CANADA: Bonjour Quebec!

As I travelled back to my hometown, I discovered new and old favourites. Here are my top suggestions for a walking tour of Quebec, one of the oldest cities in North America.

by Guest Blogger Caroline Faucher, Honey and Paws

All images by Terry Marshman

8am - Start the day with one of Cosmos Grand Allée's huge selection of breakfasts, then walk it off by making your way to the Petit Champlain where you will find charming artisanal boutiques and spectacular views of the Chateau Frontenac, Quebec's most famous landmark.

10am - Grab a coffee and a Beaver Tail, a truly Canadian deep-fried pastry, before heading down to the Musée de la civilisation for a cultural fix.



12.30pm - Avoid the crowd with an early lunch at Le Bureau de Poste, a new eatery with an après-ski ambiance. There, try Quebec’s national meal, the Poutine.

2pm - Stroll down Rue Saint-Joseph to the newly revitalised Saint-Roch district where you will find designer shops and trendy tea houses.



6pm - Head back up town and finish off the day with a gourmet burger accompanied with a microbrewery beer at Chez Victor on Rue Saint-Jean.

8pm - If this isn't enough, make your way to the edge of the old fortress city for some people watching at Carré Dyouville. Depending on the season you might even catch a friendly hockey match played on the outdoor skating rink.



9pm - Retire for the night in one of the city's many old auberges, with some dating back to the 17th century.

EXPLORER’S HONG KONG

With front row seats for Hong Kong’s nightly laser show and adjacent to Harbour City and its mega-shopping centre with anything for everybody, sits a hotel its namesake could never have imagined.

Marco Polo’s fabled and fabulous (and some say fabricated) tales of his journey across Asia have turned his memory into an icon for groundbreaking and exciting ventures.

So it’s not a big leap of imagination to call a chain of ultra-sleek hotels after him. Begun in 1969, the Marco Polo Hotel Group has since spread across China, Hong Kong and the Philippines.

Welcome pack.

Recently I stayed in the group’s flagship hotel, Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, in Canton Road at Tsim Sha Tsui, and gleefully accepted my upgrade to a room with a view. And what a view! My window looked out over the top of Harbour City, across Victoria Harbour filled with its bustling traffic of water craft, towards Hong Kong Island where we would water the night’s light show play out on the city buildings later.

Comfy bed

In addition, we were accorded the privilege of access to the Canton Lounge and popped in several times for the good coffee and varying snacks – dim sum, madeleines, sandwiches, Portuguese tarts – and a table where we could settle down with laptops. We could have come for breakfast too, but the main breakfast room was worth experiencing: every conceivable breakfast dish, including of course great HK yum cha offerings.

Canton Lounge

I have to admit that the lounge was not strictly necessary for work purposes. I hinted that the food and coffee was a major draw, didn’t I? Our room itself was more high-tech than almost anywhere else, with a Handy Phone that kept us connected for free.

If Marco Polo has continued in the afterlife as a time-traveller, he would love this place. The trouble is, when he returned his friends would never believe the stories of what he found on offer in his namesake accommodation in Hong Kong.

‘There’s old Marco again,’ they’d say, ‘always exaggerating!’

Marco Polo Hongkong Hotel, Harbour City, Kowloon, Hong Kong, www.marcopolohotels.com

BY GUEST BLOGGER - Pics & text : ©Sally Hammond www.foodandtravel.com.au 2016

New museum in Vienna

A museum for the waltz king 

     

A new museum dedicated to Johann Strauss, creator of the Blue Danube Waltz, and his family has just opened in Vienna. But there are also plenty of other places for fans of the waltz king to visit, from his apartment to his final resting place.

Only Vienna could do a museum like this justice. The Johann Strauss Dynasty Museum in the ninth district is the first museum in the world to focus on the history and artistic output of the entire Strauss clan: from Johann Strauss the Elder and the waltz king Johann Strauss the Younger to his two brothers Josef and Eduard. Visitors can also look forward to an impressive range of pictures and documents that bring Biedermeier-era Vienna to life. Audio stations dotted throughout the museum give fans a chance to listen to popular and less well known pieces from the family canon as often as they like, without interruption.

Johann Strauss (1825-1899), known to family and friends as Schani, his father Johann and his brothers Josef and Eduard took the world by storm with their music. With 1,500 works between them, from Die Fledermaus and The Radetzky March to the Blue Danube Waltz,  they embody Viennese music like no others. Their waltz and operetta melodies can be heard in the capital’s concert halls throughout the year as well as at the traditional New Year’s Concert which is broadcast all over the world from the Golden Hall of the Musikverein.




It goes without saying that there is a Johann Strauss monument in Vienna. This golden statue of the waltz king playing his violin can be found in the Stadtpark, a short distance from the Kursalon. The Vienna Philharmonic played at its unveiling in 1921 and today it is one of the most photographed sights in the city. Johann Strauss II composed Vienna’s unofficial anthem The Blue Danube in an apartment at Praterstrasse 54 in the second district in 1867 where he lived with his first wife Jetty from 1863-1870. In addition to original furnishings and period instruments, exhibits include everyday objects from the great musician’s estate as well as portraits, photos, and documents on his life and work. The waltz king was laid to rest at Vienna’s legendary Central Cemetery, near the graves of Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Johann Strauss the Elder.

• Museum of the Johann Strauss Dynasty, Müllnergasse 3, 1090 Vienna, www.strauss-museum.at 
• Johann Strauss Memorial, Stadtpark, 1010 Vienna 
• Johann Strauss Apartment, Praterstrasse 54, 1020 Vienna, www.wienmuseum.at
• Central Cemetery, Simmeringer Hauptstrasse 234, 1110 Vienna, www.friedhoefewien.at

Visit: www.austria.info

Singapore After Dark

DISCOVER STRANGELY WONDERFUL SINGAPORE AFTER DARK

When you think of exciting night-time destinations, Singapore may not historically have been on your shortlist, however the Lion City has well and truly grown up, with a range of eclectic experiences that suit all tastes and budgets. While many automatically associate Singapore with popular day activities like the Singapore Zoo, Sentosa and shopping, it’s when the sun goes down and the temperature drops, that you find almost a different city coming to life, but still packed with world-class attractions, cutting edge bars and dining options.

Here are some of our favourite activities to discover once the sun goes down:

1-Altitude Bar: Situated 282m above ground, take in breathtaking views of the Singapore cityscape whilst tantilising your tastebuds with their refreshing signature cockatil, the ‘Zen Breeze’, made with vodka, green tea, lemongrass and mint. www.1-altitude.com



Night Safari: Spot nocturnal animals and wildlife at the world’s first night safari park. Sit back in a train, go on a walking trail with leopards or watch the creatures of the night show! www.nightsafari.com.sg



Hawker Food: For the real authentic taste of Singapore, visit any of the local hawker centres and outdoor alfresco dining areas scattered across the city. Try Boon Tat Street for famous satay, Makansutra’s Gluttons Bay for more iconic dishes like Hainanese Chicken Rice or Char Kway Teow, or be adventurous and head farther afield to suburban Chomp Chomp, a local favourite.



Late Night Shopping: Open 24 hours, shop up a storm at Mustafa Centre in Little India, buying anything from shampoo, to perfume or even a car! www.mustafa.com.sg 

Supper: Travellers can enjoy a late night sweet treat at one of the many cafes, which are open around the clock, such as award winning favourite 2am Dessert Bar, run by Chef Janice Wong. Try their signature dish: cassis plum – a Monet-style masterpiece comprising cassis bombe, elderflower yoghurt foam, plum liqueur and bamboo shoot delight. www.2amdessertbar.com

For more information on Singapore, please visit: www.yoursingapore.com

www.yoursingapore.com

NEW: Following the Fishermen's Trail in Portugal

NEW: Following the Fishermen's Trail in Portugal: CaminoWays.com, the cycling and walking holiday specialists, have just launched a new coastal trail: the magnificent Rota Vicentina Fishermen's Trail in South West Portugal.

JAPAN - AKIBA FUKUROU OWL CAFE IN TOKYO

What a hoot!

By guest blogger Kris Madden

At the Owl Café

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Big liquid brown eyes stare up at me and blink slowly. In an instant Ms Yoshinori has stolen my heart. This little lady is part of the family at Akiba Fukurou Owl Cafe in Tokyo, where you can spend time sitting quietly in the company of owls of varying species, sizes and personalities.

With names such as Mr Satoshi, Sweet Potato, Peanuts and Gorilla (a snowy-white owl with a black eye mask), choosing which to hold is difficult, and completely dictated by whether the owl is feeling sociable.

After a brief introduction in Japanese – no flash photography, no sudden movements or loud noises, don’t wake or squeeze the birds, and don’t let the little owls near the bigger ones - I have an hour to spend with my chosen owl.

Mr Yoshinori

I gently rub Yoshinori’s neck with my forefinger and she responds like a little kitten, seemingly enjoying the attention. The birds are raised from birth and treated like pets – and like the cat and bunny cafes dotted throughout Tokyo, provide a place to interact and play with fuzzy friends for those who live in apartments where pets are not allowed.

The owners of Akiba Fukurou think of the owls as therapy - with soft lighting, pastel-coloured walls and background mood music - so that guests can experience “extraordinary healing”. There is no doubt that spending time with these chilled-out creatures is a calming and comforting respite from the bustling, techno-filled streets of surrounding Akihabara, and another ‘only in Japan’ experience.

Akiba Fukurou Cafe (Owls Café)

67 Kanda Neribeichō, Chiyoda-ku, Tōkyō, Japan

http://akiba2960.com

One hour visit 1500 yen pp (approx. AUD$18)

Advance reservations essential.

Follow Kris Madden’s other adventures at www.thetravelreporter.com

On the trail of Agatha Christie

By guest blogger LEE MYLNE

Sleuthing is not required, but there’s much to be discovered on the Agatha Christie Trail and fans of the 'Queen of Crime' should add Devon to their plans for a UK holiday.

Spending time with Alex Graeme of Unique Devon Tours will reveal all you ever wanted to know about Torquay’s favourite daughter, who set many of her best-selling mystery novels in and around what’s now called 'The English Riviera'.

Library at Greenway (image by Lee Mylne)

From the Torquay’s Grand Hotel, where Agatha spent her honeymoon, we hit the Agatha Christie Mile, taking in the Princess Pier (her favoured roller-skating spot), the elegant Pavilion where Archie Christie proposed, and the bronze bust created to commemorate the Agatha Christie Centenary Year in 1990. The Torquay Museum is worth a look, as it is home to the UK’s only dedicated Agatha Christie Gallery.

Agatha Christie bust at Torquay (image by Lee Mylne)

From Dartmouth, take the ferry to Agatha Christie’s country house, Greenway, for a glimpse of the private world the writer shared with her second husband and daughter. Surrounded by rambling gardens, the National Trust-listed house is a time capsule preserved with the same furniture and knick-knacks that belonged to the family.

Torquay Pavilion (image by Lee Mylne)

The Greenway boathouse is a quiet spot to contemplate the Dart River. Allow time for a Devonshire tea in the café before you leave, and perhaps pick up a mystery novel for your in-flight reading at the souvenir shop.

Die-hard fans should note that every September there’s the Agatha Christie Festival in Torquay, and plan their visit well ahead!

Unique Devon Tours: www.uniquedevontours.com