Jasper National Park

August 30, 2017

We have always wanted to travel to places far away. The further they were, the more intriguing they seemed. It is amazing then that we lived our whole life with one of the world's most beautiful destinations in our backyard.

Jasper National Park is situated in the Canadian Rockies and is a short drive from our hometown, Calgary. The Icefields Parkway is known as one of the best drives in the world and takes you directly to the town of Jasper. There are several places to stop and admire the scenery—our favourite is the ten-minute hike to the viewpoint of Peyto Lake.

There are no shortage of outdoor activities in and around Jasper. In our short visit, we decided to hike near our hotel, the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and visit Spirit Island on Maligne Lake.

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge

Turin

August 16, 2017

While not quite off the beaten path, Turin is not exactly at the top of most travel lists either. Maybe that's why Turin felt like the most authentic city we visited in Italy this time around. Home to Fiat, Martini and Nutella, Turin is the capital of the Piedmont region. We mostly sat around caffès drinking bicerin (Turin's specialty drink of layered espresso, chocolate and cream) and walked through the numerous piazzas. Although we visited in the middle of a heat wave, the endless arcades around the city provided much needed shelter from the summer sun.