Blog getting an overhaul and moving

So I have decided to revamp my blog and move it to a new site. I am working on getting it fixed up and running for January, so just bear with me. Once it's finished there will be a new post about my most recent trip to Austria, Slovakia and Hungary, so stay tuned...it might be a little later than January.

An Empire To Marvel At

Spiegelworld Presents: EMPIRE

 

Thursday night I was fortunate enough to attend an amazing, jaw-dropping and very inappropriate performance. The show is called Empire and it has come to our little capital of Ottawa all the way from New York City. It will completely capture your undivided attention.

 

This show encompasses a large variety of performances, from balancing acts, to acrobatics, as well as singing and some stuff that I can't even name. It's a wonderful mishmash of circus meets burlesque set in another time. This show completely transports you to another world, from the moment you step through the "tent" doors. As one of the crew members shows you to your seat, there are random theatrics going on. Girls in feathered costumes, guys in outfits made out of blue tarp. The beginning is all rather random, but you take notice right away that this is unlike anything you have ever seen before.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed every moment; there wasn't a single minute where I was bored or not enthralled by the spectacles and sounds. At one point a man comes out and it is completely silent except for a low soft song playing in the background. The man then begins to balance sticks on top of one another, ever so fluidly. It is the type of performance that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

 

 

There was also a lot of comedy weaved into the show. Two performers were sort of acting like the "MC's" for the evening, it was there job to fill the space in-between each main act. Although I have to say, they were definitely not space fillers, they were hilarious and had their own acts that kept you laughing or cringing. Some I couldn't watch, there was this part with a banana...but I let you see for yourself.

 

There were points, as I have mentioned, in the show that were very inappropriate, so I'd advise not taking any children under the age of 15 to it, but they do tell you 13 and older on the website. Other than that, I recommend this show to everyone, it does not disappoint.

 

If you want to know more about them and when they are performing, as well as ticket information, this is the website: http://spiegelworld.ca/

 

 

 



Shakespeare In A Park

Today I was pleasantly surprised to find out that we have a troop here in Canada called ‘A Company of Fools’ and they are preforming here in Ottawa. They are a Shakespeare Company that perform his plays and different takes on his plays, in different venues. The play tonight was “The Comedy of Errors”, of course, by William Shakespeare, but done with a twist. Although the speech was Shakespearean for the most part, the attire and set was Dr. Seuss. I found this a brilliant and entertaining combination that I think more performers presenting Shakespeare should adopt.

The acting in this play was very well done, I have to say, because you never really know what you’re going to get when you go to something like this. They really understood how to grab the audience’s attention and had the Shakespearean down pat. Because they added the Dr. Seuss element they had fantastical costumes, such as: gigantic curling wigs and brightly coloured outfits. There was even a bit of rhyming in there if you really paid attention. Let’s face it, Shakespeare does not always translate well, it is sometimes difficult to understand and finding a way to present it that draws you in and really allows you to understand the story can be challenging. The set was nothing spectacular, just a small wooden stage with a backdrop of a town that looked like it had come straight out of one of Dr. Seuss’ books. You didn’t really notice the lack of props or staging, because of how they performed the play, having larger than life characters and exaggerated gestures and movements, along with the comedic aspect, there was always something going on that made you laugh.

This type of activity has always been a favourite of mine, mainly because I love Shakespeare and it is relatively cheap, they take donations as opposed to actually charging a set price for a ticket. You can give whatever you are able to at the end of the performance.

All-in-all it was wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed myself, I recommend finding the nearest park to you that they are playing in next and going to see it, you will be entertained.

The company is preforming the play all around Ottawa in different parks until August 15.

If you would like to know more about this company and the performances here in Ottawa here is the link to their website: http://fools.ca/

The Greeks

Last night I attended the opening of The Greeks, an exhibit that provides a look at ancient Greece, from Agamemnon to Alexander the Great. There are over 500 artifacts on display, gathered from 21 Greek museums, spanning over 5,000 years, and there are some amazing artifacts in this exhibit, such as the supposed golden death mask of Agamemnon, as well as some very well preserved swords, helmets and jewelry.

The exhibit is divided into time periods, as you move through and explore you are provided with bits of information about ancient Greece at that time. There are digital images behind certain artifacts to give you a better idea of how they looked when they were first designed. Every artifact has a tale to tell, and I will admit, some are more interesting than others.

For those of you that know the works of Homer, there is a section that focuses on The Illiad, and The Odyssey. Pottery and other artifacts depict elements of Homers works, taking you through scenes of the Trojan war. There are also sections that talk about the ancient fictional heroes, such as Herakles and Theseus. One piece of pottery depicts Theseus' battle with the Minotaur.

I also saw the IMAX production: "Greece: Secrets of the Past", which gave an amazing condensed version of what it was like in ancient Greece and what happened on the island of Santorini. The panoramic views are spectacular and you get a birds-eye view of the ruins that scatter this historic country. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys history or Greek culture, or just anyone who longs to visit Greece.

This walk through ancient Greece is spectacular and very well done. The exhibit is a must see, but if you're unsure of whether you want to pay to see this exhibit, then don't worry, the Canadian Museum of History, along with most other museums and the National Art Gallery, are free on Thursdays after 4 pm.
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Ottawa Tulip Festival

The Ottawa Tulip Festival has officially started and the people are out in droves to take in the colourful flowers. There are many different spots around the city where you can see the tulips, mainly; Parliament Hill, Dow's Lake, and near the National Art Gallery where the above picture was taken. The Festival lasts for two weeks and is the highlight of spring in Ottawa. 

At this moment when I went out to view the tulips I found there were some that still hadn't bloomed downtown. Don't get me wrong, it's still worth a walk around to see the colours and to just people watch too. I would suggest though, actually making the trip to Dow's Lake, where there will be a whole lot more to see. 

If you want more then just looking at flowers, they also have fireworks at night downtown. I can usually hear them going off, but can't quite see them from my balcony. 

Now if this festival doesn't live up to your standards, than I suggest you get on a plane and head to the Netherlands, where it originated. A tulip festival there might be slightly more impressive, I'm just saying.

613 Night Market

Saturday night was the 613 Night Market here in Ottawa, held at the Shaw Center downtown. Now I was very excited to go to this event. I had been looking forward to it for a couple months. It's not like we get the chance to go to a night market very often here.


I must say I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I do have a few criticisms, mainly the lack of food vendors. I thought that when I walked in I would see rows upon rows of food stalls of every variety, that was not the case. There was one long row along the back where they were set up. The food itself was delicious, can't complain in that department. I tried 4 different stalls, all very different styles: Asian, Italian and western and of course I had to have something sweet from a dessert stall.

Shrimp and mango salad

There was also an array of stuff being sold as well, everything from jewelry to hot sauce. I did enjoy the fact that it was not just food, but the vendors selling items far surpassed the vendors selling food. I talked to a couple people that were there and they did mention to me that they thought the amount of food you received was too small for how much you were paying. Now I'm on the fence about this comment, in a way I can see there point, some of the vendors portions were not that big, especially when you're paying five dollars for it. But on the other hand, there were some good portions, and it did allow you to hit a few different stalls and try everything, which of course is the whole point, at least for me.

All in all the event is something everyone should at least go to once just to experience it. Be prepared to spend money, it is far to easy to lose track of how much you're spending when you're hoping from stall to stall.

Upcoming Posts

Now that we are half way through April, here in Ottawa a lot of events are starting to be announced. I will be putting up a couple posts about a few events in the next coming weeks.

1) 613 Night Market – Our beautiful Shaw Center in downtown Ottawa will be turned into a bustling and exciting night market on May 2nd.

2) Yoga on Parliament Hill – Now that summer is just around the corner, we can all start stretching for the first day of Yoga on the Hill on May 6.

3) World Press Photo Exhibition – this will be held in July, at the Canadian War Museum and I will definitely be going to see this interesting exhibit.

I hope to post about more events in between, but these are the three major ones that are coming up that everyone should know a bout. If there is an event that you think I should go to or write about just leave me a quick message.

3 Weeks Wandering Western Canada

Me at the top of Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station in Banff, Alberta.

I have recently arrived back home from a 3 week whirlwind in western Canada. Now this may not sound as interesting or glamorous as say Asia or Europe, but I find Canada to be a remarkable place to travel around. Canada has so much to offer and a lot of times we tend to take the place we are living in for granted.

My first week was spent on Vancouver Island soaking up the sun and enjoying the 15 degree weather. Fifteen degrees may not sound warm to a lot of you, but I flew from Ottawa where it was -30 and snowing, so I was pretty happy. I have been to the Island (how western Canadians like to refer to it) before, it helps that my father lives there, but I never get tired of it. British Columbia has got to be one of the most beautiful places I have traveled to. The forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, wildlife and of course the ocean, make up one spectacular area. 

I was staying in a little town called Lake Cowichan, not many people have heard of it, it’s in between Victoria and Nanaimo. There is not much to do in this small town, but it is set in a valley, with beautiful hills surrounding it. A cute river runs right through the middle and in the summertime I would often go tubing down it. Winter gave us even less options for activities, if you can call fifteen degrees winter. Basically I just relaxed and spent some time with my family. We did drive over to Victoria and Sidney a couple times. Victoria is an amazing harbour city with some beautiful buildings and lots of fun activities, it also features The Empress hotel, a Fairmont property that has a wonderful old world charm and some interesting and tasty places for food and tea, my favourite being The Bengal Lounge, the decor inside is unusual and wonderful.

The Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia

Sidney is a small town along the coast, fairly close to Victoria and has a wonderful array of small quirky, cute shops that sell unique items, also a lot of thrift stores. This town also boasts a large amount of bookstores in one area, which if you are anything like me, makes you so excited you don't know which direction to walk in first. There is one more interesting thing about this place, its Aquarium, it is small, but put together really well and the staff are all very knowledgeable.  

My next stop on the whirlwind western adventure was Calgary, which I only stayed in for one night and then the next morning promptly caught my bus to Banff. Not that there is nothing to do in Calgary, there is quite a bit, but I did not have time to stick around. 

Now living in Banff is quite the double edged sword. You walk a very thin line between being amazed and awestruck by the scenery and wildlife, and being on the verge of poverty and homelessness. It mostly has to do with how expensive most things are there, and it's so difficult not to spend money while there. I did have a reason for going to Banff and draining my funds, I was doing a two week placement with Brewster Vacations, a tour company that focuses on Canada. Lucky for me they provided my accommodations, one less expense. I have to say though, they were a tad bit sketchy, although I think it was only our room. They were set up dorm style, two single beds, with a bathroom. Our toilet didn't flush, the light inside the bathroom could have given you an epileptic seizure and for some reason the heat kept coming on, even though we had turned it completely off. Our own little seizure inducing sweat lodge. But seriously, I can't really complain, we were staying there for free.

I should probably mention that there were three other girls that accompanied me on this placement. We all go to the same college and are in the same program that this placement is a part of. The four of us packed everything we could into two weeks. As soon as we arrived in Banff and put our stuff in our rooms we went out for a leisurely hike along the Bow river, which just happened to have a couple lovely waterfalls. Our next grand adventure was going to Johnston Canyon which had another beautiful waterfall, basically everywhere there's water in Banff there is some sort of waterfall. I have to say it is really difficult to hike in the winter when the trails are slick with ice, it was not fun slipping and falling on my rear end, I hurt for a couple days after, but the view was worth it.

Lower Falls, Johnston Canyon, Banff, Alberta

During our grand outing that day, we came across a lot of different types of wildlife, hence wildlife bingo was born. First, there was a squirrel, I know, very exciting. Then we stumbled across a mule deer, who was very unimpressed by us and just laid down and watched us walk around snapping pictures like the silly human tourists we were. Next was our greatest find, a whole herd of Elk, who were not impressed with us either and decided they didn't want to be around for our shenanigans, gave us a dirty look, then proceeded to wander away. Our crowning achievement was spotting a coyote, who really did not like us and got the hell out of there as fast as he could, and that was the end of wildlife bingo.

The next day we decided to rent a car and head out to Lake Louise and do some more site seeing. Lake Louise was beautiful, but the best part of that day was our hike through Kootenay National Park, some of the most spectacular scenery yet. 

Along the Paint Pots trail, in Kootenay National Park, BC

That night two of us went up the Gondola that takes you to the top of Sulphur Mountain and gives you some of the best views you will ever encounter. They also do a three course dinner at the top, which gives you a great view of the town below and the mountain range, plus they have pretty good food for being so isolated up there.

Towards the end of our trip we did a hike to the Cosmic Ray Station, which is where I am in the first photograph of the article. This station is a National Historic Site, here you will see the remains of a geophysical laboratory. If you would like to know more about this you can visit this website : http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/v-g/pm-mp/lhn-nhs/cosmic_e.asp.

Afterwards we headed to the Banff hot springs, which is basically just a man-made hot pool, nothing too spectacular, but the view is good, and you can also learn a bit about the history of the area. I would definitely suggest to anyone wanting to explore Canada to visit Banff, but be warned it is specifically geared towards tourists. The winter is a good time to go because the sidewalks are not jam packed with people and things are a bit cheaper. There is lots to see in this area and renting a car or taking a bus out to some of the nearby towns and parks will benefit you greatly and give you a more authentic Canadian experience.

Just the Journey

Just a small note:

Traveling has never been fully just about the destination for me, now don't get me wrong, the destination is a major part of it, but the actual transit from place to place has always held a spot in my heart. There is this wonder and excitement that always sets in when I'm traveling. It doesn't always happen right away, but no matter what, there comes a moment when I am filled with a sense of contentment and peace. Watching the airplanes taking off and landing, the people scurrying about and flying off to unknown destinations, there is nothing like it.

One would think after traveling for about 8 hours, on full-to-the-brim planes and being stuck in the seat directly adjacent to the toilets, (and I mean directly adjacent), my mood would be that of a caged wild animal, and the wonder and excitement would be gone, but that is nowhere near the truth.
(I am talking, of course, about my recent flights from Ottawa to Victoria about a week and a half ago).
For all the craziness and questionable clothing choices, (seriously should have worn yoga pants that day),  I still have that unwavering sense of excitement and peace. Yes, I know, that seems like an oxymoron, how could one feel excitement and peace at the same time, but believe me you can.

So now, I am currently in Banff, Alberta, reveling in the quiet beauty of the Rocky Mountains, but I will have more on that later.

Stay tuned...

The Hiatus is at an end

Finally, after a long hiatus, my blog is coming back to life. I know, it has not been updated in over a year, but new posts are coming very soon.

The next place I will be blogging about is Banff, Alberta. I will be heading there for two weeks and I am going to give snowboarding a try, my very first time. Seeing as how I am accident prone, we'll see if I get through it intact.

So stay tuned everyone...