Canada
Halton

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    • Day 31

      On the Rogue again

      October 3, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

      Da unsere Couchsurfing-Hosterin Annie um 8 Uhr zur Arbeit musste, waren wir heute endlich Mal gezwungen, rechtzeitig loszukommen :D Dennoch blieb morgens noch etwas Zeit, um ein paar von Annies Geschichten über die kanadischen Aboriginies und die (teils lebensgefährlichen) Begegnungen ihrer Bekannten mit den wilden Tieren Kanadas (Gryzzlies, Eisbären, Pumas, Wölfe, Wolverines, Elche... - die Liste nahm kein Ende 😅) zu lauschen. In meinem Kopf bestätigten sich sämtliche kanadische Klischees 😅🐻🐺🐆🦅

      Bevor wir uns in den nächsten Tag voller Autobahnen und Staus schmissen, nahmen wir noch kurz Annies Tipp wahr und machten einen kleinen Abstecher zum schönen bunten "Mackenzie King Estate"-Park mit Sicht über Ottawa 😍

      Ansonsten war der Tag ziemlich genauso wie gestern: 🌃🚙💨💨💨 Diesmal nahmen wir sogar eine 16(!)-spurige Autobahn mit 😱😱 - und zwar bis in die riesige Metropole Toronto hinein - im Feierabendverkehr 🤐😷 Also wenn wir nach dieser Reise nicht Auto fahren können, dann weiß ich auch nich...😝

      Gegen 20 Uhr und somit erneut 4 Stunden später als von Google berechnet (ich dachte Google weiß alles 🧐) kamen wir im kleinen Vorörtchen Oakville an, wo sich unsere nächste Unterkunft für eine Nacht befindet. Diesmal ein Privathaus einer chinesischen Familie, die ihr Gästezimmer untervermietet 😊 Wir probieren hier gerade echt alles durch was geht haha - Gastfamilie, Hostel, Inn, Motel, Zelten, Auto, Couchsurfing, Privathaus, .... 😋🙌
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    • Day 2

      Hallo Toronto

      October 2, 2021 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

      Nach einem sehr angenehmen und kurzweiligen Flug (was doch nicht etwa an den getrennten Sitzplätzen gelegen hat ?), ging es auf direktem Weg ins Sandmann Hotel.
      Wir bezogen ein geräumiges, hübsch eingerichtetes Zimmer in der 10.Etage mit Blick auf Torontos Skyline(s)..... und auf die einzige Konstante im Leben:
      Auf MacDonalds 😀
      Der Name "Sandmann" ist Programm und so fielen wir erschöpft in die riesigen, weichen Betten...
      Endlich wieder unterwegs !!!
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    • Day 16

      Milton, Kanada

      May 24, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C

      Die neue Woche haben wir gleich mal als Kontrast zur Megametropole mit ein paar Aktivitäten in der Natur begonnen! Nach dem ganzen Sightseeing, was zwar mega interessant, aber irgendwie auch anstrengend wa, und dem Stress mit der Autoversicherung hier in Ontario (davon erzählen wir euch an anderer Stelle), war das eine willkommene Abwechslung für uns! Am Montag sind wir deshalb zusammen mit Janosch und Kayleigh mit dem Kanu rausgefahren- für's Campen war es übrigens dann doch noch zu kalt🙈
      Gestern waren wir dann zuerst mit Beate und Lea im RIM Park, um uns noch etwas die Beine zu vertreten und im Anschluss daran was Essen(:
      Heute ging es dann schon etwas früher als normal für uns raus, was aber bei mittlerweile knapp 30°C gar nicht so verkehrt war👌 Damit wir selbstständig unseren Tag planen konnten, haben wir Beate zuerst zu ihrer Arbeit gebracht und sind dann mit ihrem Auto weiter zum Crawford Lake. Nachdem wir dort mehrere Trails gegangen sind und somit auch unser Sportpensum für den Tag erledigt hatten, konnten wir im Anschluss daran guten Gewissens etwas essen und jetzt noch etwas chillen😉
      Ach allerdings: Neben Chipmunks, verschiedenen Eichhörnchen, Fischen und Fröschen konnten wir auch eine Schlange und zwei Truthahngeier sichten.
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    • Day 164

      Happy Birthday Megan-Grampy-Monkey!

      July 11, 2019 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 26 °C

      Grand multi-birthday fête today - even though it's not actually anyone's birthday! Meg's will be on the 27th of July, then Grampy and Monkey's on the 7th of August, but since we're all conveniently together just now, we decided to celebrate with a traditional BR mint chocolate chip ice cream cake and some fun gifts to mark the occasion: a slip'n'slide, some games, clothes, and a cool vTech watch from Nai-nai for Meg; a blanket and lost-and-found Bonkey for Monkey; and a bottle of tasty umeshu (plum brandy) for Grampy. The festivities closed with a now also traditional family game of Fool.Read more

    • Day 5

      Burlington, Kanada

      November 7, 2015 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

      Gestern war ein entspannter Tag. Eigentlich die letzten beiden Tage. Weil meine Tante ist ja leider etwas krank.
      Gestern waren wir dann shoppen in einer Shopping Mall und abends bei einem "Tanz" vom Burgenländischem Club in Toronto. Ich sags euch so viele alte Leute. ;)
      War dennoch sehr nett und lustig.
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    • Day 214

      Time to work and save money

      April 15, 2018 in Canada ⋅ 🌨 0 °C

      Finally it's time for a new blog entry... It's going to be a long one ;) and while I'm writing it's snowing outside in april... Welcome to Canada!🙈

      When I was back home for christmas I applied for jobs online in the Greater Toronto Area. Just before leaving to Boston I got a reply from a temporary agency for a packaging position in a pharmaceutical company in Burlington. The temporary agency is located in Hamilton so I looked for a place to stay for a couple of days to go in the office to complete my application. I stood with Lauren and Devin a great couple in their nice appartment. They are going on a trip to South East Asia and doing Work & Travel in Australia afterwards.
      My account manager from the agency aranged me a training at the pharmaceutical company for the next week. So I had to find a new place to stay in Burlington for the next days. I stood with Tracey and Mac another wonderful and helpful couple.
      But my biggest luck just happened afterwards when I arrived at Tom' s place the second available couchsurferhost in Burlington. He just retired and got his own house with 4 bedrooms. We came along really well from the first minute and I told him about my plan to work in Burlington for a couple of months. So he offered me to stay longer right away. I just had to chip in for utilities and help with cooking and cleaning. Regarding the room prices in Burlington it was the best that could happen to me and my plan to safe money. I can't tell often enough how grateful I am for Tom' s hospitality and generosity! :) I ended up staying 3 month with him.
      There was also Kei a japanese guy living with us. I had a fantastic time with them chatting about our travel experiences (Tom had many interesting stories to tell) and other stuff, sharing meals and a beautiful trip to Niagara falls Tom, my friend Tina and I did.
      Almost every day there are buses going to the casino for 15$ including a buffet lunch. Mostly there were just grey-headed on the bus going for gambling at the casino. But we used the offer to visit the falls at a beautiful sunny day. ;)
      For Easter we had a delicious dinner. Tom cooked ham, potatoes and broccoli and for dessert I baked a carrot cake. We also played scrabble and had a few drinks - such a fun night :)

      Now a bit more to my work experience in Canada. I started end of january at a pharmaceutical company producing hot lemon relief as a line packager. I ended up working a few weeks continental shift means 12hr roatating days or nights. The good thing about it you just had to work 3 days a week for getting payed 40hrs and had 4 breaks. Time went fast, so not too bad at all and you were switching positions every 15min. One day the woman who was training us told me I would be a good line inspector when I pointed out a mistake to her on the documentation sheet she was filling out. She recommend to drop in my resume to the QA Officer cause he was looking for someone right now. So I applied for it and the interview and test went pretty well. After a few weeks the QA Manager got back to me and offered me the position. The week after I was trained and the next week I was already on my own doing the quality control on the line. But unfortunately after two weeks I got a call from my agency after my shift on wednesday telling me that I shouldn't return to my next shift cause the company got financial issues and can't pay their pay checks. I heard before from a coworker that the investor, a billionaire, got killed in december with his wife in their house in Toronto. Unluckily the visit from a potential new investor the friday before came too late and the company went bankrupt.
      I applied for new jobs right away and was lucky to start with a new temporary agency at an automotive company the coming sunday on night shift. There I did small parts manufacturing on different machines for four weeks.
      I also tried working in a buffet restaurant. But it wasn't that kind of work I'd liked to do and it wouldn't work out with my shifts at the pharmaceutical company anyway.

      Many people at work ask me why I do this kind of job and didn't work as a pharmacist where I could earn much more money. Well there were mostly two main reasons. First of all it would take a while to get my canadian license as a pharmacist including taking courses, writing exams and spending a lot of money. In fact I wouldn't stay in the country it was no option for me.
      Second reason was I wanted to use this gap year to try some jobs I probably wouldn't do back home as well as getting some work experience in positions my future employees may will have to get a better understanding of their possible concerns.

      The work life here seems quite different to me. All information are just about my experience in Ontario. It differs in each province.
      At first there is no real work-life-balance at all if you're not working for the government. You get just 10 days vacation and two sick days a year per law and the minium wage just went up to 14$/hr in january. Most time you get payed weekly or every other one. In general there are two different kind of working conditions either you work full time or on contract which gives you a certain time of work without any vacation or sick days at all. So at the places I've worked for I've met many people they're working just for living and not seldom they have to take a second job or do overtime which is mostly payed 1.5 times.
      That's why I really appreciate the way it is back home. At last two fun facts I've recognized:
      1. Nearly every second one comes in the shift with a coffee to go from Tim Hortans or Mc Donalds. The line up at the drive thru in the morning was amazing when I drove past by bus.
      2. Many people are wearing sweatpants or leggins at work especially on night shift ^^ and obviously at school too at least fridays like I just saw it.

      On Family Day weekend in february I rent a car together with Richard a german guy I met in one of the Facebook groups and we drove up to Bruce Peninsula NP for the weekend. The first day we did a walk to one of the water falls in Owen Sound and the next day we did a beautiful hike in the nationalpark. We were really lucky with the weather it just stopped raining when we stepped out of the car and it wasn't too cold at all for mid february. Cyprus lake was totally frozen and the edge of lake Huron, too. This nationalpark is mostly popular in summer time known for it's turquoise water but it was still beautiful in winter and less crowded.

      End of february Philip my host of my first homestay and his wife Louise invited us (Tina and Yasaman) to a Mandarin Restaurant in North York where we enjoyed a buffet dinner together. It was so good to see Philip again and getzing introduced to his wife and daughter Kathrin. We spent a fun night together :) Earlier the day we three girls visited the ice sculpture festival in Toronto but it was so warm and sunny that they were already melting and falling apart except of the big castle.

      Now it's mid april and we just got snow again... I can't wait for spring and start the next round travelling! :D
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    • Day 1

      Unfreiwilliger Zwischenstop in Toronto

      January 17, 2022 in Canada ⋅ 🌬 -4 °C

      Wegen starkem Schneefall vor unserer Landung standen wir 3 Stunden auf dem Taxway bis wir endlich am Gate waren. Schließlich wurde unser Flug nach Mexiko City gecancelt. Wir bekamen Übernachtungsgutscheine für das Crown Plaza Hotel von Air Canada ausgestellt. Als wir dort mit dem Shuttlebus ankamen standen hunderte Leute die Lobby hinauf, bis in die Cafeteria Schlange.
      Wir erfuhren, dass das Hôtel überbucht sei und keine Gutscheine akzeptieren wird. Es begann eine Odyssee zurück zu Flughafen und Suche nach Verantwortlichen von Air Canada. Kurz vor Mitternacht bekamen wir neu Hotel- und Taxigutscheine. Dann standen wir eine gute Stunde Schlange für ein Taxi. Gegen zwei Uhr lag ich endlich im Bett
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    • Day 27

      Im garten von John unserem Gastgeber

      October 24, 2023 in Canada ⋅ 🌙 17 °C

      Wir stehen hier in einem riesigen Garten. Das Wetter ist warm und traumhaft schön . Ich ziehe los und staune über die Welt im kleinen und verborgenen !

    • Day 1

      Hickory Hollow

      June 21, 2008 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

      Na een lange bezwete vlucht zitten we in ons onderkomen voor de komende 3 weken. De eigenaren, Lisa en Ken, hebben ons welkom geheten en het was eigenlijk gelijk gezellig. Ik heb ze vervolgens naar het vliegveld gebracht. Het huis is een mooi typisch Canadees nieuwbouwhuis, met aan de ene kant uitzicht op een mooi weide gebied en aan de andere kant de highway. We zitten aan het einde van een straatje vol “desperate housewive”-huizen. Nee, nee, we hebben nog geen foto’s omdat ik het kabeltje in Almere heb laten liggen. En Nederland heb ik net zien verliezen op een scherm van 1 meter 20 breed. Ja, dan is verliezen toch mooier... (en HD).

      Morgen meer, en misschien dan wel met foto

      Groeten,

      Robbie, Erica en Bertjan
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    • Toronto Air Canada Cargo

      April 11, 2018 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 4 °C

      We took a taxi to the Air Canada Cargo armed with all our paperwork. We then had to walk around the corner to get our customs documents stamped. With everything in place we returned to the cargo where we picked up the bike. Heathrow had done an amazing job of strapping it down. After much deliberation and Neil using his screwdriver, the bike was free to go and we were on our way. We returned back to our Toronto Hotel to get things ready and off on our adventure tomorrow morning. But it's not very warm.Read more

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