Days 8-9 - Cambridge, Ontario - Mike

• Beginthejourney's Profile
• About this blog
• Entry from Cambridge

Trip Start Jul 07, 2005 Previous
Entry Trip End Aug 01, 2005 Next
Entry

  Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Saturday, July 16, 2005

It continues to be hot and humid, hampering our level of activity. We went to Stratford, about an hour Northwest of Cambridge, where they were hosting an annual Festival with plays by Shakespeare and others. Unfortunately, the tickets were quite expensive, and we couldn't really leave the dog in the car, so we just walked around the picturesque town. It's filled with stone buildings and bridges, a quaint downtown, and parks lining the river. There were several eclectic eateries, including one offering many different kinds of Poutine (fries with gravy and cheese curds...sounds great, doesn't it?), a dish quickly becoming one of my favorites.

We visited downtown Galt (a former village within Cambridge) which was similarly designed with stone buildings and bridges straddling both sides of a river. We had dinner at a restaurant that billed itself as a "Kiwi Pub" which was extraordinarily good. We started with perfectly fried Samosas and I had the Chicken Hot Pot, which was an Asian-style stew that was to die for.

I drove around quite a bit attempting to find the remnants of the German settlers that apparently founded this area of the country. Cities like New Hamburg, Heidelburg and Berlin dotted the rural landscape, but unfortunately, any semblance of German heritage had long ago been assimilated into the Ontarian culture. There were some German restaurants, who's culinary claim to Germanic roots ended at several kinds of Schnitzel, and some imported beer.

We also found a great park, of which there were many in town, with a beautiful trail that followed the Speed River. Although it started off as a normal city park, the trail quickly changed more to hiking, and offered plenty of places for Cassie to swim and frolic. I also got a good picture of a Great Blue Heron.

In general though, the marketing materials we obtained overrepresented most of the attractions. For example, there was an indoor market that all the literature made a big deal about, but turned out just to be several food shops, and "quaint, scenic villages" were there, but the quaintness only extended a block or so. I did witness several Mennonite horse and carriages traveling along the highways, as there are apparently some substantial communities nearby. I have to say that the slow paced life they seem to live sounds pretty good....

All of that withstanding, our stay in Cambridge was really refreshing and practical.

Cambridge hotels Slideshow Share

Post your own travel photos for friends and family More Pictures

Canadian Geese	Mennonite Buggy from Behind	Mennonite Horse and Buggy	More Shakespeare Gardens
Shakespeare Gardens, Stratford, Ontario, Canada	Stone Bridges and Buildings in Stratford	Swans in Stratford

Previous Entry Next Entry