Today, people from all over are traveling everywhere. With such an increase in diversity, the common question is: where are you from? People want to know where your ancestors are from. It fulfills a not-so-secret curiosity, the same one that propels people to travel.

What if you plate it for people? With, say, haggis. Curiosity and belly simultaneously sated.

Such is Daniel Audet and Yvon Marois’ motives when they established the Ruée vers Gould, as this recent article in The Montreal Gazatte highlighted. Although their haggis is not wrapped in sheep’s stomach or has mashed up lungs, it does contain traces of  ”chopped heart and liver (plus suet, oatmeal, ground lamb and spices).”

Just outside of Sherbrooke, Québec, the inn is situated in the old general store in Gould — a town with historic Scottish pioneer roots. The duo started the inn in 1995 to put the local “Scottish culture on display.” As well, the Scottish flair for entertaining was taken into account. Sporting kilts, the pair serve an authentic Scottish brunch consisting of 40 items. And you’d come here looking for authentic French culture.

Growing up in the Ottawa Valley was not especially interesting. It was not as adventurous as Toronto. It was not laid back like Vancouver. It was, however, an hour or so from Montréal, the city that boasts bagels, poutine and dépanneurs with beer-stocked fridges. Being young, penniless and car-free, I never got the opportunity to truly appreciate the cosmopolitan Québécois cuisine.

After I moved to Toronto and saved a little money, my friends and I decided to take a weekend trip to the city. To say that “we did the city right” would be an understatement, as we overindulged in a lifestyle that was decadent, yet affordable. We stayed up until the bars closed at 4 a.m. — an anomaly for Ontarians — consuming riches of wine and martinis, and eating until our bellies rounded. Since then I have not returned, still suffering from the food coma that ensued. That was five years ago.

For me, reading Emma Sloley’s account in The Australian of going “the whole hog” was nostalgic. Although I had not eaten a pig’s hoof stuffed with foie gras or “gooey gratin,” her article still brought back memories of Brazilian beef skewers and all-you-can-eat sushi. It made me remember the grilled paninis avec tomates sechées and poutine piled high with fresh curds and gravy. It reminded me that Montréal’s cuisine was and is dynamic and worldly. (more…)

When it comes to travel, most people want to take in all that a country has to offer. People will save their pennies to venture into far off and exotic places in order to experience the architecture, music, landscape and — I think most importantly — the food. Eating something delectable in a strange place rounds out one’s foreign, cultural experience by providing another sensory layer to the trip. It creates depth.

While on the road, I have been asked time and again, “What is typical Canadian food?” Far too many times I have drawn a blank. “Poutine from Québec . . . A fish fillet from Newfoundland?” I curiously respond. My inability to provide a concrete answer has made me wonder if my own Canadian experience has been hindered, eating Portuguese sandwiches and Vietnamese pho for sustenance. Then I wonder, perhaps this is what it means to eat “Canadian.”

The truth is, I have no idea what a typical Canadian meal is. Much like our cultural identity, Canadian dining has no defining feature. Instead, I feel like Canucks rely on the mosaic of options to please their palates, swapping our general lack of  culinary identity for our plethora of choices. (more…)

Think you got what it takes to do the three-day trek through Canada’s Golden Triangle? Maybe, just make sure to double bike-short it, things are about to get a little bumpy.

By Jon Wick

Last week, I embarked on a new chapter in my life: bike touring. More appropriately, epic bike touring. I spent three days pedaling through the beautiful Canadian Rockies along the Golden Triangle Route.

The Golden Triangle is a popular cycling route, connecting Lake Louise in Alberta with the namesake city of Golden, and Radium Hot Springs in British Colombia. Pedaling 100 km (60 mi.) each day, crossing the Continental Divide twice, with three different national parks unfurling around each bend in the road, is reason enough to don the spandex, chamois butter your personals, and get behind the handlebars for a few hours. Bicycling mountain terrain that gruelingly spectacular, and you’ll deserve margaritas at the end of the day.

For this trip, I was a bogey, a Klingon, basically a puppy that followed the crowd. I received little more information than an e-mail asking if I was free for the weekend, and a follow-up packing list. All I was supposed to do was prepare for a trip lasting a week, and get to my brother’s house in Calgary by Friday afternoon; didn’t know where we were biking, how long, with whom, etc . . . I dig the prep part of any trip, the anticipation, the running in circles, the uncertainty. Putting this much faith in people I didn’t know was new to me, and maybe the way I go from now on.

I’m a first-year roadie, making the leap from the mountain single tracks to the open road with some trepidation. Too many Gear Heads, tights, and people in full racing kits judging my rusty ’86 Schwinn Caliente. So this year, to reward myself for not getting killed during my past year rambling through Asia, I bought a new bike, a bike jersey, and yes, bike shorts. It became official, I’m a roadie — with my spandex-clad balls out there for everyone to see. (more…)

Apparently, summer is the season of summits. This year, Toronto is hosting the G20 — with much ado about something — and the Muskoka region of Ontario is hosting this year’s G8, with guest appearances from celebrity politicians. Well, for the most part — Muskokies just want to know about Obama.

Recently, a group of friends were talking about the repercussions the meeting will have on our cottage country. We chuckled. It’s black fly season. The juxtaposition of designer suits and repellent-mesh masks will make the charade more down-to-earth.

Nevertheless, the summit is being held at Deerhurst, a world renowned resort in Huntsville, mainly famous for its golf course. According to The Star, it was chosen in secret in September of 2007, and made public by an announcement by Stephen Harper in June 2008. Since then, preparations have been extensive, especially by upping the security with a 3-meter high fence.

Who knew that the venue for the Muskoka Ironman competition and the Canadian National Pond Hockey Championships would be such a high-profile contender?

The population need not worry, as the “clean up” from the world leaders’ party time will happen right after they leave the lake land and head off to attend the G20 summit. Then normal life of pony rides and tee-offs will resume.

It was a friend’s birthday weekend. We booked time off work, postponed the completion of our papers, and road-tripped to Quebec’s biggest city, Montreal. Amazingly, I had never been.

By the end of the trip, all I wanted was to prolong our stay for just a few more days (perhaps years), but we had obligations to get back to.

So, when I read this article in The Toronto Star, I was curious: apparently, Montreal has a secret hidden behind its glass.

Being a city full of artists and a certain je ne sais pas, I was not shocked to read that glasswork is a big deal there. As the article points out, there are schools dedicated to the medium (Espace Verre). Right now glass appreciation year is happening, and the city is holding a celebration called “Montréal, Ville de Verre” — City of Glass — with over 100 events.

However, as Carol Perehudoff points out, glass as art is not the only window to Montreal’s soul. Apparently, in two different churches, stained-glass windows have been uncovered. The mystery is why they were covered up, or bricked over, in the first place? Sleuths, bust out the magnifying glasses.

Anyways, Ville de Verre has activities running all year long, and now that it’s summer it should be added to the itinerary. Winters are mighty cold.

It’s a car, it’s a bug, it’s an Olympic celebration on four wheels. Underneath all that, we’ve discovered it’s even more than any of those things. We are psyched to announce Jules Andre Brown as the winner of our April Travel Photo Contest with his photo titled, “Love Bug.”  As Jules explains:

This was shot at the Vancouver Olympics, just after Canada won the gold medal for hockey. It brought great joy around Vancouver; an exciting moment for locals and tourists alike. It belongs to a great fellow named Marc, with whom I currently work with. Marc donates his time, his car, and even his movie collections to people experiencing autism.  This car actually changes from time to time. In fact, sometimes the car has a working water fountain with mermaids and different sculptures. However, I think this time it was a special Olympic model. I’ve been privileged to be with him in meetings about life and this car.

Mermaids? That’s quite a ride. As Matt puts it, “if you’re serious about doing a road trip, then this is the car you want: one that has the worst possible aerodynamics and is the most likely to get you pulled over. Oh wait a second, what I meant was . . .” Personally, I’d have no qualms about rocking the Love Bug on the open road, no matter how many cops I’d have to explain it to. “Officer, this is a love bug, and I’ve . . . Well, I’ve got a lotta love!”

The picture was shot with a Minolta SRT 201 and 400-speed Kodak Film. To see more of Jules’ awesome work, head to his Flickr page or his website www.julesandrebrown.com. For those interested, digital prints of his work are available for purchase, drop him a line at julesandrebrown@gmail.com. Congratulations Jules, we look forward to more of your work.

We are excited about TheExpeditioner’s Flickr group and all the amazing  submissions we are receiving daily. If you have a Flickr membership, we invite you to check out the shots, join us, and get uploading! Here’s a list of our past winners.

For next month’s contest, we are looking for the very best landscape shot from your travels! So scour those hard drives and get them posted for your chance of winning a feature the first friday of June! Happy travels, everyone!

I had no idea I could be compensated for a delay. I thought delays were just part and parcel of taking the plane,  domestic and international. Apparently we have rights as travelers, something worth considering when sitting for an overnight delay or last-minute cancellation. You could get a food voucher! I would be interested to know for which place (and, slightly frightened, to know).

The Wall Street Journal has this handy chart explaining the differences between the E.U., U.S. and Canada when it comes to ¨passenger rights.” I am all for compensation when it comes to outrageous delays. It helps to smooth the tension over. However, there appears to be a dilemma: if more ¨rights¨ are put in place by the government, the poor multi-billion dollar airline companies will lose more money forcing them to make cutbacks or even drop out of business.

Is it just me? Although I find legislating ¨compensation-rights¨ a little overboard, shouldn´t the company just do a better job taking care of their customers? I know that unexpected things happen, but isn´t it the business of business, especially in the airline industry, to provide the best service possible? What ever happened to business integrity? Why am I asking so many questions?

Today officially marks the beginning of the end of this escapade through Vancouver and Whistler’s Olympics, but in true Wick style, I need to end it with a bang (insert innuendo here). By that I mean a day jam packed with Olympic events. I caught three different disciplines, but none are legitimate events, really. The ladies super-combined is just a combination of two different ski runs, while the skeleton is nothing more than a balls-to-the-wall human missile contest.

The new prize for the worst $200 I’ve spent goes to the ticket I bought for the Ladies Super-Combined. I was stuck in a pit, miles from the racers, behind two ski paths, a row of press cubicles with Volkswagen sized cameras, and four fence barricades for the gal catching the occasional edge and bailing into a few spectators. Let’s just say it wasn’t the best spectator sport I’ve caught at the games.

I did, however, get to see some of the most technically sound and fastest skiers on earth. The downhill event is the fastest speed event for Alpine skiing, and where the gates are the farthest apart. To help you imagine this, it’s what you imitate on that run after you’ve put back a few of those lunchtime beers in the lodge. The Super-combined event pairs that up with the most technically challenging event, the slalom, where the gates are really close together.  First one down the mountain wins — my kind of skiing.

Both are completely different styles of skiing, to the point of being very different sports. The morning was very cold and the snow on top of the hard course a bit sugary. When the competitors flew down the hill (and if you watched the finish of the skiing events, that’s literally true for a large portion of it — they call it the “hot air” jump), they kicked up snow behind them that looked like a trail of smoke. I was quite far away, though, and I like to believe it was smoke. Actually, I would have believed anything to justify the overly priced, awful tickets I bought. (more…)

• Cheap Lodging For The Olympics: The Olympics are just around the corner. If you’re on TheExpeditioner.com staff you’ll be attending (like Jon will be doing), and you can expect meager accommodations from your employer: a luxurious stay in the back of a rented van and clipped coupons for the local Tim Horton’s (sorry Jon — the budget’s a little tight this time of year).

For everyone else, why not save a little money and rent one of the many apartments being offered from local Vancouverites. Check out Rent2010.net for rooms at a fraction of the cost you’d find for a hotel. Jon, we’ll try to do better come 2014 in Russia.

• Dublin For $374: What else says “a rollicking good time in Dublin” then an Aer Lingus flight for you and three of your buds. Or, Aer Lingus introduces “The Hangover” special. The airline is running a promotion right now (apparently for the bachelor party set) where a group of four can buy four round-trip tickets for $1,498 total.

To Lima For Cheap: Flights to Peru have been really cheap, and they’re staying that way. LAN is offering flights from D.C. to Lima for only $339 + tax (around $416 total), and $359 from Miami.

It’s almost ethereal to think that my home-and-native-land gets to host the 2010 Winter Olympics in just over a month. I am proud that British Columbia gets to flaunt its grandiose beauty to the world. Back home in Toronto, a friend from Vancouver told me an apt description of the province’s landscape: Rural Ontario is picturesque, but B.C. is sublime. After seeing it for myself last May, I can say he was articulately poignant.

I would like to give a big shout out to John Lee, who wrote an article  for the Daily News about how to navigate the 2010 Games. He takes us on a scribed tour of what to see and where to see it. Due to downtown-Van being a pint-sized peninsula, most of the skating and downhill events take place on the outskirts of the core in the suburb of Richmond or via a short drive to Whistler Village. The Olympic Village is situated just outside downtown in False Creek, appropriately named for there is no creek there — more like an large inlet of water. Hockey lovers will be excited to hear that the battle for gold will be at the B.C. Place, Canada’s first domed stadium. Nevertheless, the venues that the province has chosen seem to be within a reasonable distance of one another.

However, as Lee pointed out, there is more to do in Vancouver than just watch people freezing in spandex (no matter how much fun that sounds). This being the Olympics and all, many countries are heading to the games to promote tourism to their own countries, like Germany who will be on hand selling gigantic bratwursts or Holland who will be livening things up with their own beer house. It sounds sublime.

If you happen to be in Van-city while the Games are going, check out this interactive map from The Globe and Mail where you can find reviews of places to eat, sleep, drink. Enjoy the view, it’s one of Canada’s best.

Since Christmas, it appears that flyers bound for the U.S. from Canada are going to have to pack a little lighter. In the wake of an attempted attack on Delta Airline Flight 253, Canada has tightened security in the nation’s airports, brought to my attention by an article in The Globe and Mail. After further reading, my understanding is that the alleged attack occurred on Christmas Day in Canada’s Airspace, 20 minutes before landing in Detroit.

As a response, Transport Canada released a statement after the incident stating that passengers flying from Canada to the U.S. will not be able to bring carry-ons. However, there are a few exceptions:

Passengers may carry with them one or more of the following items: medication or medical devices, small purses, cameras, coats, items for care of infants, laptop computers, crutches, canes, walkers, containers carrying life sustaining items, a special needs item, musical instruments, or diplomatic or consular bags.

They also warn that flyers should expect delays as a result of the increased security.

I am still unsure whether this is the case for passengers on stopovers from other countries, or if it is just passengers leaving Canada for the U.S. However, I will keep my eyes peeled and ears to the ground for any updates.

Until then, travel light.

Don’t ask why, but I randomly searched to see if there were still tickets for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics coming up in February. Surprisingly, there were, and I gave a fist pump when I saw “available”  next to men’s freestyle skiing. That got me thinking, “bet I’m not the only one.” A tornado of mouse clicks and google searches ensued; here’s what I got.

Getting There: Cheapticketlinks.org has a list of budget airlines that fly into Canada: WestJet, CanJet, Flyglobespan, Horizon Air, and US Airway. Don’t forget about alternate airports to fly into: Seattle SeaTac International (SEA), Bellingham International (BLI), or even Abbotsford International (YXX).

Staying There: There’s a great article over at BootsnAll listing and describing numerous hostels in the area. They start at about $18 usd and up. Another great resource is hostelblog.org with a ton more possibilities.

Tickets: You’re going to see the games, right? So you’ll need these. Good news, you can still get your mitts on them. Many of the hockey games still have tickets, and if you aren’t picky about who you watch, you can score $25 dollar tickets. If you want to, and a little bit of me does, grab one of the opening ceremony tickets from $175 to $1,100.

Conclusion: Remember, it’s a huge event, it may cost you some dinero. Act fast, be flexible, and enjoy.