Casa Loma

Yesterday we went to Casa Loma.  It was a castle built on a hill in Toronto by Sir Henry Pellatt in 1911.  The size is 64,700 sq. ft. and it's cost at completion was CAD$3.5 million dollars.

Foyer.  You can see the pipes from the huge Wurlitzer Organ

The rooms and furniture were incredible.  

So many gorgeous rooms.

One of the many bedrooms

Ensuite Bathroom

The Girl Guide Exhibit was opened on the second floor of Casa Loma in 1973. The relationship between the Girl Guides and Casa Loma extends back to Lady Pellatt, who frequently invited the Girl Guides to her home. Their first visit was in 1913, when 250 girls and their leaders toured the conservatories and stables, climbed the circular staircase to the top turret and then were served tea in the Palm Room. In March 1914, Lady Pellatt watched the Guides' annual fête from her bedroom window as she was too ill to leave her room.  Rallies became an annual event at the house. Guides also skated on the house's curling rink in winter. Girl Guiding events have continued in recent years, including the 75th anniversary and the 100th anniversary celebrations of Guiding in Canada were held at Casa Loma.

The third floor was filled with Canadian war information.  Many uniforms, rifles and stories of all the wars since WWI that Canada fought in.  Very interesting and informative.

There is so much history and the life of Sir Henry Pellatt is very interesting.  If you want to learn more:  

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Pellatt

If you can't make it to Casa Loma:

Niagara Falls

We woke up to a cloudy day.  It was much cooler and we were happy as we both got sunburned/windburn on the hop on hop off bus.  It was 30C on Wednesday and the humidity was high.  We received a special weather alert, the smoke from all the forest fires has reached Toronto!  It's a good thing we don't have any breathing issues.

The 23 passenger luxury coach to Niagara Falls left our hotel at 8:30.  We picked up people from two other hotels and got to Niagara Falls in 90 minutes.  First stop, The Hornblower!  Apparently The Maid of the Mist no longer operates in Canada.  The ship was great!  We stayed on the lower level and even with our raincoats, we got soaked from the knees down!

You can see the Sheraton where we had lunch at the top.

We went to the Sheraton for a buffet lunch at the top of the hotel with a gorgeous view of the falls.  I took this picture from the top of the hotel:

After lunch we went to Table Rock and took some lovely photos.  Then a leisurely drive to the whirlpool, flower clock and we had a lovely stop at Niagara on the Lake.  What a nice little town.

We went into a hat shop.  They make all the hats they sell.  What an interesting shop!

This is where they make the hats

This was the men's side, the ladies side was really nice

Top hats in every colour

It took 90 minutes to get to Niagara Falls and 3 hours and 15 minutes to return.  I thought Vancouver traffic was bad!

It was an awesome tour with some lovely people and a great tour guide.

Toronto

 

We took a boat tour of the harbour and the islands

Lots of wildlife

Hockey Hall of Fame

What a lovely lobby of a mall

We boarded the Hop on Hop off bus.  Lots of great sights,  It was really warm 26C.  When we got to the harbour the wind was blowing so it was very pleasant.  

The harbour cruise was lovely.  Lots of interesting information on the tour.  If you want to remember all the great lakes, remember HOMES.  Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie and Superior!  

The night ended with a delicious dinner at The Red Lobster!  

Travel Day

 

Nathan Phillips Square

We had a smooth flight on WestJet.  We left on time and arrived safe.  They advised us of an equipment change in the morning.  I was worried we may be substituted with a Sunwing plane that has no legroom and no premium economy seating, but we had premium economy and it appeared to be a very new plane.  

They served a lovely hot dinner and beer and wine are now free!  WestJet Connect worked well and I watched "I am Celine Dion" where she talked about her Stiff Person Syndrome.  

The Uber from Pearson to our hotel in downtown Toronto was $46.66!  We got a lovely driver who was from Kyiv and has been in Canada with his wife and son for six months.  He is a Psychiatrist but the medical people won't even call him back!  He's driving Uber and his English was excellent.  We talked about the war and the hardships they are facing in Ukraine.  He loves Canada as his sister has lived here for a few years.

We checked into our hotel and we are on the 23rd floor!  We have a view of the CN Tower and a lovely room. 

Let's see what tomorrow brings!

Going on a jet plane

Today we fly to Toronto.  We decided to keep our spring/summer vacation in Canada.  Cec has never been to Niagara Falls.  We've landed at Pearson many times, but we just get on another plane.  

We've never stayed or been a tourist in Toronto.  We have VIA Rail tickets to Ottawa and to Kingston.  Looking forward to seeing the country we live in!  

I will blog when time and internet permits.  

Operation Dynamo 85th Anniversary!

The Dunkirk evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo and also known as the Miracle of Dunkirk, or just Dunkirk, was the evacuation of more than 338,000 Allied soldiers during the Second World War from the beaches and harbour of Dunkirk, in the north of France, between 26 May and 4 June 1940.  The evacuation came after British, French, and Belgian troops were surrounded by German forces during the Battle of France.  

A fleet of 66 'little ships' will sail from Ramsgate to Dunkirk France to commemorate the 85th anniversary of Operation Dynamo.  Organizers, The Association of Dunkirk Little Ships (ADLS), said the commemorative journey would "serve a a poignant tribute to the bravery and sacrifice" of those who took part.

"It also ensures the legacy of the Dunkirk little ships continues to inspire future generations" a spokesperson said. 

Gawai Dayak Festival

We received an invitation from my brother-in-law's, first cousin's daughter.  I've known the family for years.  Richard's first cousin, Bill went to Malaysia in 1966 and met Julie.  They fell in love and are celebrating their 58th wedding anniversary on Tuesday!  They had two children, Mona and Lisa.  Mona had two children and Lisa had eight children.  They got together to celebrate their heritage and invited their family and friends.  I received this invitation from Mona:

Hello I’d like to invite you guys to our Malaysian Harvest Festival called “Gawai”

Out family is getting together at my aunts backyard in Port Moody and having an Open House where we will have food, fashion show with Malaysian costumes and Malaysian dance performance which will start at 1:00. 

The fashion show and dance performance will be at the beginning but food will be available all afternoon.

Would love to have you join us and try our food etc. from East Malaysia.

The Gawai Dayak is a significant annual festival celebrated by the Dayak people of Sarawak and Sabah, Malaysia, on June 1st. It marks the end of the rice harvesting season and the beginning of the new agricultural cycle. It's a time for family reunions, cultural celebrations, and thanksgiving for a successful harvest. The festival is also a time to make amends, rekindle friendships, and pay respects to the elderly, according to Tourism Malaysia.  

The rain on Saturday was heavy, so we got a text saying they were taking it inside.  Lisa runs a Montessori school in Coquitlam, and it was held at her school.  Her aunt must have a huge backyard because there were over 100 people in attendance!  

Bill and Julie

The immediate family in their traditional dress

The entire family!

The Malaysian food was incredible!  It was all made by family members.  Noodles, Rice, Chicken and Beef Satay with peanut sauce, prawns, and a whole pig!  Many other side dishes and a beautiful anniversary cake!

What a wonderful afternoon with a wonderful family!