Things to Do in Kelowna & Okanagan Valley

Greece is where the Olympic Games began in the 11th century BC, as a festival dedicated to the god Zeus. The first modern Olympics was held in Athens in 1896 in the Panathinaiko Stadium, a 4th century BC stadium which was restored for the games. When Athens won the right to hold the 2004 games, people wondered if the chaotic and polluted city could make it work; they did. The result was a rebuilding program which re-invigorated the city and its transport system.

The Olympic Stadium of 2004 was originally built in the early 1980s for the European Olympic Championships and was remodeled by famous architect Santiago Calatrava for 2004. It seats around 70,000 and is now home to the major Athens football clubs and concerts. The stadium is called Spiros Louis Stadium after the winner of the 1896 marathon.

Approximately 15 minutes south of downtown Washington, the 18th-century Old Town – the local nickname for the historic center of Alexandria -- hugs the western bank of the Potomac and blends the area’s cultural melting pot with America’s Colonial era. Originally laid out in 1749, this condensed commercial district full of cobbled streets and the well-preserved 18th century buildings features boutique and mall shopping, restaurants, nightlife, and lots of opportunities for sightseeing.

Many of the neighborhood’s most popular dining destinations offer sustainable takes on American cuisine, like Hank’s Oyster Bar and Restaurant Eve, and vintage pubs and taverns harken back to the area’s early days. Thai, Vietnamese, Mexican and Afghan eateries are common sights in Old Town, reflecting a steady influx of immigrants to Alexandria since the late 1980s.

Local attractions include steamboat tours on the Potomac; Colonial homes that offer daily tours, such as the Carlyle House (1753); and the Torpedo Factory Art Center, which used to be a center for munitions manufacturing and now houses a warren of artists’ studios.  From 7 a.m. to 12 noon every Saturday, one of the country’s oldest farmers’ markets is held in Old Town’s Market Square.

Free 24-hour parking passes called “proclamations” are available at the Alexandria Visitors Center (221 King Street), provided only to non-Alexandria residents. Proclamations are valid at two-hour metered spaces around Old Town and may be renewed once.

The area’s Metrorail stop is King Street-Old Town, which serves the Yellow Line from downtown Washington, D.C. From the King Street station, visitors can catch the Free King Street Trolley, which is free to ride, runs every 15 minutes, and stops at 20 different points around Old Town.

The pastel-hued façade of Vienna’s Old Town Hall (Altes Rathaus) may pale in comparison to the dramatic neo-gothic towers of the modern City Hall, but the former administrative center is still a charming reminder of medieval Vienna. Although first built in the 13th century, the majority of the present-day building stems from its 18th-century baroque redesign, featuring details like the striking Renaissance portico and the monumental Andromeda Fountain by Georg Raphael Donners.

The Old Town Hall housed the magistrate of Vienna until 1885, but today is home to the Museum of the Austrian Resistance Movement, a museum devoted to the Austrian resistance against the Nazis. One of the city’s most intriguing museums, the fascinating exhibitions include photographs, original documents and personal reports, detailing the work of Austrian resistance fighters and the victims of the Nazi regime.

Discover the old town, Monaco-Ville, "le rocher" or "the rock" - a veritable open air museum as you wander through narrow alleyways from the Middle Ages. Explore the picturesque Place Saint Nicolas, Placette Bosio, the Chapel of Mercy, Palais de Justice and remains of ancient city walls on this magnificent rocky promontory perched above the Mediterranean Sea.

Visit the Place du Palais, to see the colourful changing of the guard in front of the Princely Palace, every day at 11:55am. The Museum of Napoleonic Souvenirs and Collections of the Historical Archives of the Palace housed in the southern wing contains a rich collection of objects and documents about the First Empire, some of which belonged to Emperor Napoleon I. Next door is the Cathedrale de Monaco, Romanesque-Byzantine burial place of past sovereigns, including Prince Rainier and Princess Grace.

Gaze at an exceptional panorama while strolling toward the Saint Martin Gardens surrounding the world famous Oceanographic Museum, built in 1910 by Prince Albert I. Dedicated to marine sciences, the museum was for a long time managed by Jacques-Yves Cousteau, and houses the all new shark lagoon with hammerhead sharks and stingrays swimming in front of a coral reef, populated with a multitude of tropical fish and living corals.

On the parking terraces of the Chemin des Pecheurs, Monte-Carlo story presents "Monaco the Film" which explores the origins, history and future of the Principality. The Museum of the Chapel of Visitation is part of a Baroque style 17th century chapel with a remarkable collection of sacred art works by Rubens, Zurbaran, Ribera and masters of the Italian Baroque. Chapelle de la Misericorde (1639) is the famous starting point for the torch lit Good Friday religious procession.

Though it is no longer the residence of Singapore’s judiciary arm of government, the old Supreme Court Building is an important structure as the last building in Singapore to be constructed using classical architecture.

Located on St. Andrew’s Road, the building housed Singapore’s highest court for more than 60 years until 2005 when the Supreme Court moved into a more modern building. The structure is a spacious structure with an impressive interior featuring murals painted by Italian artists and a façade that has crafted Corinthian columns and is topped by a large green dome and pediment structure.

Today, the building is being refurbished and will be conjoined with the City Hall building next to it. The project has been delayed, but is now expected to open next year, revealing a state-of-the-art cultural center, dubbed the National Art Gallery. The state has poured in more than half a billion dollars to complete the project.

Designed by American architect Willoughby Edbrooke, this enormous Romanesque Revival building was the largest office building in D.C. when it opened in 1899. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was far from beloved in its own era. Considered dowdy by the time it opened for business, when architectural fashion had turned to rounded, more romantic Beaux-Arts design, it was soon abandoned in favor of a new mail depot building over by Union Station; 15 years after it was built, it was commonly referred to as the “old” post office.

By the late 1920s, popular sentiment in Washington was that the building should be torn down, but the Great Depression prevented the demolition; instead, the Old Post Office was left to molder for about 40 years. In the 1970s, it was saved by community support and the National Endowment for the Arts, which now has its headquarters here; in addition to a few other government agencies, the Pavilion houses several restaurants, eateries, shops and services.

Free tours of the Pavilion’s 315-foot clock tower, which offers 360-degree views of downtown Washington, are given daily by National Park Service Rangers; tours meet by the glass elevators on the Pavilion’s stage level.

Despite its modern-day popularity, the Pavilion has proved a financial liability for the city. In 2012, real estate developer (and reality show star) Donald Trump announced he’d been approved to renovate the Pavilion into the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C., which will include 250 hotel rooms, a conference center, a spa, restaurants and a museum dedicated to the building's history.

Inca street and town planning at its finest is preserved in the village of Ollantaytambo, surrounded by neatly terraced hills.

Soaring above the town’s cobbled streets, which have been lived in since the 13th century, is the massive Inca fortress and the monolithic stones of the Temple of the Sun. Built by Pachacuti in the 1400s, the huge complex features fine stonework and a ceremonial temple hill area topping the stepped, fortified terrace.

Climb more than 200 steps to the top for fabulous views and an up-close look at the impressively hewn masonry. You’ll also see the remains of several temples and ceremonial fountains.

To see where the huge blocks of stone were quarried from the mountainside, follow the 6km (3.5 mile) trail to the quarry on the other side of the river - the water was diverted to flush the stones down to the construction site.

Ollantaytambo was the site of a rare Inca victory over the conquistador forces in 1536, led by Manco Inca, the leader of Inca resistance. The museum here will tell you more about the incident and the eventual repercussions.