No matter how long winter’s seemed, spring is nearly here! And it brings some of my fave travel experiences in Canada. Why not plan a visit to:

• Ottawa. The Canadian Tulip Festival, held May 7-24, 2010, delivers the largest tulip fest in the world with over 3 million blooms. That’s one gift – the original Dutch behest of bulbs after WWII – that’s kept on giving!

 

• Vancouver. Stroll the city admiring over 36,000 ornamental Japanese cherry trees at the Cherry Blossom Festival! Look for the first blooms in mid-March, and full splendour in April. My fave way to enjoy? By bike – with breaks for al fresco sakura dining!

 

• Montreal. Nowhere is spring sweeter than during sugaring off. Have you ever tried tire? Maple-y treats are a MUST on any visit to Québec! (I’ll be sampling my way through this list of sugar shacks)

 

• Stratford. A Shakespeare fan’s dream, Ontario’s Stratford Festival starts its run this April with As You Like It, Peter Pan, & Kiss Me, Kate. A bonus – Christopher Plummer (who’s appearing as Prospero this season) is up for an Oscar!

 

• Churchill. The subarctic makes my springtime cut simply because it’s the best spot and best time to view the Aurora Borealis! Look for northern lights tours delivering wilderness adventure with one of the most amazing light shows on earth.

So shake off winter with a spring vacation (it sure beats spring cleaning!)

♪ lala laala lala…DOOWWNNTOWN! ♫

Tired of the same old scene? Try out a new city!

This winter, find amazing downtown-to-downtown deals on train travel in Quebec and Ontario. VIA Rail’s bringing you one-way fares starting at:

*Some conditions apply.

How can you lose?

Looking to treat your darling? Buy your tickets no later than 11:59 p.m. on February 5, 2010, for travel between February 12 and 15, 2010, inclusive.

Find four tempting offers. Choose between these one-way fares when you buy round trip travel in Business class:

Montréal <-> Toronto $99
Ottawa <-> Toronto $99
Montréal <-> Ottawa $49
Toronto <-> Windsor $79

Book online using the discount code: LOVE. Some conditions apply.

No time for cold feet! This Valentine’s surprise is only available for three days.

Catch one of the many trains proud sponsor VIA Rail has serving the nation’s capital and enjoy a celebration packed with food, fireworks and fun.

Must-sees include:

• headliner Sarah McLachlan and rising star Shane Yellowbird in concert
• all-out fireworks lighting up the night above Parliament Hill, and
• the crowd-pleasing 17th annual Great Chicken BBQ at Major’s Hill Park

Plus free shows by some of Canada’s best acts, a flypast by the Snowbirds, honored guests such as the Prime Minister and Governor General, and a special tribute to Canada’s 2010 Olympic athletes.

Find the complete lineup here.

So without further ado, here’s your top five cities to visit in central Canada – with some outdoorsy suggestions!

Want to take a multi-city tour? Visit TrainPackages.ca for some inspiring ideas.

In the weeks to come: Halifax, Niagara Falls, the Prairies and Rockies, yay!

Christmas Lights across Canada: Don’t miss downtown Ottawa aglow in over 300,000 lights. Tour over 70 illuminated sites, including Parliament, with the help of an easily downloaded map.
Daily until January 7, 2009, from 4:30p.m. to 1a.m. Outdoor Skating at Rideau Hall: Since 1872, Ottawans have laced up skates for a spin at our Governor General’s house, weather permitting. Saturdays and Sundays, noon to 5p.m. From January 5 to March 15, 2009.

Growing up Organic: Kids ages 11 to 15 learn about eating locally, through visits from chefs and farmers. Every Tuesday, from January 13 – March 3, 2009, 6:30p.m.-8:30p.m.

Music Under a Midnight Moon: Two hobos make music in the most unlikely places in this symphonic adventure that’s entertained families for years. With the NAC orchestra and Platypus Theatre. Saturday, January 17, 2009, 1:30p.m. or 3:30p.m. showtimes.

Ice skating at Rideau Hall!

This was by far my best trip to Ottawa! Why? Because I was on board the FLICK OFF Express along with scientists, musicians, students and of course, David Suzuki! And we all took part in a lively, fascinating discussion on various environmental issues. What more could you ask for?

We all agreed that FLICK OFF’s environmental message was relevant to all of us. Like many of you, I wouldn’t, for example, tie myself to a tree to protest against deforestation. But the following three valuable tips that we learned on this trip are things that we can implement in our daily lives quite easily. And that could make all the difference:

• FLICK OFF - It’s pretty clear: turning off your computer, TV, lights and properly closing your faucets reduces energy which, in turn, reduces greenhouse gases.
• Buy locally - Really, the only difference between an apple from California and one from Quebec is the distance needed to travel to get it to your grocery store. Less travel, less greenhouse gases. Magic? No, just common sense.
• Take the train! - It’s been proven, written about, and it’s remarkable: Only 0,03% of the total greenhouse gases are produced by rail transportation. Much less than planes and cars!

Once we arrived in Ottawa, we were greeted by a warm sunshine and beautiful autumn colors. I spent the day meeting students from the University of Ottawa campus and, of course, taking plenty of pictures!

It was an inspiring atmosphere that I’d like to share with you in pictures. Enjoy!

How lucky am I? I’ve just returned from the most exciting train ride of my life – filled with inspirational characters and a positive, life-changing message.

FLICK OFF EXPRESS: TRAVELLING FOR A CAUSE

No sooner did I have my first cup of coffee in hand did I come face to face with a giddy group of passengers aboard the FLICK OFF Express. Everyone from RBC contest winners to students, from scientists to musicians were ready to raise awareness about climate change and motivate our leaders to invest in our environmental future.

THE TRAIN RIDE OF A LIFETIME

One of the first people I ran into was José Etcheverry, who kindly offered me his elbow (his hands busy holding a coffee and muffin). José, who left Chile in the late-90′s and has been living in Canada ever since, is a member of the York University environmental faculty and an analyst for the David Suzuki Foundation.

Our very important discussion about the benefits of train travel was pleasantly interrupted by the sounds of Airick Woodhead (of Spiral Beach) and Gill Deacon showing off the FLICK OFF theme they composed that samples Queen’s “We Will Rock You” (singing, “We will, we will flick off!”).

I didn’t know where to point my camera first!

(PSST! To see the full photo set, visit my Flickr account!)

MEETING MY HERO

But the highpoint was definitely when David Suzuki, the legend himself, got on board. Students had plenty of questions for him, and he answered them all with both passion and conviction. We were so caught up in his words, we barely noticed when the FLICK OFF Express arrived on campus.

Surrounded by beautiful autumn colors, the campus was swarming with both curious on-lookers and students. It was an awe-inspiring sight and even though there’s nothing like being there yourself, I did my best to bottle this moment and share with all of you.

Stay tuned later this week for another posting about the Ottawa rally.

Until then, don’t forget to “flick off” your computer and save energy!

Canadians know that climate change means WE need to change. So get on board to rock the rails and rally for environmental awareness!This Saturday, October 18, I’ll be outside the University of Ottawa at Confederation Park from 2:30-4:00pm as part of the final stop of the FLICK OFF Express. Look for the tall, thin brunette VIA spokesperson highlighting how eco-friendly train travel is… That’s if free concerts by The Constantines and Spiral Beach plus Canadian celeb environmental activists such as David Suzuki, Sarah Harmer and Jian Ghomeshi don’t tempt you first!

We’re motivating Ontario students to show how much they care about global warming by:

A)    putting pressure on our leaders (sign our petition online)
B)    making a personal change (calculate your carbon footprint)

It’s all part of the bigger FLICK OFF movement to get Canadians to adopt more energy-friendly measures such as taking public transit, recycling, and FLICKing OFF (the power, that is!)

This year, I started line-drying my laundry and composting, and would love to hear your tips on green living. Hope to see you in Ottawa!