Image by tokyoosakatw via FlickrWhile in Calgary, gastronomes and chocoholics alike should swing by the home office of Callebaut Chocolate, 1313 1st Street SE, for Canadian chocolates with Old World style.

Bernard Callebaut grew up in Belgium next door to the factory where his family had been making chocolate for the previous four generations. In 1980, when the family decided to sell the Belgian chocolate business to Swiss chocolate giant Suchard Toblerone (they still owned, among other things, a brewery), Bernard decided to emigrate.

We wanted to bring truly excellent, gourmet chocolate to the Americas. After touring cities throughout America and Canada, he fell in love with the mountains and culture of Calgary. There he began anew with Bernard Callebaut chocolates.

His family was convinced he had gone mad, making high-quality chocolates for a people who, generally, would not know the difference between that and paper-wrapped bar from the gas station. They were wrong. The first day his chocolate shop was open he made $700 and by the end of his first year in business he had made $200,000. He doubled that the following year.

What is his secret, the thing that will get North Americans to pay more for his delectable treats? There is no secret. Callebaut is happy to tell people how to make his chocolates and even occasionally teaches courses at his Calgary factory and world headquarters.

The trick is to use fresh, organic ingredients with no additives. His chocolates do not contain preservatives or vegetable oils. He is so open about his methods he even has recipes for some of the things they sell in the shop posted on his website at www.bernardcallebaut.com.

At Bernard Callebaut they are happy to give visitors a tour of the factory as long as it is arranged in advance. The tour is great and the best part is, of course, the free samples.

Image via WikipediaIf you’re visiting Orlando, Florida, you probably have a trip to Universal Studios on your list, and therefore may decide to skip MGM Studios, however you may find that - especially if you have younger children - MGM is a better alternative as there are less attractions with height restrictions than Universal. Although there are a few more thrill-seeking rides, most of the MGM Studio park is at a more gentle pace making it a good destination for families, or those who are a little mobility impaired.

Upon entering the park, you’ll be on Hollywood Boulevard. This is a place to shop merchandise of both a traditional souvenir nature, and also more limited edition collectors pieces, as well as find restaurants and other kinds of retail outlets. Walk to the bottom of the Boulevard however and you’ll find the Great Movie Ride. Although the queue for this may be long, it does move quickly and the journey through well known movie scenes is well worth the wait.

Around the rest of the park there are shows such as the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular which shows how stunts are performed and re-enacts scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark, a car and motorcycle stunt show called Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show, and Fastasmic! A night-time show in the Holywood Hills Amphitheatre.

For the young, and young at heart, there’s such things as the Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D show, the Little Mermaid show, the Honey I Shrunk the Kids playground, Beauty and the Beast show, and Playhouse Disney live on stage. Thrill seekers aren’t forgotten completely however with the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Aerosmith’s indoor Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

With the Journey in Narnia, and the Disney-MGM Studios Backlot Tour, there’s a great day of entertainment to be had at Disney’s MGM Studios. If you love Disney, it’s well worth a visit!

Image via WikipediaOrlando, Florida’s Epcot is a tourist attraction that will take a full day to explore, but if you want to sample all of the rides and exhibits, you have a multi-park ticket and find a spare half-day on your hands, then you may find you need to come back to Epcot to “finish off” what you don’t manage to see the first time - this is especially true in summer where queues for some exhibits can be quite long.

Split into two main sections Epcot consists of “Future World” and “World Showcase”. These two sections are then fragmented into different individual exhibits on all a theme which fits the overall theme of the section.

Future World is divided up into sections such as Spaceship Earth which is about the history of communication and technologies, Innovations with its interactive technological exhibits, Test Track a high speed ride on an automotive factory testing grounds, Universe of Energy which shows how to generate energy and the Land and Seas Exhibitions where the attractions give fun ways of learning about our natural environment both on land and in the sea. Space enthusiasts will love with Mission: SPACE ride which simulates space program training!

In the World Showcase you can travel around the world in as little time as you have available. Each of the countries in the showcase has a interactive exhibit, a gift store selling produce and goods from the country, and food/drink traditional to that part of the world. Some of the exhibits are more fact (such as the 360 Circle Vision movies for Canada and China) than fun (such as Norway’s Maelstrom boat ride, and America’s audio-animatronics American Adventure), but there’s something for everyone - and none of the rides in the exhibits are wild, making them good for all age groups.

Refreshments in Epcot are expensive, but apart from that, Epcot is a tourist attraction that’s primarily entertaining, but which also educates in a fun way at the same time, making it a great place to bring the kids to learn about the world in which they live.

Image via Wikipedia Converted from a military installation to a federal prison in 1934, Alcatraz is one of America’s foremost notorious prisons.  Despite the fact it was only used as a prison for 29 years, it’s probably the most famous.  There are two main reasons for its being so well known; firstly the notability of prisoner which were housed there, and secondly, its image recorded by Hollywood’s movie makers.

By current standards, the prison wasn’t large, housing only 250 inmates, but because of its island location, there were never any escapes recorded from it - thus adding fuel for entertainment industry to create movies such as “Escape from Alcatraz” where real life escape attempts were transposed into movies for the big screen.  TV’s “Mythbusters” have since proved that escape was in fact a possibility, despite Alcatraz’s reputation to the contrary.

Today Alcatraz, known also as the Rock, is overseen by the National Parks Service who have representatives on the island.  Visitors will be able to ask NPS staff any questions they have, but there are no formal tours around the prison.  There are self-guided tours - including the cell house audio tour - however, which together with videos and exhibits make for an interesting trip around this famous building.  The evening ferry ride out to Alcatraz offers a greater insight into the island than the daytime ones as it circles the island, and has a narration about the island’s history - this should be balanced against the fact that there are some areas of the island that not open at night because of safety issues.  There’s no fee for actually visiting Alcatraz, but the ferry companies that transport visitors across the Bay do charge for their services.

Whether you are interested in the Alcatraz myth, the celebrity inmates such as Al Capone, and Alvin Karpis, movie locations, or the historical past of San Francisco, you’ll find Alcatraz an interesting way to spend a few hours.

Are you a handyman by trade?  If so, it is likely that you have grown accustomed to carrying your tools around with you, wherever you go. In fact, there is also a chance that you may need to travel with them. Whether you are traveling for business purposes or not, it is important to know that the airline industry as a specific set of air travel rules concerning tools.  If you are planning on brining your tools along with you, you will want to take the time to familiarize yourself with these rules.  Doing so may prove helpful, in more ways than one.

Before examining the tools that are not allowed aboard an airline and those that are, it is important to know one thing, there are different types of rules.  Most airlines do not strictly prohibit you from carry tools with you, but they do restrict you from carry them at certain times. For instance, you will find that a large number of tools can be stored in your checked baggage, but they are prohibited from being stored in your carry on luggage.  If, at anytime, you are confused about these bans, you are advised to contact your airline for additional information.

One group of tools that are banned from carry on luggage includes sharp objects. With the recent focus on airport security, you should already be well aware of this type of ban. Saws, saw blades, drills, and box cutters are banned from all airplane cabins. Essentially, this means that you cannot store these items in your carry on luggage; however, they can be packed in your checked baggage.  Since all baggage, including the bags that you do not plan on keeping with you at all times, needs to be searched, you are advised to properly secure these tools. Not doing so may result in an air airline employee receiving an injury that could have been prevented.

In addition to tools with sharp edges, there is also a carry on luggage ban on tools that could be used as a deadly weapon. These tools include axes, hatchets, cattle prods, hammers, and crowbars.  This ban is mostly imposed due to the size and weight of these items.  As with most other tools, the airline industry will allow you to store these heavy tools in your checked baggage.

Although it may seem as if all tools are banned from your carry-on luggage, that is not the case.  There are a number of tools can be stored in your carry-on luggage. These tools commonly include screwdrivers and pliers.  Additional tools may also be allowed, but they must not have been mentioned above. It is also required that these tools be no more than seven inches long. In the event that they are longer than seven inches, you will have to make additional accommodations.

Despite the fact that certain tools can be stored in your carry on luggage, it may be a good idea to put these items in your checked baggage or leave them at home.  Even though these items are allowed, you may raise suspicion from having them with you aboard a plane. That suspicion may not necessity come from airport security officials, but it may come from other passengers.  With the way that the world works today, it may be best if you refrain from including these tools in your carry-on luggage, unless you absolutely need them.