Mommy's Diary: 2013

My uncle and his family live in Toronto and I had visited them in 2006. I loved the city and always wanted to go back. V had not seen Niagara Falls and so everything came together this summer and we decided to visit my uncle for a week in late July. This was 'baby I's' first plane ride and we were nervous. We picked an afternoon flight and so that helped. The flight was almost 4.5 hours but that seemed much longer; partly because this flight was a 2x2 seat system, and because Air Canada had some different system, V was allotted a different seat on a different row and I was left with the kids. Bah ! The passengers next to me did not want to swap; long story short, I was with the kids. The flight arrived on time but was delayed on the tarmac, thankfully immigration was super quick and we were on our way to Mississauga in no time.

It was great to spend one week with my uncle's family and the kids had a lot of fun. My uncle's pet dog, Happy, was everyone's favorite. We enjoyed some great home food and wonderful hospitality. Toronto has very good restaurants and we thoroughly enjoyed Indian food at its best. The city and suburbs are very family friendly with nice neighborhood parks and walking paths. The city is huge ! Getting from one place to another takes a lot of time and traffic is terrible. So, plan accordingly. The weather was also quite hot although there were rains on some days. I also found that the skin became excessively dry for all of us.

Our first stop was to the Ontario Science Center. We felt it was a bit dated (compared to the one in Vancouver). It could do with some more elevators; we had to wait forever (we had no choice because of stroller). There were a lot of nice exhibits and the museum is spread over many floors. There is a lot to see.

We went to a planetarium show and the kids did great because they sat through it, but the show was very boring. I may be a bit biased because I have seen some pretty awesome shows elsewhere. We finally left when the museum closed and had to wait for my uncle outside the building, where there were many vendors selling candy/ice cream etc; beware they are very expensive.

Toronto Skyline from the Restaurant

Next day, we went to one of my favorite places in Toronto - Center Island. My cousins also accompanied us and we took the ferry; the views of Toronto skyline were very good from the ferry and the island. We planned to spend a few hours at Centreville Amusement Park and then see the rest of the island after that.

Roller Coaster

We had lunch by the water and the views were fantastic. The food was very average and over priced. There is also a lot of walking involved in the island, so be prepared. After lunch, we went to the amusement park and it was fantastic. It is park catered for little children, which meant R could go in almost all the rides. There were more than 25 rides and we burned through a lot of tickets. It was totally worth it, as we had a lot of fun. None of us wanted to leave, but it was time to catch the ferry in order to catch our train to reach home.

We took it easy next couple of days and went to the neighborhood parks.

Niagara !

View from our Hotel Room

Next, we went to Niagara Falls and stayed over night at Marriott. We got a room on the 27th floor and the view was superb. The hotel was nice and spacious. We went to the falls in the evening and took a nice walk. It was a bit chilly and we needed a coat. This is a very touristy place and there are many restaurants to eat. The night view of the falls from our room was amazing. Next day, I encouraged V to do 'behind the falls' tour but we could not do it because of lack of time. I had seen it 6 years ago and really enjoyed it. We did the mandatory, 'maid of the mist' and it was a great experience. It was noon by the time we were on the ferry and it was extremely hot, so we enjoyed the water mist from the falls. 'Baby I' slept through the whole ferry ride. Because it was so hot, we cooled off with lunch and some ice cream. Then, it was nap time for the kids and we decided to head back to Toronto.

View from where we ate lunch

Lights over Niagara from the room

Our last place to see, was Lego land. R loves legos and so we decided to visit that place. We found it to be very pricey and not worth visiting. The food at the cafe was terrible and the staff were very disinterested.

Lego models

There were plenty of legos and R spent some time building. The exhibits in the entrance were very nice. There was a train ride and no one told us that babies were not allowed. We took 'baby I' from the stroller and were ready to board the ride when the usher told us that only older children were allowed. Baby was not happy. There was a ride inside, for which there was a very long line. But it was nothing remarkable. Then we went to the 4D movie and even that was pretty average. This is once place, I will not visit again.

Then 2 days before leaving, we went to the local Guruvayoor temple for a ceremony; where baby is given the first rice in the presence of Guruvayoorappan.

Overall, this was a great trip and we had a lot of fun. Toronto is a very kid friendly city. But with 2 kids, there is a lot of planning to do to see any place. We skipped CN Towers because my experience last time was terrible (long wait). And after a point, all towers seem the same. We have our very own space needle here and also been to a nice tower in Macau. So, we skipped CN Tower.Till next time, Toronto.

We had not done any traveling after 'baby I' was born. Managing a toddler and a baby kept us very busy and vacation was not on the list. But a weekend getaway seemed like a good start. I had made a reservation at one of the vacation houses at Fort Flagler many months in advance during the July 4th weekend.

All of us were really looking forward to the trip. We took a ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge island around noon and we drove on via scenic Washington state. We stopped at a quaint little store just a few miles before the park to pick up some milk and fruits. I even found yummy naan and fresh baked bread ! We reached the park around 3pm. The park is on marrowstone island and at a strategic position. Upon entering the park, we were greeted by fantastic views of Puget Sound. Our Vacation house was called 'Engineers House' and was towards the end of the row of vacation houses and retreat centers.

The Engineer's House was very quaint and charming. It was built during WW1 and was maintained in very good condition. There was a fully equipped kitchen, a large living room overlooking the bluff, 2 bedrooms - 1 with a queen bed (with a TV) and a smaller one with a bunk bed, a large bathroom and a nice porch overlooking the Bluff. There was also a small fenced backyard. Linen was provided. Perfect ! The only thing missing was a BBQ grill.

The Kitchen

We unwound and then strolled at the park, it was very scenic. A different ship or boat made its appearance every few minutes and kept R completely thrilled. It seems all ships to Seattle need to pass through this tiny inlet (6 miles wide) and was hence a strategic point for the army.

The Large Bathroom

We spent the next day exploring some of the bunkers and also took one of the guided tours provided by volunteers. Then we went to the beach and the kids had a lot of fun. The sand was soft and the views were great. I took a small stroll along the beach and reached the tip where a light house was situated. Some people were 'fly fishing' and many dogs were on a stroll.

Next day morning, we left to Seattle after breakfast. The trip was wonderful ! The highlights for me were the superb house ( I already booked to stay for next year); the views of the water and ships, wildlife, scenic views and lots of open space.

Fort Flager is considered to be a part of the 'triangle of fire'. Three forts were built in strategic points to guard anybody entering the water of puget sound. Next stop, Fort Worden.