S T O R M W A T C H E R

After a long winter and being stuck indoors with a toddler in the midst of a pandemic, we were really missing being able to travel. I love reading CN Traveller magazine and I came across a post about this house out in Tillamook down in Oregon with the craziest view of the coast. Within minutes I hopped online to book it (mind you this was months in advance as they were fully booked already for the next 3 months). Come May, we took our first long road trip (5 hours) down to Tillamook! The house itself resides on the hill in a very small part of town called Oceanside. The beach is literally a 2 minute drive away. The moment we stepped into the house (which is called The Stormwatcher), our jaws dropped. The photos that we had seen from CN Traveller were representative of the actual view. We were greeted by these floor to ceiling windows with an unobstructed view of the beach and the ocean as far as the eye can see. I honestly can't remember the last time we stayed at a place with this kind of view. Maybe in Greece?

The house itself had 3 floors, with the master bedroom suite on the top floor, and 3 bedrooms on the bottom floor. The living room and open kitchen were on the main floor. The best part about this house is that all the rooms also have the full view of the beach and ocean. Did I mention that there are also a few patios that you can dine out on? We ended up inviting some friends to come stay with us as we hadn't seen them in a long time and it was not a super long drive for them coming from Portland. The kids had a great time running around in the open space (and loved it) while we caught up over wine and great food. The beach at Oceanside was also one of the cleanest we've ever been to. N got to run on the beach and dip his toes in the ocean for the first time. We also got lucky with the weather and it was sunny for the first two days.

Every one of the 3 large bedrooms had the same incredible ocean view. Not a bad scene to doze off and wake up to, I'd say. The tub wasn't so bad either.

The Stormwatcher was one of the most impressive spaces that we have stayed in ever - anywhere in the world. From the moment we got out of the car, to the first sights we saw when we entered that door, we were amazed and struck with awe. If you can get a reservation here, we would highly recommend it!

C A M P H O W A R D

It occurred to me that this is the first post that I have made since the birth of N and since COVID hit the world. We have not taken any opportunities to travel for what seems like 2 years now. It probably sounds like we are privileged when I say it like that - though what I am trying to say is that it feels weird to not travel and see the world. We want that for N as he grows up too and while it has felt routine and safe to be at home, going through the same daily schedule every day, it's also important that we stretch ourselves and expand our horizons. Anyway, long story short, J decided that we should head out to this amazing accommodation near Leavenworth, WA for a short trip to take a break and celebrate my birthday. From the pictures, we could tell that the location would be amazing and the space even more so. We didn't do much when we got here except relax, stare out into the quiet of the mountains and the forest and just take a breather. It was much needed. The pictures below do not do this space justice. Camp Howard

Instagram / AirBNB

T H E S P A C E As soon as we drove up to the backyard of Camp Howard and walked inside, a few design aspects of this space drew our attention first. The clean lines, the open space, the floor to ceiling windows and the use of high quality wood in its construction all stood out. The light flowed into this space so beautifully. Below are a few pictures of the parts of this space that we were most impressed with.

It wasn’t just the indoor space that was designed beautifully. The patio and the outdoor space was a wonder to behold as well. Luckily the sun had come out during 2/3rds of our trip so we could sit outside and enjoy some fresh air.

D E T A I L S A N D L I G H T There was something magical about this place and it is not just about the architecture. The reason this place has floor to ceiling windows is to take advantage of that magical mountain/forest light. I am not great at spotting artistic and creative crops/angles but this place was too good to not even give it a try. I mean, just look at the last few photos in this strip below - the light changes so beautifully throughout the day and it becomes absolutely mystical at golden hour.

O V E R A L L Would we want to come back here? Was there ever a doubt? ;) But book early because Camp Howard is very, very popular. Links above.

Cotswold

The trip to the Cotswold’s took place way back in 2011 (close to 8 full years ago) when I was living in London. To this day, this road trip holds some of my most fond memories living in Europe. It wasn’t a particular event or anything. Instead, it was just the feeling of being overwhelmingly fulfilled at the experience, of seeing, of feeling that I was… in a way, free.

I was lucky to have moved to London and I was even more lucky to get to know a few good, welcoming friends. When the idea came up to take a weekend road trip to the Cotswolds and visit Oxford, I was not going to refuse. At this point, I wasn’t too familiar with the UK outside of London so it was meant to be a chance at seeing the world outside of the bustling city. What I saw was an incredibly beautiful and simple, countryside. Some of my favorite photos that I have ever taken were taken during this trip.

The lady in many of these photos was someone I met through Flickr - knowing that I was also from Vancouver and moving to London, she reached out and I am so glad she did. She was a budding photographer who clearly saw the world from a unique lens and her vision has now culminated in her being an amazingly well respected and gifted photographer - Nadia Hung. She now shoots weddings, maternity shoots and her work has been recognized and published multiple times. Her website is https://www.nadiahungphotography.com/. Visit her when you get the chance. I’m just glad I got to know her before she got famous :)

Fields, field and more fields

Some of my favorite memories of roadtripping in Europe was being able to stop on the side of the road whenever you saw something you wanted a picture of. We saw plenty of great fields during our drive to Oxford and in spite of some “Do Not Trespass” signs, we dove right in and took as many photos as we could - as fast as we could. No regrets here. I still dream of the green wheat field every so often. I remember the wind blowing through the field, making the wheat bow in unison. It was a sight that I had seen in pictures before and longed to see in person. I’m just grateful that we found this. We also found a yellow flower field as well which we had loads of fun in. After taking some silly pictures of one another here, we were back on the road.

Oxford

When we arrived at Oxford, we did some exploring. The architecture was impressive. I loved the light that we saw that day, filling the room and its extremely high, beautifully decorated ceilings. We also stumbled upon a bit of a surprise - we found the room that Harry Potter’s cafeteria scenes were filmed! It was a pleasant surprise, though, the room was not nearly as grand and as big in scale as the movie made it look. Goes to show you the magic of post processing and CG.

Overall

My memory of the UK is not about London. It’s about exploring Europe and the UK countryside. Cotswold was my first exposure and I still day dream about it from time to time today.

V E N I C E

One couldn’t say that they have seen most of Italy without having been to Venice. Though Italy is one of my favorite places to visit, Venice is one of those cities that I had yet to set foot in. Luckily, it was the same for J as well. As we contemplated where we would go during one of our big trips in 2018, we thought about several places including Switzerland, South of France, Spain and Italy. With our love of food, it wasn’t surprising that we ended up coming back the country known for its pasta, mozza, florentine steak and big Tuscan reds. Our first stop of that trip was here, the romantic city of Venice.

As always, after a long flight, you’re not feeling the cleanest or fresh but we welcomed the sun and the mid 20 degree weather. Our hotel was in the heart of old town Venice so it was going to be a bit tricky taking the water bus and changing routes in order to get there. It didn’t take too much convincing for us to opt instead for a much more convenient and scenic route - water taxi. They took us straight from the station directly to our hotel and we got to see Venice by canal right away. It gave us a glimpse of what we could expect over the 3 days. J was also very impressed with our driver - I was just happy to be on our way to the hotel!

We were instantly stunned at the beauty of this place. Much like other cities and villages in Italy, each have their own character and Venice was unlike any place that I have ever been. The canals that you so often hear about when one sees a reference to Venice were there in all its glory. The way the canals wrap around a corner, bordered on each side by beautifully aged residential buildings, varying in color from its years of existence, your senses couldn’t help but be drawn in. San Marco’s Basilica and the Piazza of course was amazing, albeit crowded, but the highlight was definitely walking around aimlessly, exploring all the canals and wandering through the neighborhoods.

Did you know that Venice has a lot of beautiful canals? No? Well obviously you knew about them if you want to go to Venice but are they really that pretty? Yes. Yes they are. This is only a small sample of photos but we couldn’t help but stop at each one, looking at the different angles and colors of the homes that curve around the bend. It is no wonder why such beautiful artwork exists of Venice when you have sights like this.

San Marco’s Basilica, piazza and bell tower

The Basilica and Piazza are at the heart of Venice. It is likely the landmark that all tourists gravitate towards and you really feel it when you get there. The Basilica is grand and the walls are so beautifully decorated and detailed. Often I am amazed at the amount of workmanship and the time that it must have took to build a structure that has stood the test of time. The Basilica is no different. This is a building that has been around for close to a thousand years! A stone’s through away from the Basilica is the Bell Tower. As with many bell towers in Europe, you do have the opportunity to climb up and get an overhead view. Beware, the walkway is very narrow so no big bags are allowed. The view was worth it! Though we didn’t want to stick around too long because of the crowds, but we did find ourselves walking through daily.

Doge’s Palace

The lineup for this place is a bit crazy so I would suggest getting in first thing. You can buy tickets online ahead of time as well. Some beautiful work to admire and get away from the hot heat (depending on the time of year that you come). We are not crowd people so we did come to the palace first thing in the morning to take some photos. Luckily for me, J is a very willing subject. The artwork inside the palace is beautiful and worthwhile to walk through. We spent the better part of 3 hours here and it was well worth it. It is recommended to book your tickets ahead of time though - and arrive early, it gets very crowded.

Where we stayed in Venice

We stayed at the boutique hotel, Liassidi Wellness Suites for our 3 days. Tucked away in the Castello neighborhood of Venice, our hotel was not in the busiest parts of the city and we prefer that. Still, it was only a 10 minute walk to the Basilica San Marco. Super convenient location without it being too crowded or noisy so from a location perspective, we were very pleased. The room was also beautiful and modern (I loved the herringbone flooring) and very clean kept. Lots of natural light with ample window space and the bonus? Our window opened up to the canal below. The hotel also provided us with breakfast each morning and it was delicious. We would easily recommend this hotel to anyone planning a visit to Venice.

What we ate in Venice

Corte Sconta / So we don’t know if being delirious from lack of sleep had anything to do with it but this was in our minds, one of the best meals we had during our entire trip, from Venice, to Tuscany, to Florence. We sat outside in their private courtyard. Looking up, there was a combination of branches and leaves, intertwining with the dim, warm glow of sparingly used lights. J had the squid ink seafood pasta while I had the freshly made gnocchi with pistacchio. Both were equally delicious but I have to say that J’s dish was one of the best seafood pastas that I have ever had. To think… we almost decided to ditch our reservation to go back and sleep! Teaches us a lesson - always food over sleep.

Al Covo / The second evening, we ate at Al Covo. I remember this space being very tastefully decorated and it was also very warm and comfortable. This is likely the reason why I almost fell asleep due to jet lag and did not take any pictures. Not as good as Corte Scanta on our view but it was a delicious meal nonetheless.

Overall

Venice is as beautiful as the post cards convey. Much like so much of Europe and Italy in particular, the city is well preserved and it retains its charm not only from its physical beauty but the feeling you get when you walk around town. The canals are beautiful but that’s not why you should visit. If that is the only reason you come to Venice then you are really missing the point. The history, the architecture, the winding roads that easily confuse but also leave you feeling as if you are right at home, that’s what we came to know Venice as during our short stay. We went in hoping that this was more than just a touristy city and we left knowing it wasn’t. Needless to say, we would love to come back. As the first city we visited on our 2018 Italy trip, we were off to a great start.

H O K K A I D O

It is no secret that we are a bit enamored with Japan but one place that we have not been previously was Hokkaido. Of course we had heard about this place; a place we had read would have flufflier snow and fresher seafood than anywhere else in this area of the world. We came to this part of Japan with hopes of eating (surprise surprise) a variety of foods including hairy crab, uni, ice cream, and ramen. What we left with, were memories of experiences that exceeded even our expectations. We had scheduled about 6 days in Hokkaido where we spent 3 in Sapporo, 2 in Noboribetsu, and 1 in Otaru. We thought that was ample time considering our to do list. Here are some memories from the trip. S A P P O R O Sapporo is the largest city in Hokkaido and while many people were flying into the city this time of year to partake in the fluffy snow nearby, we were here to eat, explore and eat. The City had its fair share of corporate buildings and shopping centers but it was also only a short bus ride to a few places that we wanted to visit including Otaru and Noboribetsu.

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Where we stayed in Sapporo Sapporo is one of the biggest cities in Japan so without any familiarity of the city, we decided to stay close to the station. 40 minute’s by train from the airport (New Chitose), we arrived at Sapporo Station. Attached to the Station are a number department malls as well as the JR Nikko Hotel, where we stayed. The hotel stands tall above the city and provides some spectacular views of the urban landscape. Together, with the convenience that the hotel’s proximity provides to the train station, we could not imagine staying anywhere else in Sapporo. The city was not really in a state for us to walk around in anyway as there was lots of ice and snow so we were happy to have stayed in this hotel. JR Nikko Hotel also has a spa on the 22nd floor which was very nice and relaxing. Keep in mind that this is meant to be modeled after a traditional onsen so you do need to be naked (you get used to it pretty quickly!).

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What we ate in Sapporo Sushisei Wakichi - While we expected Hokkaido to be a source of great seafood, we did not expect our favorite sushi meal to come from Sapporo. Sushisei Wakichi is ranked 2nd in sushi restaurants for Sapporo by Tabelog (Japan’s restaurant review website) so we went into this meal with a lot of anticipation. Coming from the sub freezing, snowy weather, we were very happy to come into a cozy and welcoming, 8-9 seater restaurant. The sushi was very well proportioned in the neta to shari ratio and most importantly, each course came together so nicely. Anyone coming to Sapporo with an interest in Sushi should look at coming here. Sapporo Beer Garden (Mongolian Grill) - We did not expect Mongolian grill to be a big thing in Hokkaido but we were told it was a must do. Since it was attached to the Sapporo Beer Museum, we thought, why not? The best part about this experience wasn’t the food though - it was the beer. They have different versions of the popular Sapporo beer that you can’t find anywhere else - even in Japan. That alone is a good reason to visit.

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O T A R U Otaru was only a 35-40 minute train ride from Sapporo so it made for a great day trip. Closer to the ocean, with its very own fish market, we knew we could make full use of our time here. The fish market was open early and while it was small, it made for a much more personal experience than one you could have at the Tsukiji Market in Tokyo. This little coastal town is also the home of Le Tao, a very well known bakery in Hokkaido (they are famous for their double baked cheese cake). While we were in Otaru, there was heavy snowfall and it was glorious. It truly felt like a winter wonderland and if you can't tell from the pictures below, we had a ton of fun in the snow. ​

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J likely got a bit tired of me asking her to pose for pictures but I couldn't give up the opportunity given the gigantic snowflakes that were falling around us. It was a moment to really cherish. I think I got a few good snaps of J, what do you think? ;)

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While in Otaru, we had to go into the fish market by the station and try out some of their very fresh seafood. If only we could find something this good back at home. Not only are they not shy about giving you an abundance of ingredients, the quality was about as good as you could get.

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N O B O R I B E T S U Noboribetsu was only a 1.5 hour bus ride from Sapporo city center but it felt as if we had been transported to a completely different universe. Our trip in Japan entailed a lot of walking. We often walked well over 15k steps a day but during our short stay in this little town of hot springs, we walked a grand total of 500 steps. I think that adequately describes how we spent our time here. Where we stayed in Noboribetsu Going to a part of Japan that was known for its natural hot springs, we knew we wanted to stay in a Ryokan. A Ryokan is a traditional accommodation in Japan that goes way back. When I think of a Ryokan, I think of tatami mats, woven sliding doors, beds on the floor and that is exactly what we looked for when we planned our trip out here. We ended up staying at Ryotei Hanayura in Noboribetsu. To get here, we took a chartered bus from downtown Sapporo and they ended up dropping us off directly at the hotel. The accommodation was clean and beautiful. Our room was massive and it came with our own private onsen bath that was outdoors in our balcony. Anyone who hasn’t tried dipping into a hot pool, in the winter, surrounded by snow hearing nothing but the water around you really has to find a way to do it at least once. Trust me, it will be one of those memories that you won’t forget. Like a lingering feeling of nostalgia that you wish you could relive. Peaceful and content - that is the best way that I can describe that feeling. ​

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What we ate in Noboribetsu Noboribetsu isn’t known for its restaurants so we happily stayed in our Ryokan and dined in for all of our meals. Our Kaiseki dinners were beautiful and so satisfying with some sake after a long day of doing nothing but lounging about and dipping in the onsen. Breakfast was buffet style where we could load up on fruits, congee, and other traditional items such as ikura. ​

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O V E R A L L There is something truly peaceful about being in Japan during winter. We ended up with some amazing memories during our short stay here and while we did not ski/snowboard as many would come out this way for, we had a blast and would come back in a heart beat. If you are a food or beer lover, enjoy onsens and just enjoy being in Japan, Hokkaido is a place that will not disappoint. ​

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