Posts by Charmaine Hallmark

        CANADIAN CONTRASTS I have always thought I wouldn’t enjoy a coach tour or ‘escorted holiday’ as Titan Tours prefer to call them. But having just returned from a seven-day tour of the Canadian Rockies, I have completely changed my mind. My escorted holiday started here in East Grinstead where I was picked…

        FRENCH FLAVOURS AND THE FALL Being collected from East Grinstead by Titan Holidays’ pick-up service and taken to Heathrow was an effortless way to start my trip to Canada. After just six hours in my comfortable plane seat I arrived in Montreal. The first thing I noticed on arrival was the…

        WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU HAD A DAY YOU WILL NEVER FORGET The Yukon… what images does it conjure for you? A dark, desolate, uninhabitable vast interior of Canada – the middle of nowhere and then go further – to the edge of nowhere. That’s where you are, at the…

        ANIMALS ADVENTURE AND ACTIVITIES Having recently qualified as a Canadian Counsellor, I had earned my visit to the West Coast. My adventure began in Whistler–a ski resort just a two-hour drive from Vancouver. But not just skiing… have you heard of zip trekking? This involves gliding along a suspended steel cable, using…

        BRITISH COLUMBIA AND HEAVEN We flew via Vancouver connecting straight to Victoria, and before we knew it, we were having afternoon tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel! A great way to start my holiday, and an excellent location for the city sights and the harbour. To get our bearings and quickly…

        BC BRITISH COLUMBIA BEAUTIFUL CANADA It’s called the Pacific Rim, this wild west furthest-most point of British Columbia in Canada – gazing to sea from my little Zodiac while out on a whale watching tour, the next land mass is… Japan! I was wrapped up warm and dry, as I shared…

        ONTARIO, A TRIP TO DREAM OF I was away to explore Ontario, and so I flew with Air Canada to Ottawa, just a 7-hour flight. Before take off I was invited to Air Canada’s Lounge at Heathrow – spacious, comfortable, and a lovely way to start my trip Ottawa is the…

        CANADA A WORLD OF POSSIBILITIES Canada-it’s a world of possibilities and a breath of fresh air. It used to be a place to visit that part of the family who had long ago taken off for pastures new and meet up with those fast-growing grandchildren before they had completely grown up.…

        ALBERTA JUST BEFORE THE SPRING Landing at Calgary Airport after a comfortable flight with Air Transat from Gatwick, we were transferred to the Calgary Marriott hotel. Greeted with refreshing strawberry or lime water, and shown to our rooms, we were then left free to explore the local shops that Calgary had…