Neighbourhood #19 - Bloor West Village (AKA, part 2 of the Epic Weekend)

I stayed over at Sim's after our adventure to Unionville and beyond.  High on life, and drunk on Whiskey Sour Mash, I wasn't going anywhere.  We went to bed around 11:30pm and both of us just crashed out.  The next morning my fitbit said 9 1/2 hour of sleep.  That's up from the usual 5.  Sim left me alone and let me come upstairs when I was ready, very nice.  We started the day with another croissant and coffee.  And again inspired by the unexpectedly gorgeous weather, we were inspired to get out of the house.  A quick look on google maps and we picked our next hood, Bloor West Village.  I've been there a few times before for various reasons.  Sonia used to live in High Park not far from there.

On the way there, we stopped for gas at the South Kingsway Petro Canada.  Having had my close close (close close close) call being on empty, I was not about to let that happen again.  Being stranded downtown with no gas stations in sight is my nightmare.  As we parked Sim said, I think that cheese shop is near by here, and I was like, "I'm liiiiiistening."  I pumped and Sim pulled up the address, just down Ripley across the street.  So off we went.  Like kids in a candy store we were.  The Cheese Boutique is UNREAL.  Also the lovely parking director outside told me where to park, and then stopped and said my carriage was too low and redirected me to a new stop.  Mad appreciation for that.

We STOCKED up on cheese.  Each got a Tempura sauce bottle.  Had a free espresso sample.  And off we went.  Back across the street to get some ice to keep our cheeses cool for the next few hours.  Up to Bloor and over to the first available parking space.  It wasn't soo horrific, and we actually lucked into a pull-in spot.

I'm trying to remember the details of the next few stops but I'm a bit fuzzy.  I didn't take any photos at all so my lack of memory is shining through.  We hopped across the road and stopped in a great bar called the Gin Mill.  Sim had the Blueberry Bee's Knees, and I had Lavender Lemonade.  Both of them were....AMAZING!!!!  And we ordered a side of fries with garlic aioli sauce.  It was sooooo goooooood.  Definitely recommend that place.  On we went with not too many more stops.  Dipped into No Frills to get some crackers.

Next we tucked into what might be one of my favourite little shops of all the shops we've been into.  Called Brodawka & Friends.  I bought the CUTEST mug with an Alpaca on it, and I pretty much wanted one of everything in there.  BRING IT TO ME.  I'm excited to start using my mug, I think at home.  Sim asked if I'd take it to work, but I want to use it somewhere that will bring me joy.  My brother gave me some tea for my birthday, and I'm going to start consuming.

One more stop into another total blingy gift shop that I never thought I'd buy anything from ever, and I got the coolest pop-up card for my mom for mother's day.  I'm pretty excited to give it to her.  After that, the plan was to double it up and head down to Liberty Village for a second tour.  It took us literally forever (literally) to get to Liberty Village.  Then it took us 10 minutes to get INTO Liberty Village.  And after a fruitless circle of the Green P lot, we resolved to leave it for another day.  It then proceeded to take us an eternity (a literal eternity) to get back to Sim's.  We turned right onto Strachan and apparently the Lakeshore was closed, so we pulled a U-ey while we could and went back to King, across Adelaide, and zip zip zoomie an hour later back home.  Maybe not quite an hour but *groooooan*.

Spence had just beaten us home.  Him and Minnie and Keedo were waiting to greet us.  I smooshed Minnie into a million pieces and held her close for a good 30 minutes.  Then we had one more Whiskey Sour, played some cuphead with Spence, feasted on our cheese platter, and just maybe an hour later I headed home to crash.  I was pooped.

A weekend for the books, for sure.  Missing: one girlen.  Can't wait to see them soon.

Neighbourhood #18 - Unionville (And also, welcome back)

Well well well well well..........well.  It seems I have once again neglected by blogging responsibilities.  Sim and I reflected back today on the history and significance of the words we write and share.  Life can be enjoyed, but to really allow ourselves the chance to look back we must document.  That being said, time to write about one of the most epic weekends had for a while yet.

Saturday morning, as Spence and the girlen packed up and headed to grandma and grandpa's, and further to TP for Spence.  Sim decided to stay in town so I headed on over.  We started the day with a croissant and a coffee.  And inspired by the amazing skies not to dally, we packed up and headed on up to Unionville.  Sim heard word that the pilot for Gilmore Girls was filmed in Unionville.  It kind of felt like an alternate reality Star's Hollow as we drove Main St into the Historic Downtown.  After we parked the car and stepped out the first person to pass Sim greeted her with an enthusiastic "GOOD MORNING!"  And I thought, "No way....no way!"

We started the day with a stop into the Old Firehall Confectionary.  We picked an amazingly delicious looking spread of truffles.  They all looked like tiny little pieces of art.  Delicious pieces of chocolatey art.  Next was a quick stop into a cute accessories store called "Pretty Things".  If you want some blinged out tote bags or cute scarves, that is the place to go.  Our first sit down stop was at HCafe, Japanese Cafe.  We ordered a Strawberry and Red Bean Daifuku and a small Matcha Cheese Custard to share.  Both were fantastic, but we both agreed the Daifuku was the better of the two.  An odd confection for sure, but tasty.

The piece de resistance came next, the shopfront that doubled as Luke's Cafe in the pilot episode.  To be sure which of the two it was Sim played S1E1 on her phone, and having previously turned her volume up high to play bluetooth in my car, she found herself in the middle of Unionville blasting the Gilmore Girls intro on her phone.  Quiiiite hilarious.  We snapped a quick shot of Sim out front, and headed on to find a quick bite.  We stopped at Jake's on Main for some poutine and beer.  Like the rest of the town it was so empty, for a Saturday lunch, total crickets.  We finished the day with a stop for some bubble tea and then back in the car.

This is where the Unionville adventure ends, but we much more in mind for the day.  We trekked South to the Scarborough Bluffs.  Found the last parking spot in a small lot at end of Brimley Rd.  We got out of the car and the clouds parted and the skies became a crystal blue colour.  It wasn't quite that ceremonious, but it sure felt like that.  We took a stroll down a small cleared path, but it didn't go too far before it turned into a swamp.  I quite like the bluffs, so it was nice to have a quick visit.  I tried to locate the cutoff for Highland Yacht Club to show Sim where I grew up, but I couldn't find it.  So we carried on.

With a quick detour through East Queen East (to gather inspiration for a future adventure), and a quick drive by a hidden costume rental shop off Queen St, we arrived at our final destination, the Eastbound Brewing Co.  I had a pint of the Backpacker and Sim had a pint of the Lets Go Exploring IPA.  And we shared a hot pretzel.  Very reminiscent of our trip to Leamington and the stop at The Grove Brew House in Kingsville.

Finally we headed home.  Put an order in for some samosas at East of York.  We flipped back and forth whether we should walk down or drive.  I'm glad we drove because it ended up they forgot part of our order and we had to go back.  It might have been more aggravating if we had walked.  At least for me.  Finally we finished the night partaking in a cocktail hour, using the Whiskey Sour Mash I picked up in Buffalo a few weeks ago.  Sim cooked up some simple syrup, and we used some Lemons she picked up at her local bodega, and made up the most delicious Whiskey Sours that might possibly exist, ever.  We downloaded a new Switch game called Cuphead, played that for abour 3 hours, snacked on our truffle sampler and then both crashed.

TO BE CONTINUED....

The Return, The Trip, The Awesome

Ok, so some promises 5 months ago were made, and I may or may not have welshed on such promises.  Actually there is no doubt through chronological evidence that much welshing has been done.  Just FYI, I haven't read any books this year, and I am no closer to knowing how to juggle.

With that, I must document an amazing adventure from last week.  Sim and I started our fourth annual road trip plans a few months ago.  Spence actually brought it up and within an hour Sim and I had picked a location and booked a hotel.  Last room available.  The first weekend of bird migration in Leamington - it's a hot date for booking.

Fast forward about three months, and the date is fast approaching.  I was having a mad mad mental mad hellish month at work.  I didn't have time to relish the nearing vacation time or do any planning.  Sim found herself in a similar situation, not having a moment of time to do any serious research.  Thursday after work I came home to do some last minute cleaning, and then it was off to the Sim's for a bit of time with the pups and the Girlen before our weekend away.  We were both up at 6am, and after a shower and packing of the car we were off.  We hit up the McDs at Eastern as it was followed by easy access to the QEW.  Less than a click on the road the tail lights up the road and I said to Sim "Quick, QEW or Lakeshore?" She replied "Lakeshore LAKESHORE....the QEW is actually Brown on Google right now, I have only ever seen it be red before O_o.  About half an hour later we passed the accident just after Jameson, and then a further half an hour later we were back on the hwy.  Brutes way to start a trip as we purposefully gave ourselves an early start.  But that of course was not the end of our driving woes.  It was actually some of the craziest road fog I've ever driven in before.  It was so bad, that we actually drove right past the 403 cutoff before Hamilton.  I wasn't really paying attention and we didn't have the sat-nav on.  As we started to see signs for Buffalo I said to Sim "I have to be completely honest, I'm not 100% certain where we are going."  We had to get off the hwy and double back adding another hour on to our trip.  So lets just imagine we left at 8:30 and everything went smashingly well.

We made great time, notwithstanding the previous issues.  The hotel check-in was empty (we were early) so we wandered down to the ferry docks which were directly across the parking lot from us.  The ferries were actually cancelled that day.  Little did we know, there was a horrific wind storm ripping through the GTA.  My coworker actually had a tree on his property fall on one of his cars and had some windows in his house blown out.  We thought it was just a Lake Erie thing.  Not entirely sure what to do we decided to get ourselves over to Point Pelee Park and explore.  We basically just headed down the road and stopped at any points of interest.  The Marsh, the Heritage House, and finally the Visitor Centre with a trolly down to "The Tip".  We actually had to dash into the Centre for a few moments while it poured down, but it quickly let up.  We both got a few things for the girls inside.  Sim got the dang cutest little Warbler for Pips.  I got some faulty fake tattoo geckos.  Intentions were good.  So it cleared up and we made our final descent to the bottom of the park.  We were warned that because of the massive wind the waves were crashing over the breaker and soaking the tram as it passed.  I had a rain jacket on, and an umbrella in my hands pointed at the side with the waves, and then I did what any smart person would do and I started to film with my phone.  The waves crashed and came piling over the breaker, and soaked me from head to toe.  My jacket was open, and the umbrella remained closed.  That sounds about right.

We headed down the path excitedly towards the most Southerly point of land in Canada.  It surprised me to learn we dip as far south as the 42nd Parallel.  On line with Barcelona!  We made our way through some brush and onto the beach, and got as close to the very bottom as we possibly could.  With the massive wind and waves we were a good 50 ft from the very bottom.  We took some great pics.  Came across a tree full of birds, which eventually emptied and slowly refilled.  And then headed back the tram and caught a ride back up to the Centre.  We headed back to the hotel, checked in, and got ready to head out and get some food.

I forgot to mention before heading to the park we stopped at a dollar store for some hair elastics for Sim.  We asked the cashier for a restaurant reco.  She actually gave the same reco we got earlier for a steak house.  We ended up driving past and realizing it wasn't quite what we were looking for.  But as we exited the Dollar Tree a woman came out after us.  She stopped Sim and gave her the low down.  Kingsville, the town just 10 mins down the road, was the place to go.  There is a new Micro Brewery Pub that had just opened called The Grove.  It sounded perfect....it was perfect.  When we got there it was PACKED.  Sim spotted some stools for us to perch on, and soon after she spotted two seats on the upper deck seating area.  She went up to check and waved me on up.  We tried a few of the house brews, and I had the wings and Sim had their burger.  We also started with a pretzel app which was soo, soo, sooooo good.  The pretzels just melted in your mouth.  SO GOOD.  We headed back to the room, had a few beers, played our new tile game "Quirkle" and got to bed.

We let ourselves sleep in to about 8am.  We headed over to a diner across the street and had a super super delicious diner breakfast.  It was really really good.  We both got the Farmer's Breakfast and scarfed it down, knowing the day of physical activity we had ahead.  After about 800 trips back to the room, to the car, back to the room, back to the car, up to the room and to the car again, we were finally ready to catch the ferry to Pelee Island.  We sat inside for most of it and player some Quirkle and Gin.  But caught the last 20 minutes or so upstairs.  As soon as we landed we walked straight to the bike rental and got hooked up with our Townie 7D bikes, equipped with front baskets.  Only about 30 minutes down the road we found a pub and stopped for a beer.  It was seriously one of the best beers ever.  It came served in a frosted glass, and it just hit - the - spot.  Old Vienna!  Back on the road, we followed the waterfront path until we got to the turn off for the Lighthouse.  We came across a fellow traveler who told us to ignore the warnings, and walk the lighthouse route.  It would seem, from some later gained local knowledge, that the lighthouse had undergone some damage from the ice storm.  And there was a fallen tree on the path.  It was just about 10 minutes down the way and we were at the Pelee Island Lighthouse.  Super old, super gorgeous, I loved it.  We headed back down the beach to the path entrance and after much contemplation decided to take a dip in the lake.  Neither of us wanted to get wet and uncomfortable for the upcoming bike ride but it turned out we didn't want to dip any further than knee high so we got the best of both worlds.  And yikiees was that ever cold.  On the trip back to the road we spotted a log full of turtles!!!  Squeee.

The bike ride was so effortless, the time and the KMs just kept passing by.  Sim saw two goose heads sticking up out of a field that I missed.  It was so peaceful and sweet.  I maintained a certain level of paranoia about time, as the last ferry leaves the island at 4pm, and the map had indicated the long route was 4-5 hours.  With maybe 25 minutes to spare I asked Sim to review the map one more time.  We cut off of the final loop and headed inland back towards the ferry dock.  We ditched the bikes back at the shop, stopped for an ice cream, and hoofed it back down the ferry dock and onward to the upper deck.  We finished with 10 minutes to spare.  Though we could have skipped the ice cream, and jogged down the ferry dock, we both feel we made the right choice.  On the ride home we checked the map one more time and learned we had just biked 30km.  And with perfect weather (and awesome company) it was just the absolute perfect day.

90 minutes later, I didn't mention the ferry ride was 90 minutes, we got back to our hotel.  I finally saw the downstairs patio Sim had mentioned the night before, it was cute!  We sat down and waited to see if someone would come.  Someone did pop out to let us know the patio was closed, but she awesomely served us each a pint anyway.  We let her know we were on our way back in just about an hour.  And she also took a reservation for us.  We went upstairs to clean up and then back down.  We both had the French Onion Soup (deliiiicious) and then I got a burger and Sim got the Erie Yellow Perch special.  We both filled up on free bread and soup, and then packed up our dinners to go.  They ended up not making it very far without refrigeration on the way home, but alas.  We also finished the night with a proprietary puff pastry ice cream concoction which was big enough for four people and luckily we were splitting.  Back up in the hotel room we decided to look further into the bird hike in Pelee Park the next morning.  We realized you had to reserve and the 8:30am was full.  We got the last two slots in the 7:30am, and set our alarms for another early rise.

With a quick stop at McDonalds for some coffee and wraps we made our way back to the park.  The tour offered free binocular rentals so we gathered those up from the Visitor Centre and made it back just in time to leave.  There were two ornithologists leading each leading their own pack of people.  The girl on our tour was super cool.  Just about our age maybe younger, took an interest in birds 5-6 years ago and picked everything she knows up from that, and a class at uni.  I had some flubs and missed out on some really cute awesome birds and that put me into a bit of a funk.  But I had a recovery and got a close up look at some really beautiful birds.  I definitely have a new appreciation for birds.  About halfway through the hike we came upon a huge group of people all gathered around one spot.  The elusive Kentucky Warbler had been spotted, and several people had been waiting around a long time to see it.  We lucked out to happen upon it when we did.  I did not get a change to see more than a small black blob bouncing around, but I won't dwell on that.

Two hours later, full of all sorts of new bird knowledge, we headed back to the hotel to check out and then back to the Grove for a super delicious brunch.  I had the Grove Benny and Sim had the Perch Benny and we both indulged in a mimosa.

Back on the road, a pretty standard trip home.  One stop in London for Sim to pick up a Roots shirt, and a failed attempt to stop at a Townie bike distributor.  Though I found one just down the road in Saug that I'll check out soon.

Another super successful All Canadian Road Trip.  We are becoming quite the experts in all things Southern Ontario.

Perhaps I will be back soon for more life updates.....maybe?  Hopefully?  Yes.

A Certain Kind of Newness

Well it is officially 2018.  It has been an interesting start to the year.  This was the first new years in a very long time that I was bed ridden sick.  Perhaps the first time ever.  On top of having a common cold, I had a massive reaction to my meds and starting pooing water.  It lasted for almost a week.  I stopped being able to eat, but not for lack of being hungry or trying.  But I was scared to eat, because the end result was so unpleasant.  I also stopped taking my meds and had to go for a check-up to get some new slow-releasing meds.  They are brand name so they never prescribe them first.  But I have a feeling they are going to have a hugely positive impact on my overall health.  I like the idea of meds slowly releasing into my blood throughout the day,  It will probably, hopefully, result in an overall lower blood sugar average.

So I'm all better now, almost all better.  A bit of mucus is kicking around but that always happens.  I ended up losing about 12 lbs of water weight, and when I started eating again I gained 15 pounds almost overnight.  I'm taking this as motivation to focus on my health and fitness.  As soon as I was able I got back to the gym, and I went back again today.  Someone had "reserved" my machine, so I had to branch out.  I hopped on a regular elliptical and it totally kicked my butt. And it also reset back to zero every time you stopped even for a millisecond.  I found that to be very annoying.  I like to stop and catch my breath if my heart is beating too quickly, but losing my spot on the machine is the worst.

I picked up an agenda today so I can keep a hand written food & exercise journal.  Fingers crossed it works out and I can keep it up.  I say keep it up but I haven't even started yet.  I have a consultation with a nutritionist next month and I want to get my food in order.  More planned meals, less food waste, and plenty of delicious new recipes are in my near future.

I have been thinking these past two weeks what my resolutions will be.  I've decided to stick with my current gym.  And work on getting my butt downstairs to our condo gym a bit more as well.  But having a place I can go that is fair sized with a good assortment of equipment is going to be key to my overall health recovery.  For the first new years of my life I'm already a gym member that attends on a semi-regular basis.  I only need to focus on making improvements.  Anyway, there are some usual suspects and a few unusual ones but here it goes:

1. Gym twice a week, and exercise in any other format another 2 days per week.
2. Eat more salad, and raw vegetables.
3. Try more new recipes.  And also better food management.  I would like to adopt a JIT style pantry.  Just-in-time.
4. Learn how to juggle.....this one came to me earlier today.  I think I would like to pick up a few bean bags or juggling balls and take a learning through repetition approach.  This is something I have quietly always wanted.
5. Get back into reading.  One book a month, MINIMUM.  What is wrong with me, one book a month is pathetic but I haven't read a book in over a year.
6. Try to be more creative.  Blog, knit, maybe try drawing a bit more.  Definitely more guitar.
7. Start good habits and keep with them.

That's about it I'd say.  I'm off to try a second Canadian Tire to see if they stock Anchor replacement lids for some glass containers.  The one at Mavis and Dundas said 18 pieces and the shelf was empty.  I actually gasped when I saw there were none left.  What a poor inventory system they have.    They have one more shot.

Oh, and last weekend I ate a diaper.  It went a little something like this:

"What is Lily eating? It looks like bread."

*picks it up*

"It's bread."

*tears it apart*

"It's bread."

*smells it*

"It's bread."

*touches it to my tongue*

"IT'S NOT BREAD"

We finally figured out it was Lily's diaper had burst.  The good news, Sim told me, was that only an unused diaper would maintain the consistency of bread.  She tried to console me with this "good news" but given that I had just had diaper in my mouth I was relatively inconsolable.

2018, I hope you have better things in store for me.

No I Haven't Forgotten About You....

...and I hope you haven't forgotten about me either.  I guess over the last few months I've lost my zeal for sharing and posting.  But I actually miss it slightly.  The ability to look back on life with a certain clarity personal memory can't afford us.

I've been busy/not busy at all.  Took a trip to Europe.  Spent a lot of time melting away with Sim and the babes.  I joined a gym and I've actually managed to somewhat keep up my attendance.  It's been sparse during the holidays but I used the bike and treadmill at my parents' place to fill the gaps.  I'm considering a jump to a more local gym, as the drive is killing my motivation.  Gym gym gym.  I fear sometimes that I wear people out with my non-stop talk about gyms or working out.  I'm not fit enough to have the privilege to act like a true gym buff, but I'm going to fake it until I make it so get ready for a lot of gym talk.....(gym).

Aside from fitness goals this new year I plan on bringing back the blog.  Perhaps a weekly update if I can get my shit together.

I got some really great xmas gifts.  My parents picked up on my cues for needing some new luggage (my threat to pulverize my current luggage in a park in Berlin with a baseball bat was anything but subtle).  And an air-fryer!  I must admit I'm biting Laura on this one, who said her t-fal French fries were to die for.

So, I want to write more.  I want to read more.  More fitness, less lethargy.  More planning, less chaos.  More clean, less filth.  And maybe, I might actually need to drink more.  "This is about as drunk as I get."....Sim would tell you I wasn't nearly drunk enough to have earned that.

Happy 2018.  I hope to see more of everyone next year.

Day 8: The Final Leg

From: Quebec City, QC
To: Home
KMs: Have I mentioned we're the worst at KM tracking?
Sim's Iced Cap Tally: 5

We went to bed knowing that we would wake up to our last day on this magnificent trip.  We actually scheduled to allow ourselves to sleep in until 8am but we were both up at 7am sharp.  The plan was to grab breakfast in the restaurant downstairs, take a walk on the boardwalk and find a nice café to grab a final coffee before heading out.  For starters, the meal downstairs was phenomenal.  We got a loaded poutine topped with eggs benny and a strawberry crepe to split.  They were both so delicious I am right now dreaming of returning and ordering the exact same meal.  We checked out and stashed our bags at the front desk to pick up on our way out.  The boardwalk was literally across the street from us.  It wasn't as long as I had remembered but we took a nice quick walk to the other end, and then back up into the city.  We settled on a cute little place called Le Petit Coin Latin, with a side path leading up the side of the building into a backyard courtyard (Cote Jardins - Side Garden).  I had a Café Au Lait and Sim had this omg delicious looking and tasting bowl of espresso topped with whipped cream.  So tasty!!  (Good choice).

After a quick walk back to the car we dropped back by the hotel and picked up our luggage and said goodbye to the most unexpectedly awesome stop.  A quick gas up on the way to the highway and we were on our way.

Aside from a few more rest stops and one more gas up, that was it.  All we had left to do was to get ourselves home.  We did pop in to see my parents one more time and deliver a bottle of PEI Chardonnay.  "Ohhhh, did you go to the winery?" my mom asked.  "Errrr, no, we went to the PEI Liquor Store."  We also delivered the handouts from the Pier 21 archives to my dad.  He loves stuff like that, so I was happy to add to his pile of family history.

A quick and final 80 minutes later and we were home.  People on the road in Toronto were in fine form.  If you cause me to honk at you on the highway you are way out of line and probably shouldn't be driving.  As we pulled into the driveway, Spence and the Girlen were waiting for us.  Pips was wearing the most adorable little plaid dress.  She let me give her a quick hug which was so nice.  And I got to hold baby Bobby for a bit.  And cuddle with the pups.  Bugs was so happy to see Sim he was prancing around like a rabbit.  (Never leave again, never ever ever).

So that's all she wrote.  We set out for an adventure and it exceeded both our expectations by miles.  Sim and I have both said neither of us could have expected it would have been that good.  And aside from one almost detour through downtown Montreal, Sim is a super fantastic navigator.

Best Pre-Trip Purchase: My new runners
Best City Name: Saint-Lous-du-Ha!-Ha!
Longest Drive: Halifax to QC
Weirdest Hwy Exit: Montmagny  (we managed to take this exit twice purely by chance.  Traffic circles and roads with no painted lines, and tetris-like parking lots.)
Scariest Moment in the Car: Watching a tractor trailer jackknife and almost tip over behind us
Funniest Moment in the Car: Getting stuck in a traffic circle in Halifax
Funniest Moment in the Cities: Asking for my lamb mild
Most Unplanned Moment: Taking a dip off the North shore of PEI (followed closely by the NS beach swim - really glad Sim reminded me to bring a swimsuit and that I actually turned my car around and went home to get it)
Best Hotel Room: Auberge Du Tresor, Quebec City
Worst Hotel Room: Quality Inn, Summerside
Best Highway: Hwy 2 New Brunswick
Worst Highway: Hwy 108 New Brunswick (worst in Canada in fact)

Updated Reponses:
Best Meal: Sim - Lobster Thermidor @ The Bicycle Thief  / Julie - Seafood Chowder @ The Silver Fox
Worst Meal: Log Cabin Restaurant - Hopewell Rocks - Just don't even
Best Drink: Sim - Peach Julip - The Bicycle Thief / Julie - Amaretto Sour - L'Ateriel
Best Beer: Sim - Blueberry Ale - Gahan / Julie - Pucker Up - Garrison Brewery
Favourite Shop:  We didn't do much shopping.  We spent most of our time in Sport Chek for me lol.  Sim says the Yarn Shop in Halifax.  Aka - the only shop we went into.  But a darn good one!  Pun intended lol
Best View: Sim - Mountains in NB at Sunset/ Julie - Aside from Peggy's Cove....there is this moment when Hwy 85 in QC kisses Lake Temiscouata.  It's gorgeous.
Best Discovery: Sim - Provincial Park Beach in NS & L'Ateriel Cocktail Bar / Julie - the Confederation Bridge lookout point, PEI & Pier 21 Archives


We might come back and add to that later. There's just so much to remember.

WHAT A GREAT TRIP!!!

Day 7: Halifax to Quebec

From: Halifax, NS
To: Quebec City, QC
KMs - TBD - we're the worst at checking the odometer
Sim's Iced Cap Tally: 5 - that's what I'm talking about

We awoke this morning after a tumultuous night of no power, some power, no internet.  My phone started to pick up the WiFi but I was unable to get my laptop online.  Hence the late delivery of the posting.  As I sit here now in our AMAZING room in the heart of Old Quebec I am also without internet and waiting for the front desk attendant to return to bestow the password upon me.

We got all of our stuff packed up and loaded into the car.  It was the longest stay in one place (three nights) so it took a bit more effort to rally.  After a third consumption of my weight in fried potato, we started the day with a brisk walk up Citadel Hill which was conveniently located across the street from our hotel.  I had been eying it since we arrived and it looked like a good challenge.  Compared to walking up Sackville it was an absolute dream.  Once at the top we took in some historical information and headed back down so we could check out.  On the road by just after 9am.  We decided to switch up the route.  We ended up taking the second bridge out of the city and across the river to Dartmouth.  This time I knew in advance how to get change and actually pay the tolls and not just take my change and attempt to drive off into the sunset.

There was a funny ask-and-answer moment during the car ride.  We drove passed an exit from a private parking lot, and posted facing the exit was a Wrong Way poster.  Sim thought it looked wide enough for two lanes, entrance and exit, and she saw a car driving in the wrong way so she said “That’s confusing to me.” And just at the moment the next song lyric was “I can understand why you are confused.”  That gave us a good laugh.

The first planned stopped was at The Dunes of Bouctouche.  It’s an awesome 12km Dune that juts out of the North Shore of New Brunswick.  We walked about halfway out the boardwalked area which is about 1.5km in total.  We tried to get another action shot for Sim, but the uneven ground made the illusion more difficult.  We took the secondary loop back through a wooded area.  It was a quick detour, but it was another favourite of mine from last trip and I wanted Sim to share in that experience.  This stop lined up with our master plan to take an alternate route home.  On my last trip I took the Fredericton route in, the Dalhousie-Rimouski route out, but drove right past the “Appalachian Trail” on both sides.  Being just south of Hwy 108 – the Appalachian Trail – positioned us perfectly to take it back across New Brunswick.  I think I can speak for both of us when I say this was the biggest mistake of our trip.  It was 137 km of piss-poor roads, with no escapes.  You are warned going in that it’s the last gas station for a substantial period of time but not that the roads are completely uneven and utter shit.  About 56km in there was a road sign for uneven roads and someone had penned in beneath “81km”, and it was a true statement.  We made up a bit of time by going briskly.  I was hoping the treeline would break and we would see this magnificent display of mountains.  Why allow non-locals to drive this road, it is complete crap.  To be honest, I didn’t see any road signs for it this time around, only a memory of them from 7 years ago.  Maybe they don’t exist anymore for that reason.  The only god send was that we had no one in front of or behind us for almost the entire run.  Except at the end when this car from Maine, with a driver that could barely see over the dash, and with a handicap symbol on his plate, decided going almost 15 under the speed limit was a safe mode of transport.  This was right around Grand Falls when he finally took a road South and we carried on.  There must be good deals at the local Piggly Wiggly that he crosses the border to shop at.

After we broke free from his terrible road reign and found our way back to Hwy 2 it was clear sailing.  All in all it was about 13 hrs on the road, a long day of driving indeed.  Sim did a magnificent job navigating us into Quebec City and through the streets of Old Quebec.  We walked up the flight of stairs to the hotel and checked in.  We were the last to check-in and it was 9:30pm.  Apparently….without our knowledge and to much of our delight, Quebec City is having a national day of celebration and we were just in time to experience the festivities.  The clerk was nice enough to give us a bar recommendation and draw a map showing us where the main stage was located.  We quickly stashed our bags, parked the car, and hit the town.  We walked around the old city looking for some dinner eats.  Just outside the stone entrance we found a nice Italian resto.  Sim got the Duck Risotto and I picked one of the many delicious pastas, Angel Hair and Basil with Bocconcini cheese.  Just outside the patio, a jazz band was playing and in front of them was a makeshift dancefloor where couples of all sorts were cutting a rug.  A man was dancing a jig all by himself with an umbrella as a cane.  It was fantastic.

Following dinner we hunted down a bar recommended by the hotel front desk.  We were sold at Best Cocktails in the city.  L’Ateril.  We zigged uphill and then zagged uphill even further.  A few months ago I might have just died but with all of my practice at home I almost kept pace with Sim.  A few small breaks now again to keep my heart rate normal is all I ask.  I had an Amaretto Sour and Sim had a Zelda (sake, gin, ginger, grapefruit and other goodness. Ordered because of the name, of course).  I followed that with a Sangria and Sim had a Negroni Fizz.  We were going to split the last two but I wussed out and she finished the Negroni and let me milk the Sangria.  We sat on the patio and watched hoards of people marching past on the streets closed off to cars.  We’re still unsure of what’s being celebrated but dammit people were in a good mood.  On the easy (read: downhill) walk home we passed several people in the street screaming and shouting.  Some people yelled greeting at us, but en francais so unintelligible to either of us.  We decided it was the best possible night we could have asked for to be here.

Tomorrow is our last day on the road.  It feels good to be 8-9 hrs away from home.  I mean, this morning we were in Halifax and tomorrow night we’ll be in Toronto.  So that’s quite the haul for the last two days. And we got in 12,500 steps today to boot.

I’m in love with Quebec City.  We leave tomorrow morning and I miss it already. 

Day 6: Peggy's Cove & Halifax

From: Halifax, NS

To: Halifax, NS

Total KMs: ZERO

Steps: 13,400

Power Outage: 3 hrs

Sim’s Iced Cap Tally: 4 – seriously Sim…you have been put on alert

Today was amazing!!!  We woke up and I again ate my weight in fried potatoes and oatmeal.  (Hint, it will probably happen again tomorrow as well). After a filling breakfast we packed up and headed out for a trip down the coast to Peggy’s Cove.  I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say it is my favourite place in Canada.  You can just sit on the rocks and take it all in.  I had forgotten if you had to park at the visitor’s centre of if you could drive all the way up.  We drove as far as the entrance to the parking lot but uncertain of where the road would lead we turned around and drove back to the visitor centre.  But it was a nice walk up the windy road to get back to the rocks.  Sim had asked earlier if we could swim at the cove which I replied NO.  And she quickly realized why that was.  We posed for a bunch of photos with the lighthouse, and then explored the rocks for a while.  Sim made an effort to find the camera lens cap I lost there 7 years ago but was unsuccessful.  But A for Effort.  Then we just sat in tranquility for a while.  The view is just so peaceful, and the crashing waves just wash over you with a calming serenity.  It was hard to leave, because really you could stay there all day.  And it’s the kind of site that you can go back to over and over again and never get bored.  But there were more places to visit, so we were on our way.

Just a click or two down the way we stopped in to see the memorial set up for the Swiss Air Flight 111.  229 people perished in a horribly tragic plane crash in 1998 just 12km off the shore.  It’s terribly sad to think about.  It was just a quick stop but we were glad to have done it.

And then, and then, and then……it was off to the White Sail Bakery!!! As suggested by Dee Em.  And boy what a suggestion it was.  We ordered the Newfie Poutine just as we were instructed.  Basically it was a poutine mixed with giant stuffing pieces.  I. Just. Can’t. Even.  We split it between the two of us and it was more than enough.  We found two chairs set out of the way and chilled out for a little bit and just took it all in.  The weather today was just stunning.  Clear blue skies, bright sun, not too hot.  To die for.  After we filled up with delicious poutine we departed for a nearby beach that Sim found online.  It was absolutely the most perfect beach we could have possibly found.  Not too crowded.  Clear crisp water.  It was absolutely sub zero but it was fantastic.  We played a few games of backgammon and then headed in for some fun in waves.  We each tried to get the perfect snap of the other as the waves broke in near the shore.  But since the water was so cold, we could only stand a few waves at a time before we’d have to run back into shore.  And then we’d play a set of BG and then back out in the waves.  When Sim finally decided she’d captured the best possible shot she could of me, I took once last big wave and it knocked my on my ass.  Totally figures, but we got some great photos.

After we were all sunned and funned out it was back to the hotel for a quick shower and out for dinner.  We actually went back to the Bicycle Thief.  It was that good.  And Sim….got the Lobster again.  And I got something very similar to my first night.  And I also ordered a Mojito, light on the sugar.  It was high on mint and it was delicious.  We learned our lesson from last night and instead of going straight to a bar afterwards we came home.  Completely satiated, slightly bloated, and 2oz into a good buzz we hoofed our way back to the hotel.  If you’ve ever been to Halifax you know the struggle of the incline.  From the Harbourfront up to Sackville and Brunswick is our current struggle.  We ended up behind an older lady.  She had to be 75 years old.  And she was getting it done, one step at a time, with no complaining.  I turned to Sim two blocks in and said, if she can do it I can do it.  About halfway up we saw some police and firetrucks down Barrington St.  I turned to Sim and said “Good thing our next pub is up on the next street.”  Someone on foot tried unsuccessfully to get information from the police officer.  Really, he just stood there and basically ignored him.  Whatever.  Stopping only once at a stop light we made our way to the top in record time.  When we got to the top we turned across the parking lot to our hotel and….no lights.  A hotel employee was standing at the stairwell with a flashlight.  Stairwell, flashlight, cops & fire trucks.  It’s a blackout people.  It’s a blackout.  In good news, I am a stair pro now.  And in even better news, we are staying on the 2^nd Floor!!!!  Not much of a hassle at all.  We would have been taking the stairs regularly if they didn’t keep the door locked most of the time. 

Wasted and dead to the world we decided to take a nap.  Alarms were set for 8:30pm and I had all intention of getting up when it went off.  I probably could have stayed in bed all night from that point, but Sim was up and about so I got my butt out of bed and joined her.  Once I was up I felt like a million bucks.  Ready to face the world.  We headed back down towards Argyle St. to our final destination, Lot Six.  We had done some googling at dinner and found a place with killer cocktails.  My sugar levels had been under control this week so I splurged a little.  I was sugar conscious with my drink choices.  With use of their WiFi we were keeping our eye on the resolution of the power outage.  ETA of lights back on went from 10pm to 1:15am to 4:15am.  My level of annoyance was going from amber to orange to red, next stop hot fuchsia.  Will we be able to charge our phones?  Will we be able to get online?  Will the alarms work?  Will the fire alarm system be fully functional?  All questions we were starting to ponder.  After we reached limit, we packed in and headed for home.  A few extra lights were illuminated on the street as we headed towards home which was a good sign.  We rounded the corner and more and more lights could be seen.  I was holding my breath until the hotel rooms were in sight and we could see them all lit up.  So here we are.  Our last night in Halifax.  The power does work but we can’t get online.  Sim is fast asleep, so I got a small data pass to update with a non-update.  Tomorrow is our second last day.  We have a few more tricks up our sleeves.  Destination is Quebec City.  I haven’t been since I was 12 and Sim has never been.  We won’t get in until late, but I’m looking forward to some meals with hot cheese, and a nice walk down the boardwalk.

Day 5: Bonus Feature

Sim was setting up a shot and pointed her camera at me and said "Don't make a face."  I heard, "Make a face."

Day 5: Halifax

From: Halifax, NS
To: Halifax, NS
Total KMs: ZERO
Steps: 14,500 (10km)
Sim's Iced Cap Tally: 4 (what? no sugar juice today?)

We got to sleep in today!!!  But not wanting to be lazy gussies so our alarms were set for 8:00am.  When did that become a sleep-in time?  We're all growed up.

Breakfast downstairs was awesome.  It was almost a disappointment when we got the last two hashbrowns (to split between us).  But then they brought out a fresh batch which was like, authorization for me to eat my weight in fried potato.  The plan was to go upstairs and make a plan for the day.  But all we could really decide on was to head out and wing it.  Sim had some recommendations in her back pocket, and we had a few museums in mind, and the rest was just going with the flow.  I actually eavesdropped on a couple beside us at breakfast for the second museum we went to.  Thank you strangers.

We are at the perfect location, city-wise.  Even if it's a pain in the butt semi-vertical hike just to get home.  It helps burns off the beer calories.  We headed out this morning and took a slight detour across Market St so Sim could see Pizza Corner.  It's not much to see at 10 in the morning with all of the stores closed.  And now I can't even have pizza so, a walk-by was good enough.  We stopped at a really sweet yarn shop called The Loop.  I almost picked up a few amazing skeins but decided against it.  Maybe I'll go back tomorrow.  But I really shouldn't.  But I want to.  Simoonnnaaaa, don't let me buy any more yarn.

So we basically went down to the Halifax Harbour and hung out ALL day.  Our first stop was the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic.  They had a really interesting exhibit on the Halifax Harbour Explosion.  Perhaps something we all know about, but not something we think about.  The explosion, caused by a Norwegian vessel, caused an explosion moving at more than 1500m per second.  We figured that out to be something like 5400km/hr.  One story reported a person being propelled half a kilometre during the explosion.  The devastation was massive.  And of course we all know about the telegraph operator that helped save the day by running to his station and alerting the country of the impending explosion, which facilitated a faster emergency response time from neighbouring regions.  There was a Canadian Heritage moment made for that fellow.  A lot of interesting stuff to be learned.  And we also got to witness a woodworker who was diligently carving away at a display piece.  Perhaps part of a hull?  It was pretty cool.

Then it was off to the Stubborn Goat.  A neat outdoor bar, with a patio on top of a shipping container.  Their specialty is providing local beers and food.  Sim had the Garrison Raspberry Ale and I had something also delicious.  The waitress let us know that the Garrison brewery was just a few blocks down the way so we meandered in that direction.  We got the royal sampler (my name for two trays of 5 samples each that covered the whole spread of available drinks).  My favourite was Pucker Up which is a fruity sour beer (yeeee-ummmmm).  Sim was partial to a beer marked only with an X inside of an O.  Not sure which one it was but it got two thumbs way up.  Before we left Simona snuck inside and came out bearing gifts, a button marked with a G!!!  Just for me :D  Ty Sim.

(Sim with our tasters)

After some sufficient chilling we decided to head across the Harbour to the Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21.  We took the guided tour and it was really interesting.  There was a woman on our tour that took a boat over to Canada when she was 5 and she confirmed all of the details being told to us.  Even down to small facts like, there was an abundance of food on the ship ride over, and
in some cases people coming from countries experiencing famine or food rationing were not used to such amounts of food.  But some people were too sea sick to even eat.  Afterwards we went down to the archives and I asked them to look up my great grand-dad and his brother.  Their names were on the registry as coming into the country in 1905 when they were 19 and 21.  I got a few documents printed and if my dad doesn't have them he can have them added to our family history.  We do know that the older brother died less than a year later, and my great grand father carried on to create....our family!

Back across the boardwalk, we came across one of Sim's recommended stops which was the Bicycle Thief.  I just can't even.  It was one of the most delicious meals I have in a very long time.  I also tried some of Sim's Lobster Thermidor and it was just to die for.  If I'm ever here again I will definitely definitely definitely be going back.  And then ordering some to go.  *DROOL*  And the last stop was back across the harbour and beyond our starting point to The Lower Deck.  We got the perfect seat outside and ordered some drinks.  It started to rain and we crossed our fingers, and then it started to pour so we headed inside.  Both of us were milking our drinks for the longest time.  We decided it was time to call it a day but I couldn't let a drink go to waste so I threw them both back and we squared up and headed for home.

Back at the hotel, I ran a load of mid-trip laundry and Sim and I just got back from a dip in the hotel hot tub.  Life is good right now.

 Much love from Halifax.  More to come tomorrow.