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Lesley Peterson is a Toronto-based blogger tripping on travel, art, culture, museums, cities and legendary landscapes. 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.
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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 Distillery District’s frosty brick lanes. The atmosphere is even more convivial as the Market’s liquor […]
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
Strait of Messina, Italy: myth, magic and a controversial 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 […]
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
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 […]
Lake Effect Diner, Buffalo, New York
Pat and I are always on the lookout for a non-chain place to eat with great local food and plenty of atmosphere. The Lake Effect Diner in Buffalo, NY, was a real find. It’s easy to love these old diners with their resemblance to old Airstream trailers. Their exuberant lines just seem to shout holiday […]
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 […]
Why I’m toasting Russia’s Last Grand Duchess today
In Toronto’s North York cemetery, not far from the grave of hockey and coffee legend Tim Horton, “The Last Grand Duchess of Russia” lies beneath an Eastern Orthodox cross as white as a Russian winter. In this city of immigrant tales, the story of Her Imperial Highness Grand Duchess Olga of Russia is one of […]
Messy lives, messy art: Abstract Expressionism New York at AGO
Tumultuous relationships, alcoholism, suicide. For the Abstract Expressionists, messy lives made for messy art. Sixty years later, their paintings still vibrate with the tragedy, passion and questing spirit that created them more than half a century ago. Several days after attending a media preview at the Art Gallery of Ontario, I’m still thinking about the show. Abstract Expressionist New York: Masterpieces from The Museum of […]