Thousand Islands, Ontario

After packing our suitcases for our drive to Gananoque, Canada, to see the Thousand Islands, we decided to get breakfast at the nearby La Prep restaurant. We had a couple of coffees and pastries and then drove our Toyota Camry out of Toronto. Although car traffic was not very heavy, we experienced a lot of rain showers on our two-and-a-half-hour drive to Gananoque.

We checked into our Country Squire Resort and dropped off our luggage in our room. Although it was a basic, bare-bones hotel, we immediately had a few problems. A bee buzzed in our room, and our bathroom did not flush. These were all minor inconveniences and were very quickly remedied. We decided to get lunch at nearby Moroni's Greek restaurant. I ordered a Greek salad while Inna tried the Gyro and Alex, the two pizza slices. Although my Greek salad was adequate, Alex's pizza looked horrible.

After lunch, we drove to the boat dock to find out about taking a cruise to see the Thousand Islands. We found several cruises available: 1-hour, 2-hour, and 5-hour cruises. Both 1-hour and 2-hour cruises just sailed around the general area, while the 5-hour cruise stopped for two hours at the famous Boldt Castle. We decided to take the 5-hour cruise at 3:00 p.m. Since it was drizzling, we were initially apprehensive about visibility. As the next day's weather was promised to be worse, we decided to take a chance and go anyway. This was the correct decision, as the rain stopped after an hour, and we enjoyed a scenic cruise to Boldt Castle and the surrounding islands.

On our cruise, we saw many tiny islands, some with houses. Who would live there?

We passed many small islands and remote homes on our cruise. It must be very lonely to live here.

The rain diminished as we sailed through the area, and the air cleared a bit. I was very surprised by the sheer number and the variety of homes, some located on remote, secluded, inaccessible islands.

We even found the shortest bridge between the United States and Canada.

To get around here, a motorized boat is a must.

Our Gananoque Boat Line docked at Boldt's Castle, where we were greeted by U.S. Customs officials (as we crossed from Canada back to the U.S.) We explored the castle grounds and really enjoyed the beautiful gardens and the castle grounds.

The Blue Room is one of the main bedroom setups for Mrs. Boldt.

The castle's kitchen is mostly empty with 1900-era appliances.

The ballroom is beautifully decorated and set up for entertainment with an organ.

After returning to Gananoque, we had dinner at the respectable Riva restaurant. I had a Black Bear Rock beer (similar to Guinness). Inna ordered an Orecchiette a la Pollo (a delicious pasta with chicken) and an Alessandra pizza to share. We also ordered an Insalata Caprese. Alex ordered a Buffalo mozzarella pizza. For dessert, we had a Chocolate Cheesecake.

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

In the morning, we decided to eat brunch at "The Socialist Pig" - a famous coffee house in Gananoque. It was Canada Day, and we thought everything might be closed, but we were mistaken.

After finishing our brunch, we drove straight to Montreal.

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Walking on the Edge

I am 1,168 feet above the ground and on a thin metal walkway around CN's Tower's upper platform. It's a beautiful sunset in Toronto, and I can see for miles around in all directions. I am doing the highly recommended EdgeWalk with my wife.

I can see the nearby Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport; the Blue Jays play the Red Sox in the Ricoh Coliseum below. The first steps onto the ledge are scary. I am the first guinea pig in our group of five.

The Ricoh Coliseum is empty in this photo, but it was full during my walk. I saw the baseball game quite clearly, which was strange from such a height.

Inna followed me out on the ledge. Initially, She was hesitant, but she overcame her fear of extreme heights. We got to do many exciting poses, such as leaning back and the one from Titanic. It's scary to bend forward at this height!

After walking around the tower several times, we posed for a few family photos. We had a great time on our walk, an experience we will never forget.

Here is a short video of my excursion:

 

 

As the evening turned dark, Toronto looked all lit up.

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Niagara Falls, Ontario

After getting up early, around 6:30 a.m., we dressed and drove to Niagara Falls. We were told that traffic could be heavy, but we did not expect it to be so terrible. It reminded me of traffic in the San Francisco Bay area. Most lanes were barely moving. Since we had 3 people in our car, we could use the HOV lane and made better progress.

We finally reached Niagara Falls around 9:00 a.m., but since we were hungry, we decided to stop by Abby's for breakfast. Alex ordered some pancakes, but they were so large that he barely finished one.

After our extensive breakfast, we reached Niagara Falls. We parked at a nearby parking lot ($20/day) and walked to Horseshoe Falls on the Canadian side. The falls were truly spectacular, and the vast mist was rising up.

We saw Maid of the Mist boats from the American side, and Hornblower Niagara cruises from the Canadian side visit the falls. The falls are truly spectacular and the wonder of the world.

Next, we walked to the smaller but still imposing American Falls.

We decided to try the Hornblower cruise to the Falls on the Canadian side, as it would take too long to get the Maiden of the Mist on the American side.

We got very close to the American and Horseshoe Falls and got terribly soaked! However, it was a lot of fun!

We also decided to see the falls from the nearby Skylon Tower to the waterfalls from a high point of view.

Here is yours truly.

Here is a beautiful view of American Falls from the Skylon Tower.

And, here is a gorgeous view of Horseshoe Falls.

We saw a beautiful rainbow over the falls on the way back to our car.

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Raining in Toronto

Is travel really worth it?

I was contemplating this thought as I was sitting in the San Francisco airport, waiting for my Air Canada AC756 flight to depart for Toronto (for our first leg of the Eastern Canada trip).

First, you spend time getting to the airport (contending with traffic on US-101), then you wait to check in at the airline terminal (Air Canada was running really slow). Then, you endure a time-consuming TSA check and passport check. Then, there are flight delays to contend with. At least some of these complaints could be relieved by a well-thought-out airport, but San Francisco's SFO is not that airport. 

European airports (Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Stockholm) are far superior in every way (faster check-in, much better quality food, more places to sit, etc).

When we finally arrived in Toronto (after an hour's flight delay), we rented a car from Hertz (a Toyota Camry) and drove to our Cambridge Suites hotel. The rain was heavy, and I made a few wrong turns on the way to the hotel. Nevertheless, we arrived successfully after using Garmin GPS and my trusty Google Maps on my iPhone 5S. The Garmin could not find satellites for the longest time, so I used the iPhone initially.

We planned to visit Toronto, Niagara Falls, Thousand Lakes, and Montreal.


Sunday, June 28, 2015

After waking up, we ate breakfast at the breakfast buffet in the hotel's Portico restaurant. The breakfast items were of moderate quality, and I had a yogurt and a fruit salad while Inna ate scrambled eggs and toast.

After breakfast, we noticed the heavy rain outside, so we spent most of our day indoors at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM).

The Royal Ontario Museum is rather vast -  I didn't expect it to be so extensive. At first, we walked around aimlessly, looking at the Jurassic area dinosaurs, but then we decided to follow the free 11:00 a.m. Egyptian tour.

The Egyptian tour was very informative, and I learned some tidbits about life in Ancient Egypt and the mummification process (by looking at some mummies on display).

After the tour ended, we got lunch in the museum's cafe. The cafe had edible food, and I had a decent Greek salad, while Inna tried a rice plate with chicken (not very delicious), and Alex enjoyed some horrible-looking pizza.

After lunch, we decided to visit Pompeii's special exhibit on the volcanic eruption. Many ancient Roman artifacts were well-preserved after the deadly eruption, and many pieces were displayed.

The Pompeii tour was informative, but we were tired and decided to rest. We liked the guided tours and decided to do the Highlights of ROM tour at 2:00 p.m. However, the older lady who gave the tour spoke too quietly, and we decided to try again at 3:00 p.m. The 3:00 p.m. tour was with our former Egyptian guide, and it worked out much better.

We revisited the Egyptian salon, followed by some Mesopotamian artifacts. We also stopped by the Dinosaur Gallery, where our guide discussed the various dinosaurs on display.

Afterward, we walked to the paleontology wing, where we saw a small remnant of a meteorite on display (that's 4.7 billion years old). This meteorite hit British Columbia in 2010 and was one of the few pristine samples. From there, we walked to the hall of First People - what Canadians call original Canadian natives.

Many artifacts were displayed, including canoes, kayaks, clothing, and paintings of ancient native life.

Since we had tickets to do the CN Tower's Edge Walk tour at 8:00 p.m., we hurried to get dinner at a well-rated Khao San Road Thai restaurant. The entrees - especially the Pad Thai and the famous Khao Sai. Our spring rolls were a delicious start, and the coconut-lemon grass soup was tasty but spicy. We were lucky to get to Khao San Road before opening; otherwise, we would have never made it in. It's such a popular place to eat.

I enjoyed the "Tom Yum"" soup, while Alex liked his "Bangkok Pad Thai."

 Inna tried the "Khao Soi," and it was delicious!

Nearby, we saw a theater playing the musical "Kinky Boots." We just had to stop for a photo.

When we arrived at the CN Tower, it was still raining and foggy. We had the option to reschedule for the next day at 8:00 p.m. (and we decided to do so). Instead, we strolled around downtown Toronto (which seemed dead on a Sunday). Even the famous Distillery district looked dead like Los Gatos on a Sunday night.

However, we did manage to find an open French patisserie - Cluny, and enjoyed a few pastries with hot tea.

We really liked the variety of street food trucks in Toronto.

And who could miss the Hockey Hall of Fame while walking around Toronto?

We enjoyed Toronto, though we were not very lucky with the weather.

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Review: Marriage of Figaro at San Francisco Opera

A grand opera brings out inherent emotions - overwhelming joy or profound sadness.

The Marriage of Figaro, based on a comedy by a Frenchman that takes place in Spain but is sung in Italian, does not bring out either. However, I felt sympathy for its main characters in several instances.

The Marriage of Figaro tells the story of Count Almaviva, his wife, Countess Almaviva, and his two servants, Figaro and Suzanna, who plan to marry. Many subplots run through the opera to provide background amusement (i.e., the page Cherubino lusting after Barbarina.)

The opera was initially composed in four acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with the libretto written by Lorenzo De Ponte from a comedy by Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais.

The opera's setting is the 18th-century villa of Count Almaviva outside Seville, Spain.

Wikipedia has an excellent description of the opera's central plot:

The Marriage of Figaro continues the plot of The Barber of Seville several years later, and recounts a single "day of madness" (la folle journée) in the palace of Count Almaviva near Seville, Spain. Rosina is now the Countess; Dr. Bartolo is seeking revenge against Figaro for thwarting his plans to marry Rosina himself; and Count Almaviva has degenerated from the romantic youth of the Barber into a scheming, bullying, skirt-chasing Lothario. Having gratefully given Figaro a job as head of his servant-staff, he is now persistently trying to obtain the favors of Figaro's bride-to-be, Susanna. He keeps finding excuses to delay the civil part of the wedding of his two servants, which is arranged for this very day. Figaro, Susanna, and the Countess conspire to embarrass the Count and expose his scheming. He retaliates by trying to compel Figaro legally to marry a woman old enough to be his mother, but it turns out at the last minute that she really is his mother. Through Figaro's and Susanna's clever manipulations, the Count's love for his Countess is finally restored.

Philip Sly plays the part of Figaro, and Luca Pisaroni sings as Count Almaviva. Nadine Sierra is the Countess, and Lisette Oropresa plays the part of Suzanna. Patrick Summers conducts the orchestra in San Francisco's production. Cherubino (a boy page) was played by Kate Lindsey.

I found that Lisette Oropresa played the part of Suzanna well, but her singing was hushed (even sitting in the front row). None of the singers particularly impressed me, but I thought Count Almaviva (Luca Pisaroni) sang reasonably well.

The detailed synopsis of the opera is below:

Act I: A room in a villa

Figaro and Susanna, servants to the Count and Countess Almaviva, are making preparations on the morning of their wedding. When Susanna learns that the Count has given them the bedroom adjacent to his, she protests. She fears that the Count will use this proximity to exercise his right as a feudal lord to initiate the new bride to the ways of lovemaking, an intention he has already communicated to Susanna via her music teacher, Don Basilio. The Count's designs anger Figaro, and when Susanna leaves, he promises revenge that will preserve Susanna's virtue.

Marcellina and her former employer, Doctor Bartolo, arrive with a plan to prevent Figaro's marriage. Marcellina wants to marry Figaro herself and plans to do so by enforcing the terms of an unresolved contract for a loan she made to Figaro years earlier. Susanna returns and shares a contentious exchange with her rival.

Marcellina leaves, and Cherubino arrives. The young page was banished from the castle after the Count found him compromising with Barbarina, the gardener's daughter. The page is pleading with Susanna to intervene on his behalf when the Count pays a surprise visit. While Cherubino hides, Susanna refuses the Count's propositions. When they hear Don Basilio approaching, the Count hides until he overhears Basilio telling Susanna that Cherubino is suspected of flirting with the Countess. Amid his tirade about Cherubino's indiscretions, the Count inadvertently uncovers the page from his hiding place. The confusion is interrupted by the arrival of Figaro. He and some villagers stage a tribute to the "fair and just" Count. The Count responds to the morning's events by delaying the wedding until that evening and sending the pageboy away to fill a position in his regiment.

Act II: The Countess' apartment

Susanna is relaying the morning's events to the Countess when Figaro enters to explain his plan, a diversion that Figaro asserts will ensure that his wedding proceeds as planned. He has sent an anonymous letter to the Count warning that the Countess is planning a tryst with a lover. Additionally, Susanna is to agree to the Count's proposition for an illicit encounter, but Figaro has arranged for Cherubino to be disguised as a girl and sent in Susanna's stead. Figaro retrieves Cherubino, and Susanna and the Countess dress him for the charade.

Cherubino sings about his overwhelming feelings of love. This is one of the most famous arias in the Marriage of Figaro: Voi Che Sapete. It is an easily recognizable tune that is timeless and memorable.

  

 
Voi, che sapete che cosa è amor,
       
You ladies, who know what love is,
 
 
Donne, vedete s'io l'ho nel cor!
       
See if I have it in my heart!
 
 
Quello ch'io provo, vi ridirò,  
       
I'll tell you what I'm going through, 
 
 
È per me nuovo; capir nol so.  
       
It's new to me; I can't understand it. 
 
 
Sento un affetto pien di desir,   
       
I feel a liking full of desire 
 
 
Ch'ora è diletto, ch'ora e martir. 
       
That now is pleasure, now is agony. 
 
 
Gelo, e poi sento l'alma avvampar,  
       
I freeze, and then feel my soul burning, 
 
 
E in un momento torno a gelar.  
       
And in another moment go back to freezing. 
 
 
Ricerco un bene fuori di me, 
       
I look for a good outside myself, 
 
 
Non so chi il tiene, non so cos'è. 
       
I don't know who has it, I don't know what it is. 
 
 
Sospiro e gemo senza voler,  
       
I sigh and groan without wanting to, 
 
 
Palpito e tremo senza saper, 
       
I quiver and tremble without knowing it, 
 
 
Non trovo pace notte nè di, 
       
I find no peace night or day, 
 
 
Ma pur mi piace languir così!  
       
And yet I like suffering this way! 
 

They are surprised by a knock on the door from the Count. Cherubino hides, locking himself in the closet. Angered by the anonymous letter, the jealous Count threatens to break into the closet. Still, Susanna takes Cherubino's place in the closet when he and a reluctant Countess leave momentarily to obtain the necessary tools. The page escapes, jumping out of the window. The Count and Countess return, and Susanna emerges from the closet. The Count begs forgiveness but defends his suspicions with the anonymous letter. The women admit the letter was fabricated by Figaro.

Figaro enters and denies knowing anything about the letter. Then Antonio, the gardener, arrives, outraged that someone has jumped from the window into his flowers. As Susanna and the Countess discredit Antonio for being a drunkard, Figaro claims that he jumped. With the Count's suspicions renewed and confusion mounting, Marcellina arrives along with her cohorts and makes her claim for Figaro to either repay his debt to her or marry her.

Act III: A courtyard of the villa

Susanna and the Countess have created a new plan in which Susanna promises to meet the Count, but instead, the Countess will go in disguise and reveal the Count's infidelities. Susanna arranges the supposed rendezvous, but her efforts are nearly ruined when the Count overhears an exchange between her and Figaro.

Don Curzio, the judge, oversees the trial between Marcellina and Figaro. Figaro claims that he cannot marry her because he requires his parents' permission, and being an orphan, that is not possible. Figaro's story of being kidnapped as an infant sounds familiar to Marcellina, and a birthmark on Figaro's arm confirms that he is Marcellina's long-lost son, the result of her affair with Doctor Bartolo. The proud parents embrace their son and future daughter-in-law, and a double wedding is planned.

Meanwhile, Susanna and the Countess write a letter to the Count confirming the tryst that evening. They seal the letter with a pin. Barbarina and the village girls enter to bring flowers to the Countess. The Count and Antonio interrupt to reveal Cherubino dressed as a girl hiding amongst the crowd. Barbarina intercedes and convinces the Count to forgive Cherubino. Having found the page, the Count finally uses the opportunity to try to force Figaro into admitting what happened in the Countess's bedroom earlier in the day. The villagers begin the wedding procession. Before completing the ceremony, Susanna slips the Count the note sealed with the pin.

Act IV: The garden of the villa

Figaro and Marcellina happen upon Barbarina in the garden searching for the pin she was meant to return to Susanna as confirmation of the tryst. Barbarina naively reveals her mission and an enraged Figaro swears revenge for what he believes is his bride's unfaithfulness. Figaro engages Bartolo and Basilio as witnesses and hides to catch Susanna with the Count. Marcellina returns with the Countess and Susanna, warning them that Figaro is hiding nearby. Marcellina hides, and Susanna and the Countess exchange clothes. Susanna hides, and the Countess, dressed as Susanna, awaits the Count's arrival.

Instead, Cherubino comes. Finding the supposed Susanna, he propositions her until the Count interrupts. Cherubino hides. The Count makes advances toward "Susanna" until Figaro intercedes. 

After reading a note from Susanna to the Count, Figaro (falsely) assumes that Susanna is cheating on him. Angry, he declares that all women are roses with deadly thorns. He sings the following famous aria, Tutto e disposto:

  


    
Tutto č disposto:
    
Everything is set:
  

    
L’ora dovrebbe esser vicina;
    
the hour should be near;
  

    
Io sento gente...č dessa!
    
I can hear people... it is her!
  

    
Non č alcun;
    
It's nobody;
  

    
Buia č la notte...
    
The night is dark...
  

    
Ed io comincio omai a fare
    
and I am just beginning to practice
  

    
Il scimunito mestiere di marito...
    
the stupid work of being a husband...
  

    
Ingrata!
    
You ungrateful!
  

    
Nel memento della mia cerimonia
    
While remembering my ceremony
  

    
Ei godeva leggendo:
    
he was enjoying in reading:
  

    
E nel vederlo io rideva
    
And while I was seeing it I was laughing
  

    
Di me senza saperlo.
    
at me without knowing it.
  

    
Oh Susanna!  Susanna!
    
Oh, Susanna! Susanna!
  

    
Quanta pena mi costi!
    
What a great suffering you cost me!
  

    
Con quell’ingenua faccia,
    
With your ingenuous face,
  

    
Con quelgli occhi innocenti,
    
with your innocent eyes,
  

    
Chi creduto l’avria? Ah!
    
who would imagine it? Ah,
  

    
Che il fidarse a donna, č ognor follia.
    
that it's foul to trust in a woman.
  

    

    

  

    
Aprite un po’quegli occhi,
    
Open your eyes,
  

    
Uomini incauti e sciocchi,
    
you incautious and stupid  men
  

    
Guardate queste femmine,
    
Look at these women
  

    
Guardate cosa son!
    
Look what they are!
  

    
Queste chiamate dee
    
These you call goddesses
  

    
Dagli ingannati sensi,
    
with deceived senses,
  

    
A cui tributa incensi
    
to whom the weak reason
  

    
La debole ragion.
    
tributes incenses.
  

    
Son streghe che incantano
    
They are witches who enchant
  

    
Per farci penar,
    
only to make us pain,
  

    
Sirene che cantano
    
Sirens who sing
  

    
Per farci affogar,
    
to draw us,
  

    
Civette che allettano
    
Owls who attract
  

    
Per trarci le piume,
    
to take out our feathers
  

    
Comete che brillano
    
Comets who shine
  

    
Per toglierci il lume.
    
to take our light away,
  

    
Son rose spinose
    
they're thorny roses
  

    
Son volpi vezzose;
    
they're charming foxes
  

    
Son orse benigne,
    
they're benign bears,
  

    
Colombe maligne,
    
malign doves,
  

    
Maestre d’inganni,
    
masters in cheating
  

    
Amiche d’affanni,
    
friends of worries
  

    
Che fingono, mentono,
    
who pretend, lie,
  

    
Amore non senton,
    
don't feel any love,
  

    
Non senton pietŕ,
    
don't feel any pity,
  

    
No, no, no, no no!
    
no, no, no, no, no!
  

    
Il resto no dico,
    
I don't tell all the rest,
  

    
Giŕ ognuno lo sa.
    
anybody knows that.
  

The Count flees, and the Countess hides. Still pretending to be the Countess, Susanna Susanna steps forward, and Figaro recognizes his wife's voice. The plot becomes apparent, but he plays along momentarily until Susanna reveals her true identity, and both are reconciled.

Figaro and Susanna (still dressed as the Countess) stage a love scene for the Count's benefit. The jealous Count calls for help, and everyone is extracted from hiding individually. The Count points to the woman he believes has betrayed him, but the real Countess steps forward, removing her disguise and unveiling the entire charade. The Count, overcome with guilt, is forgiven by the Countess. All couples are happily restored and go off to enjoy the wedding festivities.

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