Weekend Relaxin' in Florida!

I'm guessing that you've likely heard about the huge amount of snow Toronto got this past weekend. I was super lucky because I flew out on Thursday night as planned for a weekend in Fort Lauderdale. The weather there was awesome. I'm really eager for summer to start. I can't wait for evening walks and not having to wear so many layers. The fiance and I have never gone down south to get away from the cold Toronto winter so this trip was really awesome for both of us. Here's are some of the highlights of my weekend. Short and sweet!

bar hopping along the canals 

enjoying some Cuban cuisine

enjoying the sun at South Beach during a day trip to Miami 

cuddling on the couch with our friend's two frenchies  

Mexican!

gators at the Everglades! 

I think that my favourite thing during this trip was the 24 km bike ride we did along the Everglades. We thought it was a hoax at first but quickly discovered that all the gators were real. We got really close to them and I'm still surprised how close I was. Apparently gators find the water cold at this time of year and are only interested in lying in the sun to get warm. I guess preying on humans is not their top priority right now, which worked out well for me. I've done a boat tour of the Everglades before but this was waaay better. You get way closer and you get to see lots of other wildlife during this type of tour. Needless to say, I wish we could go to Florida every winter!!

Happy Tuesday!

Summer Travels - Sarajevo

So it's that time of year again when the bfs parents hop on a plane and head to the wonderful world of Croatia ... sigh. I am soooo jealous and wish I was able to go this year! There is so much of Europe to explore and I only just got started ... I had dreams of going to Italy then taking the ferry to Split this summer but just started my job and it's a little early to be taking my three weeks vaca. So ... I'll just have to reminisce about the time I spent at the beach house last summer. I guess I already did that didn't I? If you missed that post click here.

A view of the city from one of the surrounding mountains.  

The Famous Latin Bridge  

Another wonderful place close to Croatia is Sarajevo which I also visited last summer. I had the privilege of staying at the bf's parent's condo in the heart of the city. I love this city which is nestled in the valley of the surrounding mountains.  It has so much history which is unfortunately tainted by the Bosnian War. I thoroughly enjoyed my trip which encompassed trying out local foods, visiting some mosques, churches and museums and spending time with the bf's family.

One of my favourite things about the city is the Turkish influence. You can get hookah (shisha) on every corner and sit down and drink turkish coffee.

I also love that people in Sarajevo spend time outside, walking around, gathering around the numerous courtyards and fountains and enjoying drinks on the wide patios that take up whole streets. I guess these are characteristics of most European cities (the bf has been telling me this for years). I didn't know because I had never been to Europe but definitely wish we had more of an "outdoor culture" here in Canada.

lots of patios in this city. 

The food here is also amazing ... 

Super delicious cevapi 

I also drank boza

and ate a lot of hazelnut spreads 

Word on the street is that this little window in an alley is the best bakery in town. We got some donuts and pretzels and it was delicious!

Happy Tuesday!!

Vancouver Travel Diary - Two

This post is all about the delicious, yummy stuff I at while in Vancouver. If you missed the previous post about what I did/like to do in the city click here. As I mentioned in the previous post the bf and I discovered several places we love to eat when he lived there. We went back to each and every one of these and added a few new ones to our list.

I went to the famous Japadog after seeing it on Eat St. I had the Beef Terimayo (fried onions, teriyaki sauce and Japanese Mayo). It was yummy and worth a try but I didn't love it.

I ate this delicious banitza from Acacia Fillo Bar on Denman Street. It was AMAZE!! GO THERE!

And how could I go all the way to Vancouver and not visit the famous Cupcakes store! There are a few in the city stocked with yummy cupcakes. My faves are red velvet and anything with coconut icing YUM!! Have you ever seen their TV show on the W network?

We also went back to Mink where they have the most interesting and yummy chocolates. I highly recommend the "Greetings from Canada," not just because I'm Canadian lol!

Our fave Thai place is called Sala Thai. Lucky for us our friend Pairry is Thai and is friends with the owners so we got to bypass the long line ... sssshhhhh! She swears it's the most authentic in the city.

Enjoying this light, fluffy vanilla bean cake at Thierry. This place has the most awesome deserts and fancy coffees.

Me all excited and ready to have a feast :)

I saved the best for last!!! 

If you're in the mood for a really nice dinner check out Chambar. Chamber is a Belgian restaurant owned and operated by Chef Nico Schuermans. It is my favourite restaurant ... period! I have tried to find something comparable to it here in Toronto but so far no luck. The atmosphere is great - dimly lit with red walls and great music. The food is to die for! The Le Camping desert (pictured below) is probably the best desert I have ever had. 

A great spot for brunch is Cafe Medina. It has the same owners and chef as Chambar (go figure) and is located next door to Chambar. We went there for the first time on this trip and it was soooo good! I am such a brunch person and the Belgian brunch I had there was so different from anything I have ever had before. They have the most delicious Belgian waffles served with toppings like milk chocolate lavender and white chocolate pistachio rosewater. We had one with dark chocolate and a second with salted caramel and they were sooo good that they disappeared before I could get a photo. The lavender latte I had was also yummy. To say I was in heaven is an understatement. I really wish that Cafe Medina was located in Toronto :(

Cafe Medina Fricasse: fried eggs, braised short ribs, roasted potatoes, smoked applewood cheddar

Cafe Medina Tagine: poached eggs, spicy tomato stew, merguez sausage, sundried black olives, cilantro

Chambar Fletan et Petits Pois: roasted halibut, sweet peas, saffron curry veloute, jalepeno sauce verte

Chambar Le Camping: graham cracker ice cream (soo good), salted chocolate cremeux, toasted meringue.

So there you have it. That's what we ate, which was of course a really important part of our trip. If you go to Vancouver I hope you have a chance to visit one, or two, or three of these places. 

If you have any suggestions for other great Vancouver eats please let me know.

Bon Appetit!

Vancouver Travel Diary - One

Alright ... so I have been back from Vancouver for almost a week and I am still reminiscing about my trip! I had been waiting for the right opportunity to visit Vancouver for about three years now and was so happy when the bf got put on a project there. Here are some of my pics from the trip .... I hope you enjoy them :)  

Canada Place; cheaping out on breakfast; Gastown; view from our hotel

Views from a bike ride along the seawall. This is one of my favourite things to do in Vancouver. There are so many great views! I wish that Toronto was as bike friendly as Vancouver :(

staying active; getting some brunch; some funny statues near seawall (English Bay); a day of hiking with our two fave Vancouverites 

     hotel view; I enjoyed several walks along the seawall; posing in front on the Olympic flame; horses in Southlands 

We did a two hour kayak in Deep Cove. It was awesome to get out on the water. We both felt that it was so peaceful and relaxing. I have always wanted to kayak in Deep Cove. Now I can check that off my list! Maybe next time some paddle boarding?

So that's basically what we did and the type of things I love to do when in Vancouver. Vancouver is a great place to do some outdoor activities and get some relaxation. We didn't have the best weather. It was raining and pretty cold for most of my trip. I left Toronto in the middle of a heat wave to wear my jacket in Van. Regardless we had great fun together and I can't wait to go again. 

One really important part of our trip that I haven't talked about is what we ate. Yup ... we ate out a lot since we had to buy all our meals. When the bf lived in Van we discovered some great eating spots and made sure to visit all of them again. Since food is super important in my life it is deserving of another post. That's what's coming up next!

Happy Canada Day and 4th of July blogger peeps!

~B 

Summer Travels: Views from the bus

During our trip last summer we took many bus rides. The winding roads up and through the mountains made me feel sick and sometimes scared. Despite my nausea, I was able to take in some of the beautiful scenery that I saw travelling between Split and Dubrovnik and also from Gradac to Sarajevo.