Big Green Ogres

In February (plus a few days in January and March), I went around the world.

Vancouver

Steam driven clock
Snow-shoeing
H R McMillan Space Centre
Science World British Columbia
Storyeum
Harbour Centre Tower
Stanley Park (including the "girl in the wetsuit")

Notes: The Steam driven clock can "chime", and was built only a few decades ago. I learnt at the Storyeum of the Doukhobors, who bombed and stripped naked for their pacifist ideals. Sounds somewhat familiar. Everyone in the Storyeum photos looked very serious, even the hurdy gurdy girls.

Whistler

Skied and snowboarded

Seattle

Space Needle
Seattle Aquarium
Seattle Underground Tour

Notes: Not all seals form harems, and some species of octopus stop eating after reproducing and look after their offspring until they die. The underground tour is great, though not recommended for those with delicate sensibilities.

Calgary

Canada Olympic Park
Calgary Tower
Glenbow museum

Notes: You can go up one of the ski jumps. As well as magnificent views, they have information on ski jumping. Apparently it's safer than it looks, and for most of the flight you're only a few metres above the ground. Canada Olympic Park saw the Olympic debut of Michael Edwards ("Eddie the Eagle") and the Jamaican bobsled team, and last year it saw the debut of Australia's women's skeleton team. Skeleton is for those who like going at over 100 kilometres an hour, but think going feet first (like lugers do) is entirely too sensible.

Canmore

Cross country skiing

Notes: The cars stop for you if you want to cross the road!

Toronto

Hockey Hall of Fame
Whistle Brewery
CN Tower
Royal Ontario Museum
Bata shoe museum
Toronto Olympic Spirit Museum

Notes: For the Whistle Brewery, instead of paying an admission fee, you have to buy a souveneir. At the Royal Ontario Museum, you can buy replicas of some of the exhibits. I bought a replica of a painted relief from the tomb of Metjetji (spelling may vary). The Toronto Olympic Spirit Museum had information, photo opportunities and sports practice.

Washington, D.C.

Smithsonian museums
Congress
United States Botanic Garden

Notes: While waiting for a tour of the capitol, I visited the United States Botanic Garden, and saw a Wollemi pine. Not bad, considering that about a decade ago, it only existed undiscovered in a single area a few hours from Sydney.

New York

Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum
Katz's Deli
The former World Trade Centers 1 & 2

London

The Tower of London

Bergen, Norway

Hanseatic Museum
Fishing museum
Funicular

Notes: I took the "Norway in a Nutshell" trip from Bergen to Oslo. The scenery was amazing.

Oslo, Norway

Hollenstein ski jump and museum
Oslo town hall
Fram museum

Notes: The Fram had gone further north and further south than any other boat. The museum also had an exhibit on Australian Antarctic bases. On the flight I took from Oslo to Copenhagen, the TVs showed the plane's-eye view of the take-off.