Vacation in Jasper

A family Vacation

The idea may scare you! Thoughts of your parents taking the wheel, following the speed limits, playing terrible music, and nagging you all day, did you use bug spray, is your seat belt fastened, are you hungry, do you need to pee yet?  Sitting in the back of a car, getting to crack into a new book takes me back to my childhood. The idea for this Jasper trip was a present to my father for his 58 birthday. I booked an inexpensive motel in Hinton and a day tour of the Columbia Icefields and Skywalk. Here are a few images from our weekend away.

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After the hike, we ended up at the Miette Hot Springs. We ended up waiting about 10 minutes in line, and it was well worth it. We spend about 2 hours here, dipping from hot to cold pools to stimulate our mitochondria and revive our stimulated muscles. Upon our drive down, we had to slow the car to let none other than a black bear pass.

The ice fields were spectacular, be sure to take an empty water bottle to gather a bottle of cold glacier water. What surprised me the most was all the cotton-topped (white-haired tourists). It makes me realize not to wait until you get old to travel; start doing it now; there are plenty more places to visit. At the end of the trip, I discovered that my Father’s best part was reaching the top of the mountain, and my mother’s was getting an up-close view of Mr. Grizzly. Mine was that I had a great vacation with my parents, and I was happy to have planned it. There were no fancy restaurants with our heads down scrolling through cell phones; my parents still don’t have phones with data on them; bless their souls!


After the hike, we ended up at the Miette Hot Springs. We waited about 10 minutes in line, and it was well worth it. We spend about 2 hours here, dipping from hot to cold pools to stimulate our mitochondria and revive our stimulated muscles. Unfortunately, upon our drive down, we had to slow the car to let none other than a black bear pass.

The ice fields were spectacular, be sure to take an empty water bottle to gather a bottle of cold glacier water. What surprised me the most was all the cotton-topped (white-haired tourists). It makes me realize not to wait until you get old to travel; start doing it now; there are plenty more places to visit. At the end of the trip, I discovered that my Father’s best part was reaching the top of the mountain, and my mother’s was getting an up-close view of Mr. Grizzly. Mine was that I had a great vacation with my parents, and I was happy to have planned it. There were no fancy restaurants with our heads down scrolling through cell phones; my parents still don’t have phones with data on them; bless their souls!

Sulphur Skyline 

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Athabasca Glacier 

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Where we hiked: Sulphur Skyline

Where we stayed: White Wolf Inn

Where we booked our tour: Columbia Ice Fields Tour

How Hvar Stole my Heart!

While it can be fun to visit tourist attractions during a vacation, at times this can mean waiting in long line ups, crowds and expensive tourist packages. One of my favorite ways to explore a new city is to meet a local and hire them as my guide. While hanging out a rooftop bar in the center square of Hvar, I was fortunate enough to meet a local, Ivo, who was kind enough to take his day off and show me some hidden gems of Hvar.  If you can’t befriend a local then be sure to rent a car! Here are some highlights from our day.

The Lavender Fields

A great souvenir to pick up from Croatia. Lavender oil is good to use on mosquito bites, for stress relief and it said to help put you to sleep when used on the bottoms of your feet.

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Farm Life

The old stone houses in Hvar were built for farmers, called kazun. Farmers carefully placed layers of stones stacked to build a small hut; the top of the conical roof had a hole so that smoke can come out.

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Reaching New Heights 

The highest point in Hvar: Sveti Nikola. This was a truly magical moment, I love reaching new highs, if only I was a bird!

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The Desire of Dubrovnik!

Hello, a few words about my first city stop in Croatia! Once the shuttle into town took off, and the views of the Adriatic sea appeared I knew I was in love. I was dropped off at the Pile gate and took a taxi to a lovely Airbnb with an exceptional view.  I spent the evening exploring the old town, a huge stone palace, a perfect setting to get lost.

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Dubrovnik’s Ideal Sunset Spot: Busco Bar

Sit at the bar for a drink to watch the sunset. Tip, if there is no place to sit, venture further down and sit on the rocks belowDubrovnik2017-49Dubrovnik2017-51Dubrovnik2017-60Dubrovnik2017-52

Surrounded by the Sea

Take a day trip to Lokrum island. Take a 10 min ferry ride to break away from the excitement and bustle of the city center. Here you will find an ideal space for tranquil day.

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A High Up City Highlight!

Walk the city walls. If you are going during the busy tourist season, go after 5pm to avoid the busy hours full of buzzing cruise ship patrons.

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Accommodations:

Dubrovnik Airbnb (walking distance to city)

Dubrovnik Airbnb #2 (inside city walls)

 

 

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April 2017 Playlist

Well, spring is in the air! With the warmer weather and longer hours of daylight, I chose to spend more time outside enjoying good music. Let me leave you with a few tunes and a great quote:

“When spring came, even the false spring, there were no problems except where to be happiest. The only thing that could spoil a day was people and if you could keep from making engagements, each day had no limits. People were always the limiters of happiness except for the very few that were as good as spring itself.” Ernest Hemingway

1. Kaleo- Way Down We Go
2. The Lumineers- Angela
3. Mark Farina – Dream Machine feat. Sean Hayes (Downtempo Mix)
4. (feat. Tove Lo) Nick Jonas- Close
5. (Ft. Son Mieux) The Him-Feels Like Home
6. Banks-Beggin For Thread
7. Ft. Bipolar Sunshine DJ Snake- Middle
8. The Arctic Monkeys- Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High
9. (Jane Doze Remix) Norman Laass-Pumping Blood
10. Chet Faker-No Diggity