Toronto

Nathan Philips Square and New City Town Hall at night, Toronto

From WweGirl in Toronto, Ontario

Distance: 6,360 km

Travel time: 8 days

Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza in Toronto, Canada. It forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall, at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named for Nathan Phillips, mayor of Toronto from 1955 to 1962. The square was designed by the City Hall's architect Viljo Revell and opened in 1965. The square is the site of concerts, art displays, a weekly farmers' market, the winter festival of lights, and other public events, including demonstrations. During the winter months, the reflecting pool is converted into an ice rink for ice skating. The square attracts an estimated 1.5 million visitors yearly. With an area of 4.85 hectares (12.0 acres), it is Canada's largest city square.

Viljo Gabriel Revell (January 25, 1910 – November 8, 1964) was a Finnish architect of the functionalist school. In Finland he is best known for the design of the Lasipalatsi ("Glass Palace") and Palace Hotel, both in Helsinki. Internationally Revell is best known for designing the Toronto City Hall, Canada. Wikipedia

Viljo Gabriel Revell,  ( 25. tammikuuta 1910 Vaasa – 8. marraskuuta 1964 Helsinki ) oli suomalainen arkkitehti, joka saavutti myös laajaa kansainvälistä mainetta. Viljo Gabriel Revell,  ( 25. tammikuuta 1910 Vaasa – 8. marraskuuta 1964 Helsinki ) oli suomalainen arkkitehti, joka saavutti myös laajaa kansainvälistä mainetta. 

Kansainvälisen läpimurtonsa Revell teki vuonna 1958 voittamalla Toronton kaupungintalokilpailun yhdessä ryhmänsä Heikki Castrénin, Bengt Lundstenin ja Seppo Valjuksen kanssa. Voittoisa ehdotus muodostui kahdesta kaarevasta tornista, joiden välissä on matala pyöreä kokoussaliosa. Kaupungintalo joutui paikallisten keskuudessa riidan aiheeksi, jolloin Revell joutui käyttämään kaiken voimansa työnsä valmiiksi saamiseen. Ehdotukseen jouduttiin taloudellisista syistä tekemään kompromisseja, eikä Revell ehtinyt nähdä kuolinvuotenaan 1964 valmistunutta rakennusta valmiina. Wikipedia

Gastown, Vancouver

 Gastown Steam Clock, Vancouver

From richardlater in Vancouver

Distance: 7,219 km

Travel time: 6 days

A steam clock is a clock which is fully or partially powered by a steam engine. Only a few functioning steam clocks exist, most designed and built by Canadian horologist Raymond Saunders for display in urban public spaces. One working steam clock is located in Vancouver's Victorian Gastown.

Gastown on Vancouverin vanhin kaupunginosa ja sen tunnetuin ja kuvatuin nähtävyys on vanha höyrykello. Kellon sunnitteli ja rakensi kanadalinen horologi Raymond Saunders, samanlaisia kelloja on vain muutama koko maailmassa. 

If you like to know more  click here .

Ottawa

The joy of winter on Rideau Canal in Ottawa

From KarenNfld in St. John's, Newfoundland 

Distance: 4,742 km

Travel time: 8 days

The Rideau Canal connects the city of Ottawa on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston on Lake Ontario. It is 202 kilometres in length. The canal was opened in 1832 as a precaution in case of war with the United States. It remains in use today primarily for pleasure boating, with most of its original structures intact, operated by Parks Canada. The locks on the system open for navigation in mid-May and close in mid-October. It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and in 2007 it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Rideaun kanava on kanava, joka yhdistää Ottawan kaupungin Ottawa-jokeen ja edelleen Kingstoniin Ontariojärven rannalla. Kanava avattiin 1832 ja se käyttää edelleen monia alkuperäisiä rakennelmiaan. Kanavajärjestelmässä käytetään hyväkseen jokia ja järviä. Se on Pohjois-Amerikan vanhin yhtämittaisesti toiminnassa ollut kanavajärjestelmä ja se listattiin vuonna 2007 UNESCON maailmanperintöluetteloon.

Montreal churches

 Notre-Dame Basilica, Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Received from Garth in Ottawa, Canada

Distance: 5,989 km

Travel time: 8 days

Notre-Dame Basilica  is a basilica in the historic district of Old Montreal, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The church is located at 110 Notre-Dame Street West, at the corner of Saint Sulpice Street. It is located next to the Saint-Sulpice Seminary and faces the Place d'Armes square. The church's Gothic Revival architecture is among the most dramatic in the world; its interior is grand and colourful, its ceiling is coloured deep blue and decorated with golden stars, and the rest of the sanctuary is a polychrome of blues, azures, reds, purples, silver, and gold. It is filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and several religious statues. Unusual for a church, the stained glass windows along the walls of the sanctuary do not depict biblical scenes, but rather scenes from the religious history of Montreal. It also has a Casavant Frères pipe organ, dated 1891, which comprises four keyboards, 92 stops using electropneumatic action and an adjustable combination system, 7000 individual pipes and a pedal board.

Notre-Dame de Montréal on roomalais-katolinen basilika Montréalin vanhassakaupungissa, Kanadan Québecissä. Uusgoottilaista arkkitehtuuria edustavan basilikan rakennustyöt aloitettiin vuonna 1824. Sen suunnittelusta vastasi irlantilais-yhdysvaltalainen protestantti James O'Donnell. Hieman ennen kuolemaansa vuonna 1830 O'Donnell kääntyi katoliseksi, ja täten hänet voitiin haudata suunnittelemaan basilikaansa. O'Donnell on ainoa kirkon kryptaan haudattu henkilö. Rakennustöiden päätyttyä vuonna 1843 basilika oli Pohjois-Amerikan suurin kirkkorakennus. Wikipedia

Saint Joseph Oratory of  Mount Royal, Montreal, Canada

Received from Kelly-Anne in Montreal, Canada
Distance: 5,905 km
Travel time: 34 days

Saint Joseph's Oratory of Mount Royal is a Roman Catholic minor basilica and national shrine on Westmount Summit in Montreal, Quebec. It is Canada's largest church. It is one of the world's most visited centres of pilgrimage.

Iceland

Warm in their winter coats.

 These horses seem to smile as they wait for summer time and easier grazing. 

Received from Thorey, Reykjavik
Distance: 2,167 km
Travel time: 6 days

View to the east over the pond in downtown Reykjavik. 

The National Gallery of Iceland and Frikirkjan church are just across the street from the pond. The spire of Hallgrimskirkja church can be seen in the background. 

Received from Mandy, she spent her autumn vacation in Iceland.

Andorra

Andorra officially the Principality of Andorra  is a sovereign landlocked microstate in Southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. 

Andorra is the sixth-smallest nation in Europe, having an area of 468 km2 (181 sq mi) and a population of approximately 85,000. Its capital Andorra la Vella is the highest capital city in Europe, at an elevation of 1,023 metres (3,356 ft) above sea level. The official language is Catalan, although Spanish, Portuguese, and French are also commonly spoken.

 Incles Valley

The Incles valley is still probably the prettiest valley in Andorra,  unspoiled by ugly buildings, wide roads and traffic. Walking along this valley in spring is like walking though a botanical garden. As the valley is relatively flat, it is an outing for the entire family. Those who want to stop at the end of the valley can have a picnic surrounded by magnificent scenery.  The Incles valley is a "must" and you should not miss this almost magical place.

Andorra 1997 from me to my family

Andorra general view

 ValCasa de la Vall is a historical house in Andorra la Vella. It is the headquarters of the General Council of Andorra.  It is a heritage property registered in the Cultural Heritage of Andorra.

Ordino is the most northerly in Andorra. The town is the namesake of the Andorran legend El buner d'Ordino, in which a bagpiper from Ordino, en route to a festival in Canillo, is chased by wolves, but frightens them off by playing his instrument.

Arja and me on our way from Ordino to La Massana and to Hotel Enst.

Helsinki Curches

The Cathedral

The Cathedral rising on the northern side of the Senate Square is the stage of national and academic festive services and one of the most popular tourist sights. The church is part of Helsinki's Empire era centre and a landmark for those arriving by sea. It has become the symbol of the whole of Helsinki. Earlier called St. Nicholas Church and Great Cathedral, the current main church of the Helsinki Diocese was completed in 1852. The Kazan Cathedral located in St. Petersburg is considered to be the model for the neoclassical style of the church. Sculptures of the twelve apostles guard the city from the roof of the church.

Temppeliaukio Church - Rock church completed in 1969.
Excavated directly into solid rock, the Temppeliaukio church is situated in the heart of Helsinki. Because of its special architecture, the church is one of the main attractions in Helsinki. The church hall is covered with a dome, lined with copper and supported on the rock walls by reinforced concrete beams. The interior walls are of rugged rock and rubble wall. Before noon, the sunlight spreads from the row of windows surrounding the roof periphery to the altar wall, where an ice-age crevice serves as the altarpiece.

St. John"s Church
St. John"s Church (Johanneksenkirkko) stands in Punavuori on the hill where midsummer bonfires take place. Representing the neogothic style, it is the largest stone church in Finland.

  Uspenski Cathedral
 Uspenski Cathedral was completed in 1868 and it was designed by the Russian architect Aleksey M. Gornostaev. The cathedral has 13 gilt domes, depicting Christ and the 12 Apostles.