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Monday, February 4, 2019

PRAGUE

sergiy February 04, 2019

A magical city with an amazing architectural ensemble, which harmoniously combines
medieval castles and modern buildings. The heart of old Europe with the magical charm
of narrow streets and picturesque landscapes. The European capital, which every year
attracts millions of tourists from all over the world. All this, of course, Prague!

Sprawling on both sides of the Vltava River, Prague seems to symbolize the separation

between the past and the future of Europe. Moreover, the Czech capital surprisingly combines

these two worlds.

Like many European
cities, in Prague there is the Old Town and the new districts, only here they
do not contrast, but harmoniously combine and create an amazing architectural
symbiosis - on some of the narrow streets you can meet the existing water mill
and right there, looking away , stumble upon a futuristic television tower. To
understand this city, its rhythm of life and atmosphere, we advise you to get
closer acquainted with the history and modern life of Prague.

The exact date of the founding of
the city is unknown. It is believed that Prague was founded by the ancient
Slavs around the VI century BC. e. It has always been the main city of the
region: in the 10th century - the capital of the Czech state, since 1918 - the
Czechoslovak Republic, since 1993 - the independent Czech Republic.

Prague practically did not suffer
during the Second World War, therefore medieval cathedrals, castles and other
architectural monuments are preserved here. Today the city is experiencing a
construction boom, and modern buildings appear next to old buildings.

Prague Castle
Prague Castle is a fortress in Prague (similar to the East Slavic Kremlin), the
residence of the Czech president (formerly the Czech kings, some emperors of the
Holy Roman Empire, the presidents of Czechoslovakia, the imperial protectors
of Bohemia and Moravia). The largest presidential residence in the world, possibly
also the largest castle in the world.
Located in Hradcany on a high hill, towering over Prague. Exceptionally rich in architectural, artistic and historical treasures.

In Grad there are many houses, although it contains many very famous
buildings. Including in it are located: St. Vitus Cathedral, Golden Lane,
Church of All Saints, Basilica of St. George. Next to the Castle is the Royal
Garden, which houses the Summer Palace of Queen Anne.

Golden Lane
Golden Lane - the old street of Prague, located in Prague Castle, is one of
the symbols of the city. The appearance of the street is characterized by dwarf
two-story houses, built into the arches of the former fortress wall. The street is a popular tourist destination, miniature houses converted into
souvenir shops with galleries and expositions. Entrance fee, the visit is
included in the price of a comprehensive ticket for the Prague Castle.

Fair Palace

The fair palace was built in
1925-1928, located in the Holešovice district, Prague-7. The palace is the
first building in Prague built in the style of functionalism. Previously, fairs
were held here, offices of international companies were located, but in 1978
the building was transferred to the National Gallery. Nowadays, the complex is
used to house the exhibition of contemporary art, famous for paintings by
Picasso, Renoir and Van Gogh, as well as the “Slavic epic” by Alphons Mucha.

St.Vitus Cathedral

St. Vitus Cathedral is a Gothic
Catholic cathedral in Prague Castle, the seat of the Archbishop of Prague. The
cathedral is ranked among the pearls of European Gothic, is an artistic and
national-historical shrine of the Czech Republic. Czech kings and archbishops of
Prague are buried in the chapels of the cathedral, and the coronation regalia
of medieval Bohemia are also kept there.

The present building of the cathedral was built in several stages: 1344-1419,

1490-1510, 1556-1593 and
1873-1929 (the western part). Finally, the construction of the cathedral was
completed only at the beginning of the XX century. The length of the main nave
of the cathedral is 124 meters, the height of the Great South Tower is 96.5
meters. On the western side, there are two 82-meter neo-gothic stone towers
with a 10-meter round window in the form of a rosette between them. Three
portals of the cathedral are richly decorated with sculptures, stone and bronze
reliefs.

Rotterdam, the Netherlands: walking through the streets

sergiy February 04, 2019

Rotterdam makes a completely different impression than Amsterdam. This is the second largest city of Holland, the center of engineering and a major transportation hub. So, the port of Rotterdam until 2004 was considered the largest in the world (but remains the largest in Europe). The city is also famous for its architecture, well-known architectural firms such as OMA and MVRDV are located here.

In Rotterdam come from Amsterdam by train. In total some time - and we are at the other end of the country, in the province of South Holland, in the area where the Nieve-Meuse flows into the North Sea.

The sights of Rotterdam, as already mentioned, could be seen right at the exit from the hotel: the ultra-modern Erasnusbrug bridge looked so damn entertaining, I noted that in the evening when the crossing was highlighted. Built in 1996, the Erasmus bridge turned out to be extremely successful, and the architecture of the opposite bank turned out to be suitable for it. It is a pity that the fog somewhat concealed panoramas, and the overcast sky did not allow us to take bright pictures. I also had to postpone the planned Maas cruise for the future, and, apparently, not to me alone: in front of my eyes I set off from the pier a completely empty boat, with which you can get from Rotterdam to Dordrecht on the river.

In addition to residential premises, the cubic houses of Rotterdam also burned some offices, a visit to those can give an idea of the internal structure of the houses, they are unlikely to let tourists into the residential premises. Look, for example, the sign "Around Town", this is a bicycle rental office that allows you to feel like a real Dutchman. Rent a two-wheeled horse costs 15 euros per day, 25 euros per couple of days.

I remembered the cubic houses of Rotterdam, but did not like it; much more of these freaks impressed me with the buildings along Haringvliet, the former harbor of fishing boats. Here there were truly marvelous buildings, just the way I like them, in the typical Dutch style. Unfortunately, the neighborhood of small neat buildings were huge skyscrapers, built over the past few decades and completely redesigned the historical view of the city.

The park itself corrected my mood, quite nice, even despite the “icy winter season”. Probably, in summer, the local landscapes look gorgeous at all, only the green array is definitely deprived of the attention of tourists: the guests of Rotterdam are in a hurry to climb the Euromacht, and skip past. Meanwhile, this territory is considered the most beautiful park of the city. In the center of the city I still remember the church of Peter and Paul, built in the neo-baroque style. The date of its birth is 1910, but the temple has stood at this place since at least the 18th century, and the current building is considered to be its successor: not only is the location and name preserved, the new building inherited many of the details of the old interior; in particular, the altar of the 1720s, skillfully made by the Flemish masters, passed to it. There were also such sights of Rotterdam that did not impress me. Take here at least the town hall: remembering how colorfully decorated similar buildings in Brussels and Antwerp, I was extremely disappointed to see a massive, devoid of decor building. He is partly excused by the modern origin - the construction belongs to the period of 1914-1920, and yet, it seems to me, the architect could have created a memorable building, if he were to deal with a twinkle. After two days of sightseeing in Rotterdam, I was quite pleased: I was able to fulfill and even exceed the plan for exploring the city. Another thing is that due to bad weather I never got to the most interesting Dordrecht. But at the end, I finally managed to get from Rotterdam to The Hague - trains on this route run several times an hour, so I sat down on one of the trains, hoping for the rest of the day not only to see the capital of Holland, but also to get to the North Coast seas.

Friday, February 1, 2019

Luxembourg

sergiy February 01, 2019

I was also provoked by the logic of travel to visit the largest of the dwarf states in Europe: I like to dilute long journeys with stops for sightseeing. Luxembourg in this case came across just on the way from the North Sea coast to Dusseldorf, where we had to rent a rental car and put it home. And although there was a hefty detour on the route, I considered him to be tolerant: all the cities along the road, such as Maastricht, Liege, Namur, I saw, which means that it was necessary to replenish the baggage of impressions with something new.
No, strictly speaking, I had already had the opportunity to visit the territory of the Grand Duchy, but only a few hours drive, and definitely should have seen the sights of Luxembourg more thoughtfully. So I decided to get to the ducal capital and enjoy its beauty slowly, to the full.

Here are just my plans remained plans, because on arrival at the place of work went awry. Calculating time, I decided that, as usual, we would park somewhere near the city center and calmly walk. The reality turned out to be different: there are major problems with parking in Luxembourg.

And the history of Luxembourg began in a very masculine way: the foundation of the future state was laid in 963, when the powerful fort of Lisilinburg was erected on the remains of an ancient Roman fort. Its owner, Count Siegfried, managed to retain sovereignty over the surrounding territory in the struggle against the Holy Roman Empire, having founded the Luxembourg House. His descendants tried to continue the line of independence, and even achieved that in 1354 the county of Luxembourg turned into a duchy, rising to a higher level. Problems began later, towards the end of the Middle Ages. At first, the powerful dukes of Burgundy, then on equal terms with the French kings, grabbed foreign possessions. Luxembourg tried to stay away from the confrontation between Spain and the rebels of the Netherlands, but its inhabitants failed to avoid the horrors of the Thirty Years War. Next were the French, followed by the Spaniards, and again the French, and again the Spaniards. France at one time tried to gain a foothold in the occupied lands seriously, and the local fortifications were built by the great Vauban himself, but another peace treaty concerning the so-called Spanish inheritance, gave power over Luxembourg to Austria. Napoleon swatted the dukedom in disguise and did not notice, but then, at the Congress of Vienna, the diplomats had to suffer, deciding what to do with this corner of Europe.

The German princes were pulling the blanket over themselves; the neighboring Netherlands also wanted to expand their territory. Luxembourg was eventually proclaimed the Grand Duchy under the rule of the Dutch king Willem I. The status of an independent state of the land at the junction of Belgium, Holland and Germany was received at an international conference in 1867, when great powers, including the Russian Empire, declared Luxembourg a neutral country with a hereditary monarch from home nassau. Neutrality was twice violated by German troops during both World Wars, then the Grand Dukes themselves violated neutrality, making the country in 1949 a member of NATO. Another important step in the actual renunciation of sovereignty was the entry of Luxembourg into the European Union, which was at that time the European Coal and Steel Union; the headquarters of the new institution were located in the Luxembourg capital, and only much later did the European bureaucrats move to Brussels.

At least there are already half a dozen mosques, and the Muslim community is growing. So, you see, soon, as in neighboring Belgium, there will be a party of sharia lovers, and there it is not far from before the introduction of sharia law. That's just how the promotion of Islamists will be combined with the indulgence of same-sex relationships, for me personally, a mystery - it is necessary to contrive either those or these not to offend.

From the fortress bastions, a colossal bridge bearing the name of the Grand Duchess Charlotte is also clearly visible. Personally, in her place I would be careful not to leave the memory of myself in a similar way: the building is completely inconspicuous and fits into the landscape of Luxembourg in much the same way as a cow cake on a festive table. And after all, they built a crossing according to the project that won the competition for dozens of others - what were they like ?!

The eastern end of the Duchess Charlotte Bridge goes into new areas, bristling with skyscrapers. This is also not the best sight, so it is much more reasonable to take a course to the west, in the depth of the historical buildings. Then almost immediately the stylish church of Saint-Michel will come across. It is considered the oldest surviving temple in the country, some stones of its walls and foundation have been in place since the end of the 10th century.

The temple was rebuilt and modified several times, the look that now appears to the viewer is a mixture of Baroque and Romanesque styles of architecture that finally took shape more than three hundred years ago. There is nothing particularly exciting inside, so if you admire the old building from the outside, you have to go on to look at other sights of Luxembourg. This will not be the case: the National Museum of the country is located right to the right, and if you walk a couple of blocks forward and up Rue Sigefroi, then the Ducal Palace will be found around the left corner.

Strictly speaking, the complex of nice buildings was not originally intended for the placement of crowned heads, from 1572 to 1795 it was occupied by ordinary city officials. The fate of the palace experienced a sharp turn later, with the establishment of the power of the Netherlands, when the governor of the Dutch king chose the building for the residence. Finally, the Groussherzogleche Palais, as its name in the local dialect sounds in the hands of the highest authority, came in 1890, and has since been used as the official residence of the Grand Dukes of Luxembourg. For their convenience, a new wing was added and the interiors were replaced.

Honestly, although the facade looks nice, you can easily walk past it, because there are plenty of pleasant-looking buildings in Luxembourg. The value of this particular architectural ensemble is issued except for the soldiers of the guard of honor near the entrance. The last time we saw one such guard, cold and sniffy. The current entry did not allow seeing any guards at all, the guard rooms were empty. Theoretically, anyone can visit the Palace of the Great Dukes of Luxembourg as part of the tour, such as tours are organized on weekdays in August and early September, but I could not get accurate information on this subject. So for now, the most reliable option to see the palace interiors is a visit as part of the official delegation: the ducal guests are accommodated in the residence.

Summing up our tour of Luxembourg, I can say that I value the capital of the Grand Duchy as a C grade. It is, of course, interesting and has an ancient history, only its modern look in many ways repels rather than attracts. First of all, at the thought of a tiny country, I recall couples in love with homosexuals, then parking problems, then hordes of immigrants. Again, we still could not find a place to eat cheaply in Luxembourg.

Thursday, January 31, 2019

TRIP TO ROME: TIPS FOR EXPERIENCED TRAVELERS

sergiy January 31, 2019

If you want to visit the main attractions for free, we advise you to come during the Week of Culture in Rome. It usually takes place in mid to late April (exact dates change every year). These days, all museums and memorials, except those in the Vatican, operate in a free-to-enter mode. And on Sundays in the morning hours there is also free admission to city museums, but be prepared for an influx of tourists and for the fact that because of them you can hardly see anything.

The most popular attraction of Rome - of course, the Colosseum. You can not imagine how many people per day want to explore it. Therefore, we strongly advise in advance to buy a ticket for one of the excursions there and then not to stand in a long line. In addition, you can buy a combined ticket for two days with the possibility of visiting the Colosseum, Palatin and the Roman Forum, which will significantly reduce the cost of entrance tickets.

For those who have limited means, there are always free attractions, which, nevertheless, will allow to learn the history of Rome and explore the panorama of the city. So, you can get on the Janikul Hill, from where a wonderful view of the city opens up. Or walk along the Appian Way - an open-air museum where you can see churches, mausoleums and villas. Also free to enter the Imperial forums (do not confuse it with the Roman Forum). However, literally every house in the center of Rome is a creation of great masters, therefore, even if you are out of money, without impressions you will not leave here for sure.

In connection with the previous statement, we recommend more walking around Rome on foot. This is how you can explore the beautiful memorable places - the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navonna Square and the Spanish Steps - and experience the spirit of the history of the Eternal City. But it is also useful to go beyond the borders of Rome: very close, 30 minutes away, is the beach of Lido-Ostia. It is here that locals come to relax and sunbathe. You can get there by train. Also from the station of Rome you can go to Frascati - a small cozy town, which is famous all over the world for its wine.

Eat in cafes and restaurants, located away from the main attractions. Of course, the Piazza Navonna meal is very attractive, but unfairly expensive. It is much cheaper to eat in places far from the center. Traditional Italian pizza al taglio, which is prepared in many fast food points throughout Rome, is perfect for a snack. It is also a sin not to try local products, because Italian cheeses, pasta and meat products are known all over the world.

Do not disdain the fountains with fresh water scattered throughout the city. Even locals carry empty bottles with them and take in clean and cold water. It is completely safe for your health.

Sights of Rome

Sights of Rome, which are required to visit, because they are "business cards" of the Eternal City:

Vatican: St. Peter’s Cathedral and Vatican Museums. Plan a trip to the Vatican for the whole day and come in the morning to the opening to minimize standing in line. A great time to visit is the post-Easter period, when the entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica is free. Be sure to note that the entrance to the Vatican Museums, where the famous Sextus Chapel is located, is located on the other side of St. Peter’s Square.

The Colosseum is a terrific monument. Entrance to the Colosseum is paid and you can buy a general ticket to the Colosseum and the Roman form.

The Roman Forum is a remnant of former greatness from the Roman Empire.

The Pantheon is a beautiful temple in the center of Rome, with a hole in the dome.

Trevi Fountain - don't forget to make a wish! But watch out for personal things.

Castle of the Holy Angel and the Bridge of the Angels - located near the Vatican.

The square (piazza) Navona is a haven for artists and creative people. There are many interesting shops in the district.

The Spanish Steps are a very crowded landmark!

Also it will be no less interesting to visit:

Vittoriano (Monument to Victor Emmanuel II) is a white monumental building that can be seen

from almost any part of the city, built in honor of the union of Italy. Inside, two museums - one

dedicated to the fleet, and the second - the national liberation movement (Risorgimento). Borghese

Gallery. Villa Borghese. Catacombs of Rome. The mouth of truth. Terme Caracalla (imperial baths).

Sao Paolo-fuor-le-mura. Mausoleum of Kai Cestia.

It should be noted that both lists are far from exhaustive! In Rome, every home has its own beauty and history. There are many magnificent fountains and monuments, and columns and aqueducts - witnesses of bygone eras are found everywhere. You can also visit interesting sights around Rome. If possible, visit the city of Tivoli, where Villa Adriana and Villa d’Este are located.

Sri Lanka

sergiy January 31, 2019

All of them are from the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka! We have been living in this country for almost a month now. During this time we drove along the coast (Halle-Unawatuna-Habaraduva-Mirissa) and visited the central part of the country (Sigiriya, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, Ella). Emotions poulegёlis, everything settled down, which means that now is the time to share impressions.

Traffic and transport in Sri Lanka

The traffic in Sri Lanka is left-sided, but in fact, it makes no difference what lane you are on. Even the Vietnamese road chaos seems a strictly ordered movement against the background of the Sri Lankan. Signaled, blinked - you can rush. Double solid, turn, climb, busy oncoming - what's the difference if the bus urgently needs to overtake the motorcyclist or tuker to stop in 100 meters and disembark the passenger?

Buses - the most accessible and most dangerous form of transport in Sri Lanka, regardless of whether you are inside or outside. They are huge, occupy the entire band and do not follow a single rule. Buses can do anything. Buses do not know how to drive slowly. Drivers do not know that passengers need to disembark, completely stopping, and not to get under way until everyone leaves.

Once an elderly woman did not have time to get out, and the bus just dragged her behind her - the woman held on to the rail on the door. As a result, she strongly dislocated her leg, could not walk. But there was no question of any ambulance or first aid. I wonder why none of the witnesses called the police? Another time they saw how the police arrived and punished the driver. And again the victim is an elderly woman. Is this not genocide by age and sex?

In buses, local music is usually very loud. The atmosphere is indescribable: a piece of iron with a couple of dozens of lives inside is speeding, overtaking someone, slowing down sharply, all this under leisurely songs deafeningly pouring from the speakers on the head, and outside the window the ocean throws waves onto the shore.

At the bus stops, the “who is the last one and the standing” rule works, therefore, slowly going into the bus you risk to be swept away by the flow of Lankans rushing inwards. Just like at home, only twice as bad.

Lankans mostly ride motorcycles. A moped for rent is worth 700-800 rupees per day. Passport pledged without prepayment.

For more or less long distances, you can travel by train - cheap and cheerful. Interestingly, the east coast has a poor network of railway roads, in contrast to the extensive western-central. The train should ride to the central part of the country - there are beautiful and epic bridges.

Accommodation in Sri Lanka

Despite the end of the season, Sri Lankans lomina prices and do not drop. For a dark closet not by the sea, they ask for 2500 rupees per day. Inside the room, there is often no furniture except the bed and nightstand. In some places, a double bed consisted of two shifted teen beds, i.e. 150 cm long.

An important point when looking for housing - be sure to ask what is invested in the price. Water, electricity usually included. Sometimes the price of the room includes breakfast, which can be waived. Cleaning may also be included

The presence of air conditioning immediately increases the cost of housing. The hospitable hosts of one of the guest houses on Unawatuna explained to us why this is so: Sri Lanka does not have its own electricity, it buys it from India. And the air conditioner eats a lot. If so, then why is Sri Lanka not littered with solar panels (price?) And not trying to use alternative sources of energy? Obviously, rather big investments are required, but this is payable and very promising for the country's economy!

With the Internet in guest houses (and in hotels) is bad. It is inexplicable, but Sri Lankans do not put amplifiers. Therefore, Wi-Fi (if any) is only on the ground floor (it finishes what it is, there it is).

Food, beverages and alcohol in Sri Lanka

The most popular food is rice and curry.

The simplest fried rice (or noodles) with vegetables from 260 rupees. So read the signs. In practice, I have never seen such a price. The most adequate price was in a small one in Mirissa, where rice and noodles cost 400 rupees each. True, the portion is such that for two is enough. This is typical of Sri Lankan dishes. Therefore, it is better to specify the serving size before ordering. Although all the abundance of dishes in the photo above, according to the waiter, was designed for one person. And we together have not mastered.

By the way, the prices for dishes listed in the menu do not include 10% tax. But these 10% are included in the bill that you need to pay. A total of 400 rupees for fried rice turns into 440.

I absolutely do not recommend drinking water from the tap. In some places, and brush your teeth better with bottled water.

What I definitely advise you to try is ginger beer or Ginger Beer. It is a soft drink, light and refreshing.

From the food is still very impressed papadam. And gingerbread cookies. Papadas are cakes that are cooked in a pan in a hot oil. You can buy pads in any store.

Sea and beaches of Sri Lanka

Why go to Sri Lanka? For the exotic and the sea. But many people do not suspect that in Sri Lanka there is not a sea, but an ocean, and these are two huge differences. The ocean is always raging, always rolling huge waves on the shore. Yes, the beaches in Sri Lanka are wide, long and sandy, but swimming in the ocean means fighting with the waves.

There are many animals here. And just on the street you can see quite unusual animals. For example, we have a mongoose under the window. The path even trodden. On the trees a bunch of different monkeys and parrots. On the wire worn chipmunks. Small lizards and lizards walk slowly across the grass. Minks are dug on the banks of the dog, and the cows are sunbathing.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

Travel to the country of maple leaves. Toronto

sergiy January 30, 2019

The Hurons believed that this was only their “Meeting Place”. The Mohawks also claimed the title of abroiigen and believed that here "Trees grow out of water." The villages of the Iroquois, Seneca, and Mississauga were spread out here and there, and also had their names, not very carefully preserved by capricious History. However, the latter did not like to live long in one place, turned down their wigwams and moved to a new place around the Great Lakes.

And again, everything changed in the usual course of time and events, as soon as the pale faces came to the shores of the lakes. A piece of land was bought for what kind of money and Indian Tkaronto gave the name of the capital of Upper Canada - Toronto.

The history of the city was not particularly remarkable - the city grew, then captured by the enemy, again returned to the rightful owners ... And who knows what Toronto would be like now, if not for the loss of Montreal influence and the outflow of the English-speaking population. Business also went to Toronto, and immigration after World War II did its job.

Our journey from the Thousand Islands was in Toronto. And the closer we approached, the more severe the weather became: the skies frowned, heavy fat clouds clung to the saddened belly with the belly, fragments of ash mists stuck to the glass. The city was preparing a very joyful meeting guests. I don’t know what angered the capital of Ontario, but heaven did not promise a warm welcome.
With the hope of the mercy of the Canadian gods who control the weather, we went to bed late at night, when you could only see the wrong light of lanterns. With even more hope, I rushed to the window in the morning. Plans to climb the CN Tower collapsed and broke into the smallest fragments - the city was wrapped in a dense fog.

In no other city in the world does so many different nationalities live side by side, while completely ignoring it and learning to make friends regardless of the notorious fifth item and skin color. A completely multi-ethnic city, with a mixture of cultures, languages and traditions. After a couple of hours of walking around Toronto, you stop paying attention to it and perceive it as the most common and usual fact. To say that I liked it - to say nothing! This is the perfect picture of the world for me. What is the reason for such a peace-loving coexistence - active immigration or an abundance of student youth - is hard for me to say, but I think it all came together.
Toronto is the most "skyscraper" city of Canada, from what I have seen. And at the same time - no less green. Thrift and care, with which they treat every tree and a flower in Toronto, cannot but arouse respect. Huge monsters of glass and concrete carefully parted, giving way to trees and squares. And of course, squirrels are masters here!
And there are a lot of dogs in Toronto! No, not those that are gathering in hunger packs and are ready to rummage for the sake of finding food in any landfill. Dogs in Toronto are loved. They are walking, they are spoiled, they are protected. To meet a dog without a leash is simply impossible! But the leash with a few dogs - easily.
Residents of the city are very fond of their lake Ontario and love to relax on its shores. True, in the summer. In the fall I almost never met them. But what surprised me was that I was wrapped in a windbreaker and trembling from the dank wind and damp fog, while the people were walking around in short-sleeved T-shirts and even the kids were running around with bare knees, not being afraid of catching cold and getting sick. Young Street is the longest street in the world, its length is 1896 km and it stretches from the embankment of Lake Ontario to the border with the United States. Once it was an Indian trail, later the discoverers of Canada walked along it. In the 19th century it was the most commercial street, the commercial center of the city with many shops. In my opinion, on this street the maximum accumulation of buildings of glass and concrete. To go through it all - the task is almost unsolvable.

Travel to the country of maple leaves. Montreal.

sergiy January 30, 2019

Canada is a country of maple leaves, hockey, maple syrup, gorgeous nature, and cities completely different from each other .

One has only to cross the border of the United States and Canada, as things change around. At first it is noticeable on the roads: not that they are so clearly becoming worse, but still not American. Now is the time to take heart, praising the Motherland, it’s not only our problem, it turns out!

And then you start to look around and completely forget about the roads, about fatigue and about the desire to take a nap under the rustle of the wheels. Because on the sides absolutely incredible pictures of magnificent Canadian autumn open ... The forests are colored, perhaps, by all shades of yellow, orange, burgundy, purple and even chocolate colors. There is something to look at: here, because of a sharp turn, blue-blue mountains appeared in the multi-colored spots of the forest. Here are villages, but rather even small towns, so cozy and cute that it seems that all happy people are trying to settle here.

And the pastoral picture of a mowed field, a frozen white or blue tractor, twisted hay coils, late autumn colors, a small house and a bright garden around are fascinating more and more.

Canadians love their autumn. In those days, when the foliage reaches the peak of its beauty, they go out into nature to admire this miracle, as the Japanese gather around cherry blossoms in bloom. These things are called “look at the leaf fall”, and hotel rooms by the lakes or in the forests are occupied several weeks before the season. And you can even understand the Canadians. Listen to how beautiful Canadian autumn and see it with your own eyes are completely different stories. And each new turn of the road revealed amazingly beautiful views of what seemed to be such an ordinary phenomenon as the annual autumn .

At the foot of a high hill from time immemorial there was a small settlement Hochelaga. The tribe of the Iroquois tried to live in peace with all who wanted peace with them. The Indians fished, went hunting and built nimble canoes. In the spring they gathered sweet maple syrup from red maples, in the fall they admired motley leaves. They fought as without it, and the enemy's scalps were the best reward of a brave warrior. Married, continued their race and carefully passed on traditions from generation to generation. And then came the pale-faced .

The city of Montreal, which in translation sounds like the "Royal Hill", stands on the site of the very Indian settlement. However, the indigenous people of Canada do not like being called Indians and prefer the word "Inuit" or "indigenous people." The city was built as a French trading post, the French became its first inhabitants, and today Montreal is the second French-speaking city in the world after Paris.

Entering the city from the United States, the first to see the St. Lawrence River. And then there is a view of the city floating out of the waters of the river, on the hill of Mont-Royal, from which you can also admire Montreal, if you manage to carve out for this time.

Montreal is located on a huge island and he has to compare all the time with Budapest, Petersburg, Paris. I can’t argue, but it seemed to me that the city was not like anything, it was too peculiar, too original and had its own face. Probably, the coming Americans see Montreal European. But I would say that this is no longer Europe, but not America at all. This is what has become a kind of bridge from the Old World to the New, the one that has connected two civilizations. Everyone here will be able to find exactly what he wants. European - similarity with their cities. American - America.

Montreal is the heart of Quebec, as Canadians themselves believe. The Canadian flag is everywhere adjacent to the flag of Quebec - a white cross and heraldic lilies on a blue background. These lilies can be found everywhere - painted on paving slabs, in the form of a stigma on the bricks of buildings, on the wall of an old basilica, on a shop window, even on souvenir nonsense sold here in great abundance .

It was officially recognized that the city was the second in the world in the comfort of life, and I was not surprised at all ... There it is really very comfortable and you realize this somehow gradually, quite unexpectedly for yourself. Just catch yourself thinking that you are good here and that you do not want to run around the sights at all. I want to be here, catch the rhythm of the city and become one organism with it.

The official language of Montreal is French, and this is a little confusing, confusing which continent, country you are in.

And all this seems completely impossible and at the same time terribly sweet, and you seek out what is nice to see for you, and refuse to believe that within a few hours of driving from the USA there is such a civilization that has preserved its originality and carries it in spite of everything through the centuries.

First look at the city as first love. Everything is simple - narva, do not like. Lawless Heart! Cute autumn twilight, and the breeze from the river, and the clatter of horses on the cobblestones (the most that is present!), And French gallantry, and the unique graded "p", and the burning stars in the inky sky, and completely European buildings emerging in the light of lights - how can you not fall in love unconditionally and immediately. And it is so easy to forgive Montreal all inconsistencies with Europe - when you love, you do not find fault with trifles.

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