Travel

Any traveler interested in Canada’s history and aboriginal people will want to make a trip to the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization is dedicated to the preservation and display of Canada’s history and to the culture and art of the First Peoples (a common Canadian term for the pre-European native population of Canada).

The Museum, in Hull, Quebec, is across the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill, Ottawa.  Douglas Cardinal designed the two massive curvilinear buildings that make up the museum and the curatorial department.  The design was intended to be evocative of the formation of the North American continent and its subsequent reshaping by glaciers, wind, and water.

The Grand Hall exhibit space is a little over 19,000 square feet (1,782 sq m) and contains six full-size reproduction facades of houses and totems.  Each facade represents a typical chieftain’s home in one of six Aboriginal communities from coastal British Columbia.  The Museum is working with the Native people of each region represented to create a cooperative exhibit for the houses’ interiors.

The First Peoples Hall celebrates the contributions of Canada’s First Peoples.  Exhibits include works of art, audiovisual presentations, artifacts, and archival documents.  The exhibit is self-guided or a guided tour is available for an additional fee.

Housed on the third level of the Museum, the Canada Hall illustrates the history of the country for the last 1000 years with a series of life-size displays.  Visitors may catch a performance by Dramamuse, the Museum’s in-house theatre company.  The troupe stages re-enactments of scenes from the country’s past in the exhibit area and are available to answer questions.

The Canadian Children’s Museum, on the second level, takes children on an interactive adventure around the world.  An art studio, puppet theatre, and game section round out the exhibits.

Calgary, Alberta is home to the Calgary Stampede, ten-day rodeo and agricultural exhibition held the second week of July each year that bills itself “the Greatest Outdoor Show on Earth”.

The first Stampede was held in 1912 and attracted almost 40.000 visitors its first year, far more than anyone expected.  Attendance at the 2006 Stampede was a record-breaking 1.26 million people.  Stampede organizers recommend that anyone who wants to attend the event make reservations well in advance.

The Stampede is famous for its chuck-wagon race, reminiscent of the races cowhands would have in celebration at the end of long trail rides.  Other rodeo events include pro and novice bareback competitions, bull riding, saddle bronco riding, both pro and novice, barrel racing, wild pony racing, and several roping events.

Not even nightfall slows down the Stampede.  When the sun sets, visitors enjoy the nightly Grandstand Show, a pageant that features Canadian performers and changes every year.  Each evening, stages all over Calgary light up with performances from country music stars, comedians, dancers, and more.

The Stampede’s Midway keeps growing, too, and now averages over 30 adult rides and 20 kids-only rides each year.  Midway guests can test their skill in one of 20 or more games.  When they get hungry, attendees can find refreshment at one of the dozens of food and beverage vendors—and that is just on the Midway!

Agricultural events have been part of the Stampede since it merged with the Calgary (Agricultural) Exhibition in 1932.  Aggie Days is a family-friendly look at how milk gets from cow to table and wool from sheep to sweater plus other fun activities for kids.

One of the Stampede’s best-known events is the Caravan Breakfast.  Each morning of the Stampede, a group of dedicated volunteers puts out a free breakfast for Stampede attendees, a tradition going back over 80 years.

The tides in the Bay of Fundy, the waterway between the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, are the highest in the world, with an estimated 100 billion tons of water rolling in and out of the bay twice daily.

One of the best places to see this phenomenon in action is Hopewell Rocks Park.  These “flowerpot” rocks are tree-topped rocks only partially visible at high tide.  Low tide reveals their delicate, sculpted bases.  During low tide it is possible to actually walk on the revealed sea floor.  As the tide comes in, footprints left on the flats literally disappear before people’s eyes as the water rises six to eight feet per hour.  In some parts of the bay the difference between high and low tide can be as much as 46 feet (14 m).

Whale enthusiasts will appreciate the bay area for the variety of marine mammals attracted to its krill-rich waters during the summer months.  Up to fifteen different species of toothed and baleen whales make their summer home in the waters just outside the bay.  Whale-watching tours depart daily from June to October each year.

For a glimpse into the planetary past, make a trip up the bay to the Joggins Fossil Cliffs.  These sandstone cliffs are rich with 300 million year-old fossils of everything from invertebrates to lizards and the trees of the primordial forest they lived in.  The powerful tides in the Bay of Fundy are constantly eroding the cliffs, constantly revealing more fossils.

No visit to the Bay of Fundy would be complete without seeing the Reversing Falls of St. John.  The St. John River flows into the bay through a series of rapids.  When the bay’s legendary high tide occurs, the flow of sea water forces the river water back up its course, reversing the direction of the falls.

Home of the late King, and his final resting place, his beautiful home of Graceland gives an insight into how the man lived when not on stage.  From the beautiful entrance to the famous Jungle Room, Graceland is everything you imagine it to be.

Tours of Graceland start across the road from the grounds themselves.  Here you will find everything Elvis from the tacky to the collectible.  From record stores to museums housing Elvis memorabilia such as his collection of cars, and the Lisa Marie, his private jet, there’s bound to be something that will tempt you into parting with your dollars.  One of the simplest mementos is to send a postcard home from the Graceland post office, this will have a Graceland postmark on it and so becomes an instant souvenir.   Your ticket into Graceland doesn’t usually include admittance to the other Elvis museums so if you want to see “everything” be prepared to pay for it.

One Graceland attraction that’s free to tourists is the sight of those famous musically decorated gates.  Which Elvis fan can forget the fans that lined up hoping to get a glimpse of what was happening on the days immediately following his death?  As the bus that takes you across to the house approaches, the gates open and you are admitted into this once very private estate.

Apart from the main house, there’s also an exhibition of Elvis’s stage clothes and other personal items, including his wall of “Records”, and the grounds behind the house where Elvis is laid to rest.  Even today, many years after his death, there are fresh floral tributes regularly sent to the estate by various Elvis fan clubs and associations and which are put on display.

Graceland is a home where a King once ruled, but even though his body may have long since past, his presence amidst the contrasting beauty and garishness is still felt today.  If you’re an Elvis fan, this is one place you must see if you’re in the Memphis area!

If you know you’re interested in traveling to the Caribbean Islands, you have a variety of choices for your final destination. You can try a fun cruise throughout the islands in order to visit all of the best hot spots, or you can fly directly to one of the many wonderful islands found in this region of the world. One of the islands from which you can choose is Anquilla.

Anguilla is not one of the most popular islands when talking about Caribbean travel sites, but for that very reason, it is great if you are looking for a more private Caribbean vacation, without lots of other tourists. Anguilla is actually a British overseas territory and is the most northern of the Leeward Islands. Anguilla is comprised of one larger island, including the capital city of The Valley, and also includes a number of tiny islands and cays, most of which are privately owned or uninhabited. Some of the other smaller islands that are part of the Anguilla chain include Dog Island, the Prickly Pear Cays, Scrub Island, Seal Island, and Sombrero, or Hat Island.

The climate on Anguilla is generally what you would expect to find in this tropical region of the world. The island does get northeastern trade winds, so it is fairly dry compared to other tropical islands, with the most rain coming in September and October. Anguilla is also along the path of some hurricanes in the summer and fall.

When traveling to Anguilla, make sure you spend some time in the beautiful Caribbean water. Anguilla is known for its coral reef, which is home to a variety of sea animals and plants. The land itself is mostly sandy and not particularly good for farming industries. However, the waters along the coast are great for fishing, so if you enjoy that sport, you may be interested in applying for a fishing license and talking to some fishing outfitters in Anguilla when planning your Caribbean travel.

As with most Caribbean islands, if you want to travel to Anguilla, you need the proper paperwork. Before you leave, apply for a passport, and it is important to be able to show either a return plane ticket or a ticket to otherwise leave the island at some point. Make your hotel reservations at least a few months in advance in order to find the best deals for your stay in the Caribbean.