Category: North America

Victoria is the capital city of British Columbia, Canada and is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island off Canada’s Pacific coast; about 100 kilometres from the city of Vancouver on the mainland. It’s one of the oldest cities in the Pacific Northwest. It was built in 1843 as a Hudson’s Bay Company trading post. Victoria, like many Vancouver Island communities, has First Nations presence, composed of people from all over Vancouver Island and beyond. The city has a great number of students coming from other cities or countries to attend the University of Victoria, the Royal Roads University, the Victorias College of Art, among other important institutions. Lots of tourists come to visit the city too for its beautiful beaches, for its climate, not so cold as the rest of Canada and also by cruise ships that dock at Odgen Point near the city’s Inner Harbour. You’ll find restaurants, night clubs, pubs and theatres in the city centre with different regional events all year long. To see: the Parliament Buildings (1897), the Empress Hotel (1908), Christ Church Cathedral, Victoria Station Museum, Victoria Bug Zoo, Chinatown, among others.

Tips

Victoria is considered an ideal city for cycling, you’ll find hundreds of kilometres of bicycle paths, bike lanes and bike routes.
There are other activites like rock climbing, hiking, kayaking, golf, water sports, jogging; that are also very popular.
You can also take a tour to watch the whales that are often present near the coast.
You can also take the ferry all year long to go to Seattle (USA).

Clic ↓

Innisfil is a town on the western shore of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada; 80 kilometres north of Toronto. Historically it was a rural area but being near Toronto changed it and now we find an important residential development there; there are lots of cottages all along the lake shore with permanent residents. The name Innisfil comes from the Irish, it’s an ancient mythological name for Ireland. The town comprises a lot of communities who were added along the years. One of them, Cookstown, is a hub of antique specialty stores and outlet shopping. The town has a number of beach ends and small parks throughout Innisfil that have access to Lake Simcoe for swimming.

Tips

I you like summer activities, visit Innisfil Beach Park where you can access to Lake Simcoe for swimming, boating, fishing and winter recreation. You also will find three soccer fields, two baseball diamonds, a public boat launch and accessible playground facilities and during the winter, ice fishers may use the boat launch to drop off and pick up their fishing huts.
Another interesting places to visit are Leonard’s Beach or Centennial Park where you can find covered pavilions, accessible playground equipment and a small pond. Both places are open all year long.
If you like picnics, visit the South Innisfil Arboretum, you can also do bird watching, walking and snowshoeing.

Clic ↓

Cabbagetown is a neighbourhood located on the east side of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its name derives from the Irish immigrants who moved to the neighbourhood beginning in the late 1840s, said to have been so poor that they grew cabbage in their front yards. The area today known as Cabbagetown was first known as the village of Don Vale, just outside of Toronto; in 1850 they established in the area the city’s main cemetery. In the late 19th century the area was absorbed into the city. It became home to the working class Irish inhabitants who were employed in the industries along the lake shore. After the First World War the area became increasingly impoverished, and it become poorer and poorer with the years and the houses deteriorated. But in the beginning of the 1970s, professionals gentrified Cabbagetown and many residents restored the small Victorian row houses. We can find vintage clothing stores, health food stores, a gestalt therapy clinic and a farmer’s market. The area is also distinguished by a large number of rooming houses and other forms of low income housing. Many artists live there (musicians, journalists, writers, etc.).

Tips

If you go to visit the town at the same time of its annual festival, you must go on the second weekend of September. You’ll find many events during the week and the festival takes place at the weekend. The festival starts on Saturday morning with a band. There’s an arts and crafts fair. You can also do a tour of homes paying for it.
There’s another festival into the festival for film lovers. It’s a short film & video festival presenting productions running no longer than 15 minutes.

Clic ↓