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Last weekend, we celebrated Canada Day. As with many Canadian holidays, we had a three-day weekend, so we decided to take a little road trip west of Toronto and visit four small towns
Day 1
About an hour’s drive from Toronto is the Mennonite town of St. Jacobs. Mennonites are one of the branches of Christianity. They live in close-knit communities and preserve a traditional way of life, choosing to live without many of the conveniences of modern civilization. They are mainly farmers and craftspeople, and many still get around in horse-drawn buggies — or in vehicles like these
We visited a small Mennonite history museum, where we watched a film about their way of life, and then took a stroll along the main street. Here’s one of the Mennonite shops, with a rather interesting selection of goods
And this is a workshop where, alongside handmade pottery, you can also find second-hand wedding dresses
We visited a small museum featuring a miniature display of Southern Ontario as it looked in the 1950s — the St. Jacobs & Aberfoyle Model Railway. I had never seen miniature models with such incredible attention to detail. We were especially impressed by the moving trains and the transition from day to night, when it gradually got dark and all the little lights came on. And the whole thing was operated by just five people!
Недалеко от деревни располагается известный большой продуктовый рынок меннонитов — St.Jacobs Market. Свежие овощи и фрукты прямо с грядки, выпечка, предметы быта, консервация, сыры, колбасы, и всякие разные вкусности
Our next stop was the town of Cambridge. Yes, Canada has its own Cambridge, London, and even Paris!
We crossed the Grand River by bridge to reach the downtown park and admired the beautiful church. Then we took a stroll through another sculpture park, the Cambridge Sculpture Garden
We took a short walk around the park and came across a historic post office building, the Old Post Office. The building was constructed in the late 19th century and is currently being restored. Once the restoration is complete, its rooms will be used by both local residents and visitors to the city
Our next stop was the town of Stratford. It is twinned with Stratford-upon-Avon in England and is famous for its annual Shakespearean theatre festival. The theatres are set amid nature, surrounded by a beautiful park
Of course, we took a walk through Shakespearean Gardens near the main theatre
It was time to move on, as the sun was already beginning to set
By evening, we arrived in our local version of London, London. The exhausted kids went straight to bed, while the adults headed off to lose some money at the casino.
Day 2
The weather had been extremely hot throughout our trip, so first thing in the morning we decided to head straight to the beach — Port Stanley Beach. The beach is on Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes. The lake is actually enormous, with waves that look more like those of the sea. It was certainly crowded, but the kids — and some of the adults — had a great time
We had planned to explore London, but after driving around downtown for a while, we realized there wasn’t really much to see. We stopped to admire the beautiful Neo-Gothic St. Peter’s Cathedral, and then the kids simply had fun rolling around on the grass
And in the evening, we were treated to the traditional Canada Day fireworks... Happy Canada Day to us! 🇨🇦
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