It’s not usually open to the public, but the once-a-year Doors Open Toronto event invites everyone to take a peek inside a collection of heritage buildings and city infrastructure. Open Doors Toronto this year was one of the last times the public will ever get a glimpse into the inner Read more
The late Queen Elizabeth II had reigned for so long that people have lived and died in 70 years. Although there was a quick succession of death, ascension, abdication, and coronation in the first third of the 20th century, there hasn’t been a change of guard in recent memory. Canadians Read more
Implemented during the height of the Cold War in the 1960’s, the first generation of Minuteman Missiles were a way to ensure mutually assured destruction should the Soviet Union ever decide to preempt a nuclear strike against America. The US ensured that hundreds of these nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles were Read more
The same day that Queen Elizabeth II’s body was carried through the streets of London to her final resting place in Westminster Abbey, Ottawa had its own commemoration activities mirroring those in the old country. A 96-gun salute for every year of her life, an invitation-only remembrance service at Christ Read more
Being a government building in service of the people of British Columbia, entry is free after a 10 minute lineup to complete a security check. There are guided tours available from Monday to Friday several times a day, but entry is restricted by appointments only on the weekends. Even though Read more
The Devil’s Mountain is a man made hill in former West Berlin to provide the NSA with a vantage point with which to build a spy station on. The spy station was used to intercept messages transmitted from East Germany since West Berlin was an exclave of West Germany. It Read more
On our way to Fort Langley, Marcus and I decided to swing by 0th Avenue in Surrey to literally look at the US. It’s probably not an ‘iconic place’ that belongs in league with the Eiffel Tower, but it is ‘cool’ in the sense that the US-Canada border is 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
There are three Air Force bases still in operation in Switzerland that operate fighter jets on a weekly basis. Of the three, Meiringen Air Base near Brienz is the most well-known for offering public access and weekly events. On a normal day, you can drive across its runway in a Read more
Four times a year, or once every 12 weeks, the national parliament in Bern is open to the public on a Saturday. One such Saturday, I roamed into the halls of legislation in both the upper and lower houses of parliament. While the Nationalrat is something of a House of Read more