South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Vocalist’s cheerful earful on her travels
Jazz vocalist Diana Panton says that when people ask her for travel tips, she recommends visiting Portugal. “I was impressed with the affordability (there),” says the Canadian musician. “It’s a great place to go on a budget. There’s lots of interesting architecture, history, tasty food and natural landscapes at a fraction of the price of most other European countries.”
Panton, a resident of Hamilton, Ontario, where she was born and raised, recently released the family-oriented CD “A Cheerful Little Earful.” An edited version of our conversation follows.
Q: What is your favorite vacation destination?
A: I have a soft spot for Paris. My parents enrolled me in French immersion at school when I was little, and I later went on to do a master’s degree in French literature. During university, I had the opportunity to teach in Paris for a year and a half, and now I get the tug of nostalgia beckoning me back to Paris every couple of years. I always feel a sense of artistic freedom there. I love the attention to detail and all the specialty shops. Some of my favorite things to do in Paris include wandering on foot, taking photos and stopping for a chocolate chaud in a local cafe. To cap it off, a stroll along the Seine never disappoints.
Q: What was the first trip you took as a child?
A: The first trip I recall was to Hawaii. Though my parents found it quite touristy, I loved the fact that everyone would give you heavenly smelling flowers to wear around your neck. At (age) 6, Hawaii seemed like paradise to me.
Q: What’s the most important thing you’ve learned from your travels?
A: Travel underscores the diverse approaches to life. There is no one way to live, and when you travel it opens up a world of possibilities. Whenever I return to Canada, I try to bring home a little bit of the spirit of the place I was visiting, and this enriches my everyday experience.
Q: Where are your favorite weekend getaways?
A: I have a favorite cottage on Lake Ontario only a short drive from where I live. It is a great place to decompress and refuel my batteries.
Q: If you’ve ever gone away for the holidays, which was the best trip?
A: I was in Taipei for December one year. There was no snow, but there were cute Christmas trees and lots of festive spirit.
Q: Where have you traveled to that most reminded you of home?
A: When I was looking for an apartment during my first extended stay in Paris, the Rue Mouffetard in Paris reminded me of Westdale Village near where I live in Hamilton, because of the array of small shops and mix of families and students attending nearby universities.
Q: What would be your dream trip?
A: I would love to spend a whole month or two in a very remote but not austere natural landscape.
Q: What is your worst vacation memory?
A: The worst vacation was a camping trip when I was little. I was very attached to my stuffed animals and felt they should all come along for fear of them feeling left behind. Anyway, upon returning from that trip and making multiple trips to the house while unloading the car, somehow the garbage collectors assumed my box of toys was for pickup and I lost all my stuffed animals in one fell swoop. It was devastating and it was several years before I would accept another stuffed animal from anyone. In my mind those I had lost were irreplaceable.
For more from the reporter, visit www.jaehakim.com.