Fine idiosyncrasies
Sir John Soane was one of Britain’s most famous architects; he was also an art lover and collector who created one of the most eclectic and personal museums in the world.
Located in central London, a short stroll from many other London treasures such as Covent Garden, the British Museum, and the West End, Sir John Soane’s [...]
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Sir John Soane: The Art and Mind of a...
Fine idiosyncrasies
Sir John Soane was one of Britain’s most famous architects; he was also an art lover and collector who created one of the most eclectic and personal museums in the world.
Located in central London, a short stroll from many other London treasures such as Covent Garden, the British Museum, and the West End, Sir John Soane’s [...]
Culinary Travel: Food Glorious Food
Today I received an email from TourCrafters, a full-service tour operator that has just introduced “Gourmet Tours of Italy.” It is a very attractive email in many respects; in particular it makes me hungry.
It makes me hungry for travel — to Italy in particular — but hungry also for genuine Italian food (whatever that might be) and for all t [...]
A Canadian First Nations Sense of Pla...
A First Nations sense of place
It has often been said that Canadian literature, especially the novel, is distinguished by “a sense of place” which reflects in a very distinct way the historical and geographical realities of this nation.
In part, this is the result of Canada being a vast land of “regions” that are clearly demarcated by formid [...]
The Spatial Sense and Sensibility of ...
Architectural travel and playfulness
At The Westin Resort & Spa in Cancun, you are never entirely sure whether you are inside or outside; and this is the fundamental enigma and challenge that award-winning Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta has not only conceptualized but internalized in this very human-friendly space.
It is a place in [...]
Watching the Elephant Next Door ̷...
Travel marketing is one of the most interconnected and exponential industries in the world. However, it is often asked how smaller destinations can compete against “the giants” in the new electronic world of travel and tourism? Well to some extent these “niche” destinations can compete quite well on an increasingly &# [...]
Brother André: Simply a Saint
By Bob Fisher, The Philosophical Traveller
Religion has always played a critical role in the history and heritage of many nations. This is particularly true of Québec, the predominantly French-speaking province of Canada.
St. André de Montréal
When Pope Benedict XVI officially approved bestowing sainthood on a simple carpenter from Montréal [...]
The Concentric Worlds of Travel and E...
Engineering and travel go hand in hand …
See also …
The Concentric Worlds of Travel and Engineering
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The Parallel Cultures of News and Tra...
Meaningfulness
News organizations frequently emphasize the importance of investigative reporting, stressing the principle that in order for a story to be “newsworthy” it must be current and it must mean something to people.
It goes without saying that responsible news gathering also results in stories that are informative, accurate, and in t [...]
The Siksika Nation of Alberta: Self-d...
A First Nations sense of place
It has often been said that Canadian literature, especially the novel, is distinguished by “a sense of place” which reflects in a very distinct way the historical and geographical realities of this nation.
In part, this is the result of Canada being a vast land of “regions” that are clearly demarcated by formid [...]
Citizen Cow: a Very Special Breed of ...
Far from the madding crowd
The Auvergne in central France is a destination-within-a-destination where you experience peace of mind, gastronomic pleasures, and a common sense way of life.
This article of mine was recently published in FranceGuide Prestige, the magazine of the Tourism Department of France.
Here is an excerpt:
“Dramatic and be [...]
Planespotting With Alain de Botton
Travel book clubs
From time to time it has occurred to me that travel journalists are also contributors to a global, collective, and virtual book club whose members enjoy the real thing, or even enriched armchair travel.
Book clubs, of course, vary in their composition and rules of behaviour. Some are highly organized and formal entities a [...]
Travel Wardrobe: Are We What We Wear?
Clothing and the joy of cultural diversity
For some reason, every time I wear my Boise-Basque t-shirt when travelling, somebody inevitably stops me and asks where I am from? When I tell them Canada, they look a little puzzled and sometimes even disappointed. Perhaps it’s the juxtaposition, or even incongruity, of my North American “ [...]
How a Canadian Theatre Critic Sees Au...
Richard Ouzounian is a well-known Canadian in the world of performing arts. He is also the theatre critic for Canada’s largest daily newspaper, the Toronto Star.
So when the paper sent him off to explore Australia and Australians, it was a major gig.
In many ways his journey took him from the land of the moose (many prefer the beaver) t [...]
Unconscious Travelling: More than Mee...
Unconscious Travelling: More than Meets the Eye
Moments in time
Have you ever arrived at a destination and just felt completely at home?
Or perhaps you instantly felt a deep connection to “the place”. Or maybe you even sensed, on an intuitive level, that something in the landscape was speaking directly to you.
This was my experience the f [...]
The Human Voice in Cyberspace: Enrich...
Talk … talk … talk
As a species, we human beings are unique in that we verbalize — a lot. Some might say too much.
But, as I used to tell my students, the mouth is the centre of the universe. It is where nurturing of the newborn begins. It is love idealized. The kiss, as my hero Cyrano de Bergerac said, “… is the rose-coloured dot on the i of [...]
