Martin um die Welt

Freitag, 7. August 2015

2) Algonquin National Park and Lake Simcoe

From Ottawa we drove northwest to Algonquin National Park. We were eager to see the famous Canadian landscape. We drove straight to the Visitor Center, where we arrived at late afternoon. After gathering some information and a map, we went for the first hiking trail: lookout. Already after a hundred meters we saw the first chipmunk and we were to see plenty more :) This short trail indeed offers a great lookout over the National Park. Before sunset we also went to Beaver Pond. Unfortunately, we didn't encounter any beavers. After sunset we checked into our hotel Bellwood Inn. Which was conveniently located near the entrance of Algonquin National Park. The owner was friendly and helpful and offered us to do campfire or bbq behind the hotel. Instead we walked down to Whitney village and enjoyed a great dinner at The Mad Musher.
The next morning (05.08.) we drove to lake Opeongo in Algonquin Park and rented two Kayaks for four hours. It was my first time in a Kayak, but Franzi explained it well to me and it was quite some fun. The lake is amazing. After each corner you pass you see a new part of the lake, even larger than the one before. After ~1 km we stopped on a tiny island and after ~5 km we stopped for lunch picnic. The way back was faster than expected but still a bit exhausting :) From lake Opeongo we drove to the Visitor Center for some lunch. Afterwards we headed for Booth's Rock hiking trail, which was highly recommended to us by a guide in the Visitor Center. Just after leaving the Visitor Center we saw three black bears crossing the street! We were skeptical at first but then it turned out to truly be a great trail with amazing vistas. Also, on the way we spotted two red squirrels :D As it was already near sunset, we drove to The Mad Musher again for dinner^^ After dinner we drove into Algonquin Park again desparately hoping to see a moose - but we wern't lucky. However, we bought some marshmallows earler and had a campfire and our hotels place. That was super cozy until something make noise from the woods. As it turned out the next morning it might have been black bears that came that night looking through the trash bins. The next morning (06.08.) we checked out and drove through Algonquin Park stopping for Hemlock Bluff, Hardwood Lookout and Whisky Rapids trails. At Hardwood Lookout we encountered a very lively chipmunk during a short banana-break. However, all three trails were a bit disappointing compared to the Booth's Rock and Lookout trail from the days before... but may also because we didn't see any new things.
We then continued to Orilla at Lake Simcoe. There we stayed at Lakeside Inn motel. We quickly went to the beach for some sunbathing and got some ice cream on the way too :D A short break at our hotel later, we went for dinner at the center of Orilla - the restaurant was called Brewery Bay Food. The next day (07.08.) we bought some groceries for a picnic breakfast and went straight for the beach again. This day Franzi and I went for swimming too (the water was terribly cold - probably less than 20°C). Additionally, we played tok tok and frisbee - our beloved beach activities :) After some good beach time we bought a milk shake at Tim Hortons and continued towards Toronto.

Overlooking Algonquin Park from the Lookout trail

Kayaking on Lake Opeongo

Red squirrel on Booth's Rock trail

scenic views from Booth's rock trail

that is how one imagines Canada :)

photo-session overlooking Algonquin Park

love it :D

leaving Booth's Rock trail

Franzi and Anne at Hemlock Bluff trail

lively chipmunk at Hardwood Lookout

Franzi at Whiskey Rapids trail

ice cream near beach at Lake Simcoe

Dienstag, 4. August 2015

1) Montreal and Ottawa

On Saturday (01.08.) morning I picked up our rental car, a nice Chrysler 200 in red, from Logan airport and drove to Montreal. It was a bit of a mess to get out of Boston, but a few miles later I drove through nicest landscapes in New Hamshire. Border crossing to Canada was easy and I received the Canadian stamp into my passport without any troubles. My timing was perfect, although I was late, when Franzi entered Montreal airport's arrival hall 3 mins after me - her flight was a little late too :D
Together we drove to our AirBnB in Montreal located at 7th Avenue close to the Olympique Park. There we met Anne and Dirk, the couple we were to visit Canada together :) It was already evening and Franzi, Anne, and Dirk were still suffering from jetlag. A beer and a shower later we walked along the lively Rue Masson and enjoyed dinner at Pot Masson.
The next morning (02.08.) started with a nice breakfast and espresso coffee at the lovely AirBnB. We then went by bus and metro to Place D'Armes with its great Basilique Notre-Dame in Vieux-Montreal (old city center). We walked around the Basilique and past the Palais de justice to the Place Jacques Cartier. On the latter we enjoyed a berry smoothie in the sun while chilling music was played around us. I really like the scenery in Montreal - a true European feeling here. We then went down to the riverfront and the old harbor, where people gathered to enjoy themselves and the weather. The spring-like weather was great compared to the soaring heat I had in Boston the days and weeks before. After exploring the old city center we went back to our AirBnB for a lovely break. With new energy we went to Plateu Mont-Royal to climb Mont Royal for a view over Montreal. On our way up, we passed Parc Jeanne-Mance that was filled with young people who enjoyed picnic, bbq, slacklining, volleyball, weed, dancing, playing instruments, fighting medieval games... a true hippie heaven :D We quickly left the paths and climbed the hill straight ahead meeting some fences and difficult terrain on the way^^ we were rewarded with nice vistas on the way and especially the view from Chalet du Mont-Royal. We took a bus back down and met up with Anne and Dirk who were sightseeing at the Olympique Park. We went for dinner to a bad Italian restaurant. From there we walked towards the city center and encountered a Canadian-Indian festival. The colorful fountain sculptures were cool, but no beer was offered...

Franzi in front of Basilique Notre-Dame

Place D'Armes

Basilique Notre-Dame

Franzi in the gardens of Chateau Ramezay Museum

view from the old port, Montreal skyline behind Franzi

view from the old port towards Place Jacques Cartier

Palais de justice

street art in Plateu Mont-Royal

Montreal Downtown from Mont-Royal

Franzi is often skeptical about selfies^^

Indian festival in Montreal Downtown

great idea to place sculptures into the fountains :)

After a good breakfast we drove the next morning (03.08.) to Ottawa - Canada's capital. We stayed at the Best Western Victoria Park Hotel that turned out to be a great choice. We walked down Elgin Street to Parliament Hill at the riverfront. We first saw the impressive Fairmont Chateau Laurier before we walked around the parliament. After some photosessions at the beautivul Parliament complex, we were looking for dinner but first came along Sparks Street where people presented perfomances during this holiday monday. Most of the city center's shops were closed and it took us a while until we found a Greek fast food restaurant. On our way back to Parliament Hill we added a coffee and walked along the Supreme Court and the National Library. We then went down to the river and walked along the river to the Champlain Statue to get a nice view of the Parliament. It is quite a scenic little way :) At the Champlain Statue we took a mini-nap in the sun between our photo sessions. From there we went past the National Galery and Ottawa's Cathedral Notre-Dame with its strange metal roof. We were a little disappointed by the Byward Market, but it was also about to close. We got some ice cream and returned to our hotel. After another nap we went for dinner at Elgin Street.

The next morning (04.08.) we went to Parliament Hill again and tried to get tickets for the Parliament Tower to get a nice view over the city. However, tickets sold quickly and chances were low we would still get one at 10 am. But we were lucky to watch a guard change on Parliament Hill. Then we visited Byward Market again hoping for a better experience once the shops opened. But the market still was not really interesting. On our way back to the hotel we walked along the Rideau Canal which is a really nice way to walk. Then we drove to Algonquin National Park.