The COVID-19 pandemic made me realize that Ontario does not actually have too many backpacking opportunities close to big cities like Toronto or Ottawa. With the US-Canada borders closed, Adirondacks Mountains as well as other destinations in Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania are out of reach for most Canadians. So unless you're willing to get stuck behind a steering wheel for hours bound to Northern Ontario or Quebec, you're pretty much down to a few options. One of them is the 387 km / 240 mile Rideau Trail connecting Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario.

I'm not going to judge Québec for how quickly they are reopening their economy after a very strict lockdown and being hit pretty hard by Covid-19, but for someone who live in Ontario, the difference in the reopening approaches between the two provinces seems very noticeable. When the right opportunity came, I didn't think twice before booking our first family camping of the year at Parc national du Mont-Tremblant. Incidentally, a camping in Ontario was not even possible in mid-June. Traveling to Québec brought a very nice and completely unexpected bonus: an ability to eat inside a restaurant even if it's only pizza and ice cream. Indoor dining has become a faraway luxury after the four months of a lockdown. If you're still questioning whether you should go camping to Mont-Tremblant or, frankly, any other provincial park in Québec, the answer is "Absolutely". Let me tell you why.

Tourists and locals alike recognize Ontario not only for its big-name attractions like Toronto or Niagara Falls, and not even for hungry mosquitos and black flies in the springtime, but also for its pretty, historic towns. Carefully preserved in time and maintaining they original 19th century look, many of them compete to be named the quaintest or the coziest town in Ontario. Merrickville, located only 40 minutes from Ottawa and known as the "Jewel of the Rideau", often makes the cut.

As state-at-home orders and lockdowns are being lifted across Canada, more and more people are increasingly looking forward to escape their domiciles and finally go out. Health experts also agreed that spending time outdoors during the pandemic is even safer than staying inside, assuming, of course, that proper social distancing is maintained. Turns out, nature is a great healing power, so exposure to outdoors will help you improve your physical and mental health. But don't get too excited, at least not yet, as travelling in Canada is largely limited to a province of your residence. But who said that exploring your own backyard is a bad idea? Especially, if your backyard is a beautiful wilderness within the city limits. 

April 15 marks the first anniversary of the fire that devastated Notre-Dame de Paris, one of the greatest landmarks of the Western civilization. The Cathedral was accidentally set ablaze likely by a short circuit due to an ongoing renovation and miraculously remained intact besides losing a spire and a wooden roof. Throughout its 850-year-old history, Notre-Dame de Paris survived a number of swirling events including the French Revolution, the World War I and World War II, as well as plague, smallpox, cholera, flu and other fatal diseases that ravaged France and the rest of Europe. The current COVID-19 pandemic has temporary put breaks on the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris which is quite symbolic as it exemplifies hardship and resilience of the French people. I was very fortunate to visit Notre-Dame de Paris in 2017 and was stunned by its grandeur and beauty, and today I'd like to share some of those memories with you.

I don't know about you, but I first learnt about Switzerland from a TV commercial featuring Milka Chocolate and lush green Swiss alps valleys with perfectly groomed cows wearing sonorous bells. To my deepest disappointment, Milka Chocolate, though originally made in Switzerland, has been produced in Germany for the past 100 years. On a bright side, these Swiss valleys with perfectly groomed cows do exist, and I was fortunate enough to locate a few of them in Appenzell, a little village that sits next to the Swiss border with Germany, Austria and Liechtenstein. 

It's already become a good tradition to post my favourite pictures of the passing year on my blog's anniversary day. Looking back, 2019 was another busy year with abundant work-related travel, however, I managed to squeeze in two fantastic road trips as well as a five-day long journey of a lifetime to a place that most people would pass by due to its rigid climate and high cost of travel - Canadian arctic territory of Nunavut. Most of the pictures you'll see today are from these three trips. In an increasingly busy world, I know how difficult it can be to carve out time to read blog articles, especially long ones like mine, so I'm very thankful to you, my readers, for following, liking, and commenting on my posts as well as sharing them with your friends and families. This surely keeps me motivated to continue creating content which you find relevant, engaging, inspirational, and thought-provoking. Happy New Year and wishing you and your families all the best in 2020!