Long Island - New York

This gives you a good idea of my current location. I am staying with some lovely hosts in a place called Mattituk which i have circled in red, its on what they call the North Fork of Long Island. Today i am doing a circuit which i have circled in green. Leaving from Mattituk going east to Greenport and then going south on the car ferry to Sag Harbour. The south fork is where alot of wealthy and movie star types are, so i should fit right in, who knows i may be signing my first movie deal today! The North fork what i have seen of it so far is absolutely gorgeous, its hard to imagine that you are just outside New York city, here you are in a semi rural environment surrounded by wine farms, its really pretty!

Today is Sunday and i have a real New York breakfast, made by my real New Yorker host and of course the New York times is around to read, wow, doesnt get better than this!

See more pics here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/NewYork#

Montreal to NEW YORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a day, i am now sitting on the bus going from New York to Long Island, about another hour to go, will finally arrive at 9.05pm and my host will collect me from the bus stop, shew!

I got up round 5.30am, left the apartment round 6.20am, walked about 7 blocks with my backpack, got the tube to the bus station, on the bus from Montreal to New York. Then about an hour later we all had to get off as we went through the border, that took about two hours, you have to leave your bags on the bus and go in and get questioned etc and whilst you are doing that they search your stuff, nice! Well finally back on the road and we arrive at Albany where we got off the bus for about half an hour, the coffee shop didn't even have milk!

Back on the bus and we finally get into New York round 5pm - what a city, wow! Its the largest city i think i have even been in, very impressive!! Got off the bus and then on to the tube missed the stop so had to get off and go back in the other direction, (Keep in mind that i am carrying 23kg on my back and about 8kg on my front!) get off at Grand Central station and have to walk two blocks to where i get my next bus, but i cannot see a sign so i start panicking and walking down the road all with my 23kgs and i am sweating like a bullock, not even just a bull. Anyways, i call the bus company as there are pay phones everywhere and they assure me i am in the right place, so back i go. Aha there is a sign but with a different name on it, yep they hadn't changed the name. Anyways i was really relieved that i had found the right place. Just behind me though was the Chrysler building so of course i took a few snaps! I think travelling for 12hours sucks! Okay okay give me an office job!

So i wont see New York now until the 3rd Oct when Ant arrives, so its Long Island and the Hamptons for me!

Sue Bramhall - Fame at last!

http://www.themessagegroup.com.au/last-nights-news.php?title=20090917-Sue-Bramhall_create.html

See more by clicking the link above

Sherbrooke - near Montreal, Quebec

I have spent the last 10 days or so in Sherbrooke which is about 147km's east of Montreal. I stayed here with hosts who run a Nursery.

My work was mainly working in the greenhouses of which there are five, weeding and tidying up as their season has just about come to an end.



Although Sherbrooke is just another town really and the tourist guide books dont necessarily rate it, I did manage to experience some of the delights of the area and country folks lifestyle which was rather interesting.


One of the evenings we went to Quebec's longest running english language theatre called The Piggery we had a nice meal here which was followed by great entertainment consisting of Bluegrass music, which was a completely new experience for me. Its kind of like Country music, but faster, better and much more fun.

Another day we went to eat out in North Hately which is an anglophone bastion with boutiques selling Lipton teas, tweeds and aran jumpers - the restaurant we ate at was actually Belgian cuisine and marvelous to say the least. On the same day we spent some time at the Sherbrooke station market, where you could buy fruit and vegetables, jewellery and plants and a band was doing their thing!

Living with the Nevilles in Sherbrooke was quite an experience, extremely kind hearted people who live alot from the land, which of course, doing veggies and such like is fine, slaughtering chickens and catching fish for tea was abit too much for me, poor city girl that i am.

On my last night with Cathy and Chuck before returning to Montreal we had a lovely dinner at the Vietnamese restaurant, I believe one of the best restaurants in Sherbrooke, I am so blessed to be so totally spoilt, no doubt! Thanks guys for a great time!

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/Sherbrooke#

Quebec city day 3

Started the day walking on the fort walls which basically goes round the old city, great views as you will see from the pics! Walking round near the hotel Frontenac were all these lovely little streets with gorgeous old houses i am sure they are extremely pricey due to the location.
From the Place d'Armes which is the main square just in front of the hotel, i walked north to visit the Basilique-Cathedrale Notre Dame de Quebec, gorgeous cathedral and the altar is a gilded replica of St Peters in Rome.

The ceilings are spectacular to.
Moving on from all the lovely architecture, i firstly used the miniature FREE electric bus, which is great and just circulates the old city and you can get on and off at specific places.

Secondly i jumped on the ferry over to Levis, which is an attractive Victorian town, but the main reason for the trip was the view of Old Quebec and it wasn't disappointing!Spent some time round the shops as you will see i found some interesting stuff and finally my last night at the hostel, had dinner in the garden, very pleasant!

Quebec is great i would highly recommend it to anybody who loves old architecture, its a delight!
More pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/QuebecDay3#

Quebec City day 2

Well this day started off with a circular walk of Quebec city and a visit to the Plains of Abraham, which is basically the site of many clashes for supremacy between the French and British Empires over Quebec city. The park is the scene of the 1759 Conquest, which changed the fate of North America. Apart from its historical past, the park is to Québec what Central Park and Hyde Park are to New York and London.

After completing an historical tour of the plains, i then went to an art exhibition in the Joan of Arc park which is really pretty and has a lovely monument of her.
Heading back to town, i came across a church holding an art exhibition, of course in i went, it was lovely, such great ambiance.

Back walking the streets of the old city and sunset is fast approaching, the city looks just gorgeous - the shops are all light up, there are a multitude of art galleries, musicians playing on squares and i finished off at the Museum of civilisation which was holding an evening exhibition of colours and art which was interesting. There are loads of people walking around at night so it is quite safe and very pleasant!

See more pics here:

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/QuebecDay2#

Quebec city

Wow! these places just get better and better. Just when i thought Montreal was it, i arrive in Quebec city and now i believe i really am in France. Everybody speaks french and those in the tourist trade just get by, you hear very little English unless its other (annoying) tourists!

Quebec city is built on a cliff so its quite high up and just an architectural delight, every street, every ally is something to behold!

My first night i was given the heads up that it was the last night of Cirque du Soleil and it was a free concert, man am i lucky or what. So after exploring my immediate surrounds, you just have to step out the door to be transported in time, off i went to see the Cirque!

Cirque de Soleil - http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/default.asp

These guys are fantastic, i have seen many shows, but really this impressed me no end. These guys can entertain i tell you. No animals which is a big plus, just people, fantastic costumes, choreography like i have never seen. The show was held out doors under the highway - lighting, speakers and a stage had been set up. The only down side and it was a small price to pay was that you had to stand, but it was so engaging that time just flew. The show starts in three different parts of the designated area, the crowd is waiting and suddenly the actors appear from the streets, with lights, on stilts, wow, its really mind blowing. They engage with the crowd alot which i have never seen to this extent. Anyways there was singing and trapese artists and all those circus things, which i normally dont really like, but it is done so well, you just love it. If you do anything, go and see one of these shows, they are all over the world and just full of talent. Interestingly I heard about them from one of my Scrum mentors, as he used these guys to show how to get cohesion in a team, very interesting.

More on Quebec city soon....

Montreal continued

The next two days were just filled with site seeing, there is so much, just walking down the street inspires me to whip out my camera.

An interesting Basilica was the Oratoire St Joseph, man is this a piece of work, you need to take 3 escalators and a few flights of stairs to get into the dome where at least 2200 people can be seated. Its really something but i have to say it didn't feel very holy to me, it felt very commercial, but it remains that it is really a lovely building. There are only three sites like this in the heart of a major city; Saint Peter’s basilica in Rome, the Sacré Coeur in Paris, and this one, i just realised i have now been to all three! Later back in the old city i of course did my 10 odd churches for the day.

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/MontrealDay2#

The next morning, i descended upon Mc Gill University which is the only Ivy League university in Canada it specialises in medicine amongst over things. Well the buildings are just up my street so of course i had to take my usual 150 pics!

In the old city, as i hadn't finished it yet, i stumbled upon a wedding, it just added to the whole ambiance of the Notre Dame cathedral!

Later in the day i took a boat trip out on the St Lawrence river which was excellent, and a great way to see the rest of Montreal as there are a couple of islands right next door. Perfect timing the sun was shining straight into the camera, ah well i guess i cant think of everything. From the boat you get a good view of the theme park, man its looks fun, wouldn't i just love to take my nephews there. The biggest roller coaster i have ever seen, apparently the ride is a minute long and you do feel queasy afterwards, i think i would be barking like a dog! There are other interesting things on the islands as you will see from the pics.

After the boat ride whipped up the clock tower, 198 steps i think, no problem to me, after doing nearly 3000 going up grouse mountain, this was child's play. Great views from here.

As so nightfall, i really wanted to see the old city at night and well i wasn't disappointed, its was exquisite. Apparently very safe even at night and of course there are loads of people about so i didn't feel scared at all, and i am usually abit of a paranoid pete! Unfortunately i know have all the same lovely old buildings at night, so boooorrrring, skip over them, but i cant help myself, somewhere deep down i am a Japanese tourist as i cannot stop clicking!

See more clickings here:http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/MontrealDay3#

Montreal

What a fascinating city, its feels like i have been transported to Paris and its not because they speak mostly french here but for a number of other reasons to. Firstly people are alot slimmer, more stylish and certainly alot more cultured. There are far less take-away food places and alot more street cafes and restaurants. People are friendly but reserved not loud or brash. Montreal is a lovely city with a church of some sort on nearly every block.

The old part of Montreal (Vieux-Montreal) transports you to a world dating back many years ago, with stupendous architecture and cobbled streets. Cafes and street artists are abundant and every corner turned is a feast for the eyes. Obviously i love 16th, 17th and 18th century architecture so for me this was pure heaven. Hearing french spoken is very pleasant on the ear and that coupled with the tree lined streets and European style accommodation is extremely romantic. I was lucky to find a lovely pensione in Mont Royal just a block away from the Mont and it truly felt like i was living in Europe, a great experience, also because most people do speak English so its certainly manageable.

The old city is so quaint and intriguing with many little streets to explore, which i did in excess! The pics give you a nice feel of what its all about.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/MontrealDay1#

Toronto and onto Montreal

My last day in Toronto so i went to see the old buildings of the University of Toronto which are very pretty and just near Queens park. This park is full of lovely black hopping squirrels, they are just gorgeous. I then went down to the waterfront area which has been done up and there are more upgrades to come, its very modern as you will see, but nice enough, not terribly exciting for me. I was lucky enough though when i was returning to China town to come across this beautiful presbyterian church the contrast is quite outstanding.

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/TorontoDay3#

My bus trip to Monteal was overnight with a 2hr stop over in Ottawa, i was dreading it but actually it wasnt to bad at all and went very smoothly. I was totally exhausted though when i arrived in Montreal!



Montreal!

I love this place and my accommodation is really nice to. Didnt do alot the first day just familiarised myself with my surroundings. Montreal is so French, so European (said in a french accent) viva la Montreal!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/MontrealFirstAfternoon#

Niagra Falls

Doing a day trip to Niagra from Toronto was certianly a wise decision. We left round 8.30am and it was a full day. Niagra falls is as spectacular as you would imagine, its gorgeous and reminds me alot of Victoria falls in Zimbabwe.

After walking along the falls and viewing them for about a 1km, obviously with many other sight see'ers we then got on the Maid of the Mist boat where you all get issued with blue rain coats as you will see from the pics and then its into or as close to the falls as you can possibly get, which is close as you get totally drenched but its good fun and a great experience.

Boat trip complete a walk in to Niagra village was the order of the day and man is that commerical its like being in how i would imagine Las Vegas, and totally geared for kids. I did surcumbe to going on the ferris wheel as i wanted a different view point of the falls and i wasnt dissapointed it was well worth my $10!

Its quite interesting that Niagra falls is basically split between the US and Canada and the smaller falls are in the US and the larger ones in Canada which I think definately pleases the Canadians, not to mention that there is constant bickering about which one is highest. There is a boarder post just on the bridge where you can cross over into the states, obviously with a passport and if required a valid visa. Our tour guide told us that only 50 million americans have passports which makes you wonder about the other 250 million. Apparently since the recent ruling of everybody having to show their passports at border posts, tourism has dropped dramatically at Niagra, interesting, eh?

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/TorontoDay2NiagraFalls#

Toronto!

Toronto is a really nice city, very flat and very different to Vancouver. Toronto is Canada's economic capital and one of its largest cities, with a population of 5,555,912 in the greater Toronto area. I spent the day today going to all the sites and many of the neighbourhoods. I dont think i have ever been in such a cosmopolitan city besides London that is. There is almost no specific culture here definately not Canadian due to the large number of other cultures making it a real mish mash.

The CN tower dominates the skyline much like the Space Needle in Seattle but the difference is that this is the tallest freestanding structure in the world at 553m, its quite something.

There is a nice contrast in the city of older architecture alot of it originating from England and Scotland and then the modern high rises.
My accommodation is actually in Chinatown and this alone is abit of a mind blow as the signs are often in english and chinese (catonese i suspect) and there are loads of asian people so much so that i could actually be in China - again!







A little out of town is Casa Loma - a castle of sorts and a very pretty building, i was lucking enough to have a peek inside, thanks to my South African bus driver Ed.


Some of the neighbourhoods i went through were:
The Beaches - this is incredible, Lake Ontario is huge and really does look like the sea its hard to believe its actually a lake

The Gay and Lesbian Village - and as soon as you are in this area you are very aware of the amount of men together, what a waste, *sigh*

Little India, Little Portugal and the Greek area are all really like being in those countries as the signs are in english and the relevant language below, amazing how Toronto has taken on all these cultures. It makes for good eating as you can imagine.

In the afternoon i went to the Kensington market which which quite interesting, alot of hippies and bands performing in the streets, very pleasant way to spend an afternoon. In the centre of Toronto was a Green festival which has tons of stalls all promoting green issues in some form or another, very positive!!!!

Tomorrow i am off to Niagra Falls, wooohooo.

See more pics here: http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/TorontoDay1#

Vancouver Island day trip

This was a hectic day - my advice, dont do Vancouver island in a day! However we did and it was fun. We caught our first bus at 7am a couple of transfers and we were at Horseshoe bay - we hopped on the ferry to Nanaimo which is mid island and 1hr30 mins trip. From Nanaimo we hired a car, i was the designated driver and have really got the hang of automatic and right hand side of the road driving. Took us a good 2hrs and we arrived in Victoria the capital of British Columbia. Our first stop was Fisherman's Wharf as i hadn't been here on my previous trip - it was lovely.

In Victoria downtown we had a good walk around and were lucky enough to experience the opening of Parliament so there was a lot of vibe and activity going on especially as there were protesters causing trouble!

Next stop was Buchart Gardens, this was about half an hour drive outside of Victoria, the pictures speak for themselves, the gardens are just gorgeous!!

Victoria is lovely and nice for a couple of days visit, but it really doesn't feel like Canada, you could be anywhere really! We finally arrived home at 10.30 pm that night, knackered!!

More pics here:http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/VancouverIslandWithMomAndDad#

If you are interested in seeing more of Victoria check my previous posts.

Vancouver - my last week part 2

Chinatown
One of the biggest in North America, quite an experience, you would think that you were actually in China. Interesting food stuffs, it did make me wonder if i would cope in Asia as i lost my appetite completely!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/ChinaTownVancouver#

Grouse Mountain

Having already been up Grouse Mountain i decided to walk up and meet Mom and Dad at the top. So the walk is not called the Grouse Grind for nothing!! It took me two hours and it was hell. It is an extremely steep and mountainous trail that climbs 853 m over a distance of 2.9 km with an average grade of 30 degrees, gruelling! But i did it and i actually felt pretty good when i got to the top!

The weather wasn't great this day but we still went up in the chairlift to the highest point, watched the lumberjack show and Dad saw the birds of prey show - its actually good value for money as all the shows are included in the price. I did mention this previously when i first went up that there are two Grizzly bears living at the top, they are enclosed but have a large area to roam around in, they were both rescued as cubs and are now aged 8. They were very active this day, so i got some great shots, so more boring bear pics!!!

http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/GrouseMountainWithMomAndDad02#

Boating off Vancouver

Lionel took us up the coast on his launch which was great fun! We went to Centre bay for lunch had a look round and then back down to Vancouver, a really nice day trip!
http://picasaweb.google.com/sbramhall/DayOutOnLionelsBoat#

Dinner party at my hosts

Mom did a dinner party for us all at my hosts Kathryn and Bill and their parents and the mexican student joined us as well. It was a great evening and we had a good scoff on Beef Stroganoff and cauliflower cheese, yum!

Vancouver - my last week

Unbelievable but i am finally moving on after being in Vancouver for 3 months. Its been totally wonderful and I have met some really great people especially my hosts and their family. My last week was still exciting as i had mom and dad here and we did some cool stuff. See below.....

Day 1 - Vancouver - Capilano Fish Ladder


Today we returned the hire car - sob sob! Its amazing how you take having your own car for granted, i don't any more! Before we took the car back we went to the fish ladder at Capilano, this is an amazing experience and shows you the life cycle of salmon. You might think pah, but these are pretty amazing fish. They survive in both fresh and sea water, travel for miles and miles out to sea for a few years and then return going up stream jumping over rocks and facing all sorts of dilemmas to get back to their breeding ground in fresh water - if you do anything check this info out, its totally fascinating. There are fish ladders all over Canada which are really man made bypasses up the steam which have fast running water and jumps and the fish dig it man, the harder the jump the better. The fish ladder at Capilano has windows so you can watch the fish jump and they really are skilled at this, i don't think i could eat salmon again knowing that i may be interfering with his/her life cycle.


A heron waiting patiently in the right place he knows exactly where the salmon come in. The next two pics are of the actual fish ladder.




Some interesting signs...

The first part not sure exactly what they are trying to get across or what these canadians are upto, however the second sign implies that the canadians do jump off toilet seats! I dont know...

Apparently canadians are not cleaning up behind themselves, naughty naughty! So Africa is not the only country with problems, eh!