Back in T.O. after a week on the road. Visited both Ottawa and Montreal so it was a lot of driving for Annu , and she did brilliantly! There were a couple of exciting moments with parking and one way streets in downtown Montreal, but we got through them as well :) And when we drove into Toronto last night after dark, she was pretty exhilarated, doing over a hundred in four-lane traffic with a sea of fast moving headlights and tail lights everywhere.
Ottawa turned out to be a dignified but also warm and welcoming capital city. No skyscrapers; in their place lots of castle-like old stone buildings, bridges, the Rideau Canal and the breathtaking Parliament Hill. The downtown area is very walkable so we did a lot of that and got a good feel for the place. And such nice people too - Annu would not mind moving there! We met and talked with all kinds of folks who made us feel at home.
The Museum of Civilization had wonderful sections on Canadian history and the First Nations, so we learned a lot in Ottawa, too. Marko's work meeting went well and he hopes to keep the Canadian Connection going now that it's been opened.
Being non-French speakers, we were a bit nervous about Montreal but no worries: the city is very bilingual and again very open, polite and friendly. Not to mention European: it was very easy to forget being in North America. On top of the atmosphere, the city has a high hill (Mount Royal) right by the city center, just like the Petrin Hill in Prague, and having visited Prague several times, the ambience was eerily similar at some points - you just had to pinch yourself and keep repeating "I'm in Canada, I'm in Canada..."
We only had about 48 hrs in Montreal but we got to have a good look around the downtown. Marko's Rush shirts and us being Finns (Saku Koivu's compatriots!) led to many fun chats with the nice Montrealites many of whom seemed genuinely sorry Koivu had just been traded to Anaheim.
The only thing that gave us a bit of a problem in Montreal was the Old World way of giving tips in restaurants. But our very nice waitress in the Hard Rock Cafe took time to explain the right way to us, so that was cleared too. And the guy who sold HRC stuff in the restaurant's gift shop got chatting about prog rock with Marko, and so on... In short, it's this easy socializing and openness we will again miss so much when we return home.
Most of all, these modest travels have helped to expand our views on Canada. Before, Canada was mostly just Toronto to us, but having seen other cities and noticed how different the three are with each other, we are much better informed now - and even more eager Canada fans :)
We have less than two weeks to go, and our schedule for the remaining time is pretty much set. We try not to think about it too much now and instead concentrate on the time we still have. And, of course, we will return here - no doubt.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
In America, Episode 5: Treasures and Trash in Toronto
[This entry is written on a tiny Nintendo DSi game console and sent with its Opera browser, thus no pics this time either, sorry. But isn't tech wonderful these days - all you need is a super mario thingy and a wi-fi. Like, wow...]
Annu did a super job driving us to Toronto on July 1. We settled as quickly as possible in our small but very cozy TO (that's local for Toronto) home and have been about town ever since. Our TO home is located at the area by both Little Italy and Chinatown, the latter the more dominant here (wait for the pics!).
So far, there's been a few happy returns: Atte got to return to his beloved CN Tower, Reko and Make rummaged through the Silver Snail comics store just like 2 years ago, and Annu got some shopping time at Eaton Centre, with less interference from the boys than last time. We spent the entire Saturday at Ontario Place, a very nice theme park on the lakefront. It was worth every penny, and we got a wonderful fireworks show to end our day there. Incidentally, the huge Molson Amphitheater is on park grounds and we got a good dose of Cheap Trick and Def Leppard live during the evening hours - the sound was very good even if you didn't see the stage. Make may go there next Thursday to see Whitesnake and Judas Priest!
We have been walking a LOT! but also got the ride streetcars, a very good way of both getting around and seeing places. Yesterday we walked through Little Italy and dined at a very nice ristorante on College St. And today we had a fab day at the Annual Renaissance Fair up at Casa Loma, TO's only castle with a strange and wonderful story behind it...
The only downside is that the city workers are still on strike. Garbage piles are growing and trash cans overflow everywhere. So far it's been only an aesthetic nuisance but with the temperatures on the rise...
We'll be taking it easy, with Toronto Island, the beaches and many other fun things to see and do still ahead. And the folks here are nice as ever :)
Annu did a super job driving us to Toronto on July 1. We settled as quickly as possible in our small but very cozy TO (that's local for Toronto) home and have been about town ever since. Our TO home is located at the area by both Little Italy and Chinatown, the latter the more dominant here (wait for the pics!).
So far, there's been a few happy returns: Atte got to return to his beloved CN Tower, Reko and Make rummaged through the Silver Snail comics store just like 2 years ago, and Annu got some shopping time at Eaton Centre, with less interference from the boys than last time. We spent the entire Saturday at Ontario Place, a very nice theme park on the lakefront. It was worth every penny, and we got a wonderful fireworks show to end our day there. Incidentally, the huge Molson Amphitheater is on park grounds and we got a good dose of Cheap Trick and Def Leppard live during the evening hours - the sound was very good even if you didn't see the stage. Make may go there next Thursday to see Whitesnake and Judas Priest!
We have been walking a LOT! but also got the ride streetcars, a very good way of both getting around and seeing places. Yesterday we walked through Little Italy and dined at a very nice ristorante on College St. And today we had a fab day at the Annual Renaissance Fair up at Casa Loma, TO's only castle with a strange and wonderful story behind it...
The only downside is that the city workers are still on strike. Garbage piles are growing and trash cans overflow everywhere. So far it's been only an aesthetic nuisance but with the temperatures on the rise...
We'll be taking it easy, with Toronto Island, the beaches and many other fun things to see and do still ahead. And the folks here are nice as ever :)
Monday, June 29, 2009
In America, Episode 4: Riding the Heatwave from DC to Michigan
[Because we're doing this entry from a very slow internet connection, there will be no pictures attached to it. We will add the pictures to this entry when we have access to a broadband connection. Sorry!]
We're not sure what we expected from Washington DC, but what we got was certainly not it. Sterling drove us there, braving both thundery heat and the monstrous traffic jam that took hours to negotiate - thanks again, Sterl, you are the Hero!
Instead of a cool government center we found ourselves in a colorful, human-sized and very green and international city. Wanting to take full use of the fine weather, we did a walking tour of the essential sights and landmarks, finally arriving at the Lincoln Memorial for a wonderful sunset finish (along with about a thousand other tourists but that didn't matter none). It was a very emotional sightseeing for some in our team, and the boys certainly outdid themselves, walking on in the punishing heat just to see the legendary landmarks.
The following two days were spent partly indoors, visiting the hugely impressive Smithsonian museums and the US Capitol. The White House we only saw from the outside, and the master of the house was away on business anyway ;-) And while we were there, Marko met his Facebook friend Sam, another prog-oriented amateur musician. We had a nice chat in the sun, and maybe some day we'll meet up by the Baltic!
It was only a brief three-night stay but we were very taken with the colors and the lively, friendly feel of the capital. The horrible metro crash on June 22 did cloud our feelings somewhat (it was the line that we used to travel, too), but it would feel odd to think we will never return there... so, DC - until next time!
The plane from the Baltimore-Washington airport took us to Michigan in just over an hour, and it was so good to see familiar faces waiting for us in Detroit! Reko above all was just the happiest boy alive to finally be back in a place he knows. And we have certainly basked in Jack and Jeannette's warmth and hospitality: eating good, playing out a lot (the battle for mid-Michigan's badminton championship turned in Annu's favor) and so on. And we've had the chance to hook up with several old friends from earlier trips, so it's been fab (Hi Juanita, Jeanne & Greg + Allison & Candace and Karen & Keith!).
The kids next door, Kristen and Kory, had been expecting us and they had lots of fun with our boys! Kristen taught Reko and Atte the secrets of Nintendo DS and the rules of kickball. Kory soaked everyone totally and took his share like a man :) It was fabulous, and we had the feeling that the kids will truly miss each other after this, just like with Rachel and John in Virginia.
The heat that was almost unbearable for several days is finally lifting. It's a swimming day tomorrow, and Tuesday will be busy, with Allison's double header softball game topping the bill. And on Wednesday, it's Annu's time to take the lead: she will drive our gang to Toronto! We're looking forward to Canada - the news of the municipal workers' strike in Toronto and the subsequent cancellations of many big Canada Day events may be downers, but altogether secondary in the long run.
So, saying goodbyes is drawing near, again, and it's not gonna get any easier no matter how many times you do it.
We're not sure what we expected from Washington DC, but what we got was certainly not it. Sterling drove us there, braving both thundery heat and the monstrous traffic jam that took hours to negotiate - thanks again, Sterl, you are the Hero!
Instead of a cool government center we found ourselves in a colorful, human-sized and very green and international city. Wanting to take full use of the fine weather, we did a walking tour of the essential sights and landmarks, finally arriving at the Lincoln Memorial for a wonderful sunset finish (along with about a thousand other tourists but that didn't matter none). It was a very emotional sightseeing for some in our team, and the boys certainly outdid themselves, walking on in the punishing heat just to see the legendary landmarks.
The following two days were spent partly indoors, visiting the hugely impressive Smithsonian museums and the US Capitol. The White House we only saw from the outside, and the master of the house was away on business anyway ;-) And while we were there, Marko met his Facebook friend Sam, another prog-oriented amateur musician. We had a nice chat in the sun, and maybe some day we'll meet up by the Baltic!
It was only a brief three-night stay but we were very taken with the colors and the lively, friendly feel of the capital. The horrible metro crash on June 22 did cloud our feelings somewhat (it was the line that we used to travel, too), but it would feel odd to think we will never return there... so, DC - until next time!
The plane from the Baltimore-Washington airport took us to Michigan in just over an hour, and it was so good to see familiar faces waiting for us in Detroit! Reko above all was just the happiest boy alive to finally be back in a place he knows. And we have certainly basked in Jack and Jeannette's warmth and hospitality: eating good, playing out a lot (the battle for mid-Michigan's badminton championship turned in Annu's favor) and so on. And we've had the chance to hook up with several old friends from earlier trips, so it's been fab (Hi Juanita, Jeanne & Greg + Allison & Candace and Karen & Keith!).
The kids next door, Kristen and Kory, had been expecting us and they had lots of fun with our boys! Kristen taught Reko and Atte the secrets of Nintendo DS and the rules of kickball. Kory soaked everyone totally and took his share like a man :) It was fabulous, and we had the feeling that the kids will truly miss each other after this, just like with Rachel and John in Virginia.
The heat that was almost unbearable for several days is finally lifting. It's a swimming day tomorrow, and Tuesday will be busy, with Allison's double header softball game topping the bill. And on Wednesday, it's Annu's time to take the lead: she will drive our gang to Toronto! We're looking forward to Canada - the news of the municipal workers' strike in Toronto and the subsequent cancellations of many big Canada Day events may be downers, but altogether secondary in the long run.
So, saying goodbyes is drawing near, again, and it's not gonna get any easier no matter how many times you do it.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
In America, Episode 3: Dealing with Past Times and Thrill Rides
So, our time in Virginia is running out. Tomorrow we'll head out to Washington DC, and it will be with a heavy heart we will leave our friends and the good state of Virginia. Reko is brokenhearted because we have to leave, and he said that if we ever move to the US, this is where he'd like to stay. And Sterling is his new hero :)
But we did have so many good times in our last days here. We got to visit the Jamestown Settlement, the birthplace of the USA, and the very next day shook off all the dust of history in Kings Dominion and (nearly) all its thrill rides and the water park. Tonight we just had a good time with Sterling and Kathy's friends, taking it easy before the upcoming trek.
At this point, we wish to thank Sterling, Kathy, Rachel and John for all their wonderfulness, and also Kim and Michael, and Barbara, and Cleary, and all the other good people we have met in VA and NC. All of you have made our time in these states unforgettable.
Annu's favorite vacation pastime! (that's Prachett and Gaiman's "Good Omens" she's reading)
Atte befriended Bo the dog, who was staying with us for a few days
Reko was a happy tourist in a Powhatan tribe village recreation at Jamestown.
Recreations of the original 1606/07 British ships at Jamestown.
Reko and Atte in the captain's quarters of Susan Constant, the biggest of the 1606 ships to sail to America.
We got to Kings Dominion so early we practically had the park to ourselves for a couple of hours. Luxury :)
Our gang's last time at the community pool - for now...
But we did have so many good times in our last days here. We got to visit the Jamestown Settlement, the birthplace of the USA, and the very next day shook off all the dust of history in Kings Dominion and (nearly) all its thrill rides and the water park. Tonight we just had a good time with Sterling and Kathy's friends, taking it easy before the upcoming trek.
At this point, we wish to thank Sterling, Kathy, Rachel and John for all their wonderfulness, and also Kim and Michael, and Barbara, and Cleary, and all the other good people we have met in VA and NC. All of you have made our time in these states unforgettable.
Annu's favorite vacation pastime! (that's Prachett and Gaiman's "Good Omens" she's reading)
Atte befriended Bo the dog, who was staying with us for a few days
Reko was a happy tourist in a Powhatan tribe village recreation at Jamestown.
Recreations of the original 1606/07 British ships at Jamestown.
Reko and Atte in the captain's quarters of Susan Constant, the biggest of the 1606 ships to sail to America.
We got to Kings Dominion so early we practically had the park to ourselves for a couple of hours. Luxury :)
Our gang's last time at the community pool - for now...
Monday, June 15, 2009
In America, Episode 2: Adventures and Sunburns
We arrived in Virginia on Sunday 7. Sterling was kind enough to meet us at the station in Richmond and drive us to their place. Kathy, Sterling, Rachel and John have been incredibly good to us, putting up with us Finns for the whole of two weeks. And not only that but also coming up with such surprises for us!The first days here we got well acquainted with the community pool as members' guests. The boys loved to get themselves wet after the sweaty time in NYC and on the train. They can really swim now, too :)
Water creatures in their natural habitat
What we did not expect at all was that our boys got to go to Rachel and John's school for the last school day and ride with them on an American school bus! Rachel received recognitions for several things and accepted the #1 trophy in Advanced Reading.
Finnish boys and an American school bus
Annu found the hot tub!
Annu and Atte facing the high tide waves
Sunset on the soundfront
Beach Bum!
As a huge and unexpected bonus we got to visit the Wright Brothers Memorial near Kitty Hawk, only about 15 miles from Duck. The memorial is built on the very grounds where man first took off free flight in 1903 - wonderful!
Reko appreciates history...
...while Atte lives history and takes off: that rail on the ground is the very same the Wright Flyer used when picking up speed!
Leaving Duck was kind of sad, but now it's time to look forward to new adventures waiting for us this week!
The farewell sunset over the row of beach houses
Water creatures in their natural habitatWhat we did not expect at all was that our boys got to go to Rachel and John's school for the last school day and ride with them on an American school bus! Rachel received recognitions for several things and accepted the #1 trophy in Advanced Reading.
Finnish boys and an American school bus
When school was finally out for summer on Wednesday, we all set off for North Carolina's Outer Banks where Kathy had arranged a beach house for a few days. We didn't know what to expect but the place just blew us away when we got there! And the town of Duck turned out to be a lovely little beach resort with wonderful scenery, laid back people, bike lanes and nice shops (special kudos to The Island Books for an impressive selection). The weather was incredible and the two thunderstorms we got were both impressive and had the good grace of appearing only in the evening hours. It was... well, near perfection in every way.
International water creatures in the house pool of the Duck house
Annu found the hot tub!
Annu and Atte facing the high tide waves
Sunset on the soundfront
Beach Bum!As a huge and unexpected bonus we got to visit the Wright Brothers Memorial near Kitty Hawk, only about 15 miles from Duck. The memorial is built on the very grounds where man first took off free flight in 1903 - wonderful!
Reko appreciates history...
...while Atte lives history and takes off: that rail on the ground is the very same the Wright Flyer used when picking up speed!Leaving Duck was kind of sad, but now it's time to look forward to new adventures waiting for us this week!
The farewell sunset over the row of beach housesMonday, June 8, 2009
In America
Third full day in the USA. We arrived on Friday, greeted by a rainy and positively chilly NYC.Fortunately we had great weather for the guided tour on Saturday and we got to see most of Manhattan and even had time for a little stroll in Central Park.
Top of the Rock: observation point on the roof of the Rockefeller Centre. Annu's favorite spot in NYC!
Yet another bunch of foreigners greeting The Lady. Atte got to steer the water taxi that took us there!
Tired at the end of the day, resting in the setting of so many New York movie scenes.
Mayor Bloomberg is turning Broadway into a pedestrian street: the southern stretch of the street is already closed to traffic and you can have a picnic right in the middle of Times Sq!
Yesterday was another traveling day, by train from NYC to Richmond, VA. We are staying with our friends here, slowing down a bit.The house is awesome, our kids and their kids enjoy each others company, and it's so warm too. What else can you ask for :)
NYC is past, Washington and Virginia ahead.
Plush green and wide lakes of northern Virginia as seen from the train.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Our American Tour 2009
Well everyone, here we are then: five days to go... and we feel every second, trust us. We haven't written in a while since we've been very busy with both work and travel plans, but finally everything seems pretty much set.
So here's our itinerary as it stands at the moment
So here's our itinerary as it stands at the moment
June 5: Arrival in JFK at 3:10 pm, then on to our hotel, Novotel New York (www.novotel.com/gb/hotel-0753-novotel-new-york-times-square/index.shtml)
June 6: A day-long guided tour of Manhattan - nothing surprising probably, but it's been a while (19 years, no less!) since Marko's been there and Annu & the boys have never done the Apple, so it'll be good.
June 7: By train from NYC to Richmond. Sterling already knows when and at which station we arrive, so that's well taken care of. We'll stay with Sterling, Kathy, Rachel and John until the 20th, and we're so looking forward to all that time :)
June 20: Sterling has promised to drive us to Washington DC where we have booked a B&B accomodation for three nights at Adam's Inn (www.adamsinn.com). We try to take in the White House, the Congress and the Mall, and two of the Smithsonian museums: American History and Space & Aviation.
June 23: Flight from Washington/Baltimore to Detroit/Wayne arrives at 2:16 pm. Can't wait to get to Michigan!!! And thank you J&J for picking us up - again :) Just bought the tickets for this one so that's all set too. We have absolutely nothing planned for Michigan (everyone there take it easy!) - we'll probably be pretty travelled out after NYC, VA and W.DC, so just seeing all you guys there and just relaxing would be the best thing in the world for us.
July 1: Depart Michigan for Ontario where we have rented a place in an apartment hotel in Toronto. We'll probably rent a car at Hertz in Flint and drive to Toronto, it's about 265 miles, so it can be done in a day. It's Canada Day so there will be some celebrations going on when we arrive. Nice, eh?
During July, we'll relax in Toronto but also travel about a bit. We'll visit Annu's Facebook friend in London, Ontorio, and Marko has managed to arrange a business day on the 15th: he meets Canadian colleagues in Ottawa, where we will then also stay for three nights. Montreal is only a stone's throw from Ottawa, so if we still have money left at that point we just might... And there's a very attractive culture festival is Sudbury on July 3-5. And... oh there's so much, really. Time will what we can and can't.
July 30: Departure from Toronto; on to NYC by train - a 13-hour stretch that arrives in NYC at 10 pm. We have a room booked at a hotel at JFK so we'll be there already for the flight home the next day.
But we are still here, for the time being. The last few days have been very warm, this year's first heatwave, and right on time for the graduation weekend. Here's some recent pictures we've taken:
Reko in a nature preservation area (called Lemmenlaakso = Love Valley!) a few miles from our home; this was the first warm spring day in April.
Same place, with Annu and Atte walking through the fairytale forest.
School's out for summer, pancakes are in! Scene in our backyard about 30 minutes after the boys had been freed from their academic duties. Both had a great school year and Atte was awared a special recognition for his achievements in... first-grade English! Will be interesting to see how he picks up the language this time around.
Lots of celebrations to attend this weekend: two graduations, two birthdays (45 and 50) and one christening. And it was hot!
June 6: A day-long guided tour of Manhattan - nothing surprising probably, but it's been a while (19 years, no less!) since Marko's been there and Annu & the boys have never done the Apple, so it'll be good.
June 7: By train from NYC to Richmond. Sterling already knows when and at which station we arrive, so that's well taken care of. We'll stay with Sterling, Kathy, Rachel and John until the 20th, and we're so looking forward to all that time :)
June 20: Sterling has promised to drive us to Washington DC where we have booked a B&B accomodation for three nights at Adam's Inn (www.adamsinn.com). We try to take in the White House, the Congress and the Mall, and two of the Smithsonian museums: American History and Space & Aviation.
June 23: Flight from Washington/Baltimore to Detroit/Wayne arrives at 2:16 pm. Can't wait to get to Michigan!!! And thank you J&J for picking us up - again :) Just bought the tickets for this one so that's all set too. We have absolutely nothing planned for Michigan (everyone there take it easy!) - we'll probably be pretty travelled out after NYC, VA and W.DC, so just seeing all you guys there and just relaxing would be the best thing in the world for us.
July 1: Depart Michigan for Ontario where we have rented a place in an apartment hotel in Toronto. We'll probably rent a car at Hertz in Flint and drive to Toronto, it's about 265 miles, so it can be done in a day. It's Canada Day so there will be some celebrations going on when we arrive. Nice, eh?
During July, we'll relax in Toronto but also travel about a bit. We'll visit Annu's Facebook friend in London, Ontorio, and Marko has managed to arrange a business day on the 15th: he meets Canadian colleagues in Ottawa, where we will then also stay for three nights. Montreal is only a stone's throw from Ottawa, so if we still have money left at that point we just might... And there's a very attractive culture festival is Sudbury on July 3-5. And... oh there's so much, really. Time will what we can and can't.
July 30: Departure from Toronto; on to NYC by train - a 13-hour stretch that arrives in NYC at 10 pm. We have a room booked at a hotel at JFK so we'll be there already for the flight home the next day.
But we are still here, for the time being. The last few days have been very warm, this year's first heatwave, and right on time for the graduation weekend. Here's some recent pictures we've taken:
Reko in a nature preservation area (called Lemmenlaakso = Love Valley!) a few miles from our home; this was the first warm spring day in April.
Same place, with Annu and Atte walking through the fairytale forest.
School's out for summer, pancakes are in! Scene in our backyard about 30 minutes after the boys had been freed from their academic duties. Both had a great school year and Atte was awared a special recognition for his achievements in... first-grade English! Will be interesting to see how he picks up the language this time around.
Lots of celebrations to attend this weekend: two graduations, two birthdays (45 and 50) and one christening. And it was hot!
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