Oh Canada! What can I say about how beautiful my country is. Here are some of my favourite placed and pictures of Canada.
Probably one of the most beautiful places on the East coast is Cape Breton Island.
But I was most surprised by the Gaspé.
Then, there it the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick.
This is just a taste of Canada, but I would be remiss not to celebrate my home, Toronto.
Learning how to photograph different things while I travel is part of the challenge and is becoming a passion. When I took a cruise around the tip of South America, not only sis I see cities and expansive landscapes, but I become challenged by taking photographs of wildlife. Here are some of my favorite photos of wildlife.
First group: sea lions in Argentina.
This group a seals found a floating dock to use as a place to catch some rays — and to play in the surf.
Birds have been more difficult for me. Here are some of my first attempts at taking photos of birds. These were taking new Cape Horn.
Off the coast of Ushuaia, Argentina, there are groups of islands that are homes to various seals, sea lions, and water birds.
And of course, there are penguins!
So, I started looking for other opportunities. In the Canadian Maritimes, I was able to get a fox on a beach at sunset, I got “photo-bombed” by a seal near Cheticamp, and watched an eagle fish on Bras d’Or.
And finally, from near where I live, is Niagara Falls. If you look closely, you can see at least twobirds in this picture.
Much of the Acadian story would have been lost, if it weren’t for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and his poem Evangeline: A Tale of Acadie. At Grand-Pré in Nova Scotia, there is a Canadian National Park set aside to tell the tale of the Acadians and honour the mythic tale of Evangeline. We got there on Canada Day, so the park fee was waived. There is a very interesting multimedia film presentation. The park is very peaceful and feels more like a garden. There is a group of four statues that represent the people who were removed from this land. It reminded me of the famine statues in Dublin. Then, there is the statue of Evangeline that leads to a reconstruction of a church that stood in the same spot. The church tells more of the same story. It also has a resident calico cat (you can probably guess what her name is)! I would highly recommend a visit to this site if you are ever in Nova Scotia.
After a day travelling the Cabot Trail and lunching at the Keltic Lodge, I visited to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Fortress Louisburg, and sailed on Bras d’Or. I’m very overwhelmed. I have so many pictures to share, however here are a few of the best. Needless to say, I love Cape Breton Island!
Travelling through Prince Edward Island and then heading to Cheticamp on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, I learned a lot about the lives of the Acadians – French-speaking settlers. In the 1750s, the Acadians were forced to leave this area, many of them moving to Louisiana and became known as Cajuns. The culture of these two areas share a love of music and many times of arts and crafts. On PEI, we stopped at a re-created village that is next to a church and the Farmers Bank of Rustico that was setup to try to help those who found a way to stay on PEI.
On the way to Cheticamp, we learned about the customs of Mi-carème. The is a time celebrated half-way through Lent where people dressed in masks and costumes and did the things they had “given up for Lent.” We were greeted by people in masks and costumes and got to see some of the makes made for this festival.
Cheticamp is an Accadian fishing village. It is also the centre of “hookers” – women who created hooked rugs that are truly works of art. We went to les Trois Pignons Musee to see their work. Elizabeth LeFort is considered the best and her works are in the Vatican, White House and Buckingham Palace. Her works include portraits and religious subjects.
