Vancouver in three photos

The third and final stop of my three-part trip in November 2017 was Vancouver. Here is Vancouver in three photos.

The only (relatively) rain-free day out of my three days in Vancouver was a perfect one for a stroll around Stanley Park. It seemed like I wasn’t the only one who thought so.

A gorgeous bird perched atop a tree in Stanley Park, observing passersby as they walk/run/cycle by obliviously. Hello, beauty. What’s your name?

Final glimpse of autumn foliage in a residential neighbourhood – it almost looked as if it was raining flames.

Boston in three photos

The first stop of my three-part trip in November 2017 was Boston. Here is Boston in three photos.

The glistening skyline of downtown Boston by night, as seen from Cambridge, on the north side of the Charles River.

At the Park Street T (subway) station in downtown Boston, a man was making friends with (i.e. feeding) the pigeon.

Not too late to catch a final glimpse of fall colours at Boston Common.

The falling leaves drift by my window

Autumn came and went like the wind this year in Glasgow and we seem to be already in the midst of winter in mid-November. If I thought that last year’s autumn colours were gorgeous, then I must say that they pale in comparison to this year’s. Maybe it’s because the weather had been unusually mild this year and we surprisingly haven’t gotten so much rain. Maybe it’s because I finally discovered how majestic that tree looks outside my office window. Maybe…Lady Autumn decided to grace us with her presence more sophisticatedly than she did in previous years. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

A statue with a nice orange wig…!

Bright golden leaves at Kelvingrove

A walk through Kelvingrove Park

Kelvingrove Park is a 10-minute walk from my walk and my office but I tend to overlook its proximity and hence don’t go there often. During the summer, it is a great place to have a picnic or a barbecue, and when autumn comes and the colours change, an afternoon stroll on a rainless day is quite relaxing. I’m glad I took a walk when autumn was at its best – two weeks later the branches would have all turned bald!

Autumn colours

Leaves outside my office window

Main Building tower amid the autumn leaves

Main Building, University of Glasgow

Sunny day, blue skies, golden leaves!

Fiery red

Of course, my workplace, the University of Glasgow, is itself the perfect place to observe the changes in season. Every corner is full of magic and I sometimes really do think I work at Hogwarts. The Main Building, especially its tower, at the centre of the campus likes to take the spotlight and appears in many photos of the university that I’ve taken. Already an impressive structure that I have the luxury of passing by every day, it looks even more exquisite in the midst of the orange, red, and yellow leaves. Now, only about a week after I’ve taken photos, autumn is no more, and we are left preparing for the onset of the delayed rainy season…

(By the way, the title of this post is the opening line of the beautifully classic song, “Autumn Leaves”. A few months ago I stumbled upon an instrumental “cover” of this song and fell in love with it – here it is to share with everyone!)

Cottage time in Barry’s Bay and Algonquin Park

October is a magical time in Toronto because the fall season brings with it the art of transforming foliage, which covers the city and surrounding areas with vibrant colours. I’ve known this for almost the past two decades, but only began to truly appreciate the beauty of Canadian autumns last year. I thought it would be the perfect time to take a trip back to Toronto during mid-October this year, right in time for the Thanksgiving long weekend, and head north to Barry’s Bay in the Algonquin Park area with my family for a short cottage trip.

In the 19 years since I’ve immigrated to Canada, I had never been to Algonquin Provincial Park, which is a 3.5-hour drive from Toronto. It might have been past the summer cottaging season, but mid-October was definitely a popular time for Canadians to enjoy a final cottage break before winter kicks in, especially in the north where the autumn foliage colours were already in bloom. I won’t include too many words for this post – the photos speak for themselves.

Carson Lake

Carson Lake

View of foliage from a distance

Sherry in the woods

Parents ❤

Colours of fall

Let’s go canoeing!

Peak @ Madawaska Valley

Carson Lake by the cottage

Bogs in Algonquin

Jolly around the campfire

Colours of fall

Canoeing selfie!

Let’s go canoeing!

Colours of fall

Parents during the hike

Sherry in the woods

Jump for joy!

Aside from canoeing on Carson Lake, exploring Algonquin Park, and relaxing at the cottage in Barry’s Bay, the trip included a hike in Madawaska Valley, a beautiful surprise and a rare time when all family members hiked together (mainly because I insisted). The colours of the autumn foliage were at their best in mid-October, which was exactly why I went back to Canada and headed up north with my family. The vivid orange and red leaves are lovely complements to my even more lovely parents and sister, aren’t they 😉

Moccasin Trail Park – Quest for the rainbow

If you are a resident of Toronto and a frequent commuter on the northbound Don Valley Parkway (DVP), I’m almost sure you have seen a rainbow at least once. I’m talking about that rainbow tunnel on the right side of the expressway, near the Lawrence exit, that drivers often pass by. It is colourful and conspicuous and certainly would have attracted anyone’s attention, but most drivers probably keep going without giving it a second thought. After all, it’s just another familiar scene you see on your daily commute, no?

I was curious. I wanted to find the exact place where that rainbow resides and find out how close I could get to it. It seemed so far away from the DVP, you know…as if it’s really a real, unreachable rainbow. In reality, it’s literally right next to the expressway – I just needed to figure out how to actually get there.

I did have a hidden agenda though, and that was to finally fully experience the beauties of the fall foliage along the Don River on both sides of the DVP, which are now covered in gorgeous patches of red, orange, and yellow. With an awesome hike that was achieved in the Crothers Woods (which is also close to the DVP, a bit more south) last week, I couldn’t wait to see where my search for the rainbow would lead me! After a bit of research and some luck with the weather, I set out on a quest for the rainbow, which led me to my entry point – Moccasin Trail Park.

There are so many areas to enjoy our blessed green space in Toronto, and I was determined to visit as many of them as possible before I leave the country again. The weather was slightly threatening this afternoon with warnings of rain, but the sun was still shining when I headed out the door, so I took the chance. After a 15-minute drive, I parked my car in the parking lot at the end of Moccasin Trail and found an entrance to the park. And wow. To say I was impressed at the scenery would be an understatement. The smell of autumn, the sounds of silence, the vibrant colours that adorned the foliage – what a delicate treat for my five senses! 🙂