Ottawa

When my bestest friend Meg said she needed someone to drive her to Ottawa, me, never having gone there before said, "I'm in!". Mike hitched along as he has family there he hasn't seen in years as well as a good friend. (see Above)

It was a short trip and my camera batteries died only allowing me two pictures but it was good overall. The hotel had a hot tub, we saw some parliament buildings, went to the market and walked around a lot. I also got to see a friend, Tara, that I hadn't seen in years who I met in South Korea. That was AWESOME. It was also awesome getting to road trip and hang out with Meg.

I also got to meet Mike's sister, her husband, their two girls and some of their friends. They continuing the trend of Mike having an awesome family, were great. A Hawaiian themed party was attended and some pictionary was played. Who knew Mike was a totally talented player?! I was not the only one in awe. Quoted in reference to his 5 point pictures on man at the party, "Man. I get it. It's just.. so.. clear!"

Ottawa is another place that I want to spend some more time in. There were a couple of people I didn't get a chance to catch up with. Overall, good trip.

N.Y.C.

Russ told me that he could get us bus tickets to New York for a quarter each. Me, having no plans and always wanting to go there jumped on it quick! It was a good ride there and a long ride back but the trip was great!

We made sure to fit in as much stuff as we could and my feet were killing me each day.

Here are some pics!

To the left: I got my geek on at the Museum of Natural History. I wanted to see about a billion museums but this is the only one that worked out. I would definitely go back there just to correct that.




Below: Radio City Music Hall and 30 Rock. We walked by here at least a couple of time a day!

Right: A brief stop at the UN.








Right: The view from 30 Rock.



Left: This was on the wall when we were walking from Little Italy.




Right: We took a stroll on the Brooklyn Bridge.





Left: What was left after 9/11



Right: Times Square! Loved it!







Russ and I on top of Empire.









Left: Russ at Grand Central.

Right: Russ at the NY Public Library.

The Shwa

This is my home base, where mom begrudgingly stores my books and allows me to set down my suitcases every now and again. She even waits at the airport while my plane is delayed for days at a time!

After being away from your family for years at a time, you can't put a price on being able to just hang out. It was nice not being rushed (as in the past) and to be there for the normal everyday stuff that goes on after the Jenny is Home Parade has passed.

Anyways, the coolest place to see in Oshawa, Mike and I decided was the Jungle Cat Zoo where you can see lots of tigers, some lions, a jaguar, lynx as well as some creepy wolves who will howl at dusk. There's even a monkey in the bathroom!!

P.E.I.

I made my first trip to the East Coast shortly after leaving Kincardine. Mike grew up in Charlottetown, P.E.I. and I understand why he and I get along so well. We're both small town kids. Actually, there were a few similarities between Charlottetown and Kincardine that I really appreciated. The weather was actually fairly similar, both are water towns and the people are friendly. Lighthouses were also on the forefront, and I tried to see as many as the weather would allow.
Even with the weather being snowy, I was keen to get out and do things, and Mike obliged most of the time! We did a fair bit including going to a National Park Area where I got some good views.
It was pretty windy!
I think one of the reasons Mike was happy to leave the East Coast was that he would finally stop hearing my potato jokes! But seriously, there's a reason. All jokes aside, the Potato Burger with the side of sweet potato fries were scrumptious! As was the chicken curry that was poured over french fries :)

Unfortunately because just like Kincardine, Charlottetown is a summer place and a lot of the things I wanted to do were closed for the season. You better believe I'm going back to visit the Potato Museum, enjoy of Anne of Green Gables and to see the Bottle Houses.

His family was incredibly nice. I stayed with his mom the whole time I was there and she has a beautiful home that I felt very comfortable in. I also got to meet his Nanny, dad and his dad's wife. They all won me over with amazing food! This was exciting for me because one of my favourite things about traveling is the food.

All in all, it was nice to get to see a part of Canada I haven't.

Kincardine

Shortly after returning to Canada I went to Kincardine to visit some family and spend some time experiencing a Bruce County winter in probably four years. It was pretty, but darn it was cold! The plan was to stay there for just a few days but all in all it turned out to be a couple of weeks mainly due to my Nana's cooking, and the terrible weather!

It was nice being there. Kincardine has turned into a mini-metropolis with big named restaurants and pharmacies moving into town. That's ok, I guess so long as it doesn't lose the charm that makes it so great. I'm looking forward to going back hopefully soon, so that I can see it when the weather is nicer, and also to show Mike where I grew up.

There are tons of pictures like these, basically portraying Kincardine like the Northern Tundra. I made Nana stop the car by the lake one day as we were driving by because the light was so perfect, and it had finally stopped snowing.

For some of the days it looked more like this:

Settled for Now

Well, it didn't seem appropriate to continue blogging on my previous blog: http://jeninkorea.blogspot.com as I'm no longer in Korea but I wanted to continue blogging and posting pictures.

Mike and I have finally moved into our temporary apartment. We're here in Toronto for 2 months and we love our place and neighbourhood. It's the first time in months that we've both been settled down in the same place for any length of time, so that's a nice change.

I'll post about some of my travels since leaving Seoul soon.

Cheers.