In Saturday's How to Spend It magazine award winning writer, Margaret Atwood, shares the ingredients for her perfect weekend in Toronto, Canada.

According to Atwood, winter visitors to Toronto should check out snow-tubing in Horseshoe Valley, winter birding, and forest walks in places such as Sir Winston Churchill Park and Leslie Hill Split.

For lunch in Toronto you should check out Live (264 Dupont St), which does great vegetarian food; Cantine (13 Avenue Rd), for a superlative bowl of soup; or Le Sélect (432 Wellington St West), a good weekend lunch spot serving up French bistro food (pictured below).

If you want some good dinner options you should look into Take Sushi (22 Front St West), for good Japanese and 93 Harbord (93 Harbord St) for Middle Eastern cuisine - both come highly recommended by Atwood.

L'Espresso Bar Mercurio (321 Bloor St West) is a favourite coffee place, right across the street from Toronto's Shoe Museum.

If you're up for a swanky night out in Toronto, Atwood suggests the new opera house (735 Queen St East), "the auditorium rests like an egg inside the building on huge, rubber elephant legs. The sound is excellent."

• Live: 264 Dupont St (North East corner of Dupont and Spadina), Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5R 1V7; Tel: +1 416 515 2002; Web: www.livefoodbar.com.
  
• Cantine: 13 Avenue Rd, Toronto, Ontario M5R 2H6; Tel: +1 416 923 4822; Web: www.cantine.ca.
  
• Le Sélect: 432 Wellington Street West, Toronto M5V 1E3; Tel: +1 416 596 6405; Web: www.leselect.com.
  
• Take Sushi: 22 Front Street West, Toronto, ON M5J 1C4, Canada; Tel: +1 416 862 1891; Web: www.takesushi.ca.
  
• 93 Harbord: 93 Harbord Street, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1G4; Tel: +1 416 922 5914; Web: www.93harbord.com.
  
• L'Espresso Bar Mercurio: 321 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, M5S 1S5 (southeast corner of Bloor & St. George); Tel: +1 416 585 2233; Web: www.lespressobarmercurio.com.
  
• The Opera House, Toronto: 735 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON M4M 1H1, Canada; Tel: +1 416 466 0313; Web: www.theoperahousetoronto.com.

To read the full article visit www.howtospendit.com.

Photo Credits: Snow tubing by DrewOtt; Le Sélect via www.leselect.com.

German nudists are to get their own 18km (11 mile) long hiking trail in the Harz mountain range so they can ramble in nothing but their birthday suits, Reuters reports.

Campsite owner, Heinz Ludwig, who has spearheaded the project to create the nudist trail says: "I think it's a great way to promote tourism here, there's already been a lot of interest in it."

Running between the village of Dankerode and the Wippertal dam, the 18km naturist trail is marked up with signs warning clothed walkers that they might encounter hikers in the buff.

According to Reuters, one of the signs reads: "If you don't want to see people with nothing on then you should refrain from moving on!".

Since about the 1980s there has been an extensive removal of restrictions on public nudity in Germany, and Freikörperkultur or FKK (Free Body Culture) is a popular pastime.

Over in the Swiss Alps however, naked rambling has been banned. The Swiss canton of Appenzell Innerrhoden has made nude hiking illegal this year in response to an influx of FKK walkers, many of which were crossing over to the Swiss Alps from Germany.

Photo by ricardo.martins via Flickr (Creative Commons).

By Connie Motz

Looking for something different to do in New Orleans? How does a narrated walking tour through the cobblestoned French Quarter sound? Fairly normal I hear you say, but think again… Thrill seekers can get their kicks at night in "the most haunted city in America," on a walking tour in search of New Orleans' ghosts and spirits.

What will you see on a haunted tour? Who knows: so be sure to take your camera with plenty of film or lots of space on your memory card just in case; when it comes to the paranormal photographs of seemingly uneventful scenes and uninteresting objects can show eerie shapes and strange shadows once they are developed.

Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre has been continuously haunted since it was built in 1922. Two young distraught actresses both committed suicide at the theatre; a stagehand from the 1920s still loves to play tricks on current employees; and a ghostly group of children loves to play with the theatre's office equipment.

In the heart of the French Quarter is the Andrew Jackson Hotel, former site of a boarding school where five children lost their lives in a fire in the 1700s. Hotel guests have reported finding photographs on their cameras taken of them from above as they lay sleeping in their beds at night.

The House on Rue Royale is said to be one of the most haunted and most horrific of all the ghostly realms in New Orleans. The mansion was ruled by Mademoiselle Lalaurie who subjected her slaves to various grotesque tortures and caused a little girl to fall from the rooftop to her death in the courtyard below. They say that the screams can still be heard today.

Near Jackson Square is Pirates Alley where the ghost of Jean Lafitte wanders in the early morning hours. His footsteps can be seen on the damp cobblestone street between the Spanish Governor's Mansion and St. Louis Cathedral.

All tour guides within the city of New Orleans are required to be licensed through a combination of residency and general knowledge of the city, so you can be sure that any tour you choose will be informative, safe, and entertaining.

There are several night time tours offered in New Orleans that explore the haunted "hot spots" that have even been featured on The Discovery Channel and The History Channel.

Gray Line Tours features a nightly departure from the Jackson Brewery for a two hour walkabout reasonably priced at USD 22 per adult.

The New Orleans Ghost Tour offered nightly by Haunted History Tours is touted to be the #1 Haunted Tour in the Crescent City. Reservations can be made for the two hour tour online for the price of USD 20 per adult.

For more information on ghostly tours in New Orleans, visit these websites:

• New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau

• Haunted History Tours

• Gray Line Tours

Photo Credits: 'Ghosts of New Orleans' by Diamondduste; 'French Quarter - Andrew Jackson Hotel' by David Paul Ohmer via Flickr (Creative Commons).

We just love this shot that iloho member JavelinaJ submitted to the site earlier. What stunning light and what a breathtaking view of the Grand Canyon's South Kaibab Trail.

Come and check out the shot in all its glory here. Whilst you're at it, why not show off your own summer travel snaps? We'd love to see them!

This really puts those "adventurous" long weekend into perspective. We spotted this video on Gadling and headed over to YouTube to check it out.

German traveller, Christoph Rehage, walked across China from Beijing to Ürümqi. Here's a video summary of his amazing trip and incredible facial hair growth.

Here are some of my favourites from my last trip to Hong Kong.

EATING OUT:

For fresh, creative Vietnamese cuisine, check out Nha Trang on Wellington Street. It's a great lunch place, always full, but worth queuing for a table.

Nha Trang Vietnamese Cuisine: 88-90 Wellington Street, Central, Hong Kong, Tel: +852 2581 9992.

Enoteca and its sister restaurant Bacar have a great menu of experimental Western dishes and oriental foods, they come in perfect-for-sharing portions. Try the risotto balls and rosemary wedge potatoes, as well as the chicken peri-peri. Great service too.

Enoteca, G/F, 47 Elgin Street, SoHo, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2525 9944.

DRINKING:

Feather Boa Stepping into this bar is like time-travelling to 19th century Paris. It's small and exquisitely decorated, with beautiful gold fabric on the ceiling - great lychee daiquiris too.

Feather Boa, 38 Staunton Street, SoHo, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2857 2586

China Club For fans of David Tang's interior designs and eclectic contemporary Chinese art collection, the China Club will not disappoint. It was here I discovered the Gunner cocktail: angostura bitters, ginger ale and ginger beer. Very refreshing on a hot evening. There's also a terrace at the China Club where you can watch the famous Hong Kong light show at 8pm - when skyscrapers flash their neon lights around the harbour. It’s actually a private members' club, but concierges at some of the more upmarket hotels can secure you a table here.

China Club, 13/F, The Old Bank of China Building, Bank Street, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2521 8888

Aqua group have two bars worth visiting:

1) Aqua Spirit, a chi chi penthouse watering hole at One Peking Road, Kowloon. It's a bar and restaurant for Hong Kong’s well-heeled crowd. There's minimum charge of HK$150 (€12.50) per person, but worth it for the view and the cocktails. Dress up.

2) Aqua Luna, this is the coolest way to see Hong Kong: on board a traditional Chinese junk. Junks are getting rarer in Victoria Harbour these days, but this one is beautifully restored with huge red sails. The Aqua Luna sets sail from Tsim Sha Tsui or Pier No 9 Central for 45 minute cruises throughout the day. Lying back on plush cushions, glass of wine in hand, there is no better way to see the Hong Kong skyline by night. One drink is included in the ticket price.

Check here for sailing times and information on both Aqua Spirit and Aqua Luna.

CLUBS:

M1NT M1NT is a trendy private members' club, owned by 250 shareholders, and like the original club in London, it's a place to be seen.

The best and worst thing about it was the huge fish tanks filled with black-tipped reef sharks. If you're there at around 7pm or 4am, you might get to watch the sharks being fed. Sleek and scary-looking, they give the place a real edge. But I spent quite a lot of time watching the sharks swim in circles around their bare fish tank. With the loud music and confined space to writhe in, I felt rather sorry for them; living in a fish tank in a club can't be much fun compared with swimming around in the big blue sea. I tried to explain my shark issues to one of the bartenders but he thought I was trying to order shots! So if you feel strongly about seeing big fish in captivity, don't go to M1NT. Otherwise, it's a very cool club.

M1NT Hong Kong, 108 Hollywood Road, Tel: +852 2168 0604

SHOPPING:

Shopping is one of Hong Kong's premiere attractions. With very low rates of tax (including VAT sales tax), many of the brands you find here are much cheaper than at home.

Hong Kong is a great place for tailored suits. I can highly recommend Sam's Tailor, where I picked up a jacket and skirt in merino wool for about a quarter of the price I would have paid in London (or Berlin). I also got to sketch out my own design.

Sam's Tailor: Burlington Arcade 'K', 92-94 Nathan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2367 9423 or 0363.

Herin Ching's designs at Fang Fong stand out from many of the boutiques in Soho. Very original and stylish dresses and accessories. It's pretty pricey, but the perfect place to pick up something special.

fang fong, 67a Peel Street, Central, Hong Kong. Tel: +852 3105 5557

MASSAGE:

There are places to get a massage on practically every street corner. Healthy Foot just off Lang Kwai Fong does a great foot massage. Or, for a treat, head to the Landmark Mandarin Oriental in The Landmark building on Queen's Street Central. HK$450 (€37) will buy an amazing 30 minute back and shoulder massage, and you can also spend time relaxing in the sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and relaxation room. This spa introduced me to water flavoured with slices of orange - it tastes great!

Landmark Mandarin Oriental, 15 Queen's Road Central, The Landmark, Central, Hong Kong +852 2132 0011

Healthy Foot: Flat/RM 1001 Lan Kwai Fong, Tak Woo House, 1-3 Wo On Lane, Central Hong Kong. Tel: +852 2537 3098.

WALKING:

For such a big city, it's unbelievably easy and quick to escape from Hong Kong to the countryside. I did one day-hike on Lantau Island with a company called Walk Hong Kong. It started at the Big Budda, went through beautiful woods, hills and peaks, and finished at Tai-O fishing village. It was a pretty demanding walk (there are easier ones to choose from), and very hot on the day I went, but well worth it, and the guide was great. The price of the trip included lunch and transport costs, but it didn’t come cheap at HK$750.00 (€50).

The Dragon’s Back is a fun, unstrenuous walk that's easy to reach by bus or taxi from Central. It's so called because it consists of two hills, shaped like a dragon’s back. The walk is in Shek O national park, and the trail is well-marked. Shek O beach is also a great place to chill out and have lunch. You can stop off at Stanley Market on the way home and go shopping. Perfect.