An appetite for life

This summer, as in summers past, I find myself sitting with my dad and extended family at a seafront taverna overlooking the aquamarine waters of the Mediterranean Sea. Invariably, our conversation turns to food, and the days when Dad owned his own restaurant in central British Columbia, far from his original hometown of Kalamata in southern Greece.

The waiter delivers a heaping pikilia plate, piled high with Greek delicacies — bites of sausage, grilled octopus, mini spanakopitas (spinach pies) and tiropites (cheese pies), plump tomato slices, cucumbers, kefalotyri and feta cheeses and, of course, kalamata olives. Between mouthfuls, we chat about his childhood, his journey to Canada and just how big a role Greek food played in our daily lives in Canada.

Here in Kalamata, olive trees grow everywhere — on every corner, in every yard and covering every hillside as far as the eye can see. The trees, with their tell-tale gnarled trunks, silvery-green leaves and twisted branches full of the trees’ famous fruit — the kalamata olives — have grown in this region for thousands of years. Olives still reign supreme here, an important part of the history, culture and economy. My dad was shaped by this beautiful seaside town where the mountains, sea, olive trees and residents co-exist in perfect harmony.

Global leaders crossed the COP27 finish line on Sunday with a landmark agreement on compensation for poor nations bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, but a lack of progress on emissions-cutting measures that would tackle the cause of the emergency head-on.

The United Nations climate talks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt remained in deadlock late on Friday, with a deal finally reached in the wee hours of Sunday morning. In a watershed moment for global climate politics, negotiators from nearly 200 countries agreed to establish a fund that would help rebuild the infrastructure of countries devastated by extreme weather events.

It’s a decision that Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, hailed as “historic.”

“Canada came to COP27 having laid the groundwork for a robust discussion on loss and damage, pushing to ensure it was an agenda item, something that has never happened in the three decades of COP,” he wrote in a statement. “[The conference] has shown us that the world can achieve progress even during very challenging times.”

For our final episode on board the Polar Prince, sailing Atlantic Canada’s Bay of Fundy, we’re spending some time under the waves and looking to the skies, as we join a fascinating cross section of scientists, students and researchers who make up this Students on Ice Ocean conservation expedition.

experiences and evenings to remember. We’ve selected the top day hikes in Gros Morne National Park and combined them with delicious Newfoundland cuisine, comfortable lodging, and cultural experiences. Newfoundlanders are renowned for being excellent storytellers and we will have the chance to hear tales from the Vikings during our visit to L’Anse aux Meadows, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the only Viking site in North America. Before concluding this adventure, we make our way to the northernmost tip of Newfoundland, where we will stay at the base of a still-operating lighthouse. Quirpon Island boasts the most extended iceberg viewing season in Newfoundland and an impressive number of whales off its shores.

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Check out these other upcoming trips:

- Highlights of Bolivia with George Kourounis
- Classic Dolomites with Marlis Butcher
- Wildlife of the Zambezi Valley with Travis Steffens