| It is unbelievable how nine days can just fly by. | | | | vacation in Canada to explore the waters north of |
| Today my brother, sister-in-law and our two Austrian | | | | Toronto seems ever more likely.Yesterday was their |
| friends are scheduled to fly back to Graz, Austria, via | | | | last full day in Toronto, and we took our bikes out |
| Vienna. There has been an increasingly palpable sense | | | | for a spin one more time. Since we all love water we |
| of sentimentality in the air, in light of the fact that | | | | rode down to the Eastern Beaches again, and |
| this wonderful time is coming to an end alarmingly | | | | leisurely explored the waterfront. We watched some |
| quickly.It's also amazing how many activities one is | | | | lawn bowling, and one of the participants kept |
| able to cram into a short amount of time. I wanted | | | | coming over to us to explain the rules of the game |
| to give them a really good taste of everything that I | | | | to us since none of us was familiar with this sport. |
| love about the city of Toronto and my new country. | | | | My guests commented several times on the |
| So occasionally I put a few too many things on our | | | | friendliness of people in the stores, restaurants, in |
| plates and we ended up racing through a few of the | | | | line-ups and even I myself was surprised at the |
| activities. On the whole though, I think our European | | | | approachability of Torontonians, often known as a |
| guests had a fabulous time and they fell in love with | | | | more reserved breed of people. But we truly kept |
| Toronto, just like I did, many years ago.Saturday all | | | | having very positive experiences, equally with people |
| six of us went golfing to a little par-3 golf course in | | | | employed in the service sector, as well as with |
| the East end of Toronto. None of my Austrian | | | | regular citizens, taking a stroll, playing a game of lawn |
| guests had ever golfed before, so a couple of days | | | | bowling or going for a walk with their dog.Of course |
| earlier we started with a few buckets of balls at the | | | | we admired the inukshuks by the beach, a public play |
| driving range, followed up by an indoor putting | | | | area for adults with rocks of various shapes and |
| practice session on the carpet. Saturday we would | | | | sizes that are used by passers-by to create |
| get to try the real thing. The attempts at the driving | | | | interesting stone sculptures. We watched a few |
| range didn't look all that great, with balls spraying all | | | | tense points at the Kew Gardens Tennis Club, and |
| over the place, to the left and to the right. But on | | | | checked out the picturesque Kew Gardens park itself. |
| Saturday afternoon, another gorgeous day, our four | | | | From there we headed west past the beach |
| Austrian guests performed quite admirably and only | | | | volleyball facilities to the little peninsula west of |
| lost 2 balls in the water hazard.They really enjoyed | | | | Ashbridges Bay which always offers a fabulous view |
| golf, a sport they had never even dreamed of | | | | of Toronto's skyline. We took in the tranquil |
| playing, but the Toronto area with its several | | | | atmosphere and soaked in the sun for a while before |
| hundred golf courses, many of them reasonably | | | | we started our return back along the waterfront. My |
| priced, made it easy to give this sport a try. All | | | | European visitors commented several times how |
| preconceived notions about golf only being a sport | | | | incredible it is to have all this publicly accessible land |
| for old people went out the window, and they | | | | right along the waterfront and how in some secluded |
| enjoyed the challenge of trying to sink the round little | | | | spots you don't even realize that you are in a major |
| ball in the hole.Sunday came our second big excursion: | | | | metropolitan area.To get back up to our house we |
| a driving tour through the Kawartha Lakes. I had only | | | | had to climb back up from the waterfront and this |
| planned two major driving tours: a wine-tasting tour | | | | time we chose the Glen Stewart Ravine, where a |
| through the Niagara Peninsula, and a second one to | | | | little brook has carved a valley into the slopes leading |
| the lake district of the Kawarthas. We started by | | | | down to the waterfront. It is a densely forested |
| driving east on Toronto's 401, a 12 to 16 lane | | | | area and when you are in there it feels like you are in |
| highway whose size duly impressed my European | | | | a remote forest somewhere, not right in the middle |
| visitors. Then we headed north-east through rolling | | | | of Toronto.Once back at our house, preparation got |
| farm country to Peterborough, a rural university | | | | started for our final goodbye barbeque and we had |
| town with a population of about 70,000. From there | | | | invited a few extra friends to join us to give our |
| we drove north into the Kawarthas, a gorgeous lake | | | | Austrian guests a proper sendoff back home. We |
| region set in the rocky landscape of the Canadian | | | | enjoyed some excellent food and they sampled a |
| Shield.Our first stop was Buckhorn, where we | | | | few more varieties of Canadian wines and beers, all |
| watched the mechanics of lift locks of the | | | | of which they had commented quite favourably on. |
| Trent-Severn Canal that links Lake Ontario with | | | | We didn't sample much restaurant cuisine since my |
| Georgian Bay. We saw how several boats assembled | | | | brother is a talented chef, but the fresh ingredients |
| inside the lock following by an opening of the sluices | | | | that he purchased in Toronto's various markets made |
| and the water level equilibrating itself with the level | | | | for some truly delicious dinners.In the evening we |
| of the lower portion of the river. The Parks Canada | | | | took one more spin in the car, first to revisit the |
| lock supervisor explained the whole process to us | | | | Distillery District at night. Luis had wanted to buy |
| and it only took about 10 minutes for the boats to | | | | some beer glasses at the Mill Street Brewery as a |
| reach the lower level.From Buckhorn we drove | | | | souvenir, but unfortunately the brewery and |
| through rocky and marshy countryside to the quaint | | | | restaurant were closed. The whole Distillery area was |
| village of Bobcaygeon where we took an extended | | | | a little quiet, not surprisingly, since it was Labour Day, |
| stroll. We had a nice waterfront lunch, looking across | | | | the last official day of summer, and the final day of |
| to the marina, seeing the the boats come in an out | | | | respite before school would begin again. We |
| of the canal. Particularly our Austrian friends Luis and | | | | continued our driving tour with a little spin through |
| Isabella love boating and seeing the many houseboats | | | | downtown and up Yonge Street before we turned |
| on the Trent-Severn Canal gave them a few ideas | | | | east on Bloor Street. We crossed the Bloor Street |
| for future vacations in Canada.The lunch was delicious | | | | Viaduct and arrived on the Danforth, Toronto's |
| and we took a little stroll around this charming town, | | | | Greek area. As always, Greektown was quite busy |
| admiring the waterfront parks and picnic facilities that | | | | and people were milling about. We sat down on the |
| allow great access to the water. From Bobcaygeon | | | | patio of one of our favourite restaurants and |
| we drove on to another little picturesque country | | | | enjoyed some Greek snacks before we headed |
| town: Fenelon Falls, whose name comes from a | | | | home after another long day, all of us a little sad, |
| waterfall in the middle of town that has been used | | | | commenting how nine days can pass so |
| for electricity generation since the 1870s.After a | | | | quickly.Today we'll have to take their four rented |
| sizeable line-up we picked up a few delicious cones of | | | | bicycles back and around 2:30 we'll have to start the |
| Kawartha Dairy ice cream and strolled over to the | | | | trek to the airport. It's been a fabulous 9 days, an |
| bridge over the falls and then down to the little | | | | extended sleepover with four great people and we |
| peninsula that sticks out into the river. From there | | | | won't forget this holiday for a long, long time. We are |
| you can look into a rocky gorge where both sides of | | | | already hoping for another reunion, either in Austria, |
| the river are surrounded by high rocks.Again, we | | | | or back here in Canada, to deepen this fabulous |
| watched boats being lifted and lowered, this time in | | | | connection.Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a |
| lock 33 of the Trent-Severn Canal System. This is | | | | website called Travel and Transitions( Travel and |
| another town with a beautiful little park right by the | | | | Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is |
| locks with lots of opportunity for barbeques or | | | | chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, |
| simply for a relaxing snooze in the sun . Time was | | | | interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights |
| flying by and by this time it was already 3:30 pm so | | | | and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and |
| we had to start our return to the city. We only took | | | | many other features. You will also find stories about |
| back roads and my brother lost count of the | | | | life and the transitions that we face as we go |
| numerous golf courses that dotted the landscape. It | | | | through our own personal life-long journeys.Submit |
| was a nice relaxing drive through rolling countryside | | | | your own travel stories in our first travel story |
| and we made it back to Toronto in less than 2 hours. | | | | contest( and have a chance to win an amazing |
| All four of my Austrian guests had fallen in love with | | | | adventure cruise on the Amazon River. |
| the Lake District and the prospect of another | | | | |