Boston
Our first stop was Boston, Massachusetts. It was my first time in the state of Massachusetts making me excited to experience a new place and add another state to my list of states I’ve visited in the US.
Tag: Travel Blog
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Our next port stop in Nova Scotia was Halifax, where we experienced breathtaking ocean scenery and a tour around the entire city.
Sydney, Nova Scotia
Our next stop on the cruise was Sydney, Nova Scotia. I desperately want to visit Scotland one day, so it was exciting to visit some cities in New Scotland (aka Nova Scotia). Sydney was our first stop in Nova Scotia.
When we arrived to the port of Sydney, we were greeted by the world’s largest fiddle. It’s a reminder of the musical heritage and Celtic music that is continuously played on Cape Brenton Island. Side note, Cape Brenton is one of the few places in North America where Gaelic is still spoken!
For our stop in Sydney, we decided to do the Fortress of Louisbourg shore excursion with our cruise line. The journey started by getting on a bus and having an introduction to Sydney as we made our way through the historic north end and back in time to 1744 at the Fortress of Louisbourg.
Louisbourg was once the capital of Cape Brenton Island and a seaport. Looking out at the ocean, I could envision giant ships sailing towards us. The history is still alive and the fortress continues to provide an entertaining experience with costumed actors reenacting the lives of specific individuals from the pre-siege era. Our guide told us we could stop and talk to the actors to ask them anything about daily life in 1744. End of June to the beginning of August is when you’ll see the most costumed interpreters walking around since it’s peak season.
Other Thing To Do Around Sydney: Village of Baddeck, Alexander Graham Bell Museum, Bras d’Or Lakes, Cabot Trail, Whitney Pier, Historical Museum, Pub Crawl
Have you been to Cape Breton Island? What was your favorite thing to see? I’d love to hear about it in the comments. Any advice for planning a trip to Scotland would be nice too!
-Ayla ♥
Charlottetown
Charlottetown, the birth place of Canada, is the capital of Prince Edward Island. It’s difficult for me to think of a word other than quiet to describe it. I’ve been to tropical islands and rugged islands. P.E.I. felt like a nearly uninhabited small town island. Driving through Charlottetown we saw tiny villages, harbors, rolling farmlands, and stunning seascapes. It felt like I’d been transported a hundred years into the past.
Quebec City
Visiting French Canada had been a dream of mine for some time. The architecture and vibes of small Parisian neighborhoods is what I was most excited for and Quebec City did not disappoint.
Moscow
Oh, Moscow. My second home. I know some people call places they’ve visited their second home but I actually mean it. I’ve spent countless summers (countable by my mom because she has a freakishly good memory) and one winter in Moscow since I was an infant. I feel like my post on Moscow should be some big epic tale of my life and all the times I’ve spent there. But knowing me, I’ll probably go back again and again so I could make future blog posts full of stories and facts about my past lives in Russia. This first one we can keep more like my other destinations. A little story maybe, a picture or two, some random facts, another picture. You know. Typical travel blogger fashion. The pictures in this post will also all be from my most recent trip in Moscow.
The Red Square is home to many famous places in Moscow. Probably the MOST famous. It is also right in the center of this huge cosmopolitan city. Which is nice for travelers since no matter where you are staying in the city, it wont be too far from you.
On the day we went, the square was celebrating the history festival. There were rides, food stands, lots of souvenirs and cool decorations.
I didn’t get a chance to go inside any of the museums or churches in the Red Square on this trip, mostly because my mom didn’t want to wait in line and pay for something she’s already seen, but I did get to go inside GUM. GUM is pronounced like goom and it’s a huge mall with famous designer stores from all over. My mom’s bought some of her favorite clothes from there way back in the 80’s and 90’s. We bought some gelato while we were there, but that’s about it this time around.
I hope next time I go to Russia it’s in the wintertime. I would love to see the beautiful ice sculptures and holiday lights in the Red Square like I did when I was eight.
I don’t always remember the history of the places I visit but the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was easier to remember since my mom was the one telling me about it.
It’s the tallest Christian Church in the world, which is hard to tell in photos, but it was complete destroyed by Joseph Stalin and turned to a massive swimming pool at one point. My mom actually swam in the pool when she was 10 years old. Obviously, it was later rebuilt and is once again the tallest Christian church. When you’re walking around, it’s hard to imagine it was once a swimming pool.
The area inside and right around the Business Center isn’t that nice (maybe because there was construction and cars), but from a distance, it’s a cool place to take pictures. It’s also right on the Moscow River so it’s worth walk around the area and along the river. But I wouldn’t go out of my way just to see the Business Center.
Kuskovo was far from where we were staying in Moscow but it was worth all the subways and buses we had to take to get there. It’s a beautiful estate with a palace, museum, pond and cute buildings. We saw a lot of Russian girls having photoshoots in the park and a few people painting views of the palace.
What’s great about many of the parks in Moscow is they aren’t just ponds, gardens and rides. There’s museums, art, royal estates, stores, restaurants, aquariums and more! You could spends a weekend just walking through one of these huge parks.
VDNKh Park, or VDNH, or Vystavka Dostizheniy Narodnogo Khozyaystva, or All-Russian Exhibition Center, is one of these parks. There is SO much to see, do and learn in this one park. It’s a park which has the purpose to teach its visitors Russia’s achievements in language, culture, history and even space!
I was very excited to get the chance to go inside the Museum of Cosmonautics. I mean, it was the Russians who basically invited outer space, right? Jokes aside, they did make groundbreaking discoveries and inventions when it comes to space and space travel. Going inside a museum that shows you some real life inventions and machines from the Space Age was incredible. I don’t have dreams of going up into space, but going inside this museum made the thought of it so cool. Sometimes it even felt like I was in a real space station.
Besides the space museum, we also walked inside the aquarium and basically the entire park. Our feet hated us by the end of the night.
I hope you enjoyed seeing and reading a bit from my 2016 trip to Moscow. I’m trying to convince my mom to have us go in winter next time. Fingers crossed she misses the snow and ice enough to say yes!
-Ayla♥
Saint Petersburg
It was a few years ago when I went to Russia, so it may be a little difficult to remember some of my experiences and places I visited. A few things have stuck in my head over the years, and some of these photos definitely …