Ten years as Canstar travel columnist

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/06/2022 (1203 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Almost exactly 10 years ago – June 13, 2012 – my first Travelations column was published. When Canstar Community News managing editor John Kendle offered me the chance to write about travel back then, neither of us knew where it would take me. Figuratively and literally!

But here we are a decade later, and Travelations is still going strong – even surviving a two-year global pandemic. Now here you are, about to read column no. 262, which recalls some of the destinations visited in my first year as a travel columnist.

One of the most beautiful cities in Canada is Quebec City, or Ville de Québec. Situated on a rocky bluff high above the St. Lawrence, you’ll find strategically placed public stairways everywhere that allow you to traverse up-and-down the steep slope. One of the oldest cities in Canada, a permanent settlement was established here in 1608. Vieux-Québec – or Old Québec – is an historic neighbourhood and UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the only completely garrison-walled city north of Mexico. Visitors who walk through any of the four gates are immediately transported back in time with 19th Century buildings, cobblestone streets, and stone-covered cathedrals rising above the narrow alleys.

While New Mexico joined the US in 1912 as the 47th state, the first capital city in America rose up from the area long before then. Spanish colonialists started traveling north from Mexico in the mid-1500s looking for gold, but all they found was gold-coloured rocks, canyons, and deserts. They claimed the territory anyway, named it ‘New Mexico’, and established its capital city in 1610. Santa Fe – or ‘holy faith’ – quickly became the hub of trade, and was a vital commercial and military highway until the railway arrived in 1880. Today, modern day Santa Fe remains a thriving hub that attracts tourists from around the globe, known for its diverse arts’ scene, delectable fusion cuisine, and busy Indigenous marketplace.

Jutting from the northeast corner of Wisconsin is the peninsula Door County. Nicknamed ‘Cape Cod of the Midwest’, it’s bordered by 482 kilometres of Lake Michigan, and dotted with 11 historic lighthouses. This well-known paradise for hiking and biking offers over two dozen parks – more than any other US county. Stroll among the quaint ‘seaside’ towns selling homemade jams, dill pickles, freshly baked cookies, and countless goods inspired by the Montmorency cherry, a tiny tart fruit harvested in the region’s 2000 acres of orchards. Cherry wine are produced at local wineries. There’s also cherry jam, cherry marinades, cherry salsa, cherry lotions, and cherry-stuffed croissants served with (what else) a cherry on top.

The best thing about Cancun, Mexico, is the 27-kilometre hotel zone stretching along the ocean, where you can walk the beach for hours on end. While the sandy sections adjacent to each resort are private property, the entire shoreline is designated public. Making it the perfect place to meander barefoot in the warm sand hunting for rocks, seashells, and other coastal treasures. If you’ve never been to Cancun, you’re certain to fall in love with its coast. There’s nothing like soaking up the sun from a lounge chair, with a good book and cold beverage, listening to rolling waves lapping endlessly at the shore.

To all my readers, thank you for talking time to enjoy my travel stories these past ten years, and also for supporting Canstar Community News. It’s so important in today’s world to support local media, where a little local journalism goes a long way to make a community feel connected, and easily warms the heart.

With a cherry on top.