Paris, a wonderful story of contrast.

Paris, France

17 - 24 August

After an easy 5 1/2 hour flight from Toronto to Paris, we arrived to one of the most beautiful cities.  Bristish Airways made it extra special by allowing Emma and Hamish into the cockpit and have a fiddle with the controls (thankfully the plane was in park and on the ground).  Lina, a Cambodian national, swiftly packed our 4 large duffle bags into her small Suzuki, we were a bit skeptical that the bags would fit, but Lina, in her heels, had it under control.  After a push and a shove we were on our way.  While waiting for our host Mirella to arrive at the apartment, we sat out at a local brasserie and enjoyed a beer in the warm sun, while the children played a game of chess.  

Paris is extraordinary, beautiful with its archeticture, in-depth history, the French and a language which leaves me spell bound.  On the other hand, with its beauty comes a counter balance of sorts which makes me question this fine city.  The large percentage of smokers and public urination (both human and animal) leaves the senses a little overwhelmed. This can be the breaking point while sitting out on the cobblestone streets of Paris enjoying a wine and taking in the sights.  C'est la vie!!

The next day we took in the sights of Norte Dame and The Louve, whilst navigating the streets and getting a feel for where we were for the next 7 days.  I pre-booked a Fat Tires Bike tour for us and there we met our guide, Justin, at the base of the south piller of the Eiffel tour. For the next 4 hours we saw more of Paris than we probably would have in the entire week on our own.. The kids got an easy ride being on the back of mum and dads tandem.  I was surprised how much information Emma absorbed and retained on this tour, much more than any classroom.  A tour I highly recommend!

Bike Tour Highlights;

Eiffel Tower, The Louvre (from the outside), Napoleans Tomb, Musee D'Orsay, Military school, Les Invalides to name just a few. 

Our days continued with visits to jardin de Luxembourg and sailing boats in the man-made pond and picnics on the lawn.  St. Germain de pres and the magnificent high end fashion houses and all the small rues to discover quaint cafes and shops.  The chaotic Champs- élysées, not our cup of tea, but good to see.  We went to both The Louvre and Musee D'Orsay with a set agenda in mind and not lasting more than hour and a half in each, to avoid the little guy getting well and truly bored.

Bon Voyage Paris, I look forward to my return.

Tony writes:

What an amazing city, so much contrast , beautiful architecture , wide streets, green gardens all based on a rather violent history. Blood ran though the streets for years. The Emperor widened the streets to allow for better protection against civil unrest and the guillotine went into retirement, not that long ago in the schemes of things.

Tracey has excelled once again with her research and placed us in an apartment in close proximity to the Louvre and Notre Dame. After a little exploring we also found ourselves within walking distance of St. Germain and the sensational shopping, Luxembourg Gardens and really not all that far from the Eiffel Tower.

A short walk to Notre Dame, what an amazing building, the stained glass windows are really something to behold. We were lucky enough to be their during morning mass, the singing and acoustics where simply sensational. Emma decided to light a candle for Grandpa which was quite an emotional moment, it's interesting to see how emotionally sensitive young children can be.  Sticking to our usual plan of going everywhere in the first few days, why not see the Louvre, Arch de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower all in the space of 6 hours. We will need to slow down and actually go inside some time soon.

God's Country - Part II

July 24th - August 16th

We arrived in Canada on a warm balmy day with a pleasant breeze, such a nice change from New Yorks ghastly temperatures.  After collecting our car, we were off to the country where we stayed with my cousin and her family.  A warm welcome from Lesley, Marc, Britteny, Brooke and Matthew (the South African) had us feeling settled as if it was our home.

Canada is such a pretty country and the summer blooms keep me smiling with the lavender, iris, Russian Sage, artemisia and countless others in such an array of beautiful colours.  The country side is lush and green with the spring rain here ensuring a good show for us.  Canadians are very proud and fly their flag everywhere, nice to see.

My mum was very happy to see her grandchildren and they too enjoyed riding on the back of the wheelchair.  We had a nice day out at the zoo with mum, Michelle and Lucas.  The Pandas were a little sleepy but the Grizzlies put on a show for us, I have to say the bears were the highlight for me.  The next day we were off again, this time to Niagara Falls to stay at Great Wolf Lodge and of course to see the great gushes of water pounding down.  Great Wolf Lodge is an indoor water park with slides, lazy river and my favourite the frog pond. If you don't mind listening to constant flowing water, in large amount, sequels and laughter of children and general chatter of mums and dad talking to each over all this noise, than this is the place for you.  The kids enjoyed a day and a half of water slides and mini putt so they were well and truly tickled.  We took a break in between and took the kids off to the Falls.  With out a doubt, the Canadian side of the falls is far more spectacular to view than from it's counterpart the USA.  The viewing platform is a tiny jetty up on large stilts, so they can get some views of the Horseshoe Falls.  There are 2 falls, the American Falls and the Canadian Horseshoe Falls with the American Falls divided into 2 sections with the Bridal Veil Falls next to it, aptly named for its appearance.

Some stats on the Falls;

• Niagara Falls covers a land area of 212 square kms.
• approx. 12,000 years old.
• Annie Taylor was the first person to travel over the falls in a barrel in 1901...she was defeated.
• Recently, some brave souls attempted the plunge in a kayak and a jet ski, they both perished.
• Electricity is generated from the falls with a certain percentage of water diverted to power stations thus providing electrical services to Southern Ontario and Western New York.
• American Falls: height 56 metres, actual fall is 21.3 metres due rocks at the base.  Volume of water is 567,811 litres per second.
• Horseshoe Falls: height 51 metres.  Volume of water is 2,271,247 litres per second...that is huge.

The next day we were back just with enough time to unpack, do some laundry and repack for our trip up to Muskoka.  This is 'cottage' country where the pine trees are in abundance, lakes reflecting the colours of nature which surround them, while the crickets make their songs as you have an early morning paddle.  The kids experienced tubing and Emma even had a go at water skiing, I am sure given some time she would have gotten up.  Fun had by all!

After this we mooched around with a bit of shopping for Emma and I, golf for the boys, a visit downtown to the St Lawrence Markets.  We had lovely visits with mum, Michelle and Lucas and some very dear friends.  I believe the childrens lives have been enriched by these experiences with family.  I caught up with my buddies, one from 30 years ago, thanks Lorelei and Darren. My dear friend Tanya, from junior high, hosted us for a lovely afternoon and than took Emma for a sleepover. Emma made a new penpal friend, I am not surprised.  My best bud Melissa and I shared a night out at an Inn with Spa, we never did get that pedicure but we had so much fun chatting...nonstop and taking 'selfies', none of which will be posted.  On each of these occasions we seemed to have picked up right where we left off from our last visit.  They really are too far in between visits, so now I ask you to come to our home, we welcome you with our doors wide open!

O Canada Part 1

Tony writes:
Toronto Canada, I've been here a couple of times, but have never had such a pleasurable visit. Some of you know I often joke that it was a condition of marriage that I was never going to live in Canada as I don't like being cold. We finally had a reasonably warm 3 weeks in Canada, but don't tell the Canadians I admitted to this.

We were extremely fortunate to experience the hospitality of the Lebel Family (Tracey's cousins) for the full three weeks . Our time in their 'little house' was full of great food, laughter, fun and games with all the cousins and cousin-in-law.  For someone (namely me) who has chosen not to send a lot of time with their own family over the last ten years or so, it was definitely great fun to hang out with such a close nit family. Our gang certainly added to the noise factor, especially Hamish on his birthday week and pretty much every day his character showed through in his rambunctious play. Lesley is a sensational cook and great entertainer, she has an exceptional aptitude for interior design and it was such a pleasure to stay in their house.  I enjoyed having a chefs kitchen to prepare a few meals myself for the whole gang, cooking for 9 or 10 is certainly different logistically than cooking for our small family.

Emma loved having older female cousins to chat to, and even managed to fit into some of their high heels and beautiful dresses. A visit to cottage country with everyone was a real treat, a lovely property, beautiful lake and great fun on the boat was had by all.

Tracey's cousin Mark is an entrepreneur with a lot of energy and excitement about what he does. I went into his offices for 2 days to see the office in action.  It was inspiring to see a business, about 3 to 4 times bigger, than the one we just sold run, and to watch the CEO in action. He shared a lot of knowledge, concepts and marketing ideas with me that certainly made my brain kick back into gear.

We caught up with a few of Tracey's friends from back in the day, always great to see true friends reunite, conversation comes easily, the hugs are full of warmth and the smiles abundant. The kids all got along well, which makes things a lot easier .

Access to Internet and Skype was wonderful, it allowed us the opportunity to get in touch with a few people back home, share some birthday wishes with friends and have a general catch up.  Off to Paris on Friday, much smaller accommodation I fear but still lots of excitement to come.