Posts filed under ‘Travel’
Where in the world are Karen’s nails?
Introducing a new series of posts where I highlight a few of the places my travels take me. Instead of that gnome, it’s my nails popping up in all sorts of fun places :)
In this edition, me and my nails learn that vacations where your itinerary is to rest (and then rest some more) can be wonderful.
What type of vacation would you choose if you could only go on one this year?
A beach vacation where you could get some downtime? If so, then you agree with many Canadians. Expedia.ca’s annual Flip Flop survey reveals that 45 percent of Canadians prefer beach vacays (much higher than the global average of 33 percent).
Me? I tend towards go-go-go-go-go vacations. I had 45 minutes in Chicago before having to go catch my flight, and I zipped on down to the Willis (aka Sears) Tower for a quick looky-look. 7AM or so whenever I’m in NYC? You’ll find me rifling through the racks at Century 21.
But a few weeks ago, what I truly needed was a vacay to do absolutely nada. So unlike me. But feeling utterly burnt out, I just needed sun and sand and lo and behold (thank you press trip gods for hearing my pleas!), work brought me to Fort Myers, Florida, just a short cab ride to Fort Myers Beach, where I decided to spend the weekend without even knowing much about the destination other than it had a beach.
Luckily, I was blessed with lovely powdery sand, and warm, shallow water. The most activity I did? One long walk on the beach, where I encountered some pretty shells and a blue crab (OK, so it was permanently sleeping…), along with venturing across the street to grab some food (nothing gourmet — we’re talking cheap diner-y breakfasts at The Munch Box and seafood dinner at The Fish House). My temporary pad at the Carousel Inn, which was roomy and equipped with a kitchen (always a plus, although I only used the fridge), was quiet, clean and affordable — I’d stay there again.
I didn’t head to Times Square (the Beach’s collection of touristy shops way down the road); I didn’t go hunting for shells; I didn’t visit any museums; I didn’t even run (and this was during marathon training!); I did absolutely nada.
And it was just perfect.
Cupcake truths
(I would love a dedicated shoe or handbag closet, but sometimes I dream of having a cupcake closet just like at Prairie Girl Bakery)
I share this information since I can never enjoy a Prairie Girl Bakery cupcake in the same way ever again — and misery loves company and all:
In an article in the Toronto Star yesterday, they revealed that a chocolate cupcake from this bakery (it’s one of of my favourite cupcake shops) contains nearly 700 CALORIES and 30 GRAMS OF FAT.
YIKES.
I obviously didn’t think they were nutritious or low-cal, but those ginormous numbers were astounding to me.
If you haven’t been scared off by this info, and want to try them (they are indeed delicious), here’s what I think this shop does right (I’m very picky when it comes to cupcakes):
- They offer tons of different frosting and cake combinations and the options are clearly marked on the wall making it easy to decide and order. (I’m partial to the chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting.)
- Their cupcakes are large (although I guess this adds to the calorie and fat numbers…but hey, go big or go home).
- Their sliding shelves of cupcakes are mesmerizing. The very first time I walked into check out the bakery for sweetspot.ca (sigh, a site that is no longer, but if I talk about that I’ll need 10 cupcakes to drown my sorrows) the vision of rows upon rows of cupcakes stopped me in my tracks.
- They have proper cupcake boxes (with a base that holds each cupcake place so they don’t get all tossed around in the box) for however many cupcakes you buy.
Will I stop eating them? Hellz no. I only have one every three months at most. And I’ll just make sure I run an extra hour or two the week that I do :)
Prairie Girl Bakery; two locations, 18 King St. East and First Canadian Place.
Go coastal
Saw several people running on the beach today and I was feeling guilty about not running at all during my weekend beach getaway (but I forced myself to bring only a carry-on and that meant no room for running gear), and then as if to add salt to the wound, I came upon this research finding:
Exercising anywhere outdoors is linked with calmness, enjoyment and refreshment, but exercising on the coast is most beneficial and in urban parks the least, says research presented at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference.
Note to self: Make room for running gear next beach getaway.
(Image: My sunset view of the Gulf of Mexico)
Be sure to pick up the April 2012 issue of Elle Canada
In August, I had the opportunity to participate on a trip of a lifetime to Rwanda with some amazing women: some team members from the non-profit Because I Am a Girl, Plan Canada and SmartWater, Olympian and Because I am a Girl Ambassador Jennifer Heil (who is the only reason I was able to get through a pretty terrifying chimpanzee tracking excursion — she kept me calm and helped me get through the treacherous hike even though my legs were shakin’ like jello, but that’s a story for ‘nother time) and three incredible Canadian women who won the title of SmartWater SmartGirls thanks to their work on helping to improve the lives of women. These three women — Kama Money, Caroline Smeenck and Christy Smith — continue to inspire me today.
The whole lot of us were in Rwanda to help celebrate the opening of a new school and to learn about and see Plan Canada’s projects in action. And you can read all about it in the April issue of Elle Canada on newsstands now!
