Travelsmartplanet

You can get lost in the V8 Energie Labyrinth at the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. It’s free!

Why not have loads of belly laughs on your next trip? There are a few ways to cut costs and take in the hysterical Montreal Just for Laughs comedy festival inexpensively. Here’s all the FREE events:

On July  21st, Weird Al Yankovic is doing a free outdoor concert as part of  “The Mandatory World Tour”. The Scène Vidéotron will be presenting various free activites at 7pm every day and shows at 9pm.

The Street Arts Festival has acts performing for free in and around Place des Arts. Starting at 1 pm each day, the colorful Place de la famille le Lait will offer its load of shows and activities including a merry-go-round for kids and all the family

Also for your family entertainment, the Labyrinthe V8 will be open from 6pm during weekdays and from noon during weekends.

Every night from 4pm-3am, the Melting Pot, set on the Esplanade de la Place des Arts, invites party goers to enjoy great music presented by various international DJs.

From July 23rd to July 25th, the Zoofest Festival will take place on the Parterre des artistes. Nicknamed Le Spot, this 3-days outdoor celebration will feature the craziest, funniest and talented emerging artists.

At the Le Mondial des Jeux Loto-Québec set on Maisonneuve Blvd, you can get to play various table games and board games. In the center of the Complexe Desjardins, you are invited to discover and play the latest and the classic video games. Plus, you will have the opportunity to show off your skills in friendly competitions. Kids and grown-ups will also be able to show their talents at the Complexe Desjardins in a drawing contest.

www.hahaha.com
http://mondialdesjeux.com/en/

TICKET DEALS

The best deal by far is the OFF-JFL pass. It costs $49.50 and you get to choose 3 tickets to any of the 100 or so OFF-JFL shows. Also included is that each day from July 22-25, you get an additional free ticket for an OFF-JFL show.

OFF-JFL has a lineup of artists performing at smaller venues where the shows are much more intimate, The lineup this year is absolutely incredible. I really laughed at Ethnic Show headliners Alonzo Bodden, Ahmed Ahmed and Gina Yashere who are on this list.

There are a number of package deals for tickets. There are the tourism packages in which you can stay overnight in a hotel, be right downtown in the midst of all the action, and take in the Gala of your choice starting at only $200 (for 2). There are also multi-show passes available which cuts costs.

Last minute tickets can be purchased at the box office on the corner of Jeanne Mance and Sainte-Catherine.

www.hahaha.com

FOOD

Bouffons! Mtl is a gourmet novelty set on Sainte-Catherine street so festival-goers have the chance to experience a full range of new flavors that will definitely live up to anyone taste buds. Meet chefs, enjoy local products and taste delish dishes from the best food-trucks in the city. The festivities will start at noon every day, inside and outside. For the inside action, look for the Bouffons sign near Clark.

At the Melting Pot on the Esplanade de la Place des Arts, there will be a DJ set every evening and look for the 2 for 1 deal on the burger trio. At Arthur,  during Happy Hour 5-7, you can find 2 for one liquid deals.

www.hahaha.com

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Odysseo, the horse centric show, is awesome family entertainment which will WOW every member. If you can imagine taking Cirque du Soleil up a notch by marrying it with a team of gifted equestrians, this would be their offspring.

The show has acrobats, blade-running acrobats and horse acrobats – each team outdoing the other in their antics. However, at the same time, all the way through you will see members giving each other the high five in appreciation of each other’s work. Sweet.

There are raucous horses racing through jumps and quiet ballet-like riderless horses dancing to the whims of their female horse whisperer, Elise Verdoncq.

The carousel pole acrobatics is  a charming setting for the melange of horse and rider/acrobat but the white fabric/rope acrobatic act is the perfect “10” for each of the costume designer, set designer, lighting, and the acrobats themselves.

It’s hard to imagine it fitting into a tent setting, but horses appear on mountaintops, in ice caves, the woods, walking down hills, galloping as fast as the wind and even and splashing in a waterfront finale.

Don’t wait, book tickets now.  Great idea for Dad for Father’s Day.

Location: Odysseo White Big Top at the corner of the Metropolitan & Decarie Boulevards
1425 Dion Street, Montreal (QC), H4N 2C3
Tel: 866-999-8111
Dates: June 17-July 19
www.cavalia.net
www.facebook.com/cavalia

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This summer is your moment to finally get to see Cirque du Soleil AND enjoy a beach vacation at the same time. The show KOOZA  will be performing under their iconic blue and yellow tent from July 17 to August 16. If Patrick John Ross is playing Trickster, say hello from us.

However, Virginia Beach is way more than a beach and a circus full of fun:

– Zip through the trees at The Adventure Park at Virginia Aquarium
– Fly in a vintage airplane at the Virginia Military Aviation Museum
– Share the water with dolphins on an ocean kayaking excursion
– Eat a fresh oyster dinner, on a table in the middle of the water where you just caught them
–  Have a paragliding adventure
– Learn to hang ten – go surfing
– Take a selfie in the sky in the Cape Henry Lighthouse
– Pick fresh crab and then eat it fresh – on newspaper with the tide rolling in

www.visitvirginiabeach.com

Tags: Adventure, airplane, aquarium, aviation, beach, Cape Henry, circus, Cirque du Soleil, crab, dinner, dolphin, hang ten, kayak, Kooza, Lighthouse, military, Museum, newspaper, ocean, oyster, paragliding, park, Patrick John Ross, selfie, sky, surf, tent, tree, Trickster, vintage, Virginia, water, zip

The Isar River flows through Munich. There are many beautiful bridges spanning it. If you get hot while touring, why not take advantage of the many beaches along the shore of the river. There’s even a public bath house which you can use for only 4 Euros. If you get hungry, there’s a cafe there too.

www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

Tags: bath, beach, bridge, cafe, house, Isar, Munich, river, shore, tour

Old New Synagogue

The former Jewish Ghetto (now called Josefov) in Prague goes back to the 12th century. In fact, the oldest synagogue in Europe, the Old-New Synagogue, is still there and it is still used for its purpose, as there are regular services. An old legend says it was built of stones from the Second Temple in Jerusalem. This quarter was demolished in 1897. Today, there are 6 synagogues, the Jewish City Hall and the Old Jewish Cemetery from the 15th century. Notice the Rabbi’s house has gold decorations and the clock with hebrew letters which dates to 1674.

In 1389 the biggest anti-Jewish pogrom in the Middle Ages took place here, when about 3,000 citizens of the Jewish Quarter were killed, turning the walls of the Old–New Synagogue dark with blood. Their homes were plundered and burned.

However, in the 16th century, this quarter was thriving. Some of the synagogues we can still see were built then. The Maisel Synagogue houses an exhibition of the Jewish Museum in Prague. In the 1950’s, the Pinkas Synagogue became a Memorial to victims of the Holocaust. The walls of the nave, gallery and vestibule were covered with names of about 80,000 Bohemian and Moravian Jews. You can also see drawings of Jewish children made in the Terezin concentration camp between 1942 and 1944. There were more than 10,000 children under the age of 15 there. In 1577, the High Synagogue was built as a part of the Jewish City Hall, and the original vault with some Gothic features and stucco decoration still can be seen.

The Rabbi’s House

Nowadays, Paris St. in this area is one of the most popular places to live in Prague. If you get hungry, you can eat at the King Solomon kosher restaurant. Michelle Obama ate there when she was in town.

www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

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All roads lead to  Marienplatz, the  famous, historic square and the heart of  the Old Town of Munich. Make sure to catch the Glockenspiel show at 11 am or noon (and 5 pm in the summer). The 43-bell Glockenspiel (carillon)  is located on the central spire of the New Town Hall.

When the clock strikes the hour, a  clarion sounds and colorful mechanical figures act out two dramas in the upper and lower windows. The crowd giggles when the rooster crows and the Count gets thrown off his horse.

If you like panoramic views, you can take steps or an elevator up inside the Town Hall.

www.muenchen.de/int/en/tourism.html

www.cosmos.com/Product.aspx?trip=46050

The Niagara Parks Commission is celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Journey Behind the Falls attraction with a month-long celebration highlighting the popular tourism site

In 1889, the NPC constructed the first tunnels behind the Falls; It was named “Sheet of Falling Water” and lantern-carrying guides brought visitors up-close and personal with the rushing water. Over time as the brink of the Falls receded, tunnel extensions were required. In 1944 a new tunnel was constructed 18 metres behind the original passageway. These new concrete-lined, lit tunnels are still in use today. In 1951, an observation plaza was added and in 1990, the heavy rubber raincoats and boots were discontinued. These were replaced by light, biodegradable yellow rain ponchos which can now be kept as a souvenir.

During the month of August, Niagara Parks will be sharing 31 stories – one each day – about the attraction at www.niagaraparks.com/125, and through its Facebook page and Twitter account (@NiagaraParks). Visitors are being encouraged to share their stories, thoughts and images about this popular tourism attraction.

On Friday, August 22, a free “birthday cake” event will be held at Table Rock for visitors and invited guests. This will be followed that evening by a special illumination of the Falls in yellow, coinciding with Falls Fireworks taking place at 10 pm, to recognize this significant moment in NPC’s history.

Here’s one touching tale:

“The year was 1941 and WWII was raging. Flo and Irv were getting married, and as was popular in those days, they wanted to go to Niagara Falls for their honeymoon. However their budget wasn’t large enough for the trip and they couldn’t make it. That didn’t dim their love or romance, which lasted 62 years.

Fast forward to 2013. Irv has passed away and it is Flo’s 90th birthday. When asked where in the world she wanted to go for her special day, she answered easily “Niagara Falls”. They never made it there to join those lantern-carrying guides behind the falls, but the allure was still there, and she really wanted to experience those world-famous Falls. She insisted, though, that she wanted Irv along on the journey.

Take a look at these images of her and notice a photo of him pinned to her blouse in a plastic bag (so he doesn’t get wet!). So finally, 72 years after their plans went astray, Flo and Irv Phillips made the Journey to the Falls together.”

Harry Potter fans in Canada or anywhere else who wants to travel there, can see inside the famous wizard’s world,  Harry Potter: The Exhibition opened at TELUS World of Science – Edmonton.

You can see the amazing craftsmanship behind hundreds of authentic costumes and film props from all 8 of the Harry Potter films. The show immerses fans in the experience as they get a firsthand view of authentic artifacts displayed in detailed settings inspired by the film sets, including the Great Hall, Hagrid’s hut, the Gryffindor™ common room, and other settings from the films.

While touring through the exhibit space, discover iconic items such as Harry’s original wand and eyeglasses, the Marauder’s Map, Gryffindor school uniforms as well as costumes worn at the Yule Ball.  Enter the Quidditch™ area and toss a “Quaffle”, pull your own Mandrake, encounter Buckbeak™ the Hippogriff and even a giant Acromantula spider.

Edmonton is the 1oth stop for the exhibition which is concluding its global 5-year tour. Harry Potter: The Exhibition debuted in Chicago in 2009 and has since been touring the world with most recent stops in Tokyo, New York and Singapore. The exhibition has expanded in recent years to include artifacts from all eight Harry Potter films.

Dates: until Mar 9, 2014
www.telusworldofscienceedmonton.com

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