NomadGirl Travels

Last night the Canadian Pacific Holiday Train came to Calgary. Every year CP employees decorate a CP train with Christmas lights and it travels across the country. This year, the train travelled from Montreal, QC and will end in Port Coquitlam, BC at the end of next week. There is also a train that travels across the United States. The event is free, the public is asked to bring a food donation. CP Rail collects donations of food and money at every stop, and these donations are given to the local food bank in each community. The CP Holiday Train comes in blowing its horn. Lights decorate the train. Lights decorate the train. The event includes performances by Canadian musicians who perform in different cities and towns. This year, the headlining talent was Jim Cuddy, one of the lead singers for the Canadian band "Blue Rodeo". He also has a few solo albums and is one of my favourite artists. It was very cool to be able to see him perform live and for free!

 The Alhambra, in Granada, Spain, is a complex consisting of both Moorish and Roman palaces. The tour takes about three hours and is very interesting. I particularly liked the Moorish architecture. Very beautiful! Historical records indicate that the Alhambra dates from the 9th century AD. Plaque on the outside wall. View of the entrance to the complex from above. The entrance into the complex. Entrance to the Palacio del Generalife. Window looking over the servant's passageway is the Palacio del Generalife. Islamic writing was everywhere throughout the complex. The writing says: "No one wins but God". The entrance to the Roman Theatre. The Roman Theatre. Concerts are held here. The Roman Bathhouse. These are the showers. The showers. Water would pour through these holes in the roof to create the shower. The Palacio del Generalife. Mini aqueducts carry water down the staircases throughout the gardens. T

Stonehenge is a great option for a day trip from Bath, England.  Stonehenge is an ancient megalithic stone circle in England, located north of Salisbury in the Wiltshire countryside. It is believed to date back around 5000 years to circa 3000 BC.  It is a pilgrimage and spiritual site for modern Druids. A rope marks a path around the stones that visitors can follow. However, on the Summer and Winter Solstice, the site is opened so that Druids can worship there. On those days, the site is also open to the public so that they can walk amongst the stones and observe the Druids' ritual. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stonehenge The stones at Stonehenge are impressive. I was surprised at how small the actual circle is in which the stones were placed. I always thought the circle of stones was really large.  Audio tours are provided and tourists can walk around the circle of stones at their leisure. There are spots in which photo opportunities are provided.  For mo

When I was In Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2009, I didn't have a lot of time to look around or do see anything in the city. I arrived in late afternoon and was leaving the next morning again on a tour, so I needed to find something that was quick and available for the evening. I had wanted to do a ghost tour of the underground vaults, and fortunately a roommate at the hostel did too. We left to meet up with our tour on the High Street around 7pm. I didn't have a ticket yet, but was able to buy one from the guide. There are lots of options for tours of Edinburgh, including: historical tours of the underground vaults, Edinburgh Castle, the old town and the new town, walking or bus tours. My tour was a walking tour that included the underground vaults and alleyways off the High Street. It was very interesting. The first thing our group was told before we started was that there was a particularly aggressive ghost called "The Watcher" who followed groups through the vaul

A church of some variety has stood on the grounds at Westminster, London, by the Thames for over one thousand years. It has been the location for coronations since 1066. The current church has been standing since 1245 and is built in the Gothic style of architecture. Seventeen kings and queens are buried there. It has been featured in films including The Da Vinci Code and The Stone of Destiny , a film about the heist of 1950 when Scottish students stole the Stone of Scone and took it back to Scotland. Westmister Abbey Current admission fees, as of today's date, are: Adults £18.00 Concessions £15.00 (Over 18 students (on production of a valid student card) and 60+)  Schoolchildren (11 - 18 years) £8 Child under 11 free accompanied by an adult  Family £36.00 (2 adults and 1 child) £44.00 (2 adults and 2 children) Entry for all the above includes a free audio-guide each I was really excited to see Westminster Abbey because of my interest in Queen Elizabeth I, an

I recently traveled to Spain. One place I visited was Valencia, where there were a lot of attractions to choose from. Some of the main attractions in Valencia are: The Cathedral The Cathedral of Valencia is an interesting place to visit. When you go, there are two activities of note. Climb the bell tower (2 € ) , which was formerly Moorish but was "Christianized" and offers great views of the city, or tour the cathedral and see a holy relic (5 € ) . I had limited time, so I chose the tour to see the holy relic. This was an audio tour that could be done at your own pace. It was very interesting and took the listener around the inside of the Cathedral, then to the back galleries which hold museum pieces and offer quite a bit of information about the cathedral. The Cathedral of Valencia Two items of note to see: La Capilla de la Resurrection - This is a display behind the main altar that holds the intact arm of Saint Vincent, the martyr. Capilla del Santo

The "Old City" of Rome sits 7m below the city that is modern day Rome. The Romans kept building on top of what was already there. The original city of Rome is 18m below the present day city. These photos show how Rome was during the time of Julius Caesar. The Old City The Old City The Forum The Old City The Colosseum was used for sporting events. The remains are quite fascinating to see in person. The Colosseum What is left of the seats. The floor. This is where the animals were kept for the fights. ~Angie

"Harry Potter: The Exhibition" is a special exhibit of props and costumes used in all eight "Harry Potter" films. It is currently being shown in Edmonton, Canada. This is the last time the exhibition will be shown in North America. It was previously shown in Sydney, Australia, Chicago and New York City, USA, and Toronto, Canada. It will go on to be shown in Europe and Asia beginning in April 2014. It is a timed entry to get into the exhibition. You can buy tickets online or at the venue, but you can only enter at the specific time on your ticket. "Harry Potter: The Exhibition" begins with a small group of guests gathered in a room. "Professor McGonagall" picks a few people to be sorted into houses with the Sorting Hat. The people who did this in my group were all kids who had a specific house that was their favourite. None were Slytherin! They were, of course, sorted into the house that they wanted. I would be interested to know if you did n

Here are five attractions in Wellington, New Zealand: 1) Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa The Te Papa Museum in Wellington is New Zealand's National Museum. Admission is free, but an admission fee is charged for special short term exhibits . Attractions at Te Papa include: Mana Whenua (M ā ori cultural exhibit) The giant squid New Zealand art works Tours of the museum The transformation of  Aotearoa New Zealand An overview of Wellington City Square with Te Papa in the centre (It is the brown building by the water) 2) Mount Victoria Mount Victoria is located just South of the CBD (Central Business District) and Te Aro. It is within walking distance of the CBD and Oriental Parade. It can also be reached by vehicle and public transport. Mount Victoria is a large hill that is a great place to go on short hikes. There are lots of hiking trails leading to the summit. Scenes from the Lord of the Rings: the Fellowship of the Ring were filmed on Mount Victoria.