Our main reason for stopping over in Toronto was to take a trip to see the Niagara Falls and we weren't disappointed. Picked up at our B&B by a 14 passenger van about 9.00 am we made an hour and a half trip to a winery then stopped at the old historic town of Niagara On The Lake. The van took an anti-clockwise route around the western end of Lake Ontario on a fairly busy highway to get to NOL. After a half hour wander around Niagara On The Lake we drove on the the Falls. Very impressive! Took the "Behind the Falls" walk and were quite close to the edge of the falling torrent as the river plunged down 114 metres - loud and wet. Pat & I had some lunch - it was ... read more

UntitledGeoff Burt Wandered around the local area the other day. Posted several items back home that we don't need to lug around the rest of the world. After a nice Singapore style meal at a local shopping area - Farmers Market - Geoff lashed out and bought a new Apple laptop - the last of the big purchases for the duration. This morning (Saturday, April 28) after a free brunch by the complex swimming pool we watched Alain & Ange enjoy the water. He really loves splashing around in the pool. Took a short video which we'll attach if able. Try this URL http://fliqz.com/FliqzWebPublic/Dynamic/proxy.aspx?IsInPlayer=true&VID=13985&ORIVID=13985&fliqzster=true&from=perma Sunday lunch was a beauty. Drove up the coast quite a distance to a seafood restaurant - Geoffrey's in Malibu. Sitting just across from us ... read more

Today we took to the hills in the morning - Mt Lee specifically. Oh, yes you probably know that the famous Hollywood sign is on Mt Lee, but Andy tells us that you can't actually get near the sign. A bit of a drive onto the nearby lookouts or overlooks. The first one on Mulholland Drive gave a view out over Los Angeles. In the foreground was the open-air Hollywood Bowl but the distance view was quite disappointing due the thick smog - no wind. The second lookout looked back to the east into the San Fernando Valley. Andy informed us that this was the home of international porn production. He hasn't received any calls for extras roles in these yet. After lunch and a sleep (for Alain) we drove quite directly to the coast, ... read more

After getting out of bed late we breakfasted and headed for Downtown. Grandson Alain loves to press the lift buttons (sorry elevator) and really gets a kick out of the glass walled ones. After being shown the multi-storied buildings in the Downtown area we stopped at the Empress Pavilion in Chinatown for Dim Sum (sometimes known as Yum Cha) very good except for the long wait for a highchair - not for Geoff. Food was nearly as good as the Natural Garden in Trafalgar but the staff were no where near as nice. Later on Beverly Boulevard Pat refused the offer of a pedicure but Geoff had his first foot care. Very sensitive feet made him jump most of the time. Later today we are all going to a baseball game to see the LA ... read more

At last the departure day has arrived. With an overnight stop at the Melbourne airport, we avoided the mad city morning rush hour and took our time to walk across the pedestrian bridge. Showed the hotel room to David who came down to see us off. (see photo he took of us outside the departure area. Not a bad flight from Melbourne to Auckland in New Zealand, with Air Nerw Zealand, arriving in daylight but won't sit in the middle or window seats again - climbing over the aisle seat passenger to go to the bog is a pain. Enjoyed the food! Pretty full Air New Zealand plane on the long flight across the pacific in the dark most of the way. A grumpy middle age woman in the aisle seat made for less than ... read more