autumn

What to Do in Vancouver – your favourite fall recipe

So the fall series continues…
Pumpkin spice everything nice 😉 from latte to pie; pumpkin has been added everywhere;)
Food, food, food – todays blogpost is all about an autumn recipe you’ll definitely love.

So let’s start with the famous pumpkin pie, which should not be missed during this season.
Take your time because baking an old-fashioned pumpkin pie will take time (60 minutes) to be perfectly delicious.
Here are the ingredients:
For the filling
– 21 oz (600g) pumpkin puree
– 2 large eggs
– 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1/3 cup white sugar, 1/4 teaspoon salt
– 2 teaspoons cinnamon (in my opinion; better too much than too little)
– 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
– 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
– 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
– 1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
– 1/4 ground cloves
and for the crust
– 1 1/3 cups (200g) flour
– 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp sugar
– 1/2 cup (120g) cold butter; 1/4 cup(60ml) cold water
– 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
First start with the filling.
Beat the eggs in a bowl; add the heavy cream . Then mix the sugars, salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, cardamon and the lemon zest with the pumpkin puree until everything is well mixed.
If you are done with this step let’s continue with the crust. The pie crust lies around the pie and gives it hold and the delicious solid crust.

1. Start with mixing the apple cider vinegar with the cold water. Place in the fridge. Mix the flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut the cold butter into even smaller pieces and put it in the bowl. For now gradually add the cold apple cider vinegar water. Be fast so that the dough and the butter do not warm up. Next step: knead everything until the dough starts to stick together. Since the dough should not be too wet, don’t add too much water.
Now it’s time to wait; wrap the dough in a plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge for about 45 minutes.

2. Aaaafter a loong (ok not that long) wait…
roll out the dough to a size somewhat larger than a 9 inch (23cm) pie dish. Put the dough into the dish and press it down on bottom and sides. Use your fingers to create a pattern. After that prick the dough using a folk several times and place everything in the fridge for another 20 minutes.
Now you can preheat the oven to 200 degrees celcius. Put a piece of baking parchment on top of the dough and fill with rice. Bake the crust for about 20 minutes until the edges have got some colour. Remove from the oven and let cool down a bit.
After it’s slightly cooled down lover the temperature of the oven to 180 degree and put the filling into the cooled pie crust. Bake for another 50 minutes. It’s a wrap.
Tip: You really shouldn’t bake the pie any longer than written in the recipe. pay a little attention to your gut feeling. If it looks and smells good – it’s done 🙂
Cool the pumpkin pie for around 2 hours and don’t forget that the cake will come out of the oven puffed up and will deflate as is cools down. If you want feel free to decorate the cake with heavy cream, nuts or some pumpkin pie spice.


Now you’re ready to enjoy the best cake ever 😉
– and don’t forget to share with your friends and family even if it’s that tasty 😉

For those guys staying in Canada right now – hope you had a great Canadian Thanksgiving evening with family and friends:)


Maybe you’ll find the perfect baking buddy at tonights INTERNeX pubnight:)
6pm at the Cambie pub in Gastown.

Enjoy!!

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

What to Do in Vancouver – the perfect fall day

It’s already the first week of october which means the trees are now shining in beautiful autumn colours and the leaves are turning red, yellow and orange – wonderful !
What could be better than enjoying a cozy autumn day with some typical fall acitivites.
So for now let me give you some inspirations for fun fall activities to try:)

1. Maybe you’ve checked our previous instagram story. It was all about the pumpkin patches which opened this week. These places are highly recommended for taking amazing pictures and enjoying your day ( maybe with new friends you met at the INTERNeX pubnight 😉 )
Great pumpkin patches are located in Vancouver, Richmond, Surrey or Langley.

2. Visit a Farmer’s Market
Just strolling around, tasting nice food or drinks and maybe you’ll find the perfect pumpkin for your pumpkin pie or as i like to do, to decorate your apartement. Sounds like a plan.
There’s this fall market right in Vancouver Downtown starting on November 6th.

3. Go for a long walk
Since going for a walk is one of the easiest things to include in a stressful work day you can just take your time to relax a bit. This also has a great affect on your health and may give you new ideas about what you wanna do on the next autumn day.
Additionally, it’s a great experience to take a hike, grab your running shoes or even take a bike ride through Stanley Park. But better do not forget your rain clothes.

4. Autumn and Halloween festivals
What’s fall without Halloween and thinking of where to go and what to wear as the perfect costume already a few weeks in advance 😉 ?
There are many (maybe this year less than usually, but still some) festivals taking place in Vancouver.
In addition, FlyOver Canada has some Halloween theme days till the end of October which are definitely worth a visit.
But don’t forget to bring your vaccination document as well as wearing a face mask all the time. Unfortunately, covid still exists but that doesn’t have to keep us from doing fun activities especially the outdoor ones.

…there are many more fun acitivites but for now i would love to share my perfect fall day with you.
Imagine you’re having a day off to do all the cozy fall things you always wanted to do.
Start your day with pumpkin pancakes and a loong brunch. Definitely a good start in a great day.
After that just grab your jacket and go for a walk in Stanley Park or at the beach. Maybe you can spot some animals or find beautiful leaves and chestnuts for your apartement decoration.
Decorate your place will definitely put you in fall mood 😉
After a long walk you might get a bit cold so it’s the perfect time for a warm coffee or hot chocolate in one of the many cute cafés in Gastown. Take a closer look at the menu… many cafes are offering fall specials such as pumpkin spice latte.
Back home it’s definitely time for changing into comfortable clothes. It’s movie time.
For this season a nice scary horror movie would fit best…but not for me i prefer a love story :D. So if you’re not such a “scared rabbit” (as we say in Germany) enjoy the movie!! A cozy evening at home 🙂
Are you excited for cozy season? I really am.

Luckily, for today you already found the perfect activity… It’s wednesday which means INTERNeX pubnight!! 🙂 7:30pm at Craft Beer Market, False Creek.

Happy autumn ! 🙂

– Tatjana

INTERNeX International Exchange
2005-689 Abbott St., Vancouver, BC, V6B 0J2
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

INTERNeX Canada: Casual Friday

I wasn’t sure about what to write today, but I thought the best things to write about are the things that you know about. Let’s get personal, shall we?

The last two weeks have been slightly tough for me; going through a breakup is never easy.  This has led me to be on a mission to make myself feel happier and not dwell on the sadness or the past. Everyone has those days where they feel a bit down, but what can we do to make ourselves feel better?

So I came up with 3 ways that anyone can feel better instantly.  This has a twist: it’s the Fall (Autumn) edition.

1. Enjoy the festivities!

Fall is the best time to go out and enjoy all the holidays that are coming up in Vancouver. You can go to the Vandusen Botanical Garden to watch the leaves of maple trees change color, go to a corn maze and pumpkin picking in Abbortsford, or visit the farm animals at Maplewood Farm. (Or, you can just be crazy like me and my friends and go to Wreck Beach in the middle of the night and scream your hearts out.) If you are out doing things that are fun, you will feel better, trust me.  Check out more suggestions here.

2. Treat yourself!

I always feel really good when I take that extra step in doing something I love. In the Fall, I love the Starbucks drinks, whether it is the Pumpkin Spice Latte, Salted Caramel Mocha, or an apple cider. They are quite pricey and can add up easily, but I think it’s perfectly acceptable to treat yourself on those days when you feel you deserve it more than normal! (The little heart the barista drew me made me smile. Its the little things you see?)

3. Be Thankful!

For Canadians, Thanksgiving Holiday is celebrated annually on the second Monday of October.  First thing you can be happy about is that you get a day off from work as it’s a statutory holiday. (Hurray!) Secondly, it’s a weekend where Canadians gather to spend time with their friends or family and have huge turkey meals. So join us at our INTERNeX Thanksgiving Dinner. Again, what can be better than eating and more eating? Most importantly, people gather to share what they are thankful for in the past year. I think that sometimes we get so stuck in our troubles that we fail to see the blessings we are given. I know I am guilty of this.

Well, if you made it all the way to the end of this lengthy post, then I congratulate you 🙂 Even if you aren’t sad, these are things that anyone can do. I hope that you have an amazing last weekend of September, and let me know if you try out any of these suggestions okay?

Cheers,

Queenie

INTERNeX International Exchange
Suite 200 – 211 Columbia Street
Vancouver BC -V6A 2R5-
Web: http://www.internexcanada.com
Phone: +1 (604) 662 8149
Email: pr@internexcanada.com

Top 5 things to do in the Rockies!

If you are working in the Rockies or are planning to go there be sure to check out this top 5 things to do.

  1. Banff Gondola

Take the eight minute gondola ride up to the top op Sulphur Mountain to enjoy a 360° view of Banff and its surrounding peaks, Lake Minnewanka, and the Bow Valley stretching from east to west. At the top of the mountain there are several scenic hiking trails you can do. You can also encounter the local wildlife, including bighorn sheep, squirrels, marmots and many more. For only $25 you can go up and down the mountain. Looking to save a few bucks? You can also hike up the mountain. It’s a 5.5 km strenuous walk that will take you about 2-5 hours but I am willing to bet you enjoy the view so much more when you hiked up the mountain

2.   Sunshine Meadows

The Sunshine Meadows are known as the most stunning alpine setting in the Canadian Rockies. At 2220 m high, the meadows straddle the Continental Divide and the boundary between Alberta and British Columbia. Surrounded by some of the Rockies’ highest peaks, the unobstructed views are beyond compare. Wildlife around in the meadows, and the brilliance of the summer flowers and autumn larches guarantees spectacular scenery on every visit.

Spend your day on top of the world and away from the crowds at Sunshine Meadows. Mt. Assiniboine, “the Matterhorn of the Canadian Rockies”, and Banff National Park’s highest peak, can be your backdrop! A network of gentle trails wind their way through the Meadows and offer a range of walking for all abilities; from easy one and two hour strolls, to challenging full day hikes to Quartz Ridge, Healy Pass, or beyond.

3.   Tunnel mountain and Hoodoos

One of Banff national park oldest trails Tunnel Mountain is a still one of the most beautiful walks in the area. It takes about 2-3 hours to hike and it is a 4.3 km (2.7 miles) round trip. It is the smallest peak in the Rockies to be called a mountain. Standing guard around the top of the mountain are hoodoos. People looking to do this track often have two questions:

  • What are hoodoos? They are giant freestanding pillars several meters tall that are made of silt, gravel and rocks cemented together by dissolved limestone. That was the technical answer, to make it so that everyone understands here is a picture.
  • Where is the tunnel? That is the other frequently asked picture. Because the trail is called Tunnel Mountain people are wondering were the tunnel is. Well… there is no tunnel! So why did they call it tunnel mountain? That’s because of a proposal from the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1882. They wanted to blast a half mile tunnel through the hillside, but luckily they quickly decided that this was to expensive and that it would be easier to go around.

4. Lake Minnewanka

It’s the largest lake in Banff National Park at 24 km (15 miles) long and 142 m (466 ft.) deep. Only scuba divers can view the remnants of a small town called Minnewanka Landing, after a dam was built in 1941 causing the lake to rise by 30 m. But you can walk along the lakeside trail or sing up for the interpretive boat tour to learn about the history, native folk lore and geology.

5. Vermillion Lakes

This is the perfect place for a picnic lunch on the dock, with stunning views o Mount Rundle and Sulphur Mountain.There are three lakes along this road, where bald eagles nest in trees, Canadian geese breed in the marshlands and tundra swans stop by during each spring and fall migration.  A natural hot springs bubbles into

the third lake. You’ll hear the mournful whistle of the Canadian Pacific Rail trains as the cross the tracks at the far side of the lakes, a sound which has echoed through the Bow Valley for more than 100 years.

If you are a big fan of nature and love to go on hikes, the Rockies are the best designation for you.

There is so much to do and see that even if you were to live there your whole life you won’t get to see everything. But this top 5 gives you a start.

Are you in the area at the moment or have been to the Rockies and would like to add an something to our top 5? Let us know by sending an email to pr@internexcanada.com

–          Manouk