Ontario Lakes Camping Style

I had kindly been invited to join friends to visit the Ontario Lakes on the East coast. Mauricio and I drove 3 hours across Ontario to meet Abraham and Nadja. We were going for the weekend to a small island called Prince Edward County, to be specific an area called Sandbanks Provincial Park. So, what did the weekend have in store for us?... Sunbathing, games, drinks, camp side fire, the odd squeamish creepy crawly, etc.

Above is proof that I can put up a tent, or at least help assist... once a project manager, always a project manager ;o)

The beaches and water surrounding the sandbanks was perfect. The water was calm & clear, and the sand was fresh & white - perfect for moi! 

On the Sunday (late) morning we packed up our tent and ventured to another beach; The Dunes Beach. This is one of the most beautiful (in my opinion so far), beach in Ontario. What made this beach so special for me was not just the golden sand and sparkling waters; it was the view. The beach itself was on a slope, a huge sand dune around the water front. Okay, maybe it was tricky for sunbathing as you would slide down the slope in your tranquil state & the pull of gravity, however the panoramic view was worth it!

Later in the day we set off again in search of food! Mauricio suggested that we went to a town he knew called Cobourg. I have to admit, it was very a very sweet town! We ate at a restaurant which used to be the town's jail - quite cool as it's now now a tourist attraction which you can explore the old cells. 

Of course the day would not have been complete if we didn't visit their beach also. In my opinion, the perfect way to end the day is to fall asleep whilst the sun sets and you feel the water at your feet... 
I can't believe how many beaches I've visited in a week! This part of my trip was supposed to be a city break - not that I'm complaining one little bit ;o)

From Firefighters to a Fired BBQ

So the other morning was an interesting start! 5.30a.m. the hallway alarm goes off. Next thing you know we're all stood outside in our nightwear waiting for someone to come and deactivate it... Rather than the landlord turning up, 4 large fire engines and 1 fire van come to check the whole apartment. I'm sure you can agree it was a very dramatic & inconvenient way to meet all the neighbours. 
Later that evening we had plans to make our own fire!
We were all invited to a barbecue approximately 10 minutes west of downtown at Ossington. We were invited to a house/garden party BBQ by some guys we met in Niagara Falls when waiting for the bus - all very innocent :o) Unfortunately Jasmine had to work, however Antoinette and I still went along. 
The food was delicious! Shrimp, chicken, potato skins... side salads with raspberries, blueberries, and halloumi, etc, etc, all accompanied by beer and sangria on their roof top patio/terrace.  
To finish the night, Antoinette, Jeff, Mike, and I all went into a bar to enjoy some pool... Would you believe me if I said that us girls won the pool?...

Meet and Greet

Ok, so on Monday night Jasmine, Antoinette, and I all went to meet Jasmine's friends Oscar and Olaf at Wylie's for drinks on 1234 Yonge Street... (FYI, when searching for a bar on the longest street in the world, and asking for directions to Willy's as none of us realised it was actually called Wylie's, made it a very difficult bar to find. Not to mention that we took a subway only to realise we were actually approximately 200 yards from our apartment... Anyhow, we made it!). After a couple of pitchers of Shock Top (my new favourite Belgian white light beer), and a few cheeky Jägerbombs later... we left Wylie's to venture via a cab to the entertainment district. First thoughts were to go to the fun and happening bar called the 416 Snack Bar, however this was over capacity... With no time to spare, we decided to not wait in line for entrance and moved onto our alternative option, which was to head over to another bar/restaurant called Gusto. I was excited to go there as I've heard great things about this place however gutted to find out they were closed. The staff were pretty friendly, especially when us 3 girls came running in heading for the back of the restaurant to use the loo, (Wash Room ;-) for the Canadians reading this)... they were fine with us using the wash room, however not so when we ran into the kitchen instead. 
Our 3rd and finally option was to walk until we found somewhere, which of course is normally a success :o) We found a hostel which is every travellers delight, right? The hostel we found was pretty cool; Global Village Backpackers. 
I liked this hostel... the people seemed friendly, the common room was ongoing with multiple pool tables, outside was a huge garden patio with a full licensed & fully stocked bar. The only problem was that we had to leave there at 2am (as it seems everywhere in Toronto closes then)...

For a Monday night, I was pretty impressed by the crowds of people!
The next day was pretty much a right off. never again will I indulge so many Jägerbombs. All to report was a late brunch at ScallyWags and a night time run around St Clair. My run was actually pretty fantastic! After another hot and humid day, along came a thunder storm. With my iPod on full volume and the lightning from the storm - lush, and of course... out came my iPod camera :o)

Life's a Beach...

As beautiful as Niagara was, the sun was hot hot hot... so what better way to spend a Monday than to go to the beach in Toronto?!
Jasmine, Sven, new friend Tiara, and I drove to the East Side beach. I found this beach to be sandier, larger, and busier... definitely my favourite. 

Hilarious day.. P.S. Has anyone seen Kevin?!

First Weekend in Canada...

My first weekend in Canada and I decided to pay a visit to Niagara... one bus ride later, and we arrived. 
Jasmine had arranged for me to stay with her parents by the falls, her parents were both very welcoming and lovely to me. On the Saturday they invited me to a wine vineyard where they were hosting a Jazz festival. 
http://goo.gl/5V4DM
I decided to join them as the weather was so beautiful and I do happen to like Jazz music! Because they had already purchased x2 tickets for VIP seating, I was going with the intention of sitting by myself... HOWEVER I managed to sit next to a small group of 3 young people who adopted me for the day. With the sun, beautiful location, good company, lots of wine tasting, and the jazz music... another successful day out!

Later that evening I met with my new company for a night time tour of Niagara Falls. We went to a bar for some drinks, followed by a walk to the water falls... 

The next day I spent the day with Antoinette... We had lunch with her family at her grandparents - Fresh Italian pasta and red red wine. When the sun made an appearance, Antoinette and I went back to her house for some pool time, all before the bus ride back to TO.

Latino en Toronto

Wahey, I managed to find some Latin company for the day - another opportunity to practice my Spanish! Mi nueva Latino amigos de Perú y Colombia. Who would have thought it... Toronto city has beaches! So of course, we drove to the west side beaches to hang out at some beachside bars & soaked up the sun. A few coffees and a beer later - we then went to meet more friends for dinner, which then followed into a few drinks, and ended with a small casa fiesta. 

Visit to the AGO & Sightseeing Toronto

I thought that today was a good opportunity to enjoy some Fiona time... 
Those of you who know me well, will know that I appreciate the arts and I love the sun. Sooo what's a more perfect way to enjoy the day than to go outside to sun bathe for a little bit, followed by a visit to the city's most famous art galley, the AGO www.ago.net 

 

A few personal favourites... P.S. Canadian security guards a really anal about taking photos in art galleries!

After the gallery visit, I went outside to continue my walking, remember; don't just visit, EXPLORE...

Sky risers and street performers... 

 

 

Play me, I'm yours!

I've noticed over this city lots of randomly placed pianos, all individually coloured and patterned, with the inscription "Play me, I'm yours". The first time I saw this I thought it was such a clever idea and I thought they should have more... then I started to see them everywhere, so far I've found about 6 different pianos.

So... after a little research online I've found out that apparently there are pianos all around the city (41 in total). Each piano has been designed and painted by different artist. Each artists was given the brief to "think outside the box" and paint what they felt represented their country. These pianos will then be auctioned for charity. I think it's a great idea for some summer community fun and all for a good cause. Read more here: http://goo.gl/QG1rV

Exploring the city with the Swiss Boys

Jasmine's friend Sven was in town. He was visiting Toronto with his friend Ivo, both of which came from Basel, Switzerland. The four of us met at a bar downtown on Yonge Streeet called The Pilot; www.thepilot.ca This bar was supposedly founded by a group of WW2 pilots, and is kept in theme as a tribute to all war flyers. At the pilot we had some drinks and food on the rooftop terrace.
Jasmine had a hair appointment so Ivo, Sven, and I explored the city together... I never realised how huge this city really is! We must have walked miles.
The first place we visited was the University of Toronto. I wanted to visit this because it's a very famous location for various films. To name a few; Good Will Hunting, Mean Girls, Total Recall, The Time Traveller's Wife, etc. Absolutely stunning grounds!

 

The University Campus 

The next stop was to the Distillery District. This is an old Victorian Industrial area which has been transformed into shops, restaurants, and bars - they even have a theatre to keep you entertained. I found this to be an extremely expensive area, so I'm sorry to say that no money was spent here... worth a visit though www.thedistillerydistrict.com

After all this exploring, it was time to head back to the Boy's Pent House apartment for Martinis and a BBQ! They were sharing the apartment with 2 other guys so in total we shared great company, stunning views, lots of sunny sunshine, and yummy appetisers. 

After this we then went to the entertainment district to meet Antoinette. Our first stop was to go to the KitKat bar www.kitkattoronto.com as Antoinette knew the owner. I thought it was quite a cool Italian bar where we had a drink before moving on - maybe we'll go back soon for some food... After KitKat, we then ventured to a karaoke bar down the road to meet with Jasmine. We must have scared the boys off by this idea as they went home (either that or their excuse of jet lag was genuine)...

On our way home we passed a bar that was hosting the after party of the Worldwide Partner Conference for LATAM Microsoft. We didn't think it would hurt to ask if we could have a drink at the bar, and of course... no hay problema :o) This was a great opportunity for me to practice mi español!

Japanese Sushi & Cambodian Massage

After what felt like the best nights sleep ever, we were all set for some exploring. 
My apartment buddy (and good friend from the UK) Jasmine and I set off for some local exploring! The district we're living in is gorgeous, it's called St Clair, very safe & clean... 
For lunch, Jasmine took me to her favourite local sushi bar - which I believe may now be my favourite... It's a small family run Japanese restaurant, with a great friendly atmosphere and delicious food! I had a sushi box meal with a refreshing cold beer.

Check out their great reviews they've received: http://goo.gl/ib7zp

After our long deserved catch up over lunch, we continued with a walk towards downtown... which did involve some shopping.
After yesterday's rucksack carrying mission, I booked myself a massage with a lovely Cambodian lady. We had lots to talk about, so much so that I managed to get an extra 20 mins out of her ;o) she's now inspired me to look into visiting Cambodia! I'll stick to this continent for now though...
Later that evening, Jasmine and I met up again to meet our other apartment buddy, Antoinette (often referred to as Toni)... We went to a Liverpool themed bar called ScallyWags http://www.scallywags.net/ Trust me, there were no Scousers there! Great rooftop terrace though!
Antoinette and I immediately hit it off, which is probably for the best as we will be sharing the apartment for the next 2 months :o)

London - Toronto, 8th July 2012

After spending a very early breakfast with my mumsy and a strong cappuccino, I was set to start my journey.
Courtesy of my ex-colleagues from 'Team Hayley' @ Volume (thank you again ladies), I treated myself to a few essentials from the Airport; a LoneyPlanet travel guide of Latin America, one champagne bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Rosé, and a page turning book (50 Shades of Grey)... As for the flight, it was fine apart from having a fellow passenger being sick approximately 1 foot away from me only 1 hour into the 8 hour flight... and then I was kept at customs to be interrogated and bags searched for approx. 1.5 hours - albeit, I had a safe and successful journey :o)
Arriving in Toronto a few things became obvious; A. it was a lot hotter than in the UK, B. I was 8 hours from home and for once I've landed in an English speaking country (what a pity, where's the challenge there), C. the challenge was that no body had a clue what I was saying in english anyway as my was too English?!... the locals seem to like it though! 

4am, the life of a tortoise begins...

Essentials from the survival starter pack?

Oh hi flight, take me away from this rain, please!