Nature views and new sights
Level up
Thinking about exploring Western Canada by luxury train this year? When you book an eligible 2022 travel package with Rocky Mountaineer’s current promotion (offer ends Jan. 31), you’ll get a complimentary upgrade to GoldLeaf service. The higher tier is your ticket to a two-level coach with a dedicated dining area, full glassdome windows, and a spacious outdoor platform for taking in all the grand views.
In the works
PEI is one step closer to getting a new national park reserve. This month, the federal government and the Epekwitk Mi’kmaq signed a memorandum of understanding for establishing Pituamkek (pronounced “Bee-dooum-gek,” meaning “At the Long Sand Dune” in Mi’kmaq). Also called the Hog Island Sandhills, the area is a 50kilometre chain of barrier islands. The park’s creation would protect an ecologically unique coastal habitat, and preserve the cultural and historical heritage of the Mi’kmaq’s ancestral lands. Pituamkek is also part of the government’s ambition to create 10 new national parks by 2025.
French fare
France’s newest culinary destination is slated to open in May: Cité internationale de la gastronomie et du vin, in Dijon. Taking over historic buildings that date back to the 15th to 18th centuries, the large-scale cultural centre will encompass exhibition spaces, food shops and restaurants, a cooking school, and a three-storey wine cellar offering bespoke tastings.
Walk this way
When it’s finally complete, the England Coast Path — a nearly 4,500kilometre route winding all around the country — will rank as the longest coastal path in the world. This month, the latest section opened, connecting central London to the sea. If you’re up for a long-distance ramble along the Thames, you can now walk a continuous, 76-kilometre stretch from Woolwich to the Isle of Grain.
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