BSA Regency Kitchener

2009 1016



Along the way:

KITCHENER, Ontario:

We arranged to meet up with friends from Ontario at the Bingaman's Camping Resort which was the central facility for the largest Oktoberfest/Bavarian festivities outside of Munich, Germany. This is a large facility; it has convention halls, a ballroom complex, chalets and an amusement park with waterslides, pools and lots of group picnic areas ...

... though.) We didn't have to wait in line for the tickets to Maid of the Mist, which was included. That was a bonus. We stopped to wander around the beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake. And to top the day off, we went to a winery for some free wine tasting.

All in all, it was a good day.

... just built a new home, but they had lived in the area for 30 years so were great tour guides. We had two nights with them. On Wednesday they took us for a drive all round the area. It is a series of lakes with a lot of islands and particularly beautiful fall colours because it gets very cold there. They are retired but have a part time job maintaining one of the many holiday 'cottages’ on the lake for a family from California. They only use the cottage 6 ...

... was the day before Canada's Thanksgiving so it was family day. We didn't really fit in with all the families, but it was so fun. My brother would have loved all the beer. And we some yummy German food, of course.
Pics to come later!

A strip of land to behold
Shanghai is a grand old city with not only culture and its people to be
proud of, but much of its history as well. Even though it may just look
like another modern industrialized city to some, it has a profound
depth and pride that won't escape you if you care to dig a little
deeper.

Look deeply, and you'll find its richness.
For example, the Bund Shanghai is not just another ...

As I'm writing this I realize I should definitely be packing, running errands or making phone calls to BC but I've found yet another distraction! It's four days until our BIG move...that day I've been alluding to for years in travelpod blogs and planning for over the past several months. This Sunday we begin the journey to Kamloops, BC - a place where most ...

... especially considering we were not travelling my prefered method of public bus. As it turns out, people can be demanding and particular no matter how they chose to travel to their next destination! Our introduction to Parrot-Nose (I am being nice, really) was when we transfered buses to complete our route to San Jose. The hairy armpit, aggressive, late 50-year-old (yes, she was German, and yes Kevan, I promise to ...

... in action off the Orkney Islands, his name was put forward as a possible replacement, and the whole matter was put up to a referendum and the rest is history. Secondly, Kitchener still likes to remember its German heritage and is home to the Bavarian festival of Oktoberfest, the largest of its kind in North America and is believed to be the largest outside of Germany. This is also ...

... 401 but rush hour has spread to our airport.) We arrived 30 minutes early and for the first time in our history, we waited for our ride. (My sincere apologies to all those who have ever waited on us to return from whatever part of the world.) Our bags were once again first off the plane and we were free of the clutches of Canadian customs only 15 minutes after our scheduled landing time! This provided me with the rare opportunity to ...

... Raygen, and my ex's sister, Kath. I just watched Kath the whole time thinking - she's flown lots - if she doesn't freak out, I've got nothing to worry about.... "Oh, my god, why are they landing like this? I've never been on a plane when they landed with the nose up. OH MY GOD! I always bring my rosary when I fly, how could I have forgotten it? What is this pilot doing!~" My poor parents, I thought - didn't even know I was ...