Read Across Canada: A 2013 Challenge discussion

So, did anyone go on vacation yet this year? I know Janice went on a Disney cruise to Alaska that I'd like to hear more about. I went to Kentucky in June and visited a bunch of bookstores.

I love the change in title of this forum :)

Did you visit any distilleries while in Kentucky? I drove through there in April but was visiting a friend in Louisville and didn't have a lot of time for touring.

The cruise was amazing. We stopped in Skagway, Juneau, Ketchican, and Victoria BC.

I went on a whale watching excursion and saw both killer whales and humpback whales in the wild. AMAZING! I just looked at my pictures and one or two of the whale pictures turned out not too bad. I also saw a couple of huge glaciers.

On two of the excursions we got wild salmon bakes along with a full meal. Very scrumptious.

And I got to try my hand at gold panning! I have 3 little flecks of gold as a souvenier. Of course they planted the flecks, and told us that it was Canadian gold since there was no gold in Skagway. LOL! I thought that quite ironic!

Food on the cruise was haute cuisine and simply amazing! Everyone had a great time.

Autumn wrote: "I love the change in title of this forum :)

Did you visit any distilleries while in Kentucky? I drove through there in April but was visiting a friend in Louisville and didn't have a lot of time f..."

No distilleries for us, but in Louisville, one of the couples who stayed at our bed and breakfast at the same time as us visited some. They seemed to enjoy the distilleries.
Thanks, I'm glad you like the change in the forum title. I really wanted to rename it Games, Off-Topic Chatter, and Other Fun Stuff, but it was too long. I figured this folder would be the perfect place to discuss all that off-topic stuff.
Janice, I'm glad you had fun. Yes, it was ironic that you went gold-panning, but there wasn't actually any gold where you went gold-panning.

I went on a cruise with my inlaws (mother in law, her husband AND my sister in law), sandwiched on either side by a few days in St. Augustine with my husband, which we love. We went to St. John, St. Thomas, St. Maarten (which I loved!), and the Bahamas.

I'm going to Virginia to see a friend over Labor Day, and while it's just Virginia, I've never been. Knowing her, we'll go to bookstores!

What cruise line did you go on, Jenny? I'm eager to go on another cruise so am into comparing.

I went to Europe - Bilbao in Spain for a conference, London for a few days to visit a friend, and Krakow in Poland just because I hadn't been there before. All in 15 days. When you have to go to Europe for something and you are based in Australia, it is always a must to squeeze in more travel.

Janice wrote: "What cruise line did you go on, Jenny? I'm eager to go on another cruise so am into comparing."
Royal Caribbean. I've been on several by them and one by Carnival. My inlaws always win top cruisers award, so theyve done many more than me, and they keep coming back to RC. They've tried Princess, Carnival, Norwegian too. I'm certain it isn't the most luxurious but possibly the best value? I'm not sure.

I wish more cruises left from Charleston, sc. That was the advantage of Carnival, we didn't have to spend two days driving to the port and back. But their balconies were so tiny you could only sit sideways, so that was a little ridiculous. The rooms and bathrooms were marginally nicer.

I was looking online last night and comparing prices between Disney and Carnaval. Carnaval offers the same cruise (same itinerary and ports of call) as what we were just on, and we could have had a room with a balcony for the same price as an inner stateroom on Disney! A room with balcony on Disney was about 2.5 times higher in price than Carnaval's room with balcony.

Yrinsyde wrote: "I went to Europe - Bilbao in Spain for a conference, London for a few days to visit a friend, and Krakow in Poland just because I hadn't been there before. All in 15 days. When you have to go to Eu..."

What a nice trip you had - squeezed for time, but you managed to fit a lot in.

Plus Disney is geared toward children, just not my idea of a good time. ;)

Disney is more of a famiy oriented experience ... for younger families and multigenerational groups. I have cruised on several lines ... Norwegian is probably my most favorite as I do not care for the gigantic mega-ships. Royal Caribbean is nice and Celebrity as well. The one I really want to do is Alaska Sightseeing Cruise West.

Yrinsyde wrote: "I went to Europe - Bilbao in Spain for a conference, London for a few days to visit a friend, and Krakow in Poland just because I hadn't been there before. All in 15 days. When you have to go to Eu..."

Wow, that is amazing, and good on you for travelling while you were there...it is wonderful how (relatively) easy it is to get around Europe once you are there, and it sounds like you made the best of it! I've got an itch to travel to the UK, especially Scotland. But conferences can be fun, too! What was the topic?

Incidentally if anyone wants to travel to Maritimes, Canada, my husband and I are awesome hosts :)

Jenny wrote: "I went on a cruise with my inlaws (mother in law, her husband AND my sister in law), sandwiched on either side by a few days in St. Augustine with my husband, which we love. We went to St. John, S..."

Jenny, Virginia has some of my favourite hiking trails, I just love it. Where are you going if that's not a personal question?

Yrinsyde wrote: "I went to Europe - Bilbao in Spain for a conference, London for a few days to visit a friend, and Krakow in Poland just because I hadn't been there before. All in 15 days. When you have to go to Eu..."

It sounds like you had fun. I agree, squeezing more traveling is a must if you're touring Europe and live in another part of the world.

Hi Autumn, it was a whirlwind for sure! But yes, Europe is easy to travel around. The conference was Health Technology Assessment (drugs, devices, procedures and govt reimbursement, evidence etc). Next year my husband and I are going o/seas twice - US and Canada (London Ontario and Montreal), and to Sth Korea.

Yrinsyde wrote: "Hi Autumn, it was a whirlwind for sure! But yes, Europe is easy to travel around. The conference was Health Technology Assessment (drugs, devices, procedures and govt reimbursement, evidence etc). ..."

Oh funny! My previous boss works closely with Jan Talmon! Her name is Diane Doran, at University of Toronto...but I don't think she went to Bilbao as she is doing phased retirement right now.

Wow - that is amazing!!! I didn't go to the final day where he was presenting - I was leaving that night and wanted to see some of the town before I left. Autumn wrote: "Oh funny! My previous boss works closely with Jan Talmon!"

I think my family wants to go to Toronto next year. I'm sure it'll be nice. Of course, bookstore junkie that I am, if we go, I'll want to visit a couple bookstores.

Melissa wrote: "I think my family wants to go to Toronto next year. I'm sure it'll be nice. Of course, bookstore junkie that I am, if we go, I'll want to visit a couple bookstores."

Worlds Biggest Bookstore is in Toronto! Funny enough, right next to a used bookstore that is also super-wonderful (and right around the corner from a wonderful falafel counter haha).

That's so cool, Autumn. Is the bookstore actaully the world's biggest, I wonder?
I heard they might close at the end of next year.

Ah! I hadn't heard that! (I moved from Toronto last December...) You know all along I thought the store was owned by a chain (Indigo/Chapters?), but it is so fun to walk around in there. Two floors of awesome.

But seriously, the used bookstore next door is very good too. And much more affordable :)

We spent Labor Day weekend in Cambridge, Maryland, which is on the Chesapeake. Didn't get to visit any bookstores, but we did take the kids to the Salisbury Zoo in Salisbury, MD, plus we also went into Washington, DC and spent a little time at the Museum of Natural History. For a whirlwind trip, it was great fun.

Oooh. I don't think I've ever visited Cambridge or Salisbury, even though I'm from Maryland. What was your favorite part of your vacation?

Melissa wrote: "Oooh. I don't think I've ever visited Cambridge or Salisbury, even though I'm from Maryland. What was your favorite part of your vacation?"

The Zoo, definitely. It was free, it was beautifully landscaped, and they had a small but very interesting collection of animals and birds. Plus, we totally fell in love with the neighborhood around the zoo - tons of trees, a park with a waterway, lots of gardens. It just looked like a great place to live.

Butterflycager, that does sound nice.

I'll be in Virginia for a mini vacation in a couple days. I'm leaving sometime Tuesday, and I'll be back Thursday afternoon or early evening.

Have a great time Melissa!

Thanks Janice. :)

Janice, I had a wonderful time. I visited a bookstore, chatted with an author, and visited an antebellum plantation.

Sounds great! Who was the author?

The author was first time author Wendy Welch. I'm currently reading her book The Little Bookstore of Big Stone Gap: A Memoir of Friendship, Community, and the Uncommon Pleasure of a Good Book. It's pretty funny.

I should look into it. I need a book that will make me laugh. :)

Has anyone here been to Fairmont Kenauk at Le Chateau Montebello? If so, how did you like it? It's supposed to be one those gadget-free vacation spots. No ereaders, cell-phones, laptops, iPods, iPads, or other eletronic stuff allowed. I'd really like to drag my parents there, especially my father.