Cottage Country

The past two weekends have been very Canadian indeed for us! We packed up our warmest clothes, left the condo and headed out to 'cottage country' in Muskoka, which is where Torontonians go to get away from the big city.

On the first weekend, we were lucky enough to stay at a friend's cottage in Parry Sound, which is a beautiful area about 2.5 hours north-west of Toronto. It was a bit rainy the first day, so we lazed about indoors eating, reading and keeping warm by the log fire. In the afternoon it cleared up and we went for a walk in Killbear Provincial Park (sounds much scarier than it is). No bears were sighted, but we did see many beautiful fall colours, and a woodpecker! Back at the cottage, we enjoyed a sunset canoe paddle around the lake - it was incredibly still and peaceful, I can understand now why cottage life is so popular. The next day was sunny, so we did some more eating and relaxing outside on the deck and managed to make friends with a couple of cute chipmunks with a penchant for grapes. We had such a great time, I hope we can make it back again in winter.

Last Monday was Thanksgiving Day in Canada and we were very thankful for the long weekend that provided us with an opportunity to do some more exploring! We stayed in Hunstville with two Aussie friends, about 2.5 hours north-east of the city. On Saturday we browsed through the quaint shops in the main street and walked along a short trail in the woods to a lookout with a stunning view. The fall colours were so spectacular, it was difficult not to take a good photo! We built some mini Inukshuks (stone statues resembling humans which were traditionally used as landmarks by the Inuit people) and saw some Loons (a bird featured on the Canadian $1 coin, or 'loonie'). That night we had pumpkin pie for dessert, which was much better than I was expecting - slightly sweet with a hint of cinnamon. We took advantage of the sunny weather on Sunday to drive to Algonquin Provincial Park. The fall colours were incredibly stunning, I'm so glad we managed to get there at just the right time. We did a few trail walks and took lots of photos of the scenery. I felt so outdoorsy and Canadian - to top it off I even bought a toque (knitted beanie with ear flaps) at the visitor's centre!

It was wonderful to get out of the city grid, to look out across the colourful horizon and to see the stars at night. I have a new appreciation for 'fall' now, I think I finally understand why everyone makes such a big deal about it.