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22 - The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday February 23, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com FLY TO PARIS FROM $490 Air France has launched a new promotion for travel from Toronto and Montreal to anywhere the airline flies in France, including Corsica, from $490 plus $250. taxes and fuel surcharges. Flights must be reserved by 02MAR08 and apply to departures scheduled from 11APR08 to 18JUN08. Air France is also offering promotional fares for departures during the high season from 19JUN08 to 06SEP08. Travellers can fly to any French metropolitan destination and Corsica from $860 plus $250 taxes and fuel surcharges. Space is limited, book early! HAL "DOWN UNDER" IN 2009 Holland America Line is set to travel "Down Under" in 2009 with nine select voyages throughout Australia and New Zealand aboard the 1,432-passenger Volendam. Iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera House and Auckland's Sky Tower will greet guests as the ship explores the varied landscapes and exotic cultures of Australia and the North and South islands of New Zealand through several unique ports of call. The exclusive 14- to 19-day sailings will depart from Auckland, New Zealand; Sydney, Australia or Singapore. Volendam's two new Great Barrier Reef itineraries are firsts of their kind among major cruise lines in the region. On these select sailings, guests enjoy four days of cruising the Great Barrier Reef, including two days of daylight cruising through the world's largest coral reef system. Scenic highlights in the reef include viewing the sunrise or sunset -- depending on itinerary -- while anchored off Lizard and Bobby Islands, an overnight anchorage in the reef near Sherrard Island and cruising Torres Strait. Several interesting ports also will be visited in Indonesia, including Komodo Island, part of the Komodo National Park; Padang Bai, Bali, with its abundance of shopping opportunities, and Semarang, a bustling city teeming with ancient temples. The 19-day itinerary from Auckland to Singapore departs March 16, 2009 and the 15-day Singapore-to-Sydney cruise departs Nov. 21, 2009. Guests are treated to a picturesque backdrop on 14-day voyages throughout Australia and New Zealand. Volendam brings cruisers from Sydney's famous harbour to Auckland's bustling city with calls along the way at Burnie, Australia and Christchurch, Tauranga, Dunedin and Picton, New Zealand. Starting fares (p.p., double occupancy) for the 14-day cruises are US$1,999 and for the 16-day holiday voyage, US$2,999; also, US$2,249 for the 15-day Great Barrier Reef journey and US$2,599 for the 19-day Great Barrier Reef experience. Check out www.hollandamerica.com Bad food not on the menu for holidayers in Halifax isit Halifax in winter? Why would you go somewhere so cold? Let's count 10 reasons for visiting out of season, even though the famous Royal Nova Scotia International Tattoo takes place July 1-8. 1. The food is astonishing. There may be bad food in this city, but 110 travel writers from the Travel Media Association of Canada couldn't find any, and we tried. About 30 different restaurants, bistros, and pubs wined and dined us last week. There are so many excellent places for a nosh you won't have time to visit them all, so try an appetizer in one, a main in another, and celebrate desert in a third. Most are within walking distance of the tourist area, and there are indoor ways to get around if the weather is badly behaved. February is the hottest month of the year for foodies. There are cooking classes, wine tastings, beer seminars, and a Dine Out program where for 10 days, participating restaurants offer a three-course, prix fixe menu. Much to our surprise the slow food trend (using food grown locally) is huge here. Chives Canadian Bistro was a favourite. Chives works closely with the farmers and independent producers of Nova Scotia to use in-season locally raised and grown products.. 2. The pubs are full of locals, so instead of hoards of gawking tourists, you'll get to be close up and personal with the friendly folks who will be asking you if you're from "away" and then wonder if you know their cousin, uncle, sister, or best friend who lives somewhere in Ontario. And what a choice of places to have a drink. The Sea Horse is a place to sit and chat over a drink, as is The Old Triangle. The Economy Shoe Shop Café and Bar attracts writers and actors, and is rumoured to be a meat market. Don't you just love the name? It's full of nooks and crannies. Head to Cheers for a late night nosh and V Visit McTavish At: www.mctavishtravel.com Gina Cheng One of Insight's best selling Country Roads tour! Enjoy Insight's specialist range of exclusive Country Roads indepth tours, which take you off Europe's highways and onto enchanting country roads, through picturesque villages and towns. Explore scenic areas and magical cities that other tours simply do not visit. 2425 TO $2475CND Call 905-849-0333 for complete itinerary and details $ Oakville Town Centre I 300 North Service Road, W. Oakville 905.849.0333 www.totaltravel-oakville.com Ont Reg No 2766538 a dance. Pogue Fado is one of the area's hottest nightclubs, and a great place to dance, as are the Ale House and Lower Decks. 3. The Maritime Museum staff has time to talk to you personally. This city is all about the coastline and the sea. More than 400 kilometers of shoreline in fact, the second largest harbour in the world. This museum makes history come alive. Few survivors of the Halifax explosion are left today, and the museum tells their stories for them. On Dec. 6, 1917, the French munitions ship Mont Blanc, collided with the Norwegian Imo, and the Mont Blanc exploded leaving 1,600 dead, and 9,000 injured. The exhibit is a must see. Titanic: The Unsinkable Ship and Halifax is another must see permanent exhibit. When the ship went down on April 14, 1912, 209 bodies were brought to Halifax and 150 were buried here. You can see deckchairs, and other artifacts. 4. In the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, even the coat hangers are a work of art. There are 13,000 pieces in their permanent collection including the Maud Lewis original house. Every centimetre of this extremely modest house is decorated in her famous cheerful style. Children just love it as they think they can paint that way too. 5. Pier 21 is Canada's Ellis Island, a building that 1.5 million immigrants passed through on their way to a new life. The interactive exhibits will bring you to tears, and maybe you'll be lucky and discover more about your own roots. This award winning museum is a "must see on anyone's visit." 6. Sales are on, and this city of 375,000 has an amazing number of quirky little stores, that have been in the downtown for years. Even window shopping in the winter is fun in the three square blocks of the historic properties. The restored stone warehouses built to hold pirates booty, cobbled courtyards and other interesting restored buildings attract not just tourists, locals shop here as well. When your fingers get chilled there are lots of cafes and bistros and pubs to warm up in. 7. Crafty treasures are the best I've seen in Canada, maybe because it is a mostly rural province. Yes, there are the traditional crafts we're used to, but some wonderful contemporary pieces as well. Old or new you'll find the perfect thing for you or your mother-in-law. Don't miss Nova Scotian Crystal where molten crystal is mouth-blown and hand-cut in the traditional way. 8. Theatre and concerts are as plentiful here, as they are in bigger centres, with more reasonable prices. See www.destinationhalifax.com. 9. Halifax has the second largest harbour in the world, and it doesn't close down in the winter; you can walk it, or watch it in Windows Board of Trade Restaurant while you're having lunch. It is open to the public at lunch time, and has a great view, not to mention the food. Another great viewing spot with good food is 44North. 10. Accommodation prices are much more reasonable than in high season. Our entire conference loved the city, spent hours walking it, and agreed that February in Halifax was just perfect. Sam Ion can be reached at sion10@cogeco.ca. Ont Reg No 2766538 Relax... you're with us Oakville Town Centre I 300 North Service Road, W. Oakville 905.849.0333 www.totaltravel-oakville.com 221 Lakeshore Road E. Voted Best Travel Agency Best Cruise Company Best Travel Agent Thanks Oakville! Hopedale Shopping Centre 1515 Rebecca Street, Oakville 905-337-2228 www.hookedoncruising.com (905) 827-1100 fax: (905) 827-4982 e-mail: travel@mctavish.com