Gatineau sounds like gâteaux, which is the word for cake in French. My relationship with Gatineau is also very gastronomical. It is right across the river from Ottawa, in Québec, where alcohol is sold inside supermarket and discounts are abundant for quality European foodstuffs. Once a week, I would cross Read more…
Waterloo and Kitchener are the twin cities of Ontario. Even though they have grown to connect into one urban agglomeration, they are still separate cities. The logo of the city is actually the tower of the old town hall that now stands in Waterloo Park. The new City Hall, like Read more…
Kitchener and Waterloo form the twin cities of Ontario less than two hours away from Toronto. Kitchener used to be called Berlin because of the German immigrants that settled in the area. A Pioneers Tower was built to commemorate the Mennonite families that settle in 60,000 acres of land in Read more…
The Ken Seiling Museum in Kitchener includes entry to both the museum exhibitions and the Doon Heritage Village. Half of the museum is closed so there isn’t too much to see indoors. The only exhibit they had open when I visited was the Human Plus exhibition displaying how engineering helps Read more…
The Mississipi River on Canada runs through Ontario and nourishes Almonte, Carleton Place, and Innisville in Lanark County. This northern Mississippi shares the same name as the one in America but is not half as mighty. Almonte’s town hall, like the one in Carleton Place, is a heritage building as Read more…
Carleton Place’s town hall is one if six heritage buildings in the town. It’s named after a place in Scotland, just like the names of the counties surrounding the area. A university in Ottawa shares the same name with the town – Carleton University, though it’s unclear whether the etymology Read more…
The first time I heard of Providence was when I watched snippets of the legal reality TV show “Caught in Providence”, which with a northeastern accent sounds like “Court in Providence”. I thought it was a rather clever use of accents to play on the theme of the show being Read more…
The ruins of a church built in 1815 stand in Glengarry County, Ontario. The empty shell of the stone structure is all that is left after a fire ravaged the church in 1970. A modern church structure stands adjacent to the old one and continues to serve the community today. Read more…
Glengarry County was settled by people of Scottish heritage and is rich in Scottish culture. The Glengarry Highlands Games are held every year to showcase Scottish competitiveness and attract about 20,000 people a year. It is the largest of its kind among the global Scottish diaspora. There’s enough to do Read more…
Originally built to be the capital city of Canada, Kingston’s city hall is grander than it should be because it used to house the national legislature. It’s alignment with a waterfront park and position in the centre of the city gives it an unobstructed view of Lake Ontario to augment Read more…