Prince Edward Island Continued!!

To continue my amazing weekend, Thursday night we went to see a musical and not just any musical the Anne & Gilbert musical!!  It was fantastic and incredibly well done.  I enjoyed both the music and the acting. Needless to say this was one of the highlights of my trip. You can check out the home page for the musical here.

Friday was by far the most exciting day for me.  This was the day that I had been looking forward to since I was 9! We went to where it all happened, "Green Gables" itself.  I do need to note that there really is no Green Gables.  The place that they advertise as Green Gables is in fact the house of a relative to L.M. Montgomery.  It did however give her the inspiration for Anne and many of her other books.  The grounds around the house also contributed to her books. I got to walk down Lover's Lane.

And I got to walk through the Haunted Woods to what remains of the house that Lucy grew up in. The best part of this entire experience was getting to do it with my Mom. She's been there from the first day that I was introduced to Anne and the world of L.M. Montgomery and she understood how much the entire experience meant to me.

After an Anne and L.M. Montgomery filled morning and afternoon our cozy little group headed out to the North Cape which is the Northwestern most tip of PEI.

Lighthouse at North Cape

The next day was a fun filled day in which we drove to the east side of the island and then back into Charlottetown.  We spent the afternoon and evening around Charlottetown doing some last minute PEI shopping.  I even had the opportunity to have COWS ice cream (sorry I still think Tillamook ice cream is better).

Province House in Charlottetown

Sunday morning we left the beautiful PEI and crossed the Confederation Bridge into New Brunswick.  After a few stops I was dropped off at the bus station in Truro to make the 6 hour trip back to Sydney.

One last picture of the group with "Bruce"

Confederation Bridge (8 miles long)

I hope you all enjoy the pictures from my adventure to Prince Edward Island. If there is something you want more information on about my trip feel free to ask! And as always feel free to comment.

Happy Travels!!!
-B

Prince Edward Island

I have been dreaming about this moment since I was a little girl of 9.  Anyone who has known me for awhile will know that it has always been a dream of mine to visit PEI because it is the setting for L.M. Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables and most of her other books.  As a 6th grader I was introduced to Anne's world by my school's secretary. She lent me the books and the rest is history.

This weekend I had the opportunity to go to PEI with my mom and 2 aunts. It was an absolutely fantastic weekend which I wish could have been longer. However, even though we only had a short period of time I feel we were able to fit in as much as possible.

It all started Wednesday afternoon when I was picked up at school.  We then visited the giant fiddle on the Sydney waterfront and hit the road toward New Glasgow, where we staid for the night.

Me at the Giant Fiddle!

The next morning we got up and headed to the Wood Islands - Pictou ferry.  It was a beautiful ride and we even got to see a whale!!

The black spot is a whale

My mom and I on the ferry

After getting off the ferry we made the hour drive in to Charlottetown for lunch.  Along the way we soaked up the spectacular views that make up the countryside of PEI.

That's it for today. I'll write about my time on PEI tomorrow. But until then....

Happy Travels!!
-B

Cape Breton Step Dancing

This semester I am taking a wonderful class called Celtic Dance.  The other day we had a performance class where we learned how to do some of the basic steps for a reel and a strathspey. This is a unique dance from Cape Breton called Cape Breton Step Dancing. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did.





And as always...

Happy Travels!!
-B

Weekend Update

I made it back safely from my weekend adventure on PEI and will be posting about it in the next few days.  However, I must first get some school work done. See you in a couple of days!!

Happy Travels!!
-B

The Promised Excitement!

I told you all excitement was coming but I bet you couldn't guess what it was.  Well you no longer have to wonder here is the big surprise..................


                My Mom is on the Island!!!!

My mom has come to visit me, along with two of my aunts. They have spent a few days on the mainland but now they are here visiting me. This weekend we will also be taking a little adventure off island. Be sure to check back to see where!

Happy Travels!!
-B

Parks Canada

This year is the 100 year anniversary for the creation of Parks Canada and the 125 anniversary for the first Canadian National Park Banff.  In honor of this I'm including two videos today. The first is celebrating the park system and the second is celebrating Banff.

Louisbourg: The Epic Adventure

The first weekend that I was here on Cape Breton I had the opportunity to go to Louisbourg with a bunch of friends. It was quite the adventure. The Fortress of Louisbourg is a National Historic Site of Canada and a rather amazing place. I'm just going to share some pictures from our adventure at the moment.

From the left: Mel, Steve, Me

The Village of Louisbourg

King's Bastion Barracks

This place is beautiful and if you ever get the chance to visit or learn more about Louisbourg I highly recommend it. Canadian history is fascinating, at least to me it is.


Happy Travels!!!
-B

Starbucks vs. Tim Hortons

Being from the Pacific Northwest I have grown fond of seeing the lovely and ever present Starbucks sign on many street corners.  It seems that where ever you go there is always a Starbucks from which you can order your Venti Caramel Frappuccino Light Blended drink.

Similar to this

Here on Cape Breton Island and in the town of Sydney this is not the case.  There is NO Starbucks on the island let alone in Sydney. I am not the kind of person who must have my coffee or die but I do occasionally enjoy a Starbucks blended beverage (especially during the holiday season).  Imagine when I discovered that there was no Starbucks to be had. I quickly recovered from my shock of a non-Starbucks world and moved forward.

Living here on Cape Breton I consoled myself with the discovery of the wonderful Tim Hortons. This amazing place I have discovered is much more to my liking and does not have as many choices as Starbucks (which I greatly enjoy).  Tim Hortons is known for its simplicity of coffee and donuts and believe me they do it well.

A commonly seen sign

I even went through a longing for Tim Hortons while I was home this summer. (The nearest one to home for me is in Victoria or Vancouver, BC.)  It was also one of the first things I found upon entering a Canadian airport. I hope that everyone gets the opportunity to go to a Tim Hortons and experience its wonders. And as always...

Happy Travels!!
-B

Excitment is Coming!!!

Something exciting is coming and I almost cannot contain myself but I think I will try for a few more days... just to keep you in suspense. 

Happy Travels!!
-B

Parks Can Can Canada

Back by request... Wednesday videos!!!  This week we are celebrating the Canadian National Park Can Can. Hope you all enjoy it.



Happy Travels!!
-B

All 50 States

Senior year of high school one of my teachers had us write down 50 things we wanted to do before we died and somehow yesterday this came up with my friend. We began reading our lists to each other and marking off things we have done. One of the items on my list is to visit all 50 states. She then found a website that will color a map of all the states you have been to and all those that you haven't. So here is my map. (The colored states are the ones I've been to.) 

  How many have you visited?

Happy Travels!!

-B

P.S. Here's the link if you want to figure out your own.

Winter vs. Fall Weather Shots

If you have been reading this blog for awhile you will remember the weather shots I took last winter from my dorm window of all of the snow.  I have decided to continue this.  First though I want to compare one of my winter shots to the shot I took today.

February 3, 2011

September 8, 2011

I cannot believe the difference. It's amazing.

Happy Birthday MOM!!!!

I just want to send a Happy Birthday to my amazing mom!!

Vegas: Things I Forgot

Ok so in my last post about Las Vegas I forgot to include two of the awesome things we did.

Awesome thing #1: Stratosphere
   The Stratosphere had one of the most spectacular views of the Strip and of the Las Vegas Valley.  It was not even that windy the day that we went up. This is also the location of one of the world's highest amusement parks! (Of which I did not partake)

View from the road of the Stratosphere

Me with a view of the valley

Awesome thing #2: The Venetian
    Going into the Venetian was seriously like walking into Venice (and I would know since I've been to Venice twice).  It was all indoors and lighting controlled so when you walked from one room to another it could go fro day to night.  The decor was also spectacular.

Part of the front entrance for the Venetian

The "Grand Canal"

All in all my trip to Vegas was wonderful and will never be forgotten.  We had a a great time exploring the strip and spending time at the pool. I hope to repeat it soon.

Happy Travels!
-B

You Only Turn 21 Once

So as many of you know I went to Vegas for my birthday. Let me just say it was fantastic and I would most definitely go back to do it again. I was fortunate enough to be able to stay with my friend's mom who happened to have a pool. Needless to say I spent a lot of time by the pool. Here are a few highlight photos of the first day.

Here is the New York, NY Casino and Resort.  The inside was alright, nothing spectacualr but the roller coaster ride was FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!!!!  Can you tell I loved the coaster?

It's a sleepy Kitty at MGM

And last but certainly not least..............

No words can describe how awesome it was to go to the Pawn Shop. The guys were not there but it was still pretty sweet.

Happy Travels!!
-B

September Update

I cannot believe that we are well on our way to the middle of September.  Can you?  I just wanted to give everyone a quick update on what's going on up here in the north-eastern part of Canada before I write a full length post.  So here are the highlights:

• Vegas was awesome and I had a fantastic birthday
• I made it safely to Nova Scotia
• Classes start on Monday
• My room looks like a tornado went off in it

I think that's all the highlights and important things from the last couple of weeks.  I am currently working on writing about my trip to Vegas and one on the last couple of days here in Nova Scotia.  That's what everyone has to look forward to.

Happy Travels!!
-B

P.S. I love comments