Construction for the Diefenbunker started in 1959 and was completed by 1962. It was designed to house 535 personnel and equipment to function as an emergency government headquarters for 30 days in the event of a nuclear attack. The structure is four storeys deep with over 9,000 square metres of 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
A three-kilometre bridge connects Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario with Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. Its iconic steel arches are best observed from the canal’s national historic site. Managed by Parks Canada, you can walk around on the three islands, or rent a fat bike for $10 an hour to explore White Read more
Visitors go to Prescott not for its 19th century homes, but for its 19th century blockhouse in Fort Wellington National Historic Site. The fort was built in 1812 to slow the American advance but was abandoned after the War of 1812. The blockhouse was rebuilt in 1838 during the rebellion Read more
There’s a hill to the north of Toronto, on that hill sits North America’s largest castle – Casa Loma. It was completed in 1914 by Sir Henry Pellatt, a Canadian industrialist. The castle is now a museum showing off its 98 rooms and long corridors. There’s also an escape room Read more
Founded in 1697 and completed in 1715, the Ursuline monastery in Trois-Rivières is one of the few French-built buildings to survive the fire of 1908. Although it is now a museum, it is still a working monastery. There are no young women becoming nuns so the 40 last nuns are Read more
Mostly known for its military history, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu is the site of the first French fort in Canada. First built in 1666, Fort Saint-Jean has been continuously occupied from 1748 to the present day, albeit changing hands several times. The second fort was built in 1748 and destroyed by the French Read more
William Lyon Mackenzie King kept a daily diary totalling about 30,000 pages from 1893 to 1950, almost all of it is available online on the Library and Archives Canada digital library. He wrote much of his diary at Kingsmere near Gatineau, an estate that comprised of three parts. Kingswood was Read more
The Ottawa Tulip Festival comes into full bloom every May. The display contains 10,000 tulips sent by air from the Netherlands to show their gratitude for the Canadian Armed Forces that liberated them from German occupation during World War Two. The flowers are planted along Commissioner’s Park, a waterfront public Read more
Aachen is one of the most historic cities in Germany. It was first a Roman town, the ruins of which can still be seen on the streets of modern Aachen. The famous Aachen Cathedral saw the coronations of 31 Holy Roman Emperors and 12 queens. It is easily the most Read more