Goodbye Vancouver, Hello Toronto 2022

I’m back! 

The pandemic has messed with my sense of time, and I was stunned to realize I had abandoned my blog for eight months already! Anyway, here I am again, and my new year resolution (which I know was also my last year’s resolution) is to keep this travel blog active.

2021 turned out not to be my best year. In January, I started having some health issues, which led me to discover how slow and backward the Canadian health care system is. So slow that I ended up traveling to Mexico to see a doctor. Under professional care, I got diagnosed with a rheumatological disease, finally got treated, and now feel almost like new. The silver lining in all this is that I finally got to see my family, I spent my birthday (plus two and a half months) in Mexico, and I discovered Cyanotypes, my new favorite project that I’ll be sharing with you in an upcoming article. 

Once I returned to Canada, Ryan and I decided that it was time to do something we had been postponing since the beginning of the pandemic: we finally packed our bags and moved to Toronto!

I’ve always wanted to make a road trip across Canada; I just never imagined it was going to be with a car packed with suitcases and a very talkative cat. But, though it was not a leisurely trip, it was a fun and snowy week where I got a glimpse of how the middle of Canada looks. 

We left Vancouver in mid-November and spent two days in Lethbridge visiting Ryan’s family. After that, we made our way to Regina, making first a short stop at Moosejaw, a small town famous for being one of AlCapone’s hideouts during the prohibition era. The following day, we continued to Winnipeg.

Besides the road signs that tell you you are crossing into a different province, it’s hard to tell Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba apart. They are all flat farmlands, and people share that country culture that gives the center of Canada an old-time vibe. The roads get so monotonous that it’s easy to get distracted on the straight highways. Luckily, the snow was a good incentive to keep us alert throughout the three-day drive through the area.

I must admit that, from this region, I did like Winnipeg the best. I’ve only heard negative things from this city before,  but it turned out to be beautiful and entertaining enough to spend one evening before continuing on our trip.

The landscape dramatically changed once we crossed the Manitoba-Ontario border, and we entered this beautiful area known as Cottage Country. Have you ever seen that Log Cabin pancake syrup logo? Well, it’s exactly like that. The place is full of small lakes with cozy wooden cabins all around them. I particularly recommend visiting Kenora, the small touristy town where we stopped for lunch, as it seems to be beautiful no matter the season of the year.

We spent a night in Thunder Bay and got a first glimpse at Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes. We were delighted at this point, as we knew this was the last stretch before arriving in our new home. 

In total, we spent six nights on the road, and when we finally made it to Toronto, we found out our moving truck had not even left Vancouver. Apparently, we lucked out because two days after leaving, British Columbia experienced some of the worst floodings in its history. We were grateful, at least, that our moving truck was safe in a warehouse, and eventually, after two weeks of sleeping on an air mattress, it all arrived in one piece.

It’s been almost two months since we started a new life here, and we’re excited about what the new year is bringing, though, like everyone else, I wish the pandemic would end so we could explore the city at its full.

As for Vancouver, many people have asked me if I miss it.

For sure, I miss some things. With its stylish apartment buildings and a view of both mountains and sea, it’s one of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever seen. However, I don’t miss the rain and the quietness.

For now, there’s so much to see and do in Toronto. I prefer the cold over the rain, and the old brick buildings might not be state-of-the-art architecture, but they give the city an old, bohemian vibe. Plus, this is definitely a more cultural and cosmopolitan city, something Ryan and I felt we needed after living in Vancouver for so long.

As time goes by, I’ll be getting up to date with the blog and sharing more about my new experiences in Toronto. I’ll also let you know if I still think we made the right choice within a year. For now, I wish you all a happy 2022 and promise to keep you posted more often about my newest adventures!