TIFF Time

We saw two movies at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, 'Enemy' starring Jake Gyllenhall and 'Blood Ties' starring Clive Owen, Mila Kunis and Marion Cotillard. Both movies were quite interesting and gave us the opportunity to get a little closer to fame (see below!) Enemy was actually filmed in Toronto so it was cool to recognise some of the scenes and to point out our apartment in the sweeping skyline panorama that played over the closing credits.

TIFF generates a really fun buzz in the city, with red carpets and crowds of excited fans outside every theatre and plenty of rumoured celebrity sightings and A-list after parties. Apparently Jake (we're on a first name basis now) dined at a new restaurant a couple of blocks away from us, and Hugh Jackman had to make a trip to the Australian Consulate to vote in the federal election.

Good Things Grow In Ontario

We've made a few weekend road trips out of the city lately which I've really enjoyed. It's been great to get out and explore Ontario a little more, especially in the Summer. If you're wondering, the title of this post comes from the infuriatingly catchy jingle on the Foodland Canada commercials.

Prince Edward County
Prince Edward County is a lovely little wine region in south-eastern Ontario. We drove along a series of winding roads through the beautiful countryside, stopping at several indulgent pit-stops along the way. We had apple cider at The County Cider Company & Estate, ate wood fired pizza at Norman Hardie Winery and did some wine tasting at Casa Dea Estates.

Gananoque and the Thousand Islands
Heading further east, we stopped at Gananoque (pronounced 'gan-an-nock-way') to take a boat cruise through the Thousand Islands (which inspired the famous creamy salad dressing of the same name). It was amazing to see so many houses dotted throughout the islands and it made me wonder who could possibly live out there in such isolation. Some of the islands were only big enough for a single house, so my guess is that they're the kind of people who don't care much for neighbourly chit-chat.

Stratford, Ontario
Located in Perth county (but still a very long way from home), Stratford is a small town well known for its annual theatre festival. We decided to take in a bit of culture and saw the play 'Blithe Spirit' and the musical 'Tommy'.
I enjoyed walking along the grassy banks of the Avon river, watching graceful white swans skillfully navigate between tourists in paddle boats. Incidentally, Stratford is the hometown of everyone's favourite Canadian teen-pop sensation, Justin Bieber.

Muskoka: Huntsville and Algonquin Provincial Park
We visited Algonquin in the Fall last year, so it was nice to enjoy the sunshine and warmer weather in Summer this time. After a hearty breakfast fit for lumberjacks, we went for a relaxing canoe paddle through one of the park's many lakes. We also took a couple of scenic trail walks through the woods and spotted some maple trees that had started their colour change early. I really love this park, something about it just feels so authentically Canadian to me! Sadly, there were no bear or moose sightings, although I am determined to see at least one of each before we leave the country.