My friend Sean was awaiting me at the airport in Toronto, just like he said he would. I almost missed him, but he was the only guy snapping pictures of me. It made me grin like an idiot. We grabbed a taxi to Bond Place Hotel, a hotel conveniently located steps away from Yonge-Dundas Square - and Eaton Centre. After checking in, Sean and I had a late lunch at Chipotle (my friend Stacey would dig this!) Sean and I scoped the area around the hotel. Then it was time for me to go back to the hotel, and freshen myself up for dinner with my friend Wendy and her husband Ed. Wendy and I met through Facebook, and she's one of those people I have had some interesting conversations with. She is just as sweet in real life. I enjoyed her and her husband's playful poking. If I ever settle down with someone that's what I want: I want someone with an amazing sense of humor. (I've always thought of it as important.) Wendy and Ed took me to their favorite Chinese restaurant, East Moon, in York - which was quite a drive from the hotel. Moose Lee was included, and he and I had a wonderful time. The food was good, the company was fantastic, and by the time I was back in my room I had trouble staying awake.
I intended to work out the next morning, but when I woke up a little after 5AM I opted for a few more hours of sleep. I woke up two hours later. I took my time waking up, breakfasting on left over hot and spicy chicken wings. Toronto Greeter Penny was waiting for me in the lobby when I came down all fresh and clean a little before 10AM. She reminded me very much of my friend Lucy, and when I learned she studied History (Canadian history) I knew that was what they had in common. Penny apologized and told me Cabbagetown was really her neighborhood of expertise, but she did research on the city's Gay Village and was more than ready to give me the tour. Well, I can tell you she sure did her homework: she came with all kinds of trivia I hadn't read in any of my city guides (yes, I have several). I had an excellent time walking around parts of Toronto (I hope she did, too) and learning about them. Like with Charles, my Big Apple City Greeter, I gave her a pack of Dutch stroopwafels. They're just to show my appreciation (they do it for free!) and having visited the Netherlands 3 times, Penny was looking forward to enjoying them. She told me she was going to have to hide them from her grandson. *LOL*
One of the things I kept in mind was that if I ever decide to move to TO 519 Church is one of the places to go. The tour ended in Chinatown, and I still remember from 8 years ago how to get back to the area my hotel is located. (When I first visited Canada I picked TO and Niagara Falls, and stayed at a hotel next to the Maple Leaf Garden.) I walked my way to the Royal Alexandra Theatre, where Sean and I would attend a show, and from there it was a short walk to Union Station, where Sean and I were going to meet the next morning. I had a wonderful meal at Le Commensal, which was a short walk away from my hotel. I had forgotten how much I love their garlic pasta! I also found out they're open for breakfast... Before I went back to the hotel, I popped in at the HMV on Yonge St, where they were playing the new Arcade Fire album (released the next day). I picked up a few CDs, and the girl who helped me had some pretty awesome tattoos. And guess what? She's from Halifax, too!
I skipped a work out at the gym the next morning and went back to Le Commensal for breakfast: a very tasty avocado sandwich (with tomato and lettuce) and green tea. Then I walked to Union Station to meet with Sean. I was early, he was on time. We went up CN Tower (I didn't go up the first time I visited Toronto, because of an enormous line of people waiting) and spent some time gawking. Just driving into the downtown a couple of days ago I couldn't believe the amount of high rises along the lake front; I surely don't remember them being there eight years ago. After that we walked to the ferry terminal and got tickets to the Toronto Islands. The skyline looks different from what I remember. I should see if I can dig up a picture I took of the TO skyline and compare it with one I just took... We had to wait quite a while for the Ward's Island ferry. When we got off it we went straight to the Rectory Café, where Sean and I had a lunch. I had a tasty veggie omelet:
We walked the boardwalk from the Rectory Café towards Center Island, where we rented a 2-seater quad and cycled the rest of the islands. (It was hot, and we could use some shade, so cycling that quad was a good option!) Looking back I can't believe the distance I covered on foot (8 years before) wearing combat boots in 32C and regular pants instead of shorts.
Back in the city we passed the Hockey Hall of Fame. It was a muggy 26C (it felt more like 34C) and we cooled off a bit at the Sheraton. There, we called off walking to the Dakota Tavern (too much and too far away) and headed to Silver Snail Comics instead. (We passed a Fluevog store, where I bought a pair of cool shoes.)
I found the latest volume of Terry Moore's "Echo", and a very cute koala hat. I was foolish NOT to buy it. What was I thinking. Um. Wait. I wasn't thinking. The heat gave me a case of fried brains. That was it! Anyway, then we went back to the hotel and while I freshened up, Sean got a pint at the Imperial Pub across the street. Then we had dinner at Le Commensal (see a pattern there?) before heading to the theater to see Rock of Ages. We were early, which gave us the opportunity to check out Canada's Walk of Fame (Sean and I thought it was pretty short. Maybe we missed part of the walk?), and have a pre-theater drink at a pub called O'Malley's. (Arrr, matey!)
Rock of Ages rocked! It was funny at times, and pretty much a sing along show, too. I enjoyed it very much.
When I got back to the hotel I repacked, and the next morning I took the airport shuttle. It was great to be back in Toronto - even if it was just for a very short period of time. I'll be back!
It was raining when I arrived in Halifax, and Krista was waiting for me. We caught up while we were waiting for the baggage belt to start. When we got home we immediately prepared for our trip to the Magdalen Islands. We each packed a bag, and camping gear and stowed it in Krista's hatchback. We went to bed early, because we had to leave early to catch to 9AM ferry in Souris, PEI. Despite the fog during the first part of our trip (hello Confederation Bridge) and missing a turn in Charlottetown, we made it in time... Only to find out there was NO 9AM ferry. WTF?! When I made reservations it specifically said 9AM instead of the regular 2PM one. Because of that I asked Krista if she was alright with leaving so early (she was). Needless to say we weren't amused. Krista suggested getting breakfast at The Bluefin Restaurant in Souris. The food's simple but good, and it's a short drive away from the ferry terminal. There was a woman at the restaurant who's a dead ringer for Krista's mom (we should have taken a picture!); Krista was trying not to stare too much and I did a double take on my way to the washrooms.
When we finally were on the ferry we had a few hours to
After arriving at Îles de la Madeleine, we immediately drove to the nearest camping (Barachois) where we got a spot for the night. We set up the tent, and I was knocked back by a really really foul smell. I asked Krista about it, and she thought she may have rolled it up after accidentally placing it on dog poo. People, trust me, dog poo is bad, but this was just plain nasty. We decided to let the tent air out before putting up the cover. Long story short: to avoid waking up with a massive headache I spent a night in the car, while Krista shared the tent with... Wait for it... A mummified frog. (E-mail me if you want to see photographic evidence.) I'm not sure what it was doing in the tent - or why it hopped in in the first place - but that's one frog that won't get kissed EVER.
The next day we drove Route 199, which is 88 km long, and runs the whole length of the archipelago. I enjoyed the scenery, the kite surfers, the weather (which improved from a dreary morning to a sunny afternoon), the company, the drive... I enjoyed the fact I got to practice my French (even though I keep struggling with Quebecois French, I think it's better than nothing, eh?) and even though I kept meeting people who easily switched to English upon finding out je suis pas Français, Krista seemed to meet people who didn't speak English at all.
The last meal on the islands was at a café/resto called "Le pas perdue". I had a chicken burger (with real chicken, instead of processed "chicken") that was served with fries... And some long blond hair (tangling up part of my fries). Bon appetit! Talking about a hairy situation, eh? The waitress apologized profusely and got me a 25% discount. Merci, Mademoiselle. The frog and
We got the 8PM ferry back to PEI, and arrived at 1AM in Souris. We drove to Red Point Provincial Park, and after some haggling at the office (I broke the ice by pointing out one of the ladies' flies was open) we got a spot to camp. Unfortunately, it was very windy and Krista and I were knackered, so we both settled with sleeping in the hatchback. That meant we had to "rearrange" some of the stuff to make room for the both of us. (We managed.) When we woke up the next morning we had a wonderful view of the ocean. It was still early, so we sped to the bathrooms and got showered and properly freshened up. Then we drove to Charlottetown, PEI, and had breakfast at Cora's (I had a Theo's - no cheese - an omelet stuffed with vegetables). After that I did the tourist thing and walked around a bit, checking out Queen St (yup, I found their comic store there) and venturing some side streets, while Krista napped in the car. (Migraines suck. I felt bad for her.) I caught part of an reenactment on a little square off Victoria's Row. I think it was about the Confederation thingy Charlottetown is known for. We had a late lunch (or early dinner) at a place called Ta Ke Sushi. I picked the vegetarian platter and shared it with Krista. It was yummie! And it was plenty; we ended up taking the leftovers to Krista's friend Jude and her parents. Wonderful people. And their cat Spida is something: this is the first cat I have ever met who enjoys walks along the beach.
Krista pointed out that between Toronto and the Magdalen Islands I was in five provinces in a week: Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec :D
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