"my month without"

It’s officially been one year since I’ve left Manitoba. I know I’m not alone in saying that I miss travelling; I miss trying new food, staying in hotels, walking around new cities…

In a recent blog post called “Here Are All the Things I Haven’t Accomplished this Year in Self-Isolation”, I reflected on all the yoga I didn’t do. All the canning, the crafts, the reading and the writing I thought I’d tackle and then just… didn’t. The one thing I did do consistently… other than watch TV, eat two-bite brownies, and watch IG reels of cute dogs? Make limoncello. That’s right, I learned how to make limoncello at home.

As someone who likes to see as much as possible when I travel, I often try to fit a couple of locations in per trip. One of the things I find myself researching the most is how to get from A to B. When I travelled for a month through the Balkans last year, I researched this a lot. One of the routes I researched quite heavily was how to get to Kotor from Dubrovnik, two cities I was very excited to visit.

In the end, I travelled the other way round, from Kotor to Dubrovnik, but the ways to get there remain the same. Because the Balkan countries are so small, it makes it easy to travel between them; I found this to be the case with Montenegro and Croatia.

When I moved home to Winnipeg nearly three years ago, I was overjoyed to find out that there had been an influx of breweries in the city. As someone who absolutely loves beer, the abundance of breweries in Winnipeg has made for many an enjoyable evening (and in some cases, an enjoyable afternoon).

Whether you’re after hoppy IPAs, unique ingredients in your stout, or just a simple lager for a hot day, there’s a Winnipeg brewery for you. I’ve made it a point to sample as many varieties of beer as possible over the past year so that this article would be up to date and accurate. You’re… welcome?

When I was invited to visit Swan Valley, a region about five hours northwest of Winnipeg, I had no idea what to expect. I had vaguely heard of the town of Swan River, but beyond that I couldn’t tell you a thing.

But after spending a few days exploring Swan Valley, I can tell you this: it’s one of my favourite places in Manitoba, hands down.

Perfect for a socially-distanced trip, one that includes a lot of natural beauty, I’m so excited to share some of what I got up to while I was in Swan Valley. Nestled between the Porcupine Mountains and Duck Mountains, the valley is perfect for hiking, fishing, camping, and swimming in summer, while ideal for downhill skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing in winter. It’s a bit of a nature enthusiast’s dream playground, really, and I could have happily spent another week or two exploring all that there was to do outdoors in Swan Valley.

 There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t think of Italy. To me, Italy is the country that’s perfect for everyone: perfect for the solo traveller, for the family holiday, for those looking for adventure or those looking to relax. It’s for those in love and those trying to mend a broken heart. And after years of exploring Italy – my trip to Rome at the end of April marked my 14th time to the country – I can confidently say that the Amalfi Coast is one of the top spots to experience the best of what Italy has to offer.

With a newfound lifestyle routine, and with the desire to experience the Amalfi Coast up close and personal, the Path of the Gods was one of the best hikes I’ve ever taken in my life. A moderate hike that lasts approximately three hours depending on where you start and stop, this hike affords you some of the best views of the coast.