Sunset in Oia

17 Monday Sep 2012

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Anyone know this hotel? I want to stay here!

One of our trip’s highlights was the time we spent in Oia – if you have been you know what I am referring to! The magic of a town built in the rocks above a sparkling sea that just dazzles when the sun sets.

Classic image of Oia

Tip: We took the bus to Oia, which was super simple since there is one major road that goes along the coast and our hotel was in between Fira and Oia on that road.  It cost less that 2 Euros!

In Oia we shopped and took lots of pictures waiting for the sun to set.  I even took the opportunity to walk down to the water and back up – +300 steps, in flip flops, passing stinky donkeys!

Tip: Wear FLATS! No heels. 

Donkey Row

Also, while waiting for the sun to set we enjoyed watching the people and listening to their animated comments as they came down the stairs and encountered donkey row and all its fragrances.

Oia is pure magic, I could post a 100 pictures from that night and each is more stunning that the former.  Oia is a place I will return to for certain.

Istanbul – history, food, culture & sensory overload!

14 Friday Sep 2012

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I have been home just over 12 hours and wanted to get started on posts from my vacation and thought it would be best to start with the most recent since it is fresh in my mind.

We almost didin’t make it home (okay slight exaggeration but it could have been a distaster.  Istanbul has two airports and thousands of cab drivers that don’t speak English and we were unlucky enough to flag one of them.  Barely understood airport! I almost jumped out but didn’t and thank goodness I had read an article about the 2nd airport and where it was and realized we were going the wrong way and was able to tell him ‘No, other one’!

Tip: Find out what airport you are at (and no, it doesn’t say on my email confirmation and no it isn’t like hear where Pearson would be where you’d catch a long haul flight not Billy Bishop) and write it down for the driver.  Our driver shouted at us in Turkish – I am assuming he figured the louder he said it the more likely we would understand?  It was something out of Amazing Race!

Also, everyone says 2 hours is enough time.  Go 3 in advance – there are 2 security checks and 3 passport checks before you board that plane! 

Istanbul is a bustling city with a population over 20 million! Be prepared for sensory overload! It took us a day to settle in and a day with a local tour guide (she was worth every Euro!) which I recommend to everyone.

Basilica Cistern – something out of another world

We saw the Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, the Basilica Cistern, the Spice Market, a rug manufacturer and wholesaler where we saw a woman weaving a rug by hand, the Grand Bazaar and did a cruise on the Bosphorus where I saw dolphins swimming along side our boat.

Yummy Turkish treats

The food is great, the people are too (well most of them – we had some experiences where we were ignored or felt like we were being treated differently) but it is a culture so very different from our own – not that that is a bad thing, just something to be prepared for.

Our second day there we ventured out on our own and went back to the market and the bazaar for some haggling for souvenirs.  Our last stop was a traditional hammam – try one if you are ever in Turkey! We went to Cemberlistas which is an historical hammam built in 1584.  We were scrubbed, washed and massaged – it was peaceful compared to the bustle outside but not for those that are shy as there is very little covered up on you and your ‘washer’.

Tip: One thing that we learned once we had our local tour guide is that we got ripped off by the driver from the airport (Welcome to Istanbul!) – he charged us more than it should have been when we asked and with the tip it was probably double what it should have been.  It pays to do some research on what cab fares should be to and from parts of the city to the airport. 

Much more to come in the next days and weeks!

One week in Greece – a quick summary!

07 Friday Sep 2012

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I should have been blogging daily to get all my details up about my trip to Greece … now I have a lot of catching up to do and think that longer posts will be done about the places and things that I truly loved.  This post will be a summary and some tips.

Flight – LONG… we flew from Toronto to Istanbul and then to Athens. It was 9 hours for the first leg and we were in comfort class on the Turkish Airlines flight which I recommend but of course didn’t pay for since that was part of the prize.

Athens – had so much history and graffiti! We had 3 nights there and for me that was plenty to see things and then move on. The Acropolis is worth going to Athens for.

Crete – such amazing people and the place we stayed too has been one of the trip highlights so far – the Avli is where we stayed. The Avli will get its own post but for now you can check out my recommendation on TripAdvisor and you can check out Avli on it’s own site too.

Santorini – has to be one of the most stunning places on earth.  It is so beautiful here but is missing the hospitality we had in Crete.  Much more of a tourist location although we have a nice quiet spot in between Fira and Oia.

Next we are off to Rhodes by overnight ferry and back to Athens before wrapping up in Istanbul. There will definitely be more posts with pictures when I am back at home with a better wifi connection!

Raccoon Destruction Continues

15 Wednesday Aug 2012

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I had hoped this post would be about our victory over the urban raccoon (who with it’s dexterity and ability to retain it’s learnings has become a nightmare for our yard) but sadly I think we are waving the white flag.

Loving the new grass

Many of you may have read the post about the lovely landscaping we had done with a pond and fountain; well we went a bit further and laid sod and stones in our parking pad.  We loved just how great this looked compared to the gravel.

However, it didn’t take long for the raccoons to come out and start rolling the sod in search of grubs.  So after some research we tried coyote urine pellets  (don’t ask me how they get the urine in the pellets!) as the coyote is a predator of the raccoon.  Well the urban raccoon knows that

We were so hopeful…

there aren’t many coyotes in the city and was not deterred.  Next was the chicken wire laid over the sod with pegs to hold it down. While not pretty nor soft under our feet, we were hopeful and thought this was the end of our problems.  We’re we ever wrong.  In a violent rage (I am sure this is the emotion they felt when they saw the wire) the raccoons ate our water hyacinth’s from the pond and threw the remnants around the yard like chewed apples.  We decided to leave the pond free of vegetation…

With nothing to eat out of the pond the raccoons started digging through the holes in the wire to get to the delicious grubs so I paid $40 for the natural grub killer and sprayed the yard.  We also replaced the bulbs in the motion detector lights and left the shed lights on and all the back porch lights.

Some nights were good… some not so good but we thought we were starting to win! After one particularly bad night and on the recommendation of some friends we went and bought the ScareCrow® Motion-activated Animal Deterrent – a motion sensored water sprinkler complete with neon stickers (at Canadian Tire for $79.99).  While every penny was worth the laughs we had trying to set it up I have to report that our yard now looks like this:

Shouldn’t have removed the wire…

 

Getting a quote tonight for interlocking brick…

Prince Edward County Staycation

26 Tuesday Jun 2012

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June 20th was my birthday… I won’t say which one I celebrated though.  My boyfriend surprised me with a trip out to Prince Edward County – he had it all mapped out with stops at wineries and everything.

We hopped in the car and headed east stopping for our packed lunch, along the lake, in Cobourg.  From there we took Loyalist Parkway towards Picton where we were booked at the Claremount Inn.  We planned to stop at a few wineries and Sandbanks Park before checking inn.

Claremount Inn

Beautiful room at the inn

Our first stop Grange of Prince Edward County was beautiful but I have to say the least favourite of our stops for me.  While we left with a couple bottles it was not anything I would go back for and the young man in the wine tasting room acted more like we were a bother to him.

Our second stop was my favourite and that is reflected in the box of wine we left with (actually 3 bottles of port – 2 of those are white port – YUM!). Karlo Estates was beautiful and tasty.

Karlo Estates

Tasting at Karlo Estates

The tasting room and retail is in an old barn staffed with helpful, personable people and the best news is that they deliver to Toronto free of charge for orders of 8 bottles or more. I got a couple bottles of their rose and my boyfriend grab a few of their reds (in addition to the port).

After a dip at Sandbanks we checked in where I napped for a bit before dinner. Dinner was at Portabella where we had the best bruschetta I ever tasted and also some delicious Norm Hardie white.

The day was perfect and so was the evening where the night was lite up with fireflies and we had a swim before bed.  One thing that did disappoint was our breakfast but not enough to comment further.  Day two was more wineries.

Waupoos Estates was our first stop (actually I forgot our stop at the Rose House, a 1800s farm house museum before the winery opened) and it has a beautiful location with decent wine.  We wanted to go and sit by the water but couldn’t get around the ropes they set up at their pavillon.  This place has a petting zoo and they make chocolate on site!

My 2nd favourite after Karlo estates was our last trip – Long Dog Winery where we met the winemaker and discussed his IMAX film that he is shooting about the polar ice caps and the animals that are suffering with the loss of the ice. Fascinating man and great wine.

We plan to go back in September when the crowds die down … Do you have a favourite winery to recommend?

Nik Wallenda: A lesson in determination, perseverance & sheer will!

19 Tuesday Jun 2012

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I was born and raised in Niagara Falls making Friday nights wire walk that much more spectacular.  I have a real love for my hometown and worked many years serving tourists at Marineland, the Floral Clock and even Tablerock right at the brink where Nik did his historical stroll.  Being that my dad still lives in Niagara Falls I knew that I would be making the trip to witness the walk in person.

We found a spot above the falls in front of what used to be the Sheraton Fallsview.  Some people had been there for hours – we had 90 minutes to wait before the scheduled departure.  We made friends with a few of the people and I shared all the interesting tweets that were being posted on the topic.

Starting line – courtesy of ABC

At the time the walk started I called a friend who was in front of the TV, who could give me the play by play on what was happening – all we could see was mist and camera flashes.  I think it was almost fifteen minutes that had passed before we saw Nik’s small figure appear out of the mist having had forgotten just how massive the horseshoe falls actually are.  We all cheered and held our breath as he continued.

My father and I actually had to head in to the lobby bar to see him finish on TV since the  building below blocked our view.  Seeing it on TV was even more spectacular with the shots ABC got of the raging waters below and the dialogue with Nik. The bar patrons erupted in to cheers as he jogged to the platform.

Many people have criticized Nik’s use of the tether and his lobbying for donations and I cannot understand why!  He didn’t want to where the tether and after watching him I am sure he didn’t have any plans to use it.  And as for the funding requests – he covered the enormous costs of permits and erecting his wire. Yes, ABC paid him a bit but look at what he has done for the Niagara area and the audiences:

  • has anyone estimated what the value of that exposure would be if it was to be bought?
  • all the hotels, restaurants and souvenir stores that were filled with people spending money on an off-peak weekend
  • the entertainment and inspiration he provided to everyone who watched

All of the above was done with risk to his safety and his own finances.  Nik seems to be a genuinely nice guy who has gone in to his family’s line of business and had a dream to be the best at it.

Nik, I thank you for a wonderful evening that I got to share with my dad, for the memories and the inspiration.

I just donated to the campaign and so can you! Donate here.

My first commute on the bike…

27 Sunday May 2012

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As a regular ‘spinner’ it is quite embarrassing that I don’t ride a real bike.  It isn’t that I don’t have one but more that I haven’t made the effort… til now.

Last week I decided to take the first steps and ride the bike to work.  I live and Leslieville and the Brainrider office (see my post about The Chelsea Shop) is on the U of T campus, west of Queens Park.  My journey started shortly before 8am with my helmet on and my laptop in my side bag…

Here is a synopsis of my ride:

Dundas to River

  • Garbage day… made it a very stinky ride… pedal faster to get to the fresh air

Cabbagetown

  • Best part of the ride – no cars, beautiful homes… feeling free

Parliament

  • A bit scary… cabs, buses, cars parked in front of Tim’s
  • See the price of gas and feel even better about taking the bike

Wellsley 

  • Good thing there is a bike lane…
  • Then the bike lane ends and it is each rider/driver for themselves!

U of T Campus/ Harbord

  • I have essentially arrived and have the grease stain on my leg to prove it

Does this make me a real cyclist?

Don’t ask me about the ride home… that is a whole other story!

Another Before & After – Backyard Makeover

18 Friday May 2012

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So last weekend was a whirlwind of trips to Home Depot, Loblaws, Sheridan Nurseries… and my friend Lisa’s who split her perennials and donated them to my yard.

Before pic – Lola playing in the bare yard

Money was spent, nails were broken but 99% of the outdoor work is done!

I am shocked to just how great the yard now looks and can’t wait to entertain.  There are lights and a fountain in the pond. It is a backyard oasis!

 

Beyond showing off my yard I wanted to share some tips:

  • shop around! We thought we were getting a deal at Loblaws with 2 for $25 hanging baskets only to find them the next day at 2 for $16 at Home Depot
  • Try local. East of Eliza at Woodbine on Gerrard was so helpful and they have a nursery in the back with plants and trees that flourish in the shade (important for Leslieville and the Beach)
  • Don’t try and get it done in one day! It helped that we took our time over 3 days to get the yard to where we wanted it

Lola thinks she is getting an in-ground pool!

And here it is all done! What do you think?

All done!