The Agawa Canyon Tour Train

September 4, 2012September 4, 2012 | Mairead

04 9a

(Grahame says this is why we don’t have snakes in Ireland)

Following on from yesterday we travelled north of Barrie and came to French River where there was an interpretative centre with canoes, fur pelts and animal skeletons. French River was a transport corridor used by the Algonquian tribes and later by the French and English explorers and missionaries. Outside we crossed the snowmobile bridge. In winter the snowmobile club comes up here to navigate the park and in 2008 they built a bridge to cross the deep gorge.

04 9b

(The snowmobile bridge)

We stopped for lunch in the city of Sudbury where there’s a nickel mining plant and a huge shiny nickel on top of a hill. At that point we were half-way to our destination. Four hours later we arrived at our hotel (a very nice Travelodge) in Sault Saint Marie. I was suffering a little from insect bites so Denis and I went across the road to the mall and got antihistamine, heavy-duty bug spray and tea tree oil for the itching and of course we went to visit Tim Hortons. That night we all had a lovely meal at Docks restaurant on the boardwalk looking out on to the International Bridge that joins Canada to the United States.

04 9c

(Our train)

Next morning we were taking the Agawa Canyon Tour Train at 7.30am and we wanted to get a good seat (right hand side, middle of a window.) Grahame, Doris and Denis made a preparatory trip to Timmys and then we boarded the train with our provisions. Way back in the early 1900’s the railway was built to transport iron ore. We were taking a four-hour section (114 miles from Sault Saint Marie) to a beautiful scenic spot called Agawa Canyon, on the tour train – not any old commuter train.

04 9d

(Speeding along)

The seats were plush, there was a screen with the drivers view of the track and we had guides (both on the screen and in person) who popped in from time to time to tell us some interesting facts and answer our questions. (There was also a lady whose sole jobs seemed to be checking the toilets – they were very clean.) Then there was a dining car with cooked breakfast – yummy, the boxed lunch and the souvenir shop.

04 9f

(Forests)

But the most amazing thing about this trip was the view – huge forests and pretty lakes, and each time a particularly good view was coming up the guide on the screen would sound a whistle so we would have time to get our cameras ready.

04 9g

(Lakes)

When we arrived at the canyon we had ninety minutes to explore. There were walking trails, another souvenir shop (in an old boxcar) and more beautiful scenery.

04 9i

(Made it to step 300)

We choose the Lookout trail – three hundred steps up to another amazing view.

04 9k

(View from the top)

We had considered doing another trail after that but a rest was much more attractive… So we rested while the others explored for us.

Fresh air and wilderness – but no hens, Mairead.

Happy Labour Day and Happy Birthday Bro!

September 3, 2012September 3, 2012 | Mairead

03 9b

(The famous Timmys)

Today is Labour Day – a holiday here in Canada, almost everyone’s off work and all the shops are closed. We will be resting mainly because we’ve already had a packed weekend. On Friday we left Barrie about 8.30am to drive to Sault St. Marie (pronounced Sue-Saint-Maree) for the weekend. It was billed to be an eight-hour drive and it fulfilled its billing. You may remember Doris and our trip to Toronto? Well, Doris’ husband Grahame was the driver this time. Only the just arrived Irish thought driving for eight hours was very odd, to everyone else this is what you do. Afraid we might miss something we tagged along anyway. We were glad we did.

03 9d

(Pit stop coming up)

The weekend will probably span a few posts because quite a lot happened, not least of which was the preparation for travel. Coolers with water for hydration and chocolate for energy, electronic devices for boredom and connection and first stop Timmy’s for breakfast, ensured smooth running of a finely tuned vehicle – Grahame. Well… to be honest we all benefitted.

03 9f

(That’s just selfish… Grahame)

This is probably a good time to tell you about Timmy’s, a nickname for Canada’s favourite coffee shop – Tim Hortons. Tim was a successful hockey player who started the business in the 1960’s selling coffee and doughnuts (also spelled donut here in Canada) and when he died his young wife sold up and the new owners grew it to what it is today – a love affair, an addiction, possibly a religion, and definitely a way of life. Unlike Starbucks, there are no comfy sofas, the main attraction is the price (low – you can get a coffee for little over a dollar) and it’s Canadian.

03 9c

(Spotted at the servers station of an Italian restaurant)

Since we arrived here I’ve spotted traces of Timmy everywhere. Not just the shops – there are 3,326 of them. I’ve seen the empty takeaway cups on shelves in Wal-Mart (the supermarket), Michael’s (art and craft supplies), in the library, on the bus (in someone’s hand.)

03 9e

(On the train)

It’s my little brother’s big birthday today, he fell under the spell of Tim Hortons when he visited in July so I hope the pictures bring back happy memories. By the way, Timmys trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange and the New York Stock Exchange… just saying….

Have a great Labour Day wherever you are and have a great birthday Lar, Mairead.

We’ve arrived with family in Toronto!

August 28, 2012August 28, 2012 | Mairead

28 8a

(Caoimhe, all set for her day at CNE)

Yes, here we are, we arrived in Toronto on Saturday. My sister. Moira and my niece/godchild Caoimhe were at the airport, waving banners and cheering as we exited the arrivals gate (well they may have been earlier…) We may have left a rainy and chilly Ireland seven hours ago but the sun was shining on our arrival. Moira and her husband John live about an hour away from Toronto in a town called Barrie, so as we beetled along the highway Caoimhe gave me a running commentary of the sights.

28 8b

(Doesn’t it look a bit like the RDS?)

We had just enough time to get a tour of their house and change out of our cold weather clothes when it was time for dinner. Although we had eaten breakfast in Greystones, pasta lunch and teatime pizza on the plane, for some reason we were ready for dinner in Barrie as well. My sister and her family moved here about a year ago and stayed with friends until they bought a house. Tonight these friends were coming for dinner. Although I have never lived way from Ireland I have noticed the experience of others. It seems to me when people leave their native soil and their extended family they meet friends who become family. Grahame, Doris and Bobba (I’m spelling phonetic – it’s Ukrainian for grandmother) are family.

28 8d

(CN Tower in the distance)

So, bright and early on Saturday morning we headed off with our new family (in their car) to the CNE. In case you haven’t heard of it the CNE is like all the shows that happen in the RDS in Dublin, but all happening at the same time and using all the buildings. So it’s Funderland (rides and carnival games), it’s a Dog Show, it’s a Cat Show, it’s a Flower Show, it’s a Farm Show, there’s horses, there’s music, there’s a little train, there’s a sky lift, there’s booths selling products from countries around the world and there’s food… lots of food. But mainly it’s nostalgia. Parents who were brought here as children are back with their own children.

28 8f

(Food…)

Every day in the CNE at 6pm there’s a parade of floats. With music and stilt walkers and clowns and animal characters. And the best thing about the parade? The beads. Mardi Grais plastic necklaces are thrown from the floats to the crowds lining the route. I’m not sure what it is about the beads but they seem to bring out the inner child in adults and we were in a unique place to spot this phenomenon – we were throwing the beads!

28 8g

(More food…)

On our way to the CNE we stopped by Maryann and JoJo’s house (more family.) JoJo had prepared a map with instructions on how to get the best from our day while Maryann gave us tickets (free!). I think it was Maryann’s niece who got us places on a float. Initially Denis and I were a bit sceptical about the whole parade thing… how could we politely refuse when everyone had been so kind? Well… by the time the parade started you couldn’t have dragged us from that float. We were dancing to the reggie beat and hurling beads with abandon. The looks of delight on the faces of grown men and women as they caught a necklace was addictive.

28 8h

(Our float before we took off – we were too busy to take pictures on route!! That’s me and John at the back)

It’s the little things, Mairead.

Going Away Party

June 6, 2011April 12, 2012 | Mairead

(“Just dump everything on the bed, we’ll sort it out after the party”)

Today I’m tired. We went to Cashel, my home town, at the weekend. My sister was throwing a party. A going-away party. She’s going away. To Canada. To follow her heart. With her husband and her daughter. My brother-in-law and my niece. My mother’s daughter, son-in-law and grandchild. My daughter’s aunt, uncle and cousin. The list could go on and on, because there were eighty adults and numerous children at that party who are related to or are very good friends with, my sister, her husband and their daughter.

(There are pretty doors in Ireland too)

Always, when we follow our heart, there are consequences. But we still have to follow our heart. Because the consequences of not following your heart are far worse. Living your life to maintain the status quo, to ensure that others are not disturbed, is not living “your” life.

(Just a quick snack before the party)

“Your” life is full to bursting with the possibilities, the dreams and the hopes of your heart. And the world needs those possibilities and dreams and hopes. And you’re the only one that can provide them….. like the poster says “We Need You!” And that applies to YOU whether you’re twenty-five or seventy-five, or older or younger or anything in between!

(My mother grows beautiful roses)

So although I’m tired and a little sad, I am also happy that my little sister and brother-in-law and niece are sharing the possibilities and dreams and hopes of their hearts with the world. They inspire me to do the same.

And….. I get to visit Canada!

Share yourself, Mairead.