Thunder Beach - Georgian Bay

We were so lucky to get a superb, summer weekend for our stay with the DiNucci family (who were in Batemans Bay in 2006) in their family's cottage at Thunder Beach on the Georgian Bay. It was hot and humid and sunny except for a spectacular thunder storm Friday evening. The drive down was lovely too as the lush green of the countryside at the moment is a sharp contrast to the whiteness of the winter months. We also got to see two moose grazing on the side of the road as we passed through Algonquin Provincial Park.

The cottage was situated right on the lake front with a sandy beach out the back and a spring fed, man made pond at the front. It was a lovely modern and very comfortable cottage, and large enough to accomodate both our families with no trouble at all.

The kids had a ball- playing with Jameson and Maia- on the ATV's, basking in the outdoor spa (sorry - hot tub), climbing over rocks, playing on the raft in the pond or catching frogs and minnows.

Poor Jordan unfortunately came out with Chicken Pox on the Saturday morning and had a few moments of misery. But a little medication and a lot of distraction in the way of so many fun things to do meant he still managed to enjoy himself.
We adults had a lovely relaxing weekend with fine food, company, weather, and location. Such an enjoyable weekend and very hard to leave!

Ivan got to build his first substantial inukshuk (not the last I suspect.)

Saturday evening we were treated to a magnificent sunset over the water. As ever, we wanted to share this beautiful moment with the kids. They, as ever, barely glanced up before continuing their games inside with their friends.

Niagara Falls

Yet another CLEE weekend away and finally a trip to Niagara Falls. It was organised by Kathy Main (who was in Batemans Bay in 2002) and her wonderful assistants. We stayed with another kind Canadian family, Christene and Mark, who were in Lismore in 2006. We had pizza and a chat on the Friday night after arriving, while the kids got acquainted and Nic got his fill of their Wii games.

We met up with the other teachers on Saturday morning and went up the Skylon Tower where we could view the falls from above and see the Niagara River that feeds them. You could also see the surrounding district, though visibility wasn't great as it was quite overcast. I’m certainly getting over my fear of heights with all these towers we're going up!
We then went to the nearby IMAX theatre to view a movie… "Niagara- Miracles, Myths and Magic." This was great and had re-enactments of people going over the falls and surviving amongst other things, all on a screen 6 stories high. On the way out there was a display of real and replicated contraptions that people had used to go over the falls. No wonder a lot of them died! Should have seen them. When we got out of the movie the day had cleared up somewhat and we had a nice walk down to a restaurant for lunch, and got to view the falls along the way. I was totally blown away by the falls - just amazing.

After lunch it was time for a boat ride on the Maid of the Mist- which takes you right up to the foot of the Horseshoe Falls. I was a little hesitant about this after seeing how close they get to the falls from the Skylon Tower. It didn't help one little bit when the skies opened up into a huge thunderstorm, complete with pouring rain, thunder and lightning, the moment we boarded the boat. Despite the raincoats they gave us, we all got totally drenched and weren't able to take too many photos of the event for fear of ruining our cameras. The experience was absolutely awesome though and the magnitude of the falls at the base was incredible. I was pretty pleased when we got safely back onto not-so-dry ground though, as were poor Jordan and Ella!!!

The rain persisted for a while but we continued with our sightseeing as we couldn't get any wetter than we were. We strolled up to the area where you can see the falls from the top cascading down and see the Maid of the Mist below. It's amazing, as you are so close to the water and can see the strength of the current.

We then moved on to the Pillitteri winery, a boutique winery in the Niagara-on-the-Lake district for a winery tour and tastings. There are lots of wineries in this area. I think Pillitteri was the first one to make ice wine in Canada. Ice wine is a sweet dessert style wine that is made using frozen grapes harvested off the vines at night at -8C so they don't defrost. It's pretty expensive and an acquired taste I think, but worth a taste.

On to a restaurant for dinner where a lot of the Canadian hosts met up with us as well.
From here some of the teachers went on to the casino or to see the falls illuminated but we felt the kids had had a big enough day!

Sunday morning Christene and Mark took us to the Niagara Glen pavilion where we joined everyone for a picnic breakfast in the botanic gardens and on the edge of the Niagara gorge. After a yummy brekky we had a walk down the gorge to see the whirlpool rapids of the Niagara River. Then we had a talk by an aboriginal wood carver who has an exhibition of totem poles in the park. He was very clever and created a huge variety of carvings of traditional and contemporary subjects. To Jordan's delight he'd also created a mini golf course!

A picnic lunch at the same pavilion and everyone said their goodbyes until the next CLEE event, before going our separate ways.

We were so close to the US border so decided to go over for a quick shop as Nic's shoes had totally fallen apart from being wet all day. There are brand name outlet shops a few km over the border. Oh, for some more time there, but alas we had a 6 hour drive home so did some speed shopping as usual and set off for the long journey home. Had a little hiccup on the way home during a stop for dinner when the kids accidentally locked the keys in the car! Fortunately the CAA were very prompt and skillful and managed to get them out in no time …and complimentary to boot.

Needless to say we had some tired campers Monday morning after such a big weekend, but it sure was a fantastic one.

Montreal

Victoria Day long weekend,after school Friday, we set off for Montreal, a 4 1/2 hr drive from Barry's Bay. We stayed in a hotel in the downtown area amongst the hustle and bustle of the lively city and within walking distance to some nice restaurants.

Saturday we spent wandering around the old town- a picturesque, 300 year old area of cobblestone streets, old buildings and statues.This area was quite touristy and there were street performancers, horse drawn carriage rides and lots of souvenir shops and restaurants. Also had a stroll along the port area of the St.Lawrence River and a climb up the Clock Tower- a 197 step summit with a nice view of the area. After a bit of a rest we went to see St.Joseph's Oratory, perched on Mount Royal. A spectacular sight as this church was huge! A lot more stairs here, although we did use the elevator at one stage! There was also a formal garden, meant for prayer and quiet reflection and a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle, that was transformed for a short period whilst our noisy kids passed through.

This is where the lovely sunny day turned cold and wet so we canned the visit to some parks and headed back to the hotel.

Sunday we got a bit of a shock when we went outside to hop in the car only to find it wasn't there!! Fortunately(?) we worked out it had been towed rather than stolen so were able to recover it fairly quickly and undamaged. We were reimbursed the fee by the hotel fortunately, after being given wrong information about where to park. After that hiccup, we set off to the Montreal Olympic Park. Had a ride up the 127m Furnicular for a birds eye view of the city and also visited the Biodome, an indoor walk through a variety of ecosystems of the Americas complete with real animals, birds, fish and vegetation. We also had a bit of a look around the Olympic complex- the kids were taken with the swimming pool area. Think they're missing the water.

Then we had a stroll through the Mount Royal Park, which was designed by the same guy who designed Central Park in New York, and which is similar to Centennial Park in Sydney. There were lots of people enjoying the fine weather and long weekend with picnics and other recreational activities. Even saw an Indian family having a game of cricket!

Our plans for a night horse-drawn carriage ride were foiled once again by rain, so had a meal in Chinatown and went back to the hotel instead.

Monday was wet and miserable so we changed our plans yet again (sorry kids- no amusement park or horse carriage ride this trip) and decided to tackle the 30 kms of underground shops. Didn't spend too much time there but managed to have our first good cappuccino in Canada and enjoy a bit of big city retail therapy before heading home.

Montreal had a fun atmosphere and a young population, having a large university (McGill University) in the city. However, we have never seen so many homeless and begging people on street corners, along the sidewalks and on trains, especially in the downtown area. Very confronting. Must be unbearable in the winter for them. Some were offering goods and services that you won't find in a Canadian Tyre store!

Ottawa Again!

We had another visit to Ottawa on the Mother's Day weekend. This time a CLEE organised one- another chance to catch up with the other Australian and English exchange teachers. We were lucky enough to get some spectacular weather the whole weekend and Ottawa was a picture with all the Spring growth and tulips. Ivan got Friday off so we travelled after school on Thursday and had dinner and stayed with our wonderful Canadian hosts, Lynn and Glenn, once again.
Friday morning Ivan and the other teachers had a tour of a local school in Ottawa, while the partners and kids spent the morning at the Agricultural Museum, an experimental farm full of farm animals and exhibitions.
We all met back at an Adult High School where we had lunch served by the students.
After lunch the teachers got spruced up for high tea with the Australian High Commissioner and his wife at their Ottawa home. The partners and kids were not able to attend this event.
Later that evening we went to a party at one of the former Canadian exchangees' place, sitting around an outdoor fire and catching up with all the news and stories from the teachers.
Saturday we decided to miss the first thing on the busy agenda in favour of letting the kids have a bit of a sleep-in after the late night out. We met up with everyone at Victoria Island where we had an interesting talk about the local Aboriginal life and dwellings. We had a break for lunch and all (well, just about) enjoyed a Buffalo burger! After lunch we were entertained by some young and very talented kids performing some traditional aboriginal dancing, which was absolutely fantastic.
We then had a boat ride down the Rideau Canal, the same canal we skated on in Feburary. Some of the teachers opted for a bike ride along the canal instead, as either side of the canal are bike and walking trails and it was spectacular with Spring blooming everywhere.
A quick browse of the tulip festival after the boat trip, before joining up with the teachers and their families again for dinner in the Byward Market area.
Sunday, being Mother's Day, we again opted out of the organised Museum visit in favour of a leisurely yummy breakfast with Lynn and her family, catered for by Ivan and Glenn. We had a wander around the tulips with Lynn and Glenn before going off on our own to see the Parliament buildings and a ride up the Peace Tower for a 360 degree view of the beautiful city of Ottawa. Then we set off back to Barry's Bay.

Ella's 10th Birthday Party

Hi everyone!

Yesterday was my 10th birthday. It was my first and probably last birthday in Canada, unless we come back some other day. I invited my school friends Jamie, Lindsey, Cheyenne, Allison, Elise, Emily and Summer, as well as some girls who live behind us, Ana and Sophie. Ana and Sophie came first to help organize and make fairy bread. Then Allison and Lindsey arrived because they live around the corner. After them, everyone else started arriving.

First we went out and had a snack, then it started raining so we went inside and I opened my presents and got a lot of really cool presents. I got lots of Littlest Pet Shop things and a Littlest Pet Shop Digital Pet. I also got a CD player and a bunch of lollypops from Elise. I got a bunch of little rectangular cards that you could write on and give to your friends. Some of them said Merry Christmas or Thank You. From Allison I got a soccer ball with the Canadian flag, a red and white Canadian Frisbee, an 8 ball that answers your questions and a Canadian thing that you put in the lawn and when it’s windy it spins around.

I got so so so much more presents that I can’t tell you them all because it’ll take up too much space! . After the present opening we started playing football, but that didn’t last very long. We played Soccer/Baseball (sometimes known as Kickball), all us girls and Jordan against Nic and his friend Chris. Nic’s team was winning!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then we decided to play Pin The Tail on The Kangaroo. First Emily was winning, Elise came along and came closer, then Jordan got right on the spot, what a coincidence! We then played Freeze Tag (if you don’t know what it is, it’s tips and if you get tipped you are frozen. You can only get unfrozen if someone unfreezes you, or if everyone is frozen you can throw your hat or shoe and if someone catches it they are unfrozen and can unfreeze you). Nic and Chris were ‘it’ and soon got everyone frozen. They didn’t like the throwing hat idea and if someone missed the hat or shoe they carried them around with them and didn’t give them back. Nic took Jordan’s shoe and me and Jordan refused to be frozen until he got it back!

Next we had dinner and we had hot dogs and sausage rolls and ‘ketchup’ (Tomato sauce). We also had fairy bread, fruit sticks, Vegemite sandwiches(Mum ate all these!!) TimTams and lots of candy( ie lollies!). We forfeited Kickball and played Charades. It didn’t last too long because we decided to play a game where you and your partner put a balloon between your back and race to the bucket without dropping it. There were two teams and our team lost because the other team had Nic and Chris. After that we had cake, a really nice marble cake with a boomerang decorated in pretty flowers. It was really nice and after that everyone started leaving. The party ended at 7:30pm but Allison stayed until 8:30pm because she lived around the corner and could stay until her parents wanted her home. We went to bed at 11:00pm and Chris slept over.

Ella

Ottawa

We had a lovely weekend in Ottawa in April.We wonderered where all the snow had gone since the last time we visited for the Winterlude festival, and saw the city in a whole new way. After a near historic record year for snow it disappeared remarkably quickly. What a superb weekend we had weather wise too with temperatures in the mid 20's!

We stayed with a Canadian family whom we didn’t know but welcomed us into their lovely home. They have also done an exchange in Australia and now billet homeless Australians when they visit Ottawa. So kind! We spent Saturday doing a little essential shopping (ie Ella’s birthday presents) and eating (Moroccan for lunch, Thai for tea) and just revelling in the hustle and bustle of the beautiful city of Ottawa. Sunday we had breakfast Canadian style (ie real maple syrup, bacon and bananas) with our hosts and then headed off for the Museum of Civilization.

This was basically an all day event as there was so much to see and do there. It had a great kids section of international travel where the kids and myself spent most of our time. Ivan snuck off to get a bit of an insight into Canadian aboriginal history and culture.

Sugar Shack - Real Maple Syrup

We almost didn't get to see an authentic sugar shack producing Maple Syrup (except for Nic - who forgot to invite his family!) However, our neighbour, Eugene, wandered over one evening to tell us that one of his friends was currently making syrup. We all followed Eugene and Maddison to Paul's rustic sugar shack and they got us out to work straight away.

We checked the pails on the maple trees for maple sap and emptied the sap into larger pails that was taken to the Sugar Shack via a network of hoses. Some of the maple sap looked clear ,other trees had a richer golden tinge. Funnily enough the sap comes out pretty tasteless and runny and it’s not until it’s boiled up and reduced does it have the beautiful syrupy flavour and thickness. This means that a lot more sap is collected than it actually makes and considering the labour intensive collection and the reduction in sap once boiled, it’s perfectly understandable why real maple syrup is so expensive. It takes about 44 litres of sap to make a litre of syrup! (We were even lucky enough to get some free syrup and are currently enjoying it as often as we can eat pancakes!)