Summer 2015: Scandinavia – Belastrand, Norway

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Aug 232015
 

One of the main reasons to head to the west coast of Norway is to see the fjords. It was beautiful just to wake up to the view of the lake and we got to watch a bit more of the parasailing competition before we hopped on the three-car local train from Voss to make our way to Myrdal, which is higher up in the mountain.

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23-Jun-2015 13:53, Canon Canon EOS 70D, 11.0, 10.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100
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Then, we crossed the platform and got onto a small old-fashioned (tourist) gauge train to Flam. Along the way, we made a brief stop to see a pretty cool waterfall

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23-Jun-2015 12:27, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 2.65mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 32
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and then ended in Flam, which happens to be a stop for cruise ships touring the fjords. Thus, there really is nothing to do there. We had a couple of hours to kill, so we stopped into a little supermarket for a drink and snacks to enjoy in the park.

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23-Jun-2015 13:47, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 2.65mm, ISO 32
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From Flam, we took a ferry to Belastrand about 1.5 hours through the fjords. There were a number of picturesque moments along the way. We braved the wind the whole time to take as many photos from the back and then fought our way forward from time to time to get some different shots. Although it was beautiful overall and I definitely enjoyed it – I wasn’t overly impressed….I know, I’m spoiled!!! 😛
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23-Jun-2015 16:46, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, ISO 40
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23-Jun-2015 17:38, Canon Canon EOS 70D, 9.0, 10.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200
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23-Jun-2015 16:06, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 32
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The town of Belastrand isn’t that big and seems to be just a stopover for those touring the fjords.The main attraction in town seems to be Saint Olaf’s church.
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23-Jun-2015 19:46, Canon Canon EOS 70D, 10.0, 35.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
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Since there weren’t  a lot of food and drink options in the town, we paid the hotel prices for a nice dinner with a view of the water, which was worth it!
So, that was a lovely visit of the fjords! Here are the pics:
More to come,
-T 😀

Summer 2015: Scandinavia – Voss, Norway

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Aug 172015
 

After our fairly short visit in Oslo, we took the train from Oslo to Voss. Voss seems to be the European destination for sports, camping and general ‘outback’ family holiday. It is a beautiful town located on a lake and my hotel room looked out on the mountain caps and lake.

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22-Jun-2015 20:01, Canon Canon EOS 70D, 9.0, 13.0mm, 0.008 sec, ISO 100
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Poor J, got a view of the train tracks….:( 😀

One of the best parts of the journey to Voss was passing the snow!! We were chatting along and suddenly saw out the window a land of WHITE! It was quite amazing and beautiful. Neither of us had seen snow in ages, so it was quite a treat. Plus, the weather was so gorgeous compared to the desert heat we had left behind.

It also happened to be some parasailing/hangliding championship the weekend we were there, so we got to see quite a few competitors fly up high into the clouds and come down with spins and tricks. Quite cool!

We were also a bit giddy from the freedom and escape of the desert. So, everything seemed really wonderful to us. Furthermore, it was still light out even at midnight – we had dinner at 10:30 forgetting the time! It is definitely worth the visit out to Voss if one is going to be in Scandinavia. If I were to return to Norway, I think this would be a must-return-to-place!

Here are the pics:

More to come,

-T 😀

Summer 2015: Scandinavia – Oslo, Norway

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Aug 152015
 

Our next stop on our Scandinavia adventure was Oslo. So, we took the train on a rather wet morning through the countryside and found ourselves in the small capital of Norway.

While people in the touristy areas were friendly enough, no one was overly friendly. We still did a lot of walking and found ourselves seeing a few interesting places within the downtown area. However, when we hit the tram to find our way to Frogenparken and Vigelandsparken, we were amazed by the sculptures and monument created there. It was very moving to walk around seeing the faces and sculptures of people from all walks of life designed as loving in unity.

We also took in the greenery as we do not see much of that in the desert! 😀

Here are the pics:

Overall, aside from the park, it wasn’t a very memorable city as far as sights are concerned. What is memorable is the extremely high cost of just about everything…! 🙁

More to come,

-T 😀

Summer 2015: Scandinavia – Copenhägen, Denmark

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Aug 132015
 

After the couple of days of “work” in London, I flew off to Copenhägen, Denmark to meet my friend, J, for our Scandinavia adventure. We had booked a 12-day ‘tour’ to see the region and I couldn’t wait!

We started with Copenhägen for two nights and fell in love with the sights, people (aka tall men!) and food. Everyone was very friendly to us – perfect strangers – and helped us with ideas for food or things to see. It’s just the right size city that is fairly walkable, but not too small that you’d get tired of it. We did a lot of walking and exploring of the entire city.

Some highlights included the caramelized pork burger smothered with potato salad on a bun and walking through the ‘cannibas’ quarters with its graffiti and liberalism. 😀

Here are the pics!

P.S. I will keep most of these posts fairly short, as I plan to do some travel writing on another site where I have published a few stories before. I’ll update these posts with the links once I get to them. 🙂

More to come,

-T 😀

Summer 2015: London, UK [Apple Training]

 Going Mental  No Responses »
Aug 112015
 

Oh it seems ages ago that I was leaving for the UK to do some work training as the start of my summer holidays…. It will be nice to reminisce as I update here on my last eight weeks! 😛

I may or may not have written before that I am trained as an Apple Education Trainer (AET) formally known as an Apple Professional Developer (APD). While this does not mean that I work for Apple – I wish – it does mean that I can train others on how to use Apple/Mac programs and devices on their behalf, but NOT as an official employee. If that sounds convoluted – it is. Basically, I have the authorization to train on Apple’s behalf, but not the certification to make it official. Also, I am currently authorized through the university where I work, but not as an individual – meaning if I leave the university and join one that does not have authorization with Apple, I no longer have said authorization to do any training even though all the knowledge is still in my head…. Yep, clear as mud!

So, on occasion, Apple sponsors training on programs, updates or pedagogy for their education branch. There are times when an AET or AETs will be sponsored and invited to attend these special training sessions. One came up to attend one at Apple’s London headquarters looking at Challenge-based Learning with the affordances of the Mac ecosystem.

Since they were willing to subsidize one night stay at a hotel and it was just the beginning of my holidays, I got permission to go away early and attend.

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18-Jun-2015 09:52, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.03 sec, ISO 80
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18-Jun-2015 10:18, Apple iPhone 6, 2.2, 4.15mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 250
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It was a very interesting day and it was nice to visit London again. I got a different feel for it this second time around and though it’s still not NYC, I think I liked it better.

With that last bit of business out of the way, it was time to begin my European tour!

More to come,

-T 😀

Spring Break 2012 – Toronto: Day 3

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Mar 272012
 

In general, if I haven’t planned prior to traveling, I basically do whatever the mood strikes when I am actually on the trip. This makes things easier for me as I either plan or plan to be spontaneous. 😛

Since my main purpose for coming to Toronto was to visit with my friends, Shu & Q, whom I hadn’t seen since they left Abu Dhabi over a year ago, I didn’t really do any investigating of the area or decide on sightseeing activities. Basically, I figured they would show me around. 🙂

However, when I arrived, I heard some talking about Niagara Falls. When I started looking at the guide books and maps, I realized one thing people do when they visit Toronto is make a trip to Niagara Falls. Hm…, I thought…. How close is it, I asked. Just about 1.5 hours…not far…let’s do it!

As my previous posts show, Shu and Q were free on the weekend, but Monday meant I was free to figure out my own plan. Apparently there is a fairly cheap Chinese bus that goes to the Falls, but I thought it would be more interesting if I did a proper tour. So, I did a Google search and found this tour company as the best and cheapest option.

So, this morning, they picked me up and we met up with the group and off we went!

It was a good day. The Falls were spectacular! Although it was quite cold, the sun came out in the afternoon making everything more beautiful. I felt God’s presence and creation with a sense of awe and peace. Beautiful. Amazing. Wonderful.

Well, here are the pics from the day!

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Finally caved and tried Tim Hortons since I am in Canada after all - not bad and cheap!
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Finally caved and tried Tim Hortons since I am in Canada after all - not bad and cheap!27-Mar-2012 06:01, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 4.2, 5.72mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 800
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Niagara Falls tour: Stop for a wine tasting - ice wine is the thing around here...
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Niagara Falls tour: Stop for a wine tasting - ice wine is the thing around here...27-Mar-2012 08:16, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour
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Niagara Falls tour27-Mar-2012 08:17, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 5.9, 25.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: Apparently this place is sponsored/owned by Dan Akroyd - didn't know he is Canadian...
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Niagara Falls tour: Apparently this place is sponsored/owned by Dan Akroyd - didn't know he is Canadian...27-Mar-2012 08:43, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 4.1, 5.4mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 800
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Niagara Falls tour: The tour mobile
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Niagara Falls tour: The tour mobile27-Mar-2012 08:45, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: A stop to see Lake Ontario
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Niagara Falls tour: A stop to see Lake Ontario27-Mar-2012 09:04, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 4.9, 8.25mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: Apparently that is New York and where part of the War of 1812 took place
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Niagara Falls tour: Apparently that is New York and where part of the War of 1812 took place27-Mar-2012 09:04, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 4.9, 8.25mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: Niagara-on-the-lake - main tourist stop especially in the summer when visiting Niagara Falls
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Niagara Falls tour: Niagara-on-the-lake - main tourist stop especially in the summer when visiting Niagara Falls27-Mar-2012 09:08, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 4.8, 7.73mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 800
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Niagara Falls tour: Smallest church...
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Niagara Falls tour: Smallest church...27-Mar-2012 09:16, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 5.7, 13.09mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 640
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Niagara Falls tour: Niagara Whirlpool - across is Canada; to the right is New York
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Niagara Falls tour: Niagara Whirlpool - across is Canada; to the right is New York27-Mar-2012 09:29, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 4.5, 6.45mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: Whirlpool on Niagara River
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Niagara Falls tour: Whirlpool on Niagara River27-Mar-2012 09:29, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: Niagara River
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Niagara Falls tour: Niagara River27-Mar-2012 09:30, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 4.2, 5.72mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: A hydro-dam giving power to Canada and New York
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Niagara Falls tour: A hydro-dam giving power to Canada and New York27-Mar-2012 09:31, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 5.9, 25.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 160
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Niagara Falls tour: Cable car crossing Niagara River whirlpool
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Niagara Falls tour: Cable car crossing Niagara River whirlpool27-Mar-2012 09:32, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 4.6, 16.1mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: Horseshoe Falls
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Niagara Falls tour: Horseshoe Falls27-Mar-2012 09:54, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 11.0, 5.0mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: Horseshoe Falls - Journey Behind the Falls view
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Niagara Falls tour: Horseshoe Falls - Journey Behind the Falls view27-Mar-2012 09:54, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 11.0, 5.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: Horseshoe Falls - Journey Behind the Falls view
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Niagara Falls tour: Horseshoe Falls - Journey Behind the Falls view27-Mar-2012 09:57, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 11.0, 5.0mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 80
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Niagara Falls tour: Horseshoe Falls - Journey Behind the Falls - silhouette of me
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Niagara Falls tour: Horseshoe Falls - Journey Behind the Falls - silhouette of me27-Mar-2012 09:57, OLYMPUS IMAGING CORP. TG-610 , 3.9, 5.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 80
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After I got back, we headed out to a tasty warm dinner of ramen!

Tonkotsu Ramen for dinner! YUM!
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Tonkotsu Ramen for dinner! YUM!27-Mar-2012 02:29, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
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Then, we took a walk –

Near Howland Avenue - just a funny name...
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Near Howland Avenue - just a funny name...27-Mar-2012 03:06, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 800
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to Korea Town, where we got dessert. I ate so many of these when I was in Korea for a month. Love them!!!

Hoddok (Korean pancake with brown sugar and nuts) = happy happy!
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Hoddok (Korean pancake with brown sugar and nuts) = happy happy!27-Mar-2012 03:17, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
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A very happy ending to a great day!

Tomorrow, I am off to Philly….

😀 -T

Spring Break 2012 – Toronto: Day 2

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Mar 262012
 

Jet lag hasn’t been so bad considering the amount of flying I did, but it still exists…. Although I woke up at 5am with some dozing until about 10am, Shu and I still managed to walk from Howland through Little Italy to Queens Way to Chinatown to Kensington Market area and back home again.

It was a beautiful day, which was very much welcomed after yesterday! 🙂

After a short rest, we headed to Korea Town for some delicious Korean food! Now, I’m trying to stay awake long enough to ensure that I don’t wake up too early though I have a day trip to Niagara Falls planned for tomorrow.

Here are some pics from today:

Apparently a Toronto icon - Honest Ed's random store of everything (didn't actually go inside though)
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Apparently a Toronto icon - Honest Ed's random store of everything (didn't actually go inside though)25-Mar-2012 19:03, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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A Canadian delicacy - Poutine
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A Canadian delicacy - Poutine25-Mar-2012 20:30, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 320
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25-Mar-2012 20:31, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
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Too cute!
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Too cute!25-Mar-2012 21:19, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.6, 9.4mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 200
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Toronto Chinatown gate - MON
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Toronto Chinatown gate - MON25-Mar-2012 23:54, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
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Kensington Market area - loved this mural
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Kensington Market area - loved this mural26-Mar-2012 00:11, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
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Bike rack in Kensington Market
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Bike rack in Kensington Market26-Mar-2012 00:13, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
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A Canadian fire house for my dad...hard to see it though...
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A Canadian fire house for my dad...hard to see it though...26-Mar-2012 00:15, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 7.2, 9.4mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
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Hard to do justice to the lovely residential areas
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Hard to do justice to the lovely residential areas26-Mar-2012 00:19, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.4, 7.9mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 100
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Pure maple syrup - 8.99 in a local organic store or 18.99 in a bottle at a 'gift shop' for tourists, you choose...
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Pure maple syrup - 8.99 in a local organic store or 18.99 in a bottle at a 'gift shop' for tourists, you choose...26-Mar-2012 01:12, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.6, 9.4mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 200
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Yummy Korean food with my favorite hosts!
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Yummy Korean food with my favorite hosts!26-Mar-2012 03:10, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 125
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Mmmmmmm....
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Mmmmmmm....26-Mar-2012 03:10, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
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-T 😀

Spring Break 2012 – Toronto: Day 1

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Mar 252012
 

My first full day in Toronto has been pretty relaxed. We had a relaxed start, but still on the early side as I’m kind of used to getting started around noon, not when it is still morning…. 😉

Q & Shu's cute attic apartment
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Q & Shu's cute attic apartment24-Mar-2012 15:11, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.167 sec, ISO 400
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Q & Shu's cute attic apartment
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Q & Shu's cute attic apartment24-Mar-2012 15:11, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.2 sec, ISO 400
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Q & Shu's cute attic apartment
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Q & Shu's cute attic apartment24-Mar-2012 15:12, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 400
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Q & Shu's cute attic apartment
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Q & Shu's cute attic apartment24-Mar-2012 15:12, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 200
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So, we headed down to St. Lawrence market, which is a farmer’s-like market in a renovated warehouse near/in the Financial District. There’s two kinds of markets – a yuppyish middle-class white version and a more diverse relaxed farmer’s market version. I tried bee pollen, which is considered very healthy, and it made me swell up on my lips and throat. Who knew?

Downtown Toronto: Union Station and CN Tower in the background
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Downtown Toronto: Union Station and CN Tower in the background24-Mar-2012 17:42, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 6.6, 6.3mm, 0.004 sec, ISO 100
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Downtown Toronto: Financial District
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Downtown Toronto: Financial District24-Mar-2012 17:42, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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Downtown Toronto: Financial District - Hockey Hall of Fame
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Downtown Toronto: Financial District - Hockey Hall of Fame24-Mar-2012 17:42, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 100
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Downtown Toronto: Financial District
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Downtown Toronto: Financial District24-Mar-2012 17:42, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 6.6, 6.3mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 100
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St Lawrence Market: Mmmm pork...meat...
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St Lawrence Market: Mmmm pork...meat...24-Mar-2012 17:51, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 200
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St Lawrence Market
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St Lawrence Market24-Mar-2012 18:04, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 200
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St Lawrence Market: Pork!
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St Lawrence Market: Pork!24-Mar-2012 18:06, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.167 sec, ISO 400
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St Lawrence Market: Guess this is some Canadian bacon specialty
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St Lawrence Market: Guess this is some Canadian bacon specialty24-Mar-2012 18:11, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 200
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St Lawrence Market: Juice!
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St Lawrence Market: Juice!24-Mar-2012 18:16, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 200
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St Lawrence Market: Saturday Farmer's Market
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St Lawrence Market: Saturday Farmer's Market24-Mar-2012 18:29, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 200
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Downtown Toronto
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Downtown Toronto24-Mar-2012 18:54, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.6, 9.4mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 100
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Downtown Toronto: Near Church
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Downtown Toronto: Near Church24-Mar-2012 18:56, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 100
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After that we stopped for a quick coffee break at a cool place called Origins on King St.

Downtown Toronto: Q next the Q water tap
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Downtown Toronto: Q next the Q water tap24-Mar-2012 19:02, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.25 sec, ISO 400
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From there, we went over to an Asian food market called T&T. It was nice to see so many options, but I wished I had more in Abu Dhabi.

Downtown Toronto: A visit to the T&T Asian Food market isn't complete without a Lover Hot Pot!
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Downtown Toronto: A visit to the T&T Asian Food market isn't complete without a Lover Hot Pot!24-Mar-2012 19:50, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
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Downtown Toronto: T&T offers live seafood - I know these are muscles, but somehow they look oh so wrong...
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Downtown Toronto: T&T offers live seafood - I know these are muscles, but somehow they look oh so wrong...24-Mar-2012 19:54, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
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Downtown Toronto: Shu found one that looks good
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Downtown Toronto: Shu found one that looks good24-Mar-2012 19:57, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 200
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Downtown Toronto: So many to choose from...
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Downtown Toronto: So many to choose from...24-Mar-2012 19:57, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 200
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Downtown Toronto: Lunch at T&T
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Downtown Toronto: Lunch at T&T24-Mar-2012 20:26, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.025 sec, ISO 100
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On the way back, we hit the Distillery District and stopped in this crazy stored where a guy does art with rubik’s cubes….

Downtown Toronto: The Distillery Historic District
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Downtown Toronto: The Distillery Historic District24-Mar-2012 21:14, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.02 sec, ISO 100
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes24-Mar-2012 21:22, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.05 sec, ISO 200
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes24-Mar-2012 21:22, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 200
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes (same store, but liked the idea of high heel wine holder)
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes (same store, but liked the idea of high heel wine holder)24-Mar-2012 21:23, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.077 sec, ISO 200
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes24-Mar-2012 21:24, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 250
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes (or dice)
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes (or dice)24-Mar-2012 21:25, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.4, 7.9mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes (or dice)
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Downtown Toronto: Distillery Historic District - Art with Rubik's cubes (or dice)24-Mar-2012 21:25, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.4, 7.9mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100
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then the wind picked up adding to the cold, so we headed back to have a rest and eat up our fresh crab. 😀

T&T crabs ready to eat!
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T&T crabs ready to eat!24-Mar-2012 23:38, NIKON COOLPIX S51, 3.3, 6.3mm, 0.1 sec, ISO 200
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I stopped taking pictures in the evening as the cold increased and though I’m awake, I’m not quite so with it…. Anyway, we went to a lovely and very cheap Vietnamese restaurant off of St. Claire and then had a long journey back as we walked through the elements for part of the way. It definitely felt nice to get to a warm and dry place!

More fun tomorrow!

😀 -T

Spring Break 2012 – To Toronto

 General, Meanderings Abroad  No Responses »
Mar 242012
 

Surprisingly, I am awake at a ‘normal’ time (8:00am) after taking a 12.5 direct flight AUH – JFK and then after a 4-hour layover was on a 1.5hour flight JFK – YYZ.

The flight to New York from Abu Dhabi was fairly painless in the grand scheme of things. However, nearly 12 hours of two children crying/whining and the sounds here and there of others have made me really think there needs to be children’s ONLY section at the back of the plane (not the front!!!). It’s not possible to keep them from fussing or crying at different times, but why must the rest of us have to suffer?

My flight companion was a 72-year-old Indian woman. I know because she asked me to complete her US customs form. She was nice, but a little too big for the seats, a little too old for getting up and down during a long flight and very very burpy! hahaha. She was sweet, though, I guess.

Randomly, my counselor in AD was in the seat behind me going on holiday to the East Coast. I wondered if that was some sort of sign that I should go see her when I return in April…? 😉

Everything else is a bit of a blur as I was so exhausted once arriving at Q & Shu’s place in Toronto.

I’m gonna have to go in search of coffee soonish, though, I think.

More to come…

😀

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