Welcome to Boston!!

Took an early flight out of Toronto so landed in Boston at about 11am. Dropped our stuff at the hostel and headed straight into the city. We did the harbour walk, was such a beautiful, but boiling day!

Decided we were going to get a hop-on, hop-off bus tour for the next day so we went to check in at the hostel and get changed for dinner.









The following day, we got on our bus and did the 2.5 hour tour around the city to see where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. We went to Quincy Market for lunch where I had a very unhealthy binge on mac n' cheese, not a good idea!

Included in our tour was the harbour Duck Splash that takes you round the Mystic River and gives you a really nice view of the Boston skyline.

We then took a stroll through the Boston Public Gardens which are beautiful and a great place to just chill out. As Boston was in the Stanley Cup Final (hockey) when we were there (they lost to Chicago Winterhawks), everything in the city was decked out in all things Bruins, including some famous monuments...

One of the little ducklings in the Boston Public Gardens

Statue of George Washington,again in the gardens

Later on that day we wanted to go and see the Boston memorial for the bomb that exploded earlier in the year. It went off on Boylston Street, just at the finishing line of the marathon. Quite an emotional experience.

Part of the memorial with the Fairmont Hotel in the background

The memorial is situated in Copley Place, beautiful square with the public library on one side and Trinity Church on the other. Just behind the church is the John Hancock tower which is the tallest building in Boston.






That evening, we went to watch the hockey at a cool restaurant and bar called Rock Bottom. It had a really cool atmosphere and it was a good game, despite Boston losing. We weren't too tired and were both in a giddy mood so we decided to go and see the Hangover Part 3...great laugh!

Another thing that was included in our tour was a river boat cruise along the Charles River. The river runs between Boston and Cambridge (where Harvard and MIT are situated).











We also did a tour of Cambridge and stopped off to have a look at Harvard. Lovely university and quite a nice atmosphere with people just reading and chilling in the garden.






That afternoon, we walked the Freedom Trail. A 3 mile trail where you follow at red line along the streets of Boston and you pass all the most historical places in the city. Boston was significant in America gaining their independence from us. The American Revolution started in Boston so it is filled with history and was really interesting.

Monument along the Freedom Trail that pays tribute to the first unit of the military that allowed African Americans to join. 

The State house

The donkey is the mascot of the Democratic party in the USA and the elephant is the mascot for the Republicans...see you learn something knew everyday.

The Holocaust memorial

The oldest pub in the USA

After the Freedom trail we went back to Little Italy and had a lovely meal for our last night in Boston. Our bus for New York the next day was at 3pm so we didn't have long. It was so hot the next day, almost 33 degrees! So we did as any Brit would do in that heat, sat in a pub! Wimbledon was on so we watched Nadal get beat while I was sipping on my $1.50 beer! A lovely way to end our trip to Boston.

Next...the Big Apple!! 

Toronto

Wednesday we finally got out to see the city! We went on a open top bus tour of the city in order to get our bearings, was so strange to be in a city and not actually see it as we'd be busy the two previous days. The tour was really interesting and a great way to get started. After the tour we went for an awesome lunch in Chinatown..excellent recommendation from the tour guide, at least he earned his tip! 

Dundas Square (Toronto's version of Time's Square)

We later just wandered round the town, taking in the sights and trying to get to know this city. The most notable thing was the amount of construction that was going on. Toronto is growing at an enormous rate with people from all over the world emigrating here. It is the most multicultural city in the world with 51% of it's population born overseas.

Parliament building (I think!)

The Royal Ontario Museum and the most controversial building in the city. It's a bit like Marmite, but I loved it.

 

Saw this guy as we were walking down the street. He really cracked us up, so we decided to go back and give him some money and get a photo with him. Honesty clearly is the best policy. He was telling us how so many people have their picture taken with him or people give him weed, crazy! Was really funny!

That evening we quickly ate then headed out to watch the Toronto Blue Jays (Baseball) at the Rogers Centre, next to the CN Tower. Over the course of the game we started to work out the rules and figured it was pretty much just like rounders! Picked up our tickets for only $11...bargain! Although the beer was the same price as the ticket, so it works out for them. 

Was a really cool atmosphere, although it is quite a long game, so we left just before it ended, Blue Jays had it in the bag anyway! Really embraced the tradition by getting a veggie dog outside! Hotdog carts are everywhere!

We got up early on our last day in Toronto and walked down to the water front where they were preparing for a Waterfront Festival celebrating the 200 year peace between Canada and the USA.

Tall ship in ready for the festival

Amazing blue skies over Lake Ontario

An example of all the construction work taking place...plus what a great sign!

I then (finally) met up with Carley (another friend I met in Bordeaux) for lunch, Lisa decided to stay back at the hostel to sort stuff out. Was so nice to see her and have a catch up. Trying to catch up on 3 years of living in an hour is not easy, but at least we managed to see each other!

Me and Carley

After lunch, Lisa and I went to have a look round some of the neighbourhoods that tourists don't tend to go and visit. Love getting more of a 'real' experience in a city and seeing other places rather than just the tourist spots. We walked through India town, Cabbagetown and ended in Little Greece! We seemed to be walking forever! 

Little Greece

For our last night in Toronto, we went up the CN Tower...the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Was even a little scary going up the the lift as it is glass looking out. We went at sunset so we could see both day and night..beautiful scenery.

Glass floor looking onto the aquarium, no there are no sharks waiting for us! Haha!

Gorgeous sunset

Enjoying a glass of cava in the rather expensive bar at the top of the CN Tower.

All in all, Toronto was lovely, disappointed I didn't manage to see Kiefer Sutherland even though he was in the city at the same time. Mind you asking to meet two celebs in one trip is a bit greedy, I guess Paul Walker will have to do! I would have preferred to have a little bit more time to see more of the city. For me it was quite busy and too much construction going on. 

Next up...an American adventure...Boston and New York! 

  

Wonderland, Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake

Hi all,

Sunday 16th June we took a bus from Montreal down to Toronto, took almost 6 hours as Toronto traffic is awful! Anyway, found our hostel, went to the shop, ate and headed to bed. It was supposed to rain the next day so we decided to go to Wonderland - the Canadian version of Disneyworld. It turned out to be a lovely, hot day and was great as it was so quiet, the longest we queued was 10 minutes!

 It is a beautiful park with some really cool rides. Don't think many tourists are aware of Wonderland as it seemed to just be Canadians there.

Behemoth with a 230ft drop...not as big as Leviathian which was over a 300ft drop and the world's 5th biggest roller coaster.

Was a really cool day, and was nice to do something a bit different. We then met up with Sheila, a friend from back home. Went for dinner to the Salad King, an amazing (and cheap) Thai restaurant just off Dundas Square.

The following day, we went on a guided tour to Niagara Falls. Got picked up pretty early and got to Niagara mid morning. Started at the actual falls, then headed to Clifton Hill where you get a good view of the Falls and it is where the Maid of the Mist is situated.

Looking sexy heading on to the Maid of the Mist

Horseshoe Falls (Canadian side) with the Maid of Mist

After the Falls we went on to a gorgeous little town called Niagara-on-the-Lake, right in the heart of wine country! Such a cute little place, tour buses aren't allowed to drive through in order to keep it more peaceful.

Wine tasting at a vineyard outside of the town

A lovely end to a lovely day: cocktails with Lisa and Sheila sat outside overlooking Dundas Square.

Au revoir Montreal!

I have really fallen in love with this city, here a few reasons....

There are so many cool neighbourhoods to explore and can always find one to match your mood. Tonnes of things to see and do, from history, to art, chilling with a drink, eating, theatre, cinema, you name it.

 It's bilingual! Love walking into a shopping and being greeted with, "Bonjour, Hi" and no one is offended at what language you choose.

People are cool, friendly and helpful, but not in your face.













So many parks to chill in, so you really feel like you've been transported out of a city environment.











It is so easy to get around, the metro is awesome, bikes everywhere.

So many events going on in the summer...Montrealers really love to party!!

Another reason is Juliette et Chocolat.....mmmm.....

So on the Friday we just walked around, visited most of the places we had been too before but just loved strolling and seeing new parts, relaxing, grabbing some street food. Friday night, we decided to have a night out on the town...and had such a great time. Dancing all night and rolling in at 4.30am, great, only downside, didm't get any poutine on the way home!! 

Saturday we had a bad head each, so we decided to go to Parc Mont Royal which is a huge park that looks over the city. Took us about an hour to get up to the lake at the top, but it was worth it. So busy and beautiful, felt like we were no longer in the city. Felt a bit pathetic with our salad and crisps compared to everyone else's picnics and BBQs! Great day sunbathing and relaxing nonetheless. 

Lake at Parc Mont Royal

All in all, very enjoyable day, topped off with an AMAZING meal! An Asian all veggie restaurant, fantastic. Absolutely shattered, so off to bed. Really didn't want to leave this city, but have to move on.

Au revoir Montreal, hello Toronto!!

Montreal...the city of my dreams...

Hi all, sorry for the lack of postings...it's been a hectic 2 weeks!!

So got the early bus to Montreal on Monday June 10th and head out to have a look round the city. So impressive...felt right at home straight away! Busy and jam-packed like New York, yet a pretty relaxed place.

Wandered round the Old Town, nowhere near as nice as Quebec City, but it was still charming and was glad we saw it. Enjoyed watching the locals practicing their Par Cours on the Champs de Mars near the Old Town. Had a walk down to the Quartier des Spectacles where they were setting up for the many festivals during the summer, one was due to start on the Thursday we were there...Francopholie (French music from around the world). Buzzing atmosphere, headed to hostel and chilled.

Woke the next day to discover it was absolutely peeing it down...great! So did a bit of research and found there was a place called the Biodome which recreates different ecosystems and environments like the rainforest, woodlands etc and has loads of different plants and animals. Pretty interesting place...the rest of Montreal, it seemed, had the same idea.







Rainforest in Biodome


So was crowded, but we didn't mind as someone rather special decided to come too. Paul Walker. The God. For those of you who don't know him, he is the star of the Fast & Furious movies, but mainly, he is fit, really fit. Even more fit in the flesh. He sat on the table next to ours (where me and Lisa were having heart palpations). He was so lovely and even gave us directions to the show we were seeing (which he was in too!). So all in all, a great day!

Lisa, PAUL WALKER and me :)

The following day, i.e. the come down after meeting Paul Walker, was quite cool also (not as cool though). We went to Parc Jean Drapeau which is located on the Island just across from Montreal and is where the F1 is held. It only ended the Sunday before we arrived so it was pretty quiet and they were pulling everything down. Still, we had a nice walk around in the sun and popped in the Casino for a drink.

Structure at Parc Jean Drapeau with Montreal skyline behind

Then on to the gay village, which was lively, colourful and had a great vibe. Mooched round the financial district and checked out some of the amazing hotels that are in the very rich area...dreaming of a day when we could swap our dorm beds for a luxury suite. Walked round McGill University, lovely architecture and had a great feel to it. Then across to the art museum, where there was lots of funky art on the street for everyone to see. Had a bite to eat, grabbed our stuff and headed for a friend of a friend's place where we were crashing for the rest of our time in Montreal.

Financial District

< Looking down onto the Fine Art Museum












After chatting to our new friend Olivier til late, the following day we decided to have a lie in. Walked to Jean Talon market - the largest in North America. Was huge, loads of variety and very multicultural. Ate in a little Mexican place, so cool to be speaking French and English, plus hearing Spanish being spoken by the waiters! Long walk down Blvd St Laurent into town, but worth it, as for the summer, it has been turned into a pedestrian street. The mural festival was on, where different artists from around the world came and basically painted murals on the end of buildings, which livened them up and created something so different! Such a cool vibe.


Later we headed out to the Francopholie festival and watched a couple of acts, then headed to the Latin Quarter for a couple of drinks. Ended up in a place called Sainte Sulpice which had the largest beer garden we'd ever seen! Headed back home after a tiring day....