Arrowhead Provincial Park’s winter activities don’t stop with its skating trail, it is also home to a network of cross-country skiing trails. We put on a pair of skis for the first time in Canada to check them out. My first and only skiing experience had been just as traumatic as my first ever skating lesson. As with anything that required coordination, my one and … Continue reading Cross-country skiing in Arrowhead
Picture a quintessential Canadian winter scene, snow covered evergreens as far as the eye can see, big fluffy snowflakes falling and a beautiful torch lit skating trail winding through the middle of it all. And there you have the Arrowhead Provincial Park Ice Skating Trail. It continues to be named as one of the top winter experiences in Canada, it even makes BlogTO’s top skating … Continue reading Skating at Arrowhead Provincial Park
In May last year, we went on an excellent 6-hour canoe trip in Algonquin Provincial Park. Everything was perfect – from the weather, to the paddling conditions and even our lunchtime sandwich – apart from our failure to see a moose. When my uncle and aunt, Angus and Sue, announced that they would be visiting in late-May this year, we offered them the chance to … Continue reading Canoeing in the rain at Algonquin Provincial Park
On my final day of work in the UK, I spent a long car journey picking the brains of my Canadian colleague as we drove to a meeting. She talked with passion about the GTA (that’s Greater Toronto Area to you non locals) and it got me even more excited to visit. At that point I thought we would only be in Toronto for a handful of days so … Continue reading Visiting Cheltenham Badlands
Exploring a lesser known abandoned building in the Toronto area Last weekend we were meant to go on a 3 hour snowmobiling experience to celebrate my birthday. Unfortunately, we got a call in the morning to say that one of the two key ingredients was missing. Whilst the snowmobiles were ready to go, sadly there wasn’t enough snow for them to do their thing. With a Zipcar … Continue reading The Cathedral of the Transfiguration
Let’s face it, Canada can get pretty cold in the winter. As tempting as it may be to escape to warmer climes, you can enjoy and embrace the Canadian winter by finding a fun event and wrapping up warm! When it comes to us, anyone who knows us well will know that are not huge fans of wine. However, they will also know that we … Continue reading Celebrating winter in the Niagara Region
Activating our second IEC work permits at Rainbow Bridge, Niagara Falls An IEC working holiday visa can only be activated at a Port of Entry to Canada. This means that if you’re already in Canada you have to leave the country and come back in again. In 2014 we chose to do this by taking a trip to Seattle. This time we decided to go for the … Continue reading Our experience flagpoling at Niagara Falls
It’s a well known fact that the Canadian side of the Niagara Falls is far better than the American, but when we had to cross the border to activate our second work permits we decided to see what the other side had to offer. First off, crossing Rainbow Bridge by foot into the States is really easy, just make sure you have your passport and 2 … Continue reading Why it is worth visiting the American side of the Niagara Falls
Stratford, Ontario is famous for 2 reasons – hosting North America’s most prestigious Shakespeare festival and being the home town of Justin Bieber. But we didn’t visit for either of those reasons, much to the confusion of my colleagues. What we did experience was good food, yummy chocolate and a relaxing break. The town itself is pretty small but well equipped for tourists, as you would expect for a destination that … Continue reading Visiting Stratford in November
When Stewart hinted at needing a spa break I didn’t hesitate to book it! The spa of choice was the Scandinave Spa, which I first discovered when we were looking for somewhere to go for my birthday last year. There are four Scandinave Spas across the country with the closest one to us about a 2 hour drive from Toronto at Blue Mountain. Nestled in the Niagara … Continue reading Taking some time out at Scandinave Spa
Brown Bear Travels 