William & Kate's Royal Wedding

Princess Catherine Elizabeth Middleton. Photo from the Guardian.

Prince William, arriving at Westminster Abbey. Photo from the Edmonton Journal.

What a fairy-tale. Waking up at 5:00am to watch the Royal Wedding was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and I am so glad to have experienced it. With my Mum, we sipped tea as we watched (on numerous tv stations) the entire wedding procession. I even guessed the colour of the Queen's dress/hat (I said yellow, Mum said pink). I hear they were betting on what colour it would be at some race-tracks in the South! I have to say, that my favourite part of the wedding, besides seeing Kate's dress for the first time, was checking out all the crazy and beautiful hats and fascinators that the wedding guests wore. I am in love with these hats! Every one of them is so unique, and so colourful. Posh and Becks looked fantastic, and I adored the hat worn by Zara Phillips.

Princess Beatrice with her outlandish hat. Photo from the Edmonton Journal.

The Queen and Prince Philip en route to the wedding! Photo from the Edmonton Journal.

Wasn't it beautiful to watch William and Harry walk together from the car, into Westminster Abbey? Or when Kate and Wills said their vows? The 20 foot trees inside the abbey were a unique touch, and something country-wedding-esque to offset the pomp and circumstance of the occasion. Perhaps they were a nod back to her upbringing in Bucklebury?

Did you watch the wedding? What did you think? Any fashion hits or misses? I love weddings, and am so excited to be attending one tomorrow for a close friend!

A Night of Cheese

I blame Holland.

Living for a year and a half in one of the world’s most cheese-loving countries did me in. Seriously. I have a cheese-addiction. If I could, I would eat cheese for every single meal (and in fact, some days I do just that). Luckily, I have found friends in my MBA program who share my love for cheese, and we decided to celebrate the three new letters behind our names by having a little wine and cheese (emphasis on the cheese) night. My good friend Courtney and I trekked it out to a little town in the Niagara region, where we visited a specialty cheese shop, Chez Fromage. The woman was extremely helpful and knowledgeable, and went about giving us plenty of samples to try, as we attempted to find the perfect match for our wines. I was bringing my all-time fave wine, Strewn’s Riesling-Gewurztraminer, and Court was assigned a Chardonnay. In the end, I choose a gouda (again, I blame Holland) flecked with cumin, which complemented the Gewurztraminer’s fruity notes excellently! Court chose a dry sheep’s milk cheese, Zacherie Cloutier. Delish! We both loved it.

Needless to say, we all ate waaaay too much cheese. With seven wine varietals, mixed with seven cheeses, we were in food heaven. Especially me and my friend Dolly who, I’m pretty sure, loves cheese as much as I do. Oh, and I should mention how inspired I’ve been by fellow cheese-loving bloggers, like Nichole and Joanna. Love them, and especially love Joanna’s birthday cheese! Genius.

Yay to cheese….any other cheese-lovers out there?!

Harbourfront Happenings

Last summer, Gabriel and I discovered the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, just steps from his downtown condo. Since then, we’ve returned numerous times, for long walks, trips to Toronto Island, and Brazilian festivals. This past weekend was so hot and sunny in Toronto that we decided to make our first trip of the season down to the harbourfront.

Although Gabriel mentioned that Toronto’s harbourfront just doesn’t compare to that of San Francisco, we do think that Toronto has done a great job in revitalizing this area, which now attracts locals and tourists alike. We started our long walk with a trip over our favourite bridge, which pays homage to Toronto’s twin city, Amsterdam. I loved seeing the boat-owners scrubbing their winter-worn boat decks, unfurling their sails, and slowly chugging out of the marina. There is something about the presence of water in a city that is so important to me. I suppose that’s why I loved living in Amsterdam so much, with its myriad of canals and the looming presence of the North Sea beyond its boundaries. On humid summer days, escaping to the harbourfront of Toronto is a must, and if you look South, you almost feel as though you are in the midst of Canadian cottage country (when in reality the CN Tower and city skyscrape stand powerfully a mere blocks from the water).

Determined to soak up the most of the warm weather (since it did snow last week after all!), I got some toasted coconut ice cream from a vendor, and Gabriel had a nap in the late afternoon sun. We even discovered an area of the harbourfront that we had not seen before, H_TO park, with its man-made beach and steel umbrellas. A bit cheesy, and not nearly as enticing as an authentic beach, I commend Toronto’s ambition in creating an urban oasis for its beach-loving citizens. We sat on Muskoka chairs underneath an umbrella, watching the pigeons and ducks, as Porter Airlines planes flew into the Toronto Island airport meters away.

Albeit crowded on a good day, the harbourfront is quickly turning into one of my favourite Toronto spots. There are some nice restaurants, with expansive patios ideal for long lunches or mid-day cocktails. A number of tour boats operate from the docks, and an ever-present outdoor photo exhibition is constantly rotating its portraits. Basically, there is always something happening at the harbourfront, and I’m sure this post is just one of many you’ll be seeing here on Life Abroad this summer! What can I say, I’m a sucker for boats and anything remotely nautical :)

Eggs

Easter weekend was beautiful here in Canada. While the weatherman consistently called for rainy, chilly days, what we got were sunny, warm ones. In addition to a rather competitive egg hunt between my niece and nephew, we enjoyed seeing wild bunnies jump through our backyard, watched some Royal wedding documentaries, and even dyed some eggs. Always the good sport, Gabriel joined in the egg-dying, and produced some surprisingly beautiful tie-dye-esque ones (pictured below). What did you do for Easter?

Done my MBA!

I did it!

After two years of study, I have finally completed my MBA degree! Woohoo!

The feeling is surreal, and while I’m filled with relief, contentment, and happiness, I must admit that it is a tad bittersweet. The friendships I’ve made, the experiences I’ve had, and the opportunities I’ve received from this MBA program have been incredible, and I am definitely going to miss it. The good news is that in a few short months I will be starting my first year of law school. I could not be more excited, nervous, and ready for the challenge! Until then, I will be enjoying my time off, working as a marketing/advertising research assistant, and hopefully traveling somewhere really really special (*fingers crossed*).

Here’s a look back at a few of my favourite photos which epitomize my time in the MBA program…

Can’t wait to see what this new chapter of my life will bring!

P.S. Thank you all for your patience the last few weeks…I’m pretty sure that my end-of-term assignments, events, and exams have made me the worst blogger ever, but I will change that this summer! xo

Scenes from the Countryside

Driving through the Canadian countryside

The last bits of snow still covering the fields

Horses bundled with blankets

Crooked barns and road-side thistles

Jordan

Jordan Ontario is a wine-making village in Southern Ontario. After our antiquing adventure there last weekend, we drove into “Jordan Village”, to see the cute little town we’d heard so much about. It was deserted, and beautifully silent. An extremely small main-street is packed with little shops, and a cute café (which was closed, but we’ve vowed to go and visit next time!). We wandered in and out of the shops, stopping to sample and purchase some peanut butter fudge from two cute elderly ladies working at a women’s boutique/candy store.

A relaxing walk through a beautiful little town, was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.