Day 13 Tour Saturday 9/6/12

We left Alexandria, Washington at 8am, after yoghurt in the park - our little cafe wasn't open until 8. :(
We headed for Philadelphia for a lunch break where the declaration of independence was signed in 1776, which gave America independence from Britain . The constitution was written also in Philadelphia in 1778, at the same time George Washington was elected as the first president of the USA.
Independence hall, independence square and the liberty bell ( symbolizing the anti slave revolution) are all found in the old town section of Philadelphia .



We left at 1230 for New York, arriving at 3 pm at the Skyline Hotel. After goodbyes we headed to our hotel a 20 min walk away. We are staying at the Salisbury Hotel on w 57th street near Central Park, for 2 nights.
Sue and John caught up with us for tea, and we enjoyed pizza , laughter and travel stories, followed by a walk through central park til 10pm.


It was a beautiful warm clear evening and tour director Sue, showed us new city sights we hadn't seen before- the archway where John Lennon was murdered and the penthouse where Yoko Ono lives.


Cheers Leanne and Greg xx


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Location:New York

Sunday 10/6/12

After a little sleep in, we headed straight for Chelsea via the subway at 9am. It was a short train ride , with friendly helpful people steering us in the right direction .
We arrived at the Chelsea Markets by 930, for a 1030am foodies walking tour of Chelsea and the meat packing district. As we were so early we settled in for breakfast, enjoying people watching and marveling at this amazing shopping precinct transformed from a derelict factory site ( nabisco biscuits) into a food haven with shops specializing in different foods from around the world . The interior of the mall is constructed with old discarded iron, marble, railway bolts, safety deposit boxes, engines made into tables, old doors and windows. It is an inspiring creative space where artists and designers can showcase their work, plus you can find amazing bakeries and food outlets. Google's office entrance is found here too, it's not grand, it's two doors taken from a demolished shop front similar to those you would find on the front of Myers or David Jones. The office is open 24/7, staff basically can live up there, with bedding, kitchens, family areas and even dogs are welcome.





We were joined by Sue and John and 8 others for a 3 hr tour of the area with food sampling.( cake, Italian, bakery items, pasta, bisque, etc ) and history of the area. It was fabulous and would highly recommend it.
We also visited 3 high class restaurants, all owned by Iron Chefs.
After the tour we walked along the water front, where the piers have been redesigned into parks, sporting areas and a golf driving range.
We then strolled along the 1.5 mile high line- an old elevated train track that has been reclaimed instead of being pulled down, into a tree, grass and flower filled park high above the road. It was like bourke st, people everywhere enjoying the sunshine and glad to be out of their little high rise apartments.
The area of Chelsea and the meatpacking district is being transformed from an unsavory area known for its prostitution and drugs into a trendy arty area with high end shops and restaurants.

Our next adventure was a cruise dinner on the Spirit Cruise line from pier 61. It was a 3 hr Buffet cruise along the Hudson river down to the Statute of Liberty and back along the west side up to the space shuttle that was on display .
It was a fabulous evening with Sue and John and lots of amazing views of NewYork as the sun was setting over the river.




We grabbed a taxi back to our hotel , exhausted from a wonderful day in Manhattan .
Yes, I love New York !!
Monday, we have our final day in New York and will be heading to JFK airport about 3 pm leaving at 645 for LA and then 1 1/2hrs later to Melb arriving Wednesday at 830 am.
Cheers Leanne and Greg Xx





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Location:New York City

Day 12. 8/6/12

Last night we all ate out as a group followed by an illumination tour of the memorials of Washington . The John F Kennedy Memorial Performing Arts Centre was one of the highlights, most of the marble and decorative features were donated by countries in memory and respect of JFK.
This morning we ate at little cafe next to our hotel, instead of our usual yoghurt and coffee.
We then meet a local guide for a morning city tour at Arlington National Cemetry, a military cemetry that was originally the home / acreage of George Washingtons ( 1st President ) grandson. It is a place of rest for 410,000 military personal and their immediate family. There are 25 burials a day.



We drove past the Pentagon, which you can no longer visit since 9-11, it is the largest office building in the world.
Washington DC ( district of Columbia) was chosen as the capital of the USA in1790, and named after Christopher Columbus . It has a population of 650,00 in the CBD, and 5 million in surrounding suburbs.
We visited the Korean War Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial ( which lasted 20 yrs with 56,000 casualties), the Lincoln Memorial, The Whitehouse ( back of, no longer able to view the front of the whitehouse) and Capitol building.



We then had a free afternoon, and we spent the afternoon visiting the National Gallery of Art. We enjoyed the renaissance period, but did not feel cultural inspired by the works of modern and contemporary art.

It has been a beautiful summers day in Washington, there are lots of kids around, end of school term excursions and a Girl Guide celebration weekend with 30,000 gg's all doing the tourist thing!
This evening we went to the old town of Alexandria, a beautiful town full of cafes and shops on the river Potomac. There is a shuttle bus from our motel, so many of our group have spent their last night in the old town. We had fun shopping, walking around and bumping into other passengers. We caught the shuttle back at 930 pm, and organized our heavy bags for our return to New York tomorrow.
Cheers Leanne and Greg xx






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Location:Washington DC

Day 11 7/6/12

Before leaving Lancaster this morning we had our 1st group buffet breakfast followed by a tour of a replica Amish farm and house.
As we walked from room to room our guide explained the Amish way of life, food dress, customs and religion. About 20 families will form a community ( 180-200) and it's within this community that they have financial support if needed ( health or hardship), through tithing during the year. The community meet in homes for church and the service lasts for 3 1/2 hrs, followed by a luncheon together which is prepared the day before by the host family, as Sunday is reserved as a day of rest. German hymns are sung, without musical instruments. A deacon and elders are responsible for the on going rules and regulations. Different communities will have slightly different versions of the same regulations- eg some will be allow to hang lace curtains , whereas another community will view that as excessive and only allow blinds.



There are 30,000 Amish people in Lancaster , and growing. One third are farmers and 2/3 rds are labours, carpenters etc
Unfortunately, I was unable to find or have time to source some Amish quilts:( :(
A stop at Marylands for coffee and then on wards to Washington where we arrived at 2pm.
Well from the peace and harmony of Lancaster, we hit Washington running with 2 hrs to do as many museums as possible . The weather was warm, so we quickly chose the museums that interested us and off we went avoiding all the construction work and closed pathways along the way.
First we visited the National Air and Space Museum, which explored the universe, space travel and the history of flight. Very interesting- but lots of school kids.
Next we headed for the Capitol building for a quick photo .



Then we hiked it down to the National Museum of American History, also full of students! This museum is full of interesting bits and pieces , like all the first ladys dresses they wore when their husbands become President. Shoes from the original "scarecrow" from the 1938 wizard of oz production and the chair George Washington sat on.



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Location:Washington DC

Day 10 tour. 6/6/12

It was an early start this morning leaving Niagara, and crossing the border back into the USA and the state of New York.
One strange difference between Canada and the USA is that Canada have black squirrels and America grey squirrels!

We head south east into Pennsylvania, passing through beautiful rich countryside of orchards and farms, stopping for breaks and lunch on the way.
Today we travel nearly 600 kms in the coach, playing drawing games, watching a movie, snoozing and singing to cd's.
We arrive in Lancaster at 430, to beautiful weather and we all enjoy sitting on the lawns and around the pool chatting .
At 530 we head off to an optional night out to experience the Amish lifestyle and have a traditional Amish meal.
The Amish are followers of Jacob Aman, who was a baptist originating from Europe and arriving in Pennsylvania in the 1700's. There are several off shoots from this religion today, Mennonites, mainly living in this area as farmers.
Their religion is based on having only what is necessary - as being too worldly takes you away from your family.
They have no tv, electricity,phones or cars. They travel by horse and buggy and all farming equipment is basic as is their clothing.For power they use mainly gas or some solar, they will not connect up to the town power source.

Late in adolescence their young people are allowed to have a year off ( socialising / sport in the real world ) to decide whether they want to commit their lives to the Amish way. If they choose to remain, they are baptized as an adult into their faith. If the child decides not to commit to the Amish life they are ex communicated, and depending on the community, may never see their parents again.
The children attend school to year 8, 14 yrs old and it is presumed that they will take on the farming responsibilities of the family or the fathers trade.They look after each other, and do not accept welfare, and tithe twice a year, which pools money for health care . Several family groups become a community and meet regularly in each others homes for church services. Once the male is married he grows a beard
without a mustache, as a mustache reminds them of the persecution they endured by soldiers( who had a mustache) in Europe before they escaped to America.
The Amish are held in high esteem in the community, as hard workers with integrity and honesty.



In Canada , we were told several times by tour guides that religion has no place in Canada, so "we have sold off our churches and monasteries to make apartments and condominiums."This really sadden me and made me wonder what the future of these towns will be without the influence of the local church. Then we visit the Amish, and though quite extreme in their beliefs I am impressed with their total commitment to their faith,and to each other and how they are still a part of the community- but not of the community-( John 17) have lovely homes, sell organic food/ meats and above all are highly respected by the town they live in.

Lots to ponder on a long long day on the bus.
Materialism has become such a way of life, and more and more family life is being eroded away because we have become so busy. The Amish lifestyle, is no way perfect, but it certainly makes you consider life.

In the evening we went on an optional movie presentation of the Amish, food tasting, followed by a hearty buffet meal. On our way back to the hotel we noticed the Amish houses had gas candles in their windows as a sign of welcome or a large star on the front of the barn or front door.
What a lovely idea!



Cheers, I hope I gave you something to think about,
Leanne and Greg xx










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Location:Pennsylvania, Lancaster

Day 9 Tour. Tuesday 5/6/12

We left Toronto traveling south along the Ontario lake, passing rich farmlands, orchards vineyards, and a hydro electric scheme on the way to the town of Niagara.
Niagara is 150 kms from Toronto and has a population of 83,000. It exists mainly on tourism of the falls, and was discovered on the 1600's.
On arrival I boarded a helicopter with 3 others on the tour for a scenic flight over niagara and the 3 falls that make up "niagara falls" ( Americian falls, bridal falls and the canadian horse shoe falls). It was a clear, windy day and the flight was fantastic , I loved every minute of it esp when the helicopter banked when turning.It has been a highlight of the tour for me!



We then went into the falls area, and it was spectacular. The force of the falls is awesome and the fine mist that sprays over you as you walk along the path just adds to the excitement of niagara falls.
We all boarded the "maid of the mist" with our blue raincoats on and took position along the edge with cameras ready. It was so much fun getting saturated by the mist and spray off the powerful falls as the boat cruised up along side the largest fall- Canadian horse shoe fall. It was a fabulous experience and one not be missed if you ever travel this way.



Above the falls in the town of Niagara, there are several eateries and very tacky Los Vegas looking venues,opposite the falls is the USA border.We had a lovely lunch over looking the falls with 2 girls from the tour, who are teachers from Melb.


Tonight we are staying on the outskirts of Niagara, with lots of shops around us. So after a spa,walk and dinner it's off to bed after a wonderful day.
Cheers Leanne and Greg xx




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Location:Niagara

Day 8. Tour. 4/6/12

Today was a sleep in, well sort of. The coach left at 9am, and because we are staying another night we did not have to have our bags out at 630. Yay!!

We started the day with a morning tour of Toronto, visiting the different districts, business, entertainment, Chinatown ( a bit dumpy), old town, rainbow(gay), boutique and downtown shopping . All the areas are fairly well blocked and have the classification of the district written above the street name.
Unfortunately most of the old homes / buildings in the central district, have been pulled down and replaced by new buildings and sky scrapers.
We visited the old and new city hall, the Parliament building, Toronto harbour. The new city hall was designed in the 1950's and is two eyelids looking down on an eyeball- see photo below. The eyelids symbolise the council officials / management looking down on / caring for the residents of Toronto.



We then had a harbour cruise, with a highly amusing captain, and cruised around an island . The waterfront was quite spectacular from the boat.
I then went up the famous CN Tower ( Canada's national tower) , 114 stories or 553 meters high. The lift had a small glass floor, which was ok looking down, but going up was a bit scary! It was of course a fabulous view from the top, and I enjoyed the experience- alone- Greg chose not to go up.



The afternoon was spent walking around the town.
We walked up Yonge st, which is the central street in Toronto , it is the longest street in the world. With lots of stops , shopping and coffees we enjoyed a relaxed afternoon by ourselves..
There has been some shooting in our area over the last 2 days, and a man killed in the Eaton Centre- large shopping mall- so there are lots of police around.
Toronto has a small underground shopping centre with 1100 stores and cafes accessed by the train system.
Tonight is a quite night , eating out at the food supermarket , and an early night ready for Niagra falls tomorrow

Bye , Leanne and Greg



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Location:Toronto

Day 7 3/6/12

Today we departed beautiful Ottawa for Toronto , 463 kms away.

On our way we stopped off for a Thousand island cruise on the St Laurence river. The islands are of various sizes and the criteria to be an island is it has to be at least one square meter in size, above water for 365 days a year and able to sustain life eg grow at least one tree. The whole area is beautiful with lush green pastures , trees and vegetable/fruit/ vineyards. The wooded islands are on the river are sprinkled with simple to opulent homes on tiny postage stamp size islands to larger rocky areas. The Boldt Castle, a large hotel has a magnificent position on the water way.



We stopped at Kingston, for lunch, a defense town in the 1830's, protecting Quebec/ Montreal from Americian invasion via the river. The military still have a a major influence in the town today with colleges and a military base. Kingston also has a prison with a water view! We enjoyed our first hot dog here with the lot, of course

A brief afternoon stop for coffee and apple pie at The Big Apple, where they make everything apple before we continued our journey to Toronto.

Toronto means meeting place, originally Indian tribes meet on the river to trade. It was founded in 1793. Today it is one of the worlds most liveable cities, with 49% of the population being born elsewhere . There are 140 languages spoken in Canada's largest city.

We arrived in Toronto, at 5 pm with still a drizzling rain and cold conditions which has been following us since Quebec.



Our first impression is that it reminds us of Melbourne, freeways heading into the CBD , high rise apartments, and leafy river views.There are a few groups of young people hanging around and some beggars in the streets,which has made us feel a little bit uncomfortable for the first time. However it stays light until 8 ish, so it is safe to walk around the streets and we always seem to bump into other tour people.

Tonight we went out for dinner at Blake House, a restaurant in an old house. The meal was really nice, roast and yorkshire pudding and veggies. I was the only female in the restaurant besides the waitresses , that may have been because we were on the edge of the gay community. Standards have been a lot more liberal in Canada.
We checked out a new local supermarket in Canada, Loews . It was an amazing experience. It's a large supermarket as we know it on one side with an enormous fruit and veg section thats mainly organic with produce from all over the world. The meat section has a huge selection of different cuts of meat, that can be purchased individually, cooked or raw. The deli , has cheeses from all over the world as well as cured meats, olives etc etc. All bakery items are made on site, and range from petite little cakes to huge muffins and exquisite cakes. It also has long tables set up in the middle of the fresh food section, where you can sit and eat your purchases of cooked meat, veggies, sushi etc etc.

We are in Toronto now for 2 nights which will be really nice not to pack up in the morning. The hotel is in the middle of the CBD and we have a great view and large spacious room. We are in walking distance to the esplanade and main shopping area.
Cheers for now,

Leanne and Greg


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Location:Toronto

Day 6 Tour 2/6/12

Today we left Montreal for Ottawa, after a coffee at "second cup"( similar to Starbucks and Tim Hortons, but has nicer food) .
The trip was only 204 kms, so we arrived in the rain mid morning for a morning tour by a local strict teacher type guide.
Ottawa is an Indian tribal name and has a population of 1 million . It is a relatively young city, founded in 1820, as a lumber/ milling town. Ottawa is the capital of Canada ( decided by Queen Victoria) and is in the province of Ontario and borders the province of Quebec. It is surrounded by 3 rivers ( st Laurent, Ottawa and Rideau), ideal for logging, and has a lock system for the movement of boats. The rideau canal becomes a skating canal in winter and people use it to skate to work. It has lots of green spaces, trees and water ways. Ottawa is mainly English speaking and signage, menus etc are all in English- thank goodness . Only 25% of the population have French as their 1st language.
In 1857 Ottawa became a country.
It is easy to get around as the streets are in a grid system. It reminded us of Canberra, with it's organized street system , cleanliness, Parlimentary buildings, courts , museums and stately residences and embassies. The House of Parliament has a peace tower built in 1927, which is a memorial for those who, lost their lives in WW1. The tower is just beautiful with amazing stain glass windows and stone work which was supplied by Belguim, England and France



The day rained off and on all day, but that did not stop our sightseeing. We went to the house of Parliment, which was spectacular, the Museum of civilization and had a tour around the The Chateau Laurier which was celebrating 100 yrs of serving Ottawa as a hotel. The chateau's original owner was drowned on the titanic , his wife and children survived and opened the hotel several months after his death.

We finally found some "beaver tails " and thoroughly enjoyed them. Beaver tails are pastries , like flat donuts. I had apple and syrup on mine and Greg had chocolate and banana. I think we have now managed to eat all the disgusting fatty yummy traditional foods of Canada.


After a nanna nap we headed off for tea at a local diner.

Cheers Leanne and Greg






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Location:Ottawa

Day 5 Tour 1/6/12

We arrived in Montreal at 1130 after traveling 258 km and a brief coffee stop at McDonalds.
Montreal was first settled by the French in the 1600's and is an island surrounded by rivers. The rivers have a clever lock system that allows the passage of container ships on the St Laurent river.It was originally believed by the french and native indians that the river would connect Montreal to China.
Montreal means "royal mountain" and is the 3rd largest speaking French city in the world. However, unlike Quebec it is bilingual and most of the 3 million population speak both French and English . Strangely though most signage is French. It is a modern city and quite liberal in its morals and thinking. It wasn't until the late 1970's that they realized that they had demolished most of their heritage buildings and finally passed a law to stop further demolition. Unfortunately they lost alot of significant buildings in the name of progress. This was the same time of the Olympics in 1976, the stadiums, velodrome, athletic village and other structures are still being utilized today as museums , sporting venues and accomodation .
It is a city of parks and 400 kms of bike tracks as well as hosting the Grand Prix next weekend.



Like Quebec, Montreal is under going massive construction and road works while the weather permits. During the winter months they are unable to do any works at all. 200 million dollars is spent every winter to maintain the roads and paths free from snow.
On arrival we had 2 hrs of free time to explore old Montreal, before a city tour at 130. We enjoyed walking around the cobbled streets and indulged in Poutine ( curdled cheese, chips and gravy) and a smoked beef and mustard sandwich . The beef is layered about 3 inches high!!!!



Montreal is linked by an underground system of 63 railway stations and 200 buildings. This allows the population to basically live underground during the extremes of temperatures ( -10c) that they experience. People can virtually leave their apartments, travel into the CBD by train/car to work or shop and do not need to venture outside.
We checked out the labyrinth of under ground shops and subways and were just amazed at the levels of shopping underneath the main streets. There was usually 4-5 levels of shopping surrounded by the met transport system. From the street level you would never know what was beneath the busy streets.
The city is very safe, is mainly middle class, and has several universities specializing in multi media/ special effects , medicine and pharmaceuticals.
Our evening meal,was at a local pub.

The Montreal flag is divided into quarters by a cross. Each quarter depicts the countries of influence in the city, Rose- England. Thistle-Scotland. Shamrock - Ireland. Lily of the valley-France .

Cheers Leanne and Greg Xx






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Location:Montreal