After arriving in Haida Gwaii for the first time (known to most as the Queen Charlotte Islands in northern British Columbia), I spent my first three hours in town at Rainbows Gallery (3201 Oceanview Driver, Queen Charlotte, 250-559-8420) chatting with Jack. That’s sort of the way things go here; everyone has time for you. Haida [...]

In both Denmark and Norway, I learned that to give “cheers” around the table, you say, “skål” (sort of rhymes with “stole”). It started in Copenhagen, where I was told that the Vikings would have meals with their enemies in order to keep an eye on one another: if you were sitting across from him, [...]

I stood at the KLM ticket counter in disbelief: after waking up at 4:00 am to get to the Bergen airport, I’m told my reservation has been changed to 1:15 pm. Huh? The small airport is jam packed with travellers and the gate is inching closer and closer to closing time. Bergen Flights The KLM [...]

The buildings surrounding me are from the 18th century, built upon the foundations of the original buildings from the 12th century. This harbour front strip has seen seafaring activity that has developed the city of Bergen, Norway. The bundle of wooden houses along the city’s downtown Hanseatic wharf are here to stay. Called Bryggen, they’re [...]

Three times everyday during the summer, there’s a man in Ålesund, Norway who helps the crew of the Hurtigruten ship set anchor. He has been volunteering for many years, even after becoming a millionaire on a lottery win. Norway Cruises Our group of tired but happy travel writers arrive at the Hurtigruten dock in Ålesund [...]

Hands down, Ålesund is my favourite city in Norway (so far). Called the Art Nouveau Town, Ålesund was burnt to the ground by a devastating fire in 1904 and was rebuilt in the style of the day: Art Nouveau. Today, it remains a charming small city on the coast. Glassblowing Studio Let’s go right to [...]