Canada's Maritime Provinces and Coastal Maine

During the autumn months, the sylvan hills and bucolic towns of Canada’s Maritime Provinces and coastal Maine are ablaze with orange, crimson, and yellow. Join us as the weather cools and the summer crowds fade for a cruising adventure to the historic communities of Eastern Canada and Maine. Stop at long-settled communities of the Maritimes, villages that still bear witness to the empires that shaped Canada, like historic Louisbourg, Nova Scotia and the old seaport of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. Then cruise Maine's scenic coast to the the picturesque town of Bar Harbour for an unforgetable excusion to Acadia National Park. Spend your final day in Portland, exploring the cities lively arts district before heading to Gloucester, Massachusetts

via smithsonianjourneys.org

Quebec, French and English and uniquely itself, Canada

Quebec really is its own unique culture, neither French nor Anglo Canadian, and certainly not American. No place I visited in the city so perfectly encapsulated the melange of cultures as the Cochon Dingue in the Lower Town portion of Old Quebec. Inside the atmospheric cafe (the name translates as "Crazy Pig") you could almost think you're in Paris. Coffee: strong and aromatic. Croissants: properly light and flaky. Newspaper-reading patrons: appropriate air of studied nonchalance. But one bite of the delicious, buttery toasted pain aux canneberges (cranberry bread), and you know you're not anywhere near the Eiffel Tower. Cranberries just aren't a French thing; they're a North American crop.

more via...  washingtonpost.com

 

The Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

The Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia (Explored), originally uploaded by Brandon Godfrey.

The Fairmont Empress (most commonly known as The Empress) is one of the oldest and most famous hotels in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Located on Government Street facing the Inner Harbour, the Empress has become an iconic symbol for the city itself.

The Edwardian, château-style hotel was designed by Francis Rattenbury for Canadian Pacific Hotels as a terminus hotel for Canadian Pacific's steamship line, whose main terminal was just a block away. The hotel was to serve businesspeople and visitors to Victoria, but later as Canadian Pacific ceased its passenger services to the city, the hotel was successfully remarketed as a resort to tourists. Victoria emerged as a tourist destination beginning in the mid-to-late 1920s

The hotel has 477 rooms, with most either overlooking the Inner Harbour or the hotel's rear courtyard gardens. It has four restaurants, including The Bengal Lounge, which is decorated in Victorian-era, Colonial Indian style (when Queen Victoria was the Empress of India) or Kipling's, which is named after its once frequent guest and visitor, author Rudyard Kipling. In 2005, Kipling's closed its doors to the public in order for the hotel to gain more space for private functions. The hotel has gym facilities, a whirlpool bath and an indoor swimming pool.

What some people may not know, is that The Empress was actually built on a bog. And as a result, is sinking into the ground about a quarter of an inch each year. If you're ever taking photos of it, you'll notice that the building is never straight with the horizon.

Source: Wikipedia

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Lights on - Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver

Lights on - Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver © Jeremiah Armstrong / WWF-Canada, originally uploaded by Earth Hour Global.

The Lions Gate Bridge, officially known as the First Narrows Bridge, is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the North Shore municipalities of the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. The term "Lions Gate" reflects the Lions, a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver.
The total length of the bridge including the north viaduct is 1,823 metres (5,890 feet). The length including approach spans is 1,517.3 m (4,978 ft), the main span alone is 473 m (1,550 ft), the tower height is 111 m (364 ft), and it has a ship's clearance of 61 m (200 ft). Prospect Point in Stanley Park offered a good high south end to the bridge, but the low flat delta land to the north required construction of the extensive North Viaduct.
The bridge has three reversible lanes, the use of which is indicated by signals. The centre lane changes direction to accommodate for traffic patterns. The traffic volume on the bridge is 60,000 - 70,000 vehicles per day. Trucks exceeding 13 tonnes (14.3 tons) are prohibited, as are vehicles using studded tires. The bridge forms part of Highways 99 and 1A.
On 24 March 2005, the Lions Gate Bridge was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler

Rideau Canal, Ottawa, Canada

~ Rideau Canal, Ottawa ~, originally uploaded by ViaMoi.

The Rideau Canal (French: Canal Rideau), also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States and is still in use today, with most of its original structures intact.
The canal system uses sections of major rivers, including the Rideau and the Cataraqui, as well as some lakes. It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and in 2007, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It is operated today by Parks Canada as a recreational waterway. The locks on the system open for navigation in mid-May and close in mid-October.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
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Chateau Frontenac Quebec City

Chateau Frontenac Quebec City, originally uploaded by DenaP.

The Château Frontenac grand hotel is a popular attraction in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
It was designed by architect Bruce Price, the Château Frontenac was one of a series of "château" style hotels built for the Canadian Pacific Railway company at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th century. It opened in 1893, five years after its sister-hotel the Banff Springs. The railway company sought to encourage luxury tourism and bring wealthy travelers to its trains.
The Château Frontenac was named in honour of Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac, who was governor of the colony of New France from 1672 to 1682 and 1689 to 1698. The Château was built not too far from the historic Citadelle, whose construction Frontenac had begun at the end of the 17th century. The Quebec Conference of 1943, at which Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt discussed strategy for the Second World War, was held at the Citadelle while much of the staff stayed nearby in the Château Frontenac.
Although several of Quebec City's buildings stand taller, the hotel is perched atop a tall cape overlooking the Saint Lawrence River, thus giving a spectacular view for several kilometres. The building is the most prominent feature of the Quebec City skyline as seen from across the St. Lawrence, and is a symbol of the city. The hotel is built near the Plains of Abraham.
The hotel is managed and operated by Fairmont Hotels and Resorts of Toronto, a firm that manages numerous prestigious hotels around the world. The hotel was sold by Fairmont on October 31, 2000 to the Legacy Hotels REIT for CAD $185 million. However, Fairmont has a long-term management agreement with Legacy Hotels, and as of August 2005, held an 11.14% ownership in the REIT.[citation needed]
In 1953 this hotel was used as filming location for the Alfred Hitchcock's drama I Confess, with Montgomery Clift and Ann Baxter as main stars.
Prior to the building of the hotel, the site was home to the Chateau Haldimand, residence of the British colonial governors of Quebec/Lower Canada.
It holds the Guinness World Record of "The most photographed hotel in the world".

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
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Peggys Cove, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada

Peggys_Cove_13, originally uploaded by AP Photographics.com.

Peggys Cove is 43 kilometres southwest of downtown Halifax and comprises one of the numerous small fishing communities located around the perimeter of the Chebucto Peninsula. The community is named after the cove of the same name.
Peggy is a nickname for Margaret, and the village may have taken its name from St. Margaret's Bay upon which it is situated. Legend claims a little girl, the sole survivor of a shipwreck during the mid 1800's, became known as Peggy of the Cove and eventually the folk named their village after her, Peggy's Cove.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
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Calgary Downtown At Night Under Construction (Panorama)

Calgary Downtown At Night Under Construction (Panorama), originally uploaded by Marc Shandro.

This is part of an 8 image vertical panorama of Calgary's downtown which can be seen in full by clicking the link above (or the panorama below).

This was taken from Crescent Road which is a couple blocks from where I live. Nicola and I had just come back from Prince's Island where we walked on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to check out the Latino Expo.

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
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Experience on the Saint-Lawrence ..στον Άγιο Λαυρέντιο

"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step." -- Lao Tzu
Copyright © Demetrios the Traveler