Stephen Travels


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Go Slow at Breakfast

L'Omelette, Quebec City

Rise and shine, it’s breakfast time! The most important meal of the day is often rushed, and that’s not a reflection of the speed indicated in its name. “Breakfast” originates from the concept of breaking your fast while you slept. Too often, a bowl of cereal, a granola bar, or a piece of fruit on the run constitutes your first meal of the day. But when you have time, it could also be rewarding and relaxing, setting you up for a very pleasant day, especially when you’re on vacation. Whether it’s an inspired creation at your B&B or something outstanding at a local eatery (where, perhaps, the globe of a light fixture will be in the form of a broken eggshell, the bulb a golden yolk-like orb), breakfast can put you in the right mood for the rest of the morning. Read about the top five breakfasts >


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Vicksburg’s Baer House Inn: Refinement and Comfort — and an Irresistible History

Baer House Inn, Vicksburg, MississippiMy interest in the past is always piqued whenever I travel in the Deep South, where everything seems to drip with history like Spanish moss off a Southern live oak tree. So when I chose to stay at the Baer House Inn in Vicksburg, Mississippi, I knew I would be lodged in refined and comfortable accommodations in the heart of a city brimming with all kinds of references to yore, from its rough-and-tumble era with rampant gambling and prostitution that would ultimately give birth to the term “kangaroo court” to its pivotal role in the Civil War. What I didn’t expect, however, was the utterly engrossing story of the Baer House itself and how one very spirited daughter of Jewish immigrants got her ultimate revenge on her wealthy, controlling mother. Read more >