Winter Vacation

Sorry dear blog, I haven't forgotten about you! After a very long winter, the weather is finally starting to warm up in Toronto, so I've been spending more time outside trying to replenish my vitamin D stores. I will endeavour to post a bit more frequently in the future.

Now that the apologies are over and done with, I can recount you with the exciting tales of recent months. At the end of February we took a couple of weeks off work to explore western Canada, including Whistler, Vancouver and Victoria in British Columbia, and Whitehorse in the Yukon. It was such a wonderful trip and I'm glad we were able to see a bit more of this amazing country. Over the Easter break we went skiing at Mont Tremblant in Quebec too, which great fun! Here are some select highlights from these latest adventures:

Whistler-Blackcomb, British Columbia
The past nine months in Canada have involved many 'firsts' for me. One experience that I'd been looking forward to with a mix of trepidation and excitement was skiing. Earlier in the year we were lucky enough to join friends for a couple of day trips to the Blue Mountain, two hours north of Toronto. So at least we weren't complete ski newbies when it came to Whistler. We'd both mastered stopping (the snow plow) and were able to make slow, gentle turns down a green run.

At Whistler, we decided that lessons were the way to go (commonly called 'the marriage saver', as it's preferable to have a neutral third party yell at you repeatedly that you're doing it wrong, instead of your significant other). Our extremely patient 72 year old ski instructor Ed made the perfect guide. A local to the area for many years, Ed finally decided to take up skiing at age 55 because of his wife's love of the sport. It turns out that you can teach an old dog new tricks, as Ed made skiing look completely effortless. His repetitive shouts of "arms out front", "uphill hand high", "lean forward", "turn, and turn, and turn" really stuck in my head after the 100th or so time. We both made good progress and I was able to conquer most of my ski-related fear in the lessons. The hardest part was skiing for 5 consecutive days with increasingly sore, tired leg muscles (but it's difficult to complain to your 72 year old ski instructor about that).

The ski trip was organised by a couple of my Aussie friends, so we had a lovely reunion in Whistler village. It's a shame that by 6:30pm most nights I was ready to fall asleep at the dinner table - a full day of skiing can be quite exhausting! I really enjoyed the apres ski experience too - what's not to love about guilt-free indulgence in nachos, hot chocolate and mulled wine after a hard day's work on the slopes?

I'd heard that the population of Australians in Whistler is so large that they're referred to as 'JAFAs': 'Just Another Friendly Aussie' (although the 'F' actually stands for a less polite word. Hi Mum!). We came across the familiar Aussie drawl everywhere, from hotel staff to coffee baristas, ski hire assistants and even the ski instructors themselves!  It was a little surreal at first, but I enjoyed being able to pronounce my name without the North American rounded 'r' sound and still be clearly understood.

Whitehorse, Yukon
When I told a few Torontonians that we were heading to Whitehorse, the responses were very similar. The first reaction was one of sheer disbelief, followed by a grave warning of how cold it can get in the Yukon, and lastly a look of admiration and respect that we were taking the time to experience such a remote part of the country. Several people have commented that we've already seen more of Canada than most Canadians!

Whitehorse was one of my favourite parts of this trip. There was a lot of snow on the ground which looked stunning against the crystal clear blue skies. We had to don sunglasses as we walked along the slowly melting Yukon river, enjoying the sunshine and breathtaking scenery. I found myself thinking "this is Canada" in a way I haven't felt since we were in Algonquin provincial park in early October.

We visited the Yukon Wildlife Preserve for a lovely long walk in the snow and the chance to see a number of Canadian animals, including a pair of distant Moose intent on camouflaging themselves behind a tree. We braved the bitterly cold temperatures (I'm talking -23 degrees Celsius) for three nights in a row to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights, but unfortunately we weren't able to see anything.

We also took a dog sledding tour through a gorgeous trail of rolling hills and pine trees, with the odd set of fresh moose tracks in the snow. We each drove a sled with a team of four Alaskan Huskies (my guys were called Tundra, Tex, Riley and Snickers). After a brief lesson in Husky-speak ("let's go" = start, "whoa-ho" = stop), we took off. It was quite a surreal experience, but very peaceful too.

Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver is a such a nice city, I could easily see myself living there. There's something magical about being able to see both the ocean and the mountains on the horizon. Vancouver is blessed with some beautiful natural spaces, some parts of the city even reminded me of Australia.

We took a lovely relaxing walk along the sea wall, which forms a perimeter between the beautiful Stanley Park and the ocean, with views of  the nearby mountains and Lion's Gate Bridge. Stanley Park provides a lush green escape from the concrete buildings downtown. Venturing a short drive out of the city, we explored the Capilano suspension bridge, a dense green rain forest with waterfalls and treetop outlooks. Granville Island is also a popular tourist destination that hosts a sprawling assortment of restaurants, gift shops and a fresh food market.

Our trip coincided with the WA state election, so we visited the Australian consulate to fulfill our civic duty. The large Australian flag, framed photo of Julia Gillard and kangaroo mural on the wall made me feel strangely at home as I cast my vote in the solitary cardboard voting booth. Lastly, as lovers of Japanese food, we just had to take the opportunity to dine at Tojo's, named after Hidekazu Tojo, the inventor of the California roll. I've never had sashimi quite like it before, it was incredible!











Victoria, British Columbia
From Vancouver we made our way to Victoria via the largest ferry I've ever seen (with 6 decks and capacity for 2000 people and close to 500 cars)! Victoria has a lovely relaxed feel to it, probably due in part to the beautiful spring weather. We took a couple of nice strolls around the town to take in the colourful gardens and waterfront area, with the ever-present smell of fish & chips in the air. A very pretty place indeed.











Mont Tremblant, Quebec
We decided to put our new-found skiing skills into practise at at Mont Tremblant over the Easter break. After Whistler, we were surprised at how quickly we could get from the top of the mountain to the bottom, but I enjoyed taking it easy and cruising down the gentle green runs. It gave us a chance to relax and consolidate what we'd learnt at Whistler without too much physical exertion. We had some great apres ski with three other Toronto expats too. A perfect ending to our Winter getaway.

Rain, Hail Or Shine

Canadians love talking about the weather. I guess it's understandable, given that they have so much of it.
Unlike Australia, the topic is not limited to mere elevator conversation or polite neighbourly chit-chat. In fact, failing to discuss the current snow/wind/sunshine/humidity/rain conditions with everyone that you encounter is practically a faux pas.

The local news programs respond to this need by providing incredibly detailed and lengthy weather forecasts interspersed with small snippets of actual news. You can see some of my favourite weather moments below, including a play-by-play analysis of expected snowfall over a 13 hour period, a line chart depicting the temperature at six points within a single day and a helpful checklist to assist you in making weather-appropriate clothing choices.

As I mentioned once in a previous post, Canadian weather forecasts report on both the actual air temperature as well as a 'feels like' temperature. The 'feels like' temperature takes the humidity index or wind chill factor into consideration. This is designed to give a better description of how hot or cold a day feels to the average person and provides us with much more precise data with which to complain about the weather. So at a very minimum, the daily forecast will feature four temperatures, for example: tomorrow there will be a high of 0 degrees (feels like -5) and a low of -9 (feels like -15). This allows for many hilarious parodies such as "-15, feels like death" and "36, feels like the surface of the sun".

My snow and ice vocabulary has increased considerably over the past four months. I have learnt how to correctly use such terminology as flurries, freezing rain, blowing snow, whiteout, lake effect, Alberta clipper, snow drift, squall, black ice and powder. I never knew there were so many different varieties of frozen water!

I've found the primary Canadian reaction to winter to be one of extreme revulsion and contempt. This comes in stark and often humorous contrast to my child-like glee after each new snowfall. This bitter hatred of winter seems illogical to me - there are so many wonderful things to do and see in the colder months and at the very least it provides fodder for a multitude of weather-related conversations (see above). But then again I'm not facing a lifetime's worth of sub-zero winters ahead of me.

Overall, I think we've coped quite well with our first Canadian winter. We have had to spend a small fortune gathering all of the necessary accoutrements (down coat, snow boots, leather boots, gloves, scarves, toques (beanies), thermals, ear warmers and ski gear), but once you're prepared for the conditions, the minus temperatures really aren't so bad. It's amazing how quickly you can adjust to a new situation - the winters that I'm used to in Perth average 9 - 18 degrees, which is more like fall (autumn) in Toronto!

Helpful comment under Monday's forecast: "BRRR!"

Skating On Thick Ice

Last weekend we headed north-east of Toronto to visit the nation's capital, Ottawa. After a comfortable four hour train journey it was a bit of a shock to walk out into the freezing -18 degree air! Quite fitting though, as the primary purpose of our trip was to embrace the cold at Winterlude, an annual festival that celebrates all things Wintery.

First stop was the Rideau canal which runs through the centre of Ottawa. Each winter, the 7.8km canal freezes over to become the world's largest skating rink! While Shane was skilled enough to skate the entire distance, I only managed a little bit and finished the rest by foot. It was all very surreal, I had to keep reminding myself that we were walking on frozen water. There were many beautiful sights along the way and a happy, festive atmostphere amongst the crowd. Naturally we stopped for refreshments - it would have been rude not to partake in offerings of hot apple cider and beavertails (fried doughnut-like slabs of pastry sprinkled with cinnamon sugar).

Next we made our way to the Snowflake Kingdom, a winter playground for kids (and big kids). There were some amazing snow sculptures and fun rides such as tubing and ice slides. We had a go on the tubes and tasted some maple taffy (maple syrup frozen on fresh snow). After a lovely dinner in the Byward Market area, we explored the incredible ice sculptures on display. It was amazing to see what can be done with a block of ice and a chainsaw!

On Sunday we got a bit political and cultural by visiting Parliament Hill and the National Art Gallery. It was so lovely to stroll through the park afterwards catching snowflakes and admiring the scenery. I couldn't help but hum 'walking in a winter wonderland'.











               

Happy Australia Day

Despite the snowfall, sub-zero temperatures and lack of a public holiday last weekend, we still managed to celebrate Australia Day on the 26th. Paradoxically, I think it was the most True Blue, Ridgy-Didge, Dinky-Di Australia Day I've ever had!

We invited a bunch of friends over to our apartment for a traditional Aussie lunch that consisted of cheesymite scrolls, sausage rolls, meat pies, vegemite sandwiches, salads, fresh fruit, lamingtons, vanilla slice, tim tams, tiny teddies and pavlova. It worked on a couple of different levels - the Aussies in the group were delighted to taste their beloved national delicacies once again, and the Canadians were eager to try these strange and wondrous creations for the first time (some were even brave enough to sample vegemite)!

Our lunch was set to a playlist of famous Ocker tunes such as 'Land Down Under', 'This is Australia', 'You're the Voice', 'Great Southern Land' and 'Working Class Man'. We couldn't have been more Aussie if we tried.

I also took some lamingtons to work on Friday. They were greatly appreciated by my colleagues, but the name was somewhat lost in translation due to my accent ("lemingtons"). Everyone kept asking me if they were lemon flavoured. Never mind.

Happy Australia Day everyone!

It's Snow Time!

Ever since the temperatures began to drop I've been wishing and hoping and praying that it would snow. The gradual cool down from mid October made the prospect of the first snowfall very suspenseful. Picture the following scenario repeated week after week: On Monday, the TV weatherman says that Toronto can expect some snow on Friday. Claire goes to sleep with her fingers crossed every night and on Friday awakes to find... nothing. A tiny part of her heart breaks. Repeat.

Finally, one weekend in late November, we experienced our first flurry in Toronto. I braced the freezing cold air to dance outside on the balcony with a cheesy grin, catching snowflakes. A few weeks later, we went out for dinner and a movie. As we ate, I looked out the window enthralled as the snow gently fell and collected on the street outside. And yes, we were a little bit late for the movie due to a certain excited girl stopping and taking photos every 5 metres.

After several more uneventful flurries throughout December, we wondered if Toronto would even have a white Christmas this year. We didn't see any snow on Christmas day in New York, but there was a gentle flurry as we walked through Times Square on Boxing Day. We came home that night to a steady snowfall in Toronto, the heaviest we'd seen yet! The next morning we woke up to 15cm of pristine white loveliness! You can only imagine my child-like glee as I laced up my snowboots to walk to work. Turns out this is the biggest snowfall that Toronto has seen in two years, although people still gave me funny looks for taking pictures on the way to work and during my lunch break! I cared not. This lovely blanket of fresh snow provided the perfect opportunity for our first snowball fight and also inspired two snowmen! Alas, it has all melted away now. I hope Jack Frost visits us again soon.

Boxing Day night, Toronto

Our balcony

My walk to work


Park benches near work


Snowman #1


Snowman #2

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

A very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all! Apologies that the posts have been few and far between lately, I've been having a bit too much fun to write.

Christmas is such a lovely time in Toronto; the tree-lined streets twinkle with fairy lights, festive decorations adorn shop windows and the minus temperatures bring a gentle flurry of snowflakes over the city. We got into the spirit of the season at home by decorating a gingerbread house with friends one afternoon.

In mid-December we visited the Distillery District's Christmas Market at night. The beautiful Christmas lights and jovial atmosphere made the freezing temperatures a little more bearable. The cobblestone alleys were lined with wooden carts selling Christmas gifts, ornaments, mulled wine, apple cider, wurst and pretzels. Christmas carolers braved the minus temperatures to sing and children had fun playing in the gingerbread house and mini hedge maze.

For Christmas and Boxing Day we flew to New York. It was lovely to stroll around the city amidst cheerful crowds of people stopping to look at the pretty Christmas decorations. Ice skating at the Rockefeller Centre looked like fun, but it was incredibly busy so we decided to pass it up. In Times Square we saw the New Year's Eve ball ready to drop in a week's time. We went to the Top of the Rock to take in a spectacular view of the city and enjoyed a relaxing Christmas dinner for two.

While it wasn't exactly a white Christmas in Toronto, we arrived on Wednesday night to a steady snowfall and awoke the next morning to find 15cm of fresh white powdery loveliness! But more on that next time. New Years' Eve was celebrated with good friends, good food, good music and above average dancing. I have a feeling 2013 is going to be a wonderful year!