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The TravelRight Dispatch

POSTCARD FROM THE LAKE
​We’re looking forward to a high-school reunion coming up soon at Lake of the Woods, which touches Ontario, Manitoba and Minnesota. With almost 15,000 islands and more than 100,000 kilometres of shoreline, it's apparently one of the most complex lake systems in the world. Lac des bois is still surrounded by forest, but it’s now punctuated with log cabins, fancy speedboats and blow-up animals. Weird bit of history: Unclear mapping during the time of the Treaty of Paris in 1783 resulted in a little teat of Minnesota poking up north of the 49^th Parallel called the Northwest Angle. It's the only piece of the contiguous U.S. to do so. I blame Ben Franklin.

By the Way: Are You Doug-curious?
​Subscribing to The TravelRight.Today Podcast can fix that. The 10-minute tales from the road are a bit saucy, but that’s just the way we like it.

EXCERPT​
While we were in the Swiss Alps at Arosa Gay Ski Week, we popped into the Arosa Bear Sanctuary for a quick wander. Luckily, not everyone was hibernating. This story came out recently in TravelLife magazine.

Bear Necessities
​Jamila is awake enough to look up for a minute or two—but she’s not interested in much, just slipping back into hibernation. This brown bear and her three shelter mates Meimo, Amelia and Sam have another few weeks to go before they emerge from their dorms and wander outside to the meadow at the Arosa Bear Sanctuary in the eastern Swiss Alps.

We’re partway up Weisshorn Mountain, having taken the cable car from the resort village of Arosa about two hours south of Zurich. At an elevation of 1,775 metres, the wee town is the home base of a ski paradise. But while winter is a wonderland, summer delivers forests, farms and sparkling lakes. Visitors enjoy paddling, fishing and swimming, plus 200 kilometres of hiking and biking trails. Panoramic walks to Hörnli and Weisshorn provide incredible views of the Alps, made more soothing post-hike by the abundance of wellness retreats and their thermal baths and saunas.

THE DISH
CAAA Restaurant, Lucerne
​We were lucky enough to sit down to dinner at the Michelin-starred CAAA, pronounced /ka/, not too long ago and it will very likely be my meal of the year. This family-run Lucerne restaurant by Pietro Catalano is more than just dinner, it’s a culinary experience, a mix of Swiss, French and Italian cuisines. In a region where gastronomic tradition is very much meat and potatoes (and don’t forget the cheese), along comes self-taught chef Catalano to lend a sense of the avant garde to transalpine cuisine, using things like fermentation, dehydration and distillation to create dishes that are hard to describe, but very easy to eat. Much of the surreal décor and even some dishware is made from recycled materials. It’s a journey, rather than a meal really. I realize how woo-woo this sounds. Visit Pietrocatalano.ch.

INTEL
How to Be a Good Cottage Guest
​“Don’t come calling with your hands by your sides.” My grandmother’s voice rings true every time I visit cottage country. Just as you would never show up at someone’s home for dinner without some wine and a gift, so should you always bring things to the cottage that will make your host’s life easier. In four easy steps!

1. Splurge on booze. Pack few bottles of something you know they like, a special spirit they wouldn’t normally buy, a brandy for the fire or a six pack of ready-made cocktails for the dock. Bring at least as much as you yourselves will drink. Obviously, you’re not a moron.

2. Offer to cook. Make dinner for everyone at least one of the nights, and bring breakfast staples you know will come in handy. Send your hosts a list of the food that you plan on bringing in advance, so there’s no doubling up. Potluck is always a back idea. If you can’t cook, offer to take everyone out for lunch or dinner at the local roadhouse.

3. Bring your own towels. This includes beach towels, too. Offer to bring your own bed linens or sleeping bags to save your hosts from a ton of washing. Respect their wishes if they say no.

4. Take it a step further. If you visit this particular friend more than once a season, bring a bundle of paper towels, toilet paper or napkins, or all three. This will definitely be appreciated. Throw in tea towels, gourmet preserves, a fancy pie or a board game—Mystery Date!—and you may be invited back.

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