At the beginning of August 2010, I flew to Montréal for the long weekend. I was pretty lucky because the weather is amazing! I flew Friday night and stayed at the Marriott Chateau Champlain which was really lovely.

Montréal is really beautifully set up with some gorgeous parks. It has a nice laid back feel which reminded me a little bit of Melbourne.

So green! Sigh!

How cute is this squirrel! It was just running around in the park. Squirrels always amuse me, as I’m not used to them just running about!

Look at the stunning architecture! Montréal is a very old city and has kept a lot of their builders in their original design.

Montréal City Hall

What I love most about Montréal is their transportation that you can hire! You can rent bicycles or the little cart like above! Love it!! Such an easy cruisy way to get around the city!

LOVE

At the Old Port, is the Centre Des Science De Montréal (Science Centre of Montreal) which also has an IMAX theatre.

Vieux Port (Old Port) is such a beautiful part of Montréal. So calm and fresh.

If you wish to see the city on horse carriage, you can! Pick a horse at the Old Port and off you go!

Giddyup!

Here’s me taking a phot of myself on the horse carriage (har har).

In all, I really recommend seeing Montreal on horse carriage! I decided on an hour tour which took me around Old Montreal and the Old Port. I really enjoyed learning about the history of Montreal and the horse was slow enough to be able to see everything and you could get into those little streets where tour buses can’t. I was able to relax my feet a little, soak up the sun and enjoooooyyy. =)

One of the loveliest things about Toronto is that it sits on the beautiful Lake Ontario. You get lovely fresh gusts of wind (far from lovely in the winter) from the lake and the view is just great. But what is better than all of that is viewing Toronto from the other side, via boat, or via the Toronto Islands, of via plane – day or night – it is just magnificent!

Toronto Harbourfront reminds me of the Melbourne Docklands by 100x times better. It is more developed with more things to do. Let’s not forget that it is also better planned out (the planning of Melbourne Docklands was atrocious). But perhaps in a couple of years to come, the Melbourne Docklands will be bursting of life and energy just like the Harbourfront.

Toronto’s Harbourbront, like Melbourne’s Dockland did not get much attention when in its first developments. See that ugly square beige/grey building pictured above? Those are the first condominiums to be built at Toronto Harbourfront and they were going for $50,000 with free parking! In comparison to the value of the condominiums these days – $50,000 can just buy you parking!!!

But seriously – The Toronto Harbourfront in it’s first development was a pretty ugly site. It’s definitely gone a long way from what it used to be. This entire area used to be an industrial playground – full of dirty factories and grime. Toronto has cleaned itself up a lot since then and turned its city into one of the world’s most iconic cityscapes – home to the Rogers Centre and the CN Tower and many festivals (there’s one every weekend during the summer!)

One sunny arvo, we took a Toronto Harbour Tour which takes you around the lake and all the way to the Toronto Centre Islands too where you can also spend your day there. I got a one hour tour ride for just $8 off Groupon (normally $25)! So good! Here are some photos from the ride.

Above: Left is the CN tower and to the right is Sirius Centre where a lot of free concerts are played.

Above is the Rogers Centre (formally known as Skydome) and is home to the Toronto BlueJays (baseball). Last night the New York Yankees and the BlueJays played here. Also in this photo are boats, kayaks and canoes for rent.

 Here’s me on the boat tour.  HEHE!

This is my second time at the 360 Restaurant. I loved it the first time I ate there, but it was the winter and it was pretty dark. The skies were clear and we could see a lot of pretty lights, but this time the sun was out longer as it was summer and we could eat yummy food whilst watching the sunset. It was beautiful! The CN Tower is a place everyone must experience for themselves. CN Tower is the tallest tower in the world! What better to enjoy good food with a stunning view and the feeling like you’re on top of the world? :)

The beautiful sunset.

Here’s the food!

TRIO OF ATLANTIC SEAFOOD COCKTAIL
Jumbo lump crab, Maritime lobster, cold poached shrimp
Champagne vinaigrette, tarragon aïoli, horseradish cocktail sauce $48

CUMIN SCENTED ROAST RACK OF LAMB
Warm pancetta, potato and mint salad, natural jus $52

PAN ROASTED WILD BLACK COD
Wilted Swiss chard, preserved orange, fennel pollen, black olive vinaigrette $38

ORANGE RISOTTO WITH COINTREAU CRÈME FRAÎCHE
Passion fruit, dark chocolate, pistachios $14

One of the best things about summer in Toronto is Canada’s Wonderland – where you can go to feel like a kid again! Not a care in the world, just funnnnnn……..!

…. And sure it was! The weather was just gorgeous too which helped. Canada’s Wonderland has a range of rides to fit your comfort (or risk-taking, if you dare) and even water rides for those hot summer days! I really enjoyed The Mighty Canadian Minebuster (Canada’s Longest Wooden Coaster), Time Warp (Canada’s Only Flying Coaster), Behemoth (Canada’s biggest, fastest & tallest coaster ever), Sky Rider, Shockwave, The Bat, and Vortex… SO MUCH FUN.

I didn’t even get to go on all the Thrill rides in that one day, let alone go on the water rides! Sniff! I have to go back! :) :) There’s no wonder so many people have Season Passes, where you can go as many times as you want in a year!

Here’s me in front of the waterfalls where they do diving shows!

Here’s “The Bat” in motion

Here’s another view of “The Bat”

Here’s Behemoth! Hugeeeee.

This is “Drop Zone”

This is Canada’s Wonderland trying to be like Disneyland.

Now what’s an Amusement Park if they didn’t have Funnel Cakes? :) YUM.

The Museum of Inuit Art is located within the historic Queens Quay Terminal at Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre. This museum is dedicated to the art and culture of Canada’s indigenous people (known as Inuit) and features sculptures carved from stone, antler, ivory and bone to ceramics, prints and wall hangings.

It was officially launched in June 2007 and aims to showcase the artistic history of Canada’s Inuit by showcasing their cultural and thematic foundations of their art and highlighting the regional diversity of their artistic expression.

I very much enjoyed visiting this museum. The sculptures, paintings and ceramics were undeniably beautiful. There were a range of miniature to large sculptures and I wondered how they sculpted these so long ago and so precisely. I very much enjoyed the sculptures of themselves, and their way of life. It was interesting to see their perspective of life and what mattered to them, and how they viewed themselves.

The museum also showcases videos where you can sit and watch to learn more about the Inuit history and culture which was very interesting as well. We spent about 2 hours at this museum, marvelling at each and every piece. I highly recommend viewing this museum!

See more pictures at my
Museum of Modern Art Flickr set.

Last Friday, Kaori and I made our way up to High Park to see the Cherry Blossoms for Spring 2010! These Cherry Blossoms (Sakura trees) are such a wonderful celebration to see and experience in Toronto as they mark the end of winter! It is an old Japanese tradition of Sakura Hanami which is roughly translated as “cherry blossom flower viewing” and typically occurs in late April – early May. Toronto’s winter is just too harsh and cold, even for these most cold tolerant flowering cherry tree species! I’ve been told that these flowers don’t last very long as they fall very quickly and if you want to catch a glimpse of these photos, you only have about a 1-2 week window to go! Sakura blossoms are seen as a metaphor for life itself, luminous and beautiful, yet fleeting and ephemeral.

History of High Park’s Sakura Trees

In 1959, the Japanese ambassador to Canada, Toru-Hagiwara, presented 2000 Japanese Somei-Yoshino Sakura trees to the citizens of Toronto on behalf of the citizens of Tokyo. The trees were planted in appreciation of Toronto accepting re-located Japanese-Canadians following the Second World War. Many of these trees were planted on the hillside overlooking Grenadier Pond (immediately southwest of the Grenadier Café) and around the west shore of the pond.

In 1984, a grove of Japanese cherry trees were planted along a pathway west of the Children’s Adventure Playground in High Park. The trees were donated by Yoriki and Midori Iwasaki as a special gift to the people of Toronto and “a joyful symbol of life”.

Through the Consulate General of Japan in Toronto’s “Sakura Project”, 34 Yoshino ‘Akebono’ and Kwanzan ‘Fugenzo’ Sakura trees were donated toHigh Park in 2001 on the west shore of Grenadier Pond near the Maple Leaf garden.  In 2006, 16 additional Yoshino Sakura trees were planted near the original 1959 planting site.

Plaques commemorating each of the plantings can be found under the cherry trees in High Park.

Source: High Park’s Cherry Blossom Website

Image Source: High Park’s Cherry Blossom Website

There are two walks that you can take at High Park to see these trees. Walk 1 involves a 30-45 minute walk along the paved trails which can also be quite steep in some places. This walk is definitely worth it as you’ll see the most beautiful views of High Park’s Sakura trees as well as Grenadier Pond and Hillside Gardens. Also watch for Baltimore Orioles that have just migrated back to the park feeding on nectar from the Sakura blossoms! I didn’t manage to see any while I was there though..

I didn’t do Walk 2 but this walk features the grove of Sakura trees donated by the Iwasaki family in 1984 as well as the Children’s Adventure Playground and the Lower Duck Pond. While there are fewer Sakura trees on this 20 minute walk, this walk will be good for your little ones :)

Below are photos I took while I was on Walk 1. You will get a little viewing of some of these truly beautiful flowers! It of course is not the same to viewing them up close with your own eyes.

High Park becomes a photographer’s heaven at this time of year. From amateur to professional photographers, this is where they gather to capture this beautiful moment in Toronto. I didn’t see one group of people without a camera!

As mentioned a little bit earlier, there are some beautiful wildlife that come to stay at High Park.

These birds aren’t the only birds who come to enjoy High Park, but so do “Love Birds”.

And so do families and friends..

High Park also has other beautiful flowers such as this pretty pink one below.

Location & How To Get There

View Larger Map

The most convenient and easy way I find is to take the TTC to High Park station (on the Bloor line) and just as you cross Bloor Street, you’ll see High Park. It’s too big to miss!

If you prefer to drive, there’s free parking available at the Grenadier Restaurant (enter the park from the intersection of Bloor Street and High Park Avenue and follow the one-way loop to the Grenadier Restaurant in the centre of the park) and the lot immediately east of the Zoo (enter the park from the intersection of High Park Blvd and Parkside Drive).

Other than the falls at Niagara, one of the main attractions is the Fudge Factory. Here you can get yourself some fresh made fudge in many different flavours including Rocky Road, Reese’s Peanut Butter Crunch, Canadian Maple Nut, Canadian Maple, Chocolate Walnut, Oreo Cookie, English Bailey’s Cream. Not only that, there are a range of candy apples, sponge toffee and other chocolate covered treats which are made daily from traditional recipes and fresh ingredients.

I bought myself the English Bailey’s Cream, Canadian Maple Nut and Oreo Cookie fudges. Soooooooo good.

There are plenty of other things to do at Niagara Falls, all of them really cheesy and tacky. This includes the Movieland Wax Museum.

We’ve all heard about how scarily close the Madame Tussauds Wax Museums get to the real deal and so I had sort of the same expectations when I went to the Movieland Wax Museum especially after seeing the freakishly identical wax figure of Heath Ledger (as shown above). It looks so incredibly real!

To tell you the truth, I was pretty disappointed. A lot of the wax figures looked far from the individual. But having said that, there were a few that stood out and really surprised me how good they looked. Examples below!

It doesn’t take long to walk through the museum as well, it’s very small with not a lot of wax figures to see. At the very end, you can have a wax replica of your hand made at the Fun Factory Gift Shop.

Entry

Adults: $9.99 CDN plus tax
Children: $5.99 CDN plus tax
Kids under 3: Free

Movieland Wax Museum Review
Cleanliness
Staff
Location
Value

Overall
Not really worth the time, or money. But it's something to do if there's nothing better!

More photos:

Movieland Wax Museum Flickr Set
57 Photos

One weekend, I travelled to Niagara Falls. It’s usually only about an hour and a half drive away from the city of Toronto so it wasn’t too much of a drive, but it was a very snowy one! It was about -20C with windchill and there was snow all over the roads even though there was no snow at all in Toronto.

When we finally got there, the falls was so misty that we could hardly see anything and a lot of it was iced up. While it was extremely cold, it sure was pretty!

Because it’s so cold during the winter, the Maid of the Mist doesn’t operate but you can still get great views of the Falls via the Observation tower or the SkyWheel. The wheel is absolutely stunning at night!

Niagara Falls may be a bit of a drive, but it’s definitely a worthwhile visit. It sits on the border of the N.Y, USA and Ontario, Canada border and if you’re wanting to go see the Falls for yourself, make sure you visit from the Canadian side and not the U.S. side because you get a much more spectacular view of not just Niagara Falls but also the Horseshoe Falls! Can’t get better than that – two waterfalls in the one visit!

Pictured below: Horseshoe Falls on the left, and Niagara Falls on the right. Click to enlarge the panorama.

It’s snowing. It’s supposedly spring but it’s snowing. And it will be for three days. I can’t believe how cold a Toronto “spring” is. The wind chill was especially ridiculous.

Here’s a quick video I took just outside where I live in Bayview, Toronto.