If you ever thought you saw fall colours I wonder if you really did? Unless you have experienced them in Canada 😉 It is almost if it is a dream; the red maple leaves and dark evergreens mixed with bright orange and yellow. This fall fairytale mixed with city life is basically how our great trip looked like.
Toronto and surroundings
But let’s start with two weeks ago. I travelled from Amsterdam to Munich and waited there for my next flight to Toronto. So excited to see my BF Waleed again and travel together! After 15 hours I arrived at the beginning of the evening at Toronto airport and saw my BF with a big smile and roses.
On Saturday we drove to the Ranney Gorge suspension bridge. On the way to the bridge, the fall colours were already visible. A couple of times we decided to stop to take pictures.
That evening we hanged out with Waleed's friends and went for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and went for dessert at Dimitris (yummy!). Nice to get to know them a bit better and to hear their stories.
Sunday, we went to Bluffers Park in Scarborough. From the cliffs you could hear the waves and feel the wind in your hair. I stared happily at the waves from Lake Ontario. Lake Ontario is a natural border with the US and is so big it feels like you are looking at a sea. This spot is a combination of trees and water a perfect view to me.
After our stop, we drove to Toronto to see the street art. The graffiti alley is the place to go! Basically, this is a long street with side streets that are all covered in street art. It has been illegal in Toronto for a long time. Now the alley is filled with tourists.
A bit further away in Toronto Calii love restaurant has a wall with wings I spotted online. Luckily, we found the spot and more street art at the wall of the restaurant. I am wondering if the Dutch tv show “All you need is love” has been here 😉
Road trip; Eagle’s Nest lookout and Ottawa
After a couple of days in the area around Toronto, it is time to pack our bags and get ready for a road trip to Montreal!
I looked forward to seeing a new Canadian city and I was excited about the drive because we would visit Eagle’s nest lookout. The drive to the lookout took us more than 2 hours but it was definitely worth it! The road went through the forest, and every turn I was excited to see more vivid fall colours and lakes.
When we arrived at the start of the hike many cars where parked near the entrance of the park. The hike let you through a forest area and the leaves were already covering the ground. When walking up a hill we slowly started to see the first parts of the lookout. This spot is sacred to the native people and by the time we arrived at the top I understood why.
It almost feels magical to stare at all the colourfull trees as far as the eye could see. I sat down on a rock and we took pictures. I love this spot!
Because we stopped a couple of times along the way to Montreal it started to become late. When we were near Ottawa, the city where the parliament is seated, we decided to visit the parliament building and go for dinner in Ottawa. The parliament buildings remind me of London and the buildings from the Harry Potter movies. The dark clouds made it even more magical.
We went for dinner at a pub at thanksgiving (yes next year I think we should celebrate it with my BF’s friends and or family) and drove further to Montreal. Around 10 in the evening we arrived at our Airbnb.
Montreal
To have a nice start of the day we go to the bakery Rustique. We order some really nice coffee and even better pastries, yum!
We call my mom in the car for her birthday and then drive to the neighbourhood la Plateau. This area of the city is known for its beautiful elegant and colourfull houses. After some searching, we were able to find a nice street with a park and fountain. We try to take some pictures and a beautiful red cat stared at us from the stairs in front of the house. As soon as I try to take a picture the cat sneaks away and with an arrogant glimpse, it seems to say I do not want to be in your picture haha. Instead, we take a nice picture in the park from both of us while we have been surrounded by squirrels.
We also discovered some nice street art in this area of Montreal.
When the sun sets, we make our way back to our Airbnb and get a pizza on the way.
The next morning, we drive to the old center of Montreal. We stop at a small café for coffee and then we visit the Bonsecours Market.
This building with a big dome at the entrance and is house to small local stores. The woman who sold me something had no idea where on the map she could found the Netherlands what I found really funny. After buying some gifts we walked back to the car to pay extra for the parking because we planned to stay longer in this area.
A woman on the street asked us for direction to the Notre-Dame Basilica. Waleed answered and then the woman told us that she is going there for an organ concert. We decided to go in the same direction. We walked by a big square and walking through the street, this area reminds us of France. But there is also a difference the streets are wider and of course less old, but the French building style is definitely visible.
The Notre-Dame is beautiful from the inside. Smaller than the original but beautiful decorated with a lot of French lilies. The concert was nice we sat on the highest point next to the organ.
After an hour or so playing a lot of different kinds of music genres, the concert was over and we went back to the main street for a late lunch. Of course, lunch should be French orientated as well, so we ended up at a Crepe restaurant.
After lunch, we went in the direction of Mount Royal park to hike to a viewpoint on the city. The moment we got there it started to rain, and I was really tired too so we decided to head back to the car and get Poutine; a typical Canadian dish. We drove to a big Orange that is famous for its orange juice with a twist. We order poutine and the orange juice. Poutine is made of fries, cheese, and gravy its a heavy dish as you probably expected after reading the ingredients 😉
Already our last day in Montreal. It is heavily raining and our umbrella broke because of the heavy wind :( Luckily everything is within reach with a car in Canada so that makes it a lot easier.
We go back to the bakery and have some nice pastries and coffee. Our last stop in Montreal is Saint Joseph’s Oratory. This Oratory, the biggest in Canada, is 129 meters high and claims to have the second biggest dome in the world. It is built on a hill and offers a nice view of the city (if it does not rain like today).
I never saw escalators inside a church. I guess also the house of God must become more modern 😉 It was time to drive back and after more than 6 hours we arrived back at my BF place.
Toronto and Oshawa
Back in Ontario, we drive to a park to take more fall pictures and to go for a small hike.
That evening we spent time with friends. First hanged out with some drinks and talked. We ate dinner at a nice Indian restaurant, and I laughed about the fact that I did not have any problems with the spicy food well other people did 😉
We celebrated our great trip again at the Brazilian cake boutique Filicios, with the lovely cheesecake and the Brazilian coffee. I even met the mayor who probably also loves the dessert place.
At the airport, we speak about new trips and I already can’t wait for our next trips and to see my favorite person again.
With a smile :)
Nicole
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