Disneyesque Dubai
Dubai, U.A.E.

I spent a week in the hot, desert-town of Dubai back in 2007.  I wasn’t sure if I was in Disney or Las Vegas, but Dubai is definitely like no other place I’ve ever been.  This photo was taken from the grounds of the luxury resort, Madinat Jumierah.  In the background is the world famous Burj al Arab Hotel, complete with helicopter pad hanging off the side of the building, butlers on demand, and a reservation policy to even set foot in the building.  I imagine in the 5 years since I’ve been there, a ton has changed since it is one of the world’s fastest growing cities, although I’ve also read that it also grew too fast – and now one in four homes is vacant and a quarter of office space lies empty due to oversupply.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Holidays in Dubai.

Before the Olympic torch is even ignited, London is already celebrating.  This June, the Queen of England celebrates her Diamond Jubilee, marking 60 years as Britain’s monarch, and just the second to celebrate this, other than Queen Victoria in 1897.  To mark the Diamond Jubilee, the UK government is planning a four-day Jubilee weekend in early June.

Some of the weekends festivities:

The Epsom Derby

On Saturday June 2nd, you can attend the Epsom Derby with the Queen. Going strong since the late eighteenth century, the Derby is Britain’s richest horse race, and the most prestigious of the country’s five Classics.

Concert at Buckingham Palace

A concert organized by the BBC will be held at Buckingham Palace June 4th. It will be attended by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh and other Members of the Royal Family. 10,000 tickets for members of the public were made available through a national ballot.

Thames River Pageant

In one of the largest flotillas ever to be assembled on the river, over one thousand boats will muster on the River Thames in preparation for Her Majesty The Queen to take part in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.

Royal Dishes at Roux at The Landau at The Langham Hotel, London

Splurge at this grand hotel with some classic British dishes brought back to honor this auspicious occasion. Marked on the menu with a crown, the dishes, which celebrate royal British heritage, are modern interpretations of some classic dishes.

The Jubilee Woods Project

A 460-acre public wood has been created in Leicestershire to celebrate the Jubilee and also aims to plant six million trees across the UK, creating hundreds of new woodlands. As part of this project, 60 ‘Diamond Woods’ of at least 60 acres each will be planted to mark each year of the Queen’s reign. The planting will run to the end of 2012.

Harvey Nichols London Windows

In what they’re calling “their most ambitious installation to date”, the windows at one of London’s Top Department stores have been transformed into a quaint British High Street of yesteryear, complete with shops and boutiques seen throughout the Queen’s illustrious reign.  Take a stroll down memory lane and see old shops like H. Nichol’s and Sons Greengrocer, Blooming Lovely Florist, Nic’s Plaice Fishmonger, Harvey Nickers lingerie shop and The Knightsbridge Corner Shop — all filled with must-haves from the new season!

The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Singalong at the Royal Albert Hall

Celebrate 60 years of Her Majesty’s reign with a fun-filled evening of toe-tapping classics, wartime favorites, and old hits by Elton John and the Beatles.

The Opening of London Pleasure Gardens

Check out this new riverside arts and entertainment destination.  The creators have transformed an ex-industrial site in The Royal Docks into a waterside, urban festival ground to celebrate the very best of cutting-edge London culture.  It will provide London with a leisure garden featuring music, arts, cafes and bars, a pop-up hotel and sculpture park.

Disclosure: This post is brought to you by Tours4Fun.  After enjoying all the Diamond Jubilee festivities, check the out for your own European Tour.

Got Fish?

Nova Scotia exports more seafood than any other province in Canada.

During my time in this tiny Atlantic province I eat seafood everyday – from scallops to salmon to shrimp, it’s all fresh and delicious.

For the Love of Lobster

Ask anyone from all along the northeastern Atlantic seaboard how to make lobster and you will get a plethora of different answers – each one being the ‘best’ way.

Even here in 360-mile wide Nova Scotia, answers differ town to town or more accurately family to family.   We ate a tasty lobster dinner at the historical Cape Forchu Lighthouse, whose original light guided vessels safely into the Yarmouth Harbour since 1840.

Here is the ‘right’ way to cook and eat lobster according to Monica MacNeil of Nova Scotia Tourism:

If you can’t view the video, please click here to see it on YouTube in full HD goodness.

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Silverton, Colorado

As we near closer to summer, we are also nearing the end of avalanche season. For many, this has absolutely no meaning, but for those living amidst the snow and mountains of the western US and Canada…it is as real as it gets.  My mom’s drive to ‘work,’ has her driving past several avalanche chutes.

San Juan County is the least populous county in the state of Colorado. It’s located in the heart of the San Juan Mountains which have numerous peaks over 14,000 feet. As of the 2000 census, there were just over five-hundred residents in the entire county, most of which live in the tiny (yet largest in the county) town of Silverton, Colorado – which also happens to be the home of my aforementioned mom.  How tiny? The one and only local school in the county has just over 50 students in grades k-12.

This is backcountry. And while it’s an old mining town, there is some new blood in town thanks Silverton Mountain, a unique, backcountry ski area where you pretty much make your own tracks.  And this is not like other ski resort towns. You won’t find plush resorts and timeshares like in Breckenridge or Telluride or Aspen.  Here you won’t find any chains, no McDonald’s, Starbucks, or otherwise, and certainly no Holiday Inn.

Disclosure:  This post is brought to you by Sell My Timeshare now. Interested in buying a timeshare? Check them out.

Locally known as Keji (and much more easy to pronounce), Kejimkujik (ked-juh-muh-KOO-jik) National Park sits in the heart of southwest Nova Scotia.

And it is also at the core of the Southwest Nova Biosphere Reserve – a UNESCO site recognized for a balance between people and nature focusing on conservation and sustainable development.   The unique climate of this area makes it home to a very large and diverse population of flora and fauna.

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