Mountain views and world class pinot noir grapes.
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Wine Tasting in British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley
While the Okanagan Valley wine appellation may be relatively unknown as a global wine destination, its Mission Hill Family Estate — overlooking British Columbia’s Okanagan Lake — is one of the world’s most spectacular winery venues.
Located near Kelowna, British Columbia, the scenic Mission Hill winery architecture includes a keystone, bell tower, loggia, wine education center and much more, designed by Seattle architect Tom Kundig.
The winery hosts summer concerts in the outdoor amphitheater, where guests enjoy a commanding view of Lake Okanagan along with the entertainment.
Mission Hill Estate proprietor Anthony von Mandl helped to pioneer the making of fine wines Okanagan Valley.
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This post was updated on May 17, 2021.
The port city of Akureyri is often referred to as the “Capital of Northern Iceland.” Akureyri is a major fishing center and it is home to the headquarters for two of the five largest fishing companies in Iceland.
With a population of 18,191, Akureyri is Iceland’s forth largest urban area. The city is home to both the world’s northernmost botanical garden and 18-hole golf course.
Two spires of the iconic Akureyri Church puncture the skyline from its prominent site on the edge of a hill above midtown. Built in 1940, Icelandic architect Gudjon Samuelsson designed the stark modern Lutheran church. Samuelsson is the same architect who designed the famous Hallgrímskirkja (space ship church) in Reykjavík.
Despite its far north location, Akureyri has a surprisingly mild climate and an ice-free harbor, a fact related to Iceland’s active geothermal zone that provides underground heat.
The Akureyri Botanical Garden is known for its luxuriant flowers and beautiful walking paths. Founded in 1911, the garden showcases most plants found in Iceland as well as about 4,000 foreign plants. The Garden is free to the public.
Kaupvangsstrí;ti, a street that curves through central Akureyri is nicknamed Artists’ Alley. Home to the Akureyri Art Museum and the School of Visual Arts, the area is packed with artist studios, small galleries, restaurants and trendy clothing shops.
Iceland’s currency is the Icelandic krona pronounced “kro neh” and referenced as ISK.
Many visitors take day trips to the nearby Godafoss (Waterfall of the Gods), Lake Myvatn, Dimmuborgir (towering lava formations) and the boiling sulpher pits at Hveranond. Another popular side trip involves flying to the small island of Grimsey on the Arctic Circle known for its intense birdlife.
Depending on traffic and weather conditions, it takes five or more hours to drive the 242 miles from Reykjavík to Akureyri on Route 1 — also called the Ring Road. The public bus makes the trip between Reykjavik and Akureyri in five and a half to six hours. Or, vistors can take a 40 minute flight from Reykjavik to Akureyri.
The easiest way to visit Akureyri is via cruise ship. We visited the city in 2007 via Holland America’s Northern Isles Adventures transatlantic cruise sailing from Copenhagen to New York City.
With Iceland opening its ports for cruise ships that are carrying all COVID-vaccinated passengers and crew in 2021, there are a number of ships making port calls in Akureyri. Check out the Port of Akureyri cruise ship calendar here. We plan to visit in 2021 via the Viking Sky cruise ship sailing around Iceland in eight days.
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Every Tuesday is Travel Tip Day
Today: 5 Reasons to Visit Alaska
There’s a place in the United States that we love to visit. A place that’s majestic, wild and breathtaking. It’s the place where Mr. Jones was born and raised, and where some incredible friends live. It’s a place called Alaska. A place we hope you will discover for yourself.
The Top 5 Reasons to Visit Alaska
1. Wilderness
The state of Alaska is more twice the size of Texas. It’s bigger than the 22 smallest states added together.
Yet Alaska is home to only 710,000 people, and half of them live in Anchorage, the state’s largest city.
Only 20 percent of Alaska is accessible by road. Despite a land mass of 586,412 square miles, Alaska only has 12 numbered highways. This means most of Alaska is wilderness – untamed, untouched wilderness, rare to find anywhere else in the US. Read 22 Fun Facts about Alaska.
2. Wildlife
While relatively few people live in Alaska, significant populations of wildlife do exist here.
Kodiak — Alaska’s largest island — is home to the world’s largest bear species, the Kodiak Brown Bear. Haines, Alaska is home to the world’s greatest concentration of bald eagles. One challenge with spotting wildlife in Alaska: you cannot schedule it.
While there are supposedly 250 black bears and 60 grizzly bears living within urban Anchorage and the surrounding area, you don’t want to run into them. Two places to be assured of seeing bears without becoming a bear’s “snack” are the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center 1 hour south of Anchorage, and the Alaska Zoo (you can take a shuttle from downtown Anchorage near the Log Cabin Visitor’s Center.)
Moose are everywhere, even in the city of Anchorage.
You probably know that Denali – formerly known as Mount McKinley –rising to 20,320 feet — is the highest peak in North America. Before the name change, it was always known locally as Denali, which means the Great One in Athabascan, the native language.
What you may not realize is that Alaska is home to 17 of the 20 tallest mountains in North America.
4. Glaciers
While ice covers only five percent of Alaska’s surface, the state contains more than 100,000 glaciers.
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, located in southeast Alaska, is home to more than 50 named glaciers, including seven tidewater glaciers that flow down to the sea. When sea water undermines the ice fronts on these glaciers, giant blocks of ice break loose and crash into the water, known as “calving”.
When ice calves from the face of a glacier, observers are treated to a noisy show and it creaks, groans and showers like a waterfall into the water below.
5. Tax Free Shopping
Okay, if spectacular wilderness, wildlife, mountains and glaciers just are not your thing, how about Tax Free Shopping? Alaska has one lowest tax burden in the United States and no state sales tax.
This means the shoes and everything else you buy – at the Nordstrom’s in Anchorage for example — are tax free. The perfect entertainment while one’s husband fishes his favorite hole.
Alaska has been a destination of adventurers and explorers since the days of Vitus Bering and Captain Cook.
If you are planning a visit to Alaska, check out these tours from Get Your Guide:
Will Alaska be your next adventure?
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