Lady Latitudes

This was a dreamy pastel horizon a short while back. Iqaluit has its first ever official Covid-19 case now, so non-essential businesses here are closing for the time being. Stay home, friends! Wash those hands, and wear those masks. Stock up on the vitamin D, get lots of water, limit your in-person socializing, and be sure to get enough rest.... Most importantly, please get vaccinated! For David and I, our second Moderna dose is on the 24th. We are so, very, very excited for it. Remember that we'll all get through this soon. Have you gotten your vaccination yet? Which dose are you on? Do you know when you'll be able to get yours? Let us know below! #iqaluit #nunavut #canadatravel #canadatourism #explorecanada #imagesofcanada #canadianswhotravel #canada_photolovers #canadanice #canadiancreatives #canadatravelblog #canadasworld

Difficult roads will often lead to beautiful destinations. That is the mantra that is getting me through the last year or so, as I pine for those simpler days when borders weren't closed and travel was much more easy breezy. In this pic, all the way back in the before-times of 2019, there were no masks and no hand sanitizer. We sat beside strangers at restaurants and in airplanes. We drank water from cups that sat outside all day. We got inches away from the faces of surf ...instructors. We tried on hats in stores. We coughed and sneezed, and sometimes shared water bottles. We were snug in some very full vans where you could taste each other's breath on some day trips! What a weird feeling when remembering details about travels just a couple years ago. I can't help wondering if we will ever be that care-free in those specific ways again. During this pandemic, I think often of mountains I have climbed. How excruciating it felt at certain points, how many times it felt like I needed to stop. But then how incredible the views were from the peak. Views you could only actually ever experience if you went through all that pain to get up there. I think about how accomplished and triumphant it felt to look down at how far I had come. How glad I was (only after reaching the halfway point, hah) that I had not listened to the loud inner voices, internalized negativity, urging me to quit. Covid, and all that it has affected since winter 2019-2020, is a bit like this. I definitely don't mean to say that it is for the best - no way. I also don't even mean that "everything happens for a reason" kind of stuff. People are dying and suffering, and it is very scary and sad! It can seem oppressive at times. Maybe you feel trapped or afraid or like you just want your life to get back to normal right now. But that mantra does bring me some soothing power. I'm hopeful that when this is all over we will be left with something better - whether that is safer travel standards, stronger connection to loved ones, heightened awareness of hand hygiene, better medical resources... or just the desire to seize the day and explore the world without hesitation.

Guess who got more snow today? That's right, we did! Hoping you all are doing well, staying home, and -most importantly- staying well out there during this stinking, awful third wave. Ontario friends, especially, stay strong!... How are you faring with recent lockdown and curfew measures across Canada? Developing any new hobbies? I know I am!! #iqaluit #nunavut #canadianswhotravel #canadianmade #canadianblogger #canadasworld #canadagram #travelcouple #travelcreator #travellingyourplanet #totescanadian #travelgirlgrams #sheisnotlost #idhikethat #hellofrom #dametraveler

Are you a bike lover too? Really looking forward to less slushy days so I can take this baby out for a spin. This is a flashback to early fall last year in Sackville, New Brunswick. This bicycle trail was tons of fun. Wooden textures, ups and downs over hills and bridges, wiggly paths, sharp turns - perfection!... The Sackville Waterfowl Park is a 55-acre park with 3.5 km of trails and boardwalk over water or by the water. As the name suggests, you'll be biking to the soundtrack of 160 bird species cooing and chirping all around you. Check it out for yourself next time you're in NB or the Sackville area! #sackville #newbrunswick #explorenb #discoveratlantic #imagesofcanada #canadianswhotravel #canadagem #canadanice #canadianplaces #canadiangeographic #bikefam #townie

Neon sunset skies in Iqaluit.

Does it look like spring yet where you are? We have been having some pretty snowy, white, and cold days up here in Iqaluit this week. It is a good day for daydreaming about my upcoming summer in Montreal - my old home, my forever home. Can't wait for the nostalgic coziness of: grassy moments in the sun, cat frolics, urban water-side lounging, back balcony dinners, dépanneur wine, rows of spiral staircases, Jean Talon market fruit, biking everywhere, Frenglish, hot metro station wind, thrift shops galore, bagels perfuming the streets, etc etc etc

Happy anniversary to us! Two years ago, we were married in Ottawa with our closest friends and family members. It was such a beautiful day. But every day is a good day when you're spending your life with your best friend. Even throughout the wild ups and downs of a chaotic year - a pandemic, mutual career shifts, uncertainty, loss, and navigating several home moves - I couldn't ask for a more supportive, loyal, and fun partner to ride it all out with.... Tell me, what are your three favourite things about your loves? : @luciagllrdo @luciagallrdophoto

Be sure to read the latest post on the Lady Latitudes site "On a seemingly unremarkable stretch of Highway 11 between Fauquier and Kapuskasing, Ontario, a UFO squats a stone’s throw from the town of Moonbeam’s Visitor Centre. The spacecraft is reminiscent of Gazoo’s ship in The Flintstonesexcept made of fibreglass and bigger. Much bigger," writes small-town Ontario writer @hollayghadery. "Standing at approximately nine-feet tall, the Moonbeam UFO monument is striking ...enough to summon thousands of travelers a year from the roadside, inviting them to take a few snaps and stretch their legs while they explore this intergalactic novelty and learn more about the fascinating town of Moonbeam." READ it now at ladylatitudes.ca SAVE now to read it later

There was a teeny tiny inuksuk off in the distance.

Flashing lights, crop circles, and a hovering orb have given this Ontario town its name.

We found the perfect picnic blanket for this spring and summer! Lately, it hasn't been the best weather all the way up here, but the days are only getting longer. When it does get warmer, this @bezzazan sustainable throw will be our go-to for any of our upcoming outdoor adventures. From picnics, to beaches, to bonfires, to just a cozy little spot to sit by a cliff during a hike!... These 100 per cent cotton peshtemals are super soft and come in a variety of dreamy, earthy pastel patterns. This one is the "Affectionate" model. I love the fringe edges! Bezzazan's products - towels you can either wear or use as a throw or beach/picnic towel - are made in Turkey and come in sustainable packaging. If you order yours with code Ladylatitudes you'll get 10 per cent off your order at Bezzazan.com! We'll share all our tundra picnic pics with this blanket soon. Hope to see your picnic pics too! #ad

License to chill. Yup, it is still super snowy up here! Just looking at this pic makes me want to put on a second pair of socks.

You've heard of "Two Truths And A Lie." How about we shake things up a bit, and try TEN Truths And A Lie! Which one is the lie? 1- I knew I wanted to be a writer since kindergarten because I always found stories and books to be a quiet, safe place for me, and wanted to give others that feeling too. But I often shifted between the types of writing I wanted to do. I thought I needed to choose one niche. Only recently have I realized my versatility and curiosity is such a grea...t strength in that field. I am, literally "too much" and I love it - no one niche or industry could contain me! 2- In the kitchen, my motto is "put garlic on everything." 3- I had a really rough childhood that took me many years to grow from. It is something I don't often talk about but definitely shaped who I am. It is why I got into social issues journalism several years ago, and I believe it is why I have such a heightened sense of empathy. 4- I am an INFP according to Myers Briggs. In the last few years, I sometimes get INFJ too. 5- When I travel, I always try to get the window seat. It is well worth climbing over someone! 6- Although I am from the Montreal region, I did my journalism undergrad in Ottawa where I was the senior editor of the student magazine and the editorial editor of the newspaper, while freelancing for a variety of publications. 7- I prefer salty foods to sweet foods, except for drinks (which should always be sweet and never salty!) 8- Since I was 17 years old, I have had the same cat family as pets, over three generations. 9- My first overseas trip took place when I was 22. I was a late bloomer to travel! But maybe that made me appreciate it more. 10- My husband and I got engaged after dating for just three months, and were married four months later on a trip to Ottawa. We met on Iqaluit Tinder and both just clicked right away. When you know you know! 11- I stopped eating meat when I was six years old because I did a bristol board biography presentation on Leonardo DaVinci in grade one, and read that he would free birds from cages at the market. I've been vegetarian for 26 years and vegan for 16! Can you guess which one is the lie?