Prince Edward Island & Nova Scotia

Cavendish, Prince Edward Island

We met Daniel & Lauren in Fredericton, New Brunswick on a cold, rainy night. We were fortunate enough to stay at one of Daniels friends houses for the night, which was an amazing change from the cold nights of camping. We were on our way to spend a week exploring Cavendish, on PEI and Cape Breton in Nova Scotia however, the news reports were warning us that Hurricane Gonzola was heading our way. It was a little worrisome because we were planning on camping throughout the week, but we decided to just do go and do it anyway...and I'm so glad we did. The only ways to get to Prince Edward Island is to, fly, catch a ferry, or, the route we took which was a drive over a 12.9km bridge. If I lived on the Island, I probably wouldn't venture off it too often as the cheapest way to leave, is to pay the $45 toll.

When we first arrived, the hurricane was pretty present, there was a torrential downpour, but luckily we had enough time to put our tents up before the rain started. It only last for an hour or so, and after the rain came a beautiful sunset. We took advantage of the weather and headed into Cavendish to see the area in which the books of 'Anne of Green Gables' was based. I have never read these books, it was Lauren that told us about this area, but it was beautiful. The peacefulness of the beaches were stunning, and the forest areas were just beautiful.

Cavendish sunset, Prince Edward Island

We saw a fox!! PEI

Escaping the hurricane.

The next day we started our trip to Cape Breton and it was there were we saw the full effects of Hurricane Gonzola. We decided not to camp that night, but we didn't let the rain stop us from 'camping'. We set up our grill outside a little awning at our hotel and made dinner. Cape Breton is known for it's stunning Highlands and ocean vistas. You can drive through the National Park and and be blown away with every twist and turn of the road. We took a walk on the Skyline Trail and saw a magical overlook of the Atlantic from one of the many highlands in the area. It was here Daniel went for a quick dip in a Lake which I thought was insane. I think this drive was one of the prettiest when it came to the fall leaves. The density of the forest, mixed with the diverse colours was simply breathtaking. 

Dessert, Strelan style

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

All the Strelans together on the Highland Trail, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

The lake were Daniel went for a dip

We continued our journey through Nova Scotia and headed for Halifax. We didn't spend all that much time there because we stayed an hour out of the city at a place called Wolfville. We were fortunate enough to stay with a couple which none of us had ever met, but Daniel and Lauren met the brother of the man we stayed with in India on there travels. Confusing I know, but it was great. It's a really beautiful area, with delicious wineries. I would recommend these places to anyone, if you are ever stuck for holiday ideas head to Eastern Canada. It really is one of the prettiest places I have seen this trip. 

Massachusetts & Maine

Basketball in Boston.

After a full days drive from Washington D.C to Boston, we headed straight to T.D Gardens to watch the Boston Celtics vs. Philadelphia 76ers. For those uneducated peeps at home thinking, what sport is this, it's Basketball. It was only a pre-season game, but it was really good. The Celtics were down until the mid-3rd quarter and then came back to win the game, and by a considerable amount too. After the excitement of the game, we had to drive 40 minutes back to our camp site, closer to Cape Cod than Boston, and set up camp at 11.15pm, needless to say, we were pretty tired.

We didn't have all that much time in the Boston area, so we spent one day exploring Cape Cod, and the other day exploring Boston. Our Boston day consisted of the Freedom Trail, which we didn't really complete. It's a trail that talks about the American Revolution, and takes you through 16 different historic sites. We did a free tour with the National Parks Service in Boston which was informative but they only take you to about 3 of the sites. A really good history lesson though.

Public Gardens, Boston

After the Freedom trail, we just walked around the city. It was late afternoon so we thought, let's find a happy hour deal and grab a delicious Sam Adams Boston Lager. Turns out, Massachusetts doesn't allow happy hours, and they sure don't allow you to fill Growlers that aren't there own. I thought Vancouver had some pretty outdated liquor laws, but turns out, I was wrong. We did't get many photos of Boston, which is sad. We left our camera in the tent that day...opps.

Next was Cape Cod, it was beautiful, but a little too chilly. We did a lighthouse walk with yet another National Park Serviceman and he just really loved lighthouses. This area of sea is apparently called the 'Ocean Graveyard' as there have been over 3,000 shipwrecks along this coastline.A beautiful place to visit in Fall, but I'm sure it's even better in the Summer. If you ever happen to visit Cape Cod (or even if you're just in Boston) be sure to get some delicious Cape Cod chips, I would say they're better than Red Rock.

Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Cape Code, Massachusetts

Ferry Beach State Park, ME

Next stop was Maine. Everything about Maine is beautiful. From their beaches, to their mountains, it's really breathtaking. We camped over the Columbus long week at Saco, or if you're Canadian, Thanksgiving weekend. It's really pretty and there are a few beaches not too far away. We went jogging through a state park, and ended up at a beautiful, calm pristine beach. The only bad thing about this part of our trip was that it was really cold at night (lows of 2 degrees), apparently freakishly cold for that time of year. We were the only people camping and every time we arrived back at our camp site, we found donated firewood.

Lobstah Roll & Clam Chowdah

We spent 1 day in Portland and loved it. We went for a jog on the Back Cove Trail, which is a little cove area where you can see the skyline of Portland. We also went out to Cape Elizabeth which was stunning. A beautiful fall day. The colour of the leaves around these parts were incredible. Michael also tried the local seafood cuisine numerous times, but the New England Lobstah Roll with 1 lbs of fresh lobster was definitely his favourite.

After Portland we headed up to Acadia National Park. This park was beautiful. Again, it was the colour of the trees. There were some beautiful hikes, and we got up early and tried to see the sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean but it was a little too foggy. There isn't much to say about this park, so I will just leave you with some of my favourite photos.

Acadia National Park, ME

Cadillac Mountain Hike, Acadia National Park, ME

Bubble Lake, Acadia National Park, ME

Hiking Trail, Acadia National Park, ME

Philadelphia, Delaware & Washington D.C

After a week in NYC we said our farewells to Hayley, Sarah and Alex and headed for Philadephia in search of the greatest Philly Cheese Steak. We arrived in the afternoon and spent the evening exploring the city. We stayed in this really trendy, hipster area not to far from the city. I would have loved to stay another night and explore that area a little more, but we just didn’t have the time. The city of Philly was surprisingly nice. There are some really cute streets in the Old Town area, and after NYC it was relatively quiet which was a nice change. There aren’t too many attractions in Philadelphia, I wouldn't recommend days there, but we managed to see the liberty bell and find a delicious Cheese steak on South Street.

Love Park, Philadephila

Cute Street in Old Town, Philadephia

Liberty Bell

Philly Cheese Steak

After weeks of staying in Airbnb's we started our camping tour of North America. Our first stop was Delaware. I wouldn't say it's a state that is on everybody's travel list but it should be. Why? Firstly, it's got lots of outlets and the best part, it's all tax free! Secondly, it's got Dogfish Brewery. No more needs to be said. We started at the Dogfish Brewery and did a delicious brewery tour. We were able to see the packaging lines, the beers being made and best of all, we got 4 delicious free samples. Yum! The following day we headed to the beach, the shops, did some laundry, passed time really until dinner where we went to the Dogfish brewpub. It was delicious, and so cheap! A great way to spend the evening.

Dogfish Brewery, Delaware

Dogfish Brewery, Delaware

Oh, hey Sam!

Picked up some incredible Dogfish Infused Sausages!

Delaware Beaches

Next stop, Washington D.C, in search of Obama. We set up came in Maryland, about 20 minutes from D.C, despite the cold weather, and the threat of Lyme diseased ticks it was great! Being able to escape from major cities at night, and head into State Parks and camp is my new favourite way to travel. Washington D.C as really nice. The city itself is clean, beautifully maintains, and why wouldn't it be? It's home to the President. The best part about this city, is that all the Smithsonian Museums and Galleries are free. If you were interested in the history of the US, art or general museum stuff, you could spend days here visiting all the places. But, there was one place that got my vote over all the others, and that was a free zoo!! Almost unheard of!! There were pandas (which we initially thought weren't at the zoo when we visited), elephants, monkeys so much more. I could only imagine the endless free dates people would go on if they lived here. Here are the photos of Washington D.C including the White House, Washington Memorial and lots of other touristy things. I also recommend doing another free tours by foot in D.C. They take you around all the memorials and talk about the history and how and why the memorials came to be.

The White House, Washington D.C

Washington Memorial. If you get there early enough, you can get free tickets to go to the top of this building and look over the city.

We thought there were no Pandas.

But, we found her! 

Hayley, pretending to be a Panda.

Michael found the building on the $10 note

Toronto, Montreal & Quebec City

I will be honest, Toronto, is not my favourite city. In fact, after Chicago, I felt as though there was nothing to do there. There were no fantastic attractions, at least none that really took our interest. There was not much happening culturally and it was almost as if all theatre productions had stopped while the rest of Toronto was on there final summer break. We did go to Toronto Island which was pretty, the beach actually looked like a beach, despite it being on a lake. We did head into the distillery quarter of Toronto, which, was pretty nice. There are some really nice buildings there, and if you're into distilling, you may find the displays interesting too. I attempted to read about it, but I just lot interest.

Toronto from Toronto Island.

We headed out to Niagara for our wedding anniversary which is beautiful. The town itself, in my opinion, is gross. It is like Cavill Ave. There is Ripley's believe it or not, there are countless tourist shops, it's just nothing like I thought it would be. But then, you head down the hill to the lake, and there you see it. Two breathtakingly, beautiful waterfalls. We headed out on the Hornblower, which is Canada's 'Maid of the Mist'. Luckily it was a hot day, because the spray of the falls would be awfully cold in cooler weather. When you look down on the falls, it's beautiful, but being on a boat and heading into the raging falls is a whole different experience. The sound was incredible, and the force of the falls cascading down around you was energising. It wasn't very long, but it was totally worth it.

Niagara Falls

On the Hornblower.

On the way into the falls.

After Toronto, came Montreal. Our second night here was the best ever because we saw Arcade Fire. They are from Montreal, and it was there last show of the Reflektor world tour and it was incredible. I don't know much Arcade Fire but I was never bored. They put on an amazing show. I fell in love with the main female vocalist, she doesn't only sing but she plays the drums, guitar, accordion, xylophone and even a hurdy-gurdy. In my mind, she stole the show. Needless to say, they are now one of my favourite bands.

We were in Montreal for 3 weeks. It was more of a work stop than a tourist stop, but it was great. It doesn't feel like you are in Canada at all. The street signs are in French, there is no English, they just don't allow it. The houses are adorable. There are more French streets/areas than others, but they feel so European and would be even more adorable when they are snow covered. The people are so lovely. I was a little nervous about the language barrier, but everyone speaks English. And the best thing about Quebec, is that they have delicious food. From delicious croissants, to macaroons to amazing cheeses and baguettes, to Montreal smoked meat and the birthplace of poutine, you couldn't ask for anything more. We headed to Mt Tremblant when the weather was good too, and did a challenging hike up a double black diamond. The view was amazing! I also apologise in advance for some of my instagram pictures, I dropped my phone in water and I lost all my photos :(

Parc la Fountaine, Montreal

Montreal Smoked Meat Sandwich

View from the top of Mt Tremlant, Quebec

So many deers, Mt Tremblant.

Walking through Mont Royal, Montreal (photo courtesy of Lauren Strelan)

Hayley met us in Montreal and spent 2 weeks travelling with us! We had the best time!

Every sunday people get together and play Tam Tams in Mont Royal.

Quebec City is a much smaller city and different again to Montreal, even more French. The first day we went hiking in Jacques Cartier National Park. It was a beautiful hike through the mountains, the beginning of the fall colours. It wasn't freezing, but definitely cool. A real awakening of what was to come. The Old city in Quebec is cute, like a little French Quarter. Quebec is for a day or two. I would have loved to have gone further North along the West side of the river too smaller fishing towns where you can go whale watching, but unfortunately time didn't allow us to go. All in all, Quebec is beautiful, definitely a highlight.

Parc National de la Jacque Cartier, Quebec City

Parc National de la Jacque Cartier, Quebec City

View from the top, Parc National de la Jacque Cartier, Quebec City

Old Town, Quebec City

Old town, Quebec city

Old Town, Quebec City