Toronto: Queens Quay & Old Town

We have travelled to the far East of Canada, the middle and now… to the West of Canada we go!

Toronto is the largest city of Canada and it’s bustling with activities. The pace of living is slightly faster than the rest of Canada, and the shopping is good. The weather ain’t as crazy as Winnipeg nor Boston, making it a great place to visit.

One of the most famous icons of Toronto is the CN tower. It’s distinct shape marks the skyline of Toronto.

The best time to visit the CN towers is pre-night fall.

You get to see the gorgeous sunset…

And you may be in luck to watch a game 533.33 metre down.

And of course, when you’re in the land of the Canadians, you definitely have to make time for the Hockey Hall of Fame.

But if you ask me, my favourite spot in Toronto has got to be Queen Quay. It reminded me so much about Sydney Harbour. Plus, I got to eat the famed ice-cream - the shop is located somewhere along the Quay and the chocolate ice-cream is fantastic.

That aside, the streets of Toronto are worth exploring. You never know what you might run into!

More ice-cream?

There is little doubt that you should spend a few moments at the Old Town.

Get some local produce at the Lawrence market, smell some flowers and catch a glimpse of the famous Flatiron building.

Canadians sure have a sense of humour.

Tomorrow, I’ll bring you to visit a site that is whimsical in its own rights.

Canada: Calgary

Calgary in its own rights, is a pretty charming town.

Not only is it famous for the Canadian Rockies, it is also famous for the Canada Olympic Park and Scotiabank Saddledome.

At the Canada Olympic Park, you get to read about the history of the Winter Olympics, try on some equipment and play some sport - if you are up to it.

After exploring the exhibits at the visitor centre, you should head up the hill to check out the ski jump complex.

Fifteen minutes of uphill climb and chilly wind later, we’ve arrived!

The scenery is pretty… Till you look down!

Skiers are such brave people!

Similar to the Olympic Park, Sandledome also held some Olympic games during the Winter Olympics in 1988. It lies near the grounds of the Stampede Corral. Ice Hockey anyone?

It is not difficult to understand why Sandledome is named the way it is.

Unlike Toronto, you can pretty much see most of Calgary when you are at the observatory deck at the Calgary Tower. Besides having the Rockies protruding at the far end of Calgary, the city is laid in neat rows on flat land.

Far right: Calgary Tower.

The Rockies lies right at the end on the far left.

In my entire life up till then, I have never really seen a full mountain range from afar. I vividly remember peering down on Calgary from the air and teared at the sight of the Rockies. It was and still is very beautiful.

The other side of Calgary.

The business district of Calgary at night.

Even during autumn, the streets of Calgary resonates the charms of Winter.

And guess what Calgary has that Singapore doesn’t?

Now A&W won’t you just come to Singapore?

Canada: Banff

People who say that there is nothing to do in Canada have never been to Canada’s pride national park.

Next stop in project touring Canada: Banff.

Famous for its snow-capped mountains and lush green, Banff is one of the top destination for locals and tourists alike.

This place is heaven. Although, my Finnish friends were quick to add that this does look like their yearly Christmas season back home. But till I knock on the doors of Santa Claus and ask for a spin in his sleigh, let’s just stick to the itinerary.

Tunnel Mountain.

One can easily figure out why Banff is one of the 1001 places to see before you die.

Banff is gorgeous. It’s hard to contain one’s excitement in this white wonderland.

The air is fresh. So fresh, I truly believed that my lungs were renewed.

Country music - checked. Sports wheels - checked. Here goes the road trip!

The first stop. Lake Minnewanka. It is called the “Lake of the Spirits”.

Nothing truly spooky about this place. Just a sense of calmness.

Along the road, we encountered many animals. This truly is a national park. Big-horned sheep ahead!

Gorgeous coat.

I had hoped that we would have seen more than these sheep - like elks or deers - but no such luck as the weather turned for the worse the following day.

Banff is pretty in all directions. This random shot taken from inside the moving car is proof.

Banff is overgrowing with pine trees. The smell is so refreshing.

The climb is steep and long, but we definitely need to reach the peak of Sulfur Mountain.

See that? Yes, that is where we will be heading towards.

Victory picture with my Finnish friends.

On the way down, we spotted the Brewstar.

How I wished I had the time to visit the polar bears!

And as night falls, what a lovely little castle to live in for the night… Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel.

There are of course other places that are worthy of a visit in Banff.

On the top of the list is Lake Louise.

A pity it was really snowy. So we couldn’t take a good snap shot of the vast lake.

The town is charming though…

What better way to end the trip then to tuck in to a Wendy’s meal.

Vancouver: Whistler.

With only four days in Vancouver, I managed to squeeze in a day at Whistler. After all, I do need to satisfy my craving for snowboarding.

A pity I had only enough time to shop, but not enough time to try the slopes!

Just look at those people go. Utterly jealous.

But hey, there is shopping ain’t there?

Of all the cities I have travelled, it is just ironic that the place that has the most christmas-spirited lighting is in Singapore.

As it turns out, the weather got worse as the day went by.

I had to try something. So… What is left but…

Tubing!

It was totally hilarious. All we wanted to do was to sit in the tubes to take picture. But we got really really stuck…

Or at least I was.

That’s my JC friend who has since gotten hitched.

Love the snow, hate the frozen butt.

Did I mention that my favourite winter sports to watch is Curling?

Vancouver: Victoria Island

One of my favourite places in Vancouver is Victoria Island. An unassuming little town with an old charm that lingers in your heart three years on.

I’m a city girl, and to wake up in one of these must be a total enjoyment.

And as usual, I’m decked in my all time odd attire. Love the shoes though.

Lunch was this mouth-watering plate of beer-battered fish-and-chips. Nothing beats eating seafood along the docks. For that matter, nothing beats eating seafood along the coasts!

If you have just about 1 hour extra, you should take time to visit their Miniature World. This place is a toy haven for children and adults.

It’s quirky, whimsical… and fun!

I was genuinely impressed with the detailing.

Everything is clock work. Right to the carriages.

A lot of people stopped to take pictures at this huge display depicting fairy land.

A tribute to London.

I could go on and on rambling about the museum.

But with one hour to go and a ferry to catch back to mainland, it’s shopping time!

After all, I really truly am a city girl at heart.

I left my heart in Vancouver

As I fight off these mounting piles of work, let’s tour one of my favourite cities in the world - Vancouver.

I’ve grown up in a city state so I enjoy the buzz and the hype of a cosmopolitan town. Vancouver is all that plus fantastic weather thrown in. I can run around in boots all day for all I care.

The moment I step off the plane and have dumped my luggage, I started my mini tour at the harbour.

I do think Toronto’s harbour looks way much prettier. Vancouver’s harbour look strangely similar to the one in Hong Kong.

A short walk thereafter, I enter the historic gastown. The streets were pretty empty.

Terribly shaky picture I know. But yeap, touristy picture… checked. Strange how I really liked the whole denim skirt with black tights combo then. If only I can ditch the fur jacket for a long coat.

There is just something amazing about the traditional vibe in gastown that made me smile. Cluster after cluster of shops that reminded me of cowboys and horses.

Adjacent to gastown, one should check out the Sun Yat Sen garden that lies somewhere in Chinatown. It is said to be really pretty with awesome botany.

I didn’t stay too long to linger in Vancouver’s chinatown and headed straight to the city centre.

Unlike Singapore’s orchard where you have to jostle with the crowd, Vancouver’s city centre is busy yet has a tinge of calmness to it all.

Taken from Banana Republic’s flagship store in Vancouver.

Until you see a car like this.

Just like our local sunflower motorbike, this has become Vancouver city centre’s resident car. Everyone takes a snap shot with the car.

Well you would have thought that I would have gone crazy shopping, but I realise that I wasn’t as shopaholic as I was a famished girl in the cold winter. After digging into Kebabs for breakfast, I had the most delicious nutella waffles along the street at Cafe Crepe Express. So delicious that I do think about it ever so often.

Ah, and with that I leave you with one of my favourite moments in Vancouver.

Calm, serene, beauty.

If only.

Canada: Winnipeg in the Winter

First November 2007 is a day to remember. It was the day when I experienced my first snowfall!

The start of a -40 degrees Celsius winter.

I did warn you that Winnipeg’s winter is crazy right?

So crazy they need bulldozers to cart off the thick snow.

But the snow does make my school campus look really beautiful.

That winter, I learned the new definition of a refrigerator. It is to keep your fizzy drinks warm from the cold harsh winter. They will explode due to the coldness, if left in the open.

That winter, I also learned that it is wise not to hang your clothes outside of your home to let it drip dry. It will be frozen.

That winter, I also tried my hands at many things that I can never do in Singapore. It was the first time I made a snowman. I was super duper happy.

I also attended my first ever ice hockey game.

Boy, was it violent.

And snowboarding!

I’ve never had so much bruises on my knees before. Pain aside, it is really so exciting to snow board down the never ending slope.

I can’t wait to jump at the chance to go snowboarding again!

Canada: Winnipeg in the Summer

I’m so swarmed with work of late, my wander lust soul is aching terribly. It has been a long time since I did a travel post!

One of my favourite place on earth is Canada. This was where I spent a good 4 months studying and touring the Northern Hemisphere.

So let’s start with the place that I bunked, studied, camped and froze…

Winnipeg, Manitoba.

I’m pretty sure you drew a blank at the name.

Facts about Winnipeg…

1) Unknown to many, Winnipeg was the place where Winnie the Pooh was born… or would you rather say, created.

2) It is also one of the coldest city in Canada- thus the nickname Winterpeg. You get so used to the cold, 5 degrees is summer.

3) It is in the same state (Manitoba) as the polar bear capital, Churchill.

On the day of arrival at the University, I was dead tired. Almost 48 hours of flight and transit was driving me nuts. I remembered that my roomie and I knocked out cold for the next 12 hours or so, sleeping through our very first and only hail storm during our stay.

If you were wondering about the cold. It’s really a serious business.

This was were we stayed.

Days before I was acquainted with Chanel. It’s band tees and jeans.

A really cosy on-campus apartment to lodge in. Loved that it was insulated well to beat the cold! The best part was that we stayed on the second floor, right next to the emergency exit. It’s just a 400 metres dash across the street to the cafeteria. 400 metres is all it takes for you to get your butt frozen (beyond the van).

Taken from my room.

Besides the occasional pool night-out with friends, toony tuesdays, clothes and grocery shopping, there is really little things to do in Winnipeg during Winter.

To make full use of the ending summer, my roomie and I made it to the forks.

At the forks museum. I did say that Winnipeg is closely related to the polar bears.

My roomie and I at the Esplanade Riel. Doesn’t the bridge structure look vaguely familiar?

I also made it to 2 major malls in Winnipeg - St Vital and Polo Park to stash up on winter wear. If there are a few lessons that I’ve truly learnt from my stay in Winnipeg, that is 1) buy all your winter wear in a winter prone country. The clothes are much more affordable and better to combat the harsh winter. 2) It is not necessary to buy thermals. Layer, layer, layer is the way to go. I was a true camisole convert. But, you need to 3) invest in a good outerwear / coat. Shielding yourself against the windchill factor is important.

Unlike the stark winter, the malls are inviting.

This little shop was selling chocolate coated apples!

Care to adopt one?

Happy CNY

I know CNY is way over. But, it’s no secret that I’m bugged with work - my table is overflowing with paper!

So, here are snapshots of CNY.

Gong Xi Gong Xi!

Up North..

Would you believe me if I told you I had zero make-up on when I took this picture?

I had to. I don’t believe in sleeping with make-up on.

Oh I love the look of dawn. Very pretty.

And when it was bright and cheerful…

It’s time to celebrate!

I just realise, besides this photo, I didn’t take much during the day.

So let’s fast forward and enjoy the fireworks.

Huat ah!

Happy 400 - I heart Ferragamos

It’s my 400th post on this blog.

Wow, what a milestone. Every time I clock 100, I celebrate it with something special and lovely.

This post is no different.

xxx

I have a super duper soft spot for leather shoes. Since the end of 2009, I have resolved never to buy shoes that bite. Out goes PU shoes, in comes leather shoes.

1) I like my feet to be happy.

2) I like my shoes to go the distance with me.

3) I like the smell of fresh leather - it’s a strange fetish I’ve developed over the years (GAH).

Since then, I’ve only broken the rule once. I purchased a stylish PU suede bootie from Charles & Keith. Had to hunt it down in Raffles place for they were sold out island wide in less than a week!

Anyways…

Since that resolution in 2010, I’ve developed a softie heart for Ferragamos!

This lad started my obsession with the comfy shoes.

I bought them on sale 3 seasons back. They were half size larger and I had to get my shoe maker to fill in with padding. The padding made the shoes so comfy, I practically lived in them for all my formal functions.

I’ve worn them to all my friends’ wedding dinners. It’s amazing how comfy they are judging that they add a cool 10cm to my height. All the other stilettos that I own - leather or not - makes the ball of my feet burn.

So during the last season’s sale, I woke up really early and headed for the annual sale.

My heart skipped many beats. I secured all the shoes that I’ve been eying all season!

My sister got this pair as well. We love nude shoes. They are so versatile.

Nudes are the new blacks.

Adding a pop of colour is this pair of mustard heels. The plastic that you see peeking from the sole is rubber padding. A tip that I picked up from my shoe maker.

But my favourite buy at that sale, has got to be this…

Paired with friendship band from Phuket. And my black tulle skirt from Japan.

Nude flats; in my size!!!!! I was so lucky.

Another girl wanted the same pair in the same size. She had spotted the pair before I did; but her SA got her a size bigger. My SA was quick - actually my sister was quicker and told the SA we wanted the pair in our size - and out she came with the correct size. There was only one pair.

Voila! It was love at first sight.

Tick tick tick. When will the spring sale happen?

xxx

Lots of hugs and kisses to all my readers who have made my day many times over. =)