Wednesday 31 August 2011

The Cottage

Hello again!  I recently went up north to my family's cottage with, well, my family!  It was the first time we were all up there together at the same time in years.  It was so fun to spend time with everyone and get caught up after a year of being away.

Northern Ontario has such a unique feel to it.  Nights are absolutely silent, there is no light pollution so you can see every star in the sky, and the sunsets, well I can't describe them.  Here are some pictures I took up north:

Our view



Dinner

My biggest catch of the weekend

The sun sets directly in front of our place every night.


Breath taking

Early in the morning, when the lake is as still as glass, the water is warmer than the air, so a layer of fog covers the surface.


I just love it up there!  There's no place like the north!

Monday 22 August 2011

Smoke's Poutinerie

So, now that I'm back in Canada, I thought my first real blog post from here should be about our national food staple: Poutine.  Poutine is simple - fries with cheese on top, and gravy on top of that.

It's the best thing that ever came from Canada.  Except maybe Celine Dion.

So, just before I left Belgium, I heard of a new poutinerie that opened up in my hometown Hamilton.  I knew I had to go.  Here is some information, and some pictures of Smoke's Poutinerie, in Hamilton Ontario.

Smoke's Poutinerie, George Street, Hamilton, Ontario

That's the magical place.  It's located on this charming street:


at the address 112 George Street in Hamilton.  It's in Hess Village.  The poutinerie, which is open every day at 11am and until 3am on Thursdays and 4am on Fridays and Saturdays (hours listed here) uses Ontario and Québec grown potatoes and cheese from Québec as well.  Not only that, the poutines are served in biodegradable containers, so there isn't an ounce of garbage left over - the fork goes in one box, the rest in another!

This is only one location of course.  They have more locations across Canada.  This one has indoor and outdoor seating, and metred parking close by.








Well, that's that.  I just returned from a cottage weekend with the family, so stay tuned for pictures and stories from the north!

Tuesday 16 August 2011

Canadian Blog

Well, I never really thought I'd have a blog in Canada but I think I'll miss it if I don't do it.  I enjoy blogging.  It gives me an outlet where I can express my opinions (who am I kidding - I mainly like to post pictures!)

For those of you just joining me, I have 2 other blogs (now complete) iankivellkorea.blogspot.com recounts my adventures in Korea, where I stayed for one year.  iankivellbelgium.blogspot.com is the same idea, but with Belgium.  Now that I'm in Canada (and plan to stay here for a decent amount of time), I've decided to start a blog here too.

I must say, though, that I will not be updating as frequently as I did my other blogs but I will still stay on top of covering the important events that happen around me.

Today's topic?  My Grandparent's 59th wedding anniversary!  Happy Anniversary!  1952 they were married!

For now, that's all!  Enjoy my blog!