TravelStream™ news feed for member studioizar on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/studioizar en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:49:27 -0400 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/2/1219408200/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/2/1219408200/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/2/1219408200/tpod.html Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:49:27 -0400 Europa Europa

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Sejny, Poland

So I landed on the old continent...I figured out it will be closer to my home to fly to Vilnius, Lithuania instead of Polish international airport in Warsaw. Sejny, my hometown is only 10 km (6.5 miles) away from the Lithuanian border, and Vilnius is 175 km (108 miles) inland of the border
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1217735280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1217735280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1217735280/tpod.html Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:31:44 -0400 Here we go... Our Cross-Continent Trip: Sunnyvale - Toronto

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Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada

Most of our days are lazy, easy, late-breakfast, book, internet, tv, sometimes computer game - filled time... We just enjoy doing nothing! First, I missed my sewing machine, I guess it was post-traumatic disorder after all this hectic last-semester work, but now I'm just taking a break from ANY work. Well, there is a lot of paperwork and annoying bureaucracy that we have to do, but then we enjoy laziness even more eagerly feeling like we deserve it...Once in a while we visit the town or the lake shore. On Sunday however, we did a longer trip and went to see the famous Niagara Falls. Olenka and Lubomyr accompanied us. It is really close to Toronto, only one and a half hours away. It wasn't probably the best time for a trip because of the long weekend and the overwhelming crowds, but we enjoyed our trip anyway.  First we visited the Niagara Wine Country. We were surprised at how many wineries are here, and pleased to learn about the one-of-a-kind Icewine. Because of the climat and changing seasons production of icewine is the most popular here, and Niagara Icewine is the most famous icewine all over the world. And we must admit, it tastes great! What's so special about it? The grapes are harvested in winter, when the temperatures have reached at least minus 8'C. After the grapes are hand picked (often during the night!), they are pressed immediately giving minimum juice that is very concentrated. The end result is a very unique and sweet dessert wine. The Icewine bottles are smaller (375 ml) and more expensive due to specific production and huge amount of grapes needed to produce a small amount of wine. The bottles go for $70-90, but we purchased a tour at Peller Winery where we could try the Riesling Icewine along with three other wines specific to this winery. Together with few other samples at local wineries we had a marvelous and delicious morning!    In late afternoon we finally got to Niagara Falls.The town itself is a small Las Vegas - type of town with a casino, tacky architecture, wax-figure museums, horror chambers, Skylon Tower with rotating restaurant, and a lot of souvenir stores and huge number of tourist attractions. Clearly, a tourist approach of keeping people in the town for longer than just couple hours... The waterfalls themselves are on the other hand magnificent!!! Both of them, Horseshoe Falls and American Falls, are tall and wide, powerful and strong. The mist raises up hundreds of meters above the falls and the edge where the Niagara River falls down makes a very strong and memorable impression! We love the fact that you can walk along Niagara Parkway for hundreds of meters and observe both waterfalls from different angles. We have never been to Niagra Falls on the American side, but it sure makes the difference to come see it from the Canadian side! The Fals are 57 meters tall (188 feet), and the Horseshoe Fall (the bigger one) is 670 meters (2200 feet) wide!In late evening we enjoyed listening to live music, and watching the falls illuminated with colors of the rainbow, above which fireworks were popping with multiple colors...Some interesting facts about the falls:* Niagara Falls formed approximately 12 000 years ago by the Wisconsin Glaciation. The falls originally formed 7 miles further north. Erosion has caused the falls to retreat to the present day location.* Niagara Falls was discovered in 1678 by Father Louis Hennepin on a French expedition.* During the day approximately half of the water in the Niagara River is diverted to hydroelectric plants and never makes it to falls. At night approximately 75% of the water is diverted to produce electricity. The water re-enters Niagara River several miles downstream from the falls.* The falls continue to erode several inches per year. If 100% of the water in the Niagara River were allowed to flow over the falls, they would be eroding naturally at the rate of 3-5 feet (1.5 meters) per year!* The first person to attempt to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel was a 63-year-old woman. Seeking fame and fortune, schoolteacher Annie Taylor loaded herself - and her cat - up in a barrel and descended over the falls in 1901. She survived.* Sixteen people have gone over the falls, most in barrels and other contraptions. Ten have lived to tell about it...         bella
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada

It's been raining lately, and it was a nice refreshment after those humid days. When weather allows, we go for a walk. Yesterday we went along the lakeshore all the way to downtown. It tool us 25 minutes. This location is incredible: it's so close to the downtown, and at the same time it's just few steps away from the lakeshore (I'm really tempted to say: seashore, because Lake Ontario is soooo big!), and they have a jogging/bicycle path all along the Toronto shore. Perfect for a walk or jog! So today we went for a walk today to Anex district and totally by accident we came across the Shoe Museum! to our surprise, Thursday evenings have free admission! Could I ignore such chance? C'mon! Even Nazar enjoyed the exhibitions, expecially that they have Napoleon's silk socks! Real deal! I, on the other hand, had a review of History of Fashion class, with real examples!!! Incredible! And on top of that, they allow to take pictures! I took a bunch, and will make a separate album for those who are interested. Here are just few examples:         Take care,issa
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Toronto, Ontario, Canada

We are slowly exploring the city. Today we went downtown to visit Downtown Yonge and Eaton Centre. It is very modern, beautiful, and entertaining with its shops, cafes, hotels, restaurants, concerts, theatres, tall glass buildings, lights, and billboards. It's kind of like a Times Square of Toronto. They have all kinds of events there, from concerts to fashion shows. The AMC Theatres has 24 theatre screens and during off-peak hours half of these theatres double as lecture halls hosting thousands of Ryerson University students! The Eaton Shopping Centre is very chic and urban and has a variety of international boutiques as well as big-name shops. The atrium and the glass ceiling gives it a lot of space, and the art instalation of geese in flight by Michael Snow takes your eyes away from shop windows to a moment of reflection and relaxation...www.downtownyonge.comPlease, enjoy the photos:izary    
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Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada

Today we met with Olena and Lubomyr, Nazar's friends who have been living here for few years. It was very nice to meet them, Olena made delicious home dinner (the type I miss so much), we had some wine and interesting chat. Next time, we'll meet at our place!is.Olenka makes wall murals, you can see the example of one of them on the picture: 
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1216084680/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1216084680/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1216084680/tpod.html Sat, 26 Jul 2008 11:33:52 -0400 Here we go... Our Cross-Continent Trip: Sunnyvale - Toronto

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada

So, we moved in.Yesterday we met with Natasha to confirm our deal and exchange money for the key. She's going to visit her family in British Columbia and will be back in September. We have our own place until the end of August! Yahoo!The area where we live is called Little Tibet, although we would rather call it Little Ghetto. It is kind of shady, people sitting in front of their apartments and looking around, clearly they have no job and nothing to do. It is safe however. Like in every city, there are different districts, some nice, and some even nicer!... The apartment is very cute and cozy, colorful and artistic, Tibetan colors, lots of candles and plants. We definately enjoy living here and not having to share the apartment with roommates. It is very close to Polish district, which is located on Roncesvalles Avenue, and fairy close to Ukrainian district, which is on Bloor Avenue and just above High Park. The downtown is about 30 min. walking or ten minutes by street car.We are unpacking today and getting cozy. Please, see the pictures of our apartment below.Greetings,izary  
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215993420/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215993420/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215993420/tpod.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:30:29 -0400 Here we go... Our Cross-Continent Trip: Sunnyvale - Toronto

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Toronto, Ontario, Canada

After spending a night at a hotel in Ridgetown, we hit the road for our final destination: Toronto.It was a four hour drive, not two, as we initially thought. Spoiled by our American friend, GPS, we had a little trouble getting around in Canada (it doesn't have Canadian map in it), and had to go back to the old advisor: the map.The landscape of the area between Windsor and Toronto was very much like this of Poland and Ukraine, and we felt like home. Nevertheless, we couldn't wait to get to Toronto! ... And there it was! Big city! Modern, beautiful, crisp, and tall. We booked a hotel in the downtown and went out in the evening to have a beer and meet with Roman. We haven't seen him for almost three years! Canada uses the metric system, and it's so funny to learn to drive to speed limits in kilometers! It took us a while to realize that distance to the city was provided in kilometers, not miles! We noticed that warning road signs and information was written in both, English and French. Near the border, we also saw big the conversion charts for drivers! There are a lot of French names here, like streets or stores, so I guess we have to learn how to read and correctly pronounce French now...What surprised us was the exchange rate of American $ versus Canadian $. It's different everywhere! Many stores would accept American dollars and treat it as 1 = 1, but others would have their own exchange rate and pay 95 Canadian cents for 1 American dollar. Banks would give about 98 cents. We are wondering if we should keep exchanging money at all, since you can pay with American currency here in Toronto. But the most shocking was the rate at the border: we had to pay a toll of: $ 3.50 American or $ 4.50 Canadian!Tomorrow we are moving in to a rented apartment!issa
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215904080/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215904080/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215904080/tpod.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 21:20:55 -0400 Here we go... Our Cross-Continent Trip: Sunnyvale - Toronto

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Ridgetown, Ontario, Canada

Yes, we are in Canada!!!On Saturday morning we left Chicago and drove to Detroit to Canadian border. It's funny how there are no signs or directions for the American/Canadian Customs from the highway. Only after we took an exit at a place that seemed to be around the area that we were looking for, we saw a building with: "Detroit - Windsor Tunnel" on it. There was a huge backup and traffic, and it all looked very unorganized and underestimated. The bridge was closed, so everyone was directed to the tunnel. The boundary between Canada and the United States of America passes through Detroit River. The American Customs are in Detroit, and the Canadian Customs are in Windsor. The big sign on American side said: "No passports required", so all the cars went through American customs without stopping. We still had to go through Canadian immigration officers, but they were very nice and helpful and soon we were on the other side! ... First impression? I didn't really see that much of a difference right away, but Nazario exclaimed excited: "There are so many chicks on a night out!" Well, unfortunately chicks were not on our menu that day, however chicken pizza was...i.s.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215833400/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215833400/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215833400/tpod.html Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:53:48 -0400 Here we go... Our Cross-Continent Trip: Sunnyvale - Toronto

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Chicago, Illinois, United States

  Last two days we spent in Chicago. We stayed at Monika & Paul's house, and it was a true pleasure to meet them. They got married just two weeks earlier! Congratulations!Chicago has a very different feel from any other city I've seen. It's very industrial, kind od heavy, old, business type metropolis.       It's beautiful and I regret we didn't have more time to explore it. We took a free trolley around the city, passing right next to Sears Towers (the tallest building in United States with 1,705 ft / 520 m), Art Institute, Field Museum, Soldier Field Stadium, Adler Planetarium, and back to Grant Park and Millenium Park. The parks are very beautiful, especially the Millenium Park with its Cloud Gate, known also as The Bean. It basically looks like an enormous bean, made of perfectly polished steel. It reflects objects, just like a mirror, but the curves and dents disfigure objects a little. It is however, a magnificent sculpture, one of a kind! It is interesting that the estimated cost of completing the project was $ 9 million, but  complications led to a final cost of $ 23 million! We also adored the water fountains: the traditional Buckingham Fountain, and the contemporary Crown Fountain made of two 50-foot tall glass block towers that project video images of Chicago residents' faces. On top of that it started raining, so it was a really wet day!   I was pleased to see an art instalation by the famous Magdalena Abakanowicz in the Grant Park! It consists of 106 headless and armless iron figures 9-feet-tall (3 meters). For some reason they are controversial, and they have their admirers as well as critics, but I found out that Robin Williams donated some $$$ to this project, and I certainly share his admiration! I just love the enigmatic crowd!----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------On the second day we decided to visit the Museum of Science and Industry. The most interesting exhibitions were: the "green house" - incredible with very modern approach, the U-505 - the only German submarine captured by American army during World War II, and the Baby Chick Hatchery - with chicks hatching from the egg-shells. Sooo cute!Enjoy the photos:                  It was sad to leave Monika and Paul, they were such great hosts, but there was more ahead of us, and we had to stick to the schedule...Tomorrow's destination: Canada!i.s.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215492840/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215492840/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/studioizar/1/1215492840/tpod.html Tue, 22 Jul 2008 20:44:25 -0400 Here we go... Our Cross-Continent Trip: Sunnyvale - Toronto

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Omaha, Nebraska, United States

From Rock Springs to Laramie and Cheyenne, then to Nebraska state.  It was raining near Laramie!!! It's our first rain in last four months! In fact, it was pouring like cats and dogs! And on top of that we had a thunderstorm with lightning! We were wondering whether it's safe to drive through the storm, but somehow we made it!Talking about safe, we also had an encounter with deers.. A mommy dear with two fawns wanted to cross the freeway and did not care about the cars! Here you have the wild animals who should be terrified about humans and their machines, and yet the inconsiderate doe decided to cross the freeway right in front of our car! One of the fawns follower her, and before the second one stepped on the road, we were able to slalom between them. Lucky us! That was scary... A day full of adventures, as you can see...Today was the logest drive so far. We made 682 miles, that is 1091 km. Rock Springs, Wyoming to Omaha, Nebraska. The gas is cheap here, $4.09 comparing to $4.50 in Bay Area. As further we go, as cheaper it gets.  In the beginning of Nebraska time zone changes to Central Time. We are now two hours ahead of California.It's dry again. Hot, sandy, rocky, and dry...No cowboys so far...Instead there are Walmarts everywhere! As in Utah all the biggest buildings were Mormon churches, in Wyoming and Nebraska all the humongous structures are Walmarts, with dozens of trucks parked in front of them...We got to a hotel at 1:30 am. Going to sleep and tomorrow we will take a short tour through Omaha!PS: Nazar says that ostriches fly to Ukraine for summer and then go somewhere warmer for winter...   Good night!i.s.And here are some pictures:         
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