On Monday is was back to Toronto to hit two of the major tourist spots the city has to offer. Casa Loma is pretty much a castle tucked into the middle of a residential area. The man who built the home in the early 1900's was party of the Queen's army as well as an entrepreneur. He wanted to echo some of the grand estates the well-to-do in America and Great Britain were building at the time (think along the lines of Hearst Castle, but smaller). He had the most innovative plumbing and lighting systems for the time and a magnificent garden and stables. Before he could finish it, the market took a turn for the worse and he went bankrupt. It has since been turned into a hotel, another private residence and is now a tourist attraction. It is beautiful inside and out! Jason, Kyler and I even climbed the stairs all the way up to the top of the tallest tower-what a hike, what a view! There were rooms for everyone-husband, wife, son, guests, guests, more guests, servants, servant, and more servants-and pretty much each had their own bathroom too. It was amazing!
After some lunch it was a few blocks over to visit the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). This place is huge and had exhibits on just about anything and everything. We did not see everything (our legs, feet and temperaments could only take so much!) but we were amazed at everything we could take in. There was a whole floor dedicated to dinosaurs. Another wing full of stuffed version of just about every kind of animal, bird, and creeping creatures. They had a "kid zone" with tunnels to crawl through, costumes to try on, and puzzles to complete. We checked out the ancient Egyptian artifacts and coins, pottery and statues from ancient Greece. There was a wing full of all kinds of furniture from across the decades and another on the first people of Canada. One of my favorite sections was the gemstones, minerals and rocks. The beautiful colors and types of stones made me wish for some fancy jewelry.
We left feeling culturally fulfilled and dead tired from all the walking and standing. It was then a long drive back home and some repacking for our departure the following day. We of course squeezed in some dessert (for the 5th day in a row) to make a sweet ending.
On our second trip we did something different by riding a direct bus there and back for super cheap and got in for only two bucks. We met Uncle Jeremy and Juliette plus the Fritz / Holtkamp/Scheid clan for some more fun. The kids checked out the animals again and played in the kid zone. We got to catch up and remind ourselves how much we missed everyone. Dinner was had, we caught the pig races (always a fun event) and the kids went on some rides too. Kyler got three free rides each time we went by doing an easy book report (nice for him and us).
Both times we went with good friends, ate good (read tasty, not healthy!) food and had a good time. What more could you ask for!!
We did a TON is just one short week. With all of the story telling, I didn't have a chance to share some of the more light-hearted moments of our trip. Here are some of my favorite moments.
The kids especially loved their activity area where all the kids got a chance to play goalie. Kyler was able to stop 2 pucks (even though he insisted in standing in a baseball hitting stance!), Konner stopped 1, and wait for it, Kassidy stopped 3! She was pretty much standing in the right place and wasn't exactly thrilled the pucks kept hitting her. Kyler then took a try at shooting some pucks, but didn't quite have the power to get any across the goal line.
My favorite part was having the chance to get up close and personal with the Stanley Cup. It was so cool!! We got to also look at all the original rings that were on the cup and check out how it has changed over the years.
After some lunch it was a few blocks over to visit the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM). This place is huge and had exhibits on just about anything and everything. We did not see everything (our legs, feet and temperaments could only take so much!) but we were amazed at everything we could take in. There was a whole floor dedicated to dinosaurs. Another wing full of stuffed version of just about every kind of animal, bird, and creeping creatures. They had a "kid zone" with tunnels to crawl through, costumes to try on, and puzzles to complete. We checked out the ancient Egyptian artifacts and coins, pottery and statues from ancient Greece. There was a wing full of all kinds of furniture from across the decades and another on the first people of Canada. One of my favorite sections was the gemstones, minerals and rocks. The beautiful colors and types of stones made me wish for some fancy jewelry.
