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