Tag: Canada

H: High Level Bridge Streetcars

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In Edmonton, Alberta they have made a tourist attraction from the former Canadian Pacific Railway tracks. (CPR). It is only a short ride, four stops in all and travels across the high level bridge and through the only tunnel built on the Canadian Pacific. We boarded at Whyte Avenue, Old Strathcona and took the return journey to Jasper Plaza.

The High Level Bridge Streetcars are all run by volunteers. During our ride the Driver and Conductor were full of information. They are part of a team that restores all of the historic Streetcars as well as run the attraction. On the day we were riding they were training a new driver so it was interesting to hear him talk about everything involved in his training to drive these historic Streetcars.

There are nine operational Streetcars in the fleet as well as 17 others in various stages of restoration. We were surprised to discover that one of the Streetcars came from Melbourne, Australia and another from Osaka, Japan. (Where our daughter-in-law is from). Unfortunately for us, we weren’t travelling on the day the museum opened as I’m sure it would have been fascinating.

E: (West) Edmonton Mall

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For more than the first two decades of my adult life Edmonton Mall (officially known as West Edmonton Mall) was the largest indoor mall in the world. And I always wanted to visit it. Last year was my time. I planned my trip to Edmonton staying close to WEM to maximise my visits. I was very glad I did. It was amazing. When we arrived we were mesmorised. It was unlike any shopping centre in Australia. Everywhere we went was something new and exciting.

Many of the stores were very unique. Or had some different in them we hadn’t seen before. Bubba Gump was our favourite. We spent time both in the gift shop and wandering around the restaurant. We were fascinated by all the movie takes and how cleverly they were put together. Our son loved the cheeky T-shirt we bought him. In the Lindt Chocolate store, more than half of the flavours, we had never tasted before.

On entry the first thing we saw was the Sea Life Experience. This included seals and a relica of the Santa Maria. We spent time investigating this area and watched the seals antics. Galaxyland powered by Hasbro was our next stop. It is the world’s largest indoor amusement park. I loved seeing the games I played as a child, came to life as amusement rides. Such creativity.

Next on our tour was the shooting gallery. This blew me away. It was filled with guns of all sorts. Many of which are banned in Australia. So I had never seen them before. In hindsight I wish I had taken my first shot here, but at the time I was so overwhelmed.

The Ice Palace-indoor ice skating even had a senior skate option. We did consider giving it a go however we ran out of time.

West Edmonton Mall is also the home of the worlds largest indoor wave pool. Again, sadly we had no time to enjoy it. We were fascinated by the number of activities in this one area.

We had a great time in the Dragon’s Tale. A Blacklight Mini Golf Experience. It was a first for us and totally took minigolf to a new level.

While we wandered around the shops, we heard of a young couple who went to West Edmonton Mall for their honeymoon. They stayed the week in the Fantasyland Hotel attached the mall. And everyday enjoyed one or more of the special activities found there. I thought this was a fantastic idea.

I would have loved to have ridden around the mall on these. I saw a group of 20-30 year olds doing so and it looked like so much fun. But I thought there may have been a weight limit.

2025 A-Z Challenge Theme Reveal

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This years A-Z Challenge seems like the best reason to get back to blogging. For anyone who isn’t aware during April a large group of bloggers get together and challenge each other to write a blog post for every letter of the alphabet. Each blogger choses a theme that connects their blog posts.

I have been busy traveling this year so I am going to expand my theme from Australian travel to include all places and things that I have experienced during my recent travels.

While my list is not yet complete complete it could involve travel by road, air or sea. The main areas will be a mixture of Australia, Canada and Alaska although I have also had some journeys in the South Pacific so they may make an appearance.

I hope that you enjoy my travels and I look forward to also taking a virtual journey to the blogs of other bloggers participating in this years challenge.

Coffee Catch-Up #48

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If we were having coffee I would tell you I can’t believe how quickly this year is going. Since we last had coffee back in May I have been busy planning our Canadian/Alaskan holiday which we have just returned from. It was amazing. We worked out our own itinerary using the internet and were not disappointed.

On a previous Canadian trip 10 years ago, my husband and I visited the east coast. This trip we visited the west coast. So between both we have visited all 10 Canadian provinces and a small corner of the Yukon. We have also explored a large part of Alaska which was breathtaking. Not bad for a pair of Aussies eh.

20142024
Newfoundland & Labrador – St John’sBritish Columbia – Vancouver, Victoria
Nova Scotia – HalifaxManitoba – Winnipeg
New Brunswick – MoncktonSaskatchewan – Regina, Moose Jaw & Saskatoon
Quebec – Montreal, Old Quebec CityAlberta – Edmonton
Ontario – Kingston, Toronto, Niagara Falls & OttawaYukon- Suspension Bridge
Prince Edward Island – Charlottetown

Alaskan CruiseAlaskan Towns
KetchikanSeward
JuneauAnchorage
SkagwayFairbanks
Glacier BayArtic Circle/Coldfoot

If we were having coffee I would tell you that unfortunately the initial diagnosis for my hip was incorrect and I have needed regular physio to build up the muscles supporting it. I also have had a great benefit from orthotics to support my feet. Fortunately the effort I put in before we went away paid off and I had little trouble walking the 360 kilometers we covered in 6 weeks. On returning home however it is letting me know that it isn’t very happy at times.

If we were having coffee I would tell you that Ruby, our slide on camper has finally gone back to her maker to get repaired from the major water damage she has suffered. We are looking forward to getting her back and being able to take sneaky weekend getaways again.

If we were having coffee I would tell you I have enjoyed doing a number of puzzles this year. There was one however that I found quite challenging. It was in the shape of Mickey Mouse and made up of individual pictures of Mickey. No two pieces were the same. It took me a few months to sort him him out but in the end I was pleased with the end result.

Thanks for hosting Natalie #weekendcoffeeshare

If we were having coffee I would ask you what is happening in your world?

Weekly Photo Challenge: Rare

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036 - The Veiled Virgin

037 - The Veiled Virgin

040 - The Veiled Virgin

As this weeks photo challenge calls for something rare I am reposting my photos of The Veiled Virgin. I couldn’t believe that her veil is made of thin marble. She is so beautiful.  If you ever get the opportunity to visit St Johns Newfoundland, Canada, go out of your way to immerse yourself in her presence. It is a rare and memorable experience that will leave you smiling.

For more information about The Veiled Virgin please click on my earlier post below.

V – Veiled Virgin # A – Z Challenge

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/rare/

Weekly Photo Challenge: Narrow

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The Narrows is the only entrance to St John’s Harbour, Newfoundland, Canada. The Narrows  has a rugged natural beauty seen above from many angles over many days. At it’s narrowest point it is only 61 metres across, which has proven to be a great natural defense over the centuries. In the 1600’s, the harbour’s narrow entrance has provided the city with protection from pirates and later from enemy ships during war time.

When I first visited the Narrows, I remember my joy at seeing the mighty Atlantic Ocean for the first time—it felt different to the Pacific, I can’t explain why it just did.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/narrow/

Share Your World – 2016 Week 29

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What is the perfect pizza?

I like a spicy pizza but not your ordinary Mexicana. When I make a pizza at home it has a pesto, chilli sauce and tomato paste base topped with the following ingredients:

  • roast pumpkin
  • roast sweet potato
  • roast capsicum
  • olives
  • cherry tomatoes
  • feta cheese
  • jalapenos
  • dried chilli flakes
  • fresh capsicum
  • bacon/chicken/hot salami/pepperoni  (which mix of these meats I use depends on my mood)

Once my pizza is cooked, I top it with rocket, sour cream and avocado (if I have any.)

What is your favorite time of day?

My favourite time of day varies depending on what I have on but it is always based on the one thing – ME TIME. I love the quiet time each day when I can do whatever I choose. It keeps me sane in this crazy world.

Show us two of your favorites photographs?  The photos can be from anytime in your life span.  Explain why they are your favorite.

I love this photo of me taken on one of the bridges crossing the Ottawa River, Canada. As we walked from the Quebec side of the river back into Ontario I am not sure which state I am standing in at the time but as we loved them both, it doesn’t matter. It also reminds me of the fun we had walking in the first serious snow we had during our 6 week trip to Canada. We kept believing it would come and eventually it did. I think it was also the last time I wore those jeans as they finally wore themselves out in Canada after over 10 years of faithful service. The colouful hat scarf I am wearing I made close to 30 years ago and is very unique. It remains in good condition however, as Australia doesn’t have enough days cold for me to wear it in.

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This photo the original of Inspiring Max’s profile picture was taken 5 years ago from Melbourne’s Aquatic Centre. My daughter and I were there for her last School Sports Australia Diving competition which marked the end of an era for us. At the time there was a lot of difficult things happening in our lives that got worse as the year progressed. However, never being one to focus on the negative, if I needed an extra boost of positivity that everything would be alright in the end, I would get out my double rainbow, feel inspired and keep going.

Another thing I love about this photo is that it was one of the first photos I have taken that I was really proud of as you can see the individual rainbow colours on both sides.

Complete this sentence:  I’m looking forward to…. 

moving back to Newcastle and commencing nursing in a new hospital. I have been working towards this for over 12 months and now it is getting very close.

Bonus question:  What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up? 

My husband starting his new job and getting together with my family without having to rush back to Sydney to work. In the next eek I am looking forward to my future employment being confirmed and maybe even a start date given.

Share Your World – 2016 Week 29

 

Weekly Photo Challenge: Look Up

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IMG_8748

During our trip to Canada my husband and I spent what felt like hours studying and taking photos of flags. Their history interested us greatly and it was so different to our Australian flags. Our biggest problem was getting the wind right to get one flag to fly perfectly. So image our surprise when we looked up and saw these four flags perfectly aligned in the Old Port, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/look-up/

Weekly Photo Challenge: Pure

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While traveling to Canada, my husband and I accidentally wandered into the Canadian Mint in Ottawa where we could touch and pick up a 24 K gold bar weighing 28 pounds (12.7 kilograms.) It was an amazing experience and I was astounded that it was 999.9% pure gold. So simple but so beautiful.

https://dailypost.wordpress.com/photo-challenges/pure/

O – Oceans

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2015-01-04 16.33.07

I love spending time staring at the ocean. It relaxes me and reminds me how vast the world really is. Over my life I am excited to have seen the top 4 of the 5 oceans of the world which in ranked order are:

  1. Pacific
  2. Atlantic
  3. Indian
  4. Southern
  5. Arctic

Growing up I lived 20 minutes from the Pacific Ocean on the east coast of Australia and loved going to the beach. Whether it was for a swim, to build a sandcastle or go for a walk give me the opportunity and I would be there. When I was 16 I traveled across Australia and got to lookout and swim in the Indian Ocean. I remember this experience began to give me a sense of how big the world’s oceans were. Then in 2000, just as it was officially recognised as an ocean, I was able to look out across the Great Australian Bight onto the Southern Ocean. I remember thinking that at this point that there was nothing between me and Antarctica, which felt very special.

Then in November 2014, the next stage of my ocean journey was revealed, as from the coast of Newfoundland I saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. She was beautiful even in winter and the thing that disappointed me the most was that although it wasn’t far from St Johns, we couldn’t get to the most easterly point of Canada because it was winter. Personally, I would have loved to have stated that I had been to and possibly even dipped my toe in, the most easterly point of Canada as well as Australia.

One of these days I plan on completing the last two goals of my world ocean journey list — to lookout over the Arctic and to cruise across the Atlantic following a similar journey to the Titanic. I don’t know about you but for me the following Jacques Cousteau quote is definitely true. What do you think?

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