Trans-Canada-Highway - From Coast to Coast

All photos by the Author

Vancouver Island - View from Sooke on the southern tip

7,000 kilometers criss-crossing the Canadian provinces from Nova-Scotia to British Columbia. 

Travelers don’t need to prepare for this trip, and they don’t need maps or navigation help: The Trans-Canada Highway leads them from coast to coast.  You can't get lost! 

From St. John's in Newfoundland to Victoria on Vancouver Island. Hotels, motels, and restaurants/fast food stores are galore along this route. 

The Trans-Canada Highway is Canada's longest national road. My tip: Don’t drive it in July or August, as it can be very hot in central Canada. I traveled it several times, either in April-May or in September-early October. 

Here are some photo impressions:

16-kilometer-long bridge from Prince Edward Island to Nova Scotia 

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Light Tower near Antigonish, Nova Scotia

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Lobster Traps on a Wharf in New Brunswick

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Old Montreal, Quebec

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Patisserie in Bromont

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Governor General's Rideau Hall Guard, Ottawa

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Parliament in Ottawa

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Manitoulin Island, Lake Huron Ontario

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Niagara-on-the-Lake in Spring

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CNN Tower Toronto

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Algonquin Park Cottage

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You Are in Bear Country!

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Human Rights Museum Winnipeg

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Heritage Buildings in Winnipeg

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First Nations Casinos

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Floatplanes

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Endless Wheat Fields

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Old Grain Elevators

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Prairie Grass

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Hockey Mascot and Grain Elevator

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Barely any Canadians have seen their home country in its full length and traveled through several time zones. Let alone visiting the Northern Territories. What a pity that they fly to Europe or the Caribbean, but haven’t seen their own country.

Bentley, my large dog, traveled with me, lying comfortably in our van, and I stopped every hour, not driving more than 3 to 400 kilometers (250 miles on average) per day.

Big Skies in Alberta

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Oil Towers

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Native Reservations in Southern Alberta

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Bog at the Waterton Ntl Park

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Glacier Ntl. Park

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Canadian Pacific Train

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If you want to see more of the country, check out these side-routes:  

Nova Scotia's South Shore, the route #132 along the St. Lawrence River, Quebec City and Montreal, the 1000 Islands where the river flows into the Lake Ontario, Winnipeg in Manitoba and Saskatoon in Sasketchawan, the Badlands around Drumheller and it’s Dinosaur Museum.

Visit Jasper and drive the Icefield Glacier Parkway along the border of Alberta and British Columbia, Kelowna, the city of wine and roses, and then Vancouver, one of the most beautiful Canadian cities, maybe with a short trip to Whistler.  Don’t miss the western islands including Ucluelet and Tofino on the Pacific coast.

Lots of Vegetables and Fruit in BC

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Kootenay Lake British Columbia

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Small Town Feel in Greenwood, BC

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Osoyoos Desert, BC

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Native Winery in Osoyoos, BC

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Rainbow over Vineyards

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Roses of the Okanagan Valley

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Okanagan Lake towards Vernon

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Monument Kelowna Harbor

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Kelowna Bear

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Okanagan Wine

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View over Kelowna and Lake Okanagan

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Mount Robson, BC

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Vancouver Island, View from Nanaimo

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Vancouver City, English Bay in Spring

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Vancouver Heritage Museum

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Olympia city Whistler-Blackcomb

Take at least a couple of weeks to enjoy a wonderful trip, exploring marvelous Canada.

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MUST-SEE: Art-Deco Festival in Brussels, March 14 to 29th

If you like Art Deco, this event is one you cannot miss!

On the agenda are interior tours offering just shy of 19,200 entries, including 35 Art Nouveau buildings, 20 Art Deco buildings, 11 modernist buildings, 23 essentials that must be seen at least once in a lifetime, and 23 classics that form the building blocks of architectural heritage, 12 new additions that have never been featured before and 6 previously new additions from last year for those who missed them the first time.

A testament to the genius of the fathers of modern architecture in Belgium: 

11 works by Victor Horta, 3 by Henry van de Velde, 2 by Octave van Rysselberghe, 2 by Michel Polak, 2 by Adrien Blomme, 2 by Louis-Herman De Koninck ... 

But also works by Joseph Hoffmann, Gustave Strauven, Paul Saintenoy, Antoine Courtens, Jean-Baptiste Dewin, Joseph Diongre, the Brunfaut dynasty, Jacobs Father and Son, etc.

Many residential buildings: 26 houses, 13 mansions, 7 villas, 1 apartment building. And also 17 buildings serving other purposes: former shops, workshops, schools, places of worship, community centres, theatres, etc.

 

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Milano, Italy, December, in the Rain and Cold

                                 

 Arriving from sunny Bolzano in Southern Tirol, Milano, the perfect destination for a short week's visit, greeted me with cold weather and rain.  From visits decades ago, I knew Milan only as a hot and sunny city. I made the best out of the weather and enjoyed good food, museum visits, and (window) shopping.

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Unlike in other parts of the world, in Southern Europe, restaurant guests often sit outdoors - no matter how low the temperatures are. Often, heating devices and thick blankets are used to warm guests, and large umbrellas to keep the place dry. 

Other favorites of mine were the countless pasticerias, gelaterias, and 
chocolaterias. Indulging in their sweet dishes, cakes, cookies, and ice cream 
in a quality unknown in North America, I had no other choice but to
stock up on calories : )

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Pinoteca di Brera building

Also in Via Brera is a large outdoor market, offering lots of 

custom jewellery and other decorative items!

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The Gallery of Modern Art in Milan, known as GAM, 

houses the largest municipal collection of works belonging to the 19th century.

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GAM, Modern Art Gallery, Milan
Showing art that is more traditional than "modern". 

But it is a museum well worth visiting

Housed in a beautiful villa, I spend hours in the GAM, and it didn't cost anything, as it is one of the many museums in Milano that are free on Wednesdays or Sundays. 

Get a list from the tourist office or check the online guide here:

https://www.yesmilano.it/en/articles/free-museums-milano-definitive-guide

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Il Duomo is just a ten-minute walk from the Brera area.

I had planned to take the elevator up to the incredible rooftop to appreciate the grandeur of the Duomo and to enjoy the view of Milan. But this time it was raining, and I had to postpone it to a future visit. 

I went to the tourist information to grab the city's tram map. 

The nearby Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, an attractive shopping arcade, was the ideal place for a cappuccino and to admire the beautifully decorated store windows. 

A perfect escape from the rain!

 

The Brera neighborhood is iconic and full of charm. My favorite place is 

the Botanical Garden, hidden behind the Pinacoteca di Brera. Surprisingly, 

quite a few flowers and bushes were still blooming on this mid-December day.

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Brera, the artistic district, with its charming streets, has beautiful buildings.

These historical buildings usually enclose a quiet courtyard.

The area is quite attractive, with plenty of bars and restaurants.

Another posh area with one designer shop next to the other is the area 

around Via Napoleone and its side streets. Window shopping at its finest for me!

A fantastic selection of Ballerinas in all colors. I could have 

bought a dozen - if they hadn't been so expensive. 

Via Napoleone with its posh stores

Quadrilatero della Moda is the fanciest neighborhood

Milano seems to be becoming green - at least on several high-rises. 

Balconies and terraces are planted with trees and shrubs.

A public phone like in the good old days. 

It might be historic soon, 

but it works perfectly. I tried it out!

When I was tired after visiting museums, I just sat in a tram and enjoyed slow "sightseeing" rides through the city.  I stopped where I saw something interesting.  That's my favorite kind of exploring a city.  However, I need to stress that Milano also has a great subway system. 

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