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YEREVAN, Armenia — My son, Marc, and I had tromped through shin-deep snow for several hours, and by the time we reached the blustery top of the peak, we couldn’t see more than 10 metres because of a whiteout.

CORTONA, Italy — As I was going through more than a year of breast cancer treatments, I vowed I would return to Italy. Both sets of my grandparents emigrated from there, and I always turned to Italy as a source of comfort.

MEXICO CITY — Like a lot of Californians, I’ve made dozens of trips to Mexico over the decades — beach resorts in Baja, Maya ruins in the Yucatan, colonial towns in the interior.

I am so glad borders and walls are out of fashion in Europe. The continent’s many proud nations don’t always get along, but they have learned to respect each other, making it possible for peace to flourish.

Leavenworth is a trip. Nestled against the far side of the Cascade mountains just a few hours east of Seattle, this little town does an impression of a Bavarian village with all its might.

Switzerland is excellent at promoting itself, and its most famous experiences — the Matterhorn, fondue, chocolate — are worth the hype. But if you’re planning a Swiss adventure, consider these lesser-known Swiss travel treats as well.

You don’t go to the most isolated islands in the San Juans for the amenities. You go for the quiet, for pitch-black nights with the sound of waves hitting the beach. You go for the rare opportunity to disconnect from your modern, plugged-in life.

When it comes to basking in the beauty of the Italian Riviera, the Cinque Terre is tops for me. But there’s much more to this region on the Mediterranean coast than those famous five villages.

EDMONTON — Alberta’s new provincial museum in downtown Edmonton is officially open. Premier Rachel Notley unveiled a life-sized statue of the Royal Alberta Museum’s signature Ice Age mammoth in the main rotunda Wednesday. The museum, which cost $375.

It was my second attempt to manage the tiller of the 61-foot-long narrowboat. The first one hadn’t gone especially well. It felt like pushing a fully grown Douglas fir down a slalom run with a pool cue.