http://www.articlealley.com en-us editorial@articlealley.com June 29, 2006 It was an early day today, I got up at 4:30 am, and my husband dropped me off at 5:45 am at Toronto's historic Union Station. Several buses of young students were already unloading their luggage and ready to enter the train station. At ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_80487_29.html 12th August 2006 June 29, 2006 Shortly after my arrival in Montreal, right around 1 pm, I met Carole, a licensed professional tour guide from Guidatour in the lobby of the Holiday Inn and she was going to be my local expert on a driving tour through the centre of Mon... http://www.articlealley.com/article_80480_29.html 12th August 2006 June 29, 2006 After my initial introduction to Montreal through my driving tour, my next step was to explore the city on foot. I set out on my first walk through Old Montreal (Vieux Montreal). Literally five minutes from my hotel is the Place d'Armes... http://www.articlealley.com/article_80477_29.html 12th August 2006 June 29, 2006 After an enjoyable dinner at Modavie I was ready to head to my next scheduled activity: a ghost tour of Old Montreal. Old Montreal Ghosts or Les Fantomes de Vieux Montreal was founded about 8 years ago by a local Montrealer, Eric Poulin... http://www.articlealley.com/article_80472_29.html 12th August 2006 June 30, 2006 Every time I go to a new city, the spirit of adventure and discovery heightens my energy level and 6:10 am I was already awake. I read my guidebook for a while and then doze off again, only to be awakened by a major thunderstorm that dr... http://www.articlealley.com/article_80471_29.html 12th August 2006 June 30, 2006 Well, as much as the walking tour through Old Montreal nourished my senses and architectural sensibilities, my stomach was in dire need of nutrition and I was debating whether I should plunk myself down at one of the enticing terrace ca... http://www.articlealley.com/article_80466_29.html 12th August 2006 June 30, 2006 The Plateau area is one of the trendiest areas of Montreal, so I decided to explore it a little further after my discoveries of Old Montreal. From my hotel I hopped into the subway at Place d'Armes and took the blue train north to Sherb... http://www.articlealley.com/article_80464_29.html 12th August 2006 July 1, 2006 I had thoroughly enjoyed my guided tour of Montreal by bike and being the bicycling enthusiast that I am I knew this would be a highlight of my trip. The great thing was that even after the tour was finished, I would get to hold on to my... http://www.articlealley.com/article_80460_29.html 12th August 2006 Heaven knows that in these times full of cultural misunderstandings and conflict, we need people and organizations that build bridges between people of different cultures and backgrounds. One of these organizations is a Virginia-based NGO called "Legacy I... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63802_29.html 16th June 2006 My search for outstanding people who do unusual and positive things is an ongoing thing. Danielle Weiss from G.A.P Adventures recently put me on to another interesting individual: Richard Belliveau, an international traveller, adventurer and tour leader w... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63800_29.html 16th June 2006 My recent trip to Ottawa last weekend gave me a chance to explore Canada's capital first-hand. One place I did not have time to visit this time was Canada's largest and most visited museum: the Canadian Museum of Civilization. An architectural masterpi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63798_29.html 16th June 2006 Learning and exploring is one of the big mottos of this website and learning vacations are one of the best ways of expanding one's mind. A very well-known organization dedicated to helping people broaden their horizons is Elderhostel, a non-profit orga... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63796_29.html 16th June 2006 My good friend Sue Kenney left the corporate world a few years ago and went on a pilgrimage on the famous Camino de Santiago, a truly life-changing event for her. Since then Sue has written a best-selling book called "My Camino", she has recorded a story-... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63794_29.html 16th June 2006 The current controversy over the Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed has ignited my interest to educate myself more about Islam as I realized that there is so much I don't know. Ignorance generally breeds suspicion, hate and resentment, and I c... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63793_29.html 16th June 2006 Sometimes you come across individuals or organizations who quietly do phenomenal work in the community right here under our noses, without any big fanfare. Through my work with G.A.P Adventures, the feature sponsor of our First Travel Story Contest, I... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63792_29.html 16th June 2006 One of the topics that I am fascinated with is the cross-cultural adjustment process. As an Austrian immigrant in Canada I know that even a move from a Western European country like Austria to a modern developed nation such as Canada can entail a signific... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63790_29.html 16th June 2006 During our upcoming ski trip in the Alberta Rockies this March, we'll be visiting Calgary for the first time. As a matter of fact, it will be our first time in the Canadian Rockies ever. We'll have a brief one-day layover in Calgary before we move on to s... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63782_29.html 16th June 2006 My dentist, Dr. Rajiv Arya, and I have the most amazing conversations while he examines the precarious state of my molars. During my dental appointments he has been telling me about his interesting trips to Nepal and to South Africa, and he also mentioned... http://www.articlealley.com/article_63780_29.html 16th June 2006 I met Rubén Cortés a couple of weeks ago during my stay in Cuernavaca when he filled me in on a variety cultural and adventure sports tours that his company provides in the Mexican state of Morelos. In addition, he took me on a 2 hour hike through the "Ba... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62720_29.html 12th June 2006 Once you start opening your eyes, you will find interesting individuals all around you. Markus Lehmann's personal story is probably a little more unusual than most. I first heard about him at the Wonders of Brazil travel presentation that I attended a whi... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62717_29.html 12th June 2006 Every since I can remember, visual arts have held a great interest for me. And since I don't have time for painting, I instead try my hand at photography, more specifically travel photography. I am getting to the point where I have my camera on me all the... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62709_29.html 12th June 2006 During my stay in Cuernavaca I had the opportunity to meet several people from different community organizations that are involved in helping local disadvantaged people. Pablo Buitron is the General Coordinator of Fundacion Comunidad, an organizationt ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62704_29.html 12th June 2006 As a person who has been privileged to have travelled to many beautiful places across the world and to have made life-long memories, I often think of people in some of these distant places who are not so fortunate and are affected by crime, malnutrition, ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62659_29.html 12th June 2006 One of the reasons I chose to travel to Cuernavaca this past April was that it is one of the world's centers for Spanish teaching. Cuernavaca has in excess of 40 language schools and attracts language students from all over the world to this beautiful cit... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62631_29.html 12th June 2006 I had been to Mexico twice before, once many years ago in Manzanillo, and more recently in 2003 in Puerto Vallarta. Essentially both of these vacations were typical tourist experiences and ever since I got the taste for real discovery, starting with my Cu... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62616_29.html 12th June 2006 After a few very hectic days before my departure I got up at 4:30 am yesterday and my husband drove me to the airport. Since my flight was with Delta Airlines and had a stopover in Atlanta, I had to go through US immigration, as always an interesting expe... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62615_29.html 12th June 2006 This Friday morning the chirping tropical birds in the courtyard outside the building woke me up early. Vanessa had fixed a real Mexican breakfast: fruit – melon and papaya, with yogurt and sweat bread. Appropriately strengthened we got going early at 8:4... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62610_29.html 12th June 2006 Paul's story is an interesting one since it combines extensive world travel and an interesting life journey - a deliberate switch from a successful career in the heart of Hollywood to a quieter life in Toronto. Paul Teolis and I linked up recently some ti... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62608_29.html 12th June 2006 After our visit to the huge government-owned pawnshop, Nacional Monte de Piedad, we saw a side view of Mexico City's and Latin America's biggest cathedral: the Catedral Metropolitana. It is also at the heart of the world's largest Catholic diocese. Due to... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62607_29.html 12th June 2006 Last night after our big first discovery of Mexico City I had a couple of hours of rest before Vanessa and her mom took me to one of the most picturesque areas in the city: Coyoacán, an area located south of the downtown core. The traffic to get there, as... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62606_29.html 12th June 2006 This morning another wonderful Mexican breakfast was in store: Vanessa had made "tlacoyos con nopales" (fried dough covered with fruits of the prickly pear cactus and melted cheese on top) which I really enjoyed. Around 9:30 we got going and Vanessa's sis... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62604_29.html 12th June 2006 This morning, on our last day in Mexico City, we had one more relaxing breakfast with "hot cakes" (the Mexican version of pancakes) and around noon Vanessa had to leave for the airport to go back to Toronto. Her dad and sister drove her while her mom and ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62602_29.html 12th June 2006 After my arrival in Cuernavaca and the lovely dinner at Vanessa's aunt's place the whole family took me to my temporary home for the next couple of days: Villa San Marcos is a bed and breakfast located in a historic mansion in an area just south of downt... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62600_29.html 12th June 2006 I spend my mornings in Cuernavaca studying Spanish and I arranged to have the afternoons free to explore the city. At the Ideal language school today I had chance to talk with the founder, Hermilo Brito, to find out more about his school and its history.... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62598_29.html 12th June 2006 As a gesture of appreciation for Marta Elena's outstanding hospitality, I decided to get her some flowers since I know that she absolutely loves gardening. Around the Palacio de Cortés I started asking around where I would get flowers and everyone pointed... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62596_29.html 12th June 2006 Calgary is currently experiencing a major boom and one of the most dynamic and fastest growing cities in Canada. It is truly the gateway to Canada's West. During a our trip this spring to Banff and Lake Louise we had a chance to get to get a sneak peek at... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62595_29.html 12th June 2006 After a beautiful breakfast in the garden at Roxana's place with Helga, the young lab with shiniest black coat, dancing all around me, I went to my private tutoring session at the Ideal Language School where my teacher Estela and I talked at length about... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62592_29.html 12th June 2006 Today was my last day at the Ideal Language School. My teacher Estela and I had a very interesting conversation about Mexican culture, the church, and relationships between men and women. It appears Mexico is a culture in flux, where things are changing s... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62590_29.html 12th June 2006 I am currently staying at, "La Nuestra", a comfortable bed and breakfast with 4 guest rooms, a private swimming pool and an outdoor breakfast area complete with microwave and fridge, which has a rather interesting story. It is co-owned by two women, Andie... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62588_29.html 12th June 2006 This morning I got up early and had a nice breakfast in the inner courtyard of La Nuestra. Shortly before 9 am Andie and I left for her monthly meeting of the Newcomers Club, a group of about 170 mostly English-speaking expatriates from all different coun... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62584_29.html 12th June 2006 After my visit of the Newcomers Club I took a taxi to the Museo de la Ciuadad which is located directly about the Tourist Office of the City of Cuernavaca. There I connected with some colleagues from the Ideal Language School where I had been taking lang... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62583_29.html 12th June 2006 My friends Alberto and Elisabeth picked me up early Saturday morning and dropped me off at the Estrella de Oro bus station at 8:45. We chatted for another little bit until the bus left at 9:15 am. I was riding in a modern, air-conditioned bus on the toll ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62582_29.html 12th June 2006 This morning I woke up early, way before 6 am. I lay awake looking at the blinking lights of Taxco right outside the window of my beautiful accommodation at the Posada de la Misión. I got up, took a shower and took my time since the sun doesn't come up un... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62581_29.html 12th June 2006 A new week began yesterday, after my wonderful weekend in Taxco, and after a quick breakfast I took a taxi to my school which is located in the El Túnel neighbourhood. The school is called CETLALIC Alternative Language School and among the many Cuernanvac... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62580_29.html 12th June 2006 I have a habit of cramming a few too many things into my schedule, and I think yesterday was such a day. I started my day with a nice breakfast and then took a taxi to the Cetlalic language school. Cetlalic is known for its dedication to political acti... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62579_29.html 12th June 2006 At roughly 10 in the morning I walked through beautiful residential streets in the north end of Cuernavaca to the so-called Glorieta de Zapata, a traffic circle featuring a statue of one of Mexico's freedom fighters on a horse. Right next to the traffic c... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62578_29.html 12th June 2006 This morning I headed off on the Ruta no. 2 to the Túnel area of town and started my last day at the Cetlalic Language School. We had a very interesting day, during the first part of the day we discussed the water shortage in Cuernavaca and that the city ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62577_29.html 12th June 2006 My last couple of days in Mexico were approaching fast and furiously. I packed my overnight bag early this morning and took the 9:15 am bus to Taxco again. I had already been here last week for the Palm Sunday Procession and had decided that I wanted to r... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62576_29.html 12th June 2006 Yesterday I had spent my day in Taxco for the famous happenings of Semana Santa. I watched two religious processions: at noon time there was the Las Tres Caídas procession and at 5 pm I watched El Santo Entierro (The Holy Burial). These processions in ... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62575_29.html 12th June 2006 When I left Toronto this morning at 10 am it was raining cats and dogs. But fortunately rush hour was finished and traffic was flowing easily. About an hour east of Toronto the rain stopped and the sun started peeking through and the drive through the hil... http://www.articlealley.com/article_62574_29.html 12th June 2006