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Blogs from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, North America - page 5
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June 26th 2011
Hey Everyone, I made it to Ottawa safe and sound.. Wonderful to see the sun after a month of rain, and it was so hot I had to stay inside. Kids are good, Sarah is awesome. Off tonight for Cambridge. This is just a test to see if everyone can read the blog once I enter it... Hope all is well..talk to you soon! ... read more
June 24th 2011
Finally, everything is falling into place. I have my bags packed and have just printed off the last of my itineraries. Tonight I say goodbye to my friends and family, and tomorrow morning I'll be on my way to Israel! I am definitely nervous about this trip - 2 months is a long time to be gone. But I'm also very excited about the adventures waiting for me overseas. When I arrive in Tel Aviv, I will be meeting up with my good friend Maija to spend a weekend on the beach. I am really looking forward to the relaxation of that first weekend. Not only will I be able to rest while getting over the 7-hour time difference, but I will also have my first day in weeks that I don't need to work or ... read more
June 16th 2011
For those who do not yet know, I have decided to quit my wondrously comfortable job to go volunteer overseas in an exchange program with Canada World Youth. 3 months in Valleyfield, Quebec, 3 months in Kpovie, Benin. I will be paired with a counterpart the whole way, so here's hoping we don't kill each other. The entire exchange will be in French. Here's the quick cheat sheet: Who? A team of 16 Canadian & Beninese youth paired up with each other What? the volunteer program theme is Environmental, and may have something to do with Microfinance Where? Valleyfield QC & Kpovie, Benin When? September 1st to March 9th (no winter this year!) Why? Ask me again tomorrow. How? The Beninese youth will be flying in to QC first and we'll all meet and get paired ... read more
May 29th 2011
Come and get it… Trip Advisor annointed our first stop, Barcelona, as the pickpocket capital of the world “it is the Catalan capital of Barcelona where tourists were found to be most at risk of having their pocket picked - Las Ramblas the famous wide, pedestrian walkway full of life, music and people at all hours of the day and night, is the perfect place to get your purse poached,” said the website's review. A quick trip to the Dollar Store and a loonie later I had a brand spanking new Canadian flag plastic wallet. I will keep this in my back pocket at all times – stuffed with Monopoly money! I’ll just keep my fingers crossed that my 6 foot 4 one-eighth of a ton frame sporting a football hooligan ‘do’ doesn’t dissuade them all. ... read more
Ladies and gentlemen - start your engines
Published: May 29th 2011North America » Canada » Ontario » Ottawa
May 28th 2011
Dilemmas imply choice - Will & Marika are trying to figure out what they are more excited about: their "Dalmatian" summer of 101 days off or that tomorrow while they sleep we fly over whales and waves. The notion of shuttling from adventure to adventure via at least 6 flights, 6 trains, 6 boats, 6 drives, 6 cable cars, 6 funiculars (look it up yourself!), 6 subways and 6 trams for me fuels a riot of anticipated perspective. BIG NEWS - We land Monday morning in Barcelona on the cusp of the biggest celebration in this city of over 4 million since the defeat of Franco - Barcelona today ole'd Manchester United for the coveted Champions Cup at Wembley Stadium thanks to the brilliance of Lionel Messi and amigos. The mood among Barcelonians (?) for the ... read more
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May 23rd 2011
I have always wanted to go to Ottawa to see the spring Tulip Festival. Since we hadn't been able to skate on the canal this winter, this was to be our weekend in Ottawa instead. The tulip tradition started after the second world war when the Dutch royal family gave Canada 100,000 tulips as a thank you for sheltering part of its royal family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands during the war. It had been cold and rainy all week in St. Raymond, but luckily when we arrived in Ottawa it was very nice. Saturday was actually quite hot. In talking to the locals I guess it was pretty much their first hot weekend too. We stayed right down town in the Cartier Place suite Hotel. It was a great price and perfect for ... read more
April 21st 2011
G'Day mates: Well we've been busy since leaving Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. Arriving back in Sydney mid-afternoon Tuesday we got cleaned up and headed to Manley Harbour via a 35 minute ferry ride via the Sydney harbour. Our first spot was the Manley beach where we watched the surfers riding the waves and walked along the beach boardwalk. Then we headed back to Sydney to see the city at night from the ferry. Wednesday morning was a monorail ride to Paddy's Market, a Sydney landmark since 1834. At this market you can find a bargain on everything from fruit and veggies to t-shirts and Uggs. Then it was off to Hyde Park to see Archibald Fountain (commerates the alliance of Australia and Fance during the First World War and then to ANZAC memorial - Sydney's ... read more
April 18th 2011
G'Day mates: After an early morning good-bye to Gil, we headed to the Cairns Airport for our 6am flight to Newcastle, New South Wales. Looking out the window as we were coming into Newcastle airport you could see beautiful white sand dunes for miles. Upon landing we met up with our sailing friends (Don and Hilary) this time at their place in Corlette. Our first afternoon we drove around the local area checking out the beaches and bays. We also seen our first large number of kangaroos and a koala. Next morning we drove to Soldiers Point, next hiked to the top of Tomaree Head where we were greeted with the most amzing views of the coastline, beautiful white sand, emerald coloured waters... I'm not sure why Don and Hilary live here. Tomaree was also the ... read more
April 18th 2011
G'Day mates: We headed out of Hunter Valley and Don and Hilary dropped us off at the train station along the way so we could head to Sydney - after three hours we were in Sydney station. Our first evening we walked around an area called 'The Rocks'. This was also our first look at the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour bridge. Sydney Harbour is as amazing as we thought and this is where we enjoyed a wonderful dinner with a view of both the Opera House and the bridge - it doesn't get much better than this. We started out the next morning for the Blue Mountains a 2-hour train ride west of Sydney, these mountains get their name from the blue haze that you see in the distance above them. It was a ... read more
April 13th 2011
G'Day mates: Well the weather has turned for the better, this morning we woke up to sun and at 9:30 it was already 29 C. Today Gil showed us the Copperlode Damn just outside the city of Cairns, to get there we had to drive up the mountain where we had a beautiful view of the entire area. Once we came down the mountain we drove to Crystal Cascades - a waterfall and swimming hole which runs off the mountain. Next we drove to the city centre and seen several trees which were half full of huge Flying Fox bats. Sunday was also another nice day 30C plus temperatures for our trip to Port Douglas for the Sunday morning market. A lot of crafts and local art at this outside market and the coconut man - ... read more
