Expat Travels : From Switzerland to Canada

Snow Birds in Action

2009-11-06T01:21:00.000-08:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme Veterans/Military

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This week was a little harder to search for me but I recalled viewing the Snowbirds last September here in Victoria. Here are two super cool shots of Canada's Military stunt pilots.

The Snowbirds are Canada's military aerobatics or air show flight demonstration team.

All of these planes are red and white.

Happy Hunting!

The Torch Arrives in Victoria

2009-10-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

It was an exciting moment today as the Olympic Torch Arrived in Victoria this morning. I snuck out for a few minutes to catch a glimpse.

More to come once the dust settles, we are moving today!

Our Bags are Packed

2009-10-30T04:22:00.004-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme Bags

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This is a perfect day for the theme - Our bags are packed and we are moving shop, but just within town.. Hopefully internet is up and running too! We shall see.

(Another shot of my bag before it went into the Smart Car.)

Although I do have a few more photos of luggage and bags, this photo by far cracks me up the most. These were my bags during March 2008 trip back to Switzerland. I still need to work on packing less clothing! Yet I'm so amazed at what you can fit into a Smart for 2!

Happy Hunting! Be sure to check out my post below. I saw the Olympic Torch being past along in our city, exciting! More to come once the dust settles with our move.

Tied to Light

2009-10-23T05:54:00.004-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme Tied

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I think this weeks hunt tied for being one of the hardest to come up with!

So here's my take on the theme.

I think the below photos are tied for my favorite time of the day to take a photo!

Views of Vancouver

Don't you agree... :)

Happy Hunting.

Night Light

2009-10-16T06:30:00.002-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme Share Any Pic

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The other evening before it started getting darker and cooler, I was able to capture this beautiful photo. We are moving again soon so I won't be seeing this view every day.

Click for larger view
It's a long exposure shot of roughly 15 seconds.

Happy Hunting!

The City Becomes Alive

2009-10-12T21:01:00.006-07:00

Over the Thanksgiving Weekend we have some 20,000 extra visitors in town to run the Royal Victoria Marathon, half or 8km race. It's a lot of fun to watch and spectate no matter which part of the city you decide to get out and watch at.

This year I watched the end of the race and found a few people I knew at the finish. Here's the cutest video from the event. Lots of positive energy all around!

A caught the Cutest little boy dancing! He just walked up and started dancing to the song. I only wished that I reacted quicker and got more of the beginning of it.

A very international race!
(Notice all of the countries including Switzerland being represented.)

The little speed demons even get to race.

Look at all of the people!

I hope to see the great weather next year again!

sports

2009-10-09T01:03:00.000-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme Sports

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This sport you can definitely do by yourself! Of course its more fun with a partner.

Just one of the popular sports we do in Victoria, BC.

Happy Hunting!

Autumn Colors

2009-10-08T06:39:00.004-07:00

I know it's been forever since I've really posted lately. Been busy, been having fun on Facebook and mostly just not so into it here. We will be moving again into a larger place next month. Lots to do for preparation this time too..

Enjoy the photos.

Sunset in Victoria.

Empress Hotel - Fall Leaves.

And we celebrate Thanksgiving this weekend too.

Words

2009-10-02T01:15:00.001-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Words

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So many words, so many memories - from my 2008 Visit to Switzerland

Twisted

2009-09-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Twisted

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Some Twisted Lines

In the area of Lenzburg, Switzerland

upside down

2009-09-18T06:13:00.002-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Upside Down

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Hey Aren't they upside down?

And a Very Happy Birthday to my little bro today.

Happy Weekend Hunting!

Electric

2009-09-11T05:33:00.004-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Electric

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I took the definition of electricity and used that for the hunt

Electricity (from the New Latin ēlectricus, "amber-like"[a]) is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts, such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction.

Those are lightening clouds - Definitely electric!

Enough force to be electric or make electricity..

Happy Hunting!

Visiting Victoria

2009-09-08T14:14:00.013-07:00

It was nearly 3 weeks ago that my parents came to visit us up here in Canada. It was a short whirl wind visit. I kept them on their toes every morning and evening making sure I walked them enough. I didn't want them to get too spoiled with all of the eating we did.

We made our way up Island on Friday to check out the amazing low tide in Parksville and Qualicum Beach. For those of you who don't know the area, Vancouver Island utilizes one main highway which basically goes up and down the island. Since the population is not THAT large, much of the highway does have signals when entering towns.

(Click to Enlarge)

The red dots give you an idea on where we started and visited. All in all, it was about 2.5 hours drive each way and 320 km of driving. That's not much for California drivers.

So after we finally got to our first destination, I was in photography overload. There was so much to photograph and see. I was totally in my element, but the wind was very active.

Click to enlarge any photo.

Just the look of the blowing flags tells you it's a windy day outside. Enter Parksville.

Low Tide on the beach, pure heaven. It was a first visit for myself and my parents to the city of Parksville.

We each began wandering into the low tide pools searching for crabs and whatever shells and mysteries we could find.

Some Beautiful Shells!

This was my neat find on the walk.

What a view!

Dad was getting a bit hungry so we escaped the wind, filled our tummies up with some great food and headed off to Qualicum Beach next.

See he's happy.

We walked along the beach as there was so much to see.

Ripples in the sand.
a dead jelly fish.

A Crab.

A beautiful red door.

A lonely bench. That fire hydrant sure has it made.

The parents just happy to enjoy the time with us.

And a final shot before leaving to go back to Victoria.

After a few hours of wandering around the area, we mutually decided that Sushi was next on the agenda. Even mom was up for trying it, which has NEVER happened before.

Content after dinner, we took a long stroll to check out some of the interesting buildings around Victoria at Bastion Square.

Sunset views of the Inner Harbour.

Part of Bastion Square.Building from 1892 - (old for Victoria)

My mom can be quite the clown. They have taken to posing with all of these status as of late. It's amusing watching what they do.

Part of Bastion Square which was the original Fort Victoria.
Site of the original Fort Victoria, now long gone - and said to harbour a haunted building - many small shops, arts and crafts stands, benches to sit on, several restaurants, and some welcome greenery - and a wide scenic view of Inner Harbour and beyond - Bastion Square gives respite from the rush of the city in the midst of the city, and a chance to regroup oneself while soaking up some pacific scenery.

I spot a Swiss Flag.

Walking back to the Legislative Building and the Inner Harbour.

(don't forget to click to enlarge)
And it was time to retire inside for the night. What an incredible day.

There's more to come from their trip, once I finally get the photos processed.

Shade of Orange

2009-09-04T05:08:00.002-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Orange

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It's been a hectic week with half of the move started. We are off to finish the second half this weekend, which will be the harder part of it all.

Didn't want to think of fall right away but here is a mosaic of shades of orange.

Wishing everyone a great holiday weekend. I think nearly everyone celebrates labour day weekend....

Change in the Weather

2009-09-03T06:31:00.003-07:00

I'm seeing changes all around Victoria...

Here's a look at one change going on... rain again...

or black and white version...

Surprise Visit

2009-08-28T06:19:00.001-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Surprise

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My parents surprised us with a visit up to Canada last weekend. This was their first official visit to the Island and to my surprise a vacation for them! This time we got to show them around the Island and got to eat lots of wonderful food.

The biggest surprise of the weekend was when my mom accepted going out to sushi which my dad and I love. When we got there she tried many different dishes and one sauce which I was so surprised she loved!

And here's the evidence of them eating sushi.

This is just a sample of what is to come. We are moving tomorrow evening and saturday so hopefully I can visit and post more once that is over.

Happy Hunting

Fake Goods Warning

2009-08-26T00:35:00.002-07:00

There has been a crack down on fake goods all over Europe. You may want to reconsider where you buy your next souvenir, and that’s a warning. A recent BBC article states that France and Italy are cracking down on tourists buying fakes. In France,

People can be charged up to $300K Euros for buying fake goods, mostly from China. A campaign in the UK is heightening the awareness of intellectually property and what consumers buy.

Tourists have been warned over fake goods!

Permanent Resident Cards

2009-08-25T06:31:00.002-07:00

Apparently there are new permanent resident cards being sent out in Canada now.

“Thanks to state-of-the-art security features, this redesigned permanent resident card will help prevent the fraudulent use of Canada’s immigration documents and protect the integrity of our immigration system,” said Minister Kenney. “The new card contains security features that comply with international standards for travel documents. Technology is continuously evolving and it is important that our standards keep up.”

Read more about these enhanced security features.

Hold Everything

2009-08-19T21:43:00.002-07:00

The Parent's are making their first official visit. I'm taking a break from the photo hunt even though I do have a great photo for it. Hopefully we will be busy and taking lots of photos during their trip to Victoria... See you guys in a few days...

Here's a peek at their visit.

They had a great time and definitely want to come back to visit!

Photo Hunt - Artificial

2009-08-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Artificial

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I had to go for the wiki term on this to help me out.

Artificial is something that is not natural. The term can signify something that is a sham, a substitute for the real thing. For example, artificial turf and artificial sweeteners are not natural in origin and are made by humans.

The word "artificial" is derived from the Latin artificiālis, "contrived by art," and is etymologically related to artifice. Something artificial can be made by human skill, work, or art.[1][2]

An Artificial Rock Barrier in the Comox Harbour.

Happy Hunting!

Weekend Snapshots

2009-08-10T11:32:00.004-07:00

We were out and about and everywhere in the Victoria this weekend.

Here are a few cool shots from the weekend.

Where camping, farms and houses all meet.

This herring was trying to put on some shoes. Rather comical.

Talking mad cow?

So just a few snap shots from the weekend, but they made me laugh!

Low Lying Fog

2009-08-07T06:15:00.001-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Low

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Low Lying Fog

It's easy to find this type of low fog in Vancouver from time to time.

Happy Hunting - I'll be away from the computer most of the weekend but will drop by when I can.

Happy Swiss National Day

2009-08-01T08:28:00.004-07:00

If you haven't guessed it yet, it's August 1st.

Happy Swiss National Day to all who are celebrating.

Wishing I was there too...

Photo taken on Lac Leman in August 2005.

Photo Hunt - Entertainment

2009-07-31T04:44:00.000-07:00

This weeks Photohunt Theme is Entertainment

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The definition on Wikipedia is:

Entertainment is an activity designed to give people a diversion. It is usually conducted in one's free time. An audience may participate in the entertainment passively as in watching opera or a movie, or actively as in games.

I figured that Luminara is quite entertaining. This happened last Saturday. All of the lights and entertainers are fun to watch. I'm pretty sure (sarcasm) that's entertainment.

Great photos ops - my entertainment!

An entertainer.

A moving Atm Van.

A giant coffee light.

The crowd being entertained.

Happy Hunting!

Ilumination

2009-07-25T21:31:00.002-07:00

Tonight we had our first real rain in nearly 2 months.

This is what the sky looked like...

Totally stunning, and nothing done to the photo at all...