Mississauga's centre is growing up to look like North York Centre with many condominium towers rising around the lowrise Square One shopping mall. If only they can build a GO train connection here but I guess that's a bit too greedy. Its long-time mayor Hurricane Hazel was just as good at seeing...

Tourists may not have Hamilton high on their radar as they pass by en route from Toronto to Niagara Falls. The city's image had long been mired by its heavy industry as you see the ugly steelworks driving past on the QEW, but this city of about 800,000 people is not just a commuter town, but...

Named after Elizabeth Cornell who owned and farmed the land in the early 1800s, Cornell is a planned community in the eastern part of Markham with new urbanism principles. Development began in the 1990s with walkable streets, diverse and affordable housing options for 27,000 residents, and rear...

Just east of the Don River along Gerrard Street is an offshoot of the main Chinatown around Spadina and Dundas. This small Chinatown East dates from the 1970s when rising property prices pushed the community to Riverdale. You will find the typical mix of Chinese restaurants, small supermarkets...

The Cheltenham Badlands are about an hour northwest of downtown. Formed at the bottom of an ancient sea some 450 million years ago, the unique colours of the Queenston shale were exposed by deforestation and farming in the early 1900s. Human activity removed the top soil layer, making them...

David Gibson was a Scottish immigrant who made a living as a surveyor, helping the British colonial government settle this part of the colony. His original farmhouse was burned down after he fled following a rebelion in 1837, rebuilt into what we see today when he returned from the United...

Little Canada is a miniature world inspired by Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg. The dream began in 2011 when the founder reached out to model railway clubs for help. This 2 floor attraction across from Yonge-Dundas Square is still growing with more sections due to open in the coming years...

On Jan 25, 2023, a major winter storm swept through southern Ontario. Between 11am and 8pm that day, 10cm of snow fell at Pearson Airport, while northern and eastern suburbs received more with 15cm in Brampton and Whitby. The forecast called for up to 20cm in the Greater Toronto Area into...

Canada's COVID caseload has stabilized recently and Ontario's daily case numbers have trended below 600 in early October, and the country has slowly and surely opened up to international tourism once again. Flying internationally to Canada was relatively simple although unpredictable due to a...

More on my website : http://www.globalphotos.org/toronto.htm

Nanshan is a quieter western suburb, home to theme parks and a university. Amidst this oasis is a nice hotel with a rooftop lounge offering panoramic views of the city and Hong Kong. Across the bay and the Shenzhen Bay Bridge is the northwestern suburbs of Hong Kong. Qianhai's...

Ascending from Hauptwache station is the edge of the old town, Altstadt. The guardhouse dates from 1730 and is 6m away from its original location. The Galeria shopping centre marks the beginning of a pedestrianized shopping street. The Protestant St. Catherine's...

The Yellow River is the cradle of Chinese civilization. Xian served as the imperial capital for over a thousand years, and was the end of the Silk Road. Overshadowed by Beijing today, its past is nevertheless glorious and some of it is now accessible to visitors. The full set is on my...

Dubai is a cheap free flight redemption from Hong Kong, although it is a bit misleading with a huge tax and surcharge slapped on top. Winter is the best time to visit, with mornings and evenings being cool enough to wear a light jacket. The sun never seems to be covered up, and the blue skies...

1. Shanghai is merely a 2-hour flight from Hong Kong, so it's a great destination for a short trip. Opting for a luxurious treat, I choise the Ritz Carlton Shanghai Pudong, a new hotel with 285 rooms occupying the top of one of the IFC towers. With such a prime location, the views did not...

Akureyri is located at the head of Iceland's longest fjord and is the largest fishing port in the north. The approach from Myvatn passed through these marshmallows, presumably bagged hay. The city comes into full view at an observation point on the other side of the fjord. To reach...

A few of my friends wanted an exotic holiday and a break in the flight from Hong Kong to Canada, so we picked a week-long break in Iceland. After an overnight flight from Canada, the early morning drizzle gave way to a peek of sunrise in Reykjavik's outskirts. Reykjavik's...

1. Guangzhou's new TV Tower glimmers in all sorts of colours at night. It's not a static display - the colours change constantly. 4. By day, it's a long wait to get up to the top. Unfortunately, a smog problem persists in this part of southern China. 9...

I chose early December for my vacation to Egypt to enjoy the cooler weather and to avoid the high season. In retrospect, it was a very wise choice given the political events that happened weeks later which would otherwise delay my visit indefinitely. 1. Soon after passing the Red Sea, with...