This town grabbed my heart as soon as we pulled down one of its narrow lanes. Shelburne was founded in 1783 and attracts all kinds to its charming streets of wood-shingled homes including Demi Moore and the crew of the Hollywood flick, the Scarlet Letter.

The historic town rivals many in North America for its density of pre-1800 wooden buildings.  It has about 2000 residents year round and is fast-becoming a vacation hot spot and summer home getaway for thousands.

We stop for lunch in a wonderful little place that could compete with any other much higher-priced restaurant from New York or San Francisco.  Charlotte Lane Café is owned by the husband and wife duo,  Kathleen, who sings folk music in her spare time, and Swiss-born chef Roland Glauser.   They have the major commute of a 10 second walk since they live right next door in a welcoming wooden home painted a rich shade of bright blueberry.

Chef Glauser says, “Here you can breathe. This doesn’t exist in Switzerland. Here it’s much more peaceful and calmer.”

It must be extremely peaceful, since I find the countryside of Switzerland quite idyllic.

We sample some of chef Glauser’s beautiful-looking salads and entrees. His dishes seem to mimic the colors of all the charming homes around town.  My favorites include the Bluenose Spinach salad – a savory and sweet medley of spinach, apples, blueberries, pecans, blue cheese in a maple vinaigrette and the seared plump scallops with orange sesame ginger drizzle.

During a post-lunch stroll, trying to walk off some of our filling lunch, we meet Hunkabunka, a friendly neighborhood black and white tuxedo cat rolling around just begging to be pet.

His owner comes out to chat and basically invites us in.  I’m liking this small-town Canadian hospitality.  Turns out she and her husband own, Windward Flutes, a wooden flute-making and restoration business right next door.  Not exactly what I’d expect to find in these sea-dependent towns here on the South Shore.  Former Bostonians Yola and Forbes Christie uprooted their successful careers to forge a new life here on the shores of Nova Scotia.   In the past several years, Windward Flutes has struck a chord with traditional flautists and internationally recognized orchestras.   Even if you are not an avid symphony-goer, you may recall most flutes nowadays are made of metal.  They are bringing back the old wooden tradition and several flautists in orchestras all over the world now play with their custom-made instrument. The flutes can range from $1500-$5000.  It was definitely a fun and unexpected detour during our afternoon in such a charming town – one that I also dreamed of having a little cottage in.   In inquired and it turns out that rent is very cheap compared to normal U.S. standards. Hmmm…a future writing getaway?  I seem to be compiling a list of all the places “I want to live someday.” Shelburne? Check.

Disclosure: I was a guest of Southwest Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Tourism, & the White Point Beach Resort, but, as always, my writing and views are my own.

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.

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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.