Travel

By Jessica Chong
Blogs Editor

It’s often you’ll find yourself on Highway 401 hoping for the shortest trip home from Kingston to Toronto. The weekend after I had finished exams called for a much needed trip to Montreal, and of course, the quickest route from Toronto to Montreal is the 401.

However, after enjoying all the restaurants and shops Montreal had to offer, the rural winding routes off of the 401 quickly became a greatly appreciated scenery change. The 401 fares well for the fastest and most direct route home, but if you have an hour, you may want to consider taking the more scenic route through Prince Edward County.

Kingston is an anomaly amongst university towns for being situated in such a picturesque location by the lake. However, as a girl that’s used to city sights, the Loyalist Parkway ... Read more...

By Trilby Goouch
Blogs Editor

Take a road trip, go camping and see live music for a weekend? Bonnaroo, one of the most anticipated music festivals of the summer takes place in Manchester, Tennessee on June 13-16. Although the price of $269.50 before tax may seem steep, the festival makes it a worthwhile experience.

The roadtrip in itself is lots of fun and will create a host of memories. Not only are you exposed to different landscapes as you pass through states, but you get to spend quality time with your friends and blast your favourite songs in anticipation for the line up. The trip takes about 10 hours from Toronto and taking turns driving makes it an east ride. Though the drive back may be a little less exciting (you can guarantee you’ll be sleep deprived), it’s well worth ... Read more...

By Katherine Kopiak (ArtSci ’14)
Contributor

It’s that time of year again, and if you’ve yet to decide what you are doing this summer, I have a suggestion for you: stay in Kingston.
Last summer I decided to stay in Kingston for the first time and had the best summer of my life; I’m certainly planning on doing the same this summer.
Each day in Kingston you’re met with a peaceful kind of paradise. The streets of downtown are adorned with restaurant patios, live music, old-fashioned cars and happy people holding onto ice-cream cones or walking their dogs. The environment never failed to put me in high spirits.

One of the best parts about living in Kingston over the summer is the beautiful waterfront landscape. The pier becomes the hot spot for everyone to go; people throw on their bathing suits, pack some snacks, grab a volleyball or baseball ... Read more...

By Laura Russell
Contributor

Have a passion for travelling yet lacking the funds? Take a visual vacation and watch movies with great scenery and cultural depiction. Here are 10 movies that will take you on a journey around some amazing places and make you feel like you’ve travelled thousands of miles.

1. Slumdog Millionaire

Although primarily shot in the slums of India, this movie still provides striking scenic views of the country. Run through the streets of Mumbai with Jamal Malik and discover what this cultural and colorful destination has to offer.

2. Out Of Africa

Always wanted to travel to Africa? Well here’s your chance to take in the beautiful landscapes and the extraordinary scenery through watching this movie. I mean who doesn’t love Meryl Streep?

3. Into The Wild

By Cole Meagher (LifeSci ’14)
Contributor

My experience in Glasgow has been amazing so far and all the credit is due to the people I’ve met, both the other students here on exchange looking for new experiences and the Glaswegians themselves.

Most students on exchange here are like myself; looking for something new and always open to forming relationships. A trait most exchange students have in common is that everyone is tremendously proud of their country and culture. All of the students I’ve met on exchange have been more than eager to share a bit about themselves, their country and traditions. Many students have brought drinks or made food from their country to share with others. Just last night I was greeted by my French flat-mate, asking if I wanted to try some wine and saucissons (a French cured meat) that his parents had mailed him. The week before ... Read more...

By David Kong (Comm ’14)
Contributor

Switzerland, by most standards, is a completely respectable nation. It’s rich yet equal, patriotic yet peaceful, diverse in culture and language yet united in most things. From Paris, a bullet train arrives in Geneva in a mere three hours. From there, the train meanders through mountainous and picturesque towns like Lausanne, known for the post-WWI treaty with Turkey, and through the capital, Bern, before arriving in Zurich. Like Belgium, the south is French and the north is German (though of “a whole different breed” said one German-speaking commentator). And like Amsterdam to Brussels, Zurich is beautiful and exciting compared to a duller Geneva.
Zurich is set in a magnificent nature-scape comprised of rivers, a lake and mountains in the near distance. The city itself is mountainous, providing views of rings of houses that hug the hilly contours. From city centre, the first activity ... Read more...

By David Kong (Comm ’14)
Contributor

Italy is the direct product of the greatest civilization in history that led the world into the modern era via the Renaissance. From these notabilities, Italy derives an unequalled history and culture that makes it an international hotspot for tourism. It’s easy to think of a handful of cities that the discerning traveller must visit. Venice, Milan, Florence, Verona and Rome; each has its own peculiarity and merits a visit. Milan is the economic centre and capital of fashion and design in the world. Rome is the inheritor of the wonders left behind by an ancient civilization.

In many ways, Italy resembles Spain; buildings have similar features and are coloured and pieced together in comparable ways. But although Spanish architecture is rarely adorned, the Italian equivalents have motifs and ornamentation. This can be traced to Italy’s excessive wealth in the past. Today, much ... Read more...

By Philipp Lürzer (Comm ‘13)
Contributor

When I told my friend back in Austria that I would leave Vienna to study in Kingston for one semester, he told me that I was insane. “All you’ll find there is a high security prison,” he said, recalling the time he had passed through the city a couple of years earlier.

I boarded my flight with mixed feelings. On the one hand I was excited to move to the other side of the Atlantic, but on the other, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Was Kingston really a one-horse town?

Now, one month after touch down in Toronto, I can only laugh at my initial concerns. Kingston turned out to be a great getaway for a student in his last year of studies.

Since arriving, I’ve come to learn of three main differences between Vienna and Kingston.

1. Chili Lemongrass ... Read more...