Are you still there? Alrighty... it's my turn to talk about the Canada visit. I know you all enjoy seeing Canada through Ty's eyes, but I got to play tourist too!
After more than 2 years away, I was struck by how green everything was... how beautiful storm clouds are... how pretty and diverse our wildlife is... and how friendly Canadians are! Yup! It isn't just a stereotype.
We left Zach's place and followed our handy dandy GPS to Charlene's house in London, Ontario. I'd never been to this part of Ontario, so it was a treat for me as well. We had a lot of fun pissing off our GPS-voice-lady by taking random turns so that we could really enjoy the wide open spaces, farmland, barns and fields.
We got to London just in time for cupcakes with Char and her kids Kaylin and Maks. It was a short visit, but we were kitted out (by Char) with some nifty Roots Canada t-shirts (that have become a part of our weekly repertoire - you know that shirt that you wear as soon as it comes out of the laundry? Yup, those are them!).
Continuing on, to Brantford this time, to meet up with Kelly and Steve (and their kids Cohen and Adella) at Steve's parents' campsite/trailer, right on the banks of the Grand River.
We had a BBQ and a campfire and played with the kids in the hammocks.
I've got to say that, if you're going to go camping, bring along someone who owns a restaurant (the food is always excellent) and someone who can sing and play a mean guitar (necessary objects for the campfire). It was awesome and chilled - but alas, too short at only one night!
We returned to my sister's house for the next few days, taking care of my abandoned-when-I-moved-overseas cat Luna, and Sunset the snake (that we had to feed mice to). Not much happened as we were laundering and repacking and getting ready for our super roadtrip to Quebec. We met up, at Strega, for lunch with Ms Wilson, one of my English teachers from high school who had taught overseas as well, and who still hasn't slowed down!
With just about everything we'd brought with us packed in the car, we started east, towards Kingston, Montreal, Quebec, La Pocatiere, Quebec, Montreal, Toronto. We spent a lot of time just driving, and it was, again, a bit of a surprise to see just how big Canada is. I mean, I've done the Montreal - Toronto thing a million times, but after living in 2 very small countries, I was certainly taken aback by how the road just keeps going and going, and the trees just keep coming and coming....
On our way to Kingston, we decided to take the scenic route of the Loyalist Highway. We did manage to get lost (and find a wicked awesome chocolate shop), but eventually found our way to Kingston and Wolfe Island - where we would spend the night. This was the only time we stayed in paid accommodation - the rest of the time, we'd been staying with friends.
The B&B on Wolfe Island - Wolfe Manor - was a refurbished and renovated former Catholic priest retreat. Everything about it oozed "haunted house" (<-- an article about the history of the house and a record of its reported hauntings)- from the cemetery in the back lot to the widow's walk on the roof to the nooks and crannies inside. The decor (like a white rocking horse at the bottom of the stairs and shelves full of Stephen King and esoteric books) also made the whole place suitably spooky. We loved it. The owner was super nice (and decidedly skeptical about ghosts himself), and even gave us a few bottles of wine to enjoy on the porch as we relaxed after our long drive. No, we didn't see any ghosts, and actually had a good laugh the next day when we saw the place in full sunlight. When arriving at dusk, it does seem like a rather eerie house.
Once again, we didn't have enough time to truly enjoy Wolfe Island - except for the amazing sunsets over the mouth of the St Lawrence.
On then, to Montreal....
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