Even though I’ve lived outside of Ottawa for years now, I was born and raised there. I wasn’t always fond of it in the past, but every time I go back to visit, I make it my personal mission to find something new and exciting that reignites my love of the city. Over the years, I’ve seen such progress as it takes on an evolution towards morphing itself into a kick-ass major Canadian city. And it seems to be working, highlighted by signs of change around every corner – from the revamping of the city centre for Canada 150, to the light rail, to even the feeling of a shift in certain neighbourhoods. Ottawa really is the place to be these days (and trust me, I never thought I would ever say that).
A Holiday Back Home to New Zealand
It might finally be summer in the UK, but I was lucky enough to escape for a few weeks of sunshine in my homeland, just as the snow was falling in Londontown. It had been just over two years since I had been back to New Zealand, and I was itching to see my family and friends, as well as explore a few new places along the way. For those of you who didn’t know, I grew up in New Zealand, moved into 2 or 3 different private house rentals in West Auckland going from various jobs, then took the big step to move to the UK. I like to come home every year so I was very excited to get back to see everyone.
Keep Calm and Eat All The Maple Things
I don’t like to generalize, but Canadians truly do love maple syrup. We have maple butter, maple tea, maple baked beans, maple bacon, and that’s not even scratching the surface (maple room freshener anyone?) In our defence, it is not only better for you than sugar, as Catherine can confirm, but requires an incredibly labour intensive process to make. Did you know that it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make just 1 gallon of maple syrup? I like to think that Canadians just appreciate the finer things.
A Spring Afternoon Tea at the Ritz
I definitely don’t want to jinx it, but I think it’s FINALLY safe to say that spring has sprung here in Toronto. With the upcoming royal wedding just around the corner, I got to spend an afternoon with the team at the Ritz-Carlton here in Toronto and be amongst the first EVER to experience their May 2018 Royal Wedding exclusive Afternoon Tea menu for Spring.