Blogs from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, North America - page 12

Geo: 43.6207, -79.5106So because of all the mass organising we'd being doing over the last week we decided to book on an 'organised fun' tour to go to Niagara Falls, stopping at a winery and the Niagara on the lake village on the way. No brain work involved. A little dude in a minivan picked us up at 8am and myself, Elise (bridesmaid) the boys and 4 of the parent/aunt contingency left to get the big coach from the company office! Once booked in we went on a mission for a cuppa and found chai lattes which made me eternally grateful! So yummy. We took our seats on the coach and waited for it to fill with many nationalities! One lady was gone too long for a coffee and got ejected from the tour by Jay ... read more

Geo: 43.6602, -79.4164Today was CN tower day! However, the walk down there was a very misty one, because of which I was very doubtful of us being able to see much from the top! As we got closer, the humid mist lifted slightly so you could see the spinnaker of the tower! Up we went, through various safety scanners etc and into the lift to the top. The elevatorhad a glass floor, so when you are climbing at 15mph it is quite disconcerting to look down. The view from the top was incredible, impossible to describe in words. There was also a glass floor which some people (including Nath and Nunny) were terrified of! I however jumped up and down on it! No problem! After a million photos, we decided to have a cuppa with a ... read more

Geo: 43.6602, -79.4164As per usual before an adventure, a goods night sleep was not to be had and I was well awake before the alarm tootled its merry tune at 7am. Breakfast was a buffet, with sooooo much on offer it was hard to decide. A healthy option I attempted to persuade myself to pick up, and that I did, a bowl full of melon and pineapple.... However there was a ginormous table full of breads and pastries!! Now those of you that know me well, also know full well that this could not be ignored! Cases packed and locked, out taxi arrived on time (which after our luck in Iceland was a huge relief!!) and off to Gatwick south we ventured! As we had checked in on line it was just a case of dumping ... read more

It’s been about two months since I’ve slept under a mosquito net; since our summit to Mt. Kilimanjaro; since I’ve stepped on a pleasantly dusty and bumpy road – and I’ve never missed anything more in life. I’ve lived away from ‘home’ twice before; in London, England and in Hawai’i -- and as amazing and beautiful as these places are in their own right, once I left, I LEFT. My leaving them wasn’t accompanied with a longing, with a wanderlust-ic heartache. Maybe it’s because it’s still kind of cold here and my injured toe can’t bear to wear anything BUT flip flops. Maybe it’s because I haven’t heard a word of Swahili in two months and hearing someone say "elfu kumi na tano” on TV made my heart skip a beat. Maybe it’s because I’m going ... read more

CANADA: COCKTAIL CULTURE...Pt 2...Toronto. My grandmother Edith Weekes was the first woman to graduate in medicine in Newfoundland. Her father was the local mayor and magistrate...presided over his own trial for smuggling. And yes...he got off! My great uncle Cyril stowed away on a ship from Oz and on being discovered was made cabin boy. On arriving in Canada he spawned many Muirs in that pioneer land. I heard he was responsible for burning down his nursing home in Ontario as he was smoking his pipe in bed. Our son Simon has been in Canada for seven years. Earning his snowboarding degree at the university of Whistler...working in bars across the country...Winter Olympics in Vancouver...even a role in a reality TV show. Now he's in Toronto...partner in Toronto's newest top bar...recently won Canada's National cocktail comp...and ... read more