I've been in Ontario this past week for my cousin Alesha's wedding in Kitchener. I played piano for the wedding, so I had to be here in time for the wedding rehearsal, but instead of coming for just those two days, we (my parents and I) decided to make a bit of a holiday of it and come in early. What a great decision! This week has been fantastic, so I have to tell you all about it.
We flew in on Tuesday, but because of the time change, the whole day was pretty much gone by the time we got here. We were tired from the flight to London and the drive to Cambridge (remember, this is Ontario not England) we decided to call it a night and go to bed "early". Early being 12pm Ontario time, but only 9pm in BC.
The next morning we woke up refreshed. Wednesday. The weather for the week was not looking too promising, but the forecast for the day was gorgeous, so we figured it would be a perfect day to drive to Niagara Falls. It was gorseous. Nice and hot, but also not too humid, and the spray from the falls was the most refreshing thing. We had a picnic, took a long walk, looked at some shops, then came back to Cambridge for some dinner.
Thursday, we took the drive to Toronto to see the sights. We wanted to see the CN tower, but seeing as it would be $20 each to take a ride up to the top to get a view of the city, we decided to see the view of the CN tower from the sidewalk. We had a picnic lunch on the shores of Lake Ontario, then proceeded to a place I really wanted to see - the Hockey Hall of Fame. I loved reading up on the history of the best Canadian sport and seeing the architectural beauty of the old bank the Hall of Fame was situated in, but best of all was the item sitting upstairs. On the top floor was all the awards hockey player dream of, from the Hart Trophy to the Vezina. But best of all was the trophy behind the velvet rope. The biggest prize in hockey. The Stanley Cup. I waited in line for my chance to get a photo taken with the cup. (I'll post some photos later) It was great. We decided to beat the traffic and left before 4, but the weather had other ideas. Tornadoes were hitting the greater Toronto area as we headed back South the Cambridge. There were strong winds, heavy rain, thunder, and brilliant lightning. I never saw a tornado, but heard later on the news the massive destruction that took place not far from where we were driving.
That evening, I was invited to my cousin's bachelorette party, which was a blast. We started by taking a fitness dance class thing, then went "bouldering" which is basically wall climbing without a harness, so you don't go as high. It was a blast, as well as a great workout. After, we relaxed our muscles in the hot tub, then went to open presents, eat food, and have some drinks. I was told it was going to be at a fitness club, so I just wore some workout pants and a tank top, but following the main event, a bunch of the girls wanted to go clubbing, so I accepted the invite. I was way under-dressed. We went to a club with a dress code, and I don't think I would have gotten in if it weren't for one of the bridesmaids knowing one of the bouncers. So, there I am, in a fancy club where the ladies wear dresses (mostly) and a lot of the guys were wearing dress clothes, and I'm in there wearing runners, yoga pants, and a racer back tank top. So out of place. It was almost comical. I still had a good time, so that's all that matters. We ended the night at a bar, where I was much more at home with the way I was dressed.
Since I got in late on Thursday, more like Friday morning, I spent most of the morning sleeping, so my parents went to St. Jacob's, an Old Order Mennonite community close to Kitchener. They're sort of like the Amish in their way of living. I went shopping at some outlet stores, then had the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner in the evening.
Saturday was the wedding, which went really well. We had about 4 hours to kill before the reception, so I went with my Uncle and some cousins to St. Jacob's to go to the farm market, and hopefully see some horse-drawn carriages. We didn't see any there, so we drove to a nearby town called Elmira, where we came across some Mennonites in a carriage at McDonald's. It was quite the sight to see. There you have a horse and buggy on the side of the road with a man in traditional clothing. Then you see a lady in a bonnet and traditional clothing walking towards the buggy with a McFlurry, coffee, and a bag of food from McDonald's. It seemed like twisted logic as a group so against modern advances is supporting a consumerism giant.
Interesting fact: We learned later that day that the McDonald's we saw was the only McDonald's in Canada with a hitching post. The reception was a blast, just a good time over all.
Today I got to go to Canada's Wonderland with my Boersma cousins and my Uncle. It was a great time. Some great roller coasters as well as water slides, and the weather held up nicely for us as well. But, I should head off to bed - early morning tomorrow as I head back to the beautiful west coast.
Night.
Boersma
