The Rockies

The Rocky Mountains provide some of the best scenery shots in the world.  You are able to see this spectacular scenery from the highway, no need to get out of your car if your are not the outdoorsy type.  The above photo is taken in spring when there is still a fair amount of snow on the mountains, the ski hills are still open!  If you are thinking of camping the unofficial first weekend it the May long weekend. Victoria day as it is officially called falls on the monday before May 24th.  It can still get fairly cold at night so be sure to bring good sleeping bags.

Wildlife

When driving through Banff or Jasper National Park you will most likely see wildlife.  This is a very exciting experience for many overseas tourists as their home country many not have much roaming wildlife.  Be sure to slow down when driving by wildlife as they can jump out in front of your car in a split second.  You should NEVER get out of your car for two reasons.  The first is that other drivers on the road will be distracted by the wildlife and will not be paying attention to people walking on the road.  The second reason is that these animals are WILD.  Movements and actions are unpredictable, even if the animal is smaller than you they can be much more powerful.  You can still enjoy the animals from inside your car.

The links below have been specially selected to assist you with a trip to Alberta's National Parks.

Edmonton Valley Zoo

The City of Edmonton  has a quaint Zoo that is situated in the river valley.  This picturesque location is home to many animals from around the world.  The zoo originally opened as the Storybook Land Zoo.  Every area was themes to children's stories such as Humtpy Dumpty and Ba ba black sheep.  Over time these areas have been taken don  or not maintained but you are still able to see some of the stories.  The zoo has an expansion plan that once put into place will rival many other medium size zoos.  Since the zoo is not very large it comes will a small admission cost of only $9 for adults and $4.50 for children, prices are reduced in winter.

A fun place to eat!

Just after arriving in the UK we decided to walk around some fun parts of London.   This little cafe is just off of Oxford Street.  They served waffles with fruit toppings!  We were not able to find this cafe again but it serves as one of our first memories in London.

More Tower of London

The three photos above are what you would see if you walked around the Tower of London.  This is a very nice area of London to come and hang out.  There are usually some stalls for buying some tacky London Souvenir as well as some street vendors selling food.  The stone walkway along the river transports you back in time and gets your mind off of the hustle and bustle of London.

Traitor's Gate

Part of the Tower of London, Traitor's Gate is where prisoners were brought in from the Thames River.  On the way in they passed under the heads of recently executed prisoners.  The gate was originally built by Edward I and was intended as a water entrance for the Royal Family.  The Tower of London is not to be missed on a visit to the capital.  This attraction stores the crown jewels and many other interesting artifacts.

Banff Hot Springs

This is the old building for the Banff Hot springs.  It is still open for visitors to go in and see the Cave as well as one of the spring pools that has a one of a kind snail family.  The functional hot springs has been moved down the road f you still would like to go for a dip.  A couple of years ago there was a severe drought and the spring stopped producing water!  They still had the "hot springs" open for visitors with heated city water.

St. Mary's Basilica

This is the taller of the two towers that are at the entrance to this spectacular Basilica.  The tower is an impressive 262 feet tall and was built in the 14th century.  Every hour a trumpet is played from one of the windows.  The music suddenly stops as to remember the trumpet player that was shot in the throat while sounding the alarm during a Mongol invasion.

ABC Stores Hawaii

It seems like every single corner in the tourist areas of Hawaii there is an ABC store.  Each store has some fruit, drinks, and souvenirs.  The water here is cheaper than you can find it in any other store including stores outside the tourist areas.  Other than the water everything else is more expensive!  The one nice feature is that if you save your receipts you are able to get a "Free" gift at the end of your vacation.  Or hostel had a place to keep them so that if you did not spend enough to get something free you can help someone else!

Budapest Baths

This is one of the many baths in Budapest.  The city of Budapest has many natural springs that have been made into resorts.  This one has two large outdoor pools and a handful if indoor pools.  Each of the pools are a different temperature so everyone can find their perfect temperature.  The pool also has many other services including massages!  

Redwood Forest

The Redwood forest is found in Norther California.  The Redwoods are the worlds tallest trees reaching over 300 feet or 100 meters in the air.  The pleasant drive through the forest takes you past many of the areas interesting and strange attractions including the Log house and the chance for you to drive through a tree!  You should also take advantage of the many walking trails to get close to the giant trees.

Hampstead Heath Park

This is the view from one of he highest points in London.  From this park you can see much of the city centre including the London Eye.  The park has many facilities to keep a person entertained including swimming ponds!

Oregon Coast

The 101 Highways is one of the most spectacular drives in North America.  This shot is taken from one of the many pullouts for drivers to take in the spectacular scenery.  I have had the chance to drive on this highway all the way down to southern California multiple times and I have loved it every time.  It does take a fair bit longer than the I5 but if you have the time it is worth it.  



The icons above have been selected specifically to help any person that may be traveling to where the photo was taken.

Miette Hot Springs

Located at the entrance to Jasper National Park Miette Hot springs is the hottest in all of the national parks.  The water comes out of the mountain at a scorching hot temperature of 53 Degrees Celsius.  The pools are cooled to 40 for your comfort, and just for some more fun they have a pool that is kept at 5-9 degrees Celsius.  The photo above is the old pool building that was abandoned in 1984.  The new building while it is nice does not have the character of the old one.  If you are at Miette be sure to walk the 1KM paved trail to the abandoned pool and see where the water comes out of the mountain!

Paris Catacombs

Below the streets of Paris lies the city's answer to overflowing graveyards.  In the late 1700's the bones of thousands of people where organized neatly for their true final resting place.  There are many kilometers of trails full of these bones.