate chip cookies, just-cut flowers and so much more.

Everything was done with great care. (Even a laughing Buddha was positioned near the entry.) Colorful post-its lined one wall, each to be used under different circumstances, including when the pies would be out of the oven. I found out that this is the owner's first year managing her farm stand. Given the quality of your goods -- we ate the entire pie in almost one sitting -- and her thoughtfulness, I'm confident her venture will be a success.

continue reading "A Very Hidden Gem In Maine"

Lisbon's Urban Wilderness

If you had to pick an activity that would top your list of things to do in Lisbon, how high up would visiting a forest be? Would it even be on the list? Well, it should be. Lisbon is sprinkled with green spaces, including an expansive wilderness that's connected to downtown via a new pedestrian path. And, during Lisbon Week, a festival that starts on September 21st, you can take a free tour of this green way with a biologist. You can also sign up for history, art and architecture and other tours that will weave through some of the city's most unexpected venues.

I recently wrote about the Monsanto Green Corridor for National Geographic Traveler - Intelligent Travel.

continue reading "Lisbon's Urban Wilderness"