-
Lesley Peterson is a Toronto-based writer specializing in travel, art, culture, history and legendary landscapes. She has a degree in Art History from the University of Manitoba and is a member of NATJA (North American Travel Journalists Association). Catch her on Twitter as @culturetripper or contact her at lesley@culturetripper.com. All content by Lesley Peterson copyright © 2009 - Until the Present. All photos by Lesley Peterson except where other credit noted.
Join me!
Canucks, inuksuks and Cuba
Waves crash, palms blow, vultures wheel, clouds unspool. Here on the Costa Morena, the rugged coast west of Santiago de Cuba, all nature salsas frantically in the wind. Flopped like a castaway under a seagrape, sunburnt, pants torn, I suddenly get Van Gogh. Vincent never made it to Cuba but he would have known how [...]
Are you a right-brained traveler?
I didn’t spend a lot of time thinking about being lefthanded while growing up. Raised in a house full of righthanders, I simply adapted to unfriendly can openers and blister-causing scissors and got on with life. Life as a lefty, though, meant drawing a certain amount of flack. And flack is fuel for stubborn individualism. For [...]
On a carousel in North Tonawanda, New York
“Sure!” she replied and pointed to one of the larger and wilder-looking outer horses. “Climb onto Big Billy there.” The crazed-looking stallion creaked as I swung my leg over his saddle and I instantly regretted the second beef on weck—a Buffalo area specialty—I’d polished off at lunch. But no time to reconsider. The attendant hit [...]
Toronto Christmas Market magic
Toronto’s historic Distillery District glows each December with the lights and flavours of a European-style Christmas Market. From traditional German sausage and schnitzel to Canadian favorites like pure maple taffy and poutine, there’s lots to munch on as you stroll the brick-paved lanes and duck into the shops. This year the atmosphere is even more convivial [...]
11.12.2011 · Filled under: Canada, Festivals & Events · Tags: Christmas, FUN, TORONTO · 3 Comments »
Sicily’s seductive beaches and strange symbol
More than 2,000 years ago, Greek sailors sailing the Mediterranean around Sicily gazed upon its golden shores and likened them to the alluring legs of a woman. They called the island Trinakria, or three pointed, identifying it with the Thrinacia mentioned in Homer’s Odyssey. I love to wander Sicily’s beaches in the off season when [...]
08.12.2011 · Filled under: Europe, Italy, Legendary Landscapes, Myths & Legends · Tags: Antiquity, Beaches, HISTORY, Italy, SICILY · 8 Comments »
Strait of Messina, Italy: myth, magic and a much-needed bridge
When Odysseus sailed the Strait of Messina he had a tough decision to make. Sailing too close to Calabria would mean passing Scylla, a sailor-snatching sea-nymph with a body composed of ravening dogs. Too close to Sicily and the whirlpool mouth of Charybdis could suck down the entire ship. Navigating the water between mainland Italy [...]
16.11.2011 · Filled under: Legendary Landscapes, Myths & Legends · Tags: Italy, SICILY, water · 5 Comments »
Myth and water around Lamezia Terme, Calabria, Italy
We’ve been using Calabria as a back door to Sicily for a few years, preferring direct flights to Lamezia Terme to non-direct flights to Palermo. Car rental is a lot easier at Lamezia, too. This time we stayed in the area for a few days to decompress and explore. Our first stop is always the quiet [...]
01.11.2011 · Filled under: Destination Guides, Europe, Italy, Legendary Landscapes, Myths & Legends · Tags: water · 2 Comments »
Summoning the so-called dead in Lily Dale, New York
A black cat disappears into a bank of tiger lilies, prayer ribbons stir on a puff of air. On Cassadaga Lake, afternoon sun glints off the water in darts of light that drift ashore like summoned souls. Spirit summoning has been going on for over 150 years at Lily Dale, home to the world’s largest Spiritualist community and over 40 registered [...]
05.09.2011 · Filled under: Architecture, New York State, Spirituality · Tags: Buffalo, ghosts, road trip! · 3 Comments »
Lake Effect Diner, Buffalo, New York
Even if we’re just across the border on a weekend shopping raid, Pat and I are always on the lookout for a non-chain place to eat with great local food and plenty of atmosphere. Discovering the Lake Effect Diner in Buffalo, NY, last week was a real score. It’s easy to love these old diners [...]
12.08.2011 · Filled under: Architecture, Food, New York State · Tags: Buffalo, EAT, road trip! · 1 Comment »
Al fresco art: Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition
I always meet the most interesting people at the Toronto Outdoor Art Exhibition. Fewer exhibitors this year, surprising since it’s the event’s 50th anniversary but half of Nathan Phillips Square being fenced off for construction may have had something to do with that. As always, though, quality at this juried show was high. The TOAE [...]