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Table Mountain & The Coast

Today was the most relaxed morning I’ve had since arriving into Africa. I took my time having breakfast, and logged onto the net for an hour before heading out on an adventure. Mind you, my first intention for the morning was to catch a cab to take me to Table Mountain. Instead I walked out the door and decided, “I’m just going to walk until I get to the V&A Waterfront.” On an added note, I must admit that I didn’t even carry a map, all I knew was that I had to walk opposite of the mountains. It was EXTREMELY stupid on my part considering I am female walking on my own, and in a country I do not know (and in a place with an exceptionally high crime rate). I tried to stick with streets that looked familiar, once I started to feel like I was getting lost I finally went into a Tourist Company Store and told them, “I am totally lost, can you help me get to the waterfront! I don’t have a map.” Both the women laughed at me and said, “You don’t even have a map?”

I actually was just 2 streets west of the street I needed to go to! So I wasn’t too far off! As I was walking, one creepy guy turned around, looked at me, and screamed “HEY BEAUTIFUL.” Then turned back around and kept on walking. It was hilarious.

Once I got to the Waterfront, I walked to the Aquarium and hopped on one of those Double Decker sightseeing buses. We drove by the Wheel of Excellence, a statue of Vasco da Gama (the Portuguese man who founded Cape Town), then drove down the happening Long Street, St George’s Cathedral, The Houses of Parliament, the area that is known as District 6 (which the movie District 9 is inspired by), The Castle of Good Hope, City Hall (and its beautiful Clock Tower), and then I finally got off the bus at Table Mountain.

I couldn’t have picked a better day to go. Table Mountain often closes because of winds and poor visibility. The days prior were gloomy with clouds over the mountain. The cable car going up is also known for having long lines. I waited no more than 10 minutes! Today there was not one cloud in the sky, it just had a slight breeze in the air, and the visibility was crystal clear up at the top. In order to get to the top you take a revolving cable car up. Once I got to the top I walked around all the lookouts. My mouth literally dropped at times because the views were just so incredibly spectacular. No photo can do it justice! You truly do feel like you are on the top of the world!

As soon as I took the cable car back down I hopped back onto the sightseeing bus. The remainder of the ride on the bus had the most unbelievable views. Yesterday Julius had told me that some of his guests say that Cape Town reminds them of San Diego. I finally knew why. We drove through Camp’s Bay, and saw the amazing view of the 12 apostles. Then we drove more along the coast passing through more posh neighborhoods like Clifton Bay, Bantry Bay, Sea Point, and passing through the Greenpoint Lighthouse at Mouille Point, then finally back at V&A Waterfront.

I went back to Victoria Wharf to have a late lunch, and then do some last minute shopping at Pick N Pay before heading off on the road for 3 weeks. This time I took a taxi and played it smart by negotiating my price before I even got into the cab. He even ran the meter and it was much more than what he quoted. So right on for me for finally doing a little taxi bargaining! I headed back to the B&B to find that Aunt Flo decided to visit me in Africa. BOO. I hate her! Hopefully she goes away real soon!

For the evening the owners of the B&B, Phil and Liz set up this great wine tasting hour (more like 2 hours) for all the guests. The couple from Washington D.C. was there as well as a sweet couple from Holland. The wine tasting was more like “Here’s a glass of wine, and another.” They had tasty hors devours to compliment the wine as well. It was great talking and meeting all these different people from every corner of the world, and even though I was clearly the youngest from the bunch, I still managed to keep up with the conversation.

I am so sad to leave Cape Town, and I am hoping to eventually come back again (but am not looking forward to the long flights!). It’s been so lovely, and not as scary as I had read on the internet. It’s just more proof that you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.

Places Visited: Cape Town, South Africa

Tags: cape town, south africa

Stellenbosch Wine Tasting

I had breakfast in the dining area today and met a couple from Washington D.C. I got carried away talking, and next thing I know Julius was at the front door waiting for me for a day out in the winelands. We picked up a couple by the waterfront who were from New York, and then we were off to Stellenbosch. The drive there wasn’t too horrible; we did drive through loads of townships on our way there. Julius asked us what sorts of wines we liked, and we all chimed in that we enjoyed whites. So the first place he took us was called J.C. Le Roux where they made champagne (or rather used the champagne process) and sparkling wines. It was all quite tasty, and we soon found out that wine in South Africa was actually all very decently priced!

Afterwards we went to Spier, a winery that also has a cheetah outreach program. For 100Rand we got a chance to go into an area with an unleashed cheetah and pet the animal. The animals were not sedated, and we were only allowed to visit the males. Before going into the area we had to wash our hands and dip our shoes in water. We also were not allowed to bring purses, sunglasses, or anything that can potentially fall on the cheetah. We also had to approach the cheetah from behind, and then stroke its back in a certain way.

We first attempted to visit Joseph, as we got into the caging area Joseph decided he wanted to play. He stood up and looked at us. We had to leave the caging area and wait for Joseph to calm down. After a few minutes Joseph was still playing around his cage. Because of this we went to go visit Phoenix, a two year old cheetah. This time we were more successful, and when the next group of four came around Phoenix decided he wanted to go play as well. So the group behind us had to play the waiting game again and wait for Phoenix to calm down.

After visiting the cheetahs we then headed to Asara. Asara had beautifully kept gardens and a great view of the mountains from the tasting area. It was a nice place to sit and chat outside. We then went to visit one of the oldest wineries in the area called Rust En Vrede. We took a little tour of the underground wine cellars which kind of reminded of visiting catacombs, but instead of bones it was wine bottles. I am not a huge red wine lover, but all the red wines we tasted at this winery were all quite lovely and went down smooth.

We then headed closer to the mountains to have lunch at Dornier. Once again the views were spectacular. We frequently mentioned that it was like we had a painting in the background rather than real life mountains. Lunch was quite lovely, I had duck spring rolls which were AMAZING, and saffron and porcini linguine. To top it off, we also got a few tastings with our lunch. During all our tastings and lunch, Julius our wine guide sat in the table with us, I have gone on so many wine tours and this was definitely a first. He makes it a point to sit and get to know the people he’s taking around wine tasting.

We took our time at lunch, and afterwards visited the giant Koi Pond at Dornier’s grounds. We then headed to our last winery called Waterford Estate. This one was actually my favorite! As we were driving into the winery it felt like I was driving into Tuscany. Absolutely beautiful! We got 8 spectacular tastings here, and the last three tastings were cleverly paired with 3 different types of chocolate. Yum Yum. Why don’t more wineries do this, instead of just giving chocolate with port? It really brings out the flavors of the wines, and having chocolate to finish off the day wasn’t half bad either. After our tastings we got to tour the winery, and as soon as we finished our tour a group of about 50 people arrived! We definitely got lucky!

The sad part was the ride home and having to say goodbye to new friends. I really wish I could fit Julius in my pocket and bring him home with me. A boy that loves wine, good looking, is extremely intelligent, goal oriented, driven, and he loves filming and producing short videos (just like me!). Awww…..I guess I will just have to visit Cape Town again.

Places Visited: Cape Town, South Africa & Stellenbosch, South Africa

Tags: cape town, south africa, stellenbosch

Robben Island

I woke up at 3AM (boo…time difference), but thankfully I fell back asleep after about 45 minutes. Today I was one of the last ones to have breakfast, but I did get to have breakfast out on the patio. It was so beautiful and peaceful. I had fresh fruit, toast and jam, local cheeses and meats. I even had coffee from a French Press (which really is the best way to have coffee). It was nice to have breakfast without feeling rushed. At home breakfast is a granola bar as I drive to work!

Phil arranged a taxi to pick me up and drive me to the V&A Waterfront. I had an extremely nice and chatty taxi driver. We talked about the World Cup quite a bit, and I did try to muster every little thing I knew about the cup (which isn’t really much). I had bought my tickets to go to Robben Island right before leaving for my trip, since I was told that they do sell out ahead of time. We then hopped on a boat, and the ride to Robben Island was like being on a rollercoaster (butterfly feeling drops included). Every time we would do a little dip in the ocean people would scream, “Ahhh.” I saw people dropping left and right because of motion sickness. It was quite funny, not because they were feeling awful, but mainly because it wasn’t me this time!!

Once we got to the island we took a bus around it. We saw baby penguins and tortoises in the middle of the street, and the baby penguins were really curious of us and watched us for quite awhile. I sat next to this lady that was a travel nurse, and in Africa to volunteer for an orphanage. It was nice to meet a fellow nurse, and fellow American (she even lived in San Diego for a year). After the bus tour we met an ex-prisoner of Robben Island. He toured us around the prison, including the kitchen, courtyards and even Nelson Mandela’s jail cell. We walked back to the ferry and I fell asleep on the way back to Cape Town. I was considering going up Table Mountain but saw a huge cloud hovering over it. I am just going to have to try again another day, so I decided to just browse through the V&A waterfront. I went into a souvenir store; I had my camera around my neck and felt a tug like someone was taking my camera. I turned around and saw the lady I met during my Cape Point tour. What a coincidence! She told me that she and her husband did a half day wine tour that wasn’t worthwhile. She then told me that she wished I had gone cause there was a single Brazilian man on the tour (wow even strangers are playing matchmaker!). She told me, “I love meeting all you young people traveling on your own. I think it’s great. It’s something I never got a chance to do.” They both leave for Namibia tomorrow, so I’m hoping we will cross paths again!

I went to a mall at the waterfront; I grabbed some lunch, and then went to a pharmacy. The pharmacist helped me pick a slew of medications to help my cough and sore throat (which has been driving me bonkers and waking me up in the middle of the night). Then I went to the grocery store (that was in the mall!), and got a bunch of goodies. I had picked up two oranges and the lady asked me if I weighed them. I said, “Uhhh noo?” Apparently you’re supposed to get your fruit weighed before you go to the cashier. She seemed annoyed, but I told her I didn’t want the oranges anymore. I got a taxi back to my B&B. The guy totally ripped me off, but that just meant he didn’t get a good tip. So it pretty much evened out.

When I got back to the B&B, I took my laptop and my iPod and enjoyed a relaxing evening in the sitting area and in front of the television. I’m still trying to take it easy so that I can get rid of this cough ASAP.

Tags: cape town, south africa

The Cape Peninsula

My hideous cough is back with a vengeance, but at least my fevers have subsided! I met Phil the owner of the B&B, and he set up this beautiful breakfast for me. Because I had a day trip planned, I only had time for a quick breakfast. Soon after breakfast ended, I grabbed a scarf (since it looked like it was going to be a cold day), and by then Rob from a tour company I found on tripadvisor was there to pick me up. I was the first pickup, so we still had 3 stops before the start of our trip. We picked up a couple from Spain, and then we had the most difficult time finding the next two couples B&B’s (a couple from the US and another couple from Canada). We finally did find them, and then we were off to the Cape Peninsula. We first stopped at Hout Bay. Hout Bay Harbor is an active fishing harbor that is surrounded by Chapman’s Peak (a famous scenic drive built on a base of solid granite rock). We then hopped on a ferry to go visit Duiker Island and see the Cape Fur Seal colony. After getting back from the ferry, we saw this guy putting raw fish in his mouth and leaning over the pier. I was trying to figure out what he was doing, and quickly found out when I saw a seal jump out of the water and take the food from the guy’s mouth. It was gnarly, and people are definitely not afraid of animals here.

Afterwards we stopped at the top of a hill that overlooked this beach (I think it’s called Long Beach), and I couldn’t believe how empty the beaches are in Cape Town. Back home it would be filled with people left and right. As we headed into a little town called Simon’s Town we spotted Southern Right whales extremely close to the coast. We were about 10 feet away from one of them! It was INCREDIBLE! Apparently the female whales stay close to shore because they don’t want to get pregnant, and the male whales don’t dare go as close to the coast. So we saw two of them, and one was a big showoff and was jumping out of the water every few seconds!

We went into Simon’s Town and I got some money at an ATM (yay…I have more South African Rand). I spent the rest of the time just wandering in and out of the little shops. I did finally get a bottle of Appletizer, which was a drink my South African co-worker recommended. It tasted like bubbly apple cider. Pretty tasty. We then headed to Boulder’s Beach, home of the Jackass Penguins. We couldn’t go onto the beach with them, but we were only a few feet away from them. They are a lot smaller than the ones in Antarctica, but cute nonetheless. The houses near Boulder’s Beach actually have to penguin proof their doors by putting a special fencing below their gates. It was incredible to see them in the wild and in their natural habitat. I can’t wait to make my way down to Antarctica one of these days and see more penguins!

We then headed to Cape Point, where we had about two hours to wander on our own. I first got some food, and then took the funicular up near the Lighthouse. To the Lighthouse I climbed a few hundred steep steps, but it was worth it because the view of Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope was fantastic. It was a bit on the windy side, but I’ll take windy over humid any day! I took my time going to all the lookouts cause I wanted to really savor the beautiful scenery. I know that sounds corny, but when I go on trips I’m usually always on-the-go. It was nice to not feel rushed, and there weren’t many people around me. It was just me and The Cape.

We then headed to The Cape Of Good Hope. We took some quick pictures, and as were leaving we saw an ostrich on the side of the road. It wasn’t even scared of us at all. It completely ignored us and was oblivious that we were there. Then as we were leaving the park we saw baboons at the side of the road. A whole family of them. We were pretty far from them to get a good shot, but I’m so glad we got to see some. Baboons are pretty dangerous towards humans. They love stealing food, and if you leave any of your doors or windows open they have been known to get in your car and tear it up.

On the way back to Cape Town we drove through a few townships and then up the coast. Rob asked me if it was anything like Big Sur in California. It definitely was, but the cliffs in Cape Town just seemed bigger and grander, and it didn’t have as many cars zooming through the roads. By this time the jet lag was really getting to me, and when I get tired I get really quiet. As soon as I got back to my room at the B&B I went straight to bed!

Places Visited: Cape Town, South Africa

Tags: cape town, south africa

More Flying

Finally at my destination! I didn’t think I was ever going to make it here. Thankfully South African Airlines is actually a decent airline in comparison to many of the US based airline companies. All in all we got 4 meals! I would wake up from a sleep to find more food in front of my face! Even my two hour flight from Johannesburg to Cape Town had a meal….a decent one too! I even thought it was the best meal of the trip. On my flight from Washington D.C. to Johannesburg we stopped at a little country called Dakar, Senegal for approximately an hour. A few people left, and a few more hopped onto our plane. This was my first time trying a motion sickness patch (which my travel doctor prescribed to me after I told him I get sick on long plane rides). It worked pretty well; I only had to get up to puke once! I’m a believer…if you have flown a long distance flight with me you know that I usually get up MULTIPLE times to run to the bathroom. The worst was when I was landing back in LA after having flown from JFK (New York). As soon as we were landing I jumped up and announced to the whole plane that I had to throw up (not intentionally of course). I went running into the bathroom while the stewardess is telling me to get back into my seat. I told her I was ready to puke all over the floor, and she says “Oh okay…please use the bathroom then!” Hah…I’m sure she didn’t want to clean up all the puke. I could have easily used a barf bag, but it did not even cross my mind at the time.

Anyways…once I arrived into Jo’burg it was a mad dash to customs. I have learned the quicker I get there the better! The line at customs was extremely long, but it luckily went smoothly. No questions asked…stamped…and off I went. I went to go pick up my bags, then got it reweighed, and then rechecked my bag. Jo’burg’s airport is by far one of the worst airports I have ever been to. It was so confusing, and had minimal seating at the gates. I had to go to Terminal C, and I could not find a sign to it anywhere. I finally asked someone, and he told me to go up two floors. I would have NEVER figured that out if it weren’t for him. I had to go through security again, which really was a joke. There was this guy behind me and the security guard said, “Is that guy with you?” I said “No.” He then says, “Well, he’s really cute!” I said, “I didn’t really get a good look at him (since he moved lanes).” He then had to tell me how good-looking he was AGAIN! I could have probably had a rifle in my bag and he would have never noticed just as long as we kept talking about the cute guy. I went to a candy shop and got some treats that one of my South African co-workers had told me about, and that was about the only way I was able to kill some time before my flight.

The trip to Cape Town was short and sweet. When I got my luggage I was picked up by the transfer service that my bed and breakfast had set up for me. They were the sweetest couple, and it was a nice welcome into Cape Town. They dropped me off at my bed and breakfast and it was so unbelievably nice to LIE down and sleep. The bed and breakfast that I am staying at, Parker Cottage is adorably cute and well decorated. My room is tiny, but I honestly just go in there to sleep. The owners of the B&B made this fantastic tray of food and drinks for me. They had wine, cheese, crackers, and chips, veggies, finished off with a personalized welcome note.

Places Visited: Dakar, Senegal (in transit), Johannesburg, South Africa (in transit), Cape Town, South Africa

Tags: cape town, dakar, johannesburg, senegal, south africa

Toto….here I come!

I wish I could tell you I was excited leading up to my trip to Africa, but the night before leaving I fell sick at work. Awfully sick. Like curled up in a little ball type of sick. As soon as I got home from work I rushed to my bed, febrile, chilling, coughing, and feeling like I was on the verge of death. This morning I woke up at 3:30AM to hop in the shower, after taking a shower I felt a little better. I took a few pills before heading out. The ride to the airport was a little insane, from all the days to close the main entrances to the airport; they had to do it on the day I was traveling!

Here is the itinerary for my flights:

San Diego to Washington D.C. – 5 hours
Washington D.C. to Johannesburg, South Africa- 17.5 hours
Johannesburg to Cape Town, South Africa- 2 hours

Yes…..these are flight times, not even layover times! Ouch! 24.5 hours of being in the air! On the way back it is even longer!

The flight to San Diego to Washington D.C. wasn’t too bad. I flew with United and I hate how they have limited on board entertainment, but thankfully I had an empty seat beside me so I had a bit of room to get comfortable. As soon as I got into D.C. I took one of their shuttles to Gate A. I grabbed some lunch at a bagel place, and then got some money exchanged for South African Rand. The guy at Travelex gave me a hard time for not wanting to exchange more. He was insistent that they had better rates. I told him, “Ummm…you are charging me $10 alone just to exchange US to Rand. I’ve traveled to over 30 countries and my ATM card always gives me the best rate! The only reason why I am exchanging money with you is because I need some money for transportation when I arrive at the airport. That’s it.” Well he went on and on for another few minutes. Wow….I’ve never left a currency exchange place feeling like I just left a car lot.

I spent the rest of my layover in Washington D.C. getting in touch with friends before having to turn off my cell phone for a month! How sweet it is!

Places Visited: Washington D.C. (in transit)

Tags: washington d.c.

Almost missed my flight!

I woke up at 6AM, packed, grabbed a cup of coffee and we were off to Pearson Airport.  We hit absolutely no traffic (a Toronto first for me!), and it was certainly nice to see downtown Toronto practically deserted.  We arrived at the airport in record time.  I got there around 7AM and my flight left at 8AM.  I was definitely risking it considering it was an international flight, but I figured since I had already checked in online the day prior, and I had no bags to check in then I should be fine.  WRONG!

I walked past the Air Canada counters and headed towards the signs to my gate.  I get all my stuff on the security belt, and then I give the man at the security belt my ticket and he says, “Oh San Francisco, eh? You’re in the wrong area, you need to go to Aisle H.”  Wow a sign would have been nice!  I was just following the signs to my gate.  So I went across the airport and finally made it to Aisle H.  I quickly signed my customs claim card, and then I had to go through a very slow customs line.  Luckily the guy only asked me a few brief questions and then I was on my way.

I went to my Gate (that was listed on my ticket that I had printed the day before), but noticed the flight was going to Washington D.C. and not San Francisco.  I checked where my new gate was, it was Gate 61 and was nearly a 10 minute “RUN” away.  I was the last person on the flight, and as I was ready to give the lady my boarding pass I hear my name on the intercom to come to the front desk.  ”Oh great, what now,” I think to myself.  The lady asks me if I could switch seats so a couple could sit together.  I agreed, and finally boarded the plane.  Thankfully there was still plenty of overhead space for my bag.  I napped for about 30 minutes on my 5+ hour flight.  I am having a more difficult time sleeping on flights.   So to help time pass I read a few chapters of “Eat Pray Love,” and then watched “Valentine’s Day,” “Date Night,” an episode of “Friends,” “Glee,” and “Sex and the City.”  I sure did keep myself occupied during the flight.
When I landed in San Francisco I checked out the eatery choices, I love eating in San Francisco!  Thank goodness the flight home was a very short flight! The best part was that the shuttle to my car was right outside conveniently waiting for me when I arrived.

Places Visited: Toronto, Canada and San Francisco, California (in transit)

Tags: california, canada, san francisco, toronto

Niagara Falls

Me at Horseshoe Falls

I got up a little after 6AM today, had breakfast and then we were off to visit Niagara Falls. The drive (depending on traffic) takes about 1 1/2 – 2 hours. When we arrived we parked right across from the Falls, and immediately got to see the US and Canadian side of the Falls. If you ever get a chance to see the falls make sure to see it from the Canadian side! You get such a great view of both falls from there! Plus, I personally liked the Canadian side since the falls had a bit of a horse shoe shape to it, and not only that it looked a lot bigger and glamorous to me. The amount of water that was constantly flowing through was amazing.

Horseshoe Falls

We first walked over to Maid of the Mist, which is a boat that takes you past the US side of the falls, and also takes you practically right under the Canadian side of the falls. Since Ron and Richard have gone on it a gazillion times I went on it by myself. By far that was one of my most favorite things I have done. We all hopped on a boat dressed in royal blue ponchos, and I hurriedly ran to the front of the boat. I got a little spot in front (which cleared up once we got closer to the falls). I had my waterproof camera which was a godsend…everyone else was running away from the water in fear of getting wet. Hello, people, we have ponchos on for a reason. A lady and I braved it out and stayed in the front while nearly everyone else chickened out. We had the biggest grins on our faces because it was just spectacular. Just no words could describe it. How often can you FEEL, see, hear, touch, and smell a natural wonder?!

Heading inside the curve of Horseshoe Falls

American Falls

Afterwards, we walked back to the visitor center, and I lined up to grab tickets to Journey Behind The Falls. It is a tunnel where you are able to be a few meters from the base of the falls, and then get the opportunity to stand right behind the falls. Little did I know that the next available time to see it was one hour later than I wanted. So we decided to go to Elements first (a restaurant with a great view of the falls), and after lunch I hurriedly lined up for the Journey Behind The Falls. It wasn’t as great as Maid of the Mist, BUT it was still another great way to see the Falls.

Journey Behind The Falls

Right behind the falls

We left Niagara Falls and drove down Clifton Street (wow…talk about total tourist trap! It was filled with the most tackiest museums and stores), then we headed towards Queenstown Heights to get a view of the river. We saw that Brock’s Monument was open so we decided to climb the 250+ narrow, spiral steps to the top. We did it, and once we got to the top it really was only big enough for 2 people. It was tricky going up the stairs while other people were going down. The most amazing part about the experience was that I didn’t fall since I am such a klutz!

Brock's Monument

View from Brock's Monument

After climbing up Brock's Monument

We then drove to this little town called Niagara-on-the-Lake. I loved it, it was soooo cute, I loved the buildings, the cute and quaint stores, the beautiful flower arrangements that covered the town, the horse and carriage rides cruising down the street (it actually fit to have that little attraction in this town). I really just want to live there NOW. Before heading into town we drove by all the beautiful homes, as well as the harbor front to see the U.S. Fort. We walked down the main street and indulged in some ice cream (which everyone seemed to be eating as you are walking down the street). We also went into the Apothecary which was free and interesting to see.

Prince of Wales Hotel at Niagara-on-the-Lake

Niagara Apothecary

Raspberry Cordial from Anne of Green Gables!

I passed out on the way home (Ron & Richard then remembered how I always slept on the buses in South America), I honestly don’t know what it is, but as soon as I get into a vehicle narcolepsy kicks in and I am knocked out. We got back home and Ron made me a Rusty Nail (never thought of myself as a Scotch type of girl, but I drank it), and had some veggie lasagna that Rob had made for dinner. YUM YUM.

Places Visited: Niagara Falls, Canada, and Niagara-on-the-lake, Canada

Tags: canada, niagara falls

Great Views of Toronto

We woke up early, and did our usual morning routine.  Since Lisa got ready before I did she went to Tim Horton’s for coffee and bagels.  Their “black” coffee was not black, and it tasted like it had already been sweetened.  Oh well!  It was a lot cheaper than Starbucks!

Dina picked us up at around 10AM and we first headed to the Distillery District.  I kid you not when I say that as we were driving through Old Cabbagetown we almost hit a crackhead.  This lady was absolutely out of it, and wasn’t phased by the fact that we almost hit her.  She then proceeded to just walk in the middle of the street.

Distillery District

Okay...is this Jersey Boys or Saturday Night Fever?

Ball sacks...I mean Balzac's Coffee

Distillery Lane

Oh behave!

Listening to her master

We walked around the Distillery District, they had cute shops, and amazing brick buildings.  They had a little Farmer’s Market as well.  We then parked by the Harbourfront and walked along the Harbor before stopping at John Street Roundhouse while waiting for Chad to meet us at the CN Tower.  We had made reservations to go have lunch at the top of the CN Tower, and although pricey we thought it was completely worth it!  Not only did we get to go up the tower which is $20+ alone, we got to cut all the lines, enjoy a 3 course meal, and watch all the famous sites of Toronto revolve around us for $47.  The only downfall was that Chad was not dressed for the restaurant and we got a ton of stares from the wait staff.

I'm on a boat

Jumping for joy with her buddies

The girls at the Harbourfront

CN Tower

Such a touristy shot

After lunch we headed to the observation deck and stood on the glass floor.  I was completely freaked out, but I have been trying to overcome my fear of heights for awhile.  I did it, and even had the courage to look down through the glass floor (which I hadn’t been able to do in New Zealand and Las Vegas).  So go me for being able to conquer another feat in the ‘fear of heights’ department!  We parted ways with Chad (who had to go to Toronto Island to meet his girlfriend),  and headed to the Entertainment District to see Canada’s Walk of Fame.   I had no idea Pamela Anderson was Canadian!  Even Cirque du Soleil had a star!  We also saw the Roy Thomson Hall, as well as a bunch of other little theaters.

View of Toronto from the 360 Restaurant at the CN Tower

Standing on the glass floor of the CN Tower

Michael J. Fox on the Canada Walk Of Fame

We stopped at a Starbucks and had some coffee before heading to the airport to drop off Lisa.  We then headed back to Ron & Richard’s house and had drinks and dinner with them. We went up to their beautiful upper deck, and the weather in Toronto was absolutely perfect today.  Ron grilled steaks for us, and I really enjoyed the entire meal.  We lit candles again, enjoyed the clear skies and the beautiful full moon.  I joked saying that I was supposed to bring the great weather to Toronto with me, but its flight was delayed and then had a layover in a few other cities.

Watching the sunset

Dinner...yum yum

Dinner on the patio of Ron & Richard's house

Next thing we knew it was 11PM (the time just FLEW by), lots of great conversation, great food, and great company.  Such a great night!

Hanging out on the patio until 11PM

Places Visited: Toronto, Canada

Tags: canada, toronto

Inception

We woke up and got dressed and prepared ourselves for a rainy day in Toronto.  We had breakfast at a place called “Over Easy.”  I had a breakfast burrito which was okay (it is 100x better back home).  Afterwards we decided to go to the Royal Ontario Museum  (ROM) which is a HUGE museum.  The only thing I have to complain about are the enormous amounts of pottery and dishes they display, cause after a while it gets really old.  I did love the dinosaur fossils, and the animal exhibits.

R.O.M.- Royal Ontario Museum

Fossil Exhibit

Inside the Egyptian exhibit at the ROM

We headed back to the hotel to wait for Dina.  Once Dina arrived we went back onto the subway to go to her place.  While on the Subway we confessed to her that the Subway really isn’t our thing.  We’re spoiled girls that love our cars.  In California we rely on our cars so much, so it’s weird not having the comfort of my car taking me from point A to point B.  Dina picked up her car and we headed towards Vaughan Mills…a mall that is half regular stores and half outlet stores.  After circling the entire mall I came out with just a few things from H&M, but I truthfully wasn’t trying to go shopping anyways since I only brought a carry-on for my flight.  We grabbed a quick bite to eat at the food court before heading out.  It had started to rain but it was just a light rain, and it was funny watching the locals watch it from the door fearful of getting wet.  Even in San Diego we just walk through the rain!  These people get snow and you should have seen how many people were so scared to get wet!  Maybe because Californians are closer to the water it makes us less fearful of it?

Fashionable duo on the Subway

Lisa with an umbrella again! Just like in Europe!

We then headed to Yorkdale which is a more upscale mall.  We got tickets to go see Inception , and then went shopping.  Again, I didn’t buy anything, but I did spot Burberry and am still hoping that one day I can buy a Burberry bag!  Maybe next year…I have way too many expenses this year.  The movie was great, but very out of this world.  After the movie I completely forgot where I even was, I had to tell myself, “I’m in Canada, right?  Or is this a dream?”  We headed to Scarborough for dinner at Baton Rouge.  Dinner was great, and we compared the differences between American & Canadian men.  I thought American men were shy, but wow Canadian men are extremely scared to talk to women (again this is generalizing, but my Canadian friends completely agree)!

Throughout the day I used my camera to record something called Day in the Life.  A film maker had asked people to video tape themselves during a day in their life (just as the name suggest) and then to upload it onto the internet.  He will then go through all the footage and some will make it into his documentary.  After dinner, Dina drove us back to the hotel.  We watched a little SNL, and I attempted to read “Eat Pray Love” before finally crashing.

Places Visited: Toronto, Canada

Tags: canada, toronto