Oh Canada......

So off I went at the crack-o-freakin' dawn to head out on my FABULOUS mini vacation to Toronto. I went this past Memorial day weekend. I left on Thursday and came home Monday night. My last trip to see them I was seated next to an 11 year old named Collette who talked non-stop for 5 hours, regaling me with what the best shows were currently on tv, her dream to become a marine biologist, what her favorite books were, all about her friends and family and giving me a mini makeover. This time I got to sleep for both legs of the trip, and it was SWEET! I got there just in time for dinner. Lucky me! For those who don't know, Victor is a professionally trained chef from Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa, Canada. He is amazing. Bob was a pretty good cook too, even before Vic went to culinary school, but he has learned a few tricks from Victor over the last few years. That evening after Vic got off from work, we had a great evening of eating and drinking..... and that set the tone for the weekend.

The guys moved to Toronto from Ottawa about a year and half ago. When I saw them last, it was in Ottawa. I was really looking forward to seeing a new city. Unfortunately for me, Victor had to work each day I was there, but Bob was able to take the time off. Friday, Bob and I worked our way to downtown Toronto. We bussed and subwayed it around, along with a lot of walking. Toronto has a great public transportation system. (I wish we had that here.) We thought about going to the top of the CN tower, but Bob has developed a real dislike of heights, so we skipped it. Man, that tower is TALL. We took in the sights and decided to get tickets for the Blue Jays game, so after Vic got off work, we went to the game. They beat the crappy Orioles and hit an inside the park home run. I think there were about 250 of us in attendance. We had a good time, and it was fun to see the stadium.

The following day Bob and I drove to Niagara Falls. We went on the Maid of the Mist which takes you right into the heart of the horseshoe falls, and boy is it a fun....wet, turbulent ride! I have always wanted to go see them. I bet they are fun to see when they are all lit up at night with beautiful colors. That afternoon / evening was spent walking, chatting, eating and drinking. My kind of vacation. Sunday we all went for brunch and ended up having a Greek feast. Vic then headed off to work, so Bob and I took a ferry to an island in Lake Ontario which has a great view of the skyline. The kids would have loved it....there was a little amusement park, beaches, loads of grassy areas to play and BBQ. The rest of the day was spent back at the apartment out on the deck enjoying the day and waiting for Victor to get home. That was my last evening there. We had more fantastic food. I took pictures of it all, but somehow I forgot to take any that night. I hope to get the names of all the great dishes and do a post on them. The next day was Monday and time to go home. It was just the right amount of time to get my Bob and Victor fix. Even though it had been a few months shy of 2 years since I had seen them, it was as if only a month had passed. They are truly the greatest guys ever. Thanks for having me! And a special thanks to Blake, my Boston Terrier bed mate.

Victor and Bob