Day 21: Ottawa

Ottawa has been my most interesting stop so far.  First of all, the hostel I stayed in used to be a jail house dating back to before the formation of Canada as a country.  It was converted into a hostel only a year after it closed in 1972.  All of the dormitories are either former jail cells or former guard barracks;  I slept in one of the jail cells, complete with a sturdy metal bar door.  One night I went on a tour of the hostel that highlighted it’s past as a jail and learned that many people had died in that building and probably also in the cell I was sleeping in!  There are even some tales about ghosts that dwell on the property and haunt people.  Many of the inmates of the jail died due to extremely unclean living conditions and rampant diseases rather than executions.  Although there were also 3 executions that took place there via a gallows that is still functional… Definitely the most interesting Hostel so far!

What made Ottawa allot of fun for me was probably a pair of Frenchmen that shared a cell with me and quickly befriended me.  We went to museums together, shared meals together and talked about our cultures and languages together; Julien, myself and Thomas.

Ottawa itself is a beautiful city that is full of museums, statues, memorials, old significant buildings and of course parliament itself.  I chose to go first to the National Gallery of Canada first; it houses many .  paintings and sculptures from Canada, USA, Europe and around the world.  Their feature exhibition ‘POP LIFE’  features the art of Andy Warhol and the art of those that followed in his style and philosophy in their artwork.   This exhibit was ok, but I am just glad that I got to see it before it ended on September 19th. 

I also visited the Museum of Civilization.  Here I saw a large collection of First Peoples artifacts as well as a great deal of Canadian history in terms of the French and the British.  At this museum I also met up with my King’s friends, Geoff and Melinda; I was very happy to see someone I knew from before my travels.  Sometimes I begin to get homesick and lonely and was craving to see someone I know.  Geoff and Melinda are both studying in Ottawa through the Laurentian Leadership Centre (Trinity Western University).  Usually there are 1 or 2 students from King’s each year that get to go to Ottawa for this one semester (or two) program. 

And finally, I took a tour of the parliament building and also strolled around Parliament Hill looking at all the statues and monuments.  The tour includes a peek into the House of Commons, House of the Senate, the reading room, the library, the Peace Tower, and a War Memorial. 

As I write this blog I am on my way to Montreal and I must say that the countryside reminds me of the Fraser Valley in BC; Green with lots of farmland and scattered with various trees.  Talk to you after Montreal!

Day 17: Toronto

Sunday evening I arrived in Toronto after my short visit of Niagara Falls.  One of the first things I noticed about Toronto is the difference between it and Chicago.  In Chicago the downtown was extremely dense with large skyscrapers built side by side with narrow alleys in between.  In Toronto the buildings seemed more spread out with several parking lots, plazas, and parks.  In my opinion, this is a trait that Toronto seems to share with other Canadian cities; only Toronto is larger that the other cities. 

Arriving on the 12th I came to Toronto when the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was in full swing.  This was a pleasant surprise that I wasn’t planning for when I first started thinking about travelling.  TIFF gave me the opportunity to see some new movies before they are released to theatres and also see some famous actors and directors and such. On the first night I arrived I saw a film called ‘The Vanishing on 7th Street’.  It stars Hayden Christiansen (Anakin From Star Wars 2 and 3)and is about an event that causes people to vanish, leaving only their clothing and items behind.  I was glad to see this rapture idea put into a film because it reminded me of a video I made for a contest a couple years back about the rapture filmed at The King’s University College in Edmonton.  My film also featured clothing and such lying about as if the bodies had just vanished.  The Vanishing on 7th Street was 4 years in the making so it was neat to see someone else was thinking the same thing I was at that time.  Aside from the concept I think thet film was not that great.  The acting wasn’t very good (Hayden Christiansen, duh)  and how or why people are vanishing is not explained; the special effects aren’t very special either. 

Hayden Christiansen, along with a few other actors from The Vanishing on 7th Street were also in attendance at the screening.  I also saw a few other celebrities including James Franco (127 Hours. I think), Vincent Cassel, Wyona Ryder, Mila Kunis, and Natalie Portman (all from Black Swan).  I was even luck enough to snap a picture of Natalie Portman as she was signing autographs a few meters away.

 

 

On Tuesday night I went with some other Hostellers to a Jazz Club ‘The Rex’  which was a very different atmosphere then ‘The Green Mill’ in Chicago.  The Jazz at the Rex was very fast, loud and crazy.  Parton were allowed to talk while the music was playing and the musicians seemed to improvise allot while they played.  It was actually more of an open mic Jazz night because patrons from the club were allowed to play a few songs as well.  Nevertheless I had a fun time getting to know some of the other hostellers.  Some I may even meet up with as I continue to travel around North America; which I look forward to. 

Unfortunately I didn’t get to see many of the attractions in Toronto because I was getting a bit sick of spending large amounts of money on attractions.  I have budgeted a certain amount per city and then that is it.  Good thing I am happy most of the time to just explore on my own.  I did however visit the CBC Museum breifly, which brought back some childhood memories.

Next stop: Ottawa!  Our nation’s capital!

Day 15: Niagara Falls, Ontario

along my way to Toronto I stopped off in Niagara Falls, Ontario to check out the famous waterfall.  It was a cloudy day which has been a bit unusual to me, I have had mostly great weather throughiut my trip so far :) 

The greyhound bus dropped me off in the ‘old’ downtown part of Niagara Falls.  Like the Falls themselves, downtown has moved further to the south over time.  The was a bus that shuttles people to the falls and to other attractions but I chose to walk to the falls so I could take pictures along the way.  On the way to the falls I could see the waterway and how it has carved its way down forming large cliff walls.  On the other side of the street there are many bed & breakfasts that take advantage of the scenery.

Down the road I arrived at the Rainbow Bridge which is a bridge between the Canadian and the American portion of the falls.  Both sections of the falls are very viewable from the Canadian side so that is where I stayed. 

The ‘American’ Fall is not as wide as the ‘Horseshoe’ Fall and not as famous; but it is part of the same water way.  From both falls, but especially from the Horseshoe Fall, there was plenty of mist rising from the water.  This mist obscured most of the falls and blended in with the cloudy sky.  But the mist gives the falls a great presence and atmosphere. 

  

Being right by the falls where the water falls over the edge was amazing and breathtaking.  It was very peaceful to me to see all of that water just going over the edge and seeing it flow like it does. 

Ok.  Next time I will report in from Toronto and my experience with the Toronto International Film Festival.  Maybe I will snap some pictures of someone famous!

Day 14: Chicago

Chicago is always a place that I have been interested in seeing; mainly to see all of the famous architecture. Many of the building there have been preserved and well maintained instead of being torn down to make new structures. When I first arrived at the hostel and took a walk around the downtown neighbourhood known as ‘The Loop’ I was blown away by the number, density, and height of the skyscrapers in this area. I knew that Chicago was the birthplace of the skyscraper, but I was still amazed. Walking along S. Michigan Ave. and looking down the streets to the west all I could see was skyscraper next to skyscraper next to skyscraper.

I took a ride up to the top of the Willis Tower (formally Sears Tower) to get a different perspective of the city. Unlike the Calgary Tower, I found that the buildings, for the most part, were not designed to look cool from the Willis tower. I suspect that this is because all of these buildings ‘grew up’ together and were all in competition for highest building at one point. A tour guide I met told me that everything in Chicago is created to look very elaborate and very fancy.

Another structure I was very interested in seeing in Chicago was the ‘Cloud Gate’ in Millennium Park. Known locally as ‘The Bean’ it is a chrome bean pod shaped structure that is very reflective. Walking on the east side it reflects the Michigan Lake shore, while on the west side it reflects the buildings on the other side of S. Michigan Ave. It is even possible to walk underneath the structure where the reflections get really crazy!

Being in Chicago also signifies my first visit to the great lakes and the first time I have been to a lake where I can’t see the other side. It was like being at the ocean but it didn’t smell the same. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron are, technically speaking, the same body of water which makes it debatably the largest lake in the world. Once again I was blessed with great weather to walk along the lakeshore from the Navy Pier to the Buckingham fountain.

On my last night in Chicago I went with a group of other Hostellers to go to ‘The Green Mill’, the ganster Al Capone’s imfamous prohibition era Jazz club. Apparently there are still places where liquor can be hidden beneath the floor boards. Here we saw a great Jazz performance featuring drums, bass, and two guitars. Chicago is known for its ‘cool jazz’ which features lower notes and is opposed to ‘hot jazz’ which features higher notes and is more common in New Orleans.

And finally, one more picture I want to share today is of Billy Goats Tavern made famous by Saturday Night Live’s john Belushi. Cheezborger Cheezborger Cheezborger No Pepsi… Coke!

I will add more photos to my facebook album later. Now I am headed back to Canada via Niagara Falls!

Day 11: Winnipeg to Eau Claire

 

Early Tuesday morning I left my friends in Winnipeg to make my first of two border crossings into the USA.  I was a bit nervous that I would have a big problem at the border because I will be travelling so much within the US for such a long period of time.  They were less concerned with me being a terrorist and more concerned about me running out of money since I am not working for 2 months.  I assure d them as I assure you now that everything will be ok on that front.  Overall I find crossing the border by bus extremely hassle free.  The customs officials didn’t even check any luggage, just asked questions and looked at my ID and papers.  I came prepared with a rough itinerary, an address of my next stop, and a date that my travels would probably end back in Canada. 

After the border crossing I stayed the night in Minneapolis, my first time at a non ‘Hostelling International’ Hostel.  It felt a bit more run down and dirty then the one in Calgary, but it was good enough for me.  I don’t have a picture of it, but it was basically an old mansion converted into a hostel with many many rooms.  I stayed on the top floor in a 15 person room with only 2 other beds filled. 

I was not planning on staying in Minneapolis but the next day I had several hours to walk around before my bus to Eau Claire.  I didn’t bother going to the Mall of America because I knew West Edmonton Mall was bigger and better ;P  I was pleasantly surprised to see some great architecture in downtown Minneapolis.  One of their government buildings reminded me of Canada:

Minneapolis is also the home to the first Roman Catholic Basilica of America, The Basilica of St. Mary.  Or, at least that is what the sign says:

After sightseeing in Minneapolis for a few hours I took a bus out to Eau Claire Wisconsin to visit my sister Emily and my brother in law John.  Emily is going to school for an education degree and is in her sophomore year.  John has one more semester to go before he is finished his English Degree.  Emily showed me around downtown Eau Claire and also where they go to school.  Later, they took me out to a unique restaurant for dinner (I forgot the name!) where we enjoyed a good meal and good conversation.  We even had pie, which was awesome!

 

Now I have just arrived in Chicago early in the morning where I continue to travel eastward and onward.

Day 8: Winnipeg

For the past few days (since Thursday night) I have been staying at a friend’s house in Winnipeg.  On the ride into Winnipeg from Drumheller via Saskatoon I was treated to a partly cloudy skies that really showed God’s handiwork in creation.  There is nothing quite like seeing an endless partly cloudy sky stretch across the prairies in every direction; it almost make me want to live in Saskatchewan.  It was awesome to see the clouds as the sun began to set and cast a pinkish hue against them.  I was afraid that it might be bad weather while I was in Winnipeg, but it turned out great.  Sunny, but a bit breezy.  The picture below is in WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDESCREEN in hope of capturing these clouds grandeur.

 

When I arrived at the Greyhound terminal I was greeted by my hosts and taken to their home located in the Wolsely area of the city, just west of Portage and Main (central downtown).  Wolsely is also known to the locals as ‘Granola Heights’  because it has a reputation of being very hippy and full of earth friendly people, and from a time long before that sort of thing became popular.  Many of the houses here are quite old, but the one I stayed in was in good shape.

On Friday I toured Red River College, a school that I am considering attending for professional baking or hospitality management.  It looks like a good school.   On Saturday I checked out the Manitoba Museum where there of the was ample information about Manitoba’s history.  It had many dioramas and a large (life size?) replica of the H.M.S. Nonsuch.  We also went to the science centre to see some cool activities such as this room filled with mirrors and lights.

On Sunday we went to Winnipeg’s iconic area known as ‘The Forks’.  The Forks reminded me allot about Markets found in Vancouver such as New Westminster Quay and Grandville Island Market.  It had many food shops and trendy clothing and jewellery shops.  The Forks Market has a viewpoint in it where you can get a good view of downtown and see why it is called ‘The Forks’.  This area is called ‘The Forks’ because it is where the Red River meets the Assiniboine River.  The Forks is also the original site of Winnipeg where many people throughout history would meet.  On this particular Sunday we were treated to an Aboriginal Ceremony taking place to celebrate the end of summer.

On Monday I travelled to Assiniboine Park to look at the many gardens and sculptures that they have there.  It is a very nice place to relax, go for a jog or go for a bike ride.  Although I didn’t explore the park fully, it is also the home to the Assiniboine Zoo where there is a statue of Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne’s fictional bear named after the city of Winnipeg. 

Also on Monday I took the opportunity to visit the area of the city where my mother’s childhood house is located, Transcona.  Transcona is located a fair distance east of downtown.  As it was described to me, not much has changed in the area except the trees are bigger.  I’m sure in 50 more years they will be large enough to canopy the entire road. 

 

Phew, long post for a good long stay in Winnipeg.  Next I’ll be going south to visit my sister in Eau Claire and then for a few days in Chicago.  Also, there are many other photos I haven’t shared on here that are eating up space on my computer; I’ve taken about 500 photos and its only been one week!

Day 3: Drumheller

After spending another day in Calgary, visiting the zoo and walking around 17 Ave. SW,  I made the short bus trip Drumheller; the dinosaur capital of the world.  Drumheller has always been on my list of places to go and I am very glad that I finally got the chance to visit it.  The bus schedule worked out so that I could arrive there around noon and leave around midnight. This turned out to be an adequate amount of time for the small town of Drumheller. 

My first priority in Drumheller was to visit the world renowned Royal Tyrrell Museum to check out some bones.  It was awesome to see such a large amount of fossils on display and read up on information ranging from the Cambrian period up to the present Holocene Period;  It made me think of the computer game ‘Spore’. 

  

My favourite displays are definitely the larger dinosaurs;  it’s hard to believe creatures like this roamed the earth and swam the oceans.  Being a bird lover I was also intrigued by the similarity and evolution between some dinosaurs and birds.

After the museum I had plenty of time to explore the town of Drumheller, specifically the downtown area.  The downtown area reminded me of the fictional town of Castlerock from the film ‘Stand by me’.  Many of the buildings were old and looked as if they belonged in the fifties.  There were more coffee/tea houses in the neighbourhood (run from people’s homes?)  but unfortunately most of them closed Gus’ Corner Restaurant’  and took in a movie across the street;  that seemed to be the thing to do on a Wednesday night.  Other than the movie theatre that ran shows at 7:30 PM Tuesday through Sunday, downtown was quite dead.  At the corner store that operated the Greyhound terminal (The only place open till 11PM) I met a cashier there who grew up in Abbotsford of all places…  what are the chances!