It’s been a rough few years for everyone, and I feel like it’s been rough for longer than that for myself. There have been some changes that have taken some pressures away and now it’s up to me to find myself again. A break from everything held promise, and it was fabulous.
We had a wedding to attend in Toronto in mid-October and so we planned a trip around it to visit family on one side and friends on the other. And I did something I’ve never been able to do before….I left my work phone and laptop behind and, since there is no web-based access to my work email, it meant that I could completely shut off from it for the period of time.
It took a couple of days to stop thinking about work and wondering what was in my email inbox, but eventually it melted away.
One thing I discovered in preparing for this trip was that I’ve largely forgotten how to pack for travel. I mean, yes, I’ve been travelling all through this pandemic, but that’s been for work and all I need to throw into a bag are things like boots, waders, rain gear, and the associated clothing to wear underneath those for warm and/or cold weather. Runners, running gear, jeans, t-shirts….that sort of thing. But for a trip out east where the weather hasn’t become winter, but it’s fall and there will be sun and rain, hanging out as well as going to the odd restaurant…and a wedding thrown in there. That meant extra shoes, some adulty clothing, and jewellery. I can usually throw a work bag together in minutes…this took me forever. And, because of the footwear and extra clothing involved, it meant checking a bag, and that was an added stress given that we were leaving Vancouver International airport and flying into Pearson….two airports that have been ranked as worst in the world recently.
Kirk’s sister lives in a condo on the 47th floor of a tower just off Lake Ontario and it was an experience being up that high. The weather patterns could be seen as they blew in across the lake and, up at that level, the winds were ferocious sometimes; strong enough to make the building cladding rattle and groan.
And the view…..just…wow.
As always, click on the first photo to open the gallery in full screen
We flew in on a Wednesday and were whisked straight to the church for the rehearsal and then to a dinner afterwards. At 9pm everyone was wrapping up and someone quipped ”You guys are probably just getting started, what is it…6pm to you?”
Thursday, my best friend drove in and we went for a run along the lake, me laughing at her grousing about every little rise in the landscape and calling it a hill 😂….pretty flat to me, at least compared to where I normally run. It was the first time I’ve run ’with’ someone since I started this ’getting fit’ journey, and I admit it was run and made the distance and time seem shorter. We changed and went to run an errand for her, to do some window shopping, and for lunch. It was the first time we’d seen each other since COVID arrived and it was wonderful. Rather than fight traffic to get me back to the condo, she deposited me at a Go-Train station as I figured I could manage. After-all, I navigated in Amsterdam on my own, as well as Montreal, and the signs there weren’t in English 🙂
But I screwed up.
I took a bit to figure out the machine for the ticket purchase, and when I walked up to the platform that was indicated, there was a train there. I should have just got on. But I hesitated in a moment of doubt and let it go figuring that another would be along shortly. In retrospect, big deal if I’d ended up in the wrong place….because the trains were a half hour apart. Ah well, it was sunny and relatively warm (albeit windy), so I enjoyed the weather and waited on the platform.
As always, click on the first photo to open the gallery in full screen
I hopped off the train and started walking towards Humber Bay, where Kim lives. Google maps said ”go this way”, but I ignored it and headed towards where I knew the water was. I’m used to BC where the water is generally pretty accessible. Turns out that’s not the case in Ontario and I made a few failed attempts to get to the lakefront between buildings. Eventually I found my way to the waterfront and could see Kim’s tall building in the distance as a landmark to head for. I walked around Humber Bay Park and found the Air India Memorial….and contemplated that event for a few moments.
Saturday was the wedding and it was pretty much an all day affair. It was amazing; the first Italian wedding I’ve been to and the food, the speeches, the …. everything of it. We spent the night at the hotel in downtown Toronto where the reception/dinner/dancing took place and then headed back to Kirk’s sister’s place for one more night before heading out to Mississauga for a couple of days to hang with friends, go for a run, walk the dog, do some tastings at a few wineries and at the the Forty Creek Whiskey distillery, and go for a hike in Hilton Falls Conservation area.
As always, click on the first photo to open the gallery in full screen
Ahhhh, the fall colours….we’d had little back in Vancouver as it was still summery and the leaves were just drying up ont he trees and turning brown because of the drought.
Excuse the excessive and repetitive foliage photos….it was just so spectacular.
As always, click on the first photo to open the gallery in full screen
And after a week out in the Toronto area, we headed home, somehow didn’t catch COVID, and I was greeted by an inbox containing something like 300 emails waiting for me.
But you know what?
I feel a bit refreshed and renewed; it was a bit of a rest, because now that I am back, I have a new beginning at work and I am hopeful that things will improve.
We will see how it goes.