The Peace Arch spans the United States and Canadian border and commentates the signing of the Treaty of Ghent in 1814. The arch was dedicated in 1921 and was placed on the US National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Both countries flags fly on the monument. The Peace Arch and the associated area are considered to be an international park and one does not need to have a passport to visit it. The Peace Arch border crossing never closes. It was a pretty quick passage for us, only about 45 minutes.
Tag Archives: monument
Stonehenge
Stonehenge had also been on my bucket list and I was so pleased to hear this world heritage site was part of this year’s tour. It was a little more of a production than I expected with the parking area being some distance from the site. But the folks that run it do provide transportation.
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument that originated between 2000 and 3000 BC and because of the age of the monument, there is a great deal of mystery. I did learn that:
- It is a burial site
- The Druids would hold ceremonies here
- For the most part, the public is no longer aloud to walk up to the stones
- That over the years the stones have been straightened when in danger of falling over
- The visitor’s center opened in December 2013 and I could have happily spent more time there
- According to some myths, the stone were healing rocks
Here is a short BBC video on this history of Stonehenge and here is the official visitors webpage.
Locomotive Monument – Tacoma, Washington
Dear husband and I arrived in Tacoma about 23 years ago today. I remember that we had a not very good Thanksgiving dinner on the road from our prior home in Texas, so I might be off a couple of days, but not much. One of the first things we saw as we drove into downtown, through a very different from today Tacoma, was this cheerful, colorful sculpture titled Locomotive Monument. The artist, Douglas Charles Granum, created the piece in 1988 to reflect Tacoma’s railroad heritage.
Kunsan, Korea Monument
There are many lovely things to see along Ruston Way including this monument from one of Tacoma’s sister cities. It is called the Kunsan, Korea Monument and it is located at 3771 Ruston Way, Marine Park, Ruston Way. This granite monument states “In commemoration of the centennial anniversary of the great state of Washington, the citizenry of Kusan City herein inscribes its friendship”.