Island Bound

Empress hotel via Victoria Travel Guide

So I'm off for a little trip this weekend. Nothing too crazy, just a quick little ferry ride across the Straight of Georgia. I have some friends across the waters and I have been way over due for a visit! Despite passing through Victoria several times, I have never really taken a weekend to go be a tourist. There are three uber touristy things I want to do this weekend: Have tea at the Fairmont Empress Hotel, browse Chinatown, and rent scooters! Does anyone have any other suggestions?

by Photographe du rue

I'm looking forward to it all, lets hope that this glorious weather holds up for the weekend!

Silence in Finland

What an amazing cabin - this Finnish curved cabin is called the Silent House. The curved lines of the house blend so well with the surroundings, that I think you would just want to be silent while there, blending into the nature a [literally] round you....

I adore that light gushing through the windows... the elongated shadows subtly remind us we're at a high lattitude, and the crackling fire place makes the Finnish winters that much more bearable!

Via Marie Claire Maison

Swiss retreat

My skis are on, my boots are tight, and my goggles aren't fogging up. Can I come over? Can I stay forever?

I am in awe of this cabin in Switzerland. The views are spectacularly breath taking. (I am at a loss for words) A well placed abode, I must say.

Via Black*Eiffel

Oh those wonderful Swedes!

So my heritage is 25% Swedish. I can't speak the language and I have never been there, but I some days I feel very Swedish, especially when it comes to this room makeover from Colorama!!

Before:

After:

Below is the desk you can just barely see in the bottom left hand corner of the room. I love the creativity that went into making this desk. It is two pieces of glass with wallpaper glued between them! So smart!

Via Apartment Therapy

Heavenly coffee break.

Keeping in the rustic theme I started on Friday, I just wanted to post about this adorable coffee shop in Coleman Alberta. Where is that? Well, for most of you it is middle-of-no-where Southwestern Alberta; but for those who ski, it is just after Frank Slide on the way to Fernie from Calgary. I usually associate Coleman with slow speed limits and fueling options, that is, until now! As I rolled into Coleman I noticed this large sign - Blackbird Coffee. Since I am obsessed with birds right now, I had to pull in, to check it out. And while I don't get why it is called Blackbird, it doesn't make a difference because it's great! On a whole, it is simple and eclectic and down to earth. The serving bar area is open, allowing you to still feel the space of the church with the high ceilings and stained glass. There are stellar antiques in the back, including some really well kept 1950s stainless steel items. The seating is a merry mismatch of chairs, couches and tables. I was almost sad that this was not next to a university since it would have been such a great hang out for students. The lady behind the bar was super friendly, and made up for the fact that they didn't have any skim milk. I just loved how quaint and cute this place was - I couldn't hear the road from inside, and all the details could have kept me there for hours! Unfortunately I had to move along...Next time, however I will make sure to have a few hours to spare for a snack and a browse. I hope they do well and stay there long enough for me to return!

How far we've come in 3 years

When I was in Toronto at the beginning of the month, I was lucky enough to catch up with some housemates from my years at Queen's. It is amazing how each of us have branched out in such different ways, yet still carry on our conversations like three years hadn't gone past! 167.

You two are so inspiring! Many more mini reunions!

I love those smiles!

The Island House

My second post on Toronto island - Wards Island Houses

They are just amazing - each house is so unique, it takes hours to take them all in. The best part about the neighbourhood I think is that there are no roads, only walk ways between the houses, a neighbour across the 'street' is about as far away as your next door neighbour - I like that.

Character anyone?

Like the houses the people here are so unique. Some are busy working away at at some household task, some are helping, some are relaxing and enjoying a home made sandwich in the garden, while others have lively arguments with family. Each posess this sense of calm (yes even the one arguing!) and rustic flair to match their homes. They all own bikes fitted with the most extensive parcel carring systems. Whether it be a wagon they pull behind their bike, or just extra large paniers covering every possible spot, or the makshift baskets bungeed on here and there. They all serve the purpose of getting their everyday bought items from the mainland back home.

Note the slant and the peeling paint - Adds charm!

The homes themselves are in many different states. Boarders are fuzzy here - between rustic, and run down, ecclectic and junky, between holiday home and vacation cottage (I am in Ontario now, they call cabins cottages!) and full time residence. Some have well manicured lawns, others have natural flowing gardens, and yet others have overgrown landscapes. Somehow however, it all seems to fit.

Extremely well kept - and the sign in the window -Boycott Toronto Island Airport - makes me think these are year round residents!

A view of Toronto from the Ward Island Ferry Terminal

One of the best things I saw - and I am so sad I didn't get a photo of were plants in people's bikes - I don' t think they were just bringing them home - I think these plants had a permenant residence on the bike - and added a nice spruce to it!

Island Calm

Yesterday I went down to Toronto Island. I spent some time on the south beaches - and well couldn't get enough!


This is what I wrote while I was over there, on the back of a receipt while lying on the beach:

The busy city is just a memory, a distant silhouette on the horizon. Here you feel raw uncomplicated calmness. You don't need a yoga mat to feel the ohm emanating from your body. Sundresses, straw hats and bathing suits are a must. The small waves entice you into the crystal clear blue body of water. Looking out at the sail boat in the distance and the disappearing blue sparkle on the horizon you question if this isn't the ocean - But one splash of the crisp water lets you know it is salt free. Kids jump and swim in the lake while their mother keeps an eye on them from ankle deep water. Wooden boardwalks and grassy dunes remind me of the east coast, but the dry light breeze brings me back to Toronto. It is just the right temperature, surprisingly not humid at all. Planes are the only thing that break the expansive blue skies, their propeller engines hum and grumble as they descend their way to the island airport. As I lie back, I ask myself - why have I never come here before, and how am I ever going to convince myself to leave?

Well luckily for me, I managed to take the ferry back to reality. It was surprisingly not difficult to leave the island. Once I moved on from the beach side (south side) it was a natural progression back. First there was the boardwalk around the water, then glimpses of houses, then a small little 'town' or in other words, grid of houses (more on that in the next post), and then a little walk through cafe to re-energize me before facing the big city.

Below are some images of the beach side of the island. "Life's a beach and then you die"

Looking down the beach from the main pier
The Sailboat in the distance
Pebbles on the shore instead of shells
The CN tower in the distance, sand dunes in the for front

Dear Toronto Island - You are just what I needed- With love, Ashley

Easy Eco Mondays-Take a break from work, not from eco consciousness

August is prime holiday time – anyone have some great trips planned? I was away last week, but with work. I noticed how my ecological footprint rose when I was out of my regular routine. So how would we minimize the traveling footprint? I am not suggesting to not fly, which in itself is a great option, but sometimes not feasible and not Easy Eco! I thought I would make a green packing list – to include some things that might help us maintain the eco savvy habits we have at home.

Easy Eco Travel Items:

• Travel Mug
• Water Bottle
• Tupperware
• Tape
• Small bottles
• Compact Cloth Bags
• Packing list

Water Bottle. It’s cheaper than buying a bottled water (unless the water in your location is not potable – but even then you can use iodine drops) and will remind you to keep hydrated during the day.

Travel Mug. We diligently take our mugs to work everyday, wash them out, take them home, put them away, and then do it all again the next day. But when it comes to traveling, we opt for the paper cup. Why not take that Travel mug with us when we travel and use it! In Korea, you can’t get a paper cup in many fast food/take out restaurants (see here). Hopefully this will reduce our 14.4 billion disposable cups used annually.

Tupperware – Okay this one people are going to laugh at, but when I go to a restaurant, there are many of times where I want some of my meal wrapped up. Why not just supply your own Tupperware and save all that packaging?

Tape: No matter how I pack it, my shampoo, or conditioner, or cream, or body wash manages to leak. I have them in Ziplock bags so I am safe that way, but it always seems like such a waste. I find it mainly happens with bottles that have a pop top. A little piece of tape over the pop top saves precious mL of shampoo being wasted every trip!

Small bottles – Conversely, find small bottles that have not leaked on you. You can find some at MEC if you want to buy new, or else you reuse some that travel size container you bought last time you forgot your shampoo. Transfer your shampoo, conditioner, body wash into these smaller bottles to avoid leaking, and reduce how many times you buy those travel size containers. Bonus: With the decreasing baggage weight limit these will help to keep your bag under that pesky 50kg!

Cloth bags: Who doesn’t shop while traveling? Plastic bags are bad no matter where you get them from. And we are less likely to reuse them while traveling than at home!

Packing list: Not to remind you what to bring (although one of those is also handy), write down everything you have brought with you. It only take a few extra minutes as you pack, and it will help you to remember to bring everything home with you…

So that is all I can think of… anyone else have any great eco travel ideas?