The Laurentians are a low range of mountains in southern Quebec that resemble the shape of pre-alpine Bavaria. The lightly powdered peaks and gently curving roads meandering around a hundred lakes remind me of the scenery around Schloß Neuschwanstein – better known as the Disney castle. The long valley below Read more…
The Canadian Air and Space Museum is Canada’s answer to the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the American National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. Located on the edge of Rockcliffe, an auxiliary airport on the eastern end of Ottawa. The museum is really more air than space. The Read more…
The official residence of the Queen’s representative in Canada, the Governor General, is Rideau Hall in Ottawa. The grounds of the residence are free to visit most days of the year except when special events or state matters prohibit public access. The residence of the Prime Minister is just across Read more…
Chaudière Island and Victoria Island are two of the more well-known islands on the Ottawa River. They are undergoing heavy construction in 2020 so they don’t make the best picnic destinations. Fortunately, locations such as Bate Island, Lemieux Island, and Petrie Island are all great green locations. Located on a Read more…
Well known for building the Unité d’Habitation in several cities like Marseille and Berlin, co-designing the UN building in New York City, and inspiring the concept of the Radiant City, Le Corbusier also had an impact in his home country of Switzerland. Born in La Chaux-de-Fonds near the French border, Read more…
There’s no shortage of venerated academic institutions in Massachusetts. There’s Harvard, Northeastern, Berklee, and MIT. One of the first things I noticed when I arrived at the Boston MIT campus was the name of their bus stop: 1 Harvard Square. I wonder if Harvard has a building located on 1 Read more…
I visited the National Air Force Museum of Canada in Trenton, Ontario on the week of Remembrance Day. The museum is operated by lovely elderly gentlemen who are former members of the Royal Canadian Air Force. Ottawa is home to the Canadian War Museum that has exhibits on more than Read more…
On the Ottawa side of the Ottawa River, the Canadian War Museum is run by the Canadian Museum of History, located on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River. The striking architecture was designed by Raymond Moriyama to bring peace and hope into a museum dedicated to the history of Read more…
The city of Montreal was named after Mount Royal. If you say it fast enough and corrupt it with a semi-French accent you’ll eventually hear the resemblance. It’s location in the centre of Montreal Island makes it the Central Park of Montreal. It’s a favourite leisure destination of locals in Read more…
If you’re looking for great art, go to the Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto where they have Reuben’s Massacre of the Innocents and exhibition rooms full of works by the Group of Seven. If you’re looking for a crash course in art history, come to Ottawa’s National Gallery of Read more…