Getting to know Bruce ... Peninsula, that is

For a mini-break, from big cities, we headed north up to the Bruce Peninsula, Ontario, through picturesque towns overlooking Lake Huron to the west, including  Bayfield, Kincardine, Port Elgin, Southhampton; and Georgian Bay to the east, taking in Owen Sound, Big Bay, Wiarton, and Tobermory at the northernmost tip.

 

Apart from a mostly flat landscape, with a few gentle hills, dotted with soaring wind turbines, Mennonite/Amish-looking barns, and the odd waterfall, cave and ski-slope thrown in, we really just marvelled at the expansive lake system, the endless horizon, clear water and skies, and friendly, if not somewhat more reserved (compared to their Yankee cousins down south) locals.

 Poutine: chips. gravy and melted cheese

We'd had a late start from Windsor and decided to keep things moving , avoiding too many stops, other than for food - of course. John had mentioned one of their favourite places on the way up the Bruce, Bayfield, so we took a detour to check it out.

It was such a gorgeous village with a quaint main street, beautiful beach and harbour, and enough locals to give it life, so we checked into a small but comfortable room at the local Albion Hotel for the night.

We also ate at the pub - trying the crab cakes with wasabi mayonnaise and the local lake fish, "pickerel" - a fine, white fish with a delicate flavor - poached and served with a lemon butter sauce. It was delicious!!

The next morning we powered on, taking in one of the local waterfalls that had boasted a "fish ladder" - a gently terraced waterfall that the spawning salmon use to swim  in spring! Alas, we were a little too late for the Salmon Olympics at Sauble Falls but Isabella did manage to spot a beautiful little green frog, and we all felt the mosquitoes!! Daniel enjoyed peering through a small hole in the floor of a bridge into the white water below, and that was our first - and last waterfall of the trip.

By the time we reached the largish, but underwhelming town of Owen Sound, it was time to find accommodation. No inspiration there, so we drove on, westwards, to Wiarton - home of Wiarton Willie, the albino groundhog, famous for his weather predicting talents. Anyone who's seen "Groundhog Day" would have an appreciation for this largish rodent, and apparently, albino groundhogs are quite rare.

Was this title the first thing that popped up!?

Sad little "Willie"

 Without wifi, we relied on Wendy and John's sat nav to "suggest" nearby accommodation. There were a couple of less than salubrious looking motels and one very pretty Bed and Breakfast, "Wright House", run by the ever jolly, Jeff. Not only was the house beautiful, with its lead light windows, knick knacks, and Persian rugs, but Jeff made sure we had magnificent breakfasts to send us on our way after each of the two nights we spent there - day one: freshly diced fruit with yoghurt, followed by banana and walnut pancakes with maple syrup, scrambled eggs, and crispy bacon; and day two: fruit and yoghurt again, but this time with raisin French toast, scrambled eggs, and bacon!! Heaven!!
 

From Wiarton, we explored the Peninsula, spending most of the day in Tobermory, a gorgeous little village from which tourists can take tours on glass bottomed boats to explore nearby shipwrecks, limestone formations, and the crystal clear waters around the bay and islands. We enjoyed the boat ride but didn't disembark, as Flowerpot Island is not for the less than fleet of foot and Daniel would have been a liability!

There was a vintage car rally in town, and while most vehicles had "Do Not Touch" signs propped on their windscreens, a couple of friendly folk were more than happy to let little people indulge their fantasies!

Lunch was at the Crows Nest Pub - not the Sydney, Australia one, the Tobermory, Ontario one! It was so sunny, and warm that we requested an umbrella for our table on the rooftop terrace, overlooking the harbour.

After lunch, we enjoyed the spectacle that was a cardboard box race - like a Moomba Birdman Rally, except you start on water and have to paddle in a boat/raft constructed entirely of cardboard and duct tape! We were amazed to see that most of the entrants actually made it up to the buoy and back relatively dry and intact!! Isabella enjoyed watching a 7 year old local boy win his heat by a long way.

Dinner that night was a cheap and cheerful takeaway from Wiarton Harbour, where we could check up on their local star - Wiarton Willie, the albino groundhog. Poor Willie! His enclosure was less than salubrious and he seemed a little depressed, not that I'm a groundhog psychologist. Look at the pictures and judge for yourself.

After dinner we piled back into our people mover and took a little trip to Big Bay, a pretty place, known for its huge, smooth stoned beach. We'd been happily skipping stones as the sun was setting, when we noticed a large, rustic and less than official but just as authoritative sign proclaiming Big Bay's status as the "Stone skipping capital of Canada". Daniel missed this stop as he was catching up on some sleep in the car.

 
For our final stop, the next day, we drove through ski country, taking in some lovely country vistas, stopping at the Beaver Valley Cidery, run, interestingly by a woman with a strangely familiar accent. Turns out she was from Perth, Australia, but had met her Canadian husband and moved to Canada 30 years before. The Cidery was newly opened and housed in a refurbished barn. The tasting counter and surrounding area were modern and slick - it was an effective contrast. The kids ran up and down the ramp outside while we had a chat and a taste - just one, so don't call Children's Services!!

 
Their cider was described as "hard cider", and as not at all sweet - quite a change from what we'd come to associate as cider. We both felt as if we'd been educated!

From there we continued on to the ski resort town of Collingwood, which was bustling and full of interesting looking architecture, shops and restaurants. After a brief drive around the historic downtown area, we spotted a cafe in and old restored red-brick building that looking promising.

 

 

I am pleased to report that we had a "this is the life" meal and Dave remarked that I'd become quite emotional when the waitress had asked me how it was ... Not sure if it was the perfectly cooked poached eggs, nestled on top of a beautifully crispy roesti, with local smoked trout, and hollandaise sauce, or whether it was the fact that the waitress asked the chef to cook some plain brown rice for the kids with vegetable bits to nibble - their healthiest eating option in a restaurant, since I didn't remember when - but I did get a little nostalgic for our local cafés in Yarraville!!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
We wanted to arrive in Toronto by dinner time and had been warned to avoid certain highways on a Sunday afternoon, due to the "cottage traffic" - of which we were a part!! We managed to duck and weave around the most congested highways and arrive at cousin Phil and Suzanne's place in the Lawrence Park area of midtown Toronto, early evening. 

 

 

 
 

 

Meeting the Toronto cousins ... and their backyard interlopers!

 

 

 

 

Hard to imagine that these almost too-cute critters are considered neighbourhood pests!

 
Isabella Z loved spending time with Isabella S

 

 

 

 

  Daniel just loved having a ball to kick around ...

 

 

 

Suzanne prepared a beautiful meal of baked chicken with her secret ingredient ... Can you guess?! Maple syrup!! It was delicious!!! So the twelve of us ate, laughed and drank until far too late ... Thankfully, the Canadian equivalent of "ABC for Kids" kept our two amused, and the big people could carry on partying!!

Our accommodation in Toronto was possibly our worst for the trip - so far - but its 1km distance from Phil and Suzanne's house made it bearable for the three nights. I complained enough during our stay so I won't go on about it here, suffice to say, think "slum dog millionaire" in a western country and you might have a vague idea. It was a couple of beds, a bathroom - of sorts, and a roof, in a building with a sign outside which explained a lot!!

We all managed to sleep in the "dump", despite its shortcomings ...

 

Toronto was designed to be predominantly catch-up time with family, and we were pretty relaxed about not dashing about "ticking boxes". Suzanne and I clicked instantly - could it be her French-Canadian background, or the fact that her favourite colour is purple, OR that she enjoyed the 80s as much as I did?! Anyway, she graciously (and calmly!!) hosted us for three days including breakfasts and dinners!!



Now, which maple syrup would you like with your French Toast?
(Despite appearances, Dave enjoyed his breakfast.)

Our kids had a ball with Rio (17) and Bella (15), and with a very sporty family - think ultimate frisbee, cross country skiing, kayaking, etc - and a soccer net and basketball hoop in the backyard, nobody sat still for too long - except the oldies, while eating, drinking and chatting! 

 When she wasn't raccoon spotting or kicking a soccer ball around, our Isabella spent most of the three days in Toronto gazing adoringly at their Isabella. Our Isabella established on our first night that she would be "Isabella 2", and Bella would be "Isabella 1". That all got a bit confusing and only lasted a day and a half. Isabella and Bella ended up being easier all round.

Getting Daniel to "pose" with the Isabellas and Rio was a bit of a challenge ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Whilst not in total touristy mode, we did manage to get downtown to see the CN Tower, and we enjoyed the views - especially Daniel who marvelled at the aerial view of trains, school buses, planes and cars!

Lost in translation?

Phil pointing out some Toronto landmarks

Toronto felt a lot like home to us, with lots of modern building, heaps of groovy restaurants and real cafés - that is, not Starbucks!! Phil told us that someone once said that "Toronto without trees is like a hooker without makeup"!! Mm, I guess we should avoid Toronto in winter ...

 

 

 

I enjoyed seeing this in a downtown food court

Sadly, Bernie didn't get to his baseball game

On our last (rainy) day in Toronto, Suzanne suggested we make a short trip out of town, to the McMichael Gallery of Canadian Art, in a town called Kleinburg - home of Tom Thomson and the Group of Seven, a well-known and significant group of artists from the 20s, who loved to trek into the Canadian wilderness to paint landscapes, in their distinctive style - some of which looked to me a little like our Heidleberg School painters. (Kristen, corrections, comments, please!!) 

It was a gorgeous gallery, set amongst beautiful trees, with some incredible and thought-provoking pieces, including several Inuit galleries which were photography-free spaces. I could understand why Suzanne enjoyed it so, and appreciated her sharing it with us.

Galleries like this are truly restorative to my inner sense of self - calming, peaceful and transporting ... until the toddler wakes up, at least!

 

I loved the colours and composition of this one, in particular!

Notice anything interesting about this Inuit-inspired totem?
(Hint: they may have embraced a few mod cons!)

 

On our last night, the boys had a bit of fun recreating a family snap from when Rio was a bubba ... Grandpa hasn't aged a bit!!

Saying "goodbye" ...

 

 

And back on the road - Arlington, Virginia-bound ... via Niagara, New York (state, not city) and Pennsylvania!

[Thank you Suzanne, for showing me how to "pretty up" this blog ... the formatting is still a work-in-progress, but at least I now know that formatting and composition is easier on the PC, whereas I'd been plodding along on the ipad!! Still a lot to learn but, thanks to Suzanne, I'm a little closer to getting the look I want! Tips/suggestions, please!]