We made it down to Murphys Wharft, where our whale watching tour was to begin. My hangover was consuming me. I told Justin, my roommate, that chances were good that I was going to upchuck on a whale, or possibly a small child. He gave me one last way out, “You don’t have to do this man”. I lifted my face out of my hands, “Yes Justin, I must!”

We all boarded Murphys Tour boat, a collosal looking thing with chairs lining the outer-upper deck and theatre-esque seating in the main cabin. I found a sweet looking seat right beside the edge of the starboard side of our tour boat. If I was going to be sick, I didn’t want to be running for a garbage or bathroom. Plus the fresh air distracted me from how many shots of whiskey I shouldn’t have partook in.

The tour boat set off toward the sea while the tour guides gave us an in-depth history lesson on Point Pleasant Park, Pier 21, and the Halifax Harbour. I took in as much as I could under the circumstances. That is, until one of the Murphys Tour Guides mentioned on the P.A system that there was a bar in the cabin. My guts said no, but my logic said yes. The only way to cure (or at least delay) this hangover was to drink through it. Hair of the dog. Thankfully, Justin and his old man were happy to join me for beers.

My thoughts were finally tuning into the beauty of Halifax’s harbor. The second largest in North American, next to New Yorks. As of yet, we hadn’t seen much in terms of wildlife, aside from some seabirds. The history lessons continued, when finally some harbor seals swam by far enough away to look indistinguishable from some of the waves. The Murphys tour guides informed everyone on boat that they were going to pull a lobster trap out to let us touch (and annoy) some crustaceans.

As they hauled up the heavy looking wooden box, I had to laugh a bit. It was almost empty. There were a few little guys in there, along with some stone crabs and a very pissed off fish. This was by all means nothing like “The Deadliest Catch”. Thankfully, Murphys Gang had a backup plan, they ran to their tank in the cabin and pulled out their domesticated lobster and crab to let the kids (and me) hold. We grabbed a second round of beers and took our seats to enjoy the sun as it faught its way through the clouds. My hangover would come back every so often, or maybe it was seasickeness. Regardless, I held strong.

We’d been on the boat almost an hour with still no sight of whales. I was beginning to think we might be the unlucky group of the day when suddenly crowds of children and a few eager photographers ran to the port side of the ship to see something. The Murphys Whale Watching crew announced that they’d found a Minke Whale, but warned we might not see it for a bit as it looked like it was diving. I figured I should get up to see if I could see anything. Then on the starboard side two more whales surfaced, where they proceeded to show off a bit. One minke whale waved its tail as it dove deeper, while the other was just surfacing.

After watching for 15 to 20 minutes, one last whale, or possibly the first one, surfaced again on the port side. Unfortunately, unless you have a telescopic lens with a trigger finger and some serious high shutter speed, you may have a heckuva time catching any pictures of whales. As you can see, I didn’t. But I think that’s what a lot of people seem to forget. Its a Whale Watching Tour, not a Whale Photo Shoot. After realizing I wasn’t going to be able to get much of a shot, I put the camera away for a while, and just watched the whales. Its incredible how much faster the human eye is than the camera.

The Whale watching tour finished with some bird feeding and a few more historical stories, including the famous Halifax Explosion. As I snapped a few last photos of the Halifas Skyline, I realized my hangover was gone. Then I got off the boat and realized I was perhaps a bit dunk. “Hair of the dog, you’ve done it again!” And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you go whale watching hungover!

Explosions at Citadel Hill

I woke up with 7 minutes to make it 6 blocks to Citadel Hill for the 21 gun salute. Yes, I slept in til 11:53am, do I regret it? Not a chance. I threw on a semi-clean Tee and commenced running with perfect form. Some might say I looked like a gazelle as I passed families covered in temp tattoos of maple leafs, with red shirts, red hats, and Canadian flags hanging from any nook and cranny they could find. I made it there with less than a minute to spare. The canons exploded violently, shaking the everything and everyone near. As the 21st shot went off, the crowd lining Citadel Hill cheered.

Big ships on the Boardwalk

I walked back to my apartment leisurely, high fiving families and drunks decked out in red & white. It was already 12:15pm, I had to catch up to these animals. That wasn’t hard. After consuming a fair amount of drinks with my friend slash roommate, we decided to check out what was going on down at the boardwalk. Rumour had it that there were still a bunch of Navy ships kicking around from the Queens recent visit. The ships still in harbour during Fleet Week were awesome. Coming from SK, where the biggest boat you can hop on is your cousin Jeds 12 foot tin can fishing boat, these ships blew me away.

The Battered Fish

After checking out some of the ships the smell of salty and savory food was luring us in. The boardwalk is notorious for amazing little food stands, as well as some of its more high end restaurants. We chose the food stands. The Battered Fish was pretty lined up, but the sign above where they were taking orders greeted us with warm words, such as Poutine, and Fish ‘n Chips, and other sexy words, like “side of Gravy”, and “Made with real cheese curds“. The food was in our hands in minutes, and in our guts in seconds. Why does everything taste so much better when you’ve got a good buzz on?

A Quick Nap

I ended up walking up to Citadel Hill again to see what was going on. Which as it turned out at that moment, wasn’t much. I starfished on the grass, enjoying the bright blue sky we were given on this fantastic day. Next thing I know I wake up to the sun setting. Must have passed out there for a minute. Classic whiskey.

Wake up for round 2

Justin and I made it back to our apartment for some coffee, followed by more drinks. That quick passout kicked our butt, so getting back into the swing of things the second time around was tough. However thanks to the invention of the shotglass, we were properly intoxicated in a short time. We ran down to the harbour and barely caught the fireworks. We oo’d and ah’d for a couple of the big ones, then began planning our night.

Initially we had planned on catching the ferry to Dartmouth to catch Joel Plaskett, but those plans never panned out unfortunately. Instead we ended up bar hopping for most of the night. We met some cool people, high fived a few thousand hands, and listened to some live bands at various drinking establishments. All in all, good Canada Day. Bad hangover, but good Canada Day.

Stay: Most of the city’s hostels are found downtown. Some top rated ones include: Backpackers on Dundas, Clarence Castle and the Canadiana Backpackers Inn.
Visit: Walk to the CN Tower, Hockey Hall of Fame, ROM, AGO, see the Blue Jays, Raptors or the Leafs depending on the season.
Shop: Check out the Eaton Center or if you prefer shopping outside Queen West has many big chains like Club Monaco, Zara and Gap. Chinatown and Kensington Market are great for cheap finds and vintage. Bloor street is for label hounds and designer divas.
Food & Entertainment: The Entertainment district is downtown with the main strip on King West. Check out a musical or grab some dinner all on King or hit a club.  Grab some Indian buffet on Queen Street and stop in at Horseshoe Tavern for a live show. If you want to be seen and spot celebs head up to Yorkville and try Sassafraz, the rooftop patio at Hemmingway’s or the street level patio at One Restaurant.

Toronto West End

Stay: Although there are mixed reviews you can stay in the West end at Marigold International Travellers Hostel
Visit: The Art & Design district is found in West Queen West and there are plenty of galleries including the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art.
Shop: West Queen West is littered with boutiques, keep walking up Ossington to find vintage shops like I Miss You Vintage or keep heading west into Parkdale Village for local jewellery designers at Made You Look.
Food & Entertainment: Get some fish & chips at Chippys across from Trinity Bellwoods Park or head up Ossington for some of the city’s hottest restaurants, and then dance the night away at Sweaty Bettys. Parkdale Village has a few theme bars like Stones Place; get cheap beer at the Rhino.

Toronto East End

Stay: There are a couple of top rated B&Bs just before you cross the Don River, but if you are looking for hostels you can try the Leslieville Home Hostel.
Visit: Once you cross the DVP there are few touristy sights, but you can see the Ashbridges family home and Riverdale farm. Or visit two of Toronto’s multicultural neighbourhoods, Greektown and Little India. Even grab some groceries at East China Town.
Shop: Check out The Danforth for boutiques like Tabula Rasa and Social Butterfly. Or stay along Queen Street for more boutique shopping from Riverside, Leslieville and the Beach. I recommend Studio We in Leslieville there are 2 locations one for women and one for men.
Food & Entertainment: Try Lynn Crawford’s restaurant Ruby Watch Co and live entertainment at the Opera House, both in Riverside. Have an afternoon beer on the Patios in Leslieville and the Beach or ice cream and gelato from Eds Real Scoop.

This guest post was provided by Jane from torontoShopoholic.com. torontoShopoholic.com is one shopoholic’s guide to shopping in Toronto, neighbourhood by neighbourhood. Check out the neighbourhood shopping guides, store reviews, giveaways and style guides.

The weather was hovering around 25 degrees celcius all weekend, I needed to get out of my cramped apartment, and was itchin’ to see something new. After getting lost a couple times and nearly dieing as I struggled up every hill, I finally managed to find it. Point Pleasant Park.

One might wonder, how Pleasant is this Park? Well, as a matter of fact, I can proudly vouch for the name, this park is all sorts of pleasant. As soon as you walk through the first couple hundred feet of the footpaths, you begin to forget how close you really are to downtown Halifax, to the hustle and bustle of life in a metropolitan city.

The first thing I noticed upon walking into the park was the fragrance of the woods and flowers, combined with the chirping sounds of birds and the occasional blast of warm air, I began to wonder how in the hell this park had escaped me for this long.

After making a quick stop at Blackrock Beach, I was fortunate enough to catch one of the massive cargo ships leaving the Halifax Harbour. This was by far one of the coolest things I’d seen that day, however it was clear that myself and the cute asian girl standing a few feet away were the only ones who thought so, on account of us being the only two people snapping pictures and starring at this massive piece of machinery gracefully float back out to sea.

After hiking further through the park I began to find a whole bunch of WWI and WWII memorials. It was a surreal sight seeing people bathing in the sun just a few feet from this massive 25 foot Cross with the names of hundreds of men and women etched in it. Unsure of whether this was disrespectful or not, I made sure to pay a few minutes of attention to the memorial before grabbing a piece of grass and laying starfish as I watched the clouds go by.

Once my imagination gave out and the clouds began to simply look like clouds again, I hiked further into the park. After coming across a “You are here” sign, I began to realize how little of this park I had seen so far, despite spending almost 2 hours in it already. Turns out this monstrous park I was just meandering through is a total of 186 acres. So I decided to make use of what little energy I had left to see a little more of it. The canons only a few hundred feet from me, seemed like the next stop.

Hiking turned into walking, which then turned into “Holy crap I’m out of shape“. Thankfully I found the right trail that lead to somewhere I could rest. Price of Wales Tower. From far away it didn’t look like much, but as I got closer it became apparent how well made this thing was.  As I snapped some pictures, I did a quick 360 to see if I was getting in the way of somebody else’s picture. Turned out I was the only one in this part of the park. This gave me plenty of time to walk around this big brick tower and read all the signs before carrying on. Turns out this giant brick tub-stopper was built in 1794 through to 1799 as a means to protect the Halifax against seaborne attack  from the Northwest Arm. It must have worked, because Halifax still exists today. Thank you Tower.

As I finished the last of my water, I realized how incredibly hungry I was. I never argue with my stomach, so I decided to call it quits for the day. Point Pleasant Park was a great place to spend a hot spring day, and is well worth more than just a quick stroll through. You can’t beat the price (Free), and if you’re a history buff, I’m sure you’ll find something that interests you. If you’re a nature lover, the wooded areas and scenic vistas will make you right at home, and for those just in need of a quiet place to unwind, theres a good hundred acres or so for you to find a spot of your own.

Photo by carre23 -

Each year in Montreal, locals and visitors flock to the streets for the world’s largest bike festival. Montreals bike festival includes a few different events, including Operation Bike-to-work, the Metropolitan Challenge, and Tour de l’Île de Montréal and one of the most popular and flashy events, Un Tour la Nuit, where everyone gets decked out in their brightest colours and attach as many lights and glow sticks as possible to themselves and their bikes. This year the Montreal Bike Fest takes place between May 30th and June 6th, so mark your calendars.

I’m convinced that some day I shall be amongst these brightly lit bicyclists and tour this awesome city by bike, while screaming what little french words I have remembered from school. “J’aime le fromage!”

Metropolitan Challenge – Some serious distance

Start time: Sunday – May 30 – 7am
Start location: Saint-Anne-des-Plaines
Length of bike route: 75, 100, 125, 150km
Finish location: Saint-Anne-des-Plaines

Tour la Nuit – Decorate yourself up for this one with all things glowing and lit

Start time: Friday – June 4 – 8:30pm
Start location: Saint-Joseph Blvd
Length of bike route: 20km

Tour de l’Île de Montréal

Start time: Sunday – June 6 – 9:15am
Start Location: avenue du Parc
Length of bike route: 50km
Finish Location: parc Jeanne-Mance

For more information on rates and the history of Montreal Bike Fest head to Velo Quebec’s website.

For more surfing videos like this check out Surf Donkey

Sable Island

Nicknamed the Graveyard of the Atlantic, Sable Island has been the final resting place for over 350 ships since it’s discovery. Partly due to thick fogs, strong currents, and the fact that it’s in the middle of of a major transatlantic shipping route. Despite the enormous number of ships to have met Davy Jone’s Locker, there is little sign of any of these ships. Thick tides and moving sands tend to cover them in little to no time at all.

So aside from its nasty ship eating abilities, what makes Sable Island so great? For one, it’s protected to the nines. Try to make an unwelcome visit and you’re sure to meet the good folks of the Canadian Coast Guard. But why so protected? Nope, no gold, no diamonds, no secret Canadian version of Area 51 (how cool would that be!?). It’s all about nature here.

Nature huh?

Yea man, nature! Sable Island is home to hundreds of feral horses known as Sable Island Ponies, all of which are protected by law from human interference. If you’re like me, you might be wondering “What the heck are a bunch of wild horses doing miles from the mainland on a stretch of land no more than 1.5km wide?” Well, apparently the horses are descended from a herd confiscated from Acadians during the Great Explusion and left on the island by Thom Hancock…you may know his nephew…goes by the name of John Hancock.

Aside from horses, there is a large Grey Seal population on the island (See photo to the right), which sometimes happen to end up being food for natures dear friend, the Great White Shark. These ocean predators have been known to hang around in the nearby waters. Don’t forget the countless bird colonies that reside here, along with the  freshwater sponge which is found only in ponds on this mondo el weirdo island.

Sable Island on Map

You want to visit Sable Island?

So all this talk is getting your feet all sorts of itchy to check this place out? Sandy beaches, cool animals, a little hidden getaway from the world. Might be nice. At present, you’d have a better shot at going to Antarctica than Sable Island. From what I hear they currently limit 250 visitors per year. You should also be warned, many locals are pissed that the government is considering making Sable Island a National Park, which means it could end up being a tourist attraction. What would be a group of pissed of people be without a Facebook Page, check it out at Hands off Sable Island. Whatever decision is made in the end, I just hope Sable Island survives along with it’s inhabitants. If you’re looking for an organized group of people trying to protect Sable Island, check out the Green Horse Society. They’ve got some great photos and a lot more reading material on this subject.

Cool video of the Sable Island Ponies

Crashed Ice is what you get when you amp up a bunch of hockey players on Red Bull, tell them to race to the bottom of an icy hill, and be a hero. At all costs. Mayhem, adrenaline, speed, and nasty spills typically ensue. Fans describe it as a mix of hockey, downhill skating, and boardercross.

The Crashed Ice courses typically take place in an urban environment with thousands of people lining up along the course to get a glimpse of some of the action.

The Next Crashed Ice Event!

Crashed Ice’s next event is March 20th, 2010 in Quebec City! If you have the opportunity to check it out. Please go. For me. I wish to every deity, demi-god, or semi influential political figure that someday I’ll be able to go down a Crashed Ice Course. Every bone in my body aches to be hurt by this piece of architectural ingenuity. In the meantime, I have a date with a lot of drinks on March 20th at the nearest pub. Cheer loud!

Contact Billetech at 1 877 643-8131 or visit www.billetech.com for tickets ($30 + taxes).

Check out last years Crashed Ice in Quebec City and try to not want to be there…you can’t can you?

Looking out at the Atlantic

My older brother made a surprise visit from Regina a few days back, so I took him out to the Lawrencetown district and showed him some of the neat little beaches along the coast. Despite how cloudy it looks it was actually a really nice day out. Go warm winter days.

1. Ask to speak in English

When speaking to a local stranger, be it gas station attendant, bistro staff, or just looking for directions, ask politely if he or she speaks English. You’re more likely to be treated kindly by doing this than by speaking blindly in English with no regard as to whether they speak it or not.

Pardon, madame/monsieur/mademoiselle, parlez-vous anglais?

Which translates to: Excuse me madam/sir/miss, do you speak English?

Most of the time you’ll find out that “Oui“, they do, however if they say “Non“, you’re on your own. Just hope that you’re both good at Charades.

2. Understanding French Road Signs

There are large parts of Quebec where the road signs will stop showing up in both English and French. If you know very little French this can be frightening. Stay calm. There are certain words that you can pick out of those signs to get you in the right direction.

When you see:

French	English
Nord	North
Sud	South
Ouest	West
Est	East
Entrée	Entrance
Sortie	Exit
Renseignements	Information
Interdit	Prohibited
Ouvert	Open
Fermé	Closed
Cédez la Priorité	Give Way
Défense de Stationner	No Parking
Interdiction de doubler	No Overtaking
Péage	Toll
Ralentissez	Slow Down
Sens Interdit	No Entry
Sens Unique	One Way

Of coarse having a map will significantly increase your chances of not getting turned around. Whenever I travel through Quebec I always do some pre-driving preparations just to make sure I know which Highways to get off and on. My last bit of advice for french road signs, follow the herd. As long as you’re doing what everyone else is doing, you’re probably not breaking any laws, of coarse you might not be heading in the right direction, but there’s no fines for being a lost tourist.

3. Know your French Food Terms

Food and Quebec go together like bikini’s and beaches, popcorn and movies, and peanut butter & jelly. Quebec can be a foodie’s paradise, but ordering your favourite dish can be confusing if you know little to no French. For the most part, pointing to what you want on the menu will normally suffice, but if you want to look extra cool, and not make the mistake of ordering something you didn’t want,  knowing a bit of french can make all the difference.

Food Terms

French	English
Je voudrais…	I’d like (a)…
Je suis allergique…	I’m allergic to…
…aux abeilles	…bees
…aux noix	…nuts
C’est combien?	How much is it?
Est-ce que je peux payer avec…	Can I pay with….
…ma carte de credit	…my credit card
…ma carte de débit	…my debit card (ATM/ABM)
Petit-dejeuner (or) Dejeuner	Breakfast
Dejeuner (or) Diner	Lunch
Diner (or) Souper	Dinner / Supper
Manger	Eat
la Soupe	Soup
la Salade	Salad
le Dessert	Desert
le repas	meal
avoir faim	to be hungry
…	…click here for more French food translations

You may have noticed there are a couple ways to say breakfast, lunch, and supper. That’s not a type-o, Quebec french is a little different than traditional French. It can sometimes be confusing if you were taught traditional French. Most French speaking Quebec people will call breakfast “dejeuner”, lunch “diner”, and supper “souper”. However they’ll completely understand what you’re trying to say should you say “petit dejeuner” in lieu of “dejeuner”. Just smile while you’re saying it and you’ll be fine.

4. Booking accommodations in French

If you plan on booking a hotel, bed and breakfast, campground, or a dorm in a hostel, there’s a chance you’ll end up having to do so in French. Knowing what to say in person and over the phone can make booking a place to stay in another language much less stressful.

Accommodation Terms

French	English
Je cherche…	I’m looking for a…
…un Hôtel	…hotel
…une auberge de jeunesse	…youth hostel
…un camping	….camp ground
…une pension de famille	…guesthouse
Est-ce que vous avez des chambres libres?	Do you have any rooms available?
Je vourdrais…	I’d like a…
…une chambre à un lit	…single room
…une chambre pour deux	…room for two
…une chambre avec des lits jumeaux	…room with two beds
…me coucher dans un dortoir	…dorm room
Quel est le prix…?	How much is it…?
…par nuit	…per night
…par personne	….per person
Je pars aujourd’hui	I’m leaving today

5. Understanding some Transportation lingo

If you’re not going to be the one driving there isn’t much need to know about the road signs. However if you plan on catching a bus, train, plane, or ferry, you’ll probably need to know a few french phrases to keep up with all the hustle and bustle going on around you.

Transportation Terms

French	English
Quel heur le (…x) arrive?	What time does the (…x) arrive?
Quel heur le (…x) part?	What time does the (…x) leave?
…le bateau	…boat
…le bus	…bus
…l’avion	…plane
…le train	…train
Je voudrais un billet…	I’d like a … ticket
simple	one-way
aller-retour	round trip
de première classe	first class
Je vourdrais louer…	I’d like to rent/hire…
une voiture	a car
un quatre-quatre	a four wheel drive
un vélo	a bicycle
le numero de quai	Platform number
le guichet	ticket office
la gare	train station

Quebec is a stunning example of Canada’s mosaic of languages and cultures. Whether you know how to say ‘Bonjour‘ or not, you’ll have a good time regardless. Still, brushing up on your French can help you out a lot on the road. Even if you only end up using it a couple times. I compiled the translations into a more “Printer friendly” version, should you decide to print these out and give ‘em a go along the way.

Click here for a Printer Friendly version of the translations.