July 21, 2015: Cousins Road Trip to Niagara & Toronto: Day 4

Elisa & Tanya on a Surrey Ride on Centre Island

Tanya's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN: TORONTO

Time for fun in Toronto!

Hi there!

It's Travelin' Tuesday here at Travelin' Cousins and us cousins are Travelin'!

Still here in good 'ol Toronto, Canada!

On the ferry!

Do you know who else is in Toronto, Canada right now???

Athletes from all of the Americas are here to compete in the Pan Am or Pan America Games!!

From July 10-26, 2015 the city of Toronto, Canada is hosting this major sporting event which features summer sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. 
The competition is held every four years in the year before the Summer Olympic Games, and over 5,000 athletes compete at the Pan American Games in 36 sports and nearly 400 events!

The Pan Am Games is not something that I am terribly familiar with, but I do find very exciting! Had I been more familiar with this I would've been sure to secure tickets to some events! 
As it is, I am currently looking to see if I can find something of interest for this evening!!

The rest of the day will be filled with me taking my kiddos and Gianna on a morning tour of the vegan bakeries here in Toronto - this should be sweet!

Then back to the rental to meet up with Elisa, Kelsey, and Tedd (who's birthday happens to be today!) and we'll be heading to the 
St. Lawrence Market, which not only is rated as one of the BEST markets in the WORLD, and named THE WORLD'S BEST FOOD MARKET by National Geographic in April 2012! 

St. Lawrence Market is also a part of the history here in Toronto...

With 120 vendors, including merchants and artisans known for the variety and freshness of their fruit, vegetables, meat, fish, grains, baked goods and dairy products, as well as for the uniqueness of the non-food items for sale, this market has been thriving for 208 years!!

After the market we plan to go over to the Harbour front, take in the sights and enjoying the breeze coming off of Lake Ontario.

It'll be a fairly leisurely day for us, with plenty of strolling and shopping! 

We might even manage to go check out the other "famous" shopping district here in Toronto - Kensington Market, which since 2006, it has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada!

Our group will separate for a while this evening, when Elisa, Tedd and the girls go out to dinner to celebrate Tedd's 61st Birthday! 


HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEDD!!!

While me and the kiddos plan to top off our night by heading over to Nathan Phillips Square for some PANAMANIA!!!

PANAMANIA Live is the epicenter of music and fun throughout the TORONTO 2015 Pan Americas and one of Toronto’s must-visit destinations during the Games.
It's sure to be a good time and a great way to cap off our time here in Toronto!

As far as how yesterday went...
Our group headed over to the Toronto Islands - Centre Island via Ferry, and we had a great time!

We admired the beautifully landscaped paths, had a blast racing Surreys "Ramming Speed!", and checked out all of the cute animals at Far Enough Farm. 

Elisa and I, racing the rest of our crew!

I'm with the kids now!

A couple of the parents were pooped!

These kids are so little!

Once we got back over to the "mainland" all of our group except Tedd (he is afraid of heights) went over to the CN Tower to check out the view from 
447m (1465 ft.), and from there we saw an awe-inspiring 360 degree unobstructed views of Toronto, Lake Ontario, and the surrounding region.

Visibility is over 160 kilometres (one hundred miles), and it's said that on a clear day it's not unusual to see Niagara Falls or Rochester, New York! But we didn't get to see quite THAT far!

Too scared (smart) to go on the glass floor!

FUN FACT: The CN Tower was declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers!

We then ended our day back at the rental for dinner and relaxation, while Tedd and Elisa chose to go out for dinner at what sounded like a very tasty local Thai restaurant.

Tomorrow we head back into the states, but not before touring a Maple Farm!!! 
OMG am I so excited!
I'm totally HOOKED on Maple...read more HERE

So be sure to catch us back here tomorrow, to hear all about today's SCOOP and to see what other fun plans we are in store for!

See ya on Wednesday!
-T

Elisa's Daily Scoop
CURRENTLY TRAVELING IN: TORONTO

Toronto Fun - Centre Island & CN Tower

Today is Travein' Tuesday and that is exactly what the Travelin' Cousins are doing today!!!

We are coming to you straight from Toronto, Canada, on our 4th day of our Cousins Road Trip.

Incredible View of Toronto Skyline from the Centre Island Ferry

Today is a mellow day with a relatively relaxing schedule. Tanya was out bright and early with the kiddies hitting a few local vegan bakeries.

Check out her blog to hear all about the goodies they got and the places they visited!

Before, I tell you about the rest of our day, let me share yesterday's events...
Our day was centered around two main Toronto sights:  A visit to Centre Island AND A ride up the CN Tower.
Read all about it in one moment. 


First a big SHOUT OUT TO TEDD - - - 
      HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Wishing you the best birthday ever!!

Ok - back to our day in Toronto...
We really didn't rush out in the morning. Took our time and then piled into one car together and headed for the Ferry to take us to Centre Island.

The ferry ride was fun!  Amazing views of the city of Toronto!!!  The breeze was blowing, the sun was shining and we were pumped to see the mellow side of Toronto!

Boarding the Ferry to Centre Island

View pulling away in the Ferry towards Centre Island

Lovin' those selfies!

Our plans were to wander around the island, visit Far Enough Farm to see the animals and if we had time - go to the kiddie amusement park.  

Well, we didn't have time for the rides and attractions which I was disappointed about - really wanted to ride the ferris wheel, but the majority wanted to see the animals, so that's what we did.

After five minutes of seeing the animals, Kelsey asked if we could do the amusement park, but unfortunately, we were running out of time since we had to get the car from the lot before 6 and it was already 5:15.  Oh well, next time sweetie!

Surrounded by gardens and flowers everywhere!

The island is absolutely lovely, with the most lush and colorful gardens.  Bright, cheery flowers all around!!  

The kids were really excited about doing a Surrey Ride so that's exactly what we did! 
We rented two of them and had a blast peddling along the paths.  

Initially, it was Tedd and all four kids in one and Tanya and me in another.  We got a bit competitive with who could go faster and during the big race (which you can see in the video below).... but in the end, the "Travelin' Cousins" were victorious!!!

After that, we fizzled out and decided to let the rest of the gang knock themselves out, while we peddled at a comfortable speed and chatted away about our next trip!!

Kelsey balancing that water bottle

Ok so for the gross picture of the day...REALLY? keep your shirt on or shave or wax.  It was pretty blech to look at this guy's hairy sweater back.

hairy sweater back guy on line to get a surrey on Centre Island

I'm not a huge petting zoo kinda gal - I LOVE animals but I find them generally smelly and not the most enjoyable time.  I let the gang roam around and I just sat and relaxed at the entrance on a very comfy bench in the shade - taking in the breeze.

Managed to grab a few pictures, though my cuz got the bulk of them! Check out Tanya's great shots of our Surrey Ride and Far Enough Farm.

Me and Gianna were literally the last ones on the return ferry!!! We were dillydallying taking pictures of the skyline, and had to run to catch up to our crowd, just as the crew was closing the gate!!!

Having fun taking pics - we almost missed the ferry!!

I was so excited for our next little excursion - to the top of the CN Tower!!!

Did you know...
> The CN Tower is not only one of the world's tallest structures, but it is also a Canadian landmark.
> To the Tip Top of the Tower stands 553.33 meters high?
> The Skypod stands at 447 meters high
> The glass floor, which gives you a view straight down to the ground stands at 342 meters high

It was Tanya, me and the four kids as Tedd does not do well with heights.  I have to say, I LOVED the tower, but was totally freaked by the Glass Floor!!  

Gianna and Kelsey just walked right on it - no fear whatsoever that if they looked down, they looked 342 meters down to the ground!!!

I put my foot and my hands on it for a picture, but I couldn't actually look lol!

Then we went up higher to the Skypod.  This was rather freaky too because of the plummeting view down.  We took yet another video of this little experience!!

It was not a cheap proposition to go to the top - for my gang of three, it was $130 Canandian.  But, it was truly an experience!  Couldn't come to Toronto and not do the CN Tower!!

We went up to observation level (the big one) and then up to the Skypod (the little one at the top)

View from the Top of the CN Tower

My girlies looking out

Me and my girlies with the Toronto Skyline behind us at the top of the CN Tower

See the view down on the glass floor (342 meters down!) Gianna's sneakers on the glass floor

View from the SkyPod

So, back to today... A leisurely stroll through the St. Lawrence Market, which has a history that dates back over 200 years. Today, there are over 120 vendors, merchants and artisans - I am positive, shopping will be G R E A T!!

The weather forecast is calling for mid-70's temps with sunshine.  Great Day ahead BABY! We'll grab some lunch at Apiecalypse Now where they specialize in vegan pizza!!! 

Final destination is the Harbor!! Hoping to get some great photos there!

Have a great day!!!

-E
xoxo