| From August 27 to September 6 I had four | | | | went on a fun outing to a par-3 golf course on |
| visitors from Europe in town: my brother Ewald, | | | | the outskirts of Toronto. It was their first initiation |
| his wife Anneliese and their two friends - my | | | | to golf and they had a ball, and decided to explore |
| neighbours from my home town in Austria, Luis | | | | this activity further once they get back to |
| and Isabella. You may wonder why this is such a | | | | Europe.With our bicycles we explored the Don |
| big deal that I need to write about it.For me this | | | | River Valley and many of the ravines that |
| was a huge deal since it was the first time that | | | | criss-cross the Toronto landscape and the |
| my brother came to visit me since I immigrated | | | | comments that came back from my European |
| to Canada in 1986. Because of our 9 year age | | | | gang were time and time again about how green |
| difference we didn't have a chance to spend that | | | | Toronto is, and how it doesn't feel like a large |
| much time together when I was young, and my | | | | urban metropolis, full of concrete and devoid of |
| brother wasn't big on flying in the first place. But | | | | green spaces and recreational areas. They talked |
| we hatched the idea of a joint vacation last year, | | | | about the liveability of this city, that you don't |
| during my first visit back to my home town in 8 | | | | even need to leave Toronto to enjoy the water |
| years.So to me this was a very big deal. For our | | | | and the green spaces, or even off-road mountain |
| four visitors it was a pretty big affair as well since | | | | biking.My brother in particular, was amazingly |
| they had never travelled to North America. After | | | | enthusiastic about his time in Toronto. He loved |
| all these 9 days in Toronto were their first | | | | the ethnic neighbourhoods and said he could spend |
| exposure to the New World. We managed to | | | | days just exploring Chinatown. He also mentioned |
| cram a lot of things into these nine days: a visit to | | | | that he never felt an uncomfortable feeling of |
| Niagara's Wine Country, a country driving tour of | | | | racial tension in any of the neighbourhoods, the |
| the Kawartha Lakes, various bicycle tours of | | | | way he had experienced it in some areas in |
| Toronto, checking out Toronto's waterfront, | | | | various European cities. And they all felt safe, |
| Toronto Island, the Eastern and Western | | | | even though we took the subway and explored |
| Beaches, the Humber River, downtown Toronto | | | | some of the less affluent areas of the city.Our |
| with the CN Tower and many of Toronto's | | | | four visitors were the most considerate guests |
| neighbourhoods, including Greektown, Chinatown | | | | you can ever imagine. They took over the |
| (East and West), Kensington Market, Little India, | | | | kitchen, with my brother, a consummate chef, |
| Rosedale, Forest Hill, Bloor West Village and so | | | | whipping up gourmet meals every day, using |
| many other special spots that Toronto has to | | | | fresh Ontario ingredients. Since I still had to work |
| offer.They enjoyed the Toronto's architectural | | | | on different occasions during their stay, they |
| preservation efforts visible in the historic Distillery | | | | cleaned the house, watered the flowers, even |
| District or the renovated CN roundhouse that | | | | mowed the lawn. You couldn't imagine a better |
| now features the Steam Whistle Brewery. Along | | | | group of guests that would be more considerate |
| the way they managed to photograph many | | | | and helpful. This 9-day sleepover was one of the |
| vintage cars and trucks, even a 1950s style | | | | most positive intense experiences I have ever |
| hearse in the town of Bobcaygeon. They also fell | | | | had.Yesterday, I rode down to the Beaches for |
| in love with the Kawartha Lake Region, and ideas | | | | the first time again since my four special visitors |
| of coming back to Canada to rent a houseboat | | | | had left. I cycled around all the places that I had |
| and explore the Trent-Severn Canal System | | | | taken them, where they had posed for photos |
| started to percolate.Of course our European | | | | and commented on their experiences. And it was |
| visitors commented on the different dimensions | | | | amazing how much I missed them, how empty |
| of things, such as the size of cars, of | | | | the house felt without them, how deep an |
| super-markets, even of squirrels in the park, | | | | impression these 9 days left. I have already |
| everything seemed just a little larger. Our visitors | | | | touched base on the phone with them a couple of |
| commented on the sophisticated display rooms | | | | times to make sure they arrived safely and to tell |
| and restaurants at Ontario's wineries, the | | | | them how much I missed them.Now I am looking |
| surprisingly excellent quality of the wines (Ontario's | | | | forward to planning another get-together, for |
| wines are not very well known in Europe), as well | | | | some more joint activities, whether it be in |
| as the friendliness of service personnel at the | | | | Canada, Austria, or somewhere in |
| wineries, and in various other stores and | | | | between.Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a |
| restaurants around town. We even had a variety | | | | website called Travel and Transitions( Travel and |
| of friendly interchanges with dog-walkers, people | | | | Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is |
| on the street and lawn bowlers. Toronto definitely | | | | chock full of advice, tips, real life travel |
| showed its best side during these 9 days, and the | | | | experiences, interviews with travellers and travel |
| perfect weather just added to the experience.Our | | | | experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural |
| European visitors are all active people who enjoy | | | | issues, contests and many other features. You will |
| exploring and Luis and Isabella in particular are | | | | also find stories about life and the transitions that |
| athletes who enjoy biking, hiking, tennis, skiing etc. | | | | we face as we go through our own personal |
| I took them around on mountain bikes and they | | | | life-long journeys.Submit your own travel stories in |
| loved exploring the city in this way. My husband | | | | our first travel story contest( and have a chance |
| Nigel, an avid golfer, gave them some golfing | | | | to win an amazing adventure cruise on the |
| lessons at the driving range, and added some | | | | Amazon River. |
| putting lessons on the carpet in our house. We all | | | | |