Canada!

I have just returned from the best trip ever!!! Three whole weeks in Canada on holiday :) No work, no routines, no kids to run around after, no husband to organise :) and no worries for THREE WHOLE WEEKS!!!! Oh yeah...and the scenery was pretty amazing too!

On February 22 I flew from Auckland Airport to Toronto via Sydney and San Francisco-what a marathon journey. But after 26 or so hours I arrived in Toronto at 7pm to (thankfully) find my brother, Arthur, waiting for me. It was SO good to see him again :)

We immediately drove down to Niagara to see the falls lit up at night. Soft coloured lights are directed at the falls and it does look pretty but I much preferred them I daylight.  We stayed the night there so I could have a good look around in the morning. What an IMPRESSIVE sight those falls are! I was lucky enough to see them in winter when they are partially iced up and with snow all around-so picturesque!!

And I even learnt something! I thought Niagara Falls was just ONE waterfall-the curved one. But no, there are TWO waterfalls that make up the "Niagara Falls" - the 'American Falls which are just downstream of the 'Horseshoe Falls' (the curved one). Americans will tell you 'their' falls are taller but we all know which one is the most impressive :) Yeah...go Canada!! So I came away from Niagara more educated than when I arrived-travelling sure does broaden the mind.  :)
 

             

I spent a night in Quebec City and thoroughly enjoyed exploring this beautiful city. I just loved seeing the St Laurence River all iced up! As for the Notre Dame Basilica-I just stood inside it, speechless! The photos just don't do it justice-it was stunning.
 I enjoyed wandering around all the 'French' streets both in Quebec City and Montreal-the French influence certainly is noticeable!

  

Here I am geocaching...in the snow! And enjoying a snow shower in downtown Arnprior. I LOVED the snow-it is SO soft and fluffy. I was always jumping in it or touching it or 'drawing ' in a fresh, clean snowdrift :)

I managed to talk some random guy into taking me for a snowmobile ride on a frozen lake. Let me tell you-it is quite a mind game to step out (or in this case, ride out!) onto a lake knowing that there is only alayer of ice separating you and FREEZING cold water! Every time I did it, I would get freaked out for quite a few moments while my brain tried to convince me it was not natural to be walking on water! :)

This was the most gorgeous lookout-so worth the beautiful hike in the snow to reach it. It was situated on Mt Calabogie and is called "Eagle's Nest Lookout". I've since seen stunning photos of the same view in autumn colours-I will have to return to see it for myself! It certainly was magnificent in winter - quite an awe inspiring place!

I certainly didn't let the snow keep me inside! I was outside whenever I could; luckily my brother is just as keen on being outside as I am :) We spent a great morning cross-country skiing. It was such fun! It would certainly be my sport of choice in winter if I lived in Canada! It is VERY cardiovascular exercise!!!! I was going to try my hand at ice fishing but the guy we arranged to see was not 'home' when we called out to his ice hut :( Oh well, we had a good look through the window and could see the hole in the ice and his fishing pole nearby., complete with sofa to ensure a comfortable time while sitting there for hours.




On the edge of Arnprior is a beautiful nature reserve-McNamara Reserve. Arthur & I spent a morning walking through it and were lucky enough to run into a lovely lady who was very familiar with the birdlife and wildlife in it. She told us the mess we saw around the bottom of a tree came from a porcupine, who actually climbed the tree! Did not know they could do that!! She also gave me peanuts and I HANDFED A SQUIRELL!!!!! It was SO cute!!! (Can you tell I am STILL excited about that experience??!!) He was SO quick, darting from tree to tree almost like he was flying. And he even had tunnels in the snow and would fly down a tree, disappear into a tunnel and then pop out a few seconds late and race up another tree! Adorable to watch :) The lady also told us about all the birds we could see and hear and thanks to her, we even got to see bluejays! Apparently they can be a bit shy so we were lucky she told us what to do to see them. I thoroughly enjoyed that morning spent in such a beautiful spot.




We spent a couple of days in Quebec City...a beautiful city! We ate in a very 'French' style bistro and enjoyed a lovely meal after walking around the city at night. It certainly looked beautiful all snowy and lit up. 
 

 

Just as it looked gorgeous the next day in daylight! Such gorgeous OLD architecture-just stunning to see. And, again, that French influence everywhere-I loved it!

 

 

Well, this is PART ONE of my holiday...stay tuned for PART TWO when I have organised more photos! :) Hey...be thankful I haven't posted ALL the hundreds I actually took!! :)