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Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Restaurants. Show all posts

Friday, September 04, 2015

Day Trip to Ottawa to see the Alex Colville Exhitibion


These of some of the things that came up:

National Galery of Canada.
The building is beautiful and huge. Since the walls and floors are a mix of granite and concrete the building gives off a strange mix of warm looks with parking garage concrete finish. Floorplan PDF





Hound in Field
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Leaves of Grass (detail)
More:
Other topics we discussed today:
Thank you Ginette, Harry and Claudette.

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Monday, July 06, 2015

20 Healthy Habits That Lead to Big Results

I like this list, a checklist for my current health habits. Steve

1. MOVE FOR 30 MINUTES
Every day, try to walk, run, bike, or work out for at least 30 minutes. Your mind, body, and waistline will thank you.
You don't have to exercise every morning before dawn or stick to nothing but salads - these simple tips will ensure you'll be your healthiest, happiest, and most energetic yet. Even better? Being consistent with these small habit changes can lead to big results if you're looking to lose weight. Get ready to feel your best ever with these 20 simple ways to be your healthiest self yet.

2. MAKE SLEEP A PRIORITY
The more you neglect your nighttime rest, the more your health will be affected. Adequate sleep is important for lowering your risk of disease, helping you lose weight, and making sure you have enough energy to tackle your to-do list. Aim for seven to nine hours a night, and stick with your goal, for better health overall.

3. DRINK MORE WATER
According to dietitian Julie Upton, drinking about half your weight in fluid ounces of water is a great way to ensure you stay hydrated, have energy, and even burn more calories.

4. EAT MINDFULLY
Slowing down will help you relax and enjoy what you're eating. Sit down when you eat, and think about your food so you make healthier eating choices while enjoying your meals more than you would on a rushed junk-food habit.

5. TRACK YOUR STEPS
You don't even have to invest in a fancy fitness tracker - you can track your steps with an inexpensive pedometer or a smartphone app (like the free Runtastic Pedometer app, available for Android or iPhone). Try to hit 10,000 steps every day.

6. ADD GREENS TO (ALMOST) ANYTHING
The more whole foods you have in your life, the better you'll feel. Add a handful of arugula to your pizza, throw some baby spinach into your next chocolate-banana smoothie, or add kale to your pot of soup. You can even blend spinach into these chocolate brownies! You'll add fiber and vitamins to keep you feeling energized and full, with almost no calories at all.

7. THINK POSITIVE
It's easy to stress out about how we look or feel and sometimes harder still to ignore the negative voices in your head. Take a day, or even an hour, to consciously tell yourself you'll stop negative, self-defeating thoughts as much as possible - you may not realize how hard you are on yourself. Here are20 ways to be happier in no time at all.

8. LEARN TO PLANK
The plank exercise requires no equipment, can be done almost anywhere, and works your entire body, especially those abs. Try this two-week plank challenge, and watch how much stronger your core will get once you devote just 30 to 60 seconds a day to planking.

9. STRETCH
You'll be in a better mood, feel more energized, and relieve your achy body with just a few seconds ofstretches at your desk or on your yoga mat in the morning.

10.SNACK ON NUTS
Make your snack work for you. Opting for a high-protein snack like nuts can help tide you over until your next meal, instead of constantly grazing on snacks with empty calories like potato chips or crackers. Plus, nuts are high in heart-healthy omega-3s, which also have been shown to help shrink your waistline.

11. GRAB WEIGHTS
Weight training won't make you bulk up, but it will help you build metabolism-boosting muscles fast. Make it your mission to use weights for a session or two (here's how to pick the right dumbbell size if you're a beginner) - you'll burn more calories, increase bone density, and strengthen important muscles.

12. GO INTENSE (FOR JUST A FEW SECONDS!)
Studies have shown that 30-second bursts of exercise, done at high intensity, can help lower cholesterol and increase cardio health. This seven-minute workout, full of bodyweight exercises done in short, intense intervals, is just right for adding to any day - no matter how busy your schedule is.

13. STAND MORE
Sitting for an extended period can raise blood pressure and increase your risk of dying early. Just shifting from sitting to standing instantly helps your body be healthier, so take breaks off the couch, stand instead of sit on the bus, or move around your office more during the day.

14. CLEAR OUT JUNK FOOD
What's in your house has a big influence on what's in your mouth. Clean up your diet simply by getting rid of processed foods in your kitchen. If you ever have a craving for something, you'll have to go to the store and buy it or wait it out until the craving passes.

15. DITCH SODA

A soda-a-day habit can hurt your health, even if it's diet. Try to cut out soda with this 28-day soda-quitting plan, or substitute your daily soda dose with carbonated water flavored with fresh fruit instead.

16. RELAX

Take a few minutes every day to de-stress and reenergize. Take a break from your computer, read a book before bed, or listen to music while doing nothing at all - whatever it takes to shut your mind off and decompress for a few minutes.

17. PREP PRODUCE

This week, cut up some fruits and veggies on a Sunday, so you can snack on them (with a healthy dipor alone) throughout the week. When you've got readily available foods like carrots and apple slices in your fridge, you'll be less tempted to grab higher-calorie, less-nutritious options.

18. TRY THE 80/20 RULE

For a day, try eating meals and snacks that are healthy for 80 percent of the day - then indulge for the rest of the day if you feel the urge. Swapping most of your meals for healthier options is an easy way to "diet" without feeling deprived. Check out our guide on  how to eat the 80/20 way. 

19. COOK A MEAL (OR TWO!)
Eating out too much? The amount of fat, sodium, and calories in takeout and restaurant meals can be eye-opening. Mastering just a few simple meals that you can whip up at home every week will save you calories and make sure you're eating whole foods instead of processed ones. Here are a few fast and healthy weeknight meals for you to try.

20. DINE SMART
You don't have to limit everything you eat to what's in your kitchen. Make smart decisions the next time you eat out: share a huge entrée with a friend, order a side salad to help you fill up with nutrients, and savor your favorite treat if you opt for a dessert at the end. More on how to eat healthy at a restaurant here.

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Saturday, July 27, 2013

A little side trip to medieval Roncolo Castle (Runkelstein)

By 10 a.m. we went to the free bus and up to the Roncolo Castle (Runkelstein). Now that was something different, lay medieval art in reasonable condition instead of sacred art in churches.

Be prepared for a steep climb up to the castle.




The 14th century Tristan and Iseult story room was is amazing condition. Much of the art has a primitive, simplistic quality to it. As though drawn by a handy amateur. Some animals along the top of the wall are barely recognizable species, realism wasn't their forte.

But then there were so many castles and so little time. I was particularly surprised by the number of castles on the regional map; there are hundreds. List of castles in South Tyrol.

The art is directly on the walls and so parts have disappeared. Reading the overall history of this fortress/castle points to the fact that they lost their reason for being with the introduction of cannons in the 16th century, removing any strategic advantage their inaccessible locations may have provided. They became somewhat inconvenient residences and were maintained halfheartedly by rich people of the time.

Eventually, it was given one more restoration and handed to the city of Bozen in 1893. Done.


Now they put on shows there and have an excellent little restaurant on site. South Tyrol travel guide - Wikitravel

The one in the museum has a dozen such wax seals on ropes 
Some artifacts really surprised me such as the contract transferring the property in 1363. Instead of signatures, it had a string woven into the bottom of the cloth of the contract text with over a dozen blobs of wax where each pressed the »"signature key»". They used a lot of wax!


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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Genova Day 2

Late morning, I'm finishing breakfast at 10 a.m. and check out the newsstand. It is really uninteresting. No major dailies, just fashion photo magazines, car weekly, all in Italian of course. The weather is hot and clear, as usual.

We were going to visit the Galleon anchored in the port, a prop from the 1986 fiasco Pirates with Walter Mathau, directed by Roman Polanski. Trip Advisor comments report it fun for children but after 30 years in need of tender loving curating. We decided against it.

Instead I worked on this blog for a few hours. Then picked up some cheese and fruit and off to test the Funicolare Zecca - Righi
 .

I was so exited riding the water powered cable car to the top. But the conductor told me they converted to electricity 30 years ago, after using the water system for 80 years. What a deception, this is up there with loosing Santa Claus to me.

Electricity is more reliable for the heavy use it now receives as part of the bus system. Still the "romance" of the tunnel carved by hand, the 47 degree rails means there is a staircase inside the car, made up for the deception.

The view from the top is outstanding, allowing us to see the valleys behind the mountain against which Genova is built. The park is small, and serves the local community at the top. It has an interesting model of the solar system and an observatory.

View from the top.
I found an amazing view of the port of Genova from the nearby parking lot.

We bought a return funicolare ticket for four to the top (9 euro) and grabbed the next tourist in line to complement our threesome. She got a free ride up to the top and back down as part of our little group and it made for a laugh and good company.

We have dinner on a Unesco Heritage Via Lomellini at Mazzini's restaurant. They have Very good prices but not so Italian carbonarra sauce was "dry". The chicken was extra tender and delicious, the green beans were cooked to perfection. We were to eat at Osteria Pandemonio but it was closed for Ferie. The sign barely visible with the iron blind closed.

The street in front of the Helvetia hotel has barely changed in 300 years; but for the traffic. 
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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

GENOVA the noisy, the cramped, the refuge.


Heavy trucks drag themselves up the autostrade.
Winding mountain roads all the way down to the sea. Then tight streets across to the Helvetia Hotel in Piazza della Nunziata. The loading area is on the sidewalk. The associated  garage Minerva is down the block underground.
Motorcycles are a favoured mode of transportation here.

Ouch! NOISY and CRAMPED STREETS. Do not expect to find parking in Genova. The hotel is truly a refuge from the outside traffic.


Baby manatee with mom.
We walk to the old port, across to the Maritime museum but decide to visit the Aquarium which was a great decision. We enjoyed a seal feeding, manatees (with a baby manatee), and many beautiful displays.

Cramped morray eels. 
Then we took the City Tour Train at 7 euro which I found quite informative but being on street level instead of the second floor of a double decker bus it is polluted with fuel and noise.

Then we went to the fruit market where the highlight was watching an Asian fruit seller break her zen pattern by bursting in Italian at an old guy "shouting" at her, so far it seems shouting is what passes for agitated polite conversation here. Then on to supper at Gaia restaurant. A nice hole in the wall, literally,  with good prices, fine service and no hassles. Delicious, as usual in Italy.

I love the taste of fruit I buy at the market.

Did I mention the staff of the Helvetia Hotel in Piazza della Nunziata are very nice and helpful in every way possible?
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Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Milano is industrial but has it's charms. Bring money.

Driving from Turino to Milano is a charm with such  perfect highways. I would gladly pay a 12 euro toll in Montreal to have roads in such good condition. But I feel we are doomed to bad services in Montreal by the poor moral code of our politicians and construction trades.

The only problem with a 130 kph speed limit is that you can see the fuel gauge needle move towards empty; so we drop back to 120 till we can't stand having cars whizzing past us so fast!

The hotel fire instructions are
the best I have ever seen.
The Naviglio Grande Hotel is great value providing more than I expected.
Duomo in Milan is like a cake with too much frosting.


The Duomo is a sight, of course, so intricate and in great condition with endless restoration; the Piazza is huge and full of people. I love it!

The sun is blazing
but the advertising
is up to the task almost
outshining the sun.
I didn't go inside, not for the 12 euro ticket but because I have seen far too many churches for a lifetime.

The La Scala theatre shop left me with sticker shock with canvas bags at 38 euro (plain logo). When you start looking for value and end up at the fridge magnet section, you know you are in sticker shock!

The La Scala museum was a pleasure, since they provide access to some balcony seats to view the concert hall while the stage hands are at work. The balcony is tiny, barely holding two seats wide, the other four ottomans (no backs) sit behind them, bus style. The rest of the museum displayed artifacts, costumes, scores, posters, busts covering 250 years of theatre. I liked it.

As we left, a ticket scalper announced his wares in near perfect American English. It was quite impressive to hear.

We checked out the covered street nearby, the steel arches are so far above the beautiful marble floor, I couldn't find enough eyes to look at it all.

This cute cartoon caught our
attention at Papà Francesco's.
Eventually we made our way to a fun restaurant Papà Francesco where I relaxed for a few hours with terrific food and very pleasant waiters.  Milano is not Torino however as prices are substantially higher.

The subway system is just like Montreal's but on steel rails (read noisy). However it has full time 3G in the cars. That is a blessing as I was able to answer my email underground. Take a hint Montreal Metro.

The subway is great, the tickets are sold at newsstands, this is not great, I had to walk several blocks to buy a ticket as they were all closed at lunch. Eventually I found them on sale at an Internet/telephone shop. My trusty Google translate app worked perfectly (but painfully slowly) to sort out the ticket purchase.

Tip if you use the Naviglio Grande hotel: Use the 321 bus which is a short ride to the end of the red line subway, then on to Duomo station; this is the better line the alternative is the 325 bus to the green line which is slow, long and rough.

The large fortress is impressive.

Bosque Vertical attemps to build
a forest on a skyscraper.

This chocolate fountain runs
70 tonnes through per hour! 

At first, I didn't think it was real.

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Saturday, July 06, 2013

Lago Maggiore and south to Torino


Drove to Lavino for the ferry to Verbania Intra. The ferry is a fun ride across Lago Maggiore. Aren't all ferries fun?

After wandering the small Saturday market, I went to Stresa for a cable car ride. Note Funivia is a hanging cable car, Funicolare is a cable car on rails. A recurring theme this time is "modes of transportation", if it moves it is fun.


MOTTARONE (video)
The cable car to the top is a bit rusty, but the cables are well greased. The view of lago Maggiore is undeminished. It just keeps improving as the car climbs up the mountain.

At the end of the first stage the tiny town of Alpino puts on a noble show with a few restaurants and a mountain botanical garden  I did not visit. I just ran out of time. Links: www.giardinoalpinia.it

At the very top we catch more jaw dropping views from the Eden Albergo restaurant while enjoying a lovely meal on the precariously perched terrace. The food was delicious and  the owner/waiter  was very pleasant joking in perfect French. Since his mother lives in Torino, he gave us an important counter-intuitive tip on how to get out of Stresa.


It used to be a thriving ski resort but now they have added summer attractions such as an aquaslide, and park to stay busy during the progressively longer summer season. A chairlift takes you up to the very top at 1494 metres for the rail bobsled rides.  All manner of antenna populate the mountain top, ironically there are no 3G bars on my phone.

Drive to Torino is all highway. But for the last few kilometres, instead of an all suburb route, the GPS takes us off the autostrada almost to the city center. then through white knuckle rush hour traffic on an and endless chain of rotatoria (traffic circles).  Obviously reckless drivers cut us off at every turn.

TORINO-Montecalieri

We trundle into La Darcena hotel four kilometres east of Turin in Montecalieri. A lovely place, tasty food.
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Thursday, July 04, 2013

First day in Switzerland, Zurich and Luzern first European wine, delicious, fruity.

Landing in Zurich, I drift off into romantic memories of swiss icons. Classic picture compositions drift by as the farmland is arranged by the rivers into beautiful S shaped curves. Timeless rough solid barns and the delicate houses seen from the air. Once in a while, cute groups of tiny  cows dot the intensely green pastures between the dark forests; large cowbells ring.

The decidedly un-Swiss wobbly landing wakes me from my dreams, but I  am quickly soothed by the soft, precise German voice announcing our arrival.

Workers purposefully attending to their tasks everywhere. I'm reminded of Disneyland where resting is hidden from view.
As I step off the plane but before I reach the terminal building a hallway opens to my right connecting passengers  to their Venice flight; it reminds me that this is one of the to rated airports in the world.  No wonder, this connection to Venice would have to be the quickest connection possible between two flights ever. Just an hour ago I went through a 7 km connection (no change of airport) at Paris Charles de Gaule airport.

We are staying at the Ibis budget hotel by the railroad station. They are doing a fine job. 

We walk through the train station and then across the bridge to the tourist area. It is a typical tourist area with scary clowns, the usual restaurants, etc. Almost had Pad Tai at CHF 19 (CAD 25) a stand up bar but decided to go for dinner at a fine restaurant with perfect. Gnochi with tomato sauce and primitivo wine.

I won't dwell on it but staying in Switzerland is like staying at an expensive hotel. It's very nice, but you can't stay for long. Just double the Canadian prices for everything; part of the distortion is that prices are tax and service included. Of course, this will make Italy feel like a bargain.


This nice half tonne geode in the window is priceless, literally.

People are very fit and slim in general. It is inspiring to see bicycles everywhere. Pedestrians have the right of way over automobiles. I saw people at crosswalks barely glancing as they gingerly stepped in front of cars that quickly came to a stop for them. Nervously I attempted the same with great success. 
It was cool in the park, I sat watching the giant chess game.

The room is very nice, but has holes instead of handles in the shower and bathroom doors. 
And so to bed.
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