Photo from WhistlerBlackcomb.com/photo index.htm

As we speak the Olympic Flame is making its way to its final destination of Vancouver in beautiful British Columbia, Canada where it will upon its arrival on February 12^th announce the beginning of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The Olympics, always entertaining and exciting on its own, will also highlight the rich diversity and spectacular destinations in and around Vancouver.

Photo by NDushesne

One of the most impressive parts of the Olympics for me is to watch the dazzling opening ceremony with all the pomp of lighting the torch and watching the athletes enter in the parade of nations. And equally inspiring is the closing ceremony where the flag is passed to the next country to host the games. All the days in between are filled with ice events, such as alpine skiing and jumping, snow boarding cross-country skiing, bobsleigh and luge – some taking place in metro Vancouver and Cypress Mountain and some in Whistler. The winter games are thrilling and my favorite to watch. For those lucky spectators who will be visiting during the Olympics, there is a plethora of sites offering  travel and ticket information and the NBC broadcast schedules.  Here’s a link  that will follow the events for the two weeks of broadcast.

                                                                  Photo by iShot

Whistler Village at Night by whistlergal78

But besides being a mecca for winter sport fans, Vancouver is touted as a world-class city and offers a range of amenities, cultural festivals, activities and must see sights. This link will show a wonderful overview of Vancouver with photos, places to go and things to do.  Also, are recommendations for shopping, accommodations and wonderful eateries and cafes.  Whistler, with a six month season, attracts skiers and snowboarders from all over the world. Whistler Blackcomb, world-class and host resort for the 2010 Games, offers outdoor activities all year long for adults and kids and people of all skill levels.

It looks like Vancouver is going to turn out to be an awesome choice for the Olympic game goers and tourists alike.  Let the games begin!

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Vieux- Montreal…a city that stole my heart in a mere 24 hours. It is a city that feels more like a part of France, than a city in North America. Montreal is located in Quebec, Canada’s culturally French province. The people of Montreal were incredibly warm, friendly and helpful. It was the perfect romantic getaway that we will remember for a lifetime.
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215Toronto is the capital of Ontario, Canada. It is a large metropolitan city. If one doesn’t have a good guide or group of locals to help point you in the direction of fun and entertainment, I for one would have been a bit lost. Toronto is not a city easily navigated by car or foot as it seems. We had 3 maps which needed constant cross-referencing to figure out where we were most of the time. And you should always add some time to your assumed journey times as locations that are even right next door to each other take twists and turns to get to.

203Our trip to Toronto was mainly a business trip with an added side of fun in between. We went for “Fan Expo Canada”, the yearly Canadian science fiction, fantasy, horror, comic convention. My partner, Roberto, is an artist who does a lot of coloring for comic, sci-fi and fantasy magazines. So we were invited to the convention by his agent and his operation, Udon. Udon is an affiliation of various artists that work on a variety of products for the industry. Roberto’s colleagues were wonderful people, mostly living in Toronto, who were a great help to us during our stay. Without them, we would have been truly lost. Read the rest of this entry »