"Stopping By For a Visit ?" Greggor58's Profile

How LUCKY am I ?

I had two adventurous parents that would on a whim load up the car with a cooler with food, and camping gear, and a map, and away we’d go on another road trip during our short Canadian summers. I suppose organizing a tent or two was not as expensive as hotel accommodations and so we camped along the way to and at our destinations.

From an early age I can recall some pretty unique experiences touring Canada from the back seat of some type of a 60’s or 70’s Chevrolet.

Loons serenading us at dusk on a lake somewhere in Northern Ontario, taking a little swim break in some irrigation ditch on a scorching hot summer day driving through Saskatchewan, walking on the Columbia Ice Fields in Alberta, jigging for Cod in a fish boat off the shore of Prince Edward Island or eating fresh clams at a cottage on the shore of the Bras d’Or Lakes on Cape Breton Island; these are some memories of my first travel adventures.

It’s possible and likely probable that my road trip experience growing up wasn’t typical of a Canadian kid of the Sixties but for certain the places and experiences that I enjoyed were typically “Canadian”.

I started looking at pictures in National Geographic magazines when I was young and I remember looking at the photos of farrrrr away places in the World, most of these places, at the time I had NEVER heard of but seeing how differently people live in these places interested me instantly.

Something that I've learned over the past decade or so is that life isn't infinite...and I'd like to see some of the World.

My first solo travel brought a seventeen year old kid across the Atlantic to spend seventeen days moving south from Belgrade into Greece and back up along the Adriatic coast to Dubrovnik, some memories of that journey are fading but some that I wont share here I’ll remember forever :o)

There’s been no looking back since. Any chance that I can have I’ll use the opportunity to take off and explore.

Botanical Beach,British Columbia,Canada.

I enjoy spending time outdoors the farthest away from civilization as I can get, sometimes that’s easier said than done, so I compromise.

An easy and fun drive out of Victoria, in British Columbia gets me to my FAVOURITE beach hike along the Strait of Juan de Fuca at a place called Botanical Beach,close to a tiny little town called Port Renfrew. In my mind I kind of think in some ways it'll be the next Tofino, a more developed and touristy destination on the west coast of Vancouver Island.

Hiking here brings you face to face with Mother Nature, wild waves smashing the rocky shoreline at times, seals, eagles, bear and cougar make this remote area home. There’s always the possibility to see Orca and Grey whales from one of the shoreline trails as I have done here more than once. On one occasion I had the great opportunity to sit and watch an adult Grey Whale with a calf for more than an hour just fifty meters away from me, they didn’t move too far away, I decided that the calf was being taught to feed perhaps.
Whenever I’m visiting Vancouver Island making a visit here to Botanical is almost always a must do.

Sun Sets on Turtle Beach and Plymouth,Tobago,W.I.

From time to time I need to recharge..totally..and Ill find a few good books to pack and I’ll decide on a sun filled, relaxing vacation when I can sit, soak up some sunshine, and do some reading and napping, generally, I'm pretty good at watching the tide move in and out :o)

I’ve lazed about on beautiful beaches in Mexico, Cuba, Thailand, Vietnam, Canada, USA, and many of the islands throughout the Caribbean. Over the course of a few days I can build a nice little Shrine to the Sea from collections I make on my beach walks.

It’s a toss up but the top beach on my list is a beach in Tobago where there’s just enough activity to keep me satisfied and the sunsets can be amazingly beautiful.
The surf is just right for some fun playtime and it’s mellow enough that I can really find some serious peace and quiet.

Turtle Beach is within easy walking distance of both Black Rock and Plymouth and the three times that I’ve visited here I’ve witnessed the impressive Leather-back Turtle laying eggs in the same way it has for thousands of years.

If you’d like to see some fun photos and read about some of my experiences in Tobago feel free to visit my Tobago pages...

Canadian Museum of Civilization,Ottawa,Canada.

My favourite museum that I enjoy spending time in is highlighted by collections and exhibits that relate Canadian First Nations life and culture for anyone that has any interest in learning about it.

I have the good luck to live in a city, Ottawa, that hosts the Canadian Museum of Civilization and I visit somewhat regularly.

The Grand Hall hosts a collection of West Coast First Nations totem poles and I can spend time sitting and admiring the skill and craftsmanship of each totem here whenever I visit.

The Hall has a subtle soundtrack playing of waves breaking and the occasional gentle crowing of the Raven, an important creature in the mythological legends of the First Peoples of the Pacific Coast.
If you close your eyes for a few moments it’s easy to imagine that you might actually be on an isolated beach somewhere in British Columbia.
In addition to the Grand Hall, the First Peoples Hall is quite elaborate and is quite well organized and provides you with more details of many of the different “First Nations” that have made Canada they’re home for what is believed to be thousands of years.

Take a look at the description of the museum on my pages describing Ottawa “things to do” for some information about access to the museum and how to get there.

The museum also has an Imax Theatre and I am a member of the film “club” at the museum.

If you have the opportunity to visit this museum come and take a look and see if you agree with me..

Thun,Switzerland.

This isn’t an easy decision either. It would probably not surprise you if I told you that my home country would be my number one favourite place to explore. Canada offers many places still that you can find solitude and natural beauty, peace and quiet.
I’ve traveled and explored Canada from the Atlantic to the Pacific for much of my life and I know that Canada has so much to offer and has many diverse cultures and culinary opportunities to indulge in.
It would be easy to think this would be my number one choice.

Vietnam is also a country that I totally enjoyed exploring, the people of this country made such a strong impression on me and the colourful temperament of the culture in this country makes it close to the top of my choices of countries to explore more thoroughly.

I think though that for a few reasons my most favourite country to explore has to be Switzerland.

I have some amazing friends that I love to spend time with that live in this country. They’re rural home; high on a hill with panoramic vistas of snow capped mountains in winter and lush green agricultural fields in summer has always given me a feeling of being at home in a country that’s not my own..

It’s not only the stunning scenery of Switzerland that makes this country so desirable to me but also the old history and the charming small villages and towns that dot the countryside and cling to the most precarious mountainsides.

My favourite mountain town is Wengen the home of the famous World Cup Ski Race, The Lauberhorn. I visited during perfect summer weather and did some easy hiking below the Jaungfrau... an AMAZING experience..

Walking the streets of a small city like Thun or Gruyeres is always like a dream really.

its like stepping into a fairy tale World in lots of ways..and we all know...fantasy can be lots of fun now can't it?

The ancient castles and beautiful lakes and the history of this land always intrigue me and I never can get to spend enough time visiting here.

Regina and Greggor,Baron River Canyon,Ontario.

I can’t recall exactly how I stumbled across VT, initially, when I decided to participate here I thought it would be an interesting place to post some photographs. I had no idea what was to unfold.

Eventually I started to share some of my travel experiences and write “reviews” or “tips”. Now when I’m researching a new travel destination VT is the first place that I go to find information.

Today what I know about VT is that it’s a great “virtual” meeting place and I’ve had the good luck to have developed some really strong friendships and bonds with people from all around the Globe.
I can entertain myself here for hours if I get off on a tangent…I LOVE reading about places that I’ve never been to before and I really enjoy making “friends”.

Building travel pages is a unique opportunity to record some details of a journey, it can be time consuming, but well worth the effort.

Virtual Tourist is nothing short of a Global Community of people and friends that share an enthusiasm for exploring the World and sharing they’re travel experiences. I enjoy hanging out here and meeting new people.

Like many of us here that have spent time at VT, I too have had a few "meetings" with friends that I've made here, or people that are passing through town.

Vt'ers that I've met include..

Regina1965 that has visited Ottawa on more than one occasion and comes from Iceland, the Land of Fire and Ice.She provides some pretty detailed information about her home country.See her pages if you have any interest in visiting there.

Jefie and I crossed paths during one one of my adventures to Quebec City. We've been fiends ever since and when she visits Ottawa we TRY to connect if it works.
Check out some of Jefie's interesting travel adventures as she moves around the Globe.

Pieter that comes through Ottawa from time to time, the last occasion, we managed to share a fast dinner together. Pieter lives close by to Amsterdam and I believe moderates that Travel Guide..If you're looking for good information about Amsterdam and the Netherlands you might want to check his pages..

Dave and I have bantered back and forth for years and finally we managed to connect for a fast meal this Summer while he was driving through town on his way to Montreal.
A big chunk of Dave's GIANT heart resides in P.E.I. still...check out some of Dave's photos when you have a chance..

Wal that comes from "Down Under" just passed through Ottawa this past weekend and although we both had commitments we made some time to share a walkabout on a beautiful blue sky day and some good coffee.
Wal comes from Bundanoon in New South Whales.


Sometimes its just not possible to connect when someones passing through but more often than not I thnk the sentiment is always the same.Its always good to have local contacts wherever we go I think.

It would be GREAT to know that you’ve enjoyed an image of mine so much that you’d like it for your collection. If you see something that you enjoy that much that you’d like a copy please ask and it’s probably yours.
I’ve seen a statement on another VT member’s pages that asks that you “play nicely” if you’d like one of her images. I like that idea.

Berlin,Germany.

I was born under the Astrological Sign of Sagittarius…and I think I fit the bill. I’m not into Astrology much but sometimes seemingly there’s much more than co-incidence at play I think.

The following is from an Astrology web site written by a guy names Jonathan Cainer, and the following is a description of Sagittarians.

“Sagittarians are perfectly capable of being grouchy and grumpy. They can summon plenty of lethargy and cynicism when they choose to. They can also be very delicate, diplomatic and deep. It's just that, because Sagittarius is ruled by Jupiter - the planet of hope - they can never quite silence an inner voice of optimism. Events may reduce it to a whisper for a while but it always returns to a roar, the moment they spot a possible solution to a problem. Sagittarians are idealists who want everything to be wonderful. They are also extremists who hate half measures. For them, it's either gung ho or no go"