Travel

Back to Birken

Saturday, September 27, 2025

A travel report from my 7 day silent retreat

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Summer Travel

Wednesday, August 27, 2025

Travelogue by bullet point

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Saturday, August 9, 2025 →

On the plane back to Vancouver. 🛫 Goodbye Ottawa! 🏛️ Thanks for the memories Kingston. 💍 Loved the Cirque, Montréal. 🎪 Quebec City, I hope to return to the Château Frontenac in 19+ to see the new colour of the ceiling! 🏰 Summer hols are almost over. Regular programming starts Monday. 👋

Back of seat airplane monitor showing a map of Canada and an airplane route across the country from YOW to YVR

Friday, August 8, 2025 →

More Ottawa adventures: Stewart the Service dog who greets people at the hotel and lives in a castle in the lobby, the portrait of Churchill that was stolen from Château Laurier and wasn’t noticed for 8 months and later returned, and Hitler’s car.

Girl petting a black dog Château shaped dog house Famous photo of Churchill scowling into the camera because the famous photographer grabbed the cigar out of his mouth right before the picture Hitler’s black parade car. In the background is a photo of a Nazi parade

Thursday, August 7, 2025 →

Today’s adventures in Ottawa: National Gallery of Canada and Canadian Museum of History 🇨🇦

Chad selfie in front of the giant spider statue MAMAN by Louise Bourgeois Chad selfie looking up to the glass cieling of the National Gallery of Canada Chad selfie at the Northwest Coast display at the Canadian Museum of History Bob & Doug McKenzie on display at the Canadian Museum of History

Wednesday, August 6, 2025 →

The national Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa is a very impressive building. Built in “Scottish Baronial” design, it features of all sorts of animals 🫎🐺🦬🦫 on the outside and depicted in the stained glass. Also it has giant Earth 🌎 and Moon 🌖 globes!

nature.ca

A castle like building made of stone, but on one side is a giant glass cube housing a model of the Moon Front of a stone building with stone moose heads above the doors. The third floor is a giant glass cube with a Moon inside Chad selfie looking up at a giant model of the Moon

Tuesday, August 5, 2025 →

Made it to the capital 🇨🇦

Canada Parliament Building at dusk. There are many tower cranes as the place is under renovation. In the foreground is the Flame of Confederation

Saturday, August 2, 2025 →

Now for some Cirque du Soleil 🎪

Chad standing outside some circus tents with a signed saying LUZIA

Saturday, August 2, 2025 →

2 last morning shots of le Château Frontenac before we get on the train to Montréal. Over the past 100 years it has been expanded 5 times, taking the room count from 160 to over 600. In the 90s they almost lost their 5 ⭐️ rating for lack of a pool and spa so they built one! 🏊 🧖‍♀️

Chef selfie in front of the hotel The hotel from a slightly different angle showing more of the expansions

Friday, August 1, 2025 →

We GOBLIN’d it up in Quebec today #kdrama

Chad in front of the Château Frontenac mail box Chad stands beside a Red Door in Lower Quebec

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 →

Crossed the plains of Quebec to the capital city, founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain and the only walled city north of Mexico. We checked in at the hotel, did a walkaround, and ate some crepes. Tomorrow we reunite with our older daughter who has been here 5 weeks studying Français!

Chad at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac Long shot down the Rue Saint-Louis which looks very European Some delicious savoury crepes Saint François de Laval Monument with the steeple crosses of Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral all in silhouette

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 →

Current status: Quebec City ⚜️

This is the furthest east I have ever been in my life‡ 🙀

‡ Most of my travels have been in the Far East

Chad selfie in front of a Quebec sign Chad selfie at the cool via rail station with a shiny copper roof Chad selfie in front of a Canada government building right beside the station for no other reason than it looks like a castle

Monday, July 28, 2025 →

Last day in Montréal! Walked a bunch including up the mountain! 🥵 Lovely view. Had amazing handmade spicy noodles 🍜 for dinner. (Seriously get the Oil Spill noodle, spicy cucumber, and spicy tofu strips. Perfect for a hot day!). Bon nuit Montréal! 🌇

Chad selfie with a very red face pointing to downtown Montreal behind and below him. Cheekily he wears a Vancouver Whitecaps hat Pano of the city from Mount Royal A man makes noodles at a Chinese noodle shop while two women look on. It’s like magic! 🪄 Sun sets behind the horizon as the cross of Mount Royal looks down on the city

Sunday, July 27, 2025 →

Today was “Dome Day” in Montréal for us. We first visited the Biodome by the Olympic stadium dating from Olympics in 1976. Afterwards we saw the Biosphere designed by Buckminster Fuller himself for the 1967 Expo.

Black and white image of Montreal tower vaulting over the Montreal Stadium which is technically BESIDE the Biodome Chad selfie in front of Buckminster Fuller's Biosphere

Saturday, July 26, 2025 →

The sun sets on a hot and smoky day in Montréal. We walked around quite a bit. Sunburned. Saw The Ring. Ate crepes. Hit Schwartz’s. Walked by a ton of murals. Drank with witches. Daughter pet cats. What a day!

Chad selfie in front of the giant Ring in Montreal Mural of an emerald being The oldest deli in Canada: Schwartz. Big lineup in the sun Orange sun in a smoky sky sinking behind the horizon. To the left is Mont Royal and the big cross looking down over the sun

Friday, July 25, 2025 →

Had a full day in Montréal: met with a friend, a lot of walking around, visited the Notre Dame Basilica, ate lobster poutine, and saw Just for Laughs on stage! #travel #photography