Author: Adventure For Two

I am from Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, Canada and I'm back from traveling with my husband on an expat assignment to foreign lands. 2011-2012 we were in Shenyang, China. Spring 2012- Spring 2013 we were in Resende,RJ Brazil then back to Shenyang, China in July 2013 until the end of July 2014. Expat life WAS amazing! Adventure abounds no matter where we travel to. We really enjoyed the amazing opportunity to live and experience culture and tradition in these places. BUT now we are finished and adjusting to life in our small town in Canada. Our days of travel and adventure are not over.

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 18 July 27~ Montreal Bagels

I was craving authentic Montreal bagels! Today was supposed to be the the little diversion in our Across Canada Trip. Today we left Stoufville for home and were gonna dip down to the USA. Just for a change of scenery. We have done the drive from the Toronto area to Bridgewater via Canada so many times, we have also gone through the USA where gas is usually cheaper BUT, the more I got thinking about it the more I realized to make this a truly Canadian Road Trip, that we needed to continue through Canada. And besides…I was craving Montreal Bagels. St-viateur bagels to be exact. They are the best! And then smoked meat and poutine….ya we just had to go to Montreal!

Traffic was busy on the 401, lots of construction and actually lots of construction right in Old Port Montreal. We stopped by St. Viateur Street to the original flag ship store of St. Viateur bagels. They are open 24/7 and there’s usually a lineup for fresh out of the oven bagels.

Tonight we are staying on Rue Saint Paul, the oldest street in the city with cobblestone streets, although I think some of the construction is to take the old cobblestone out. We are in a quaint designer boutique hotel in the heart of old town Montreal.

So out we went for a little adventure…smoked meat sandwich from a food truck at the port and then authentic poutine with real cheese curds from the famous Montreal Poutine restaurant.

I enjoy these kind of places so much especially at night…

Goodnight from our little boutique hotel in Montreal ❤

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 17 July 26~ Fly back to Toronto

Well sadly our stay on the West Coast is finished. We said Goodbye for now! This morning we were up super early again and flew back to Ontario.

We spent the afternoon on the busy 401 and a couple hours at the Toronto ZOO.Did you know that the Toronto Zoo has the first Panda cubs born in Canada? Born in October 2015, they are 9 months old now. A long 45 minute line up but that was what I wanted to see. David ‘s choice? The Komodo Dragon & Orangutan ‘s of course.

We had dinner with my cousin ( like a sister) Priscilla and husband Neil in Stoufville and spent our overnight there.

It was so nice to visit with them.

There are so many family and friends spread out across our beautiful country that we actually could have done a family and friends tour to see everyone, BUT this trip was for us…our Anniversary trip, and we really needed just to have quality time together. So it was nice to be able to visit with a few of the many very special people we know along the way. I can’t believe we are at this segment of our Adventure! Heading east in the morning 😊

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 16 July 25~ East Coast to West Coast

We are on the West Coast of our beautiful country! From Halifax to Victoria! We made it!!! Our country is truly amazing!!

We had fun exploring Victoria, BC’s beautiful capital city yesterday and today. Huge multi million dollar yachts, sea planes that fly you wherever you want to go, harbour taxis to the inner harbour and outer harbour, interesting float homes, historic buildings, 5 star hotels, magnificent castles, and Canada’s oldest China town and Oldest lighthouse on the West Coast …we saw it all. Victoria, BC’s Capital is a charming city.

Pictures will come soon. Internet at the Airport hotel is bad, they are having technical difficulties and since we are up again at 3 am for an early morning flight…I’ll say Goodbye British Columbia and goodnight!

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 15 July 24~ The Pacific Rim

Driving from Tofino to Victoria is like driving on the Cabot Trail and on the old road from Bridgewater to Peggy’s Cove…well kinda , ok not really but there are so many twists and turns and rug hugging narrow turns. For this girl…it makes me sick, literally. I was so happy to get off the worse stretch from Tofino to Port Alberni. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous and breath taking if you’re not feeling like you want to be sick. lol

We got through that and then stopped in Duncan, The City of Totems. ( That is where my friend Michelle lives) We had a picnic lunch in the park and snapped a few pics and then headed to the Shawinigan Lake area to see the Kinsol Trestle.

The Kinsol Trestle is a wooden railway trestle also known as the Koksilah River Trestle that crosses the Koksilah River.

Completed in 1920, its dimensions measure 144 ft high and 617 ft long, making it the largest wooden trestle in the Commonwealth of Nations, and one of the highest railway trestles in the world. It was very cool to see.

We arrived in Victoria and met my friend Michelle and her husband Peter for drinks, it was so nice to see them. Then we spent the rest of the evening seeing Victoria at Night!

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 14 July 23~ Surfer’s Town Tofino, BC

Ever since James was here, I wanted to go! What an amazing place. Beaches and mountains, hiking, fishing, whale watching…you name it, Tofino’s got it! A few people mentioned why do you want to go to Tofino? You don’t surf… BUT the vibe here is so unique. It is a fun little place to chill for a couple days. Time kinda stands still here…and as we are nearing the end of our adventure we needed a laid back, slow day with no agenda but just to enjoy the sun and surf and beach!

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 13 July 22~ Nanaimo Bar in Nanaimo, BC

Today I had one thing on my mind, haha. Well no, a lot more than one BUT today I knew we would be going through Nanaimo, BC and for the longest time, I have had on my bucket list to eat a delicious Nanaimo square in Nanaimo, BC!!! It can’t be too hard to find a great coffee shop that serves Nanaimo squares.

The other thing in this area that is so very cool are the humongous trees!!!!

The very early morning drive from Squamish to the “other Ferry route” ( Horseshoe Bay was sold out) the Ferry to the Island, the drive from Victoria up to Nanaimo to McMillan Park to Tofino was fabulous. Did I mention the goats on the roof? What a wonderful day, a highlight for sure!

Oh and dinner tonight at the Shelter…does it get any better?

pS Pictures to be posted later! Tofino is a surf town and Internet at our hotel is bad…so I’m just taking a couple days break and Chillin’ rather than be frustrated. After all isn’t that what you do here…

Here are some pics!

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 12 July 21~ Sea to Sky in Squamish

Squamish is a community in BC, located at the north end of Howe Sound on the Sea to Sky Highway. It had its beginning during the construction of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway in the 1910’s. It was the first southern terminus of that railway now CN.

It is THE “Outdoor Adventure” place in the area. We left Van city this morning and headed to Squamish. The road to Squamish is amazing as it winds through the mountains.

The Stawamus Chief on Canada’s West Coast is a world-renowned rock-climbing destination known for its beautiful multi-pitch routes and unrivalled crack-climbing pitches. But many visiting outdoor enthusiasts are unaware that the iconic granite monolith also carries the scars of a legendary battle. The region’s Squamish people tell of the mythical hero Xwech’taal vanquishing the double-headed sea serpent Sinulhkay before uniting the Squamish Nation.

The Stawamus Chief — pronounced stah-WAH’-muss, but known simply as “The Chief” attracts thousands of visitors every year, both for its premiere rock-climbing offerings but also for accessible hiking trails that climax in rewarding ridge-top vistas.

The mountain towers 700 metres over the head of a picturesque, inundated fjord, about 50 kilometres northwest of Vancouver. Looking down from the first of its three rounded granite summits, the slithering Squamish River can be seen reaching the salty waters of Howe Sound, which ripple between shades of teal and aquamarine under a shifting, cloud-covered sky. The initial peak is accessible about 1.5 kilometres from and 540 metres above the trail’s starting point, while the two remaining summits are located slightly higher and farther along. It’s all straight up climbing on all trails.

The panorama offers a view across the core of the Squamish Nation’s territory.

Today’s mission should you choose to accept it….to Conquer “THE CHIEF” To start our day, we took the Sea to Sky Gondola just to get a view of what we were looking at for a climb. We were able to look down on the Chief Peaks from a viewing platform a short hike away at the Gondola Summit. We had fun on the Suspension bridge and a snack before heading back down.

Later this afternoon when it was cooler we were ready to climb the Chief! We chose Peak 1 because it supposedly has the most amazing view of the 3.

We stopped by Shannon Falls and connected on the Sea to Sky trail then connected to the Stawamus Chief Trail. And from there it was straight up!!

It was a hardish climb…well for me with short legs, David was fine…

And after we were all finished and had a refreshing shower, we enjoyed a lovely dinner beside the Squamish River at the Watershed Restaurant.

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 11 July 20~ Vancouver Day 2…CHOICES

1st thing…Sleep in!!! I’m tired. All this sightseeing is hard work lol. Haha after all we are staying a couple of nights in the Granville Street district, the entertainment district in the heart of downtown which means no one is really up to early.

CHOICES!! Life is all about Choices, what to do?

We are just a short walk from the ferry terminal that goes to Granville Island so we thought it would be fun to check out the famous market. In the early 1900s, Granville Island was home to factories, plants and sawmills. Technically a sandspit and not really island, the neighbourhood sits just south of the downtown peninsula, right under the Granville Bridge. The Granville Island Public Market acts as a hub of activity, but it’s also one of the city’s most important cultural districts with theatres, artisan workshops and craft studios.

Yaletown was once the Western terminus for the Canadian Pacific Railway, but the area’s more recent reinvention dates back to 1986 when the waterfront along the north of False Creek was host to many of the venues when Vancouver hosted the World’s Fair. Since then that land, along with the warehouse district adjoining it have been transformed into one of the city’s chicest neighbourhoods, filled with residential loft spaces, sidewalk cafes, cool restaurants, unique shopping, and leafy parks. Sitting along the south side of the downtown Vancouver peninsula

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Chinatown of course I wanted to go to China town! Established back in the 1890s, Vancouver’s Chinatown has been humming busily for more than a century with vivid colours, exotic cuisine and a vibrant culture. Vancouver’s Chinese population originally made the journey to work in local mines and build the Trans-Canada railway. Rich in history and architecture, this area east of downtown boasts North America’s third-largest Chinatown after New York and San Francisco. Although we learned that especially these days the greater Chinese population live in Richmond. Authentic Chinese for lunch today!!

A really cool thing about Vancouver is that usually there is a movie or series being filmed. It just so happened that they were filming The Flash today. So cool!

Well…Van city…it’s been wonderful!

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ACROSS CANADA DAY: 10 July 19 ~ Vancouver bound

What a wonderful couple days celebrating us. We slept in just a little this morning and then to Calgary Airport to return our rental and fly to Vancouver. I was quite excited to fly to Van. I had an overnight stopover here on my way to China last Fall and loved that Vancouver Airport and Vancouver has so many Chinese people. The signs in the airport are actually in 3 languages ( English, French and Chinese). I was really looking forward to spending some time exploring. We even saw Gerald in the Airport as we were leaving.

So…Two days to explore Vancouver City, what to do?

TOP of my LIST for Vancouver…Stanley Park

Vancouver’s Stanley Park is larger than New York’s Central Park. with 100 acres in the heart of the city. With beaches and gardens and an 8.8km seawall path circling the park, it’s a great place to come and relax or get a little exercise. It also has some of the most fantastic views of the city.

One of the other cool things at Stanley Park are the Totem Poles. First Nations culture is an important part of the history of both Stanley Park and Vancouver. Parts of the park were the former site of a First Nations village. The totems and gateways at were carved in the late 1880s and replaced with lookalike versions in the 1980s to keep the originals preserved. I just had to see them!

By the time we got done exploring the park, it was time to check in to our hotel and get some dinner.

Tonight we headed to Gas Town, along the north of the downtown Vancouver peninsula. Vancouver’s oldest neighbourhood, Gastown grew from a single tavern founded by John ‘Gassy Jack’ Deighton back in 1867. The district retains its historic charm and independent spirit. Victorian architecture, boutiques, one-of-a-kind galleries and some of the best culinary fare in Vancouver. It’s the place to go for dinner. So…we strolled along Water Street, saw the Steam Clock, and vintage lampposts, and at the end of Water Street saw the statue of the man who started it all, Gassy Jack Deighton. Then we had dinner at a great spot on the patio. 131Water Kitchen & Bar.

What a great first night in Vancouver.

PS. We are on the West Coast!!!!

ACROSS CANADA DAY: 9 🍁A Canadian Love Story ~July 18 is our day!

I am a Canadian girl at heart! I love my country, I love my home. Yes, I love Tim Horton’s coffee ( and their maple donuts) I love the beach and seafood ( lobster and solomon gundy) I love dressing up and city life and I love to get dirty…afterall I’m still a country girl.

And even though I LOVE LOVE to travel all over the world, there is no place like home. And I am happy to share with people about Canada and tell them they MUST visit! I feel truly blessed and thankful to live in a country such as Canada, especially when so many parts of the world are in such turmoil these days. And now even more so after spending the last couple days in the beautiful Canadian Rockies. This is my country, this is home!!

Today my wonderful husband and I are celebrating 30 years of marriage. We dated for two years and then got married so I have actually known him for 32 years. Whoa! That’s a long time!! We wanted to make this Anniversary memorable, very special, since it is a milestone. What to do? Our 25th Anniversary was in Hong Kong, and 26th in Brazil…and then 27th and 28th in China and so how to top that, for a special 30th? We thought of Europe…Paris maybe ( the city of LOVE) that would be awesome!

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BUT… then we decided we would celebrate our 30th for 3 weeks! Yes, 3 weeks of travel across our beautiful country. Yes, Road Trip Adventure!!

Today, July 18, we are on Day 9 of our 30th Anniversary Across Canada Adventure and we spent the day in Banff & Jasper National Parks in the very heart ❤ of the Canadian Rockies, actually we spent some time walking on a Glacier…that’s VERY Canadian, right? The drive there and back was AMAZING!!! Pictures can not describe the beauty of this place.

And then a VERY Special gift…a new diamond…a Canadian diamond!! ( Diamond is the Modern suggestion for 30th Anniversary instead of the traditional Pearl) Most likely from the Diavik Diamond Mine. My diamond actually has a lasered Maple Leaf and number on it that shows exactly where it is from. How cool is that?

WE had such a wonderful day together driving up from Banff to the Columbia Ice fields where we took a bus, a really cool bus out to a glacier. We tasted fresh glacier water, went on the Sky Walk that overlooks that glacier and David gave me a beautiful new diamond set and I gave him a new wedding band. ❤

After just a wonderful day laughing and sharing special moments in such an awesome part of our country, we enjoyed a lovely dinner at the Iron Goat in Canmore with an awesome view of the mountains. And then a nice fire in the fireplace in our room. I call it our Fire & Ice Anniversary…for so many reasons…

It’s hard to believe it’s been 32 years since we started dating and 30 years since we said, I do! We love doing life together whether it’s in far away places like China or right here at home in Canada.

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