Famed Dutch band to tour Canada

48th Highlanders of Holland will visit Canada next month.

One of the most moving and memorable tours I've ever taken was to the battlefield graveyards in the Netherlands, where so many young Canadians gave their lives to help the Dutch gain their freedom from the clutches of Hitler's evil.

The Dutch have never forgotten what Canadians did for them and to this very day care for our graves as if they were their own soldiers. The bond between our countries has grown ever stronger since World War II and every time a major WWII occasion crops up, the Dutch open their homes and arms to welcome back Canadian veterans.

In 1991, the Dutch created a living tribute to Canada when it established the 48th Highlanders of Holland Pipes & Drums band, named after the famed Canadian regiment which helped liberate the city Apeldoorn in April 1945. The Canadian regiment had its own pipe band and its members led the regiment into battle that day.

Now, that Dutch band in coming to Canada for a seven-day tour between Nov. 2-9.

The visit of the Dutch band is timed to celebrate the 120th Anniversary of the 48th Highlanders of Canada at their “Homecoming Weekend”, Nov. 4,5 and 6, 2011. (see http://www.48highlanders.com/ for more info on that event).

The Dutch Band will be performing in Burlington (twin city of Apeldoorn), Brantford and Toronto betwen Nov 2 – 9 and everyone is invited to attend the free performances.

Here's where they'll be performing:

Nov. 2 - Burlington: Branch 60 of the Royal Canadian Legion, 7 p.m.  

Nov. 3 - Burlington: 11 a.m., Mount Royal Plaza and Brant Street; 5.30 p.m. 501 Kenmar Crescent street party.

Nov. 4 - Brantford: 9.45 a.m., Brantford War Memorial. Laying of a wreath and Remembrance concert;

11.30 a.m., Canadian Military Heritage Museum. This will be followed by performances with the 48th Highlanders of Canada.
Nov. 5 - Toronto: 11 a.m., Parade in Mount Pleasant Cemetery.

Nov. 6 - Toronto: 11 am. Remembrance Day Parade Queens Park.

Nov. 7 - Burlington: Performance for the Seniors, 11.15 a.m. Burlington Senior’s Centre, 2285 New St. in Central Park adjacent to the Central Library.
Nov. 8 - Burlington: Performance at Burlington City Hall, 11.30 a.m., Laying of a wreath at the Burlington War Memorial at City Hall; 12 p.m., Performance for Mayor Rick Goldring and members of Council and citizens of Burlington, Burlington City Hall Square.

To find out more about the band and it`s Canadian Tour see www.48th-highlanders.nl/indexeng.html.

For further information contact: Jim Matz (Tour Organizer, Canada) jimmatz@cogeco.ca or 905-632 – 5752.

And if you ever get a chance to visit the Netherlands, make sure you visit one of the Canadian military graveyards - it's a moving experience you'll never forget!

October TraveLife magazine available!

Imagine, it's already October and another 12 months is about to come to an end and I'm another year older!

That's the bad news - the good news is that another issue of TraveLife magazine will be distributed this weekend in the Toronto Star (Oct. 22), my former employer and Canada's largest newspaper.

TraveLife magazine can be accessed online right NOW at http://www.travelife.ca/ and our team of excellent writers have been busy filing stories from exotic places around the world.

In the October/December issue of TraveLife magazine, you'll find stories on:

British Columbia's Sunshine Coast: Brian Brown and Laurel Rowbotham sail away on a 10-day cruise along B.C.'s breathtakingly beautiful waterways and tell us about their experience of fishing for crabs and shrimps and coming face-to-face with bald eagles and starfish.

Japan's Kyoto: George Millar tells us about his experience at a temple in that ancient Japanese city.

Israel's Eilat: TraveLife's photo editor Casey Nolin takes some back roads to get to Israel's "fun capital."

San Francisco: Karen Asp and her husband patrol the streets of San Francisco in some unusual vehicles.

India's Little Tibet: Our adventurous writer Amy Chung goes out of her way to find excitement in India.

Guam's food culture: Cynthia Dial attends a food festival on Guam and comes away with an appetite for more of this treasured island.

Bora Bora: Mark Dimitroff discovers the inner beauty of this South Pacific treasure with the help of an island icon.

China: Chloe Tse has the second part of her amazing journey to China, the land of her ancestors.

And it's been a busy time between editions for me - I've taken exciting trips to Panama, Taiwan, Malaysia and Miami and share my experiences in the October issue of TraveLife magazine.

So look for a copy of TraveLife magazine in the Toronto Star Saturday (Oct. 22) or go online and read it on your iPad or smart phone.

Osaka airfare for $580 return!

My memories of Osaka are all good ones!

Here's another great air deal I just came across:

Return airfare from Toronto to Osaka for $580!

Details:

Travel Period:

Oct 19 - Dec 15, 2011;

& Jan 1 - Apr 1, 2012

Air Taxes: $683

Ticketing Until: Oct 21, 2011

Call: 1.866.929.6688

Ryanair a "Euro-peeing" airline

Ryanair, which has been criticized severely, especially in this corner, for even contemplating turning their on board washrooms into"paid toilets" complete with a coin slot, has solved the problem - they're getting rid of the bathrooms.

The fly-by-night Irish carrier says it's eliminating two of the three washrooms on its planes so it can squeeze in another six seats.

Passengers will be given "pee" bags just in case, though. 

What next - get rid of one of the engines to make the plane lighter and save on fuel ... or how about getting rid of the pilots (auto pilot will do) so more seats can be added to the cockpit area.

Ryanair in now the worst "Euro-peeing" airline and one wonders why anyone would trust this carrier.

Japan offers tourists free airfare

Japan's beleaguered tourism officials are pulling out all the stops to get foreigners to return to their accident prone country.

Japan's Tourism Authority announced this week it is giving away 10,000 free flights in a contest that requires winners to write positive things about their visit to a country that has seen its fair share of disasters in recent years - culminating in this past spring's earthquake/tsunami that caused over 20,000 deaths and billions in damages.

Since the earthquake/tsunami, Japan has experienced a 50 per cent drop in tourism and a 47 per cent decline in foreign tourist spending.

The airfare giveaway - you have to submit an application online to get one - will be launched in April 2012 -  with lots of hoopla and help from Hollywood types - and will cost the Japanese government $14.3 million U.S. Winners are responsible for their own lodging, food and ancillary expenses.

Japan needs our help so let's hope this free airfare promotion works - I know I'm going to apply!

Egypt is still welcoming tourists

Steve Hope, second from left in back row, led this smiling group to Egypt last week.

With all the news reports coming out of Egypt that Cairo is ablaze with new anti-government and religious violence, I got concerned about a colleague who was escorting a Tour East Holidays trip to the land of the pharohs.

Then yesterday, Steve Hope, the Tour East tour expert, sent me this photo of his group standing in Tahrir Square in Cairo - the place CNN was showing as being the epicentre of the violence.

"We had a great time - the Egyptians treated us so well," reported Steve upon his return. Judging by the smiles on the faces in the photograph above, I'd say no one looks too worried or concerned.

Another contact I have in Egypt confirmed yesterday that life in Cairo and in the great cities along the River Nile is pretty much normal and that if there is violence, it's happening well away from the normal tourist routes.

It's too bad when headline-seeking news editors sitting in London or New York take isolated events and blow them out of proportion just to get more viewers. Decisions like this have far-reaching effects on tourism and people's lives in country's like Egypt that count so heavily on tourism.

Can we trust headline news anymore?

The photo above is worth a thousand words.

Old Montreal looking old and tired



The Hotel Nelligan is too much for too little!

 Just got back from Montreal where I spent a lovely weekend touring the city's famed Old Town (Vieux Montreal) and enjoying great food - Montreal chefs remain Canada's best - and soaking up the festive atmosphere that always surrounds this lovely French city.

To make the weekend a little more special I checked into one of Montreal's Old Town boutique hotels - Quebec hoteliers are the best at turning old period buildings into chic hotel properties.

The historic Hotel Nelligan on Rue St. Paul, named after one of French Canada's best known authors, was my property of choice.

Impressions: Very nice hotel - very average service - typical "boutique" property that christens itself a 5-star hotel and delivers 3-star service - the staff always seems to have their hands out for tips here - but their service does not warrant it.

Other impressions of Montreal:

* Judging by the number of "Louer" (to let) signs splattered about the Old Town, Montreal looks like an economic disaster area;

* Too many Old Town restaurants offer "set menus" - meaning you get three courses (all of which are fabulous) when you only want one or two; I hate chefs dictating how fat I will get;

* The provincial sales tax and other local taxes tourists must pay here are outrages - my $230 a night room (I stayed 2 nights) resulted in a $630 final bill - $430 for the stay and $200 in additional taxes and a two night hotel parking charge - ouch!

* The Old Town is looking old and tired - streets are littered with garbage and there's too many "chain" restaurants moving into the area - I liked Old Montreal when it was a bastion for up-and-coming young chefs.

Despite all the pitfalls, though, I can't wait for my next visit to Montreal!