Ninkasi

...was shortly after my father died. He was born here, as was I. Driving into town from my mother’s home in nearby Lake Charles, LA, I was overcome with emotion, as the last time I was in Port Arthur my dad was still alive.

Frankly, this place actually doesn’t hold the best of memories for me. I didn’t grow up here, although my sister and I spent several childhood summers here, and the only relative I have who still lives there is my 94-year old grandmother.

Still, when Hurricane Rita hit, I was devastated by the images I saw. While it may not be my favorite location on the planet, it is my birthplace and for that reason alone, I will likely visit again.

My then 17-year old son – my only child – was chosen to go on a missions trip to London with his church youth group. Rather than pine away and worry all the while he was gone across the pond, I decided to book a trip to Vancouver, BC, a place I’d read and even written about, but had never been to. I had enough frequent flyer miles to fly at no charge, and after checking out the city’s vast network of public transportation, I decided NOT to rent a car. Instead I invested in a pair of “summer weight” hiking shoes, bought a book on local walking tours, and another on local brewpubs, and I set out on an amazing journey. This would be the first time that I’d traveled on vacation as a single female, but I felt very safe and very comfortable the entire time while I was there. I stayed at the Granville Island Hotel which has its own brewery on the premises (honestly the beers were so-so – I found much better offerings at the numerous other places I visited), and I was able to reach pretty much any destination in the city by ferry, bus, rail or “aqua bus.” Don’t miss Stanley Park and the Vancouver Aquarium, Yaletown, and the Seawall, and be sure to walk through some of the historic neighborhoods in the area as well.

I’ll be going to Montreal at the end of September 2007 to participate in a friend’s wedding. I’ve only been to one other Canadian city/province – Vancouver, BC - and I loved it, though in many ways it wasn’t much different from some of the areas I’ve visited in So Cal (where I live) and other larger cities in the US. Still, the scenery was absolutely beautiful, and I loved that I could walk virtually anywhere or take public transportation and not have to rent a car. Plus, as a beer aficionado, I thoroughly enjoyed visiting local brew pubs and sampling the local offerings. The friend whose wedding I’m in has been to Montreal on many occasions and says it’s beautiful and has lots of charm and character. And of course there are some amazing breweries up there, too! I’m truly honored to have been asked to be part of my friend’s special day, and I’m really looking forward to visiting Montreal!