Walker makes high-wire record at Bird's Nest

(Reuters Life!) - Uighur tightrope walker Adili Wuxor returned to solid ground with his sixth Guinness Record on Friday, after spending 60 days living in and tightroping across the iconic Bird's Nest stadium in Beijing.

Adili, who grew up in a family of tightrope walkers near the silk road city of Kashgar, earned the record for the longest period of tightrope walking at 198 hours and 33 minutes.

He walked four or five hours and about 20 kilometers a day on a steel wire 3.3 centimeters thick and more than 60 meters above the ground, refraining only when the wind was too strong.

"Today is the happiest day of my life. The Guinness record does not only belong to myself. It is a record for all the Chinese people," he said, after he descended holding the Chinese flag.

"It is also a record of the Uighur Dawazi which has a history of more than 2,000 years in the Xinjiang region."

Wire walking, or "Dawazi," is a traditional sport of the Uighurs, an ethnic group native to Xinjiang, on China's frontier with central Asia.

Adili's previous achievement of tightrope walking across a lake in Xinjiang was completed on July 5, 2009, the same day Uighur protests erupted into bloody riots in the capital, Urumqi, in which almost 200 people died. Han Chinese launched revenge attacks two days later, and the region has been under tight control ever since.

This summer, Adili lived in a tiny cabin atop the Bird's Nest, visited only by his wife to maintain concentration.

"The 60-day challenge was very important for me to create a new Guinness record, but my life is even more important. I was so worried that I might get sick during the 60 days," he said.

In his previous record in 2002, Adili lived for 25 consecutive days above the ground and tightrope walked for a total of 123 hours and 48 minutes.

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Roxy Music return to Montreux festival

Switzerland (Reuters Life!) - British art rockers Roxy Music have returned to the Montreux Jazz Festival with a vintage performance of favorites, 37 years after their first and only previous appearance.

Roxy Music, flanked on stage by four backing singers in body-hugging, off-the-shoulder dresses, staged a show at the Swiss festival Friday that oozed sex and excitement.

Singer Bryan Ferry was joined by original members Phil Manzanera on guitar, saxophonist and oboist Andy Mackay and drummer Paul Thompson, as well as eight other musicians in a band that spanned the generations -- as did the Montreux crowd at the 44th festival's opening night headline concert.

"I know Roxy Music from the 1970s and 80s, but this is the first time I'll watch them live," said German fan Juergen Gaus.

"The atmosphere is something really magical and the location right next to Lake Geneva is really special," added Georg Soukopp, one of a group of Gaus's friends that traveled from Stuttgart for the gig.

Jazz-fusion and rock guitarist John McLaughlin and drummer Billy Cobham also staged an unexpected reunion after 30 years without playing together, as opening act Melissa auf der Maur failed to show up after missing her plane in Canada.

Festival founder Claude Nobs, looking tanned and well in a snow-white suit and matching trilby despite recent health problems, said he called McLaughlin and Cobham at the last minute to arrange their jam session.

"Claude Nobs is the master of the plan B," said compere Alex Bugnon, a local jazz pianist and composer brought in this year to lighten the workload for Nobs, who is now in his 70s.

Roxy Music, nearly four decades into their career, still effused the glamour nurtured by playboy frontman Ferry, dressed in a black suit and open-necked shirt with cufflinks.

The band set the pace with high-octane opening track Re-Make/Re-Model before performing a string of favorites including 'Love Is The Drug', 'Ladytron', 'More Than This' and John Lennon's 'Jealous Guy' -- a hit for the band in 1981 after Lennon was shot dead the previous year.

Roxy Music also rocked out numbers including 'Virginia Plain', 'Editions of You' and 'Mother Of Pearl' that prompted snake-hipped gyration from Anna McElligott, the band's keyboardist and violinist with looks reminiscent of the Amazonian beauties featured on sleeves of albums such as 'Roxy Music', 'Stranded' and 'Country Life'.

Members of the band, who told Reuters before the festival they might mark their 40th anniversary by recording an album next year with former member and electronic music pioneer Brian Eno, ended with a foot-stomping rendition of 'Do The Strand', leaving the crowd demanding in vain an encore.

The Car as The Ultimate Mobile DeviceRock En Seine looks to rebound in Paris

Rock En Seine looks to rebound in Paris

PARIS -- Rock En Seine, one of France's main music festivals, earned a spot in rock history last year when Britpop legend Oasis split after the volatile Gallagher brothers had a fight minutes before going on stage. It was an achievement festival director-founder Francois Missonnier could have done without.

"It's by far my worst memory since Rock En Seine started," Missonnier told Reuters. To make matters worse, the 2008 edition had seen another headliner, troubled soul singer Amy Winehouse, also cancel at the last minute, leading some to speak of a Rock En Seine curse.

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Images: Sizzlin’ summer festivals

"Someone told me I would have had more chances of winning the Euro Millions Lottery than having these cancellations two years in a row," he joked.

Missonnier was speaking while fine tuning the three-day music marathon, now in its 8th year, which will be held Aug. 27-29 in the scenic 17th Century Saint-Cloud park near Paris. This year over 40 acts across three stages are slated to perform with top-billers ranging from trip-hop pioneers Massive Attack, Canadian indie-rockers Arcade Fire, to reformed British art rockers Roxy Music and U.S. punk band Blink 182.

Despite the Oasis debacle and a recession, the 2009 event drew a record 97,000 visitors over three days and made a profit. This year looks even brighter in spite of competition from international festivals like Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds in Britain or Benicassim in Spain, which also attract major acts.

"We are headed to do as well, possibly better than last year. In 2009, we put out 15,000 three-day passes. This year, we have already sold nearly 10,000. We are more than a month ahead of last year," Missonnier said.

Reasons for success range from the beautiful setting of a park designed by Andre Le Notre, the garden architect of King Louis XIV, which offers music lovers a relaxing way to end the summer to a line-up mixing mainstream and indie rock while reaching out to hip-hop and electronic music.

"I think we found the right alchemy between various styles. We manage to offer on the same night Massive Attack and LCD Soundsystem. It's rock in a broad sense, rock with no blinders," he said.

This year, indie kids will dance to The Kooks, Foals, Beast, Two Door Cinema Club, Plan B, or Chew Lips. The festival will also give a chance to local acts such as Parisian electro-rock sensation I Am Un Chien or Roken Is Dodelijk from Lille in Northern France.

Other French summer rock music festivals range from Solidays at the Longchamp race track in Paris at the end of June, Les Eurockeennes in early July in Belfort, eastern France, to Les Vieilles Charrues also in July in Britanny. A recent newcomer is The Main Square festival held in July in the northern town of Arras and backed by the world's largest concert promoter, Live Nation.

Rock En Seine's three-day pass goes for 99 euros (about $126). A one-day ticket costs 45 euros (about $52). You can see at least five bands that day, which is a "cheap" proposition versus paying 30-40 euros to see just one of these same bands in a regular venue, he said.

For more information, see rockenseine.com.

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Winging it in Buffalo

BUFFALO, NEW YORK - If the lifeless 20-pound pig didn't look so much like a small child, the sight of a 150-pound python devouring it might have been less disturbing.

That's the image I was trying to shake while strolling the few blocks from the Buffalo Zoo to Frank Lloyd Wright's Martin House Complex where I enjoyed a private tour of the stunning American national treasure.

A study in contrasts these two Buffalo memories, not unlike the city itself best known to Southwestern Ontario sports fans as home of the NHL's Sabres and the NFL's Bills and to fine art aficionados as an enviable haven of world-class art galleries and architecture.

Of course Buffalo is also the birthplace of those delicious Buffalo wings and no stranger to eager cross-border shoppers who seek out its big malls and area outlets.

So it is no surprise that Buffalo makes a great quick-hit tourist destination chock-full of contrasting attractions suiting a variety of tastes.

Heading for a summer stay in the Adirondacks my family opted to spend a couple days in downtown Buffalo.

Buffalo's city hall offers a spectacular panoramic view from an open-air observation deck 28 storeys up. It's free and well worth the three-flight walkup once you've taken the elevator to the 25th floor. You'll get great views of Lake Erie and the Niagara River plus many of the city's marvellous buildings.

The deck is viewer-friendly with information maps identifying buildings such as the Liberty Bank Building (1925), Lafayette Square (1884) and St. Louis Church (1889).

City hall itself is an Art Deco masterpiece worth exploring from the ground. It was built between 1929 and 1931 and is credited with setting the architectural tone of the downtown business district.

Its 1,520 windows all open inward and take about 10 days to clean.

www.ci.buffalo.ny.us

Room with a view

A short walking distance from city hall, the Hampton Inn and Suites served us well. We were able to explore the core on foot in what felt like a safe neighbourhood. A corner suite also afforded us a great view of the streetscape. A large pristine swimming pool with a fountain, and yet another view of the street, was refreshingly welcome.

www.hamptoninn.com

Will that be beer and wings?

Serving some 2,000 pounds of chicken wings a day, business is brisk at the world famous Anchor Bar. The novelty of chowing down at the eatery that invented Buffalo wings in 1964 is more than matched by its rowdy, yet family-friendly atmosphere, the efficiency of service and the meaty, flavourful wings themselves.

Our 15-minute wait for a table - we were advised that's the norm anytime the Anchor is open - was fun too, checking out the extensive memorabilia including a half dozen vintage motorcycles displayed on shelves just below the rafters.

www.anchorbar.com

Or a chocolate martini?

Located around the corner from the downtown Hampton Suites is The Chocolate Bar where live entertainment is featured most nights along with a tempting menu of martinis and desserts laced with chocolate. Drinks were delicious, but steep at $10. The ambience as relaxing and the assortment of T-shirts for sale amusing.

"Will work for chocolate."

"No one knows the truffles I've seen."

"No man can live on chocolate alone, but women can."

www.originalchocolatebar.com

Architectural inspiration

The Martin House Complex, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright is a marvel whose tour times are worth consulting before planning any trip to Buffalo.

Wright, considered to be America's greatest architect, built the "Prairie House" for businessman Darwin D. Martin between 1903 and 1905.

In stark contrast to contemporary Victorian-style homes, its exterior is a low-lying and the interior free-flowing.

I was fortunate to enjoy a private tour conducted by Margaret P. Stehlik, director of operations for the complex's restoration corporation.

She detailed the many harmonies between the buildings and landscape in the open concept design. I was most struck by the wonderful windows, in particular. the design now known as The Tree of Life.

The complex features 394 art glass windows in 15 distinct patterns.

"A building should appear to grow easily from its site ..." says Wright in his writings, a thought that will stay with you as you walk the floors of this National Historic Landmark.

www.darwinmartinhouse.org

Beautiful birds and a ravenous reptile

Curiosity and respite from the bright summer sun led us into the darkened reptile house of the Buffalo Zoo.

So far, viewing the majestic bears, watching a delighted boy feed a giraffe and visiting with the lush tropical birds in the facility's new M&T Bank Rainforest Exhibit had provided the usual fascination that comes from animal observation.

But the big snake slowly swallowing a whole pig was a showstopping crowd-gatherer. Though not to everyone's taste, watching Rita, the reticulated python, devour her meal was made more palatable by reptile keeper Illa Caira. She respectfully explained the 18-year-old constrictor, weighing about 150 pounds, is fed every few months, will take three-four hours to eat, then perhaps one-month to lie around and digest.

www.buffalozoo.org

Step-by-step naval gazing

There is so much to see at the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, history buffs could easily spend a day.

The park, opened in 1979 and billed as the largest inland floating history museum in the United States, is a short drive from the city's downtown.

Museum displays include Desert Storm, Women in the Military, Gold Star Mothers and V-J Day Aboard the Military. Simulator rides on a Harrrier Jump-Jet are available plus a fun ship's store where you can buy customized dog-tags and other military souvenirs.

The main attraction, however, is touring the guts of the big vessels, docked at the park:

USS Little Rock - the only U.S. guided missile cruiser open to the public

USS The Sullivans - a destroyer named for five brothers who died together in 1942 while serving aboard a cruiser sunk off Guadalcanal

USS Croaker - a submarine commissioned in 1944. claimed to have sunk 11 Japanese vessels

Our two-hour self-guided tour of all three - up and down hundreds of metal steps, along winding narrow passages through a small mess that served 2,000 meals a day and into cramped quarters where sailors slept several hammocks deep - was fascinating.

It was not difficult to imagine these vessels in full service, the destroyer boldly boasting, In God We Trust. (All Others We Track.) www.buffalonavalpark.org

Amazing art

Awestruck is perhaps the best word to describe our brief tour of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery. Strolling through airy halls, glimpsing works by Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall and Vincent Van Gogh it was immediately apparent we'd arrived at a world-class museum.

Our curator-guide was knowledgeable, enthusiastic and gracious. A Pollack, a Warhol soon followed...

The Albright-Knox is reputed to have one of the world's finest collections of modern and contemporary art.

Be prepared to spend at least a half day at this enormous facility but if you can only manage an hour or two, a little research on the gallery's website will greatly help you fine tune your visit.

www.albrightknox.org

Gallery hopping

The Burchfield Penney Art Center is conveniently located directly across the street from the Albright-Knox. It's worth the short walk to this new gallery featuring the works of watercolourist Charles Burchfield as well as some 600 other artists from the region.

www.burchfieldpenney.org

A really big show

My teenage son recommends the Dinosaur & Co. exhibit at the Buffalo Museum of Science. It traces the history of early marine life to the post-dinosaur age of mammals.

From June 26 to Oct. 10 the museum has added a bigger than life complementary exhibit: Robotic Dinosaurs.

These huge creatures look and act like real dinosaurs.

www.sciencebuff.org

BUFFALO'S TOP FIVE SUMMER FESTS

Allentown Art Festival June 12-13

More than 400 juried artists display and sell work ranging from paintings to pottery to fine jewelry. Festival's 53rd year.

www.allentownartfestival.com

Taste of Buffalo July 10-11

The largest two-day culinary festival in the U.S. with more than 50 restaurants, six wineries and 450,000 guests. Foods include Cajun, Mexican, Indian, Polish, Italian, Chinese, Caribbean and Irish.

www.tasteofbuffalo.com

National Buffalo Garden Festival June 18 - July 25

First year for the National Buffalo Garden Festival.

Highlights:

18 garden walks (including Garden Walk Buffalo - the largest event of its kind in the country)

garden workshops

nationally recognized speakers, including Stephanie Cohen and Amy Stewart

Front Yard Garden Contest

weekday open gardens

www.nationalgardenfestival.com

Elmwood Avenue Festival of the Arts Aug. 28-29

This hip neighborhood, home to dozens of cafes, coffee shops and boutiques staging its 11th annual festival featuring 170 artists and craftspeople, more than 50 free performances on three stages, and family activities.

www.elmwoodartfest.org

National Buffalo Wing Festival Sept. 4- 5

Restaurants participate from across the country. Some 91,000 guests devoured 40 tons of chicken wings last year. The festival includes the United States Chicken Wing Eating Championship.

www.buffalowing.com

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Miami will put sizzle in your summer

MIAMI - Usually when the sun goes down, the temperature drops with it -- but not in Miami. Day or night, this town is hot!

Travellers heading to this city on the southern tip of Florida will no doubt be looking forward to spending their days basking in the balmy, tropical climate. But be advised: After nightfall is when Miami really heats up.

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Images: Beaches and fun in Florida

Perhaps nowhere is this more evident than at Crazy Pianos, a happening bar in trendy Coconut Grove, where no matter how liberally you apply your sunscreen you could still get burned. But only if you get too close to the fire-breathing bartender. As musicians pound away non-stop at two pianos, taking requests scribbled onto paper napkins and keeping the dance floor packed all night long, the young man tending bar during a recent visit periodically took a time out from mixing drinks to stoke the crowd by spewing a ball of fire up over their heads.

If you want to keep the party going, cross one of the three bridges connecting downtown Miami to the beautiful resort area of Miami Beach and check out yet another hotspot, the Louis Bar Lounge on the ground-floor of the luxurious Gansevoort South hotel.

If go-go dancers aren't your thing, try heading 18 storeys straight up to the rooftop bar, Plunge. Don't be too surprised if you pass a pro athlete or a famous hip-hop artist as you walk through the upscale hotel, which features a 3,600-sq-ft presidential suite and just about everything else imaginable. At Plunge you can take a dip in an adults-only pool, lounge around in a cabana sipping cocktails, or dance the night away beneath the stars while looking down on South Beach (SoBe).

"It's like an escape, or an oasis, and there's a great view," says Louis Escoto, a Gansevoort spokesman.

On a busy Saturday, Plunge bartender Brian Gillooly typically shakes up thousands of mojitos, a tasty cocktail that originated in Cuba.

"It's a very refreshing drink," he says with a laugh.

If you stop by before business gets hopping, Gillooly may show you how to make Miami's most popular drink, by crushing the mint leaves and mixing in some white rum, Sprite, sugar, and lots of limes.

If you prefer a slower pace, or if you're just looking for something to do after wading in the surf and feeling the white sand between your toes, check out the truly fascinating architecture in the nearby Art Deco District. From there you can walk to the Bass Museum of Art, which features paintings, sculptures and textiles from around the world, and the Holocaust Memorial, a tribute to the six million Jews killed in WWII by the Nazis, are within walking distance.

Or you can heat things up again by heading to the new World Erotic Art Museum, where fans of the cult classic movie A Clockwork Orange may recognize a large phallic statue among the thousands of historical and contemporary pieces on display.

For another unique experience in SoBe, try sightseeing in a GoCar. You can rent one of these little, yellow story-telling vehicles -- sort of a large go-cart with the steering of a motorcycle -- for $49 hour. Then hop in and zip around town on a GPS-guided tour. Just be sure to park before doing any "people watching," a popular SoBe pastime. Next to the beach, known for its topless sunbathing, there's no better place to do this than on Ocean Dr., where you may spot a celebrity.

And before heading back across the bridge into downtown, be sure to stop by Lincoln Rd., the premiere shopping area in SoBe. This pedestrian-only promenade offers hundreds of unique boutiques, upscale shops, art galleries and street performances. There's also plenty of open-air cafes and a wide range of restaurants.

If you have an eclectic palate, try dinner at SushiSamba Dromo, which features a splendid mix of Japanese, Brazilian and Peruvian food. Afterward, take a step back in time and enjoy some live jazz at Van Dykes Cafe. For fine-dining you're into, hike up the street a few blocks to Ola at the Sanctuary Hotel, where famed chef Douglas Rodriguez prepares his Neuvo Latino Cuisine. Or, if you're in a hurry but still want something different, try Half Moon Empanadas.

Pilar Guzman Zavala opened the one-of-a-kind fast-food restaurant nearly two years ago with her husband Juan Zavala, who was back home in Argentina for a visit when he came up with the idea for making and selling traditional empanadas in 16 flavours as well as an assortment of desserts from his homeland. While other businesses have struggled during the recession, Pilar says their restaurant has flourished. The couple hopes to one day open franchises across North America.

Miami's population is largely Spanish-speaking, so the Hispanic influence permeates just about everything, especially the music that fills the streets of so many neighbourhoods. Don't be surprised if you find yourself bouncing along to the Latin beats spilling out of cafes in historic Little Havana or coming from the bandshell at Bayside Marketplace, an outdoor mall on the city's waterfront.

If you listen closely, you may even hear the sound of Samba wafting out over the waves as you cruise around Biscayne Bay on board the Island Queen. The 90 minute, narrated cruise on this massive yacht is a must for any visitor, if for no other reason than to see the view of Miami's spectacular skyline from out on the bay.

But you'll also catch a glimpse of how the rich and the famous live as you pass by exclusive island communities teeming with multi-million dollar homes with past and present owners such as Gloria Estefan, Enrique Eglesias, Shakira, Anna Kournikova, Shaquille O'Neal and Oprah Winfrey, to name a few. Your guide will also point out the white mansion used in the movie Scarface and the Miami Beach Marina, one of many locations in town used in the filming of the TV show Dexter.

Back on land, there's still lots to see and do for travellers of all ages. For some wholesome family fun, leave the hustle-bustle of city behind and head to the southern tip of the state to explore the Everglades. After all, no trip to Florida is complete without seeing some gators.

At Everglades Alligator Farm, you'll find yourself surrounded by the toothy, prehistoric creatures. And just when you thought it couldn't get any scarier, you'll learn the price of admission ($23 for adults, $15.50 for kids) includes a 20-minute airboat ride. Skimming across the water and weeds of the glades is a blast, as long as you don't think too much about tumbling out of the high-flying craft and being snatched up in the bone-crushing jaws of a 10-metre-long alligator.

Our skipper, James White, 53, has been on the job several years and knows exactly how to play on that fear to make the ride even more intense.

"I'm a driver, not a diver," he jokes, after pointing out a stack of life vests and explaining we're on our own if we fall overboard.

The dozen or so passengers let out a nervous chuckle as we imagine horrific situations where the need for floatation devices might arise. Our captain suddenly seems a little God-like on his perch at the bow of the boat, holding the lives of every man, woman and child on board in one hand while working the rudder with the other.

After the gator ride, and before your sizzling holiday winds down, be sure to stop by the Robert is Here Fruit Stand in nearby Homestead and cool down with a frosty milkshake -- touted to be the best in Florida. Robert, who has been selling fruit from the same location for 50 years, will gladly share the story of how he started the business when he was just six years old. Back in 1959, his father sent him out to the corner to sell cucumbers to passing motorists.

"I stood out there all day and not a single car stopped," Robert says, adding he went home and broke the news to his dad.

His father came to the conclusion that motorists couldn't see his son because he was too small.

"So my dad went out back, grabbed a couple shutters that were lying around and in big, bold red letters he wrote Robert Is Here on them," Robert says.

The next day, back on that corner with his make-shift sign, Robert sold every last cuke and the rest is history.

chris.doucette@sunmedia.ca

IF YOU GO

To Miami

Getting there

Flights from Toronto to Miami take just over three hours and incredible deals are available during the off-season. American Airlines offers round-trip airfare from as low as $165 while Westjet flights start at around $150 through the summer months. Prices vary depending on day travelled.

Travel information

Miami's weather and the nightlife are both smoking hot year-round. But beaches are less crowded in the off-season and there are plenty of attraction and hotel deals available during the summer. Current promotions include Miami 4-4-3 (through September four visitors can enjoy attractions, meals and lodging for the price of three, see Miami443.com) and Miami Spa Month (more than 30 spas offer $99 treatments during July, MiamiSpaMonth.com). To check out Miami's beaches in real time, go to seemiami.live.com. For travel information, contact the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau toll free at 1-800-955-3646 or miamiandbeaches.com.

Where to stay

With the money saved on airfare by going to Miami in the off-season, treat yourself to a stay at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables. This lavish hotel, with its own spa and golf course, offers a Family Fun Package until Sept. 30 with deluxe rooms from $235 per night (two-night minimum) and plenty to do for adults and kids.

For those who want to dance the night away in South Beach, the Gansevoort Miami Beach currently offers an Out and About package with deluxe rooms from $270 and suites from $390 -- a deal that includes VIP access to Mansion, one of the hottest night clubs in town, and a 2 p.m. check-out time.

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How well do you know Canada?

Summertime here and the travelling is easy. With Canada Day looming and the sun beating down, the open road beckons. To better enjoy our nation’s highways of adventure, we’ve got travel questions — one for each province and territory — for inspiration. Buckle up and enjoy.

1. The Long Range Mountains are found in which Canadian province?
a) British Columbia
b) Newfoundland
c) Alberta
d) Quebec

2. I’m a popular Edmonton tourist attraction where you will find exhibits and information about the Ernest Brown Studio, Rutherford House, fur trading, a Cree encampment, the Avro Avian Biplane, and a 1920s midway. What am I?

3. Match the Ontario communities below with the tourist attractions:
a) The Big Nickel 
b) Canadian Clock Museum
c) The Big Apple
d) Canadian Football Hall of Fame
e) Fort Wellington 
Selections: Colborne, Hamilton, Sudbury, Prescott, Deep River

4. In which British Columbia community does the Trans-Canada Highway begin?
a) Nanaimo
b) Vancouver
c) Victoria
d) Chilliwack
 
5.  The Blue Jay is the provincial bird of which Maritime province?

6. Where in Manitoba would you find the summer Theatre in the Cemetery?
a) Brandon
b) Thompson
c) St. Boniface
d)  Gimli 

7. What causeway joins Cape Breton to mainland Nova Scotia?
a) Canso
b) Confederation
c) Macdonald
d) Annapolis

8. True or false. Best Western’s northern-most hotel in the world is located in Yellowknife.

9. Which Saskatchewan city is home to the Ukrainian Museum of Canada?
a) Regina
b) Moose Jaw
c) Saskatoon
d)  Swift Current

10. One of  the Yukon’s most popular attractions is the Yukon Quest. What is it?
a) an international 1,000 mile sled dog race in Alaska and the Yukon that in 2010 ended in Whitehorse
b) a retired Air Canada passenger aircraft on display on the Alaska Highway just outside of Whitehorse
c) a paddle wheeler that ferries tourists along the Yukon River
d) Whitehorse’s largest hotel

11. What is the claim to fame of the New Brunswick Museum in Saint John?
a) It has the only known copy of the British North America Act
b) It is Canada’s oldest continuing museum
c) It is the largest museum in Canada completely run by volunteers
d) Was the first wheelchair-accessible museum in Canada

12. What is the key reason for Quebec’s Parc national de Miguasha being designated on UNESCO’s World Heritage List?
a) Because of the unique whale species found there
b) The flora and fauna there are found nowhere else in North America
c) Because of its collection of fossils
d) It’s completely under water

13. Iqaluit is the jumping off spot for much of Nunavut’s tourist attractions. But what does “Iqaluit” mean?
a) Land of ice floes
b) where caribou roam
c) the settlement
d) place of many fish

CLICK HERE FOR THE ANSWERS!

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Under the volcano

ITALY - It’s a strange feeling walking across the big stones that pave the streets of Pompeii. There’s a sensation of being in direct contact with a long-ago past. The smooth black stones have barely been affected by the passage of time. But you can still see the long track marks worn into them in many places, reminders of the slow, daily grinding of chariot wheels over hundreds of years. Until the day everything suddenly stopped.

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Pompeii is an ancient city best explored on foot. Looking at the ruins is interesting, captivating even, but walking the streets is another thing entirely. A visit to these ruins means walking directly in the footsteps of people who died almost 2,000 years ago. It involves going into their homes and following the paths they took in their daily lives. It’s about walking a street and stopping, just as they did, to read election graffiti that’s been preserved exactly as it was centuries ago.

In many streets there are big blocks of stone set at regular intervals across the pavement. These elevated steps allowed Romans to avoid getting their clothes dirty in bad weather. It’s nearly impossible to resist the temptation to walk across these stones yourself, to take the same path as those who died here but whose presence can still be felt.

Preserved by a 20-metre thick layer of ash from the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD, Pompeii is one of Italy’s most popular sites with around 2.5 million visitors each year. The site was discovered in 1763 and has drawn people from around the world ever since. There’s no shortage of tourists, but the site is large enough you won’t find yourself tripping over other visitors.

It’s not hard to conjure ghosts of the past as you lose yourself in the small streets of this ancient city. Pompeii isn’t a collection of old stones. It’s a city full of homes to explore. There’s no better example than one beautiful residence known as “The House of the Tragic Poet” because of a painting found inside. As you enter, a dark form looms up from the floor. This turns out to be a mosaic of a big, fierce-looking black dog that dominates the entrance with the words “Cave Canem” written below, Latin for ‘Beware of dog.” Just as we do today, city inhabitants used dogs to guard their homes. This mosaic is famous in Italy and reproductions can be found almost everywhere.

Visiting these homes is an incredible experience. The floorplan and decor are almost as they were on the day of the fateful eruption. We learn that Roman homes were built around an open air “impluvium” or courtyard with a central basin used to collect rainwater. In other words, the Romans were thinking ecologically long before we were.

Some of the many intact murals are suprising, like the little cherubs depicted on some walls. These chubby-cheeked characters look like angels and you suddenly understand that the origin of angels isn’t tied directly to Christianity as these were depicted a long time before.

Also amazing is the esthetic quality of the art. Roman artists had a solid technique that, while not always perfect, involved using perspective — something that was only rediscovered by Renaissance painters. Several large frescoes grace the walls of these houses, and whether they feature hunting scenes, mythology or landscapes, the subjects are varied and detailed. You can even find graffiti praising Pompeii’s best gladiators, the pro athletes of the day.

In a newly excavated section of the city, the baths feature some very erotic scenes that are explicit even by today’s standards. Pompeii seems to have been an anything-goes kind of place. Without going into detail, let’s just say that pleasure of Roman women was not ignored.

Just before Vesuvius rained its destruction down on Pompeii, the city was in the middle of an election. Along the ancient commercial streets, you’ll find political slogans painted in red letters that can still easily be read, if you understand Latin. It seems the politics of the time were a bit different from our own. The slogans brag about promises candidates fulfilled before the election, not those they (might) have kept afterwards.You can also visit restaurants, a bakery — even a bordello.

Pompeii was home to more than 25,000 people, most of whom lost their lives over a few days as their city was choked with ash and debris. But their deaths were not in vain: They have bequeathed to us the most extraordinary instant history lesson imaginable, an experience to be appreciated one step at a time.

If you go to Pompeii

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From Naples, take the “Circumvesuviana” train, towards Sorrento. The 45-minute trip costs a mere 2.50 euros. If you continue on this line, you’ll end up in Sorrento, a lovely port town and gateway to the Amalfi Coast. From Naples, it’s also an easy drive to Pompeii.

— Admission is 10 euros. It’s recommended you wear sturdy shoes and buy the excellent guide for sale at the entrance so you don’t get lost in this vast site.

— Numerous interesting artifacts from Pompeii are now in the Naples Archeological Museum, including casts of bodies and erotic curios. No visit to Pompeii is complete without seeing this collection. Pompeii wasn’t the only community preserved by 79 AD eruption of Vesuvius. Nearby Herculaneum met the same fate and features many well-preserved dwellings.

This town is really smokin’What they used to drive - Habs Edition