Coast to Coast Canada - Part 1, PEI

We went coast to coast this summer. We live on the east coast of Canada. Our family lives out west. And we had 2 vacations. The first was camping on PEI which we try to do every summer. The second was a flight out west to BC to see family. Both vacations were really wonderful. Here's a little taste of both.
First PEI, camping with friends:

 Big Bike Ride

 Spaghetti Supper

 Lazing around the campfire

 Ready to boogie board

 We bury J every year

 The manditory pic of my kids on the beach

 Me with my sleeping beauty

 A Canucks fan on the red sands of PEI

 Enjoying the beautiful scenery

 Gorgeous View

 A little local brew

 Of course we roasted marshmallows

 Anne - oh wait, that's me

 A fisherman's salute

 Cows! - No trip to PEI is complete without it - best ice cream in the world!

 

Coffee

I mentioned in yesterday's post that on our recent trip to Toronto my husband and I went to Ethiopian House for dinner.  It was a restaurant that came highly recommended and along with the recommendation was "don't miss the coffee ceremony".  Now I'm a tea drinker from way back.  I love tea.  I never have coffee.  I have a bad association with it in writing a Spanish final that I knew didn't go well back in university and really haven't touched it since.
Well as they say, when in Rome...
So we ordered the coffee ceremony.  After our meal our server came round with a pan of roasting coffee beans and had us smell the aroma.  She then brought out a bowl of popcorn "coffee snack" she declared.  The coffee was then presented to us on this box, holding the coffee pot, two cups, spoons, sugar and a container of burning incense.  It was really neat. 

Then came the moment of truth, would I actually drink the stuff?  I was actually quite nervous about it.  I thought after all of this coolness of experience, what if I really hate it?  I took a sip, and then another.  I loved it.  And matched my husband cup for cup drinking it all up.  Isn't this a cute little cup?

Since we've been back, I've started having coffee cravings.  I've tried a few kinds, love Tim's, not so much a fan of the Starbucks Sumatra (though J assures me there's a blend for me there).  So it's true, while I'm a tea granny at heart, I've found a place for coffee in my life after all.

Mom and Dad Getaway!

My husband and I have not had a vacation just the two of us since before we had children.  Our oldest will be 8 this summer, so I think we were a little overdue.  We have had the occasional night away, but those have been few and far between.  My Mom very generously offered to fly out to care for the kids so that we could take a trip to Toronto for J's graduation.   This was my first time away from our 2 year old ever.

Being away just us was something of a treat.  I slept in and not the Mommy sleep in of 7am instead of 6, but like 9am.  We went out for drinks at 10 a few times (past bedtime).  And I got to have a good wander and shop around Toronto - (the joy of buying shoes without little ones bored in the store).

Here's a little pictorial from our 4 days away.

 Waiting at the airport to go - we're a little excited, can you tell?

Outside our hotel on Queen Street W. in Toronto

The view from our room, 26th floor, looking out to the CN Tower

Looking down to the pool - we had a nice little afternoon dip the day we arrived.

Gyros in Greektown - yummy treat!

Lunch the next day at Chipotle.

Little wander around downtown.  They were doing some on site filming for the Oprah Winfrey Network that day.

Afternoon martini - something we never do :)

At our anniversary dinner at Ethiopia House - so glad we went here and tried it out.  What a fantastic restaurant experience!

Dinner at Ethiopia House - we had a mixed share plate - no utensils, just the bread

We completed the meal with the coffee ceremony afterwards - more on that on a future post!

Graduation supper before the ceremony.

Here he is all graduated!

Farewell Toronto.