Christmas 2012 ~ Canada!
Since we have arrived in the US it has been a dream to have at least one White Christmas. We spent the first year at home in hope, but it did not start snowing until the new year!
So this year we decided to head North and go where we were guaranteed to have a White Christmas!
Hubby and I really wanted to see Niagara Falls. So we planned the trip in 3 parts:
Niagara Falls ~ 21st Dec - 23rd Dec
Log Cabin in Haliburton ~ 23rd Dec - 27th Dec and
Toronto ~ 27th - 30th Dec
We wanted to be home for New Years Eve so we could celebrate with family & friends!
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| Family photo after we took a dog sledding tour! |
NIAGARA FALLS, ONTARIO:
We wanted to hit the road early and avoid all the peak hour traffic heading into Washington DC. So we loaded up the car the night before and dragged ourselves out of bed for a 4am start!
We definitely avoided the traffic! The drive up to Ontario was really easy. The kids slept, watched dvds and played with their electronic devices. The scenery was really beautiful. Within 2 hours of driving we started to notice the snow on the side of the roads.
By 4 hours in, there was snow everywhere!!!
We had a few stops along the way but made it to our hotel by 2pm. We booked for a fallsview room at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Niagara Falls. It was a really nice hotel, the breakfast was amazing every day!! Big selection of hot and cold food, including an omelet station! We were a little disappointed with our room as it was an obstructed view, but they had upgraded us to have a spa suite! It was still a nice view, just not what we had hoped for.
We went and checked out the falls that day, amazing!!! So big, loud and of course freezing cold! There was not a lot of snow around on the day we arrived but 2 days later when we left, we had enjoyed a really nice coating!
We went and checked out Clifton Hill which we describe as being Vegas for kids! It was all lights, gaming arcades, museums, mini golf etc. We brought a fun pass that saw us enjoy a 3D ride, a lazer game, $5 spending at the arcade, glow in the dark mini golf, the wax museum and the Skywheel.
It was a great fun filled day. the view of the falls from the Skywheel (big ferris wheel) was really spectacular. We had lunch at Dave & Busters, better know as D & B's, which also included 2 gaming cards for the kids to play the arcades. It was snowing pretty much all day! We also headed back to the falls once the sun had set and got some really nice photos of the waterfalls both lit up.
As it was just days before Christmas, the strip that runs right opposite the falls had a heap of Disney inspired light displays set up. We enjoyed walking along and seeing them all, but boy it was really cold!!! It was nice to get back to the hotel and enjoy the hot spa!
BLISS COTTAGE ~ HALIBURTON, ONTARIO
We had a nice easy start to our day trip out to Haliburton. Hot cooked breaky, re-packed the car and headed off around 10:30am. The drive out took longer than expected and we even saw Santa & Mrs Claus headed towards Toronto!!! It was snowing quite a bit, infact everything was just a blanket of white. really beautiful. As we took the turns off the highway and made our way through the back roads of the Lake Kennisis towards to cabin, it was evident that this was going to be quite an experience! None of us had ever seen so much snow in our lives! We even passed a few people out exploring on snow mobiles!
The road that the cottage was on had not been plowed. So we found ourselves driving, very cautiously, over snow! All was exciting UNTIL......................we were driving down a hill with a bend in the road at the base of the hill. Hubby was driving slowly down and started to turn the corner when all of a sudden, the back wheels kept going. As we slid sideways, the snow thankfully built up a little retainer wall and although hubby tried to maintain control of the car, it was evident that the snow had won this one.
I was completely shaken up, all I saw as a passenger was a 5 - 6 foot drop down an embankment right out of my window. We had come to a stop, with the back passenger wheel hanging over the embankment. We all slowly got out of the car to assess the situation. I felt it was safer that we all got out incase the snow gave way and car ended up rolling. The cottage was only a few houses away so we walked there and called the caretaker of the cabin to help us out.
The kids and I stayed in the warmth and safety of the cabin, while hubby walked back to the car and met the caretaker. He pulled the car out and before long it was all but a memory.....a scary one at that!
We unloaded the car and then sadly had to get back in it and drive to town for food supplies for the next 4 days! This, I did not like at all! I was still shaken up and of course the road had still not been plowed. Much to hubbys annoyance, I had him driving at no more than 15 miles an hour until we hit the main, plowed, roads! It took us an hour to get to the store, but we stayed on the road!!
On the way back into the cottage, it was snowing and thankfully they had plowed the roads. I was still freaked out though! Infact every single time we had to get in the car and go anywhere, I freaked!
The next day was Christmas Eve and as a part of the kids Christmas pressies this year, we booked us all on a half day Dog sledding tour. We arrived at Winterdance dog sledding and helped get the dogs all hooked up in the harnesses. Then it was time to head of on what we have dubbed as the most amazing adventure of our lives! It really was like a winter wonderland. The scenery was beautiful, the dogs were awesome and it was just a whole load of fun! I had to control a sled myself and had one of our sons in the sled. Col (hubby) had another sled with the youngest 2 kids in it. The older 2 children got to ride with the 2 tour guides. The older 4 all got to hop on and help control the dogs throughout the tour. They LOVED it. We all loved it! I highly recommend you doing this tour if you ever find yourself in Canada!
Tonight's dinner was pretty special too........meat pies and sausage rolls, thank you Canada for giving us a little piece of 'home' this Christmas :)
Christmas Day!
It was Christmas day, it was very white outside and there was the lightest snow falling. Yay we had achieved our main goal for the holiday............ a White Christmas!!!
The kids all opened their pressies, as did Mum & Dad!! They had most of their gifts from us at home before we left as we were limited on space and..............well you just dont take a trampoline overseas with you!
We enjoyed a traditional Chrissy feed, roast Turkey, potatoes, pumpkin, beans and carrots and even found plum pudding at the local store!!!
We spent the afternoon building a snowman by the front entry of the cabin. I had picked up a snowman kit at a local shop before we left that included the hat, carrot nose (wooden), eyes, buttons and even a pipe! So he was well decked out! After a few family pics, snowball fights and exploring the property, it was time to thaw out by the log gas fire!
The kids also enjoyed decorating a gingerbread house whilst dinner was cooking.
Now the funny part.......we had internet access and I had an email from our neighbour to let us know it was snowing at home....very lightly, just a flurry but still snowing on Christmas day!! lol
Last day at cabin:
Today was the last day at the cabin and it was snowing quite a bit, so we decided to head back into the town, grab some souvenirs and find the local toboggan park!! The first park was a bit of a dud, not enough snow. The 2nd one was much better. Although we couldn't use the whole hill, we were able to have some fun from the midway mark. All the kids had a great time!
We got back and packed and cleaned up as much as we could, ready for the trip to Toronto tomorrow!
Hubby and I ventured down to the Lake which was at the back of the property. It was really well set up with a look out patio and then a pontoon onto the lake that even had a diving board! This would be awesome in summer! but for us it was partially frozen!
Col held onto the rails of the ladder from the pontoon and decided to bash his feet onto the ice to see how thick it was........his feet went right through it!! not enough to get him wet, but enough to break through the ice! it wasn't quite an inch thick. We took some really nice photos.
TORONTO, ONTARIO:
WOW!!!! We woke this morning to at least a foot of snow overnight. The car was covered, the lake had all but froze over completely and it was snowing really heavy! Col make the trek in and pout with all the bags to pack the car. the kids and I enjoyed the warmth of the fire inside lol!!!
I did go and help pack the things that were travelling in the car with us, such as dvd players etc and also helped close the lid of the roof top pod down!
The only problem with this is that I saw the car was now sitting on a bed of ice and we had an uphill descend to get out of the drive. it was really snowing heavy, you could not see very much in front of you. So I opted to walk up the drive and meet hubby at the top! I was still freaked out and yep it was another VERY slow drive out! even the main roads were covered and that was with the plow working overtime!
Part of the drive saw us on a 4 lane highway with literally 2 lines to drive on! One for each side of the traffic, so down to one lane each way! There were convoys of snow plows and sadly quite a few accidents. I know too well how easy it was to slid of the road and these conditions were far worse than what we initially had driving in!!
We made it to Toronto without incident. It was still snowing, just not as heavy. We got the motel which was Clarion Suite in Downtown. We wanted to be close to the attractions!
Day 1: We took a drive out to the CN Tower. We were told it was the best place for views of the city. As the sky had cleared up and visibility was pretty good, we went up to check it out. I have to saw the $200 we spent just to get to the lookout was not worth it!!! Dont waste your money! The best views of the city were taken by the restaurants they had on the same level. So although we got some photos, it was not what it could have been. They also advertise their glass floor, so we walked down one level to have a look at that. Hmmmm it was a few clear glass tiles that looked down onto a carpark!!!
This was such a disappointment for me. I really think they could have done that tower better. Oh well as they say "been there, done that!."
Day 2: Today we headed to Casa Loma. Its a big castle in the middle of Toronto. This, I highly recommend!! It was heated, yay, and was really spectacular to see. You could walk through most of the rooms and it had a free self guided recorded device that you could punch the number of the room into and listen to the history etc. The kids enjoyed it to. They had people in costume and did a kids scavenger hunt where they had to collect stamps in certain rooms for a small prize, so it kept them all occupied too!
After that hubby decided he wanted to take us ice skating. I opted out and happily sat on the side of the rink with everyones shoes taking photos! I dont mind ice skating, but I was cold enough as it was and my hand was really painful for it. (I have a medical condition that sees me with no muscle in one hand, so it gets cold quick!) They really enjoyed it. The girls took a little time to get use to it and Taquira kept trying to give up, but with a little nudge she stayed out there and had fun.......until she fell and broke her wrist, but thats a whole different story!! She is ok and sporting a lovely hot pink cast for the next 4 weeks!
We found a sports bar nearby that was kid friendly, so I enjoyed a cocktail and the warmth!!
Day 3: Our last full day in Toronto and we planned to go to the zoo. We woke up, rugged up and headed out the door..........to more heavy snow! We decided to take the drive out to the zoo anyway and see if the conditions were a bit better. No, they were not! So plan B kicked in and we took the kids bowling and to the movies instead.
Bowling was really interesting, in that you are very hard pressed to find a 10 pin bowling alley, they were all 5! So we thought why not, after travelling to 2 different places to still find 5 pins!
We hired the lane for an hour and it was quite a bit of fun. Mitchell, our 5 year old, particularly liked the fact that the balls were also mini sized so he could hold them and bowl without assistance!
The movie was Monsters Inc 3D, which was ok. Not sure that the 3D part was worth it though. Anyhow it was a nice warm thing to do!!
Incase you have not caught on, by this stage I was well and truly over the cold, the snow and after 10 days in minus temperatures, I was looking forward to getting home!
Home sweet home:
We had a really good drive home, it was snowing on and off quite a bit. The kids were happy with their dvd players and new movies they had got for Christmas. We didn't get home until midnight after leaving at 10am, so it was a really long trip home.
All in all we really did have a great time. The highlight was def the White Christmas and the Dog sledding......would love to do that again but for a whole day next time! The low point for me was running off the road, it really spoilt the experience of the whole snow business as I was very fragile after that!
Now to start planning the finer details of the next big family trip.....a cruise through Alaska in June!!
