Au revoir America

Hello again everyone! Today I'm going to be talking to you about travel. Now I don't know about many of you, but I LOVE traveling. One of my goals is to set foot on every continent, hopefully before I'm fifty ;) but we'll see if I get the chance.

Anyway.....

A few months ago, my mom and I were talking about what I wanted to do to celebrate my sixteenth birthday.When I was younger, I thought I'd want to have a sophisticated party, complete with ballgowns, dancing, and well, boys. As I got older however, I decided maybe the Cinderella story wasn't quite right for me. Eventually, I had to make the choice, and I came to the conclusion that I'd rather do something else.

My mom said since I didn't want to spend the money on an extravagant party, we should come up with a rite of passage, something meaningful. I talked to a few of my friends and they all thought it was a great idea so we began talking about where we wanted to go and what we wanted to do. Since many of them had never had the chance to leave the country, we settled on spending a week in Canada. Accommodations are affordable (because the US dollar is worth more than the Canadian dollar and I use AirBNB, a money-saving website that lets you rent a house instead of a hotel room) and the more expensive items, like gas, were budgeted for in advance. We found all kinds of free things to do in places like Toronto, as well as one big budget item: going to see a play in Stratford.

As the planning process unfolded, there were so many setbacks. I had to deal with the disappointment of watching three other girls drop out of our trip, which, honestly, put a lot of stress on our budget. All of them had good reasons for not being able to go, but I had to accept the fact that their unavailability was not a rejection of me. It was a hard lesson to learn, but it also taught me not to be so self centered. I was blaming myself because they couldn't go on this trip, when really it was for totally unrelated reasons. Plus, as an unexpected blessing, the girls who I really am close with, all managed to make it on the road trip and we all had a great time.

Canada is a HUGE country and it can be very difficult to decide where to go. I personally really enjoyed visiting Stratford. For one thing, it's a super cute town. They have all these little shops, old, Victorian-style mansions, and of course, the plays. When we had planned this trip, we picked the dates before we found out what play was going to be shown. We went to see Othello, which was a fantastic production. They opened with dancing, and for someone who's a dancer herself, that was an incredible experience. For those of you who are not familiar with Shakespeare, Othello is a tragedy featuring a Moor king, his wife, Desdemona, Iago, (the villain) and a few other key characters. Thankfully, this year I read some of Shakespeare's more famous plays, and had the opportunity to see Hamlet, so I could understand the Shakespearean language without much difficulty.

Also, travel tip, if you ever think you're going somewhere that could require a fancy dress outfit, bring one. It turned out the evening we went to see Othello was opening night so people were showing up in ball gowns and tuxes. A local news station was stationed in front of the theatre, and a couple showed up in a limousine. Thanks to my mom's fashion advice, I didn't feel under-dressed, but I was grateful I had packed a nice outfit and not just my skinny jeans.

Since the play was the only activity we'd planned in Stratford, our girls' group was pleasantly surprised when we uncovered Castle Kilbride. This place, while not quite a castle, has earned its name. The outside grounds are beautiful, and perfect for taking a few pics. If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend stopping here. The administration was so kind and allowed our group to buy the family discount, two adults and three kids for $20.

Click here for a link to the Castle Kilbride website: https://www.wilmot.ca/en/Castle-Kilbride-Museum.aspx

Last but not least, the main part of our trip. During all our careful research, my friends and I found out there are a lot of fun, FREE things to do in Toronto. It's one of the safest cities in the world, and my friends and I wanted a taste of the big city life while still staying in our comfort zones. We also had a chance to learn about how to keep ourselves and our belongings safe in a crowd, how to use public transport, and more.

Along the way, I really enjoyed seeing Graffiti Alley, China Town, Lawrence Street Market, and the food. What can I say? I'm a foodie at heart, but these places were my favorites.

Graffiti Alley: This place is one of the best if you like photography. It only takes about an hour and a half to see the entire place but it's well worth the time spent.

China Town: This is a unique part of Toronto, as well as a fun place to get some food if you're more of an adventurous eater. Our group was running a bit short on time, so we didn't have as long to explore as we would have liked, but I would recommend making a stop here if you have time.

Lawrence Street Market: Though this place is a bit more pricey (the French bakeries and other fresh foods inside are tasty but $$$) it's worth a stop. The inside of the market is filled with little shops, including bakeries, butcheries, cheese shops, and even a few souvenir shops.

The restaurants: Toronto is famous for its hole in the wall restaurants which have all different ethnic foods. If you love trying new things to eat take a walk around town and see what you find.

I hope you all enjoyed hearing about my adventures over the border! I'd love to know where you have traveled, so leave a comment below and don't forget to stay tuned for my next post: Tricks of the Trade: Traveling Tips

Sincerely,

Lara