Category: Canada

Cafés, coffee, and creativity…Blog #133

Lot 61 Roaster, Amsterdam

One of the many things I love about travel, is finding new cafés. Now, I’m a little picky about my cafés ~ they need to have character, atmosphere, background music that isn’t overbearing (jazz is always a good choice), comfortable chairs, and of course the necessary internet connections. When doing work travel, cafés are my location of choice to write and prepare for whatever projects I may be working on at the time.

I’ve shared some of my favourites in this blog.

Barn Owl (Milk Shed), Kelowna, BC

Customer service is also important, I want to get the feeling that I’m welcome there, not just a source of revenue to the owners. I have experienced all of these elements in coffee shops across Canada and Europe, but I’ve also experienced some that cause me to quickly drink my beverage and leave…after all who wants to feel like an inconvenience? 

Zandvoort, Amsterdam

As I write this blog, I’m sitting in a local café in my home town of Kelowna BC. Soft jazz is playing, I’m sitting in a comfortable chair by the window providing a view of the lake. I am very much enjoying a decaffeinated, double espresso, macchiato. (It has to go be strong to make me forget it is decaf!). A new barista asked if I wanted a 12 or 16 ounce — good clue that she was new. However, the person training her respectfully whispered that she was not quite on the right track, then proceeded to coach her through making my not-so-often requested drink. The training was magnificent, as was my coffee.  

I have a home office (currently being redesigned by a new start up business, Design Floral), and I really do like working in it. However, there’s something about the inspiration I get when working from such coffee shops as this one. I use my AirBuds to quiet down some of the distractions, while still allowing the gentle ‘buzz’ of the patrons to filter through. It’s peaceful, and for some reason, provides an atmosphere that stimulates creativity.

Black Rabbit, Kelowna BC
House of Tribes, The Hague

I’m sure you have come across some hidden gems from your travels, or even in your own home town — I would love to hear about them. What do you look for? What are some non-negotiables? What kind of work do you feel most inspired to do in a café of choice? What would perhaps make a one-time-visit-never-to-return experience? What location would you recommend as a must visit?

Cafés, coffee, and creativity ~~ a dynamic combination.

Let’s talk airport special assistance…Blog #132

I love writing about travel experiences — so many wonderfully amazing places in this world to visit. I’ve waxed eloquent (hopefully) about such magnificent places as the Acropolis in Athens, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, or Skookumchuk Narrows in British Collumbia’s Sunshine Coast. And what can match the mystery of the Giant’s Causeway in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, or the wondrous display of a Creators sense of humour as schools of angelfish decided my freckles were bits of food just waiting for their tiny beaks to feed on me while snorkelling! Do you know how hard it is to laugh while wearing goggles — and how could I not?

What I have never written about are the journeys taken to get to these amazing places, and the hours spent in airports. Who hasn’t experienced the mad rush to make it to the gate before it closes, or endured hours sitting on hard benches while your flight has been delayed yet again. Or what about the seemingly miles of unending halls to navigate, and security that is compelled to aggressively dig through the carefully packed contents of your carryon luggage?  (I know…it’s for our own safety)

Sculpture ~ Vancouver, BC International Airport

On our recent trip to Europe, my husband and I had the joy of spending time in no less than four airports, each way. At times the layovers were of a short duration, other times we had several hours to fill before boarding yet another plane.

We have travelled a great deal and feel very blessed to have done so, and mostly without incident. However, life changed greatly three years ago when my husband was diagnosed with a serious medical condition. We still wanted to travel, but the simple task of getting from one gate to the next very quickly became an insurmountable task…or so we thought.

On this trip, our amazing travel agent at Flight Centre added a request on my hubby’s ticket…’wheelchair required’. It was a game changer. At each airport, a trained and ever so gracious ‘assistant’ was waiting to take him from point A to point B with both speed and efficiency. Who knew there were so many back halls and corridors available to those with the necessary security clearance. The added bonus? We got to bypass all the lineups for security and passport control…it was amazing! 

Have you ever tried to keep up with a wheelchair pushed by a licensed wheelchair operator while lugging two four-wheeled suitcases? (I’m sure they must take some kind of wheelchair driving course to move that fast) It’s not for the faint of heart, believe me. I achieved a week’s worth of exercise just trying to keep up. When time allowed, and it generally did, they would leave my husband (and me as the tag along) in one of the airport lounges available through my credit card, then magically show up just in time to get us to the next gate ready for pre-boarding.

In all seriousness, these amazing humans deserve more than they are probably paid and have earned our undying admiration for life. In leadership we talk about ‘servant leadership’, what we witnessed was such a lovely example of customer service servanthood. 

Travel will never be as effortless for us as it was in the past, but having access to such assistance made all the difference in the world. There are many more amazing places in this world we want to visit — these airport angels are now an important element in making this possible.

Trip Saavy | Wheelchair and Guided Assistance | Arranging special assistance UK | Canadian Affair | Travelling with disabilities

                                                                                                    

‘Thank you’ Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya on Pexels.com

Autumn, it’s the most wonderful time of the year…Blog # 128

I love Autumn. Always have, and always will. It was the perfect month for me to be born! (Actually, today’s my birthday!) There’s something about the feeling of the warmth of the sun filtering through the cool, crisp air. The light is somehow softer in the autumn, as sun rays are less direct. By early afternoon through early evening, the sun beats through my home office window. I have one of those oversize chairs by the window — my favourite place to sit and read, listen to an audio book, or even allow myself to have a short afternoon snooze while the sun serves as a warming blanket.

Every autumn, our city in western Canada treats us to a cacophony of fall colours as trees display their red, orange and yellow leaves. Who doesn’t love strutting through the leaves and hearing them rustling underfoot? While I appreciate the diligence of city workers and gardners as they rake these autumn carpets, I simply can’t resist gathering the leaves and throwing them in the air, then laughing at the shower they provide as, once again, they float to the ground.

I haven’t travelled since May, and even though I’m always ready to travel to some far-off place, my husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed the beauty of the Okanagan Valley. Have you ever walked around your area and looked through the eyes of a first-time visitor, or a tourist? Try it…I guarantee you will appreciate the surrounding beauty in a new light.

We can’t all live by the ocean (sad, but true), nor can we all live by a 90-mile-long lake (like we do), however, there is such beauty in a prairie sunrise or sunset. I will never forget my first visit to the Canadian prairies…how could anything be so flat?? On my first day I decided to brave the brisk early morning October air. Dawn was just breaking on the horizon and I witnessed the most spectacular sunrise I have ever seen. It’s awesomeness literally brought tears to my eyes. Then there are the spectacular views from atop a mountain or the sense of insignificance we feel when looking up at such majesty from a lush valley. I remember standing with a friend on Mars Hill in Athens and gazing over the expanse of the magnificent city spread out before us.

Who can forget their first experience of wonder when snorkelling in the waters of Hawaii, or Mexico? It is like entering another world, one that is peaceful, abundant with every colour of the rainbow, and occupied by the most amazing sea life that would give Dr. Seuss’s creative mind a run for his money!

You get the idea. Yes, travelling is wonderful, something never to be taken for granted. But so is the world immediately around us, in our backyard, across the street, on the other side of town, a day trip away, or a bike ride along a peaceful country road.

Sadly, there are times when beauty is destroyed by devastating events caused by nature, or man. My hope is that in the midst of such devastation, we are able to eventually see beauty…like a phoenix rising from the ashes. In the meantime, I’m happy to share nature’s beauty with you, looking through my eyes.

All photographs taken from right here in Kelowna, Canada. We truly live in a four seasons playground.

A travel legacy from my Dad…Blog# 123

This Sunday is Father’s Day. A day when we traditionally honour our dads and those men who have had a significant impact on our lives. For some the memories are not something deserving focus or release from long, shut away memory vaults. My heart hurts for those of you who had to suffer such pain.

For others, Father’s Day is an opportunity to reflect on past memories, and turn back the hands of time to consider how our dads have left their imprint on our lives. I’m one of the fortunate ones; while my dad wasn’t perfect, he certainly loved his family and did the very best he could. My father passed away July 2021 after suffering several years with vascular dementia. 

While he still could, I loved taking Dad for coffee where we laughed, and at times cried together at shared memories of the past. He always asked the same questions. 1. How’s Rob (my husband)? How are Ian and Jennifer (my brother and sister)? How are all the kids?

The next question? Have you travelled anywhere lately? This would immediately lead to a lovely walk down memory lane as we chatted about vacations taken as a family. You see, my dad loved to travel, and he passed his love of travel on to me. 

Growing up in Ireland, many of our holidays were to the South of Ireland, England, or Scotland. In our coffee chats, a favourite holiday that often surfaced in our conversations found our family of five riding a pony and trap around the Gap of Dunloe in Killarney, Ireland. 

Gap of Dunloe (thanks Unsplash)

I was eight. We were surrounded by lush green beauty dotted with deep purple heather that abounds across Ireland. Amongst the heather were herds of sheep, meandering along with no thought of destination. We pasted many lakes, and jaunted along the River Loe, taking it’s time to weave from one lake to the next. I remember the surrounding majestic mountains (ok, big hills), poised and ready for the Cavalry, soon to appear rescuing me from the monotony of riding in that slow, rickety carriage! 

The Cavalry never came. While the carriage was good for my parents and new born sister…and I think my brother was happy with it…it simply didn’t cut it for me! I so desperately wanted to ride a horse, untethered, free to wander and explore. Not go at a snail’s pace! But there I sat, taking in the beauty, and not sporting a bad attitude at all!

Still, the memory brings a warmth to my soul. In spite of my dampened spirit, it was a trip to remember.      

Then there was the trip to Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands where we actually saw Nessie! Yup, the fabled Loch Ness Monster. It was a damp, rainy day (of course). The fog was hovering over the lake creating an eerie stillness. Cars were pulled over to the side of the road. Dad, having as curious a nature as I, pulled over to investigate. Everyone was speaking in low whispers, eyes peeled on the lake. Then we saw her…Nessie appeared through the fog, cutting a trail through the placid waters. Head held high, her eyes glowed—I held my breath not wanting to break the spell. 

Then the film crew emerged through the fog and the spell was broken (deep sigh). Another wonderful shared family holiday. 

I have so many memories that continue to feed my love of travel. This excerpt from my memoir (coming soon, I hope!) paints a lovely picture of what travel looked like for our family. 

Imagine weekends heading to Annalong, the small fishing village in Ireland where my dad grew up. Fancy dress parades in the English gardens of a grand old boarding house in the South of Ireland. Eating fish and chips on the pebble beaches of Portsmouth and Bournemouth, England, all the while protecting the yumminess from hungry seagulls. After immigrating to Canada, even though finances were tight, our family still managed to vacation in beach front cabins that provided front row seats to weather that lit up the sky, causing our hair to stand on end, while we giggled at the sight we must have been lying in bed with umbrellas protecting us from the effects of a leaky roof in much need of repair. 

From storms to heat that had our virgin Irish skin running for cover, were the trips to Disney World when four long days of mind-blowing boredom on unending highways were immediately forgotten when our eyes feasted on the magic that would create memories never to be erased.   

I don’t remember a year passing without a family vacation, something my husband and I continued with our kids. Travel can be to far off lands, or to nearby campsites. It can be for multiple weeks, or a couple of days. Near, far, extensive, short–travel creates a lifetime of memories and opens up a whole new world. And, from my experience, it’s best shared with those you love. 

So, Dad…thanks, you made travel happen for our family and modelled values that continue to guide the lives of your off-spring; you opened our eyes to a big, beautiful world. You are greatly missed.

Publish? Me?…Blog #117

Have you ever had something nagging in the back of your mind that is not so strong as to be hushed, but also not so quiet as to be ignored? I think that niggling (or whatever you might call it) has been my constant companion for a few years. Just to be clear, when I use the word niggling, I don’t mean worrisome, more like persistent. 

Monchique, Portugal Dec. 29, 2021

I found this quote in a blog called That Niggling Thought, it gives voice to what I’m endeavouring to say.

Sometimes a thought returns so incessantly it needs to be investigated. Learning to listen and to simply be open to trying is more challenging than we’d like.  

My niggling thought? Should I write a book? Of course, along with the idea has always come an inner dialogue with the potential to fast track me onto a roller coaster of reasoning that only a strategic thinker could conceive.

But, what if I did? What would it be about? Would anyone want to read it? Would anyone pay to read it? What if no one did read it, would it have been a waste of time and money? But…what if I did and it ended up being an encouragement to others? Perhaps even insightful? What if it made them laugh, or cry? What if it provided an enjoyable read as they relaxed on some spectacular beach overlooking the ocean on a warm summer’s day? Ok, that’s maybe going too far. But…what if?

Sometimes you just need to open that unknown door, and do it! That’s exactly where my niggling has led me. 

If you’ve been following my blogs for a while, you’ll know that my husband and I spent several months in Portugal and Spain while I was on an extended study leave from teaching HR and Management at Okanagan School of Business in Kelowna, BC, Canada. We expected it to be an adventure, and it was. We expected it to be a learning experience, and it was. We expected it to be amazing, and it was. We didn’t expect it to be filled with many challenges and shall we say, growth opportunities. But it was!

The years of niggling finally provided both the impetus and inspiration to write a memoir, which I did. Having finally submitted it to a publisher, a whole new learning journey begins.

I invite you to share in this journey with me. Hopefully it will be both informational and inspirational. Hopefully you’ll pay attention to whatever is niggling at you and step through that door to adventure and learning. And hopefully you’ll share your experiences of following the niggling.

The deepest satisfaction of writing is precisely that it opens up new spaces within us of which we were not aware before we started to write. To write is to embark on a journey whose final destination we do not know.

Henri Nouwen

Make it easier to follow the journey by having the blogs arrive directly in your in-box. Simply subscribe below (and unsubscribe anytime you wish)

I’m back…Blog #116

*Photograph by Ken Hagen; Kelowna Sunset

Hello all! No, I have not fallen off the face of the earth, haven’t gone to live on some deserted island, nor moved to a secluded cabin deep in the woods. I’ve been busy! More about that in a moment.

Christmas is now in the rear view mirror. It was truly lovely. So very different from last year in Portugal…equally lovely, but so different. This Christmas, my husband and I decided to make up for missing out on the many Christmas celebrations and traditions so common to our past experience. The month of December found us exploring our own city, Kelowna, BC, Canada, and the many events it offered. Our hearts were filled while enjoying an uplifting concert by Spectrum, one of our amazing local audition choirs, were touched by the words and music from The Messiah, did the proud grandparent thing as our baby grandson had his first stage appearance as baby Jesus in a church pageants, celebrated local artisans as they displayed their wares at the many Christmas markets all the while walking around with a mug of locally made mulled wine. It was wonderful. 

Then the cold hit! We literally went from -1 C, blue sky with sun shining on Dec 14th to -25 C a week later! Just reminding us we were back home in Canada. You can imagine how many conversations we had that started with, “Remember this time last year when we were walking on the beach in Albufeira?” While it did warm up for a crisp Christmas Day walk, we certainly weren’t running into the ocean for a dip as we did the previous year!

It is amazing how much you don’t know about your hometown unless you intentionally go looking. We have lived in Kelowna since 1987, but have never spent time exploring the downtown area with its unique shops and cafés. So that’s exactly what we did the week before Christmas. We still had a couple of gifts to purchase, so we got in the car and drove the short 5km to explore new territory. It was so much fun. 

We started with coffee (of course) at a café I had been to a couple of years previous, but it was new to my husband. Pulp Fiction is a coffee shop with personality…you must go visit their website and check it out. Honestly, I have no idea why I never returned there! We loved the vibe; the place was full, some folks visiting, others reading, several working on their laptops…the hum of people doing life was delicious.

From there we walked across the street to Olive and Elle, another delightful shop worth checking out for their unique and high quality home decor, adorable baby ‘stuff’, among other lovelies. 

The third shop we visited was down right dangerous…in the very best way possible! Textile Apparel, I had no idea what it was, sells clothes you just want to live in! Natural fabrics, Canadian made, funky but classic…and right on our doorstep! I had no intention of purchasing anything that day, after all, we were suppose to be finishing up our Christmas shopping, but I couldn’t resist.

Have you ever had a garment in mind that you knew you’d love but couldn’t find it anywhere? That’s what happened. A long, wool coat, forest green, my size…how could I resist! I tried it on and it was love at first sight. It is now hanging in my closet, ready for me to adorn every opportunity possible. It was a good day.

We explored and discovered more places that day, but I’ll leave it there for now.

Back to the start of this post and my busyness. This wasn’t necessarily activity based, but more creative. You see, I knew back in 2019 that I wanted to go on an extended study leave for 2021/2022. I also anticipated that it would be an adventure of a lifetime that would both inspire and stretch me. That’s when I started writing a memoir that would capture the journey from inception to completion.

For the past few months I have been focused on completing the manuscript, having it beta read, and finally, submitted to a publisher just yesterday. I’m sure you see what I mean by being creatively busy! This was a huge step for me…scary, exciting, and just unbelievable! It will be published, and I hope and pray it will also sell and be read…but that’s totally out of my control.

It will be a few months before it’s ready to promote and sell, I’ll keep you posted.

For now, I plan on continuing to blog and share my learnings from life and travel.

Hope you’ll keep joining me.

Would you like my blogs delivered directly to your mail box? Happy to accommodate!

*Ken Hagen linkedin.com/in/kenhagen Freelance Photographer and Videographer based out of Kelowna, BC

New page, new chapter…Blog #115

Do you remember your high school years? It seemed (to me anyways) the hours of boring classes, homework, exams, and tedious studying, would never end? (says the professor). But they did, and as I look back I realize they were just a tiny bleep in time. I feel a bit of deja vu these days–I can’t believe how quickly this year has passed! 

August 1 marked a year since I began my extended study leave (ESL); actually it marked the end of that ESL. Unbelievable! It was my main focus since beginning to prepare the proposal in Spring of 2019, and now it is becoming a distant memory. But what a memory! 

My blog posts have also been focused on preparing for, and living the adventure experienced with my husband, and as I now return to blogging, I’m having a hard time getting back in the groove. I’m still committed to writing about learning from life and travels, but feel like a new page has been turned in life, and I’m not sure what the next chapter is called, nor how to get there. 

Perhaps a bridge is needed. My last blog was posted mid-June, let’s start there.

June was basically spent getting back to being home, as in Kelowna, BC, Canada: wrapping up loose ends from my research, writing my Global Professional in Human Resources exam (which I passed…phew!), re-adjusting to life in Canada, catching up with friends, connecting with colleagues at work, and spending as much time as possible with our daughter and family. To be honest, June was a bit of a whirlwind (I did write a bit about it in my previous blog).  

July hit, and with the research and resulting papers etc. complete, it was time to let my mind and body rest before digging into preparing for another year of teaching HR and Management courses, and working with clients. July truly was back to basics…the 3-Rs, ok 4-Rs: reading, writing (not sure how this was labelled as an ‘R’), riding, and relaxing. The reading was light, mostly mysteries and the like; the writing was focused on my travel memoir from this past year (more about that to come); bike riding was a mix of both slow and pushing hard; and relaxing was well, relaxing. 

Enjoying wine and cream puffs at Arrowleaf Winery

The more we travel, the more I appreciate the beauty of the Okanagan Valley region in which we live. We are surrounded by mountains that house world class skiing, 30+ golf courses, approximately 182 wineries, and many lakes. The Okanagan Lake alone is 135 km long! So while we absolutely love to travel, we are fortunate to have a spectacular location to return to after each adventure.

But, my mind is already longing for more travel…yes, the more you travel, the more you realize how many more places you want to experience. Future travels will probably not be for such an extended time as this past adventure to Europe; however, there is still great value in a weekend away closer to home, taking a week or so to a drivable location, or a few weeks to more distant lands that call for a plane ride to jet you away to some new exploration. 

I have many memories and learnings from past travels sewn into the fabric of my heart and soul, and I invite you to reflect on them with me over the next weeks and months until the next yet unknown adventure presents itself.

A favourite spot to take in the Okanagan Lake.

Adjusting to ‘home’…Blog #114

Kelowna, our final destination on an amazing extended study leave. 

We’ve been home for just over a week. People ask how it feels to be back home and I’m not quite sure how to answer, yet. Yes, it’s amazing to be back with family and friends, and yes, it’s wonderful to be back in our own home. 

I went for my first bike ride yesterday, on what I affectionately call my ‘girlie’ bike. Riding along a close-by linear park, Mission Creek, it felt good to once again take in the sights, sounds, and smells that are so familiar and welcoming. In the afternoon, beach chairs slung on our backs, we took the short walk to the lake and simply took in the beauty that was before us. Back home, we sat on the deck with a glass of wine and olives, reliving the many afternoon wine sipping breaks we enjoyed in Portugal and Spain. It was wonderful to bask in the gratitude of the many wonderful lived experiences of the past 7 months living and working in Europe. 

That was yesterday. The week before was not so peaceful and tranquil. One thing we learned while travelling was that the first week in a new location was always wrought with unexpected challenges and a sense of total upheaval. Unpacking, setting up a new ‘home’, discovering what cooking utensils were in the cupboards, finding where to buy groceries, getting accustomed to a new language and culture, getting the lay of the land, locating medical facilities, figuring out when stores and restaurants were open, getting a grip on the local transportation system,  knowing when it was safe to cross the street…it all took time. While excited to embrace a new living location, we inevitably dealt with tension and stress until we could finally relax our breathing and appreciate all that was to be explored and experienced.

Arriving back in Kelowna felt somewhat the same. While it was familiar, it wasn’t yet ‘home’. Things changed. New buildings have been erected, prices of food and gas have skyrocketed, our grocery store no longer sells our favourite Sunday morning scones, our condo was a shell, void of our personal items, and pneumonia arrived home from Europe with my husband resulting in 2 days of emergency rooms in a hospital greatly suffering the effects of extremely low staffing. It felt like we had simply moved to our next location on our journey.

However, the settling in is happening. As I sit in my home office or on the deck, I look out at blue skies, vibrant green trees, our walls once again house the smiling pictures of adored kids and grand kids, books once again fill the shelves, and a cup of hot coffee accompanies my morning quietness.

It’s good to be home, truly home. Our time with family and friends is richer than ever, our appreciation of where we live has grown, gratitude for my husband’s amazing medical team is even stronger than before we left for Europe, and I have great anticipation for reconnecting with my work colleagues over the next 3 days. 

But there’s a change, I can feel it. In me. I can’t explain it yet, but I am aware of it and look forward to digging deeper and reflecting on it, to discover that part of Europe that has taken route in my soul. Travel changes a person…it’s inevitable. We don’t always know how, but it does. You bring a bit of each place you visit home with you. Travel feeds your curiosity, grows your appreciation for other cultures and people, broadens your desire for new tastes in the foods consumed, forces you to reflect on why you do the things you do, broadens your perspective, and nourishes a deep love and expectancy for life. It’s addictive!

It is great to be home, and we are excited to revisit favourite locations, always enjoyed best with family and friends, and look forward to discovering new things about this fantastic place we get to call home. Until the next travel experience…

Until that next, new experience, I plan to take time to think back on all the amazing places in the world we have been blessed to visit, and reflect on what learnings from those experiences have taken root in my soul.

And you, what places have taken root in your soul?