Quebec City

I've been fortuante enough to visit Quebec city a few times. Once in 2003 and once in 2008. Entering the city can be quite a sight. We drove in on the Pierre Laporte Bridge, an awesome suspension bridge that is quite overwhelming in scale.

Much of Quebec City is very modern, but we decided to focus our time in the Sainte-Foy-Sillery-Cap-Rouge area which contains Old Quebec. This area seems to be where most of the history is focused.

The giant ramparts surrounding the Old city are the only remaining fortified city walls that still exist in North America north of Mexico. These walls act like a portal. You feel like you have stepped into an older part of Europe. It is quite increditble. Many of the roads are made of cobble stone, with horse drawn carriages always at the ready.

The streets are very narrow with many shops snugly fitting close together. We spent a lot of time near the St. Lawerence River at the cliff edge. This is the area that most symbolises Quebec city. Chateau Frontenac stands overhead, and helps to focus the landscape.

This is the area where they hold the annual winter carnival. Unfortunately I have yet to attend, maybe some other time. I hear it is quite a time with sleding and ice sculptures galore.

I highly recommend visiting this city if you are ever in the area. If you are looking for a unique gift as a keep sake for your loved one then I recommend you head over to Earth Claim and grab a virtual deed of Old Quebec. It would make a great momento of your trip there!

Kennedy Space Center

In February I took a trip down to Florida with my wife and daughter. We rented a house and stayed there for a week with my in laws, just taking in the climate. It was super relaxing, when I could drag myself away from work on my laptop.

The highlight of the trip for me was visiting the Kennedy Space Center. I have been interested in science fiction for a long time, watching Star Trek, Star Wars, and various other cartoons. But recently I have become increasingly interested in how space travel actually happens, and the limitations of the real world.

I've been reading more about astronomy and listening to various pod casts to educate myself, as I have never taken a course on the subject.

Knowing a little, made me appreciate the trip to the Space Center much more. The scale of everything was simply awe inspiring. The size of the Vehicle Assembly Building used for building the Apollo rockets was incredible. Apparently the statue of liberty could get through the door without ducking. Oh and each of the stars on the american flag on the outside is 6 feet tall, and the blue area is the same size as a basket ball court. Just looking at it, it is hard to comprehend how large it it. I was telling my wife that they should build a house next to it, just so the tourists can get a better idea of how large it is.

We also had the opportunity to see the Discovery space shuttle on the launching pad. It was preparing to launch in the next few weeks, its cargo included solar panels for the international space station. Which is now nearly complete.

The tour included a walk through a replica of the IIS, so we could see how people were living in orbit. It was very interesting to try and imagine moving through it without feeling the force of gravity.

We returned on a second day to view more of the center, I'll be writing more about it in the future.

This trip was so much fun that I bought the vehicle assembly building on EarthClaim.com as well. You can see my deed here. I'm glad this one was still available as I could see why someone else would want it. I feel like I own a piece of history. It's really cool. If you are interested in owning a piece of the space center, I highly recommend you try right away, it will probably go fast!

Paris

I went to London in the 12th grade for 10 days. It was an amazing trip, and it was really cool to be able to travel with a group of my high school buddies. That trip really gave me a taste of travel, and I always wanted to return to Europe to see some of the other countries.

Fast forward 10 years, a marriage and a kid later I finally returned. This time my wife planned out the whole thing. It was great, we went to Paris for a week with our kid and saw so much. It was amazing how much we could see on foot and using the metro. We went to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Catacomb, and a tonne of other places.

This trip meant so much to me that I decided to find a unique way to remember it. I found a site called Earth Claim . It was one of the most unique things I'd ever found on the web. It describes a parallel universe with an earth just like our own. Only there are no people. There is a whole back story. But what it all comes down to is the fact that you can purchase land. Any land, as long as someone else hasn't bought it already.

I decided to pick up the louvre. What a funny concept. Here you can check out my deed. I'll never forget this trip, and with this certificate on my wall, neither will anyone walking into my office.