Sherwood Motel Kitchener

... town proclaims "Welcome to Stratford – Home of the Stratford Festival and Ontario Pork Congress."

· Town of Shakespeare – Located near Stratford, their businesses cater to the theatrical environment with names like: the Green Room, the Dressing Room, Festival Dress Makers, Othello’s pub, Symphony in Brass home decorating, etc.

· Farming area NW of Kitchener – This is dairy farming ...

... 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.

... bit but we have to expect that at this time of year. We are constantly amazed at the thought of what winter must be like with all the lakes frozen over and having to shovel snow to get out of the driveway. Everyone is starting to prepare for winter in so many subtle ways. It certainly is a different lifestyle.

On Saturday we went to a Pumpkinfest at Port Elgin. This is a small town but the population grows to 50-60,000 for this weekend each year. There are ...

... s house. We all went to Oktoberfest. We bought the best hats. Seriously. After shopping around the stuff that was set up and the street we drove to Johnstown, which I wrote about in the next entry. Kitty and I went to the Alpine Club ...

... to major
financial centers, hotels, international offices, and major national
banks.
It runs for approximately one mile and stretches along the riverbank of
the Huangpu River. Crossing Suzhou Creek, the Bund goes from Waibaidu
Bridge to Yan'an Road.

It holds 52 buildings of both modern and Western
classical styles. This makes the Bund a major attraction in Shanghai.
These architectural types ...

... standing in a huge line-up. Last time we did a breakfast with Mary Poppins, Alice in Wonderland, some Pooh characters. This time it's more of the "classic" Disney characters. It may sound like it's for kids, but honestly it is so much fun. And Chef Mickey's apparently has lots of fun little things you do, like a napkin dance. Don't ask me what that is, but we will soon find out! I also found a free fridge swap on an internet forum. Basically the idea is ...

... our experiences with in-house ladybugs tells me Tarra will be no better with the beasts than I while traveling) and I've resigned myself to the knowledge that I'll be carrying my own souvenirs, all the time, in my own pack. (Translation: I'll be bringing max $10 home!) I've had to make an itinerary (!!) to leave behind since we're two solo girls traveling and plan (have been told) to use a shuttle from ...

... job for a year to help save extra to make it this far. I have called and hounded Kourt every couple of weeks... "Are we still going?" "It's 1 year away!" "Merry Christmas, here's your pack for our trip!" ... "OMG it's six months, should we get passports?" "Can we book our flights yet?" ... and on and on... I have no clue about art and history, so Im leaving all of that to Kourt. I have found a few vineyards and natural things I want to see ...

... a free breakfest the next morning in the same chairs as three weeks earlier. Our final day in Santiago also consisted of us eating at the first restaurant we had lunch at (if this is all starting to sound uber cheesy, well, it was.) We broke the memories by swimming in the Piscina Atilan located in the San Cristobal Parque atop Santiago. Our flight to Miami was uneventful (yet lacking in sleep) so by the time we landed in the U.S we were ...

... the visa officer at a karaoke bar in town. God I hate karaoke. We are stared at more than you can possibly imagine. It is as if these people have never seen a white person before. Perhaps they haven't. We went to a market this morning to buy produce for lunch and dinner and the market vendors would literally stop and stare at us as we walked by. It's kind of weird but I'm sure we'll get used to it eventually. It's warm and sunny right now and has been ever since we arrived ...