Cottage Trip with The Parkers

Happy Monday,

Hope you had a great weekend. This day last week I was on the way back from a fantastic trip up north. I went with Parker and his parents who were over visiting us. So I thought I would fill you in on our trip.

We left on Saturday morning after picking up our rented car which we were pleasantly surprised with. We received a red Jeep Wrangler which we hadn't ordered but there was no complaining. After Parker got comfortable with driving an automatic on the other side of the car and on the other side of the road, we were on our way to our destination in no time. The drive was very pleasant all the way up. We decided not to take the highway and to go a more scenic route instead. We drove through cute little towns and even stopped in a trucker stop cafe for some food.

We arrived at our destination after about three hours driving and to say I was excited was an understatement. When I moved to Canada, all I wanted to see was the wilderness, to be surrounded by tress and lakes and this was everything if not more than I could of asked for.

Our whole experience was made even more incredible by the accommodation that we had for the two nights. We stayed in a two bedroom cottage in a resort named Safe Haven Cottage Resort I could not recommend it more.  The owners go above and beyond to make you feel welcome. The cottages are so clean and the location is ideal. On the first night after enjoying a lovely BBQ courtesy of the Parker men, we joined the owners and other cottage guests around a camp fire where they were already roasting marshmallows. 

We quickly became friendly with the other guests who were of Indian origin. They played Indian music and got us all up dancing. It was so much fun. After the dancing we all sat around and shared stories, it was like something from a movie. I was just waiting for that part of the movie when the bear comes out of the woods and mauls everyone, but we were lucky!

After a wonderful night we woke up the next morning to explore Algonquin Park. We went on two walking trails and stopped a lot to take pictures. I'm not going to lie, there was one point I was a little scared. On one of the trails we saw a footprint (picture below) and then a few minutes later we heard growling. I wanted to leave but at that point we just had to keep on going. Safe to say I was glad when it was over.

The views from the top of the trails were worth it though and I am glad I carried on instead of being a scaredy cat. After our day exploring we arrived back to our cottage and took paddles boats out on the lake and watched the sun go down. All the water facilities are free when you rent the cottages which is incredible.

There was so many highlights of the whole weekend, seeing a moose feeding on the side of the road being one of them. We noticed cars pulled in on the highway so we slowed down and saw that there was a young moose feeding just a short distance from us. You don't mess with moose if you see one but we felt at a safe distance to get out and take some photos. We were very lucky to see one and I was delighted even if I compared it to "big donkey".

Overall, the trip was amazing and I got to tick off one of the locations on my travel wish list by going to Algonquin Park. The weather was perfect, the accommodation was exceptional and I finally got to see what I called "the real Canada, where there is bears and shit" haha.

I will definitely be visiting again...

Video to come in the coming weeks too of our trip on my Facebook page so keep on eye out for that.

Have a great week!

Talk soon xx

Zita J

Travel wishlist

Seeing as I am staying the duration of my visa in Canada, I really want to see more than just Toronto. When you picture Canada in your head you think parks, lakes and bears, well I want to see that kind of stuff before I ever leave or else I think I would feel I haven't seen the "real" Canada.

Don't get me wrong, I love Toronto and I love the city lifestyle but I want to experience other places in Canada,especially places that have beautiful surroundings and even maybe venture outside of Canada too. So I have made a wishlist of places I want to see while I am over this side of the world.


Ottawa:

As its Canada's capital I feel its a must to visit Ottawa. Ideally I would love to go in May as there is a Tulip festival on every year that is suppose to be beautiful but I don't think I will get there this month. Instead it is looking like I will get there in June. The city is small in comparison to here. It has many pretty buildings, I am told that the Rideau Canal is the main attraction. In the winter when it freezes over people skate down the canal, they even skate to work. Thank god it's the summer because I am the worlds worst ice skater haha. I am looking forward to visiting in June and I will be sure to take lots of pictures.

Quebec City:

I really hope I get to Quebec city. Its suppose to be the Europe of Canada. Predominantly French speaking, the city is said to be picturesque with amazing architecture. There are narrow cobblestone streets leading to boutiques and bistros. I have never been to France so I would to love to go to Quebec City and experience some bit of French culture and then when I am back in Ireland I can go visit France and compare notes.

Algonquin Park:

Now this is what I am talking about when I say I want to see the "real" Canada, a place where there could be bears and shit haha! Algonquin Park is about a 3 hour drive from Toronto and I have heard great things about it. There is lots to do like hiking, fishing, canoeing and moose watching. There is campsites for regular camping but glamping tents are also available. I would love to go here and stay in the log cabins, to wake up in the morning and look out onto the lake from your cabin. Fingers crossed I get there.

Cuba:

I am dying to get to Cuba, as its one of the nearest and cheapest holiday destinations from Toronto. I was hoping  to go there before it opens to the US as it will become busier and touristy.  Some friends have been there already and they said its beautiful. The beaches are suppose to be amazing and if you love fish, its the place to be. I also think the fact the internet is very scarce over there that it would be great to unplug, unwind and enjoy a relaxing holiday. Its definitely on the top of my list!

There are lots of other places I  would loved to visit besides these four. Lake Louise in Alberta, Montreal and New York are some other destinations on my list too. The list goes on really, I just need to win the lotto before I can get to all these places. A girl can dream though:-)

Talk soon xx

Zita J