Two Thumbs up for the Canucks - rickandsuejohnson

Reflections

rickandsuejohnson — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Initial impressions of Canada were how big everything was – the roads, the cars, the buildings and how inexpensive; about £ for $ but with roughly $2 to the £, it made everything half price.

We found Canadians are incredibly generous and hospitable; with the exception of the security guard at the Prime Minister's residence and the Customs Officer at Toronto, we were made to feel welcome everywhere.

There is a perhaps surprising definite language difference. Last year down under, we noticed a few idiosyncrasies and some unique local vocabulary but broadly, we seemed to be speaking the same language. Canada has followed the same route as its neighbour, the US in using a number of different words to those we would normally use. Highway and sidewalk are two well known examples, but others would include GPS instead of satnav, purse instead of handbag and bathroom or washroom instead of ladies, gents, toilet or loo. While the differences are small, usually self-resolving and amusing, it meant that conversation did require more energy than usual. (Though it was useful to have an expert at translating from one to the other in Val, to hand.) It is also well known that ordering food or drink at a fast food outlet is a far more complex than in the UK because of the range of options that are invariably available and the sms type language employed to get through the menu without keeping the next customer waiting too long. We got caught on this early on when ordering a tea being asked 'baggin?'. Not being familiar with the expression we asked the girl to repeat the question – 'baggin?'. We had heard right then but were no nearer being able to answer until Ollie translated - 'Do you want the tea bag left in the cup?'. Those early orders were certainly possible only because we had guides!

In addition to brewing a number of lagers, Canada also brews their own ales which are very good; although for my taste, there is too much emphasis on freezing the living daylights out of some of them. I found that Rickards Red was very refreshing, especially as the glass warmed a little and allowed the flavours to develop. The Honey Brown was exactly what it claimed to be with a lovely rounded and full body. The Unibroue Trois Pistoles that we had in Quebec was an exquisite Barley wine with an extraordinary chocolately flavour that worked – and carried on working for some time afterwards! In Ontario, the LCBO (liquor control board of Ontario) operates its own stores and controls locations that sell alcoholic drink; I'm sure that this works well to control alcohol but less sure how any state monopoly benefits the consumer. Having said this, prices didn't seem exorbitant.

Although Canada hasn't escaped the fuel price rises, petrol is about half the cost in the UK, diesel is not as common as here and as we found down under last year, engine sizes tend to be larger and gearboxes automatic.

At a national level Canada has decided to publish everything in both English and French, to which the anglophonic part adheres in stereotypical style. Of course with typical gallic panache, the provincial government of Quebec has decided that they will ignore national government and issue everything in only French, officially – although pragmatically, many businesses are making provision for anglophones. Clearly the Francophones are worried that their language is under threat – and not without some justification. However, I think it sad as a broadly francophilic person that the typical french stick is used instead of the typical gallic charm. It seems to me that there are other better means of achieving the preservation of the french language and traditions (leading to cultural richness) within the greater Canada with a sympathetic anglophone community than by separation and alienation.

Toronto to Cockshutt

rickandsuejohnson — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The idea had been to get to Toronto and go up the CN Tower. However, as we approached the centre the traffic slowed to a crawl; the Blue Jays were playing in the sports centre next to the tower. The car parks were full, but TomTom managed to find us one close by. It started to rain as we got close to the car park, so we got quite damp just getting to the tower. It was going to take too long to go up to the pod and we only had time to go up to the observation deck,so we started to queue. It was worth the wait, the views were spectacular and we managed to get up before the weather set in; we could see it rolling in over the city.

At the airport we had to say goodbye to Ollie; it was as tough as always despite knowing we would be seeing him again in a matter of weeks. We had had a marvellous time and it was coming to an end.

It didn't take long to clear through security, though my checks took a little longer than Sue's for some reason. Once in the departure lounge, we thought we had better eat though neither of us felt like it much.

Transat boarded us a bit early; it was still raining hard and as we all settled down the Captain announced that because of lightening strikes near the airport, the baggage handlers had had to be stood down in the interests of safety, so as our hold was still open, we could not take off until they returned. It only took about 15 minutes but it seemed quite a while. Watching the aircraft take off in these conditions was interesting; the spray coming from the undercarriage would put several juggernauts to shame – with take-off speeds of over 100mph you have to admire the technical qualities of the tyres that allow this not to mention the skill of the pilots in dealing with the difficulties inherent in the situation.

We had good seats immediately aft of the business section and had plenty of legroom, although it was still a little difficult to get sufficiently comfortable for sleep because of the narrowness of the seats.

After a trouble free and pleasant flight with a lovely lady who had emigrated 40 years ago sitting next to us, we landed about 6 hours later at Manchester. It was a bit strange taking off mid afternoon, flying through the night and landing in daylight, all within 7 hours. It took some time for our bags to come through but the concourse was relatively empty at 06:30 and it didn't take us too long to go through controls and out. They were trialling a new passport recognition system for chipped passports like mine, presumably to speed up passenger throughput. Needless to say it didn't work well for me and Sue was waiting for me on the other side, the human intervention process being quicker!

It didn't take too long to get to the car and waiting for the bus in relatively warm and sunny conditions was a bit of a novelty. We had a good trip home, collected Dad and then went to bed for 2 hours (as recommended by the lady we had met on the flight to combat jet lag) before getting up and cooking Sunday dinner.

Four Cities in six days

rickandsuejohnson — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

With the weather forecast not being too bright, we decided to leave the cottage a day early and use the extra time in London to prepare for our lightening tour of East Canada. We set off after a splendid meal of fish and chips from The Fish & Chip Place in Tobermory. On Sunday we packed the hire car (7 seater) with our luggage (it was amazing how much it swallowed, complete as it was with a with huge stowage area under the floor). It was 6 hours to Ottawa. After we had checked in to the Marriott that Ollie had managed to book through Priceline, we went for a little walk around town, found a nice bistro where we had our evening meal, then had another wander with Sue taking a lot of pictures of the interesting architecture in the gathering dusk before heading back for bed.

Val imitates the guard outside the Governor General's residence

The next day we were up at the Parliament Buildings to see the colourful changing of the guard ceremony at 10:00. There were some unique movements that I have never seen on a parade ground before. After getting our fill of the pomp and ceremony, we headed off to fill the inner us and surprisingly enough ended up at Tim Hortons where Sue and I enjoyed a splendid breakfast roll with bacon. We were lucky enough to discover that the Governor General's house had an open house that morning so were able to have a look round. It was interesting to see the rooms used by the Queens representative for formal occasions and we enjoyed wandering through the gardens, where I took a photo of a totem pole.

We had a look through the fencing at the Prime Ministers rather impressive place; Dave pretended to have a chat with him on his mobile until a guard with a sense of humour bypass came out to ask him if there was a problem. We walked just down the road from here to see the Rideau Falls, where the River Rideau tumbles into the Ottawa River. In the the afternoon Sue and I went up the Peace Tower of the House of Commons and very interesting it was too. The views from the top were well worth the wait (about an hour in total) to get there. Inside the building the architecture was quite fascinating too. There is a room in the tower dedicated to all those Canadians killed in the various conflicts of the last 100 years or so. The room contains books of the fallen; it is very moving.

Rideau locks

From there we went round the back of the building and down the Rideau lock system. This was built to allow transport between the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. In the winter, it freezes over and for a couple of months is used as the longest skating rink in the world. Apparently some people use it to commute to work.

We were absolutely parched and so on the way back stopped for a quick pint of Honey Brown, which was just what the Doctor ordered! In the evening we had a glorious meal at a restaurant that Ollie and Ang had selected, in a quaint square off the main road. Following this, we went up to parliament hill (seeing a groundhog in the gardens)

to see the son et lumiere played on the parliament building about the growth of Canada. It was very good and if you were Canadian, I should imagine it would make you feel good about yourself.

Son et lumiere

On Tuesday morning we were up fairly early and on the road just before 10:00. Our initial idea of grabbing a Tim Hortons breakfast roll were scuppered by a long queue (I found that this was common to Tim Hortons everywhere although usually the queues move quite quickly), so we got in the car again and drove to the first likely place on the outskirts of Ottawa. Sue & I fancied a MacDonalds breakfast roll for a change, especially as it was on the same side of the road as a Canadian Tire warehouse where we thought we may be able to get a spare fuse for our adapters. We arrived in Quebec about 3pm and made for a tourist information office to get some advice on booking a room or three, as we hadn't been able to book any accommodation (the 400th Anniversary celebrations may have accounted for full bookings). After following the advice and trying to book by calling on the phone and personal visits, we found there were no rooms to be had. Back at the Tourist info centre, we tried to phone a few without success until sonic Dave overheard a conversation which suggested somewhere with rooms; we were on it like a flash and ended up with a motel just out of the city centre at the end of a bus route by a park & ride. We would never have found the motel without satnav! Having settled ourselves in, we got on the bus to the city centre; it was hot and crowded and as we got close to the centre, we had major traffic problems. Ultimately, we got where we were going and walked through the old town, looking for somewhere to eat – everywhere was packed and there were queues for all the eateries we found. Ultimately we settled on a place and resigned ourselves to waiting. We were told it would be 30 minutes but I would think we were seated in about 25. Sue & I had very good salads washed down with white beer which was very good and followed it with a 9% abv beer which was a bit like plain chocolate. Perhaps surprisingly very good indeed.

We all made our way up towards the citadel and high town but found it crowded; there was a carnival procession winding its way through the streets. We decided to return early the next day.

On Wednesday morning we took the car into town and parked near the harbour. We walked up through the old town to the funicular and disembarked outside the Chateau Frontenac Hotel, walking through the lower level of the hotel which had a shopping arcade, to the old fort and round this to battlefield park with the heights of Abraham. We had a good view over the city and river from here. Back to the town, via the parliament buildings near which there was a large size Inuksuk as well as statues of former luminaries, the French influence in the architecture was unsurprisingly very strong. You could be in any old French town. We wandered the quaint centre for a while taking in the sights – one alleyway could easily have been on the right bank in Paris. Then re-embarking for our trip to Montreal.

Our hotel was in a good, pretty central location. It took us a little while to find it, located above a nice Indian restaurant, the owners of which ran the hotel. The rooms were nicely furnished and comfortable, although rather on the small side. After settling in with a quick drink, we went for a walk into the restaurant area to find somewhere to eat. After some debate we settled on a nice place called the Three Brewers, which had some nice brews of their own. There was a good menu with something for everyone and we all had a good meal.

We were woken at about 3am by much banging in the hall. Some lads had obviously been out on the town and had too much to drink, coming back and shouting at one another and banging their doors. It went on for too long to be funny, then as I was finally dropping off to sleep, there was a knock on our door. In my befuddled state I thought it may be Ollie, so I got up and answered it. A young man in a state of some intoxication asked for his shoes back. I thought I had misheard, so asked him to repeat it. He wanted his shoes; I told him I didn't have his shoes which caused him to explode with 'You're xxxxing lying!'. Briefly, I thought of discussing the matter with him, then realised I didn't need to and cut him off in mid flow by slamming the door in his face.

Day 2 in Montreal started with a split of forces, with one group going shopping and the other going to the tourist office to find out about caleche tours. We were waylaid by a stern woman on entry, having a ticket thrust upon us with instructions to wait until called. We explained that we just wanted some information about caleche tours (like where they start) but she instructed us that her colleague would give us the information we needed then resumed her stance behind the desk waiting for the next victim. After a wait of about 15 mins we were called and told that the tours started in the old town, the rates were set by the city and were published for all to see at the head of the queues. There were 3 tours; 30 mins 45 mins and bespoke.

While waiting for the shopping party to rejoin us, we walked around the green space in front of the office. There was a memorial for the boer war and a replica of the Lion of Belfort, commissioned by Sun Life whose offices also face the square. The Sun Life building was apparently where the crown jewels were held during WWII; it was also apparently the largest building in the city for many years. Whether one of these facts is significant in the relation to the other is unknown.

Once together again, moved on to the old quarter and stopped to have a look at Notre Dame. From the outside it looked much like any other cathedral but inside it was astonishing. I found myself with the familiar dual pull of admiration for the craftsmanship, imagination, history, the deep richness of the scene and the puritanical; was this really done for the glory of god or was it done for the glory and comfort of the incumbent – wouldn't the money have been better spent and god be more glorified by the church alleviating the suffering of the poor of the parish? Having said that, if the money had been spent on the poor, the edifice would not be still stunning people some 200 years later while many generations of poor would have come and gone, the benefit to them largely invisible. Just as wealthy people over generations have used their wealth to self-advertise by supporting artists – but if they hadn't, we wouldn't have had the great wealth of art to enjoy today; an interesting paradox.

After grabbing a quick bite of lunch, we found a caleche and took a tour with Kris, Dave and Val. Whenever we went over some cobbles, the caleche rattled like a snare drum and I jiggled around much to the amusement of Val. It was interesting though Montreal doesn't have quite the same wealth of history or atmosphere about its old town as Quebec. The French influence is noticable but much less marked here than in Quebec; it is its own city. My impression is that the real heart of Montreal is in the newer parts, where its vibrancy, energy and optimism appeal strongly to the young. Certainly around the university area, where Sue & I stopped for a coffee after viewing the statue of the crowd it is palpable.

Taking our leave from Kris, Dave & Val at the end of the tour, Ollie, Ang Sue & I went on a hunt for somewhere suitable for our end of holiday meal/Canadian 60th Birthday celebration. We saw several possibles, but then found Gilly's and the choice was made.

Ollie and Ang then left us to get ready for her meeting at the university and Sue & I wandered off to do a little retail therapy go to look at the aforementioned 'crowd' statue. This fascinating piece is quite provocative and it struck me forcibly that at one end the people are portrayed optimistically, while as you move further down, man descends into violence, anarchy and despair. An interesting and insightful perspective on the nature of the masters of this planet.

I booked a table at Gilly's and we had an absolutely fabulous evening there; the quality of the meals were superb – and everyone was defeated by the generosity of the portions. Dave had organised a birthday cake, which was presented at the end of the meal. But we were too full to enjoy it, so had it packed up to enjoy the next day. Poor Dave had to be careful of his alcoholic intake as he was driving us back to the hotel. There were no such constraints for me.

On Friday, feeling a little fragile, personally, we packed up and hit the road for the long trip back to London with Dave and Ollie sharing the driving. While we unpacked and then re-packed ready for our trip tomorrow, Kris got us a lovely meal and afterwards we toasted the holiday and friendship with a glass of champagne. Then bed for our last night in Canada, after a wonderfully exciting and full holiday, courtesy of the Nyhout family, to whom we are deeply grateful.

Flowerpot Island

rickandsuejohnson — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The Lighthouse

We went to Flowerpot island today. We got the midday boat and elected to stay until the next boat, giving us about and 1 ¾ hours to look around. On the way out we went down the next inlet, Big Tub Harbour at the bottom of which are two wrecks; one is of a sailing vessel and the other is a steamship. Both are fascinatingly clearly visible below the water and surprisingly close to the bottom of the glass bottomed boat. We passed the Big Tub lighthouse that we had seen on Sunday immediately after our initial visit to Tobermory.
We were ferried to the island by launch from the boat after about a 40 minute crossing. On arrival were given a little talk by the ranger before being let loose to explore. We found a picnic table about 5 minutes walk down the beach along a boardwalk.

Cave on Flowerpot Island

We had a walk along the wooded edge to the island as far as a cave which was interesting although there were no stalactites or stalagmites. The scenery along the route was lovely and we were able to see Big Flowerpot and Little Flowerpot, two stacks that looked perilously unstable.

It was very warm and there was some debate as to whether we should take a dip to cool off. We decided to wait until we got back to the dock before doing this as we didn’t want to miss the boat. In the event it was a good decision as we didn’t have a lot of time to spare when we reached the dock. The trip back was quite choppy but fortunately didn’t appear to trouble me as much as once it would. In retrospect it would have been better to have taken the zodiac ride out to the island and spent a little more time there.
Back on dry land, we stopped in ‘The Sweet Shop’ for various ice creams. I elected to have a black cherry, mango and apple juice smoothie and very good it was too.

Back at the cottage we chilled in the warmth of the end of the day. We sat around another fire as the darkness gathered around us, playing 20 questions and watching the spectacular sunset as the sky rotated a kaleidoscope of colours before descending into darkness via deeper and deeper shades of gold.

Sunset in Warner Bay

Then the magic cloak of night with silvery dots clear and bright uncorrupted by light of civilisation.

The Grotto

rickandsuejohnson — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Georgian Bay, near The Grotto

We went to the grotto after breakfast. We had a 40 minute walk through pine forest and emerged to a small cove which contained the grotto accessed by a short swim across the cove. There was no beach, it was an amazingly bleached white shingle but mainly rock. The water was crystal clear and a lovely shade of blue; where the rock showed under the water it was a clear white, shading to a
deep azure blue as the water gets deeper; which it does quite suddenly rather than shelving gradually. Sue was the first in; she was joined by the Nyhout family and I got in as far as my waist before deciding it was just too cold to get in any further. Over time we all got out of the water and warmed up again on the rocks for an hour or so.

Dyers Bay

rickandsuejohnson — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Ron & friend

Ollie and Ang took us over to Georgian Bay to spend a few hours with John & Janet’s friends, Ron & Rita Baker. They have a lovely beachfront cottage with a garden leading down to the shore with a beach hut at the bottom. We spent a lovely couple of hours chatting over a snack lunch and finished up at the top of the beach where R&R had a table and chairs under an umbrella.

The restored Lighthouse

Ollie and Ang picked us up at about 15:30 and we had a drive down to the lighthouse that Ron had helped to restore. It was a little further than we expected but it was worth the trip. The lighthouse has been restored to reflect the sort of life of a keeper around 1880.

Back at the cottage, we had supper then went outside and watched the sun set as we made a fire around which we played games. It was a lovely evening.

Off to the Cottage & Tobermory

rickandsuejohnson — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Up at a reasonable hour to be ready for Dave & Kris to pack the cars. Away for the cottage at around 10:00 with a 5 hour trip, stopping only for a quick lunch at Tim Hortons. We arrived late pm and unpacked the car.

Ollie & Ang at the cottage

The cottage is delightfully situated on the shore of the lake with an approach from the road through mature trees. The plot has its own lake access with timber decking for soaking up the sun and a shady area in front of the house for people wanting the atmosphere and view but not the UV.
Kris had semi-prepared an evening meal of chicken enchiladas which were great, washed down with a glass of Dave’s wine.

Sun - Tobermory

The Harbour

Off to Tobermory to have a look around the town, check out the glass bottomed boat tours, do some shopping and look in a couple of the arty crafty shops.
After lunch we went to ‘Singing sands’ where the beach slopes very gently into the lake. You can walk some distance before the water even gets to your knees and as a result of being so shallow, it is quite warm. Back on the beach, we set about building a sand castle – it has been some time since we did anything like this and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The castle we built had a real moat! The sand was very nice to work with and lent itself to the task.

Dinner at Michael's

rickandsuejohnson — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We were up a bit late today and then went for a nice walk in Springbank Park – a lovely, huge green area in the centre of London and along the banks of the Thames. Ollie apparently did his training for the Toronto half marathon here. After a bite of lunch, we accompanied Kris and Dave to Val’s end of summer school ceremony. We met some of Val’s friends, as well as protégés of Ang and Jackie; all bubbling with enthusiasm for the time they had had together. We had a quick skype with Ben (to wish him a happy birthday), Ellie and Freddie.

The meal @ Michaels

After getting back home, we rested up for a while with a beer on the back porch before getting ready to go out for dinner. It was nice to go out with the whole family; all the girls looked stunning, everyone had dressed up except me but as this didn’t seem to worry them, it didn’t worry me. We arrived at the restaurant amid some confusion, the nature of which was unclear but appeared to involve parking. None-the-less as we went in, we were welcomed and shown to our table. We were presented with a card from the Nyhouts and had a superb meal accompanied by affectionate family banter; we had a really great time. I started with a lovely bowl of Jalepeno, cheese and broccoli soup which was nicely spiced. Ollie, Dave and Kris had French onion soup the quantity of which beat everyone. Ollie, Dave and I had a wonderfully tender rib roast steak, Ang & Jackie had pasta and Val chose mussels and had a huge bowl of mussels delivered that I had doubts she would manage but she did!

The presentation

At the end of the meal, the owner, Jack presented us with a plate on which there were two chocolate covered strawberries and an inscription in chocolate – ‘Congratulations from Michaels’. Accompanying this, Jack sang to us in honour of our 37 years together. It was a truly wonderful surprise and we were deeply touched.

The sign

The final surprise was on our exit finding out what had caused the consternation; Dave led us round to the left at the exit instead of the car park. On the restaurant sign, as bold as life was a message that had been forgotten earlier – Happy 37th Wedding anniversary Rick and Sue. A lovely thought and the evening will be a memory to treasure.

An important date to remember

rickandsuejohnson — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Our wedding anniversary did not start too auspiciously; despite knowing it was coming and despite having made a note to get a card in preparation for the event, in the fracas of the last week at home, I overlooked it – so no card for Sue 1st thing! Ollie took us to a shopping mall for the north American experience – just think a large scale Cribbs Causeway or Brierly Hill shopping centre. At a bookshop, they had some nice handmade cards and I took the opportunity to make partial redemption. We then shared a cinnamon roll that was other-worldly before going on a short-hunting expedition.

We finished off our experience with a visit to the food area – a central table area with every different kind of fast-food you can imagine on the periphery. Ollie & I had a steak burrito, which was huge and Sue had a taco shell filled with salad – it certainly looked very good.

Town Centre

Picnic @ Stratford

Back home to get ready for our trip to Stratford to see Hamlet. Ang drove us up to Stratford and we parked up near the centre while we had a quick look around the city centre. We found a nice spot by the river/lake where we enjoyed the picnic we had brought. It was a little hike out to the festival theatre from the centre of town and we weren’t sure exactly where it was, so after following the river for some time we began to wonder how much further it was. After a quick check with some locals, we were still some 400 metres from the theatre, so as it was getting close to 8pm start time, Ollie and Ang went ahead to make sure of collecting the tickets; we made it to our seats with about 2minutes to spare.

Theatre

A little close for comfort! This Hamlet was a modern interpretation set in the early 1900’s but using the original language. Normally I am less than keen on such efforts but this was an excellent production, the seats were excellent and the acoustics were very good, so it was possible to hear every word. It was a long time since I had seen Hamlet and I didn’t remember there being so much humour in the first part but it came across very well.
We thoroughly enjoyed the play and it was a marvellous anniversary present from Ollie and Ang.

The Maid in the Mist (plus others)

rickandsuejohnson — Fri, 25 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The tour party, Maid of the Mist

Up reasonably early and a quick breakfast at the hotel then off to Maid of the Mist following a brief conference on what to do first. It was a good decision as it was one of the first boats out and far from crowded; we didn't have to queue at any stage and the boat left as soon as Sue got on board. There were enough people on board to cover the sides of the boat but not much more and we had no problem in moving around to get the best view.

Churning waters off the Maid of the Mist

The views were exceptional; we had prepared ourselves for getting wet, which we did and we had expected that the experience would be memorable but we hadn't expected the depth of either! The views were tremendous; recording it all was a bit difficult as avoiding getting the camera too wet was one issue and avoiding water on the lens was another! Having Kris, Dave and Ollie there to share it, as can be seen from the photos doubled the pleasure.

View from Table Rock

We dried out as we walked back along the front to Table Rock. Kris and Dave went back to collect the luggage and the car while Ollie Sue & I queued for the Rock and Tunnels behind the falls. And we did queue! However, I suppose we waited for only about 20-30 mins and the system is geared to very much longer waits than that! Table Rock, which juts out on a promontory just below the falls and only a few metres from the falls was very worthwhile and gave you a close up perspective of just how much tumbling white water is cascading over. The tunnels with two lookouts were a bit disappointing; all you can see is a white wall of sheeting water; I suppose what I had hoped for was an open gallery in which I could see some of the rock face with a curtain in front – but it wasn't like that. The falls apparently had been eroding at 1ft every 10 years until modern times; with hydroelectric power stations taking some water the rate has been reduced to something like one inch every 10 years.

Back out, Kris and Dave picked us up and Dave suggested we went back via the backroads and had a look at Port Dover. It proved to be one of many good ideas Dave had that day.

Paddling at Port Dover

Port Dover is on the north side of Lake Eyrie, a quiet (that day at least) lakeside town with a marvellous, clean sandy beach. By this time we were all getting quite hungry and so we went searching for a suitable eatery. In due course Dave found something looking promising and we found it delivered in spades. Another good decision, Dave! Back to the beach for a quick paddle and then off back to London.

The fields either side of the road were in places saturated and had surface water; it must have been raining hard for some time.

The wine tour

rickandsuejohnson — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Strewn Winery

We left reasonably early so that we would be in Niagara at our hotel for collection for our wine tour. A brief stop for Tim Hortons refreshment saw us checking in to the Ramada by midday then grabbing a quick sandwich while we waited for our minibus.

Male members of the wine tour

Our tour driver/guide David had come over from Glasgow in 1957 immediately after he got married but he still had a distinct Scottish if not exactly Glaswegian accent. He was a remarkable chap; we introduced ourselves to him just once and he remembered our names infallibly all afternoon even to the extent of associating the voice and the name when he couldn't see us. He was a mine of interesting information about the area.

Our first visit was to Jackson-Triggs winery. This is a huge concern and we had a tour of the winery led by a very interesting young man who gave instructions for tasting and appreciating wine. We sampled 3 wines, one was called Meritage and is based on a classic Bordeaux recipe, the next was a dry white reisling and finally we had a drop of icewine which was very good indeed.
Our next visit was to Strewn, a smaller concern, where we tasted 3 wines again; the one with the most impact for me was a delicious Reisling Gewurztraminer – I bought a couple of bottles for later consumption.

The third winery was Pallatine Hills; again 3 interesting wines and a palate that was beginning to have some difficulty in differentiating between them, and a brain that had difficulty in appreciating why you should bother analysing something so much fun.

Carolines Winery

Sampling at Carolines

Our final visit was to a winery called Caroline after its founder. A very simple building and a family run affair. They offered 4 wines to taste and while by this time, it was difficult to relate and compare with the earlier wines, they did have a unique product in the fruit wines. I was quite taken with a pinot and cherry wine and bought a couple of bottles.

The drive back from Niagara on the lake (which was a rather nice, tidy town) along Niagara Parkway was very pleasant.

Tour members with David

Back at the Ramada, we went up to our rooms and Kris & Dave swapped with us – theirs had a better view! The Ramada appeared to have been built as a bit of an afterthought; we wondered why when we got in the lift, the floors started numbering at 25! it was built as a tower with reception in the base and then at the top of the stick, the observation deck, then the restaurant and the bedrooms.

The Ramada Stick

Obviously, there would have been no views any lower down, so it was built with lower floors missing! After a freshen up we decided to go down to the observation deck for some fabulous views of the falls. After much debate we had dinner in the restaurant where we had a table overlooking both falls; the meal itself was marvellous if more than we could handle and with the view, the experience was truly exceptional. Grandpa Morris may even have used the word 'fantastic'.

View from the Dining Room over both sets of the falls

After our meal, a walk down to the falls and along the embankment to take in the view as dusk was falling. The numbers hanging around suggested that they may be lit, so we hung around ourselves and were delighted to see them lit up at 21:00.

Canadian Falls at night

Black squirrels and chipmunks

rickandsuejohnson — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Hummingbird

A haven of wildlife in your own back garden. From the kitchen dining area we were treated to: chipmunks, rabbits and black squirrels; and a rainbow of birds – red cardinals, green and yellow finches and humming birds. Just literally through the woods across the road a Canadian botanical adventure – comparing names of plants and spotting the rhubarb plants growing wild that we are only used to seeing in parks and the gardens of stately homes.

An afternoon tour of London taking in the area and places associated with our Canadian family – we feel part of it already and what a beautiful place it is. What has really struck us is the space. The streets are wide, the housing plots large and generally you don't feel jostled. Even in Toronto it seemed relatively quiet for a city.

We are heading off for a wine tour in the Niagara region tomorrow and another chapter of the adventure.

Toronto to London

rickandsuejohnson — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

City Buildings at dusk

From our bedroom window at the Sheraton we had a great view of the Old Town Hall complete with clock tower, reminiscent of Big Ben, and the CN Tower in the distance. At 6 am, it was dark enough for the clock face to be shining out making the whole scene look rather pretty as the clouds began to shroud the skyscrapers in the distance. It was still raining but only slightly. By the time we were ready to have breakfast the clouds had closed in and the rain was torrential. Not the sort of day to be going up the Tower for that iconic view of Lake Ontario with maybe a hint of the spray from Niagra in the distance!

The MacMichael Gallery

Having been introduced to the wonderful impressionist works of Canada's renowned Group of Seven by Ang a couple of Christmas' ago and knowing that a large collection of the work was not too far away, we headed for Kleinburg. It more than made up for missing out on the Tower, which Ol had said we could take in on our next visit – we hadn't blotted our copy book yet then!

What a welcome at Timber Drive – we felt at home as soon as we arrived and as though we had known everyone for ages!

From rainy Manchester to very rainy Toronto!

rickandsuejohnson — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I programmed my new (early birthday present) toy for T1 long stay car park. TomTom was particularly helpful in the navigation of the last stages to the car park with lane information. Though I reckon someone has had a little joke with modified route information making you leave the M56 one junction early and then take you straight back on again!

In an eery reversal of last year, we had a traffic and rain free trip until we parked at 09:45, when the heavens opened and we decided to wait in the car for it to subside. Every time it looked like stopping and I poked my head out, it would wait until I got to the boot before tipping down again.

The route to the checkin point was less than well signposted and the queue was quite long when we got there – of course, our line had to be the one with the difficult family with oversize and overweight baggage which took a long time to sort out. Our main concern was that we may not get two seats together but we were OK. The passage through security was thorough but one of the easiest passages we have had. Into the departure lounge quite unstressed, where we had a drink and a bacon bap. We got on board the Transat Airbus 310 in good time but had to wait 30 mins for a clubclass passenger who was late. Someone who obviously was more important than the rest of us put together. The seats were very comfortable and there was more legroom than we had on the jumbo with BA last year – all in all a pleasant experience.

We arrived about 30 mins late, had a relatively easy passage through airport controls apart from a mercifully brief encounter with a fairly miserable immigration officer who'd had a charisma bypass. I thought of asking him if he was having problems with his piles but decided that I should hold my tongue. We emerged to see Ollie and Ang waiting for us at the arrivals gate.

The rain had followed us to Toronto and a heavy mist shrouded the city but we managed to see some of the landmarks on the way to the hotel.

CN Tower

After a nice meal served by a very attentive waitress who really understood customer service, we went on a walk through Chinatown in the rain – at least it was not cold!

Ang & Ollie, The Keg

Back at the hotel, Sue & I had an early night (well it was 03:00 our time).