| It is unbelievable how nine days can just
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| | 3:30 pm so we had to start our return to
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| fly by. Today my brother, sister-in-law
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| | the city. We only took back roads and my
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| and our two Austrian friends are
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| | brother lost count of the numerous golf
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| scheduled to fly back to Graz, Austria,
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| | courses that dotted the landscape. It was
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| via Vienna. There has been an
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| | a nice relaxing drive through rolling
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| increasingly palpable sense of
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| | countryside and we made it back to
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| sentimentality in the air, in light of
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| | Toronto in less than 2 hours. All four of
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| the fact that this wonderful time is
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| | my Austrian guests had fallen in love
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| coming to an end alarmingly quickly.
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| | with the Lake District and the prospect
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| It's also amazing how many activities one
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| | of another vacation in Canada to explore
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| is able to cram into a short amount of
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| | the waters north of Toronto seems ever
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| time. I wanted to give them a really good
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| | more likely.
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| taste of everything that I love about the
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| | Yesterday was their last full day in
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| city of Toronto and my new country. So
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| | Toronto, and we took our bikes out for a
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| occasionally I put a few too many things
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| | spin one more time. Since we all love
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| on our plates and we ended up racing
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| | water we rode down to the Eastern Beaches
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| through a few of the activities. On the
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| | again, and leisurely explored the
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| whole though, I think our European guests
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| | waterfront. We watched some lawn bowling,
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| had a fabulous time and they fell in love
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| | and one of the participants kept coming
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| with Toronto, just like I did, many years
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| | over to us to explain the rules of the
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| ago.
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| | game to us since none of us was familiar
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| Saturday all six of us went golfing to a
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| | with this sport. My guests commented
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| little par-3 golf course in the East end
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| | several times on the friendliness of
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| of Toronto. None of my Austrian guests
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| | people in the stores, restaurants, in
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| had ever golfed before, so a couple of
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| | line-ups and even I myself was surprised
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| days earlier we started with a few
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| | at the approachability of Torontonians,
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| buckets of balls at the driving range,
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| | often known as a more reserved breed of
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| followed up by an indoor putting practice
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| | people. But we truly kept having very
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| session on the carpet. Saturday we would
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| | positive experiences, equally with people
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| get to try the real thing. The attempts
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| | employed in the service sector, as well
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| at the driving range didn't look all that
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| | as with regular citizens, taking a
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| great, with balls spraying all over the
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| | stroll, playing a game of lawn bowling or
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| place, to the left and to the right. But
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| | going for a walk with their dog.
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| on Saturday afternoon, another gorgeous
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| | Of course we admired the inukshuks by the
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| day, our four Austrian guests performed
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| | beach, a public play area for adults with
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| quite admirably and only lost 2 balls in
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| | rocks of various shapes and sizes that
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| the water hazard.
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| | are used by passers-by to create
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| They really enjoyed golf, a sport they
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| | interesting stone sculptures. We watched
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| had never even dreamed of playing, but
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| | a few tense points at the Kew Gardens
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| the Toronto area with its several hundred
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| | Tennis Club, and checked out the
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| golf courses, many of them reasonably
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| | picturesque Kew Gardens park itself. From
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| priced, made it easy to give this sport a
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| | there we headed west past the beach
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| try. All preconceived notions about golf
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| | volleyball facilities to the little
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| only being a sport for old people went
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| | peninsula west of Ashbridges Bay which
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| out the window, and they enjoyed the
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| | always offers a fabulous view of
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| challenge of trying to sink the round
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| | Toronto's skyline. We took in the
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| little ball in the hole.
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| | tranquil atmosphere and soaked in the sun
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| Sunday came our second big excursion: a
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| | for a while before we started our return
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| driving tour through the Kawartha Lakes.
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| | back along the waterfront. My European
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| I had only planned two major driving
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| | visitors commented several times how
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| tours: a wine-tasting tour through the
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| | incredible it is to have all this
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| Niagara Peninsula, and a second one to
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| | publicly accessible land right along the
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| the lake district of the Kawarthas. We
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| | waterfront and how in some secluded spots
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| started by driving east on Toronto's 401,
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| | you don't even realize that you are in a
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| a 12 to 16 lane highway whose size duly
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| | major metropolitan area.
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| impressed my European visitors. Then we
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| | To get back up to our house we had to
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| headed north-east through rolling farm
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| | climb back up from the waterfront and
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| country to Peterborough, a rural
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| | this time we chose the Glen Stewart
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| university town with a population of
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| | Ravine, where a little brook has carved a
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| about 70,000. From there we drove north
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| | valley into the slopes leading down to
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| into the Kawarthas, a gorgeous lake
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| | the waterfront. It is a densely forested
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| region set in the rocky landscape of the
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| | area and when you are in there it feels
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| Canadian Shield.
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| | like you are in a remote forest
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| Our first stop was Buckhorn, where we
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| | somewhere, not right in the middle of
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| watched the mechanics of lift locks of
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| | Toronto.
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| the Trent-Severn Canal that links Lake
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| | Once back at our house, preparation got
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| Ontario with Georgian Bay. We saw how
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| | started for our final goodbye barbeque
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| several boats assembled inside the lock
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| | and we had invited a few extra friends to
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| following by an opening of the sluices
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| | join us to give our Austrian guests a
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| and the water level equilibrating itself
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| | proper sendoff back home. We enjoyed some
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| with the level of the lower portion of
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| | excellent food and they sampled a few
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| the river. The Parks Canada lock
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| | more varieties of Canadian wines and
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| supervisor explained the whole process to
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| | beers, all of which they had commented
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| us and it only took about 10 minutes for
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| | quite favourably on. We didn't sample
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| the boats to reach the lower level.
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| | much restaurant cuisine since my brother
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| From Buckhorn we drove through rocky and
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| | is a talented chef, but the fresh
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| marshy countryside to the quaint village
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| | ingredients that he purchased in
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| of Bobcaygeon where we took an extended
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| | Toronto's various markets made for some
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| stroll. We had a nice waterfront lunch,
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| | truly delicious dinners.
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| looking across to the marina, seeing the
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| | In the evening we took one more spin in
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| the boats come in an out of the canal.
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| | the car, first to revisit the Distillery
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| Particularly our Austrian friends Luis
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| | District at night. Luis had wanted to buy
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| and Isabella love boating and seeing the
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| | some beer glasses at the Mill Street
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| many houseboats on the Trent-Severn Canal
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| | Brewery as a souvenir, but unfortunately
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| gave them a few ideas for future
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| | the brewery and restaurant were closed.
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| vacations in Canada.
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| | The whole Distillery area was a little
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| The lunch was delicious and we took a
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| | quiet, not surprisingly, since it was
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| little stroll around this charming town,
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| | Labour Day, the last official day of
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| admiring the waterfront parks and picnic
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| | summer, and the final day of respite
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| facilities that allow great access to the
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| | before school would begin again. We
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| water. From Bobcaygeon we drove on to
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| | continued our driving tour with a little
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| another little picturesque country town:
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| | spin through downtown and up Yonge Street
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| Fenelon Falls, whose name comes from a
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| | before we turned east on Bloor Street. We
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| waterfall in the middle of town that has
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| | crossed the Bloor Street Viaduct and
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| been used for electricity generation
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| | arrived on the Danforth, Toronto's Greek
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| since the 1870s.
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| | area. As always, Greektown was quite busy
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| After a sizeable line-up we picked up a
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| | and people were milling about. We sat
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| few delicious cones of Kawartha Dairy ice
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| | down on the patio of one of our favourite
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| cream and strolled over to the bridge
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| | restaurants and enjoyed some Greek snacks
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| over the falls and then down to the
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| | before we headed home after another long
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| little peninsula that sticks out into the
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| | day, all of us a little sad, commenting
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| river. From there you can look into a
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| | how nine days can pass so quickly.
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| rocky gorge where both sides of the river
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| | Today we'll have to take their four
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| are surrounded by high rocks.
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| | rented bicycles back and around 2:30
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| Again, we watched boats being lifted and
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| | we'll have to start the trek to the
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| lowered, this time in lock 33 of the
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| | airport. It's been a fabulous 9 days, an
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| Trent-Severn Canal System. This is
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| | extended sleepover with four great people
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| another town with a beautiful little park
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| | and we won't forget this holiday for a
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| right by the locks with lots of
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| | long, long time. We are already hoping
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| opportunity for barbeques or simply for a
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| | for another reunion, either in Austria,
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| relaxing snooze in the sun . Time was
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| | or back here in Canada, to deepen this
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| flying by and by this time it was already
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| | fabulous connection.
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