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The 400 Year Old Hospital and the Crazy True Story of Canada's Most Notorious Hotel Thief

11/12/2024

 

I got more than I bargained for when I checked into Quebec City's most unique accommodations.

​My trip to Quebec was part of a press trip.  This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we may get a small commission.

Antique windows in white frames look out over a courtyardPicture
In the spring of 1639, three young nuns set sail from France, each carrying a hidden key in her habit. Upon landing in the new settlement of Quebec City, they would unseal three sturdy locks on a large wooden trunk that safeguarded all their worldly goods. It also contained something invaluable—a contract to found a monastery hospital, the first in North America outside Mexico.

Little did they realize that one of their future guests* would become Canada’s most notorious** hotel thief, taking three round canisters with them in their luggage after their visit.



*Me. This story is about me.





** The dozen or so people who know this story won’t stop teasing me about it.

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Tales From The Anti-Adventurist: Vanessa Rides A Chair Lift

17/10/2024

 

In Mont-Orford, Quebec, my eyes were amazed but my stomach was queasy. This is what it was like riding a chair lift for the very first time!

My trip to Quebec was part of a press trip.  This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we may get a small commission.

Scenic vista from a mountain top, with stairs and chair lift support system seen.Picture
When I travel, I like to explore twists and turns: A windy road, a crooked bookstore, the cozy nooks in tiny coffee shops. What I don't like, and generally avoid at all costs, are ups and downs. I avoid mountains, caves, ledges, edges, ladders, crevices, tunnels, and trenches. I am not a gal designed for adventure and I'm rather proud of the fact that I've proved that you can travel around the world without the need to parachute, paraglide, or procure a pair of trekking poles. 

But every now and then, there's a chink in my armour. I ignore decades of ironclad evidence that I don't have daring bone in my body and I do something rash, something utterly beyond my bravery. And that, precisely, is what I found myself doing at the Mont-Orford Ski Resort in Quebec's Eastern Townships.

This is what happens when an anti-adventurist rides the world's tallest*, steepest*, most terrifying chair lift.

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Discovering Victoria's Spirited Streets, One Ghost At A Time.

5/9/2024

 

Spirited stories come alive in Victoria, British Columbia, during a memorable ghost walk.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This experience  was  part of a sponsored press trip.

Emily from Discover The Past wears a black outfit including a shirt that says
If you're a Canadian of a certain age, you are undoubtedly familiar with the following words:

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.


Robert Service's haunting poem, The Cremation of Sam McGee, was required reading for me and just about every other Canadian school kid in the 1980s and 1990s. Little did I know that Service himself experienced a harrowing, haunting moment of his own - and that he may have been the source of someone else's ghostly encounter.

Oh, and of course, there's an ice cream shop involved. Welcome to ghost stories, Victoria-style.

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A Love Letter to a Labrador Beach

27/6/2024

 

In Red Bay, Labrador, I found a small beach that made a big impact.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we may get a small commission. This trip was a sponsored press trip as part of the Travel Media Association of Canada annual conference.

Vanessa walking on the beach in Red Bay, showing a sandy shore with rocks, dark water, and green land in the background. Picture
Frolicking on the beach, as captured by my friend Yashy Selvadurai Murphy of https://www.parentingtogo.ca
​I can’t tell you when Labrador first hit my travel radar. 

This rugged, remote Canadian region, a part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador but physically connected to north-east Quebec, is not a spot for a wimpy traveller like me. Distances are far, amenities can be sparse, and the mosquitoes will strip you bare in seconds. Yet the place they call The Big Land has been calling for me for years. Labrador has topped my travel wish list since the beginning of the pandemic. When I had the opportunity to visit as part of the annual Travel Media Association of Canada conference, I knew I had to go.

I dearly wanted to make Labrador’s acquaintance, but it’s doubtful that the region wanted the likes of me. I have no good reason to be enamoured with small Labrador fishing communities like Red Bay and Battle Harbour. My aversion to boats is both legendary and well-founded. Similarly, I can’t tell you why stories from events such as Cain’s Quest, Labrador’s legendary annual 3,100-kilometre snowmobile endurance race capture my heart. I dislike cold weather, sporty things, and noisy fanfare. Frankly, even the process of getting to Labrador is determinedly very non-Vanessa-ish. I like cold foam on coffee, not ferry decks, thank you very much. So, sure, the villages are cute, and the events are spirited, but this is clearly the kind of place I should appreciate through a documentary and not my own Gravol-addled brain. 

Thankfully, my heart is immune to common sense.

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Tales From The Anti-Adventurist: Vanessa Rides Sidecar At The Calgary Stampede

13/1/2024

 

In Calgary, Alberta, a unique city tour combines iconic motorcycles and jaunty sidecars to help visitors see the city in an entirely new way.

My trip to Calgary was part of a press trip.  This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we may get a small commission.

Vanessa takes a selfie while wearing a blue shirt and riding in a motorcycle sidecar, with other riders behind her on a residential street.
If there's one activity I long thought I'd never experience thanks to my deep-seated anti-adventurist tendencies, it's a motorcycle tour. However, when I embarked on a tour with Calgary’s Rocky Mountain Sidecar Adventures, I learned that the experience is about much more than the bike. It's a time-traveling adventure that immerses you in the charm of vintage Ural motorcycles.
​
Rocky Mountain Sidecar Adventures is a family owned and operated business that offers seasonal motorcycle sidecar tours between May and October. The company uses Urals almost exclusively, though there is one Triumph in the fleet. Ural, which was founded in Russia in 1941, originally built sidecar motorcycles to help the military in World War II but they also thrived in the post-war era, as people fell in love with how practical they were.

​During my tour, I saw for myself just how practical (and fun!) these vehicles really are. Here’s what I loved about them.

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Tales From The Anti-Adventurist: Vanessa Hikes The Cup and Saucer Trail (In The Rain!)

12/6/2023

 

The Cup and Saucer Trail on Manitoulin Island, Ontario, is a beloved spot for adventure. But how would an anti-adventurist like me fair on this hiking route?

My trip to Manitoulin Island was part of a press trip with the Travel Media Association of Canada conference. This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you make a purchase, we may get a small commission.

Vanessa standing at the summit of the Cup and Saucer trail, wearing a grey rain coat in the rain and fog.
At the summit of the Cup and Saucer trail, soaking wet.
I have a rule when it comes to hiking. I have to be able to complete the route while holding a travel mug, full of a delicious latte. If you're going to trudge through the forest, you might as well do with a tasty hot beverage in hand, right? And having a hot drink to balance means you're avoiding anything too arduous. However, while on a press trip to Manitoulin Island, located just outside Sudbury in northern Ontario, I broke that rule all in the name of, well... I'm not sure exactly. Adventure? That doesn't sound like me. Being a bold, brave travel writer? Welllll.......

Like many anti-adventurist excursions, I had several moments of doubt along the way, but I'm ultimately happy that I did it. Here's what it was like to hike the Cup and Saucer Trail - in the rain!

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Tales From The Anti-Adventurist: Vanessa Goes Axe Throwing in Shelburne, Nova Scotia

21/6/2022

 

Axe throwing in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, is easy for everyone.... except maybe not for anti-adventurists like me. This is what happened when I stepped on the axe throwing platform at the Boxing Rock Brewing Company.

My visit to Shelburne was included as part of a press trip during the TMAC conference. ​​​​This post contains affiliate ads and links, which means we may get paid a small commission if you make a purchase.

Axe throwing in Shelburne, Nova Scotia - Vanessa throws an axe while a friend and employee look on
Axe throwing in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, looks easy enough. But how did I actually do?
Have you ever signed up for an activity you're a little unsure about it and the organizer tells you not to worry, that they've never lost someone/ had someone capsize/ had someone utterly fail? It's a heartening speech designed to bolster low confidence and soothe the very nerves that lead to shaky performance. And thus far, it's proven true for me.

Until now, folks. Until now.

This is what happened when a confirmed anti-adventurist (that's me) took on one heck of a crazy challenge (that's axe throwing in Shelburne, Nova Scotia) and utterly failed. 

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Tales From The Anti-Adventurist: Zip Lining Ottawa

12/6/2022

 

Rogers Interzip zip line connects Ontario and Quebec and offers unparalleled views of downtown Ottawa and plenty of thrills. But would this anti-adventurist be able to take the ultimate leap of faith?

​​​​This post contains affiliate ads and links, which means we may get paid a small commission if you make a purchase.

Zip lining Ottawa: Vanessa and another woman leave the platform
Zip lining Ottawa looks like this - incredible views and one very tense anti-adventurist (that's me on the right!)
There are many reasons a person might decide to step outside of their comfort zone. Perhaps they want to test their limits, experience life to the fullest, or make an incredible travel memory. Or maybe, just maybe, they want to show their husband that they don't know you as well as they think they do.

​The latter was me. In an effort to make Ryan think "Hmmmm.... Maybe I don't know Vanessa all that well. She is far more enigmatic than I gave her credit for" I found myself on what is billed as the world's first interprovincial zip line.

Yes, fellow anti-adventurists. I went zip lining. On my wedding anniversary. All so I'd appear just a smidgen more inscrutable than normal to a spouse who knows me very, very well. 

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Tales From The Anti-Adventurist: Vanessa Flies With Santa Claus

13/12/2021

 

I thought I was ready to fly with Santa Claus - but was I? The plane was small - and the naughty list loomed large! 

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase, we may be paid a small commission. This was a no-cost press activity and we thank Ottawa Tourism for their support.

Vanessa sits in the aircraft behind Santa in the front seat
Preparing to fly with Santa, I had a bit of anticipation
Every writer dreams of an exclusive celebrity scoop and I got one to top them all: Santa Claus! Not only did the head elf himself give me the inside scoop on what he loves about Ottawa but I also got to spend some time with him in his very own plane. That's right - Santa doesn't just fly a sleigh but he also offers 15 minute aerial tours of downtown Ottawa in a vintage Cessna 172 in conjunction with Ottawa Aviation Adventures as part of a program in support of the Ottawa Food Bank.

There was just one tiny complication. The plane is tiny. Santa is all-knowing. And I'm a big ol' scarde-y cat. An Anti-Adventurist, if you will. Would my notorious stomach hold up in a vintage aircraft? Would my nerve hold up if Santa started grilling me about whether I was naughty or nice?

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