Travelling across Canada can be as full of adventure as time and money will allow. Unfortunately, we were on a short time frame, as we had to be in Ontario within 7 days of our departure for my husband’s meetings.

When we decided to travel from British Columbia to Ontario, we had envisioned all the places and things we would do. Unfortunately, due to time restraints, we missed many sights. The trip was still very interesting

I had never been to the Western Provinces so was excited about this opportunity. When our friends heard that we were driving from B.C. to Ontario, they began to question our sanity. We heard repeatedly how boring it would be to drive thru the prairies and Northern Ontario. We were not daunted and began our little adventure.

This blog will just be about the places and hotels where we hung our hats and some pictures. I would do the trip again but without time restraints and a lot more planning.

In planning our route, we found that the hotel prices in Canmore, B.C., were too expensive. Over 200.00 per night was not our idea of good value for the money. The decision was made to travel to McBride, B.C. where the hotels were within our budget. This meant travelling for 12 to 13 hours but felt we could do it the first day, as we were “fresh” into our travels.

We chose the Sandman Hotel for our first night. It was clean, comfortable, and reasonable.

The beautiful scenery made the long trip well worth it.

Our next stop was Medicine Hat, Alberta. We stayed at the Best Western. It was nice, clean and had a free breakfast. It was good.

I am not sure why most people find the prairies boring to drive through. Sure, there aren’t any mountains but I found it very interesting. Maybe it is my inquisitive mind, but the old homesteads and the distance between the farms fascinated me. I wondered what it would be like to live there and if the same families occupied those farms for generations. I also like the miles of rolled golden straw bales – Saskatchewan gold and what I consider majestic, the grain elevators

Before long, we arrived in Regina. As we had business to do the next morning, we stayed at the Holiday Inn in the commercial district. Our room was large and very comfortable.

We discovered a music festival two blocks from our hotel in one of the city’s squares. We did not pay to go into the “walled” section to see the many performers but due to the loud volume, we were able to hear the music quite well!

About half a block from the square on Scarth Street, we came upon ‘Taste of Tuscany’ a gem in this area. The owner Simona came from Tuscany four years ago.  Her menu includes homemade pasta, ricotta, and bread. My husband had the homemade ravioli with homemade ricotta and I had the gnocchi with cream sauce, mushrooms, onions, and bacon. Heavenly. I felt like I was back in Tuscany again.Well worth any effort to find the place.

The next morning we had an excellent free breakfast at the hotel.

CREELMAN, SASKATCHEWAN

We stopped at this little village on our way south to take pictures of the grain elevator. I was sorry that I did not take a picture of the sign that read “No parking and pedlars.” I researched this little village and discovered that the population is 115. I cannot imagine what kind of problems they have not only with parking but also with pedlars.

JAMESTOWN, NORTH DAKOTA

We arrived late and decided to try the Days Inn. The Days Inn is a chain of hotels that have good quality rooms and excellent service. Upon arrival, we were a little surprised by the age of the hotel but thought we would still give it a chance. The young lady at the desk obviously did not want to be there. I think it was a family run business and we guessed that it was her turn at the desk. Her attitude was awful. She seemed annoyed that we were checking in and asking her if there were any restaurants within walking distance. The room had a bit of a musty smell. The breakfast was “okay.” Would not be my first choice again.

MADISON, WISCONSIN

 We stayed at the Rodeway Inn and Suites. Again, nice rooms and lovely breakfast

DEARBORN, MICHIGAN

 We stayed at the Red Roof hotel. We were very pleased with the room and the price. No free breakfast but they did provide fruit and a muffin ‘to go.’

MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO

Due to a booking error on my husband’s part, the first night we stayed at the International Hotel Mississauga instead of at the Hilton Airport. The International Hotel was very good to us. When they heard our tale of woe, they discounted the price of the room and gave us free parking. Great room and breakfast. We would definitely stay there again.

The next day we moved over to the Hilton. While our husbands were in meetings, they arranged for a cooking demonstration for the women. Chef Willis is a very entertaining and informative speaker. He is the owner/operator of Kitchen Made, which offers culinary coaching and personal chef services in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area. His biography, along with his personal philosophy about food and cooking can be found at chefwillis@kitchenmade.ca

We learned to make pan-fried fresh salmon cakes and sweet-and-tart cucumber salad. Another treat was a bottle of his homemade worchestshire sauce.Of course, none of this would be complete without wine tasting some local wine!

We stayed another week and had wonderful visits with grandchildren, children, sisters, brother and friends. We had a fabulous afternoon in one of the many parks in Mississauga listening to the Canadian band ‘She’.  Apparently there is an American band with the same name. ‘She’ comprises of Krista Blondin (vocals and percussion); Maxine Young (vocals and acoustic guitar); and Christina Mulligan (vocals and keyboard). Very talented young women and a delight to listen to. Check out their website for further information and their schedule. If you are in the area you must go and see them.  www.thebandshe.ca

We spent a day a the CNE with two of our grandchildren and their mom. Had a great time but the CNE was not as I remembered it many years ago. Here are pictures of some of the sand sculptures entered into the contest.

Every year my sister, Barbara holds s “Barbfest” fundraiser in her backyard for the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre. There were two bands, Both were excellent. Pulled pork sandwiches, candy bar, and of course alcohol bar. There were close to 150 people there and she raised approximately 3,500.00. Good going Barb!

Bird nests built by Gaudi in the terrace walls. The walls imitate the trees planted on them

Genoa was not on my original list of places to visit in Italy but because my friends lived there, I changed my plans to include their lovely city.

Genoa is a port city. The port sprawls along the shoreline but once you start to travel in towards the city centre, it begins immediately to change to narrow, twisting roads. Genoa is a complex city with old charming buildings and areas that are a little gritty. My friends took me through the “gritty” sections to show me the sights but warned me not to go in this area on my own.

Since hosting Expo 1992 and being named as 2004’s European City of Culture, the city has undergone some radical renovations including Europe’s largest aquarium and one of Europe’s best maritime museum.

I toured the aquarium and the pirate ship that was built for Roman Polanski’s film “Pirates.” I also went to the Biosphere but I do not think it is worth the 5 Euro charge. It is very small and takes about 5 minutes to go through the whole place.

the outside of the aquarium – it reminds me of containers

Biosphere

Some pictures around the city

Because I had a short stay there, my time was spent wandering the streets of Genoa, trying out different restaurants, and taking in as many sights as possible. I spent a lovely evening with my friends at their home and enjoyed a typical Genoa meal.

I am not sure exactly what part of law enforcement these people were but they walked all over the Port and the downtown area of Genoa.

Palazzo San Giorgio

my friends

Montepulciano

Montepulciano is a walled hill town, built on a sloping and narrow limestone ridge. It is the largest hill town in Tuscany and is known for its impressive Central Square, beautiful renaissance buildings, churches, and fantastic views. Nobility used Montepulciano as a summer residence and each family tried to outdo the others with their homes.

There are many wine shops (local name enoteca or cantina) where you can sample the local wine “ Nobile di Montepulciano” along with samples of local products such as pecorino cheese, salami, or crostini.

Some pictures taken around Montepulciano

The streets are narrow and steep. There is a bus you can take from outside the walls to the highest point in Montepulciano. It certainly saves on the legs. You need at least two days to explore all that this town has to offer.

I love these sculptures done by an unknown artist.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I couldn’t help myself!

Santa Maria del Fiore

Italian gelato – so good

 

fantastic artist