Canada, land of the black bears, maple syrup and one of the wonders of the world, Niagara Falls! For me, I was experiencing the maple syrup on huge waffles of course! And seeing something as breathtaking as Niagara Falls will always be a highlight of any trip!
Canada is the second biggest country in the world, behind Russia, so there is so much to discover. From the beauty of Vancouver, to the exciting bright lights of Toronto.

Toronto
So a bit of facts first. Toronto is the largest city in Canada with a population of 5.2 million! That is a lot of people in one place, and when you see all the skyscrapers full of flats, you'll understand how they fit everyone in. However there are 20% more cars than there is roads for them. So expect a crazy amount of traffic. If you are visiting in the future this may not be a problem as they are currently developing a system to tackle this issue.

But back to the interesting stuff! Toronto is a busy city filled with amazing skyscrapers. But of course you can not miss CN Tower on the Toronto skyline! CN Tower is shortened from the Canadian National Tower. This is the tallest building in Toronto - so you can’t miss it! From the top of CN tower you can see the whole of Toronto. This is a scary experience for some people but to look down on the skyscrapers is an impressive experience. Here there is also a glass floor you can stand on. All of your instincts tell you to be wary as your unsure how strong the glass is. It is amusing to watch everyone putting one foot on the glass, getting a feel for it, before slowly putting their second foot on the glass too. This glass is perfectly safe though and can support three orca whales!

The city of Toronto is filled with trees and flowers which is surprising for such a large city but if you would like to find a nice quiet place to relax, Queens Park would be perfect. Here you can sit in the beautiful gardens with views of the city.

So everyone knows Canada is known for their cold winters and deep snow. So what do they do in the winter? - They adapt! Toronto is filled with an underground city. There is 4 levels of shops and restaurants under your feet. Most of the buildings for businesses and accommodation are connected to this underground city, so you never need to go outside to head to the shops or even to get to work. This is a fantastic system which the Canadians have adapted to.

Ok, ok, we are finally here to the big attraction and main thing I wanted to see in Canada... Niagara falls! On the way to the falls you follow Niagara river. There is some fantastic view spots on the way for photo opportunities. Niagara Falls is actually two waterfalls. One is the American falls which is situated on the American side of the Niagara river, the other is the Canadian falls, also known as the horse shoe falls which is on the Canadian side. The horse shoe falls is the one you see on all the photo's when you look up Niagara falls as it is the bigger and more impressive waterfall. This is also the one you can have a boat ride into this waterfall.

This boat ride is a big must! Yes you get soaked, yes you are given waterproofs and no, you won't be disappointed. It is a once in a life time opportunity, that makes amazing memories to tell the folks back home. Just try not to get your camera too wet!!

Kingston
Kingston is known as the prison city. Most of the prisons in Canada are located in Kingston. They have just closed the oldest prison in the world in Kingston, one of the high security prisons. Some of the most well known people are in these prisons. However, Kingston isn't all doom and gloom! You are next to Lake Ontario which is seen in Toronto also. You wouldn't think it is the smallest of the five great lakes!

City hall is an amazing place to visit. You can have a tour inside and see where the mayors office is and the impressive meeting rooms. Here you will see two frames, one showing Queen Elizabeth, Head of State of the UK and 15 other Commonwealth realms, one of these being Canada. The other frame holds an image of Prince Philip. The Queens frame is an inch higher than Prince Philips. This is because she holds a higher position and so rightfully belongs higher than him.

And one last fun fact about Kingston...Bryan Adams is from here! Woo!

Ottawa
Toronto and Ottawa are both capitals in the province of Ontario. Toronto is the capital of the province of Ontario, whereas Ottawa is the nations capital. This is an extremely educated city with more than half of the population of Ottawa work for the government.

Rockcliffe park is a beautiful area away from the city life and is a perfect backdrop for Rideau Hall.
Rideau hall is where the governor general stays. This is the person who stands in for the Queen when she is not there. So as you will expect, the Queen stays here when she is in Canada. However, you will be surprised by the lack of guards here. You can walk into the grounds and sit down with a picnic, and many do on the hot summer days.

Parliament hill is, as the name may suggest, where the parliament building is. And what an impressive building it is. Definitely the main building to visit when in Ottawa. And it looks over at Rideau Canal! Rideau canal is a beautiful canal through Ottawa. This leads to nine locks that work their way up a hill to continue the canal through the city.

Ok, so what is there to eat here. Well you could be sensible and have a sit down meal, or you could go for what you really want and have a Beavertails! Beavertails is a stall that sells a warm pastry bread type food in the shape of a beavers tail - don't worry its not an actual beavers tail! Then you can have any type of sweet topping on it. I naturally had the sweetest thing possible. Chocolate spread, drizzled with peanut butter and finally a sprinkling of smarties on top. Heaven!

Quebec City
We are now in the province of Quebec. Quebec city is the capital of the province of Quebec which is a french speaking province. Time to practice my French!
The most photographed hotel in the world lies in Quebec City. Many important people have stayed in this hotel, from Prince William and Kate Middleton to the people who planned the start of the end of the war, known as D-Day!

The Basilica is a grand building with impressive gold interior decor also. The Basilica is home to one of the six holy doors. I was lucky enough to be visiting Quebec City when the Holy door was open. There are 6 holy doors in total around the world and only one is open at anytime. By walking through the holy door it is said to banish your sins and to generally to have a fresh start!

Here in Quebec City is where you can find Montmorency Falls. This is an amazing waterfall that stands up to twice the height of Niagara Falls. Of course, this waterfall will never be as impressive as Niagara Falls, it is still worth a visit if you are in the area.

The St Lawrence river runs along many bays. The river is huge and is easily mistaken for the ocean. Along this river at the Bay of St Catherine is where whale watching trips leave from. The boats go to the end of the river, where it joins the sea. At this point there is a lot of wildlife and so a great place for whales to feed. On my trip I saw a group of humpback whales. Everybody on the boat gasps in awe when the back and fins of the whales are seen. To see such a majestic creature is something that should be on everybody’s list.

Montreal
Still in the province of Quebec, Montreal is the second largest French speaking city in the world! But something I didn't know, Montreal is in fact an island!
Dorchester square is a beautiful square in the busy city life of Montreal. Surrounded by the big stores of well known brands, this square is a grassed area, filled with locals on their dinner break, relaxing away from their busy lives.

Mount Royal is a 250 metre high mountain. This doesn't seem that high but there is an amazing view of the city from the top. The park here is designed by the guy who designed central park and is one of Montreal’s biggest green spaces.

The old town is filled with cobbled streets, street entertainment and hidden gems around each corner in the form of restaurants and beautiful squares full of street entertainment.

 Rock Port
Rock Port is the area where you can find the 1000 islands. As the name suggests, this is a lake filled with 1000 islands. Infact, there are over 1000 islands. So as you can imagine, this is a huge lake.

However, not any land can be an island. A piece of land has to be a certain size, be above water all year round and have at least two trees to be known as an island. Many houses have been built on these islands, making a beautiful summer home perfect for those who love water sports such as sailing, power boating and jet skiing. In the winter this area is frozen over and the only form of transport is by snowmobile! It sounds like a fun place to be all year round!

Useful Information

Capital: Ottawa
Continent: North America
Time Zone: GMT-5 - GMT-8
Language: English, French
Currency: Canadian Dollar
Voltage: 120v
Plug Type: Three Pin Type B