Hospitality Guide

 Hej mitt namn är Lisa, och du läser den bästa bloggen i stan! 

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Stockholm, where urban meets rural. As you walk through the heart of downtown Stockholm, full of stunning architecture, museums, cafes and shopping, you are also surrounded by the beautiful, crisp, clear waters of the Baltic Sea -water so clean that you can drink from it, swim in it, fish in it and bathe in it from no matter where it flows.  Much like everywhere in Europe, no matter where you snap a photograph, the shot always turns out to be award-winning.  This city is architecturally blessed with some of the oldest buildings in Europe and some of the most modern structures to date. Sweden known for their creativity -whether it’s in their designs; (IKEA is actually considered cheap rather than trendy for most Swedes) their delicious meals; (believe it or not meatballs are a very popular dish in Sweden!) and even in the laws of society; (’All Man’s Right’ - All non-military property that is not fenced in, or is not a farm or someone’s personal garden is open to anyone for hiking through or camping for one night.) On that note, I get vexed if the mailman walks across my lawn, let alone letting him crash in my backyard! 

That just proves the European mentality vs. a North American one.

One thing that Toronto really needs to invest in…an Ice Bar. Actually, the city absolutely needs an Absolut Ice Bar - sorry, had to do it.  This bar is the first permanent ice bar in the world, at minus 5 degrees all year ’round, could you say this is the ‘coolest’ bar on the planet…? - Hello, my name is Cheese.  Still, it is a pretty amazing concept - where everything is made out of ice; from the seats, to the actual bar, to the walls and with your disposible ice glass your drinks are sure to be chillin’ - just drink one Absolut Vodka Martini and it’s enough to help you defrost! The average person stays no longer than 20 minutes, well, I’m proud to report that the HG team (minus myself, I whimped out) lasted a whopping hour and a half! That’s 45 minutes longer than what Pierce Brosnan lasted when he was in Stockholm’s Ice bar! Go Team! - again, minus myself. Clearly, I did not have enough drinks to keep me from my frost bite. 

After all my experiences in Stockholm, I must admit that the image that stuck into my head the most  was simply my view from the plane upon landing. Within minutes of descent, the clouds parted, the smog dissipated and the sun beamed down onto the blue of the sea and the green of Sweden’s Archipelago, it took a while for my eyes to adjust to the vibrant colours.  Soon, I was going to be a part of this land, this culture. It was so picturesque. I felt as though we were flying right into the heart of a history lesson. 

Ah, Europe.

My trip to San Fran was very…. expensive.  Prada and Coach were my neighbours, DSW stared at me through my window, Versace was around the corner and Guess and Holt Renfrew greeted me up the street.  But, needless to say, I wasn’t complaining.  The shopping here is like no other. And so is the weather.  Contrary to popular belief, just because the city is located in California, does not mean that it produces oranges either. Bloody freezing. We - George the host, Chris, the cameraman and I, all had to purchase winter gear, to keep from frost bite.  Ok, I’m exaggerating.  George and Chris praised the weather being so cool.  Apparently it’s cool/ freezing all year round, and especially so in the summer time which is their winter oddly enough.  But enough about the climate, let’s talk about the food - my favourite subject.  San Fran is HUGE on their crab legs, known as the crab leg capital of the world.  It definitely live up to its title! Do your taste buds a favourite and head to The Crab House at Pier 39. Executive Chef Andrea Froncillo is a seafood God! A master chef, owning 7 restaurants in San Francisco, he creates wonders by mixing seafood with Italian tradional dishes… and sex.  Yes, I said sex.  Check out his website at sexandthekitchen.com.  Not only does he cook well, he…… never mind. Just check it out!

Supperclub. This is a whole different category of things to do and see in San Fran.  I’ll paint you a picture: You eat in bed, get spanked with a paddle, get Tequila poured down your throat, transvestites are your servers and nudity and sex is encouraged. Probably one of most unique - for lack of better words- crowd, food, concept, that I have ever experience. And I loved it. It’s like nothing you have ever seen before. HG honour.

Oh, and you’ve probably never seen so many sealions in your life, in one place, at one time, then at Pier 39.  How did they all get there? Why won’t they leave? Nobody knows……..

Bonjour mes amis!

Let’s talk French. Quebec City, la belle provence, is her nick name… short form for beautiful, inside and out. Quebec City-ers:  Unlike what some of us may have heard about this French-dominated population, they don’t actually hate English folk!! (That’s only Montrealers…!)  Instead they welcome you with open arms, celebration, and lots of great, great food! I’ve got 3 words for you: Maple syrup pie. If there is one thing that you should take with you from my rambling, it’s those 3 glorious words… and remember one piece is easily your sugar intake for a month! I ate the whole pie.

Quebec is celebrating its 400th anniversary this year!  The city was filled with tourists, banners, horse-drawn carriages and life.  An image mill - the world’s largest projection screen played across 81silos - hard to envision but trust me on this one- became the go-to place for over 5000 people every night for over 2 months now, projecting animated and real footage of the history if Quebec City in its last 400 years.

          Don’t know what we would do without our fabulous tour guide Marguerita who showed us the greatest places in Quebec City to see, from restaurants to stunning views to hotels and ferry rides, she had it covered! Le Chateau Frontenac is a must-see! (Well it’s literally a ‘must-see’ because no matter where you look you can see the Chateau perched above a mountain!)It is stunning.  But you might have to actually be a King if you want to stay the night at Le Chateau… Rooms vary anywhere from $200 - $6000/ night. Ballin’.

If you want to get a sense of Europe in Canada, visit QC. The narrow streets, cafés, boulangeries, shops, cobblestone roads and the overwhelming French language everywhere you turn, will truly make you scream “Vive le Quebec!”

A bientôt!

P.S. Quebec = Poutine. ‘Nough said.

Nova Scotia. If I had to sum it up in one word? Beautiful. The people? Amazing.  The food?  Excellent.  The hospitality? Even better.  My first real adventure with the HG to Nova Scotia was much more than I had anticipated. For me, the East coast is like a world that is hardly spoken about, not by the media, not even the average Joe Schmoe knows much about the East side. Just a place where beer and lobster come cheap. But believe it or not, there is actually more to it then that!  (well, lobster and beer are still fairly priced- I wasn’t that far off! ) Not only are the views stunning, the people are so nice and genuine that a Torontonian, such as myself, could become a little skeptic of their friendliness; only to find out that Nova Scotians, are just that. The cleansiness of the entire province and the joie de vivre about the population, does make it seem like we aren’t in Kansas anymore.  It’s a great escape from all that that is concrete. 

 George, the host/ producer of the show, Claudio the camera stud and I shared many great moments on our way to Cape Breton.  Taking a very long, but scenic route to the most northern point of the province, 8 hours later from Halifax, actually, 4 hours too many - getting lost doesn’t help, and not to mention 8 hours of listening to possibly the worst music my ears have ever experienced (sorry boys, my blog) we finally arrived in Cape Breton. The views were simply spectacular; the air so fresh, so CO2- free; and the beautiful Atlantic Ocean stretching out as far as the eye can see, made the  drive definitely all worth while.  This is also where we met Graham Hudson- epidemy of hospitality - Operations Manager for Highlands Links Golf Course, a public golf course owned by Parks Canada, equipped with your choice of moose, bear or bald eagles. Sheer beauty.

Lisa