Spiral

Location: Perlan, Reykjavik, Iceland

Intersection

Ferris wheel in Copenhagen's city centre

Conceived by George Ferris, the Ferris Wheel was introduced to the world at the World's Colombian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago. It was built to rival the Paris creation of the Eiffel Tower.

Since then, the Ferris wheel has always been a symbol of fun. That which was initially an American expression of freedom, is now spread throughout the world.

For children it is a popular carnival ride, not too fast as some other rides are, nor too slow. They climb into the individual cars without a second thought and smile in delight when the wheel starts to turn. Soaring up higher and higher, they reach the very top where it is possible to see far and yonder. Over city skylines and rural landscapes, their imaginations run free without limits.

As young adults we continue to strive for experiences beyond practicalities. We choose to cross oceans by ship, fly through time zones by plane, or cover vast ground distance by train, bus and car, leaving nothing but a trail of light behind.

The endless travels fair well, as maturity and insight into life is gained. However just like the how ferris wheel is a circle, so is the journey and at some point, the vehicle we were on speeds back to the starting point. Before we know where we are, it intersects the wheel and we are ejected out into the big circular disc once again. Except unlike when we were children, this time the wheel spins non-stop faster than before, we have to squint harder to see the horizon, and we are more fearful to jump off.

Art Deco Montreal

Montreal is a city full of Art Deco architecture which I will capture and share over the next months.

For starters, this is the Aldred Building, located at Place D'armes in Old Montreal. It was Montreal's first skyscraper, designed by New York architect Ernest Isbell Barott and built in 1931.

I particularly liked the front entrance.

Click here for more information.

Construction Holiday on Place D'armes

Bank of Montreal, 1847

In Quebec, the last two full weeks of July are called Construction Holiday. It is a time when most construction workers go on vacation. As well, many affected non-construction employees also take the opportunity to take their holiday at the time same time.

This Quebec tradition began 39 years ago and today, as many as 135, 000 residential and commercial construction workers are off until August 2.

Construction holiday time however means that the Surete du Quebec are out on highway patrol more frequently with additional speed traps and drunk driving checkpoints. Sadly while the rest of the province goes to sleep, the number of traffic related deaths increases and the first three days of this period is known to be the deadliest time of the year.