Babymoon in Canada

29 Weeks at Royal Ontario Botanical Gardens

We embarked on our "last hurrah" on July 5 from Big Rapids to Toronto. Neither Nick or I had ever been to Canada before, so we were excited to do this trip together. The drive was about 6 hours and we stayed in downtown Toronto at the Hotel Intercontinental. We tackled the city right away and embarked on several days of eating our way through Toronto. It didn't take us too long to figure out the subway system, but we still had to do a lot of walking. Unfortunately the heat wave continued and the temps were quite hot.

Due to the weather and lots of walking, I was starting to feel really pregnant...my feet and hands were swollen and any liquid I drank seemed to go right through me, and through me again. The constant need to find a "washroom" became a bother. Nick did a great job in scouting out some great restaurants in Toronto and we ate like Kings and Queens! Thank goodness I was diabetes-free.

Enjoying pizza in Toronto

One of our favorite places was Pizzeria Libretto, which is an authentic and certified Neapolitan pizza restaurant. We ended up going here two times and enjoyed delicious Margherita pizzas that really did taste like Italy! Another day we ventured into an area called "The Beach" for some Pakistani food at a place called Lahore Tikka House. We happened upon a South Asian Festival en route and it was packed with people and the air full of delicious smells. The food was great, but we got a bit waylaid on the way back due to bus route changes and it made for a long night.

Carly on the Toronto Islands

For sights we took a ferry to the Toronto Islands, which was a  fun ride, but we found the actual islands to be a bit cheesy! We also went to Honda Indy Car race and had a great time. We met Emma Davies Dixon at our hotel pool earlier in the week  and she was the wife of one of the racers. We cheered for Scott Dixon, but unfortunately he was out early due to engine failure. Nevertheless it was a fun experience and a first for us as well.

Joey and Nick after Maid of the Mist

On Monday, we left Toronto and headed to Niagara Falls to meet up with Nick's brother, Joe. It was about an hour and a half drive from Toronto. Niagara Falls reminded us a little bit of Reno with its hotels and casinos and seemingly small town feel. We joined the throngs of tourists at the Falls and were amazed by their magnificence. On Tuesday the three of us went on The Maid of the Mist, which is a ferry that goes into the Falls. We also stayed in a really nice hotel with a great aerial view of the falls and I also watched a tightrope walker from my room's window. After two days in Niagara Falls we were ready to get going home. We headed out towards Nashville, where we spent one night. It was fun and we met up with an old friend of Nick's downtown. We had a nice dinner and then enjoyed the bar and music scene in Nashville. Our last leg was a 14 hour drive...Nick drove the whole way and when we finally arrived back at our apartment at 1:30 a.m., we were so happy! It was a great trip, and we saw so much, but it was time to be home to our cat and to start focusing on the next great adventure...our Baby (who still does not have a name)!