By AlexTref871, Jebulon, Diliff, Keith Yahl, Thomas Wolf, www.foto-tw.de, Jebulon [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons
Rome is also home to the Vatican. Below is St Peter’s Square, where earlier this year a snowball fight took place for the first time during a rare snowfall.
By Johann Kleindl (Klettermaxe) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC BY-SA 2.5-2.0-1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], from Wikimedia CommonsThe historic centre of Rome has been been listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
After our whirlwind trip to Paris, we’re back in Canada in the capital city of the Province of Quebec.
I can’t say enough about Quebec City. The part that is Vieux-Québec, within the walls I think is as close to Paris as you can get without having to go to Paris.
Opening on the American Thanksgiving, the German Christmas market is a great place to mix, mingle and shop.
Perhaps, the best-known building in Quebec City is the Hotel Chateau Frontenac.
This fairy-tale castle with its central tower stretching high into the sky, located at the top of the cliff, stands guard over the city.
You can walk the boardwalk, known as Dufferin Terrace, from the hotel out to the Plains of Abraham. It’s a beautiful walk in the summer.
The Historic District of Old Quebec (Upper and Lower Town within the wall) is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Today we’re flying to Europe – France, specifically – for P is for Paris day on the #AtoZ Challenge tour.
What can I say about our destination? Other than
J’adore Paris. C’est Magnifique!
The City of Lights earned that moniker from the 56,000 gas lamps illuminating the streets and famous monuments.
Probably the most iconic of all is the Eiffel Tower built for the Paris Universal Exposition in 1889.
In 2003, I was fortunate to get to the top of the Eiffel Tower. The views from that vantage point looking down over the city are amazing.
If you start walking the Avenue des Champs-Élysées at the Arc de Triomphe, by the time you reach Place de la Concorde, you will have walked 1.9 kilometres.
Arc de TriompheObelisque in Place de la ConcordeArc de Triomphe du Carrousel
If you look through the centre arch of the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel (at the Louvre) above, you can see the gold at the top of the obelisque and beyond that, the Arc de Triomphe. All perfectly lined up.
Boat tours on the Seine take you past many landmark locations.
If you’re lucky enough, you might even get to climb the steeples at Notre Dame Cathedral and get up close and personal (sort of) with the chimeras gracing the building’s facade.
Notre Dame Cathedral
When I returned to the City of Lights in 2014, my mobility was somewhat hampered. I tore my gastrocnemius muscle shortly before my trip. At least I had graduated from crutches to a cane by then.
We’re back in Canada today in the nation’s capital for O is for Ottawa day of the #AtoZChallenge.
Today’s post ties in with K is for Kingston. It was in Kingston that the Prime Minister at the time, Sir John A. MacDonald is said to have consulted with the Witch of Plum Hollow (also known as Mother Barnes) regarding the location of the what would become our capital.
Below is the centre block of the Parliament Buildings during a changing of the guard ceremony.
By Yann Fauché & Alma Mulalic [CC BY-SA 2.5 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-In addition to being the capital city of Canada, Ottawa is well-known for the Rideau Canal. In the winter, it becomes the nation’s (if not the world’s) longest skating rink.
By Originally uploaded by User:SimonP [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], from Wikimedia CommonsThe city boasts two universities – Carleton and the University of Ottawa and some college campuses.
If you’re interested in the paranormal, Ottawa doesn’t disappoint. Some buildings in the city are reputed to be haunted.
And, if you want to stay in a place that’s haunted, there’s the former Ottawa jail.
There’s much more to say about Ottawa, but the best way to experience the place is to visit.
I have loads of pictures taken in the city, but they must be “pre-digital” camera and tucked away in photo boxes because when I searched the computer(s), I couldn’t find a one. *sniff*
We’re back in the US today, in the southern state of Louisiana for N is for New Orleans.
The city, nicknamed “The Big Easy”, is famous for its French Quarter, probably mostly for Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street.
Tourism promotes “Voodoo” although not many people are actual practitioners. Marie Laveau (1801-1881) was known as the “Voodoo Queen of New Orleans”.
Four active streetcar lines ply the streets of the city.
Because the city is below sea level, the graves in the cemeteries are above ground in elaborate mausoleums like these in Lafayette Cemetery No. 1.
By No machine-readable author provided. Jan Kronsell assumed (based on copyright claims). [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia CommonsSongs written about the city include Johnny Horton’s, Battle of New Orleans
We’re back in Germany today on M is for Munich day in the 2018 #AtoZ challenge.
Munich is the capital of Bavaria and the third largest city in Germany. Berlin and Hamburg are one and two.
Famous for Oktoberfest celebrations, Munich is a city of amazing architecture, and hosts many museums, and universities.
Old Town Hall…
By Pedelecs (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsNew Town Hall…
By Lukas Gerhold (own work, Original description page is/was here) [Public domain], via Wikimedia CommonsThere’s plenty to see and do in Munich, but I’ll leave you to look it up yourselves.
We’re headed south today. South America, that is, and the country of Peru. Lima is the country’s capital and is one of the largest cities in this southern hemisphere’s continent.
The National University of San Marcos, founded in 1552, is Lima’s oldest university and is the longest continuously running academic institution in all of the Americas.
Next year, 2019, Lima will host the Pan American Games.
By David Bolsón, Uwebart, David Felipe Ruiz Hoyos, Avodrocc, Hector Becerra, Uighjot120 [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
We’re back in Canada today, Eastern Ontario and the city of Kingston. Located on the north shore of Lake Ontario where it narrows into the St. Lawrence River, Kingston is a historic city.
At the eastern end of the city near the Cataraqui River stands Fort Henry, a stronghold built in the 1800s.
Kingston is also famous for the former Kingston Penitentiary (home to some notorious criminals before its closure) and the Prison for Women.
Sir John A. MacDonald, Canada’s first Prime Minister, lived in Kingston in Bellevue House. Rumour has it; he consulted with the Witch of Plum Hollow over the location of the nation’s capital.
We’re back in Scotland today visiting the city of Inverness. Straddling the River Ness, this city lies at the mouth (Inver means mouth) of the river where it meets the Moray Firth.
In recent years, the Town House has been undergoing refurbishment. To hide the ugly scaffolding, they came up with this ingenious idea.
The shroud looks like curtains opening revealing the inside of this grand building. But better still, the curtains look like the front facade.
The building was recently unveiled and you can see the restored exterior at BBC.com.
My Scottish roots and writing by Melanie Robertson-King
