When I saw that Venice was a mere 3 hour drive from Ljubljana and that there was a tour available with Roundabout Travel, I knew I had to book it. I mean, when Venice comes calling, you answer. It’s one of those destinations that never quite seems real so to see it with my own eyes…I was into it. Oh yes, VEnice would happen.
When I was planning my few solo days in Southern Alberta I knew of the big guns: Calgary, Banff, Lake Louise. I hadn’t known about Johnston Canyon until a few weeks before I left, despite it being one of the busiest trails in the area. As soon as I saw pictures though I knew it had to make it onto my itinerary.
Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro sits at the mouth of San Juan Bay and was built to protect the city from attacks from the sea. Construction began in 1539 and additions were continually added over the next 400 years. A handful of sentry posts, known as garitas, dot the perimeter and if you’ve ever seen any tourism images for Puerto Rico you know they’re practically a national symbol. I knew that if I was going to add another yoga photo to my collection having a garita in the picture would be best. I managed to find a quiet spot and a ledge on the lighthouse that sits atop the fort. Half lotus seems to be my go-to for these situations. Can you guys recommend some other seated poses I can get into quickly while my camera’s counting down the timer? Maybe I should aim for…
Cloud Gate, aka The Bean, is one of my favourite spots in Chicago so of course I had to get a photo taken there doing tree pose. I have a small collection of photos of me doing yoga poses around the world and I try to add to it each time I go on a trip. Last time I was in Chicago it was half lotus in the glass box at SkyDeck, 1300’+ over the city. Do you have any photos traditions when you travel?
I try to get home to New Brunswick once or twice a year to visit my dad, best friend and family friends. I’ve been away for ten years now and one thing I always look forward to checking out on a trip home is the Saint John City Market. I plot out in advance what I’m going to eat. I set aside a little money for a piece of art or jewellery. It’s one of my favourite things in Saint John.
There’s nothing like a little nostalgia of the year gone by. I’ve always loved looking back at old photos and reliving the memories. It’s almost like you get to experience them all over again. I know I’ve already told you my top travel moments of 2013 but since I’m such a sucker for visuals I want to share some with you some photos that may not have made it to this site or Facebook.
Red canoes on the teal waters of Lake Louise, Alberta is one of those iconic Canadian scenes that makes me want to put on a Cowichan sweater and a toque. Maybe drink some Tim’s coffee while watching moose cross the road.
Peace Bridge is a pedestrian walkway over the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta that also has a dedicated center lane for cyclists. From afar it looks like a futuristic time warp tube (heightened at night when the inside is lit up), although with the criss-cross design, many people say that it reminds them of a Chinese finger trap.
Salvage is a town of approximately 175 on Newfoundland’s Eastport Peninsula. It’s one of the smaller but more interesting peninsulas on the island. These days it’s a popular summer destination because of its pretty towns, seascapes and sandy beaches. It’s been said that the 9km hike from Salvage to Eastport is one of the prettiest in the world and I’m hard pressed to disagree.
Graffiti and street art are one of those topics that brings on a lot of disagreement. Some see it as vandalism, defacing property while others see it as a form of art. There’s one place in particular in Toronto where authorities have turned a blind eye and artists have run amok. Toronto’s Graffiti Alley is a unique lane hidden between Queen & Richmond where street art is not only tolerated but celebrated.
Despite having been to Niagara Falls a few times, I had never made the stop to have a look at the Niagara Whirlpool, formed approximately 4200 years ago by the upstream erosion of the Niagara Escarpment by the Niagara River. If you visit you can take a ride over the gorge in an antique, open air cable car which has been operating since 1916. The whirlpool naturally spins in a counterclockwise motion during normal flow. When more water from the river is diverted to the surrounding hydroelectric power plants, however, the flow often reverses.
The sign says that Clifton Hill is the street of fun at Niagara Falls to which I add a caveat… if you’re a kid. Most adults will probably find it to be a cheesy drain on their wallets. Everything may be overpriced but I still had fun photographing the over-the-topness of it all. I was here when I was 9 and you know what, almost nothing has changed. There are still the same haunted houses, wax museums, arcades and gift shops. One thing that I do love about Clifton Hill is how colourful every thing is.
I’d been to Niagara Falls a handful of times in my lift but I’d never been on the Maid of the Mist before. I’d seen the boats bobbing in the water each time and saw the crowds in their plastic rain ponchos. This year I got to join them and experienced the power of the Fall’s first hand. It’s one thing to look down on the river from above but it’s another to be in that cloud of heavy mist at the bottom, looking up. You really get a sense for just how powerful Mother Nature can be. The ride doesn’t really last all that long, about 30 minutes, but I think it’s worth the $20 to be able to see the Falls from this angle. Pro tip: wear shoes that you don’t mind getting soaked…because they will. Have you been been on the Maid of the Mist?
I know the cliched terms: quiant, idllyic, sleepy so I won’t use any of those. I will, however, say that Niagara-on-the-Lake is pretty. Tourism is important here so everything about the main strip looks manicured and well-kept. People are drawn to the area for theatre and wine. The town is also known for its gardens, art galleries, antique shops, and golf courses. The visitors are older. The pace is slower. It’s the kind of town I would like to visit for a quiet, low-key, sunny long weekend.
The name of the huge art installation in the middle of Toronto’s Distillery District is “Still Dancing” and, depending on who you talk to, it resembles a whiskey still and a droplet of liquid or a man and woman dancing. I’m in the former camp since I just can’t make that leap from abstract shapes to people dancing. But I can get on board with a stylized still and droplet, especially considering the location.
Gyeongbokgung (also known as Gyeongbokgung Palace or Gyeongbok Palace) is one of Seoul, South Korea’s five grand palaces. The history of this palace sounds a bit like Monty Python’s Swamp Castle. It was first built in 1395 but burned down and laid abandoned for almost three hundred years. It was rebuilt in 1867 and then burned down again in the early 20th century by the Empire of Japan. About 40% of the original buildings have been rebuilt again. Let’s hope fire stays away this time. The paint job alone must take forever to do.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Even though I just landed in South Korea I couldn’t pass up the chance to reminisce about my time in Dublin, Ireland in 2011. The only plan for every evening was to find a pub and hopefully some live music. Thankfully, both are about as easy to find in Ireland as sheep. Trust me, that’s easy. I couldn’t decide on just one photo since it seems like a good number of my favourite memories involved both beer and tunes. It was a special moment when I was invited up to play bodhran with the pub’s musicians. My knees were shaking and my mouth went dry but I think I got away with it without embarrassing myself. I learned how to pull a proper pint at the Guinness brewery. I’ve since put this skill to use in airport lounges. Doing shots of Jameson’s with my dad on…
