Summer's Big Dilemma: Cup or Cone

I don't know how the weather has been in your corner of the world lately, but in Toronto, we've been blessed with some beautiful sunshine, and it just makes me so happy. But as great as it feels to be enjoying the city and the warmth of the sun on my skin, one thing makes it even better: ice cream!

The variety of frozen treats out there is unbelievable and this season, I've been doing my best to give them all a shot. From the waffle bowls at Dairy Queen, the mint chocolate chip cones at the ice-cream parlour down the street and the chocolate dipped soft serve cones from the ice cream truck that taunts me just outside my office, I'm finding a good home for frozen products of all sorts!



There's something special about ice-cream, gelato and even popsicles, that just seems to make me feel like a big kid. It reminds me of bike rides with Dad and time spent in cottage country where a cone was the ultimate way to end the day. You know, the kind of feeling only summer vacations can inspire.

I love trying to re-live that feeling, whether it's during a weekend stroll in the city, the freezer case at the convenience store or while I'm actually on a real, no-imagination-required vacation. My favorite frozen treat vacation memory is from a few years ago in Vienna. I hadn't realized that gelato would be so popular there, but everywhere I turned, there it was, calling my name. And I answered. Several times a day.

I had a blissful affair with lemon gelato on that trip, but I can't help but think that I should expand my horizons a little the next time I travel. There are apparently a few tricks to finding good gelato, and limiting yourself to one flavour is not one of them! Have a read through this article and feel free to practice your Italian ordering technique aloud - I know that I did! Now to practice in person at the gelateria down the street...

Special Note: I happen to have quite a few extra copies of Ensemble Vacations magazine, in which our latest Bon Vivant brochure was included. I'll send a copy to anyone who emails us at vacations@ensembletravel.ca before this Friday, July 17. There's a catch though - you have to tell me what your favorite ice cream flavour is. You know, so I can try something different next time. Our legal department will also want me to throw in that this offer is valid while supplies last.