Haliburton, ON

In the middle of Ontario’s cottage country, Haliburton is where the well-off come to rest and play. The Haliburton Highlands Museum showcases some 20,000 artifacts of life in the area in the late 19th century. Among its most impressive exhibits are the Reid House built in 1882 and the 1870s Read more…

Rheinfall

The Rheinfall is Europe’s most powerful waterfall. It sits in the middle of the River Rhine between the Swiss cantons of Zürich and Schaffhausen. The town of Neuhausen is split by the Rhine and there are three railway stations bearing the name of the town. It’ll be a bit of Read more…

Flying during COVID-19

The Canadian government, along with many other countries around the world, have enacted international travel restrictions on inbound passengers and recommended its citizens to only travel when necessary. Despite these recommendations and restrictions, I found myself flying over 23,000km on four aircraft across three continents this summer. Was I exempt? Read more…

Perth, ON

Perth was named after the Scottish city of the same name. There’s also a more well-known Perth in Australia, but that too was named after the same Scottish city. The last fatal duel in all of Canada happened in Perth in 1933 on the bank of the river. Robert Lyon Read more…

Smith’s Falls, ON

Smith’s Falls name is not deceptive, although it is misleading. The town of fewer than 9,000 people was named after the grade difference in the Rideau River that water flows over. It’s not quite a waterfall but it is high enough to make a bit of a splash. Three sets Read more…

London, ON

Named after the capital of the United Kingdom, London in Ontario even lies on the River Thames but never became the capital of Canada. That honour went to York, Kingston, Montreal, then Ottawa. The village was founded in 1826 and the Middlesex Court House was build shortly after in 1830, Read more…

Guelph, ON

Located between Toronto and the Kitchener–Waterloo twin cities, Guelph is known for its handsome limestone architecture that neatly lines the downtown blocks leading up to the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate. The basilica was built in 1883 and is one of the finest examples of Gothic Revival in Ontario with Read more…

Potsdam, Germany

About 40 kilometers southwest of Berlin, it is a tourist hot spot with its one dozen or so classical palaces turned into museums and galleries and its small town charm. Accessible by S-Bahn or Regio trains it’s only a short 30 minute ride away by transit. My tip? Bring a Read more…

Ikea

Every morning at 9 a.m., the bright yellow furniture store opens its doors to a line of customers waiting patiently outside. Staff dressed in yellow and blue polo shirts matching Ikea’s logo greet families as they shuffle through a revolving door the size of a car. Shoppers are welcomed by Read more…