In this time of Covid-19 quarantine, cabin fever has affected many of us.
Happily, here in Ontario, Canada, we have progressed to stage 3, meaning many businesses, including hotels, are open again, albeit with safety measures in place. ⭐
Masks are mandatory indoors and social distancing continues, as before.
Travel is restricted to our own province, but at least we are able to go somewhere!
And, it’s good to stimulate the local economy, which has taken a huge hit from the ongoing health crisis.
Hubby and I were both born in Europe and have always been drawn back there. Thanks to a random Facebook post, this alternative plan fell into place!
Thus, we embarked on a 5-day road trip, July 27 – 31, visiting local towns named after European cities. Come along for the ride! This is a 5-part series.
(⭐ The above was written in August 2020. Unfortunately, COVID is still with us as of Jan. 2022, with additional closures, off and on.)
Day 3 & 4
July 29-31/20
♦First stop♦
Bayfield, population ~1200
This was an unscheduled stop, but we had explored it a bit the day before
(about 15 minutes from the hotel) and wanted another look.
Bayfield is a popular tourist destination. Visitors enjoy the historic Main Street with its many well-preserved old buildings, including the Little Inn, which has served travellers since the 1800s, initially as a stagecoach stop. The street is lined with boutiques, art galleries and restaurants.
[click images to enlarge]
♦Second stop♦
(Two-night stay)
London, population 384,000
London sits on the Thames River (just like London, England), named in 1793 by John Graves Simcoe, who proposed the site for the capital city of Upper Canada (Ontario).
The first European settlement was between 1801 and 1804, and the town was incorporated in 1855. Since then, London has grown to be the largest Southwestern Ontario municipality and Canada’s 11th largest metropolitan area, having annexed many smaller communities that surrounded it.
London is my former home (1959-1965). Although we spent two nights here, it was mostly resting and reminiscing. Many city streets were closed by construction, which made it hard to get around! Still, I did manage a few photos and will also share a couple from a previous trip.
[Click on images to enlarge.]
Our hotel in London was right next to Covent Garden Market, est. 1845, offering fresh fruits & vegetables, meats & cheeses, restaurants, plus a wide variety of specialty shops and services.
It’s a smaller version of the one in London, England. We had breakfast there both days, July 30 & 31. The photo is from May 2017, but it hasn’t changed.
Springbank Park is a 140-hectare (300 acres) park located along the banks of the Thames River. It contains 30 km (19 mi) of trails and is home to Storybook Gardens, a family attraction that was open year-round. (Closed now, due to the pandemic.) This was my favourite place as a kid!
The Thames River:
Trade Union Memorial sculpture at River Fork Park, honouring those who were killed on the job.
To be continued…
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Dog Mom and (retired) Canine Innkeeper in suburban Toronto, Canada, known as The Doglady. Former corporate workaholic. Writer, photographer, digital creator. Animal lover, music fanatic, inveterate traveller. Eternal hippie/rockchick. History, literature and cinema buff. Hockey and soccer fan. Dedicated night owl. German/Canadian binational, multilingual. Let me entertain you!
11 thoughts on “WHEN YOU CAN’T GO TO EUROPE | #RoadTrip Part III”
Thank you for sharing, looking forward to being able to travel again!
Welcome to The Den, Jenne! ☺ Yes, it will be wonderful to get out and about once again. Thanks for coming by.
Another lovely trip! I think I’d just spend the day by the “Thames” and skip everything else!
Beautiful photos and interesting information, Debbie. Thanks for sharing.
These are very entertaining and informative. Makes me almost want to pack a suitcase! HA!
This is a fascinating excursion, Debbie. I could envision you narrating with a British accent.
I want to be there, I just don’t want to go anywhere.. Beam me over! Beam me UP!
Everything is pretty in all of the places you visited. I’m getting cabin fever now, but it’s not a good time to leave town and not a good time to leave Penelope. She’s peppy and running around, but she’s had tummy trouble since Friday evening. I sent Favorite Young Man to get her some chicken breasts and rice for her main meal of the day. If that doesn’t work, then we’ll go to the vet.
Love,
Janie
Great shots and I want to go for a visit. We’ve done so little this year.
Have a fabulous day and week, Debbie. ♥
Hi Debbie – excellent to see the area – London looks really interesting … the Covent Garden Centre sounds ideal … our UK London one is pretty amazing, with beautiful views of the Thames river . What a nostalgic trip … what fun – great trip … take care – Hilary
When the boys were little, we vacationed in London and I have some great photos from Storybook Village. We used to vacation someplace in Canada nearly every year since it was so close.