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Posts from the road

From Lebanon to Zweisimmen

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(Lyon, France, and Zweisimmen, Switzerland)

On my last night in Lyon, I went to a Lebanese restaurant called Rose de Damas in the Part-Dieu neighbourhood. The location and appearance didn’t suggest that this was the #6-ranked restaurant (out of more than 2200) in Lyon. And roughly 90 of those restaurants have at least one Michelin star. Rose de Damas doesn’t. But I agree with popular opinion on this one: I thought my meal there was outstanding.

My Menu végétarien at the Rose de Damas

I went for the Menu végétarien, which had an assortment of hot and cold dishes. Check out the above photograph – doesn’t it look spectacular? The cylindrical pastry on top was filled with cheese. And they didn’t try to overwhelm with garlic, as some restaurants seem determined to do. Instead, the dip tasted of sesame. Other interesting flavours included walnut and pomegranate. My photo of the restaurant itself (see below) was taken at night, but I think you can tell that it looks cosy yet unpretentious.

Night view of the Rose de Damas in Lyon

The next morning, I was up bright and early to catch a series of trains from Lyon to Zweisimmen. I had to change trains in Geneva and Montreux, but those stops were very brief…thanks to the incredibly dense network of public transportation in Switzerland. Zweisimmen is in the heart of my ancestral Swiss valley, and is my base for skiing (and more!) for the next three days. The picture at the very top of this post is an overcast view of Zweisimmen taken from the ski gondola.

Waiting for the train to depart Montreux for Zweisimmen. If this is 2nd class, I wonder what 1st class looks like?

The posh resort village of Gstaad is just down the road: check out the 2nd class railway car on this route. The wood panelling and skylights are standard issue. The service was very impressive too.

Hotel Sonnegg – home for my three days in Zweisimmen, Switzerland

I’m staying at the Hotel Sonnegg (above), a very friendly family-run hotel at the top of the town. It can be a demanding uphill walk from the downtown core, but it’s also very peaceful. There are no rowdy late-night disturbances!

Speaking of family, my cousin Catherine happened to be on a brief visit to the nearby village of Mannried. We hadn’t seen each other for a while, so we had an enjoyable catch-up dinner at the Bären Restaurant (see above). This restaurant serves mostly Swiss food, and I had my very first Rösti of the trip! Very good, but also very filling. Perfect for the demanding sports-filled days that lay ahead!

Another chalet in downtown Zweisimmen. The yellow signs point the way to various nearby places and villages…including Weissenbach, where I visited my grandfather as a child.

The uphill walk back to my hotel wasn’t easy, but it’s hard to complain when there are so many typical rustic chalets along the way. It’s so nice to see the real thing. (Don’t get me started on the Canadian restaurant chain called “Swiss Chalet”: it is neither Swiss nor a chalet.).

Above Zweisimmen – a cosy place with a nice view

But what about the skiing, you ask? All those spectacular photos are coming up soon! And I’ll also be telling you about a very special sports experience I had in Gstaad, of all places…

Posts from the road

My first visit to Lyon, France (and the story of my flight upgrade)

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(Lyon, France)

I hadn’t planned to visit Lyon on this trip. But, as you may recall, I found a great flight deal here from Montreal. I suspect that late February is not a particularly high-demand time for that route. And that came in handy a second time!

Les Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse

Many airlines now allow you to bid for an upgrade to a higher class, if there are empty seats in their premium economy or business classes. I was booked into economy on this trip, although I had selected an exit row seat for the extra leg room. Even so, I still find the ever-shrinking seats in economy class to be very uncomfortable (especially if the flight is full). It’s not just the leg room: shoulder room is scarce too! Add to that the loss of a night’s sleep, and it’s not the best way to start off a European trip…especially one that is going to be very active.

Les Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse

All this means that I was particularly interested in bidding for an upgrade to business class on this trip. The lie-flat seats can accommodate someone who is 6’6″, so even I can fully stretch out in them. There usually is a minimum bid for such an upgrade, but even that was reduced by 25% on this flight. I figured that was a good sign too. I decided to bid just a tiny bit more than the revised minimum, and was fairly confident I would succeed. And I did!

This passage in Lyon was filled with very specialized (and/or very posh) shops

Some things to remember: while you get access to the business lounge before departure (with all the free food and drinks you can handle), they don’t let you in until 3 hours before departure. Also: my flight to Lyon arrived earlier than expected. It was barely 7 hours. That cuts down on sleeping time, as meals are served at the beginning and end of the flight. Business class travel actually makes a longer flight more desirable!

I didn’t ride the Ferris wheel in downtown Lyon…maybe I should have?

Anyway, here I am in Lyon. Given Lyon’s culinary reputation, I stopped by Les Halles de Lyon – Paul Bocuse. It is an indoor food market named after Lyon’s most famous chef, and quite close to my hotel. As you can imagine, the offerings tend to toward the swankier end of the decadence spectrum. And regardless of the product, the displays are spectacular too. Take my word for it – you will know when you are near a cheese vendor.

This very ornate Lyon carousel must be from the 19th century

From there, I crossed the Rhône river to what I’m going to call the “Belle Epoque” part of Lyon. Not the truly ancient Vieux-Lyon, but the prosperous Presqu’île district. It’s full of grand boulevards and grand buildings, with a lot of luxury brands from all over the world. From a shopping perspective, it’s certainly not what I was looking for. But I managed to find a FNAC record shop in a suitably attractive building, and I now have a musical souvenir from the trip!

You don’t see many record shops like this anymore (Lyon, France)

As I really only have one “discretionary” meal here in France’s food capital, I wanted to make it worthwhile. So, I did some research on special options that I could walk to from my hotel. I found something that ticked all the boxes for me: a family-run restaurant that has developed an outstanding reputation for quality food from the “old country”…in this case, Lebanon and Syria. The reviews were gushing, to say the least. Perhaps more importantly, I didn’t see any bad reviews either.

Olfactory extravaganza!

Watch for my next blog, when you’ll find out whether this local favourite lived up to its fabulous reputation!

Posts from the road

National Championships – 2023 Edition

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(Colwood, British Columbia, Canada)

Almost exactly one year ago, I wrote a post about my first appearance at the National Lawn Bowling Championships. I described some of the parallels between travel and lawn bowling, and expressed the hope that I would be able to return to a national championship someday.

Team Ontario enters the Opening Ceremonies

Well, if you’ve been reading this blog, you know that my Fours team qualified for the Nationals this year. This time, however, the event wasn’t being held in Ontario. No, I would have to travel 4500 km in order to play! I decided to arrive early, so that I could practice and also see a bit of Vancouver Island.

The clubhouse at the Juan de Fuca Lawn Bowling Club

The 2023 Nationals were held at the Juan de Fuca Lawn Bowling Club in Colwood, B.C. Colwood is essentially a suburb of Victoria, and it has a vast sports complex with a spectacular collection of facilities. This extended to the lawn bowling club, which had 4 full greens. Even the biggest club in Ontario has only 2 full greens.

The officials (in red) and the participating provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia) at the Opening Ceremonies

I understand that the Juan de Fuca greens were built to accommodate the Commonwealth Games. Whatever the reason, it is a great facility. That is, if you can disregard the sudden blood-curdling screams every few minutes from the neighbouring zipline!

Team Ontario poses together before competition begins

Just like in 2022, there were some ups and downs…especially in the early going. We lost 3 of our first 4 games. The weather started off cool (note how bundled up I am in the photo at the very top of this post), but warmed as the week went along. And as the week progressed, the playing conditions changed too. The greens were markedly less “green” by the end, as you can see in some of the photos here. And as the greens dried out, the speed increased significantly. Fortunately, we were up to the challenge!

Ontario B and Alberta B deep in thought on the final day of round-robin play

By the last round-robin match, we faced a huge range of possible outcomes. We could win the game and still finish completely out of the medals. We could win and make it to the bronze medal match. Or, if things fell into place just right, we could even make it to the gold medal match! We did our part by winning our game. Finally, after an excruciating wait until the other games finished, we learned our fate…we were playing against British Columbia A for bronze!

I’m very focused here, delivering a bowl during the bronze medal match

The bronze medal match was like no other game I’ve ever played. Our rink was so fast, it exceeded the speed of the indoor surface I played on in Vancouver last fall. And it got even faster as the game went on. It took a remarkable amount of concentration and energy to deal with the challenging (and changing) conditions. We fell behind early, but we pulled together as a team to find a winning strategy. And it worked! We eventually prevailed by a score of 18-10, and took home the National bronze medal.

The happy medalists in the Men’s Fours competition: Ontario B, Saskatchewan, and Alberta A

I’m so fortunate to have found a sport that challenges on so many levels but also brings so much enjoyment. And like I said last year – those are exactly the words that I would use to describe the best kind of travel.

The requisite pipes and drums at the Nationals

And speaking of travel – I’ve got some news coming soon! Yes, there is finally a full-fledged international trip on the horizon, and I’ve already bought the plane tickets. Stay tuned for the big reveal!

Posts from the road

Victoria, B.C. – Part 2

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(Victoria, B.C., Canada)

Victoria has a very busy downtown area. In many ways, it reminds me of downtown Kingston: a very large legislative building overlooking the harbour, and a relatively “British” feel to city. However, there are some key differences.

Victoria’s harbour, with the provincial legislature building in the background

Kingston does not have a huge and venerable hotel in its downtown core. While there are some smaller old hotels with a great deal of character, there is nothing as imposing as the Empress Hotel in downtown Victoria. The Empress is another one of the grand old railway hotels that were built across Canada over a century ago…and still retains its ancient traditions such as afternoon high tea.

Victoria’s Empress Hotel

Kingston also doesn’t have a distinct “Chinatown” district like Victoria does. Nor does it have a street as narrow as Fan Tan Alley, which is just 3 feet across at its narrowest.

Fan Tan Alley, from the north end

Fan Tan Alley used to be somewhat rougher than it is now. The opium and gambling (“Fan-Tan” is a Chinese gambling game) of the past has been replaced by very tourist-friendly businesses.

Fan Tan Alley, from the south end

We also spent some time visiting a friend in one of Victoria’s elegant neighbourhoods. And what made the biggest impression on us was something you don’t typically associate with a provincial capital city: deer.

The deer are everywhere. They have become part of the urban environment. There are signs warning motorists of the large animals in their midst. And there are even local tensions about the best way to deal with the increasing number of deer.

The deer pictures here were all taken in our friend’s backyard. As you can see, the deer is quite young. There are many more like this one, everywhere you go. And they are particularly fond of the fig trees that are scattered throughout the neighbourhood.

We have about 200 pictures of this deer. I might use some more of them in a future post, if I don’t have any other photos to accompany the text. But I think you get the idea: Victoria = deer.

Stay tuned for a post about the real reason I was in Victoria!

Posts from the road

Victoria, B.C. – Part 1

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(Victoria, B.C., Canada)

During our visit to Victoria, we stayed in the suburban community of Langford. While parts of it had a few too many chain businesses and big box stores for my liking, there were still some interesting pockets. There’s no question that it is a very prosperous community, and some of the “corporate creep” was redeemed by having a solid Thai restaurant.

Yes, this is indeed “Cashew Chicken” at Sabhai Thai Restaurant in Langford, B.C.

I can’t help thinking that Sabhai Thai is not the first tenant in this building. The decor seemed more “Steakhouse” than “Southeast Asian”. But we enjoyed our meals and would have returned for a second time if the need arose.

Sabhai Thai Restaurant

The next day saw us journey into Victoria itself. Because of our distance from downtown, we had a rental car for the period before my competition began. Downtown parking was potentially an expensive proposition. But some timely research revealed that the city’s parking garages were free on Sundays. We took advantage of that and enjoyed a leisurely ramble through downtown.

The Provincial Legislature Building in Victoria, B.C.

Our first stop was the Provincial Legislature in the heart of Victoria’s downtown. The (free) tour of this impressive building was brief but easily booked at the last minute (even on a summer weekend) just outside the building itself.

Looking straight up at the Provincial Legislature building

While obviously not identical to the various other provincial legislatures, the home of the B.C. government certainly shared a lot of “traditional” characteristics with those other buildings. But it was also very different from the much newer territorial legislative buildings in Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.

One of the opulent spaces we saw on our tour.

There are countless places to eat in the touristy downtown core. However, rather than visit one of those places for lunch, we walked south from the Provincial Legislature building to a community called James Bay. Despite being only a couple of minutes by foot, the vibe here was quite different.

This is where the business of governing actually takes place

In short, James Bay seemed to be a real neighbourhood. Many of the shops were clearly oriented towards serving the local residents. We opted for a quirky restaurant called The Bent Mast, where we enjoyed an al fresco lunch in the shade.

My lunch at the Bent Mast in the James Bay neighbourhood

Given the previous evening’s Thai meal, it really wasn’t necessary to have a Thai-inspired lunch plate the next day. But I really like the freshness, colour, and diverse flavours of Thai cuisine, and it just felt like the right thing to do on this pleasant day in Victoria. And like many other independent restaurants we’ve enjoyed on this trip, they had a lot of unique local beverages that you probably aren’t able to enjoy outside of B.C.

The Bent Mast restaurant in Victoria, B.C.

Stay tuned for more on downtown Victoria!

Posts from the road

Vancouver Island’s South Coast

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(Langford, B.C., Canada)

We’re having a splendid time exploring our home for the next ten days. Today, we focused more on the natural side of things by taking a road trip along the southern coast of Vancouver Island.

The Sooke Tourist Office (and the Sooke Region Museum) – Sooke, B.C.

We started off our day at the Tourist Office in Sooke, about 45 minutes west of Victoria on the Juan de Fuca Strait. This is always a good idea, especially to get up-to-date maps and to ensure our carefully researched plans actually make sense in reality. The advice was superb, and so was the attached museum and shop (with very reasonable prices). And the Spirit Bear out front was great too.

Entrance to the Whiffin Spit – Sooke, B.C.

To prepare ourselves for the big walk that would come later, we started by hiking the “Whiffen Spit” on the Sooke waterfront. This is a very narrow finger of land that extends quite some distance into the bay. And, as we’ve noticed at every outdoor site we visited today, you have to be mindful of the bears!

The Shirley Delicious restaurant in Shirley, B.C.

For lunch, we drove west to the “community” of Shirley. Their renowned restaurant is called simply “Shirley Delicious”, and it is hard to imagine how the food could be any fresher. The paninis are justly famous. They also have a lot of vegan offerings.

The Sheringham Point Lighthouse – Shirley, B.C.

From Shirley Delicious, a short drive downhill takes you to the Sheringham Point Lighthouse trail. The lighthouse is no longer in service, but it is now being maintained as a National Heritage Site. As you can see from the photos, it has a splendid location overlooking the Strait. But our most vivid memory of the day is what happened offshore…

Approach to Sheringham Point Lighthouse (Shirley, B.C.) – home of a major wildlife sighting!

From the lighthouse, we were treated to a spectacular display of…whales! We believe we saw humpback whales as well as killer whales (orcas). I have seen some whales in Newfoundland before, but never this close and this impressive. They were HUGE! We lost track of how many we saw, but agreed that the emergence of a whale’s entire tail was probably the most stunning. Seeing these incredible creatures also makes you feel very…small.

Start of the Juan de Fuca Trail (Jordan River, BC) – and our hike to Mystic Beach

But we weren’t done yet. We drove even further west, just past the community of Jordan River, to the trailhead of the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail. Our goal: the alluringly-named Mystic Beach, with its own waterfall!

Typical terrain on the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail

While only about 2km away, the hike to the beach is not easy. The trail is a minefield of stones, exposed roots, steep drops, and slippery surfaces. The only factor in our favour was that the very dry summer has eliminated the muddy parts. There was even a suspension bridge, which swings somewhat alarmingly when you start walking on it. Especially with the rainforest environment, this really reminded me of Costa Rica.

Mystic Beach! (Waterfall just out of sight)

Finally, we heard the roar of the ocean. And then our final descent found us right in the middle of a beautiful rocky beach (with a sandy portion just to the east). It was quite the payoff after a difficult trek. It was also cool to see the waterfall cascading into the ocean, although at this time of year there wasn’t much more than a trickle.

Looking in the other direction at Mystic Beach

Even more than at Sooke or Shirley, the roar of the waves was much louder than we expected. While we didn’t see whales here, the choppy waves would have made them difficult to see in any event. But we weren’t disappointed…we had already had a pretty special whale experience already!

We had to cross this suspension bridge on the way to/from Mystic Beach. It moved a *lot* when you walked on it. The photo doesn’t capture how high above the ground it really was.

After chilling under a shady tree for a while, we headed back up the same trail. Interestingly, even though the return trip was much more uphill than downhill, we completed the return portion faster than the initial descent. I think this was because there were a lot of dodgy downhill parts on the way down, and it is much easier to fall when going down a trail like that.

Looking up, near the Juan de Fuca Marine Trail trailhead

The last photo valiantly tries to convey how impressive the trail surroundings were. We tended to focus on our footing, but every once in a while we’d stop and look up at the ridiculously tall trees (including Douglas firs) that completely surrounded us.

Despite the busy day of hikes, I managed to get some lawn bowling practice in too. That’s why I’m here, after all! Stay tuned for some more pre-competition sights!

Posts from the road

Various Ontario Adventures

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(Various Ontario Locations)

As with last summer, my summer travel (so far) has been following the competitive lawn bowling circuit in Ontario. This blog post brings things up to date, in advance of a bigger adventure later this month!

My dinner special at Baan Thai in Nepean
My dinner special at Baan Thai in Nepean, Ontario

My early season focus was on the Ottawa suburb of Nepean. Nepean’s lawn bowling club has an artificial surface, which means that it is in playing condition much earlier than clubs with a natural grass surface. We took the opportunity to revisit an old favourite: the Baan Thai restaurant. We first ate here about 10 years ago when we saw Johnny Clegg in concert at the nearby Centrepointe Theatre.

Delivering the jack at the Provincial Men’s Fours championship in Windsor, Ontario

Distances in Ontario are vast. From Ottawa, my next major destination was Windsor…750 km to the southwest. I was playing in the Provincial Men’s Fours playdowns there, and I posted about Windsor’s special Ukrainian restaurant (and an Ethiopian restaurant too) in my previous blog entry.

Delivering a bowl in the rain at the Provincial Men’s Fours championship in Windsor, Ontario

As my team managed to claim the silver medal in rainy Windsor, we will be attending the National championships later this month…in Victoria, British Columbia! There’s more to come in this blog on that prestigious event.

My delicious platter (foreground) at Lalibela Restaurant in East York, Ontario

I spent a couple of weekends in Kitchener too, but unfortunately I don’t have any photographs to share from those adventures. But I also played at a few tournaments in East York, at the Cosburn Park club. And one of the great things about this club is its proximity to “the Danforth”.

Another view of our food at Lalibela Restaurant – love the plates!

The Danforth, or more recently “the Danny”, is a portion of Danforth Avenue historically associated with Toronto’s large Greek community. Part of it is still known as Greektown, and Greek restaurants abound. However, much of more recent immigration to this part of Toronto has been from Ethiopia and the Horn of Africa. In fact, a portion of it is now known as “Little Ethiopia”. There are about a dozen Ethiopian restaurants within walking distance of each other. So, of course, I had to try one…

Lalibela Restaurant on Danforth Avenue in East York, Ontario

We ended up at a restaurant called Lalibela, and I was very happy with my platter. The spicy chicken and the salad (or rather the salad dressing) were particular highlights. I don’t know why, but eating Ethiopian style just feels so right after a long day of physical activity in the sun.

The beach in downtown Cobourg, Ontario

A little closer to home, I often find myself in the lakeside town of Cobourg. Their lawn bowling club has a great location near the beach, and it is just close enough to Kingston to be feasible for one-day tournaments without a hotel stay. And it also makes a good stopover on the way back from events in Toronto and points west.

A narrow alley leads to the Oasis in Cobourg, Ontario

I’ve been travelling to Cobourg for sports since I was 10 years old. But somehow I had never noticed a place called the Oasis on Cobourg’s main street. You get to it by following an alley (the end of it is shown above) from the street. I was very impressed by the fact that they carry Blanche de Chambly – a very refreshing summer beverage from Quebec.

Another view of Cobourg’s beach

I don’t think I had ever fully appreciated Cobourg’s beach. It is right downtown, and seems to retain a small-Ontario-town feel despite the new development (condos, etc.) just a couple of blocks away. It isn’t as vast as the beach in ‘s-Gravenzande, for example, but there is nothing like it in the other nearby towns.

A more modern development in downtown Cobourg, Ontario

East York isn’t the only part of Toronto that I’ve gotten to know through sports. On a couple of occasions this summer, I’ve been in the suburban neighbourhood of Agincourt (itself part of Scarborough). This area is known for its East Asian restaurants, and we found a very interesting one on our last visit.

Graceful Vegetarian Restaurant – a surprising find in Scarborough, Ontario

I haven’t had dim sum very often, but it is something I am going to try again in the future. It lets you sample many different dishes without committing to a lot of something unfamiliar. And the “Graceful Vegetarian Restaurant” obviously takes the dim sum concept one step beyond: everything is vegetarian or vegan!

Like nowhere else I have eaten!

I don’t know if I would have tried “real” barbecued eel. But I certainly didn’t mind trying the vegetarian version, with the (presumably soy-based) mock eel being very similar in texture to what I think eel would be like. It ended up being my favourite part of the meal.

Stay tuned for my upcoming British Columbia adventure!

Posts from the road

Windsor and its “Ukrainian Restaurant”

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(Windsor, Ontario, Canada)

I was recently in Windsor, Ontario, for the Open Fours Provincial Lawn Bowling Championships. I’ve written about Windsor before (click here for details). But for today’s post, I’d like to talk about some unique dining experiences that we had on this trip.

Interior of “Ukrainian Restaurant” in Windsor, Ontario

Windsor’s oldest Ukrainian restaurant opened on a quiet residential street in 1929. It was called simply “Ukrainian Restaurant“. The first owner was Pearl Hawrylak. She ran it until 1967. In 1968, it was purchased by Anna Momcilovic…who continues to run it today!  

Our meals at the “Ukrainian Restaurant” in Windsor, Ontario

Anna is now 88 years old, and is still the chef, server, manager, dishwasher, and sole employee. And it is still called “Ukrainian Restaurant”. To save time, you need to place your order through the window to the kitchen and grab your own drink from the fridge.

“Ukrainian Restaurant” on Marion Avenue in Windsor

It is incredible to have 94 years of service under one name, in one off-the-beaten-path location, and under just two owners. It’s not fancy, but it is definitely authentic and a most welcome throwback to another time. We opted for combination plates of perogies, cabbage rolls and sauerkraut. And I had to have borscht as my soup selection. It came with cream, which Anna told me was the proper Ukrainian way to eat it.

Detroit, Michigan, as seen from Windsor, Ontario

“Ukrainian Restaurant” was unique. But my team and I had also a very enjoyable meal in an Ethiopian restaurant called “World Marathon Ethiopian Restaurant“. I’ve written about Ethiopian restaurants in the past: see here, here and here. Eating with one’s hands is something most people have gotten away from in “sit-down” restaurants, but I still find it a lot of fun. According to Ethiopian folklore, people who share meals in this way will never betray each other.

Caesar’s Casino in Windsor, Ontario

World Marathon offers alternatives for those who aren’t quite ready for the “hands-on” authentic experience, but I dove right in. Almost all of my teammates ate that way too. They watched me briefly demonstrate the proper technique (scooping assorted sauces and specialties with pieces of my injera “crepe”), and then followed suit.

Our lunches at Sushi Cove in Woodstock, Ontario

Sadly, I was so enthusiastic that I forgot to take pictures before digging in. But I did remember to take some pictures when we stopped in Woodstock, Ontario, on the way home after the tournament. We went to Sushi Cove, where I ate Korean food in 2021 and had a good experience. I went for the bulgogi this time, while my wife went for the bibimbap (in foreground).

Sushi Cove restaurant in Woodstock, Ontario

I also picked up a couple of special vinyl records in Woodstock, before making the long drive back to Kingston. I’ve lost track of the number of records in my collection, but I can remember where I picked up each one. For me, it’s another way to commemorate some of the special travel experiences I’ve had. Just like this blog.

You are now entering Dorking, Ontario

And then there are the random places you stumble upon. Dorking (pictured above) wasn’t much more than a crossroads. It is in a very traditional part of the province. It’s so traditional that several horses (with buggies) were “parked” outside the general store.

Stay tuned for more on my local summer travels…and an upcoming trip requiring a couple of flights each way!

Posts from the road

First International Trip in Three Years!

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(Wellesley Island, New York, U.S.A.)

I flew from Geneva, Switzerland, to Toronto (via Dublin) on March 8, 2020. And despite flying thousands of miles on a couple of occasions in 2022, I hadn’t left Canada since that pivotal day in 2020. Until now.

The toll booth at the 1000 Islands Bridge (Ivy Lea, Ontario). About to leave Canada!
My first international destination since March 2020

On April 23, 2023, we dusted off our passports and drove through the heart of the 1000 Islands to the United States border…and beyond!

Eel Bay (Wellesley Island State Park)
The water at Eel Bay was very clear (Wellesley Island State Park)

Since the trip was very much a last-minute decision, it was kind of a strange way to end the long international travel drought. But I had done a little bit of research in advance that would prove very helpful.

Low level view of the Narrows (Wellesley Island State Park)
High level view of the Narrows (Wellesley Island State Park)

Our first stop in New York was Wellesley Island State Park. I had driven through Wellesley Island countless times over the years, but this was the very first time I had ever turned off Interstate 81 to visit the park. And because it was not yet the summer tourist season, admission was free.

A rocky part of the trail, near the Narrows (Wellesley Island State Park)

We began with a brief orientation at the Minna Anthony Common Nature Centre . We confirmed our understanding of the trail system, and embarked on an extremely enjoyable hike along Eel Bay. We were walking for well over an hour…and didn’t see anybody else after the first minute.

This fellow was sticking his tongue out at us, and didn’t want us to get any closer (Wellesley Island State Park)

We had great views of the St. Lawrence River and the American portion of the 1000 Islands. Wellesley Island is home to deer, wild turkeys, snakes, and huge birds of prey…and today we saw all of them.

This fellow didn’t stick out his tongue, and let us get quite close (Wellesley Island State Park)
We think we saw a turkey vulture circling overhead! Wellesley Island State Park

We were also surprised by the rough terrain. Maybe not quite as rugged as Italy’s Cinque Terre, but reminiscent of at least the East Coast Trail in Newfoundland.

Looking back at the trail we had just hiked up (Wellesley Island State Park)

After leaving Wellesley Island State Park, we visited the “Private Community” of 1000 Islands Park. It looks like an exclusive cottage enclave from the 1920s that has been frozen in time ever since. And since it was only April, virtually all of the houses were empty. It was eerily quiet.

Thousand Island Park Post Office (Wellesley Island, New York)

We then crossed to the “mainland” of New York State. We briefly stopped in Clayton but, like most villages on the water around here, it was virtually deserted. It will come to life again once Victoria Day weekend arrives, along with the first substantial groups of tourists and cottagers.

James Street in downtown Clayton, New York

We had worked up quite an appetite, so we continued on to Watertown for dinner. Watertown is the largest community in this part of New York state but it still has only about 24,500 people. Yet we still managed to find an interesting place to eat: B-Hat’s Curry House, featuring Indian and Nepali cuisine. And we had both!

This building had gryphons on it! (Clayton, New York)

We started with some momos for our appetizer, followed by a main course of chicken korma and chicken vindaloo. The sauces were very rich and the korma had a pleasing cashew accent. The vindaloo packed a lot of punch, so I was glad to have ordered a lassi drink to neutralize the burn.

B-Hat’s Curry House, at the Stateway Plaza in Watertown, New York

After dinner, we took some local highways through communities like…Philadelphia! The New York version is only a small village, but it’s not the only “alternate” version around here. If we had kept going, we would have made it to Antwerp. And there are communities named Copenhagen, Mexico, Turin, and Rome around here. too.

Entering the metropolitan area (Philadelphia, New York)

We returned to Canada as the sun was setting over the 1000 Islands. It was a lot of fun to be an international traveler again, even if it was only for one day. I can’t wait to get the passport out again soon!

Posts from the road

Road Trip to Trenton

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(Trenton, Ontario, Canada)

I recently had a day-long curling bonspiel in Belleville. I accidentally left some of my curling equipment behind, and made arrangements to pick it up the following weekend. It was on this skimpy premise that a spontaneous yet long-planned road trip took place.

Murray Canal at Carrying Place, Ontario

In the darkest days of the pandemic, the only real “travel” options were for essentials. This included food. We repeatedly made plans for a trip to Trenton, a town about 100km of Kingston. The purpose was to stock up on my favourite Dutch food products from the Trenton Delicatessen. But like many things during the pandemic, our trip was repeatedly postponed. And once travel started to happen again, I somehow was never in Trenton during their business hours. Or if I was nearby, I didn’t have the time to stop in.

Old-school tattoo parlour in Trenton

Finally, this weekend, I found myself in Belleville (18km from Trenton) with a full day ahead of me and no deadlines to meet!

Sam the Record Man, in Belleville’s Quinte Mall

We started off with a visit to the only remaining “Sam the Record Man” store in Canada. The flagship “Sam’s” location was on Yonge Street in Toronto, but the chain was everywhere…even Kingston had multiple locations. It now consists of just the one store in Belleville’s Quinte Mall. Nothing replaces my favourite record shop in Kingston, but it was still fun to check out this throwback from the past.

Thai Sushi in downtown Trenton

After picking up some (non-perishable) groceries, we made our way to Trenton for lunch. Sadly, our first choice (Korean) was closed for lunch on Saturdays. As were many of our other choices. We then saw a sign for the “Thai Sushi” restaurant, and figured we might as well give it a try. Ordinarily, I am wary of restaurants that “specialize” in completely different cuisines. And I am even more wary of restaurants that have an “all you can eat” focus. But it had been many hours since breakfast, and I ignored the yellow flags.

Part of our lunch at “Thai Sushi” in Trenton

I focused on trying some new dishes, and ended up enjoying the experience. It’s always good to try salads and soups on such occasions, as they sometimes get overlooked (especially with take-out). And it was clear that many of our selections from the more obscure parts of the menu were being made to order.

Trenton Deli (Trenton, Ontario)

Anyway, we *finally* made it to the Trenton Delicatessen with absolutely no residual hunger. We could focus on what we needed for the long haul. I had fun assembling my own mixed bag of Dutch licorice (“drop“), with a nice range of sweet and/or salty selections. I even picked up a few “Hopjes“: coffee candies from Den Haag (The Hague). I don’t drink coffee but I have a soft spot for these treats that were often in the kitchen cupboard at my parents’ house. I also bought a bag of honing drop (honey licorice).

Murray Canal (Carrying Place, Ontario)

Then it was time for the kaas (cheese)! They had some fun varieties of gouda (pronounced gow-da with a gutteral “g”…NOT goo-da!), such as black lemon. Yes, it’s jet black, and tastes like lemon! But in the end, I went for a couple of cheeses that I haven’t had in a very long time: maasdam and cantenaar. The maasdam is quite mild, but the cantenaar is like a very old gouda (albeit healthier) and wins the prize as my favourite for the day. Sadly, the cheese is now gone. I’ll have to make another return trip soon.

Lots of warnings at Northport, Ontario

We decided to drive home via the northern part of Prince Edward County. There aren’t too many communities here, but it was a nice change from the busy highway between Trenton and Belleville. After brief stops at Carrying Place and Northport (see photo at the very top of this post), we took the Bay of Quinte Skyway Bridge back to the mainland near Deseronto.

Harrowing construction work on the Bay of Quinte Skyway Bridge (as seen from Deseronto, Ontario)

What I had forgotten was that this very steep bridge was being “rehabilitated”. Maybe even worse: half of it was down to one lane. I don’t know about you, but I really don’t enjoy being parked near the top of a steep bridge waiting for the traffic from the other side to cross. And when the one open lane appears to be the only intact portion of the bridge…let’s just say that I was very glad to be done with the bridge part of our journey.

Market Simeon (Napanee, Ontario)

Our last stop of the day was in Napanee. I’ve featured pictures from Napanee on this blog before: here’s a post from 2015, and here’s one from 2020. As we had fresh cheese in the cooler, we couldn’t stay long this time. But we did stop in at “Market Simeon” on Napanee’s historic main street. And what did I find there? Snert!

Snert (also known as Erwtensoep) is another name for Dutch split pea soup. And I have to say that this version tasted just right. It had some very tasty sausage and correctly omitted garlic (which doesn’t belong in Dutch cooking). It was a nice finish to a mostly Dutch early spring day. All we were missing were the tulips!