| Tuesday, September 6, 2005
| |
| | relaxing snooze in the sun . Time was
|
| Hello from Toronto (5) - Novice Golf,
| |
| | flying by and by this time it was already
|
| Driving through the Kawarthas, a Little
| |
| | 3:30 pm so we had to start our return to
|
| Off-Road Mountain-Biking & Preparing to
| |
| | the city. We only took back roads and my
|
| Say Goodbye
| |
| | brother lost count of the numerous golf
|
| It is unbelievable how nine days can just
| |
| | courses that dotted the landscape. It was
|
| fly by. Today my brother, sister-in-law
| |
| | a nice relaxing drive through rolling
|
| and our two Austrian friends are
| |
| | countryside and we made it back to
|
| scheduled to fly back to Graz, Austria,
| |
| | Toronto in less than 2 hours. All four of
|
| via Vienna. There has been an
| |
| | my Austrian guests had fallen in love
|
| increasingly palpable sense of
| |
| | with the Lake District and the prospect
|
| sentimentality in the air, in light of
| |
| | of another vacation in Canada to explore
|
| the fact that this wonderful time is
| |
| | the waters north of Toronto seems ever
|
| coming to an end alarmingly quickly.
| |
| | more likely.
|
| It's also amazing how many activities one
| |
| | Yesterday was their last full day in
|
| is able to cram into a short amount of
| |
| | Toronto, and we took our bikes out for a
|
| time. I wanted to give them a really good
| |
| | spin one more time. Since we all love
|
| taste of everything that I love about the
| |
| | water we rode down to the Eastern Beaches
|
| city of Toronto and my new country. So
| |
| | again, and leisurely explored the
|
| occasionally I put a few too many things
| |
| | waterfront. We watched some lawn bowling,
|
| on our plates and we ended up racing
| |
| | and one of the participants kept coming
|
| through a few of the activities. On the
| |
| | over to us to explain the rules of the
|
| whole though, I think our European guests
| |
| | game to us since none of us was familiar
|
| had a fabulous time and they fell in love
| |
| | with this sport. My guests commented
|
| with Toronto, just like I did, many years
| |
| | several times on the friendliness of
|
| ago.
| |
| | people in the stores, restaurants, in
|
| Saturday all six of us went golfing to a
| |
| | line-ups and even I myself was surprised
|
| little par-3 golf course in the East end
| |
| | at the approachability of Torontonians,
|
| of Toronto. None of my Austrian guests
| |
| | often known as a more reserved breed of
|
| had ever golfed before, so a couple of
| |
| | people. But we truly kept having very
|
| days earlier we started with a few
| |
| | positive experiences, equally with people
|
| buckets of balls at the driving range,
| |
| | employed in the service sector, as well
|
| followed up by an indoor putting practice
| |
| | as with regular citizens, taking a
|
| session on the carpet. Saturday we would
| |
| | stroll, playing a game of lawn bowling or
|
| get to try the real thing. The attempts
| |
| | going for a walk with their dog.
|
| at the driving range didn't look all that
| |
| | Of course we admired the inukshuks by the
|
| great, with balls spraying all over the
| |
| | beach, a public play area for adults with
|
| place, to the left and to the right. But
| |
| | rocks of various shapes and sizes that
|
| on Saturday afternoon, another gorgeous
| |
| | are used by passers-by to create
|
| day, our four Austrian guests performed
| |
| | interesting stone sculptures. We watched
|
| quite admirably and only lost 2 balls in
| |
| | a few tense points at the Kew Gardens
|
| the water hazard.
| |
| | Tennis Club, and checked out the
|
| They really enjoyed golf, a sport they
| |
| | picturesque Kew Gardens park itself. From
|
| had never even dreamed of playing, but
| |
| | there we headed west past the beach
|
| the Toronto area with its several hundred
| |
| | volleyball facilities to the little
|
| golf courses, many of them reasonably
| |
| | peninsula west of Ashbridges Bay which
|
| priced, made it easy to give this sport a
| |
| | always offers a fabulous view of
|
| try. All preconceived notions about golf
| |
| | Toronto's skyline. We took in the
|
| only being a sport for old people went
| |
| | tranquil atmosphere and soaked in the sun
|
| out the window, and they enjoyed the
| |
| | for a while before we started our return
|
| challenge of trying to sink the round
| |
| | back along the waterfront. My European
|
| little ball in the hole.
| |
| | visitors commented several times how
|
| Sunday came our second big excursion: a
| |
| | incredible it is to have all this
|
| driving tour through the Kawartha Lakes.
| |
| | publicly accessible land right along the
|
| I had only planned two major driving
| |
| | waterfront and how in some secluded spots
|
| tours: a wine-tasting tour through the
| |
| | you don't even realize that you are in a
|
| Niagara Peninsula, and a second one to
| |
| | major metropolitan area.
|
| the lake district of the Kawarthas. We
| |
| | To get back up to our house we had to
|
| started by driving east on Toronto's 401,
| |
| | climb back up from the waterfront and
|
| a 12 to 16 lane highway whose size duly
| |
| | this time we chose the Glen Stewart
|
| impressed my European visitors. Then we
| |
| | Ravine, where a little brook has carved a
|
| headed north-east through rolling farm
| |
| | valley into the slopes leading down to
|
| country to Peterborough, a rural
| |
| | the waterfront. It is a densely forested
|
| university town with a population of
| |
| | area and when you are in there it feels
|
| about 70,000. From there we drove north
| |
| | like you are in a remote forest
|
| into the Kawarthas, a gorgeous lake
| |
| | somewhere, not right in the middle of
|
| region set in the rocky landscape of the
| |
| | Toronto.
|
| Canadian Shield.
| |
| | Once back at our house, preparation got
|
| Our first stop was Buckhorn, where we
| |
| | started for our final goodbye barbeque
|
| watched the mechanics of lift locks of
| |
| | and we had invited a few extra friends to
|
| the Trent-Severn Canal that links Lake
| |
| | join us to give our Austrian guests a
|
| Ontario with Georgian Bay. We saw how
| |
| | proper sendoff back home. We enjoyed some
|
| several boats assembled inside the lock
| |
| | excellent food and they sampled a few
|
| following by an opening of the sluices
| |
| | more varieties of Canadian wines and
|
| and the water level equilibrating itself
| |
| | beers, all of which they had commented
|
| with the level of the lower portion of
| |
| | quite favourably on. We didn't sample
|
| the river. The Parks Canada lock
| |
| | much restaurant cuisine since my brother
|
| supervisor explained the whole process to
| |
| | is a talented chef, but the fresh
|
| us and it only took about 10 minutes for
| |
| | ingredients that he purchased in
|
| the boats to reach the lower level.
| |
| | Toronto's various markets made for some
|
| From Buckhorn we drove through rocky and
| |
| | truly delicious dinners.
|
| marshy countryside to the quaint village
| |
| | In the evening we took one more spin in
|
| of Bobcaygeon where we took an extended
| |
| | the car, first to revisit the Distillery
|
| stroll. We had a nice waterfront lunch,
| |
| | District at night. Luis had wanted to buy
|
| looking across to the marina, seeing the
| |
| | some beer glasses at the Mill Street
|
| the boats come in an out of the canal.
| |
| | Brewery as a souvenir, but unfortunately
|
| Particularly our Austrian friends Luis
| |
| | the brewery and restaurant were closed.
|
| and Isabella love boating and seeing the
| |
| | The whole Distillery area was a little
|
| many houseboats on the Trent-Severn Canal
| |
| | quiet, not surprisingly, since it was
|
| gave them a few ideas for future
| |
| | Labour Day, the last official day of
|
| vacations in Canada.
| |
| | summer, and the final day of respite
|
| The lunch was delicious and we took a
| |
| | before school would begin again. We
|
| little stroll around this charming town,
| |
| | continued our driving tour with a little
|
| admiring the waterfront parks and picnic
| |
| | spin through downtown and up Yonge Street
|
| facilities that allow great access to the
| |
| | before we turned east on Bloor Street. We
|
| water. From Bobcaygeon we drove on to
| |
| | crossed the Bloor Street Viaduct and
|
| another little picturesque country town:
| |
| | arrived on the Danforth, Toronto's Greek
|
| Fenelon Falls, whose name comes from a
| |
| | area. As always, Greektown was quite busy
|
| waterfall in the middle of town that has
| |
| | and people were milling about. We sat
|
| been used for electricity generation
| |
| | down on the patio of one of our favourite
|
| since the 1870s.
| |
| | restaurants and enjoyed some Greek snacks
|
| After a sizeable line-up we picked up a
| |
| | before we headed home after another long
|
| few delicious cones of Kawartha Dairy ice
| |
| | day, all of us a little sad, commenting
|
| cream and strolled over to the bridge
| |
| | how nine days can pass so quickly.
|
| over the falls and then down to the
| |
| | Today we'll have to take their four
|
| little peninsula that sticks out into the
| |
| | rented bicycles back and around 2:30
|
| river. From there you can look into a
| |
| | we'll have to start the trek to the
|
| rocky gorge where both sides of the river
| |
| | airport. It's been a fabulous 9 days, an
|
| are surrounded by high rocks.
| |
| | extended sleepover with four great people
|
| Again, we watched boats being lifted and
| |
| | and we won't forget this holiday for a
|
| lowered, this time in lock 33 of the
| |
| | long, long time. We are already hoping
|
| Trent-Severn Canal System. This is
| |
| | for another reunion, either in Austria,
|
| another town with a beautiful little park
| |
| | or back here in Canada, to deepen this
|
| right by the locks with lots of
| |
| | fabulous connection.
|
| opportunity for barbeques or simply for a
| |
| |
|
