Nostalgia Wrapped Up in Travel Dreams: The Red Balloon

I had a sudden memory last night of a magical movie which left an impression on me as a small kid. After a little searching, I found a full version of short film The Red Balloon. Honestly I can't remember who showed the movie to me, but I thank them. It not only captured my imagination, it planted a seed for what would become a great love affair with France - and travel.

It's not only nostalgic because I saw it as a child, it's a reminder of a time when people had attention spans. The filmmaker, Albert Lamorisse, used his own kids as actors. It doesn't have a yellow brick road, CGI, or robots that transform into cars and trucks. No explosions either. But it's a fantasy film nonetheless, and a captivating one at that. I double-dog dare you to watch the whole thing.

The 34-minute film won the Palme d'Or Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and a 1956 Oscar for best original screenplay. Other fun fact: Lamorisse is also the guy who created the board game "Risk".

Without further ado, The Red Balloon (Le Ballon rouge).

Enchanting.

If I Had a Rocket Launcher

Fort Churchill's now defunct rocket launching complex located in Churchill, Manitoba. It even had a stint being run by the U.S. Army (from 1959 to 1970), but was mostly used by Canadian researchers sending sounding rockets to and fro from the 1950s through the mid-80s before it was abandoned. The area is now inhabited by wildlife management scientists.

When a travel destination gets a little bit eerie and exhilaratingly quirky, you know you're in Churchill, Manitoba. There aren't any roads to bring visitors to this remote northern bit of Canada which sits on the Hudson Bay. Instead, a prop-plane flight or 40 to 48-hour (or so) journey by train is required to make a visit.

One afternoon, while in search of polar bear sightings, we took a little detour to an abandoned rocket launching facility. Lively tour guide, Rhonda Reid, had a spring in her step while happily bellowing lyrics from Canadian singer Bruce Cockburn's song "If I Had a Rocket Launcher", as we both excitedly entered this obscure piece of history.

Yes, that is a fire alarm just about 35 feet from the area where rockets were launched and hinged doors swung open due to all the flames bursting out of them.

And the trip inside didn't disappoint. An entire control panel full of huge buttons seemed like they could set off a slew of atomic energy at any moment. Empty rusted rocket fuel bottles, scienc-y looking goggles, and hard hats were abandoned along with the building and conjured many thoughts about the cold war era.

The rocket launcher was a very small part of my visit to Canada's north (articles & video to come), but it was a fun and unexpected experience. Which was par for the course in Churchill.

My rocket launcher experience was courtesy Tourism Manitoba and North Star Tours (nortours@mts.net / 800-665-0690). And my rocket launcher views are my own.