North America – Page 12 – PalmTreeMusings

4th of July at Niagara Falls and Toronto, Canada

August 11, 2013May 19, 2023Posted in North AmericaTagged best things to do in, July 4th, mystic muffin, Niagara Falls, Toronto, travel, travel blogLeave a comment

Niagara Falls with skyline in background

For the long July 4th weekend, we decided to drive up to see Niagara Falls and Toronto. We left Wednesday after work, and spent Thursday afternoon and Friday morning at the Falls. We took the Maid of the Mist boat tour, saw the fireworks for the 4th, and tried a couple of restaurants. All in all, Niagara is a cute and somewhat tawdry place to visit for a day or two, not really enough for a whole weekend, unless you also go visit some wineries in the Niagara On the Lake area.

Man standing at Niagara Falls Canada — Niagara Falls

On Friday afternoon we drove to Toronto to check out the city. We stayed close enough to downtown to walk in, and we visited the CN Tower on the first day. We also had some great Indian food, but unfortunately I can’t remember the name of the place. On Saturday we had breakfast at Mystic Muffin, which was a really interesting place, and we enjoyed talking with the owner- a super nice guy. And amazing apple cake. In fact, I planned on going back on Sunday morning to grab some stuff for the drive back, but unfortunately they are closed on Sundays. Sad.

We enjoyed the parks and greenspaces of Toronto, as well as the museum, and overall, had a very enjoyable visit there. I’m glad we visited in the summer- it was hot but not too bad, and we didn’t have to deal with all the snow!

Spring in Northern Virginia

May 5, 2013May 19, 2023Posted in North AmericaTagged best things to do in, marathon, northern Virginia, sebring, travel, travel blog, West VirginiaLeave a comment

woman after Washington DC rock n roll half marathon

lady with red convertible car chrysler sebring

Not a lot of travel yet this year- I’ve been sticking closer to home. I’ve been busy though! In March I ran a half marathon, the DC Rock and Roll Half. Then a week later I visited family and friends in Texas for a week, and then flew back to Virginia, and welcomed Chris home two days later. We bought a new convertible and have been tooling around in that enjoying the nice spring weather. We hopped over to West Virginia last weekend and did some mountain hiking and enjoyed the area around Berkeley Springs. The trees are in bloom and it’s a great time of year up here. So happy to be able to spend it together!

We return to the US- and get married!

June 30, 2012May 19, 2023Posted in North AmericaTagged best things to do in, Biltmore, north carolina, northern Virginia, repatriation, reverse culture shock, travel, travel blog, Washington dcLeave a comment

One of the great things about coming back to visit the US is the chance to be a tourist in your own country. Some of the local or near-by sights that others take for granted have a new-ness to them that is refreshing. And the ease of public transportation and the efficiency of the US National Parks Services is a great thing.

girl standing in front of great falls national park virginia — Great Falls National Park

man standing at C&O canal sign Chesapeake and Ohio Canal national park washington dc georgetown — Chris on the C&O Canal

After leaving Chad, we stayed in the Washington DC for a month, looking for a house. During that time, we explored a lot of the hot-spots of DC, visiting monuments, museums, and restaurants. My parents came to visit, so it was great to see them and celebrate with them. We visited the Washington and Lincoln monuments on a beautiful April day when the kites were flying, the trees were blooming, and the flowers were at their most colorful. It was great to see my parents again- it had been almost a year since our last visit- and Dad and I enjoyed the Smithsonian together, while both my parents got to meet my new husband. (We also took advantage of a rare time when we were both in the US to get married!).

In June, between Chris’s training and his deployment, we had an unexpected free week, so we split the distance between us and met in Charlotte, North Carolina. We spent a week exploring the city, as well as nearby battlefields, the US National White Water center, the Speedway, the Biltmore House in Asheville, and the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. The views were amazing and we learned so much about the area while we were there. Plus, it was nice to spend some quality time together before a lengthy time apart.

bass pond bridge reflection last of the mohicans north carolina asheville biltmore — Chris and Deah in Asheville

Now Chris is on a nine month deployment, and Deah is job hunting for a librarian job in the local schools. Hopefully Chris’s work schedule will allow for us to meet for a long weekend in the early fall, or for a week at Christmas. Meanwhile, I’ve got some adjusting to the US to do! Reverse culture shock is a real thing.