2019 Canadian F1 Grand Prix, Part IV: The Race

Time to go watch some F1 racing!

Both my wife and I prefer experiences over a gift. This experience was special because it combined my favorite things to do; drive long distances, travel to a new city, and watch live a Formula 1 race.

2019 Canadian F1 Grand Prix

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve

After the race is over, people jumped the fence and walked the track. I would like to see this happen at Fenway Park after the Red Sox finish a game.

Tire remnants scrubbed off due to the friction of racing.

2019 Canadian F1 Grand Prix, Part II: The Food

The Farmhouse Tap and Grill

We stopped in Burlington, Vermont for lunch. My wife suggested this place from a recommendation on Foursquare. A local hard cider, then cheesy biscuits for the appetizer, and a vegetarian sandwich for her and the ground pork sandwich for me.

yeah...no thanks!

Souvlaki Bar Restaurant

We were missing our yearly Greek Festival tradition back home, so we had it for dinner. It was good, but nowhere near as good as the food from the festival.

yeah...no thanks!

The antipasto plate at Dunn's

Dunn's Famous Delicatessen

This delicatessen made the smoked meat sandwich famous. It is similar to pastrami and corned beef.

How could we not eat at Jean-Talon, surrounded by all that delicious food?

Campo's

She found a place that specializes in poulet portugais (Portuguese chicken). 

Le Blumenthal

It was challenging finding a place to eat in Montréal as there were thousands of hungry race fans who also wanted to eat. We found this brasserie on Saint Catherine Street and she ordered the pasta of the day and I chose the burger.

Carlos & Pepe's 

Our last night in Montréal found us at a chain taqueria. Since we had eaten food from Greece and Portugal, we thought to throw in Mexico as well. The beef burrito and the shrimp fajitas were ok. Someone wanted me to hurry up and take the picture as she was very hungry (check out the hands!)

Henry's Diner

On the way home we stopped in Burlington, Vermont for a late breakfast. I ordered a Denver Omelet and she ordered the amazing Breakfast Skillet (I wished I ordered that as well!).

2019 Canadian F1 Grand Prix, Part I: Exploring Montréal

I have never been to Montréal, even though I live only 5 hours and 500 km (307 miles) away. I would like to return without all the hoopla of race weekend. Since all the hotels were booked solid and ungodly expensive, we had to find accommodations outside of the city. My wife found a very inexpensive AirBnB 15 minutes outside of Montréal.

The city blocked off some streets to create a midway for vendors to showcase expensive cars.

A fun photo with the missus.

Marché Jean-Talon 

Someone loves the smell of lavender.

A variety of delicacies are available at the market.

I guess Canada gets a fancier version of Starbucks.

We walked through McGill University to get to Mount Royal.

A panoramic photo of Montréal from Mount Royal.

A hungry scavenger begging for food from tourists.

2018 Toronto International Film Festival, Part VI: Niagara Falls

Only an hour south of Toronto, just over the border with the United States, is Niagara Falls. I recommend to anyone who is driving to stop and see the Falls on your way to Toronto. It is a sight to behold. Unfortunately and predictably, the Falls have become a massive tourist trap. Even I bought a t-shirt to commemorate my visit.

This is something everyone should experience. Not just because Jim and Pam got married at Niagara Falls, but to witness the sheer amount of water crashing over the falls is simply awesome (see video at the end of the post). 

2018 Toronto International Film Festival, Part I: Exploring Toronto

                                                           
I had not been to Canada in many, many years. The last time I went was to Winnipeg was for my cousins wedding the summer of 2000 and before that I went to Quebec City when I was probably 14 years old. I was excited when my wife told me we was going to Toronto so she could cover TIFF (Toronto International Film Festival). We fell in love with Toronto immediately! The food is amazing and from many different countries, the people are friendly, and there is so much to experience in this cosmopolitan city.

You can check out her recap here.

As we approached Toronto, the CN Tower loomed in the distance.

Panorama from our balcony.

The view from the ferry to Centre Island.

The Toronto skyline from Centre Island.

This is an oasis in Toronto. You can ride your bike, rollerblade, bring your dog, have lunch, or just walk around on the wide paved paths. There is a marina and a small airport on the northwest side of the island. The island is a quick ferry ride from the city. The day we went was literally the hottest day of the year in Toronto. They said the temperature was around 39˚ Celsius (almost 102˚ Fahrenheit). The cool breeze off Lake Ontario dropped the temperature at least 20˚.

Here is a quick video from the ferry back to Toronto.


Just random photos of Toronto...