Always an adventure

We were told that in Canada, there are two seasons – “winter and construction” and with the amount of roads, streets and buildings we encountered that were works in progress, we concur with that statement. Canada brought us more poutine, art, beautiful vistas and also a bit of a heat wave that began and continued on into Maine.

After Toronto we continued on to Montreal, where we spent one night then on to Quebec City. Old Montreal was really pretty, we stayed in a cool old hotel and spent some time visiting art galleries. In Quebec City, we stayed in another historic hotel within the walls and enjoyed walking around the city and of course, eating some more poutine, along with other good food. We met up with Mélanie Giguère a Canadian artist who we have a couple of pieces from in our house https://www.melaniegiguere.ca. She paints canvas and then folds the canvas to create beautiful works, we have one of hers in our front room with the wood wall and a smaller one in our hallway upstairs. She was super cool and it was nice that she took the time to come in town to a gallery to visit with us for a bit. This definitely has been a good trip for seeing some good art as well as a nice foodie trip as we have enjoyed some really good restaurants along the way.

Once we made our way into Maine, we hit the heat wave of the summer, with temps in the 90’s, which is very unseasonably warm. Our first place we stopped, was Blair Hill, near Moosehead Lake. It was a really nice B & B, where we had really nice dinners both nights. I got a massage and we were able to pop over to the Lily Bay state park on one of the hottest days and actually get into the lake – which is rare for Maine. The water was still chilly, but felt great on a 90+ heat day and even I got into the water (shocker, as I am a wimp for cold water).

The sunsets there were spectacular and changed each night with every hour. We have been up in Maine before, at Acadia Park a couple of times, which was beautiful. We really enjoyed the time we had this trip, seeing a different portion of the state. Once we got past the bigger cities in Canada and started into the rural parts of Maine, the driving was much more enjoyable as it was green everywhere with beautiful marshes, lakes and rivers. No moose sightings, bummer, but we did see a few deer. I wasn’t willing to do the 4:00 a.m. wakeup for a “moose safari” – I figured if we see one, that it was meant to be, but I enjoyed sleeping in a bit in a comfy bed.

After our time in Northern Maine we drove down to Owl’s Head and spent a few days with our friends Brooks and John, who have a beautiful house on the water where they escape the Florida heat and enjoy the beautiful views and chill Maine vibe. We visited an art museum, did a bit of shopping and fed ourselves well with plenty of oysters, lobster and other great seafood. Brooks and I got a nice hike in one day while Sam took care of a tire issue we had with the car. On our last evening with them, we sat out on their deck with some drinks and enjoyed the cool air and sound of the water. So nice to hang with friends in a beautiful place. After Owl’s Head, we ended up in Kennebunkport – where the weather cooled down a bit.

In Kennebunkport, we stayed in another historic building with was within waking distance of town. The food we had there was amazing, with a great lunch of lobster and chowder at Mabels and two spectacular dinners, at Earth at Hidden Pond and White Barn. We have eaten really well on this trip and White Barn was a highlight food wise. Sam got in a round of golf one morning while I meandered around town, visiting some art galleries and shops – surprisingly not purchasing much! We also did a drive by of the Bush’s compound and some of the scenic homes in the Kennebunkport neighborhoods. Old school charm for sure.

Sam is a road warrior and doesn’t mind driving that much, but he kindly acquiesced to my request of no days of more than 5 hours of driving if possible. Even with stops of two days, we have really had a chance to enjoy the cities and towns we have visited and have never felt too rushed. Today we drove south around Boston and took the ferry from Hyannis port over to Nantucket. We are staying in a really cute place and will cross paths with our friends Buzz and Janice who summer up here.

We will be back home within the week – with Anna and her dog Poppy in tow (yea!) We jumped into things with our friends Kyle and Emily and their boys for the week of 4th of July. As much as Sam and I enjoy hanging out together, we love the time we get with friends as well – both on the road and in our home.

I know these posts have been more informational and less exciting with story telling – thankfully no crisis that necessitate mentioning – so that’s good. Thanks for traveling along with us.

Oh Canada – Toronto version

Toronto

This recent road trip took us through parts of Canada that I had not visited before, and our first city after Niagra Falls was Toronto. We stayed at the 1 Hotel, which was in a nice location and had a really nice rooftop bar. We stopped in for a quick drink, chatted with the bartenders and we were able to get into our room early in the afternoon.

We started off our time in Toronto with a food tour, because why not eat our way through a city to find out about some of its history and culture. We enjoy doing food tours when we travel and have used Secret Food Tours at a number of cities around the world. It was a hot day and we walked two miles to meet up with our group. Turns out, we were the only ones to schedule a 3:00 tour, so we had a private tour – which was even better. We started out at the St. Lawrence Market, a gorgeous food market with tons of vendors in what was an old carriage house as well as a former prison. 

We ate our way through the market and around town for 3+ hours with our guide, Paris. Starting in the market and ending in the Distillery District, both places that we would visit again if we had more time. I really wish that Ponte Vedra had a really good farmers market – or something that had fresh produce and good local wares. One of these days – but on this tour, we enjoyed smoked fish, specialty mustards, pea meal pork sandwiches, cheese, chocolates, chicken curry and beer and finishing off with poutine (my first ever)- we definitely did not need dinner that day!!

I always enjoy seeing local art – whether in a gallery or in the neighborhoods, even if it is graffiti. The second day in Toronto, Sam got up really early to drive over an hour to play golf at a course he had wanted to play – that gave me a chance to sleep in (yea!), then meander around the city for myself. I saw that nearby, there was an area in the local garment district called graffiti alley, so I set off on foot to explore. It was a really cool area that had a good local vibe to it and had a decent amount of street art. I took my time wandering around, taking some photos and just soaking in the local vibe.

Art is definitely in the eye of the beholder – and whether it is in a fine arts gallery, a museum or on the side of a building – I appreciate it in all its forms.

We ate a light lunch at the hotel and chilled after Sam returned from golf, then had a really nice dinner that night at a place called Enigma. The chef was from South Africa, but had trained in the UK and Norway and had earned his Michelin star in Toronto. We enjoyed an 8 course meal (plus amuse bouche and two dessert courses) along with a nice bottle of vino. It was a really nice experience – one that we don’t do all the time, but it is fun to toss in every once in a while when we travel. The place and the food was beautiful – great service and every course was spectacular. If you’re ever in Toronto and want to drop a bit of $ for a really great dining experience – we would recommend the place.

I tried not to be too dorky and take too many photos, but here are a few. Toronto definitely had a big city feel, but we enjoyed our few days there.

The next day we took off for Montreal – so I’ll do another post for that and Quebec City. Visiting cities is a different way of exploring Canada, as in the past we have spent time in Waterton Lakes National Park, Banff and Cape Bretton – which are more scenic and rural/remote. I did enjoy the city tour this time around – definitely gives a different experience.