To be honest, the reason we went to Ottawa was that we were in the vicinity and it was the capital so it was almost obligatory to pay a quick visit. And I’m so thankful that we did as it turned out to be my favourite of the 3 Canadian cities we visited this holiday. It was just lovely.
We started our trip by visiting an axe throwing place – something my BF set up. The man who runs this was really lovely, and had a genuine love for his sport Continue reading
Thousand Islands are literally a thousand islands at the top of Lake Ontario at the start of the St Lawrence River. It is meant to be a pretty part of the world, and also the place where Thousand Island salad dressing was invented! Unfortunately we had a dressing-down of another variety, but more of that later.
Our trip started off promisingly, as we caught the sunset from a beautiful sandy beach Presquile Provincial Park, accompanied only by a few Canada Geese (are they just called “Geese” there? 🙂 ) Continue reading
The best thing about Toronto, or should I say “Toronno” for me was the people. The Torontians (is that a word?) we met were very friendly – one lady even re-opened up her shop after closing so we could look at some high-tec ski boots.
For days we wandered around Toronto checking out the various neighbourhoods – Chinatown, the CBD, the harbourside, and beaches. Continue reading
Leaving Niagara Falls, we followed the river north towards Niagara on the Lake. There were some lovely viewpoints which we stopped off at- and as a bonus, the weather was gorgeous so I was able to hop in and out of the car in flip flops without having to bundle up like an arctic explorer.
We happened to stop at the Whirlpool view at the same time as a tour group, so we heard the tour guide’s talk – and it was very powerful Continue reading
No matter how many times you have been to Niagara Falls, it still takes your breath away. As we walked towards the falls, I caught a glimpse of the falls and gasped at its majesty – then I realised that I was looking at the smaller falls – let alone the bigger falls upstream!
I could stand there for hours and watch the thunderous power of the water and the beautiful rainbows that form in the mist. Continue reading
I had read that Ithaca, New York was a nice place to stop off en route to Niagara Falls. We started the day in Seneca Lake and drove down along the lake heading for Ithaca. As it turned out, I didn’t take to Ithaca but the drive down there was lovely.
We were in winery country, so passed so many cider houses, cheese farms, wineries, etc. We stopped into a lovely winery and sampled their wine which was really different and cool experience. Apparently this region is the same longitude as the Champagne region in France so the grapes are similar. Continue reading
One of the main reasons we chose to do this holiday was the Road Trip element. There’s nothing like a classic American Road Trip.
We saw plenty of cute little towns and gorgeous country houses complete with wooden clapboard decking and fall leaves. Continue reading
I am a big fan of Ben and Jerry’s – mainly for the plebeian reason that it is delicious ice cream. I should probably be impressed by their commitment to community and environmental projects, but mainly, it’s that Phish Food that reels me in. We decided to stop by their factory in Vermont USA to see where it was founded, and get a sample 🙂
We watched a short video about the history of Ben and Jerry’s, including why their ice cream is special, and the projects they have supported through the decades. When we visited they were campaigning for fair voting rights for everyone. It is also worth mentioning that they have been taken over by Unilever, so they are no longer the romanticised one-man-band operation, but more in depth research would be needed to see if this has changed the essence of B & J or not.. Continue reading
After our last disastrous holiday, I wanted something relatively safe, easy, and relaxing. We decided that a good old road trip would be just what the doctor ordered – we love road tripping in the US, and we loved Vancouver so we decided to explore more of Canada on the “near” coast and also fit in a return trip to Niagara Falls, which I loved last time.
This was my first trip to Quebec – ie. french-speaking Canada. It was fascinating and the french influence was palpable in the architecture and food. Continue reading
This is a very niche blog, but I have a problem with toilets in the USA, and there are some unsaid things which I need to explore.
Don’t get me wrong, public toilets in the USA are usually clean and freely available, which is of utmost importance. In fact I would take US toilets over the toilets in many other countries any day, BUT I have a few bug-bears that massively annoy me every time! Continue reading
Big Fat Tourist 