My Mental Vacation

Ice Cider from Canada - Cidre de Glace

I had never heard of it before, but Jean-Michel raved about Ice Cider while he was here from Montreal this week. Apparently, this new wine, made from frozen apples, is all the rage in eastern Canada. I've tasted wine there before, and loved the ice wines from the Niagara region, so I became interested when Jean-Michel recommended Le Face Cachee de la Pomme, a producer near Quebec that he knows well.

So, I Googled, and I found lots of enticing stories about ice cider, including this one in the New York Times. I think I will add this to my list of travel destinations on the list of things to do before I die. Doesn't this excerpt from Marialisa Calta's article the NYT article sound wonderful?

"Although there are producers of ice cider outside of the Eastern Townships, there is a de facto “cider trail” concurrent with the well-marked Route des Vins (wine route), which extends from Bedford, Quebec (about 10 miles north of the Vermont border) on the west, north to Farnham and east to Lac-Brome. At least four ice cider makers and five vineyards are clustered around the towns of Dunham and Frelighsburg, just east of Bedford.

"In the fall, the rolling two-lane roads of the area are lined with yellowing cornstalks, neatly planted rows of grapes and apple orchards advertising “auto-cueillette” (the French equivalent of pick your own). Lumbering farm vehicles occasionally slow travel to a crawl. Small villages — many with beckoning restaurants, boutiques, galleries and bed-and-breakfasts — make for lingering side trips."

Mental vacation over... back to work.

Road Warriors Reunion

Claudia was here from Montreal for a week, and we are going to do some business together! Sounds boring, but you have to know Claudia. She's fun.

I was her client back when we were both pioneers on the web trail. Her company developed some machine translation software, and my company needed a cheap way of translating content for its global employees. We worked together for a few years developing this application, and did a lot of traveling in the process. Funny how traveling together creates bonds between people... indelible memories that always remain associated with a sense of place.

So, this week, we revisited our old adventures, and had a grand time of it. We went to a conference, worked the show, and had many meetings. Tapas at B44, cocktails at the Marriott bat cave, a side trip to Sonoma, and a final stop at Baker Beach to see the Golden Gate Bridge.

Most of our talk was around travel, and the numerous places we had met before. Montreal, Chicago, Orlando, San Francisco... we both love working in the international space. We love the cultural differences, enjoy being either the guest or the host...  Work and travel fit together perfectly in my mind. Hope we can continue this, and work together again.

Reporting from Vegas

We just got back from a few days in Las Vegas, where we stayed in the brand spankin' new Palazzo Hotel. Our suite was fabulous, and I would definitely recommend the accommodations. We were on the 47th floor - looking down on the Wynn next door - and we had a lovely view of the golf course.

The living area was great... an L-shaped sectional, with large coffee table, a dining table, and a desk. The The suites have all the modern amenities... boutique soaps, luxury linens, fluffy robes and slippers, remote control draperies, three TVs and phones, and a multi-function printer/fax/copier machine. Internet access is $9.95 a day.

The hotel is adjacent to its sister property, the Venetian. Between the two hotels, the dining and entertainment options are great. Bouchon - five stars!! Table 10 - four stars. Morel's - three stars.

There were a few kinks that still need to be worked out.

My top priority in the morning is a cup of coffee. Waiting time for room service was one hour. For coffee. ONE HOUR!! I don't mind paying for it, but I would dearly love it if they would just put one of those cute little pots in the room so I can just make my own. 

My other top priority in the morning is the bathroom. It's a tie. My point: If you are going to spend billions of dollars on a luxury hotel, please don't skimp on the toilet paper. Get the good stuff. 'Nuff said.

Some of the shops are open, but many others are still unfinished. The shops were very high-end designer duds. Not very many shoppers, and no "personality"... most of the stores were empty, except for the sales people. I was really put off by all the security guards, often guarding the entrance to a shop. Maybe that had something to do with why people weren't shopping. I'd blame it on the recession, but the Venetian's Grand Canal shops were jam packed.

Monday Morning Distraction

Ah... Monday morning! I get to my desk, ready to work. Then I start clearing out my e-mail from the weekend. When my schedule is packed with meetings, I will just delete them and call them spam. But today, I have time to look at a few, so I will call it work.

But it never fails... I start reading the travel news, and I'm off on another mental vacation. What is it about this topic that hooks me? "A blissful haven of tranquility in Bali..." a "gastronomic weekend in Paris..." "a spa weekend in Cyprus..."

It has only been in the past 10 years that I've really travelled for fun. I did a lot of international business travel, with perhaps one day off. But, I had "moments" that were truly unexpected and fabulous, and as a business traveler, you never really feel like a tourist. You have a purpose for being in a particular place, so you just blend in with the locals. I like that.

So, I read these things, and I know that they are targeted to tourists and not travelers. Yet, I can relate. I've had fabulous French dining experiences. I've spa'd not in Cyprus, but in Switzerland and Montreal. Still...that beach in Bali beckons...

Perhaps I should spend the rest of the morning planning a trip? Hmmm... No... I will spend the rest of the morning kicking my butt into gear so I can pay for the next trip. I'm motivated now! Down to business!

First Post on My Mental Vacation

This is the momentous first posting to my blog, so I should probably explain myself, in case anyone ever reads this. (Hah! Fat chance!)

I'm a marketer, and I know all the good reasons to publish a blog. But to tell you the truth, it is pretty hard to find time to write something about marketing that hasn't been said before by people more famous than me. That said, I asked myself that if I didn't have a blog of my own, how could I possibly speak knowledgeably (and credibly) about them to my clients?

So, here it is. My blog. Ta da!

As I was setting this up, my mind started to wander... it went in the direction it always goes when I have not quite figured out what I want to write. I start thinking about my next trip.

I'm not happy if I don't have a trip planned. If I'm feeling a bit stressed, it makes me feel better to daydream and plan another trip.  I started a part-time travel agency, too, so I can at least get paid for it. Well, OK. You caught me. I did it so I would not feel guilty about digressing. I can now call it "work."

So, that's my mental vacation. And that's the title and purpose of my blog.