Toronto to Toronto via UK (beer & pork pies)

We thought that he hustle and bustle of NYC and Quebec City was all behind us, we were wrong. Never get on the same plane, train or dinner table with me as you are assured it will be delayed for some reason and you’ll always be the last table to eat. Indeed the flight out of point A Toronto was delayed because of a malfunction but eventually we made it to point B, Heathrow, where my brother Michael and sister in law Rachel greeted us. Our trip here was going to be a calm peaceful holiday visiting the ‘relies’ but no, from here it was a whirlwind tour of UK and Switzerland. On to visit sister Linda and husband Martyn by train to Devon we go after a day of rest in Wiltshire; the pub was closed! Touring Dartmoor we went visiting beautiful villages hundreds of years old getting there by two way roads that were never meant for two cars. How polite and courteous are the English, backing up on these roads to allow an approaching car through, waving a thank you salute as they bypass each other. Here they have invented automatic folding side mirrors on their cars as it’s cheaper than widening the roads, far cry from the countless side view mirrors duct taped on many older cars.

Great pub

A day in Martyn and Linda’s boat in Torquay is next with the hustle and bustle of a very busy harbour plus a car show and staring in wonderment at the huge 4ft long jellyfish that have invaded these shores in recent years.

Captain Martyn

Two chicks and brown trout, what more could you want

Visiting their kids and grandkids another highlight, nice catching up on their progress. The weather was a nice change from the hot and humid Ontario we left behind, here it was sunny with clouds, rain, downpours, cool, no snow, but wait 5 minutes and it will all change. The English countryside has benefited from the moist cooler summer as everything is so green, pastures with the cows and sheep dotted around the beautiful countryside with the deciduous trees and shrubs outlining each field, like a picture postcard. For all the 70 million people in this country I wonder ‘where do they all live?’ as we see fields and fields and very few habitations for the human race; are they like hobbits and live underground?

After a hectic wonderful visit in Devon we head back on the train to Wiltshire to my brothers place, getting there on the far more efficient trains than I was used to 50 years ago with the soot belching coal driven locomotives, now the trains have less character but are efficient and clean and usually on time; this train of course broke down at the station (don’t flush!) and once again don’t travel with me.

Daisy bell

Off on Easy Jet we fly to Geneva, pick up a car rental and with Michael driving we head towards Villar in the Swiss Alps. Quite the place Villar nestled in the Alps about 4,000ft up with everything around so orderly, pristine, manicured, clean, even the wood is stacked like soldiers in a regiment. Luckily we have a day or two before the rains arrive so we head up next morning on a walkabout in the mountain meadows accompanied by the very loud gongs of the XXL bells the cows have around their necks. I had thought that the bells only rang when the cows moved but noooo it’s not like that, they ‘boing’ loudly every time any of the 30 odd cows chew setting up an unorchestrated Beethovens symphony in each meadow seemingly competing against each other. Walking is different at this elevation especially the part that goes up. One would think that the going up and down would be a 50/50 arrangement but it does not appear to be so. We survive and have a nice rest stop in an alpine meadow in a lodge drinking our hot chocolate.

The chalet we stay at is wonderfully located and was generously loaned to us by one of Michaels friends, grateful we are. Up the mountain next day on the tramcar, much more user friendly, and again we have hot chocolate at an alpine lodge dating back to 1750 after a very nice hike faintly reminiscent of Alaska but without the cowbells! It is all so pristine here just as one would imagine the Alps to be, and at any moment expecting Julie Andrews to raise her arms in yonder hilltop singing ‘I go to the hills la la la la’ It is a magical place for walking and touring and even in the rain next day it still is beautiful.

Some parts were down hill

Our last night there we have a wonderful meal at a local restaurant, I had homemade tomato soup followed by curried spaghetti and prawns, absolutely delicious.

Sad to leave the Alps and head back to England and our next port of call is a guided tour by my brother of the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

Her Ladyship and his Lordshit

Truly incredible are the sights we see in and outside the buildings unfortunately no photographs so with many police around one keeps the camera in the case. My meal in the House of Lords cafeteria was superb, the tour was splendid even though the interior structures were undergoing some renovations, a private tour like no other. There is a lot of work to do on these irreplaceable historic beautiful old structures, billions to be spent but after touring and seeing all the sights so well worth it.

It’s off to the R.A.C. club in Epsom with golf club, snooker room etc etc, posh place with jacket and tie, uggh! all the family gathers there, great night, wonderful company. A long drive home after the meal and I feel guilty sitting in the passengers seat doing nothing except trying to stay awake.

We are not finished yet!

Upscale Holiday Inn?

Off we go crosscountry to Boringham Hall in Plymouth a centuries old mansion that has been burnt, gutted, raided, torn down, built up, used as a farm etc over the centuries and now after many millions of pounds being spent is a top class stately mansion/hotel.

sisters outlaw

Wonderful ambiance, a magnificent building with great food and decor and a pleasure to stay at overnight with brother and sisters families.

Sister and two brothers ugly

The history of the place is quite amazing and we all have a great time in this ‘upscale Holiday Inn!’

There’s still more! next is Lynmouth in North Devon staying at Rachels sister Sarahs B&B with husband Ian. Wonderful location overlooking the Severn estuary opposite Cardiff and Newport in Welsh Wales. Food and patina at Ian and Sara’s place is great, we spend 2 nights wining and dining in the B&B and local town, walk along cliff hanging pathways where only goats feel safe and see the Exmoor wild horses tolerating pushy tourists. We say goodbye to Martyn and Linda here, sadly of course as they head off to see family.

The end is nigh as we head back to Wylye in Wiltshire to prepare to get back to reality although coming from rhd roads to the UK lhd roads, to Switzerland with rhd roads, back to UK with lhd roads and now we head back to Canada and rhd roads, so what is reality? confusing?

Our train and bus trip into Heathrow goes without a hitch and even the plane takes off in time, wow, even with the full set of dishes Diana bought loaded into my carry on luggage that I could barely lift up into the overhead compartment; I purchased one screwdriver! Thinking back on our hectic month in England brings a smile to our faces with all the wonderful memories we have and especially the way we were royally treated by our ‘relies’ plus the full breakfast,

The full English without blood pudding

clotted cream jam and scones, welsh rarebit, pork pies, pints of ale and sausage sandwiches. Now which diet shall I now go on?

It’s been a wonderful trip with relies seeing their kids and grand kids, all wonderful and full of life; pretty Paignton even in a downpour and Devon countryside; the trips into Salisbury and exploring this really nice town; to Switzerland and the drive into the Alps, at the chalet, the wonderment at the organized regimented way of life there, the House of Lords and Commons and being privileged to have a special tour; dinner at the R.A.C. club, trip to Plymouth and the Boringham Hotel, (roughing it smoothly); onto Lynmouth in north Devon and the great B&B there and so many other places we experienced with our wonderful family. Yes indeed we’ve been royally treated here, a trip we will never forget, now it’s time to face reality which too is really wonderful, thankful that we have so much to look forward to and grateful that we have such a great family, we are indeed rich.

Now, where were we when I last gave up; ahh yes, sweating away in Ontario preparing for the wedding of Nephew Marc Andre and Kahla in Cambridge..

Fabulous wedding at a great venue and apart from the a/c in the truck giving up on the way it was a perfect day. Heavy rain and thunder and lightening storm before the ceremony but all went so very well, sticky weather but that is Southern Ontario for you.

After the wedding weekend we go and pick up R, J &Ben from their family reunion in Toronto and drop off at the Tae Kwon Do venue at the Pan American games that are being hosted by Toronto so Richard and Diana can attend later on in the evening.

Now we have to prepare for our trip with R, J & Ben to NYC. Recharging the a/c in the truck worked well as to travel  with 5 of us without it would have been pretty miserable. We are also thankful we did buy the new to us 5th wheel as it gave us much more room especially on the stormy days we had and were forced to stay inside the unit,

We were treated to a couple of Mother Natures wonderful displays in the evenings, for hours we heard the thunder above and the sky was lit up with sheets of lightening, magnificent. A short visit to Niagara Falls was on the way to NYC and well worth the visit

We made the NYC campsite in 2 days via the toll roads but worth the money as we didn’t have a whole bunch of days to do this trip, the campsite being 1 hour + to get into Manhattan so not so bad. Add 4 train fares together to get in and out of Manhattan from the campsite and it was much cheaper to drive in and pay for parking. Travelling with 11 month old Ben has been quite easy and really we didn’t know what to expect with the nap interruptions and indeed the 3 hour time change; he soldiered through it all, the wedding, the heat and the confinement in the truck. All he really needs is a nap now and then and LOTS of food and he’s happy.

Into the ‘Big Apple’ we go, familiar to us from 5 years ago but not so for R&J so a bus tour is the order of the day. It always amazes me here how the masses of people and vehicles ever gets around here but they do. There really are few rules and traffic comes to a halt all so often but the New Yorkers seem to accept the fact that they are not going to go very far very fast and seem to accept it without the road rage one would expect and avoiding major ‘road kill’.

By the time we are finished the bus tour with the ons and offs we make it’s late afternoon, Ben still going strong loving the people and the trucks and  we are all a little more familiar with where things are in this incredibly cosmopolitan city, from Times Square, to Brooklyn, to Soho, to Noho to Central Park , to Broadway, the Italian and Chinese sections, Wall Street and the Twin towers and even MSG.

Next day is our day off, R&J are going into NYC to spend the day, see a show and to stay overnight; their first away from Ben. It’s quite the privilege to babysit Ben for a couple of days and not to spoil him but apart from the bacon at the free pancake breakfast at the campsite we do manage to abide by R&J’s requests and a great two days is ours.

All goes really well until they skype us from NYC and Ben sees them on the computer; he points and gets excited so we have to turn off the video so as not to upset him. They arrive back via train after a very nice 2 days in the city and we set off towards Quebec City.

Another 2 days on the road and for once we choose the right lane at the border crossing (thanks Jamie) and it another Walmart parking lot outside of Montreal in the middle of another huge storm but why pay for a campsite when we can’t use it; again we are thankful we have the newer 5th wheel with the extra space. The campsite in St Augustine is 20 minutes from Quebec City so we go into the city in the afternoon to spy the land and prepare for the morrow, dining on BBQ’d pizza and beer.

Next day Diana and I tag along following the course that R&J set and we walk up and down the hills and attractions there are to see in this city. Unfortunately our views are occasionally spoilt by senseless graffiti in the old city; a pet hate of mine; and after seeing so little elsewhere it saddens my view and I am always left wondering ‘why?’ There are no cruise ships in harbour so it’s not  bad walking in the crowds, the weather is quite nice and cooler than it has been so after walking all day we sit down for a coffee and pomme frits at a sidewalk cafe while Ben takes a nap. The day comes to an end after considerable walking but the sights of this beautiful city have been seen and we are satisfied with our day.

All to soon it time to head back to Toronto for R, J & Ben to catch their plane home. A stop on the way into Toronto to drop off the toys we loaned from a friend, have a delicious lunch and soon we are packing up for our respective flights out of Toronto at the Indian Line campsite just outside of Toronto.

It’s been a whirlwind 10 days and we have accomplished a lot in that time. Diana and I enjoyed our time immensely and stick it up as one of life’s remembrances.  I hope R, J & Ben feel the same way as it’s not easy travelling with 5 people in 10 days in a reasonably confined space and ending up happy, we did!

6,000 miles under our belts and a few more to go. Off to the UK to see family and ?? Drink warm beer??? Thank God we always have so much to look forward to in this life, may it continue.

 

 

 

Toronto to Toronto

Now, where were we when I last gave up; ahh yes, sweating away in Ontario preparing for the wedding of Nephew Marc Andre and Kahla in Cambridge..

Mr & Mrs Guilbault

Forever the ladies man

Fabulous wedding at a great venue and apart from the a/c in the truck giving up on the way it was a perfect day. Heavy rain and thunder and lightening storm before the ceremony but all went so very well, sticky weather but that is Southern Ontario for you.

After the wedding weekend we go and pick up R, J &Ben from their family reunion in Toronto and drop off at the Tae Kwon Do venue at the Pan American games that are being hosted by Toronto so Richard and Diana can attend later on in the evening.

Now we have to prepare for our trip with R, J & Ben to NYC. Recharging the a/c in the truck worked well as to travel  with 5 of us without it would have been pretty miserable. We are also thankful we did buy the new to us 5th wheel as it gave us much more room especially on the stormy days we had and were forced to stay inside the unit,

New 5th wheel

We were treated to a couple of Mother Natures wonderful displays in the evenings, for hours we heard the thunder above and the sky was lit up with sheets of lightening, magnificent. A short visit to Niagara Falls was on the way to NYC and well worth the visit

Pure awesome power

We made the NYC campsite in 2 days via the toll roads but worth the money as we didn’t have a whole bunch of days to do this trip, the campsite being 1 hour + to get into Manhattan so not so bad. Add 4 train fares together to get in and out of Manhattan from the campsite and it was much cheaper to drive in and pay for parking. Travelling with 11 month old Ben has been quite easy and really we didn’t know what to expect with the nap interruptions and indeed the 3 hour time change; he soldiered through it all, the wedding, the heat and the confinement in the truck. All he really needs is a nap now and then and LOTS of food and he’s happy.

‘The Charmer’ with Grandma

Into the ‘Big Apple’ we go, familiar to us from 5 years ago but not so for R&J so a bus tour is the order of the day. It always amazes me here how the masses of people and vehicles ever gets around here but they do. There really are few rules and traffic comes to a halt all so often but the New Yorkers seem to accept the fact that they are not going to go very far very fast and seem to accept it without the road rage one would expect and avoiding major ‘road kill’.

By the time we are finished the bus tour with the ons and offs we make it’s late afternoon, Ben still going strong loving the people and the trucks and  we are all a little more familiar with where things are in this incredibly cosmopolitan city, from Times Square, to Brooklyn, to Soho, to Noho to Central Park , to Broadway, the Italian and Chinese sections, Wall Street and the Twin towers and even MSG.

The bull shyt in NYC is still there

Next day is our day off, R&J are going into NYC to spend the day, see a show and to stay overnight; their first away from Ben. It’s quite the privilege to babysit Ben for a couple of days and not to spoil him but apart from the bacon at the free pancake breakfast at the campsite we do manage to abide by R&J’s requests and a great two days is ours.

Mum and Son on the hayride

All goes really well until they skype us from NYC and Ben sees them on the computer; he points and gets excited so we have to turn off the video so as not to upset him. They arrive back via train after a very nice 2 days in the city and we set off towards Quebec City.

Another 2 days on the road and for once we choose the right lane at the border crossing (thanks Jamie) and it another Walmart parking lot outside of Montreal in the middle of another huge storm but why pay for a campsite when we can’t use it; again we are thankful we have the newer 5th wheel with the extra space. The campsite in St Augustine is 20 minutes from Quebec City so we go into the city in the afternoon to spy the land and prepare for the morrow, dining on BBQ’d pizza and beer.

Chateau Frontenac

Next day Diana and I tag along following the course that R&J set and we walk up and down the hills and attractions there are to see in this city. Unfortunately our views are occasionally spoilt by senseless graffiti in the old city; a pet hate of mine; and after seeing so little elsewhere it saddens my view and I am always left wondering ‘why?’ There are no cruise ships in harbour so it’s not  bad walking in the crowds, the weather is quite nice and cooler than it has been so after walking all day we sit down for a coffee and pomme frits at a sidewalk cafe while Ben takes a nap. The day comes to an end after considerable walking but the sights of this beautiful city have been seen and we are satisfied with our day.

All to soon it time to head back to Toronto for R, J & Ben to catch their plane home. A stop on the way into Toronto to drop off the toys we loaned from a friend, have a delicious lunch and soon we are packing up for our respective flights out of Toronto at the Indian Line campsite just outside of Toronto.

Beautiful people

It’s been a whirlwind 10 days and we have accomplished a lot in that time. Diana and I enjoyed our time immensely and stick it up as one of life’s remembrances.  I hope R, J & Ben feel the same way as it’s not easy travelling with 5 people in 10 days in a reasonably confined space and ending up happy, we did!

6,000 miles under our belts and a few more to go. Off to the UK to see family and ?? Drink warm beer??? Thank God we always have so much to look forward to in this life, may it continue.

Wawa toToronto

Ontario, normally hot and humid, is far from that as we we leave Thunder Bay in cool conditions. The scenery is ruggedly beautiful with all the lakes dotted everywhere but we are almost freezing as we leave Thunder Bay. The roads are good for the most part as we head south hoping to get some nicer weather but we never expected Ontario to be this cool, keeps the beer cold though.

Global warming???

It’s a long road to ‘the Soo’ or Sault Ste Marie and we have to stop in Wawa. It’s been a long day and we land in a Good Sam campground which is not good. We are only there for one night so we grin and bear and then head south. The water pump in the 5th wheel starts to leak so I become a contortionist and

Mosquitoes having supper

manage to fix it. Onwards south we head to Parry Sound to visit the Hurry’s, old friends from the UK. We book in at a campsite nearby. Unfortunately we did not look at the campsite when we arrived and after returning from our visit find it really bad in many ways. Never stay at the Richmond Lake campsite in Parry Sound, never never, it’s terrible. Use gut feelings and look before paying no matter how tired you might be. The only reason I didn’t bop the owner between the eyes was because it was Diana’s birthday; what a true p.i.t.a. he was and is.

After a great visit with Jim, Brian and Ina we head towards Waterloo, home for me from 1969 to 1973. Fond memories of this area and fond friends still live here. We make it as far as the KOA camp ground in Barrie, nice place but lousy internet, and wander over to the nearby rv dealer to buy a $5.65 sewer cap which we lost a day earlier. It was pouring with rain so we decide to look at their stock, biiiiiig mistake. After some haggling we end up with a much newer 5th wheel with much more room which is going to be so much more pleasant to travel in especially as we will have Richard, Jamie and Ben (R,J & B) with us for two weeks. Deal done we are happy but broke, why not foolishly spend the kids inheritance instead of letting them spend it foolishly. Onto Waterloo to old neighbours, sorry, neighbours of old, the Varnava’s. Great people, wonderful overnight stay with incredible BBQ supper, how lucky we are to have great friends who put up with us

Grandkid for supper?

Next into the Waterloo area we go and head to more old friends, Mike and Jenny Ritter at their  farm. A delightful place, horses, donkeys, chickens, peacocks and dozens of swallows darting in  

and out of their wonderful old farm. Off to the theatre, church and to Stratford, a beautiful    town in a very pretty part of Ontario.  All to soon it’s back to Barrie to pick up the new to us 5th wheel. We make a gangplank of two 8ft 2X6’s and spend 3 hours transferring ‘stuff’ between the two units. Where did we ge all this crap? Bathed in sweat we finally leave and head back to Waterloo to the Green Acres Campsite, nice camp site, our home base for the next week. Next day it’s off to Toronto to pick up R,J&B from the airport where they arrive late, with two lost bags, our borrowed car seat not functioning, can’t get out of the airport parking lot as the

barrier won’t go up to let us out and the  parking attendant was also non functional, what else can go wrong? Soon enough though we are back in Waterloo having a beer and all our problems are small, don’t sweat the small stuff. Next is a family wedding in nearby Cambridge then it’s New York City, Quebec City and Montreal  with R,J & B, glad to have the newer 5th wheel, the beer fridge is larger; yup, don’t sweat the small stuff!

The Leafs new goaltender arriving

 

 

 

 

Vancouver Island to Wawa???

Travelling is time well spent, expands the mind and contracts the pocket book. Our trip across Canada and the US will also divert us to the UK so 5 1/2 months  away for sure and we wonder, ‘why leave the Comox Valley in the summertime? ‘

Goodbye Comox

‘Because it’s there’ is the answer with 2 weddings and family to see so off we go with crowds on hand to bid us farewell

The crowds gather to wish us Bon Voyage!

Down Island we go and see Bryan on his fortieth?? birthday, Karen and Amanda before taking my wife on a promised cruise, I didn’t say what cruise line or what destination so like the cheapskate I am I spend almost as much on the S.S. BCferry as would have on a regular cruise.

H.M.S.S. Ferry

Off the ferry and to Frank and Julies to bum a coffee and fresh muffins then the Okanagan is the next stop where we spend a few days; never enough; with son Chris and granddaughter Makayla, great visit and with the sun shining we head north through beautiful BC and we pinch ourselves as we realise we live in the best province in the best country in the world. Spectacular comes to mind.

Always breathtaking

Soon enough we are in Alberta where we visit the MacIntoshes on their beautiful  farm in a little town called Carbon, well off the beaten track but oh so worth the visit.  Carbon , Pop 500, has 3 unsolved murders and we are delighted with a visual commentary of one of those murders at a local store, fantastic.

The murder of John Coward – The Drumheller Mail

Our cup of coffee visit ends up to be an overnight stay which is way to short but like garbage……………Great visit with hospitable hosts.

Beautiful prairie sunsets

Across the prairies we head, past Swift Current, Medicine Hat, Regina, Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump (yes it’s on the map, look it up) mile upon mile of slightly undulating scenery along straight roads, trying to squeeze extra mpg out of the Dodge before we arrive at our next stop in Winnipeg. This is the city I first came to in Canada 48 years ago. Then Canada was a’hopping, Expo,  Centennial year and all was alive in 1967. Seems as though since I arrived it’s gone downhill?

The street where I first lived in Canada has changed somewhat over the years but the warmth of the Walkers and Leblancs has not. Wonderful friends for 48 years with big big hearts and of course memories, memories and more memories. Winnipeg is no longer the small city it was as it bustles between two seasons, summer and road building! We swap stories and tell lies all weekend before heading off into the blue yonder towards Ontario and the long long drag towards Toronto.  Camping along the way is hit and miss, usually miss but we do find a good KOA  in Thunder Bay, home of the missing chromosomes, where we spend 2 days lying low as I try to ward of the flu, Neocitran and scotch really works. A heatwave at home, sweat and tornadoes in Winnipeg and now we freeze in Northern Ontario, go figure.

I cook supper but couldn’t quite finish all the ribs

Before leaving Thunder Bay we have to visit the Terry Fox Memorial on this Canada Day and very fitting it is. This great Canadian has a monument erected in his honour just outside Thunder Bay where his Marathon of  Hope ended so sadly. He completed almost a marathon a day for 143 days before his cancer re-occurred and he was forced to quit although quitting was not something that was in his vocabulary. When I’m reminded of his accomplishments it makes me look a little differently in the mirror in the mornings. He wanted initially to raise $1 for every Canadian (24 million) but his legacy has raised much more.

A truly Great Canadian

Terry Fox will always be remembered for what he was as much as for what he did, It was so nice to reflect on this day some of the great things that have happened in this country over the years, proud to be a Canadian.

Happy Canada Day

On towards Sault Ste Marie in cool but sunny weather , first stop Wawa ?????