The Louvre

I knew that the Louvre was considered one of the biggest museums of art in the world, but I wasn’t prepared for just HOW big that meant. We couldn’t see the full size of the building on this day, but the Seine cruise the night before really showcased the immensity of the building.

And this? This is just the entrance.

Breathtaking.

Niagara Falls

Although not inspired by Mario Kart, those of us who grew up racing in video games can’t help but be reminded of those hours spent in front of a console when we look at Niagara Falls’ new go-kart race track.

Image from www.narcity.com
Image from www.narcity.com

On top of the falls themselves (the Canadian ones are better!), you can visit a new zombie exhibit, a 4D motion theatre, and the recently renovated Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum.


Are you interested in travelling to Niagara Falls? You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca

The Story Museum

If I hadn’t wanted to visit Oxford, England before, I want to go there even more now!

The museum itself is planning a renovation, which will make it 100% wheelchair accessible by Summer 2019.

Image taken from Atlas Obscura.
Image taken from Atlas Obscura.

Geared towards children and exploration, The Story Museum features the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party, the Wardrobe and Beaver’s Den from Narnia, and many other iconic scenes.

They also host events and week long courses for children and adults alike.


Are you interested in travelling to England? You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca

Croatia

A friend may be travelling to Europe shortly, which reminded me I wanted to write about Croatia. Located on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea, west of Hungary and Serbia, south of Slovenia, and wrapping around Bosnia and Herzegovina to the north and west, Croatia is considered part of Eastern Europe.

Also known as "The Pearl of the Adriatic", Dubrovnik is a World Heritage City. Image from Geece and Mediterranean Travel.
Also known as “The Pearl of the Adriatic”, Dubrovnik is a World Heritage City. Image from Greece and Mediterranean Travel.

Croatia is an up-and-coming fandom travel destination. Although several movies have been made there, none of them have made an impact on the Fandom community. Game of Thrones, however, has filmed quite a few scenes in King’s Landing Dubrovnik. There are plenty of choices for fandom travel. Viator offers several tours, including the cities Dubrovnik and Split. “Memorable locations from the series include the Minceta, Bokar, and Lovrijenac fortresses; the Dubac quarry; the island of Lokum, just off the coast of Dubrovnik; the village of Mlini; and the island of Mrkan just off the coast of Cavtat” (Viator). Dubrovnik is also a great place to soak up the sun in a Mediterranean climate.

Zagreb, Croatia's northern capital. Image from Lonely Planet.
Zagreb, Croatia’s northern capital. Image from Lonely Planet.

If you want to visit the interior of Croatia, the capital Zagreb has tons of geeky things to offer. The Technical Museum offers a planetarium, an underground coal mine replica, and Nikola Tesla’s laboratory, where you can become a test subject. There’s a bar called Tolkien’s House next to a monastery. There’s more, check out this link for short descriptions of all the cool things to do!

Koprivnica, Croatia becomes a Renaissance town in August for a festival. Image from Croatia Tourism.
Koprivnica, Croatia becomes a Renaissance town in August for a festival. Image from Croatia Tourism.

Further inland is the city of Koprivnica. What drew my eye is its Renaissance Festival, held the 25-28 of August 2016. Over ten European countries will be competing in this year’s events, the central theme of which is “Equestrian Knight’s Tournament”. Hundreds of performers from Croatia and the other ten countries will be in full costume, and welcome the chance to interact with tourists and locals alike.

If you’d like help booking this trip. You can contact Jennifer Desmarais through Orleans Travel. jennifer.desmarais@orleanstravel.ca


References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Films_shot_in_Croatia
http://www.viator.com/Croatia-tourism/Game-of-Thrones-TV-Locations-in-Croatia/d730-t10599
http://www.likecroatia.com/news-tips/destinations/the-geeks-guide-to-zagreb/
http://www.mdc.hr/tehnicki/en/index.html
https://www.facebook.com/Tolkiens-House-16990844511/
http://croatia.hr/en-GB/Activities-and-attractions/Events/NewEvents/Renaissance-festival
http://www.renesansnifestival.hr/renesansni-festival-0-22.php

Lay back

This statue was really cool because the woman’s face had been worn away by wind. There had also been little reptiles on the corners of the statue, and all that was left were the feet. We debated at length about whether another set of feet belonged to an infant.

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I am helping to organize a new craft fair that is happening March 21, 2015. It is called CON Creative Ottawa Nerds. You can say that you’re going to the event here, and you can like our Facebook page here. Éric wrote about it here.

Aphrodite

I suppose I should be saving this picture for Valentine’s Day, but Aphrodite is just too beautiful not to share! BTW, I recognized her out of all the other statues in the room! I was quite proud of myself.

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I am helping to organize a new craft fair that is happening March 21, 2015. It is called CON Creative Ottawa Nerds. You can say that you’re going to the event here, and you can like our Facebook page here. Éric wrote about it here.

Hall of the Americas

There was the facade of a house, and many statues in the courtyard in this area of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. No wonder the Doctor showed up! So many Weeping Angels!

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I am helping to organize a new craft fair that is happening March 21, 2015. It is called CON Creative Ottawa Nerds. You can say that you’re going to the event here, and you can like our Facebook page here. Éric wrote about it here.