Amsterdam wasn't not my first choice when it comes to visiting places in Europe, I just happened to catch a free overnight stopover in mid-August last summer. But I can now see why so many people worship Amsterdam and pilgrimage there from all over the world: Amsterdam, similarly to Las Vegas, is a sin city where a few universally forbidden pleasures are easily accessible and totally legal. However, as it often happens, Amsterdam is not only about getting high or strolling around the Red Light District at night. It also seems to be a very livable city with a rich history, uncustomary architecture, and excellent food options. And besides traditional public transit and your own feet, you have at least two more wonderful ways to explore the city: by taking a boat and riding a bicycle.

Imagine not just one canyon, but a wave of hundreds or thousands of them carved by water and gravity as far as you can see. Sounds exciting? That's about Canyonlands National Park in southeastern Utah. Little known place before it became a national park in 1964, Canyonlands National Park still looks and feels worlds away when wandering a bit off the paved roads. In fact, the park remains largely unhampered, so you can explore it on foot or from your 4x4 for days or even weeks without seeing another person, that's how vast and remote it is. 

As someone who moved to Ottawa after spending six consecutive winters in Toronto, I can tell you that Ottawa gets much more snow than Toronto. But snow in Ottawa is business as usual, so people don't make a big deal out of it when the it's snowing. I'll tell you more: most people in Ottawa put on winter tires and drive according to weather conditions, so roads remain pretty safe and accident free. But the best part of the winter in Ottawa is that there is plentiful of sunny days due to cooler temperatures, and exposure to sunlight stimulates a production of serotonin, a hormone of happiness, that boosts mood and helps sustain through long Canadian winters. So winter in Ottawa isn't that bad, it's actually quite the opposite thanks to surprisingly large variety of winter activities in and around Ottawa.

BMW is not the oldest brand in the automotive industry, and definitely not the largest one by sales or production. It's also often seen as too conservative when it comes to its design and playing catch-up in the electric vehicle market, reluctant to leave their famous gas-powered internal combustion engines behind. But there is something in BMW that attracts and retains so many loyal fans throughout the world, so I decided to visit its headquarters in Munich, Germany and take a plant tour to see myself how legendary BMW cars are produced.

American President Dwight Eisenhower was no stranger to the world of war. As a supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Forces, he played a key in the liberation of Europe from the Nazi Germany. However when the World War II ended in 1945, he was convinced that it was just a matter of time when the new war, this time with Soviet Union, would begin. That's why, once he became a president, he persisted that the country-wide network of highways be built in the US to assist a mobility of military troops and allow people to quickly escape big cities in case of a nuclear attack. The Interstate Highway System was finished long after Eisenhower had passed away, and the last stretch of the originally planned network was the Interstate-70 in Colorado.

It's been a third year in a row that I post my favourite pictures of the past year on my blog's anniversary day. The number of pictures equals the year's number, so this time around you'll be able to enjoy 18 pictures. Can't wait until my blog turns 100! Most of the pictures will be new to you as I'm slowly but steadily revealing my trips completed in 2018 as my time permits. Using this opportunity, I'd like to thank you for following my blog here and on social media, and giving me enough inspiration to continue delivering the very best content that is interesting, entertaining and relevant to you, my readers! Happy New Year and wishing you and your families all the best in 2019! 

The whole generation of Americans grew up on the Western movies featuring John Wayne and other fearless cowboys fighting unruly Native Americans. But how well do we know the period preceding the Expansion of the American West and forming the United States in their present borders? Bent's Old Fort hidden in the vast plains of Colorado under the endless blue sky is a living book that was once at the frontier of the Anglo-American civilization.