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Article #162: Hello from Toronto (5) - Novice Golf, Driving through the Kawarthas, a Little Off-Road Mountain.....

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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






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