In Retrospect - Ontario Review.

Our 7-day getaway was by far, the first longer trip we have taken where we both have not visited the place - ergo, we're both newbies to it. Treading the unfamiliar allows us to explore our own selves and we both were happy we did it that way - because it did allow us to share experiences from a different perspective.

Over time, B & I had some reflections:

1. When people refer to Toronto as the centre of the universe (Canadians have regional rivalries too, you know) - we know understand why. And next time, we won't contradict them. It is a great hub of people, events, places. And somehow, we are awed at how sleek and cosmopolitan it is. But, we still won't consider living in there. It is great to visit - but we know we wanted something less hectic and less noisy - because all the time when we were in the city (perhaps because we stayed downtown all the time), all we heard were ambulance/EMS/police cars/firetrucks. But hey, it comes with the territory doesn't it?

2. Food is cheaper in Ontario. We loved having Evian bottled water everyday! ;)

3. Toronto is a mecca of all types of people - gays (old and young, interracial or not), artists, fashionistas, yuppies and the homeless. Truth be told, I've never seen sooooo many gays in Canada than in Toronto. I was telling my gay friends back home that they can definitely try to go to To - as they can definitely can assimilate in there. :) We've seen people who are dressed to the nines and rode their bikes in stylettos! :) And, we felt sad seeing young people sleeping alongside Yonge St - very heartbreaking. Calgary has its own share of the homeless but unless you stay in the East side of downtown - there's not much you can find - unless we just have a lot of drop in centres here? There are also more coloured people in To than here in the west!

4. That Torontonians are generally nice too. :) We have people helping us get to our destination because we are obviously perceived as tourists. And they don't mock us that we are from cowtown! hahaha :)

5. That we should visit the suburbs next time after we have been in the city. :) Next stop: Oakville, Mississauga, and the lakes of Muskoka.

6. That Niagara on the Lake is a gem that everyone should see if you are Canadian. You don't have to be in Tuscany (Italy) to have a feel of vineyard-life. And you don't have to be in Italy to have a great taste of your vino! There are at least 16 wineries (or more?) in the Niagara Peninsula and most of them are found in NOTL.

7. That excellent service is still alive and we found it in the nice, helpful people of Niagara on the Lake. They value their tourists and they are genuinely concerned that you have a great stay in their area. While the hospitality industry there is quite competitive, they are very close-knit, they help each other out. They don't just say that you have to be in their property - instead, they do encourage you to try others too - all because they know it goes back to their charming community. I think that's really awesome! :)

8. Niagara Falls is beautiful but aside from the adventure it presents, we feel that it's overrated. :( It has become too touristy that its appeal has slowly disintegrated. :(

9. In Niagara, you can find at least 10 different US states' carplates at any point in time. :) When we were there, we found: NY (this is rather obvious because across the border is Buffalo), Kentucky, Massachussetts, Virginia, Iowa, New Jersey, Minnesota, Illinois, Delaware, Maryland - that's all I can recall - but I'm sure there are more!!!

10. That next time we will rather stay another day at NOTL than spend the night at Niagara Falls. This is not to say though that we did not enjoy the one night at NF - it's just that, there's more to see and explore in the NOTL than at the Falls area.

Lastly, we learned that it's good to leave right away for a getaway after your wedding. :) It gave us time to reconnect and just stay happy - without giving much ado on what is in the schedule or timelines. Sure, we had ideas on where to go but we had it sparingly so that we're not pressured at all because we did not have to adhere to a tight clockwork. We got everything down pat and we just relaxed and enjoyed every moment of it.

With 7 days, we were able to see the other part of Canada and how fitting it is that we did an East (ontario) and West (alberta) getaway - just like we had an East Meets West theme for our wedding! ;) Ok, that was corny... lol... But all in all, it was a great trip. And that concludes our story telling session. I hope you enjoyed reading our 7-day mini-moon. :)