bloodyminded Posted February 27, 2011 Report Share Posted February 27, 2011 I like Toronto, and Newfoundland is one of only two provinces I've never been to (the other being BC). !!! Me too! That's kinda funny. This is my first trip by myself, so I don't want to go too far away. I can sympathize. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August1991 Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 So, I decided against Europe. This year, it's Ottawa and Montreal.Smallc, skip Montreal and go to Ottawa and Quebec City instead. Trust me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August1991 Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) I'm considering Newfoundland and Toronto this summer.Newfoundland is a difficult place to visit. Newfoundland is only interesting on the coast (because people once travelled by boat). The road is a very recent addition and so if you travel by car, you won't see much of Newfoundland.It's a long drive to St. Anthony's and you must stop on the coast. If you drive to St. John's from Port aux Basques, make sure you take time to drive on smaller routes to the coast - Bonavista Bay, Fogo - otherwise the drive is very, very boring. Newfoundlanders are coastal people. Albertans are road people. It is impossible to understand Newfoundland in an RV, just as it is impossible to understand Quebec in English. Edited March 9, 2011 by August1991 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonam Posted March 9, 2011 Report Share Posted March 9, 2011 (edited) I'm off to Alaska this Friday for a week, that should be interesting. Gonna be spending most of the time heli-skiing though. Then around November I'm headed to France for a year to work at ITER, near Marseille. Will be first time to Europe for me, definitely excited about that, and a year's worth of weekends should give me enough time to explore a lot. Gotta say the Alps are at the top of my list. Edited March 9, 2011 by Bonam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted March 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2011 Smallc, skip Montreal and go to Ottawa and Quebec City instead. Trust me. I went to Quebec City last year...and I plan to go back....just not this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August1991 Posted March 11, 2011 Report Share Posted March 11, 2011 (edited) I went to Quebec City last year...and I plan to go back....just not this year.Fair enough.Montreal is a difficult city to understand - even as a tourist. I have given many tours in Quebec Ciy to foreigners. No problem. They get it. Montreal? This is difficult. I found myself showing Chateau Ramezay, where the old walled city existed, Trudeau's family home in Outremont, where James Cross lived, Justin Trudeau's place. There's the reminants of a French-era chateau, built in the 1600s, at the west end of the island. Montreal is confusing. Edited March 11, 2011 by August1991 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest American Woman Posted March 12, 2011 Report Share Posted March 12, 2011 I'm off to Alaska this Friday for a week, that should be interesting. Gonna be spending most of the time heli-skiing though. Then around November I'm headed to France for a year to work at ITER, near Marseille. Will be first time to Europe for me, definitely excited about that, and a year's worth of weekends should give me enough time to explore a lot. Gotta say the Alps are at the top of my list. Just saw this -- hope you're having a good time! Alaska is sooo beautiful, but from the sound of it, not sure how much of it you'll be seeing. I'm sure heli-skiing will be an awesome experience, though -- but zip lining is about as adventurous as I get! Where were you in Alaska? Your year in France will be a great opportunity for you; my daughter did a semester abroad in Italy and managed to see a lot of Europe on weekends/time off, including hang gliding in the Alps -- which sounds like something you may be interested in. The Alps are gorgeous, but a cable ride was as daring as I got. Montreal is confusing. That shouldn't discourage anyone from going there -- it's a great city! One of my daughters' and my faves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbg Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 So, I decided against Europe. This year, it's Ottawa and Montreal. Smallc, skip Montreal and go to Ottawa and Quebec City instead. Trust me. I second that. I've been to Quebec City twice and Montreal four times (thankfully all brief visits). Montreal makes Sudbury or Moose Factory look elegant (no insult to those cities). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August1991 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) That shouldn't discourage anyone from going there -- it's a great city! One of my daughters' and my faves.I don't think you quite understand my point.Quebec City is a wonderful city to visit in part because it is obviously "foreign". Montreal is a difficult place because foreigners (ie. Americans) can speak English and believe that they understand it. But Montreal is not an English city. It is like an American going to Moscow, seeing white people and believing that the city is Western. Edited March 13, 2011 by August1991 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smallc Posted March 13, 2011 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 I don't think you quite understand my point. Quebec City is a wonderful city to visit in part because it is obviously "foreign". Montreal is a difficult place because foreigners (ie. Americans) can speak English and believe that they understand it. You can speak English in most of Quebec City's visited areas too, so I don't see your point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
August1991 Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) You can speak English in most of Quebec City's visited areas too, so I don't see your point.Enjoy your trip.Long ago, in Deng Xiaoping times, I spent several days in Beijing/Shanghai and I met a few people who spoke English too. Edited March 13, 2011 by August1991 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bonam Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 Just saw this -- hope you're having a good time! Alaska is sooo beautiful, but from the sound of it, not sure how much of it you'll be seeing. I'm sure heli-skiing will be an awesome experience, though -- but zip lining is about as adventurous as I get! Where were you in Alaska? I actually just got back to my hotel room a bit ago. Staying here til Wednesday. Trust me, we are getting to see a lot of beauty Perfect bluebird weather as we flew in to Anchorage and then drove to Valdez. Some great views of the mountains and the glaciers along the way. Alaska is definitely beautiful, I feel like I would love to live here if there existed jobs in my field up in Anchorage or something. Too bad. I am a bit of an outdoor adventure seeker I guess, though compared to some of my friends I am just a newbie. Got to try out a bit of ice-climbing today in addition to the heli-skiing. Both things for the first time for me, both awesome. Also doesn't hurt that our group consists of me and 3 beautiful women, I'm a pretty happy dude right now Tomorrow is another day of heli-skiing. The day after that we are gonna do some snowmobiling and the day after that we are driving up to the base of McKinley for a day hike and to scope it out a bit for next year's summit attempt, if we manage to put that trip together. Then I'm back home for like 2 days before the next adventure, off rock climbing in California. Your year in France will be a great opportunity for you; my daughter did a semester abroad in Italy and managed to see a lot of Europe on weekends/time off, including hang gliding in the Alps -- which sounds like something you may be interested in. The Alps are gorgeous, but a cable ride was as daring as I got. Yep, hang-gliding would be sweet. Sounds like your daughter knows how to have fun I am really looking forward to getting to see the place, and to the job itself as well. I'm gonna be a vacuum engineer at ITER, the world's foremost fusion experiment and the biggest international scientific collaboration besides the International Space Station. The town it's being built in is crammed full of the world's greatest minds in physics and engineering, I am gonna learn a lot. Plus I'll get to make use of all three of my languages to the fullest: English, Russian, and French, the three languages most spoken in the research town and by employees there. Can't say I am gonna mind finally making money from a real job either as opposed to scraping by as a student. Think it's all gonna go to mountaineering gear and trips though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bloodyminded Posted March 13, 2011 Report Share Posted March 13, 2011 (edited) Newfoundland is a difficult place to visit. Newfoundland is only interesting on the coast (because people once travelled by boat). The road is a very recent addition and so if you travel by car, you won't see much of Newfoundland. It's a long drive to St. Anthony's and you must stop on the coast. If you drive to St. John's from Port aux Basques, make sure you take time to drive on smaller routes to the coast - Bonavista Bay, Fogo - otherwise the drive is very, very boring. Thanks for the tips, much appreciated. I think I'll follow this advice. Edited March 13, 2011 by bloodyminded Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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