Thanksgiving Long Weekend, Boston - October 9th - 11th 2011

We decided to make the most of our last long weekend by heading down to Boston, and it certainly helps when Porters the local airline has great sales! We also thought we could always celebrate Thanksgiving some other weekend :-)

The weekend was fantastic, the weather absolutely beautiful for this time of the year apparently, so we were very lucky. I really didn't have too much of an idea about what Boston had to offer but I quickly found out there was so much to do and see, my little legs were very sore from so much walking. There was also so much history to experience and learn about.

Our first stop had to be Harvard university in the city of Cambridge. We had a very interesting (and enthusiastic) student lead tour around the campus - interesting to hear about all the previous famous students. The campus is beautiful, along with the surrounding city of Cambridge. After a wonderful lunch out on a patio and with the goregous weather we decided to walk slowly back into downtown Boston (a good couple of hours, with a few rest stops along the way!)

Boston has a wonderful 4km pedestrian (red brick) trail called the 'Freedom Trail' linking 16 significant historic sites around the city. We slowly made our way along the path to learn about the history of the city - and it was really fascinating! Of course there were some stops along the way, especially when we got to the shopping streets - Quincy Market and Newbury Street :-)


The Monday was Canadian Thanksgiving (the US Thanksgiving is late November), Emma and I had a lovely Thanksgiving turkey burger in the park! Happy Thanksgiving everyone :-)

Entering Harvard! 

Around the campus

The 10 storey (it goes
underground) Library.

Walking back into the city

Boston common

Historic sites everywhere

Quincy Markets

Old and new everywhere

Over looking the city

A ferry trip

USS Constitution

Following the Freedom Trail

Newbury Street Shopping :-) 

Gravestones from the early 1800s

Lovely architecture

Ducks in the park! Never without riders

Happy Thanksgiving
A turkey burger in the park :-) 

Algonquin Park, Fall colours October 2nd & 3rd 2011

Ontario is one of the best places, apparently, to see the fall colours.  As the leaves around Aurora started to change, Emma and I headed back up to Algonquin Park just to see what all the fuss was about.  We have been lucky enough to see the park in spring/summer when all the trees were full of lush green leaves, we couldn't wait to get back up there to experience another season.

And the colours are amazingly spectacular!  Unfortunately the photos don't show you how bright the colours are, at times we didn't drive too far as we just kept stopping to take more photos!  So beautiful.

Over the weekend we managed to hike along 3 of the many trails throughout the park and lucky enough to see 4 moose on one of those hikes!

Hopefully as the weather gets colder we will be able to head back up to the park to see it covered in snow?

Driving to the park

So pretty

Algonquin Park

Typical Algonquin, canoeing on a lake

 

It was chilly, the first snow! 

Such striking colours

wow! 

Hiking to a lookout

A sea of flames

Hiking on of the trails

It was stunning

so pretty! 

One of the many hiking trails

A hikers lunch spot

More hiking

Which way?

MOOSE!  Mating pairs at that

He was one big bull moose

We couldn't help it! 

Well it wouldn't have been a trip north
without another (our 8th) stop for a
yummy hamburger :-) 

We love you Webers - Yummo!

Tobermory - The Bruce Peninsula 25th & 26th September 2011

We had heard so much about the Bruce Pensinula, so Emma and I headed out for a weekend to see what all the fuss was about!

After a 100km wrong way detour :-Z  ooops - bloody google maps! We eventually made it late Friday night and could only then wait until the morning to see just how spectacular it was. 

The Bruce Peninsula is in Northern Ontario, where Georgian Bay and Lake Huron meet.  And wow - what an absolutely beautiful place. We started off with a hike along part of the Bruce Trail in Bruce Peninsula National Park.  Stunning ... nothing else to say but stunning :-)   I have never seen water so blue and clear.  

The Bruce Trail is Canada's longest footpath it runs for 800km along the Niagara Escarpment from Niagara to Tobermory and I feel very priviledged to have been able to walk on such a beautiful part of it. 

The start of our hike .. yep resting already

Just lovely

Rocky shorelines

Amazingly beautiful water

Wow! 

So beautiful

I couldn't believe the water

Looking into the Grotto
This was our lunch spot

The Grotto - wow! 

An inukshuk guiding the way

Lake Huron

The lookout - looking out at the meeting of
Georgian Bay and Lake Huron

What another perfect ending to
a wonderful day.

Sunset over Lake Huron

All the trees are starting to
change colours

Some more hiking
in search of Fall colours

wow! 

Such spectacular and vibrant clours

Lions Head - half way to the
North Pole :-)