Despicable Me 2

It’s time for a Reel-ality check!

There has been a lot of excitement about the release of Despicable Me 2, it rocked the box office opening weekend, but I found it sorely lacking the depth of its predecessor. 

I took in this movie with my 9 year old minion, I mean... cousin, Eric.  We saw the movie in 3-D, an unnecessary addition which added nothing to the quality of the film.  While the movie had me laughing at consistent intervals, due mostly to the antics of the minions and my cousin’s enjoyment, the plot, while good in theory, was hollow and predictable.  Predictability is tolerable and even acceptable if there is quality content to support it and the minions, while hard-working, can’t carry the load alone. With Steve Carrell back as the voice of Gru, an ex-villain turned good-guy, you would think there would be catchy new phrases like the famous “Lightbulb!” and “Knocked over!” from the first movie, yet nothing really stuck out.  Also, the budding relationship that is meant to develop between Gru and his new anti-villain partner, Lucy (Kristin Wiig), is unconvincing.  There is no chemistry, the pair is just awkward.  While the union is foreshadowed, the build up is a letdown.

Okay, so Despicable Me 2 really wasn’t terrible, it was entertaining, it showed the fierce loyalty of family, and had a fairytale ending, it just didn’t live up to the greatness of the original, which is a tough act to follow.

Beginning of the End

Today I visited Cape Spear, the most easterly point in North America and therefore, Canada. This is it! Tomorrow I take a ferry away from Newfoundland and I begin my journey home. I am sure it will be filled with as much adventure as the way here.

I am skipping ahead from where I last left off, so I will rewind a bit.

Tuesday I caught the ferry from North Sydney, NS to Port aux Basques, NL. It departed at 3:00 pm, but I had to be there to check in by 1:00 pm. I was the first in the row I was in and the first to board. Being first to board meant I didn’t have any one to follow and I didn’t know where to go. The boarding crew were so lackadaisical, waving their hands in the air like they just didn’t care. So following their vague hand waves I parked, but no one else followed. I got out of my car and asked the nearest crew member where I was supposed to be and he just casually said, “Not there.” Gee, thanks! No one cared that I was in the wrong spot! After I got the parking situation figured out, I found a place to sit ... and sat. By the time the 2 hours until departure passed, I figured we should already be there. There was a guy behind me with sleep apnea, a man with a monotone voice reading very loudly to his son, a whiney kid, etc. Besides the wonderful selection of people, it was a very rough trip, apparently it can take up to 3 days after a storm for the water to calm and a few days previous there had been some strong winds.

We arrived in Newfoundland at 8:00 pm local time and by the time I pulled off the ferry it was 9:00 pm. I got about 20 minutes away from the ferry, heading towards a Walmart that was a 2 hour drive away, and I turned around. It was incredibly dark, I felt like I was missing fabulous scenery and all I hear about Newfoundland is not to ever drive in the dark as there are so many moose on the road. So I found myself a hotel for the night and started the trek across the island the next morning. It only took 10 hours, not the 13 Google Maps predicted. 

I pulled into St. John's, or what I assumed was St. John's through the thick fog, at 8:00 pm. It was only 9 degrees Celsius, and because it was the end of the line, I was going to treat myself to a hotel. Or not. The first place I went to was completely booked, so I borrowed their phone book and called every other hotel and B & B and there was no vacancy to be had. I even tried the only family in the Mennonite Your Way directory that lived in Newfoundland, no answer. I found the Walmart, and bundled up for a cold night.

The next morning by 8:30 am I was on my way to find coffee when I spotted the Holiday Inn and on a whim I decided to pull in and see if they had anything. They didn't have anything for that night, but there were 2 rooms left for Friday night. I told her I'd take one, I had called every hotel the night before and they were all full and it was a cold night to spend in the car. Next thing I knew, she had the room available for me immediately even though check in wasn't until 3:00 pm and for both nights! She told me to go right away and rest up a bit. I took her advice, had a hot bath and then was ready to start my day fresh!

Bathed and rested up, I decided to take an ocean tour with the company Iceberg Quest. It was cold and though I didn't see any icebergs or whales, I got a real ocean experience bobbing up and down in that dinky little boat, being blown and tossed by the waves. I even "dipped my toes" in to the Atlantic when the waves came crashing on board.

Cold and wet, I went back to the hotel, and had another hot bath. This time my phone joined me in the tub! It thankfully, was eventually as refreshed as I was and is as good as new! 

I tried to go for a nice lobster dinner last night, but apparently though lobster season just started in PEI, it has already ended here in Newfoundland. Hopefully I will be able to find someone serving in on my way back through Nova Scotia or New Brunswick!

Today, finally not foggy and MUCH warmer, it got up to 23 degrees, a huge improvement from the high of 11 yesterday. I wandered around the downtown waterfront area, saw the monument for Mile 0 of Terry Fox's journey from there I went to Cape Spear.
That brings me to where I started off, Cape Spear the farthest east I can get on this continent. I am so proud of myself for having come all this way on my own.
Tomorrow, west.

PEI and Nova Scotia

 
When I left off I had been in New Brunswick and about to enjoy the tides of the Bay of Fundy. Well, as amazing and beautiful as it was, I tell ya, there is something wrong with paying $9 to get into a park to look at some rocks (Hopewell Rocks). It is even wronger (not a word, I know) to pay $2 per trip to take a golf cart to said rocks when it only takes about 15 minutes to walk! As beautiful as these flowerpot rocks were, I wasn't enjoying myself sandwiched between people going up and down the crowded stairs to get to them. Tourism has ruined travel. I used a travel quote by Paul Theroux in one of my earlier blogs, but that is a quote by me. Next time you find yourself paying a ridiculous amount of money to be herded with a swarm of other tourists you can quote me, "Tourism has ruined travel."
Not to say I am not enjoying myself, I am!
My next stop was PEI. There I stayed with a fabulous couple, Jack & Shirley, that friends from Vernon connected me to. They were most welcoming and hospitable. The first day I took in Anne of Green Gables, a PEI must see. Though crowded with tourists, there were walking paths, "The Haunted Woods" and such that made for a peaceful walk and a nice afternoon.
As I was leaving Green Gables, I noticed that an indicator light on my dash had come on letting me know that a light was out. I sent a text to my dad asking him what to do. He called me back while I was driving to my next destination so I pulled over at what I thought was a random attraction. My dad talked me through taking the burned out bulb out and gave me instructions on putting a new one in after I had a chance to buy one.
When I hung up from the call, I thought I would take a few pictures of the cows before I moved on and when I first pulled on to the yard I had noticed a cat, and missing mine terribly, I figured this feline needed some squeezing. When I had finished enjoying the cows, I turned around to look for that cat only to realize that there were kittens, lots of kittens! As soon as I sat down one of them crawled right onto my lap! In the barn there were even more kittens, a pile. Tell me, what is better than a pile of kittens? There had to be dozens! It completely made my day.


As hard as it was, I eventually left the cat farm... I mean cow farm, and toured around the island. I covered a lot of the south shore stopping at many waterfront areas including Cabot Beach Provincial Park where I saw a fox! A thrill as I haven't seen much wildlife at all, except the copious amounts of lifeless raccoon on the side of the highway.
I eventually, after a very full day, made my way back to Charlottetown where I found a Canadian Tire and purchased a new bulb for my car. In the parking lot I popped the hood and put it in all by myself! Careful, of course, not to touch the new bulb. It feels really good to be able to do things on your own! With a little over the phone coaching from dad of course!
Jack & Shirley took me touring the East side of the island the next day, they were great fun. We stopped for fish and chips for lunch and they took me to this place called Basin Head where we jumped off a wall into a canal sort of thing and then rode the current down to a sand bar in the ocean! It was very cold at first, but it was great fun! A highlight for sure. In the evening they invited me along with them to friends of theirs for a nice home cooked roast beef dinner.
I hadn't seen a provincial sign on my way into PEI, it was raining so I didn't look to hard, so on the way out I stopped at an info booth and asked where it was. I was told they were doing some landscaping so the sign had been temporarily removed. I told them I hadn't missed a provincial sign yet, so they suggested across the street there was a sign that might do.

Crossing the Confederation Bridge again, I continued on to Nova Scotia.

My first day in Nova Scotia I didn't see or enjoy much as I had picked up some sort of bug and I was feverish with a very upset stomach. I spent quite a bit of the afternoon snoozing in my car.
Feeling much better the next day (yesterday) I explored Nova Scotia. From my home base at the Walmart in Dartmouth, I visited Cow Bay thinking of my dear friend Vashti, who loves cows. I then moved on to the more touristy attractions such as Peggy's Cove where I did an ocean boat tour, I unfortunately didn't see any whales. I also went to Mahone Bay, but didn't see too much there as it was Sunday and already almost 6 pm so most shops were closed.
Today I am going to have a relaxing day as it is a bit rainy. After I finish this blog I am going to make my way over to the Chatters and see about getting my hair cut and then do a little shopping, maybe find a Pearl Vision and see about getting my glasses adjusted. In the evening I will get to visit with Maria, a friend who used to live in Vernon, who I just discovered a couple weeks ago via Facebook, is living in Halifax and has an internship at the Halifax Regional Library.
Only one more province left to go...

New Brunswick

I arrived in Fredericton, NB on Friday afternoon. I checked into the local hostel and because it was so close to downtown I went for a walk and ended up strolling along the walking/biking path beside river with an ice cream cone. It was very peaceful and relaxing. The next day being Sunday left me with little to do but relax some more as 90% of the town is closed on a Sunday and the few stores that actually open only do so from 12-5 pm. I sat and read in a park and then rented a bike and rode along the same path I had walked the night before, this time getting to explore a little further.
This morning I made my way to Saint John, NB not to be mistaken with St. John's, NL. I drove right to the city centre where I spotted a market. I found a parking lot right away and a wonderful surprise, parking was free because of New Brunswick Day! A welcome relief after paying $3/hour the past few places I have been. It turns out I arrived at the same time as a big cruise ship which, while crowded, ended up being a good thing because the vendors set up on cruise days and as they are on Sundays, most shops were closed for the holiday. Along the side walks for blocks and blocks were flea market type vendors with wonderful goodies! I usually associate flea markets with junk, but this one had treasures! Wonderful items that reminded me of childhood. I even purchased a Game Genie for my Nintendo! After I had exhausted the flea market I toured the streets enjoying the architecture. I had seen some signs coming in from the highway for the reversing falls, a kind of waterfall that reverses directions depending on the tide so I drove there to observe this phenomenon, but of course only saw one of the directions because I didn't feel like staying around for 6 hours for the next change. Maybe I will stop by in the morning to see what direction they are going then.
After the falls I used the GPS to find a Starbucks and it brought me to the middle of a bridge. The GPS's error ended up being a pleasant surprise. At the other end of the bridge when I went to turn around I found myself at a park with a little beach, so I abandoned my Starbucks hunt and went for a swim and sat and read enjoying the sun for awhile. As it has now cooled off I am in Starbucks one of the few places still open despite the holiday.
Tomorrow I enjoy the tides of the Bay of Fundy. I will stop by Hopewll Rocks, Fundy National Park and Cape Enrage and hopefully catch them at the right cycles of the tide.
Today is one month since I began my journey and I am almost ready to turn around and begin my trek back. Only 3 more provinces to go!

Quebec Shenanigans

This morning I set out for Quebec City from Montreal. My first stop was Tim Hortons for my morning coffee. Who knew ordering a double double could be so stressful? The girl just curled her nose up at me and said, "Pardon?" when I attempted to say "grande" for large. Oh well, I tried.
In Quebec city I made my way downtown, circling many times through different exits because there is so much construction and I don't understand the French highway signs. But I found a nice place to park, payed the parking meter for a couple of hours and went on my merry way. I strolled down the streets, enjoyed the beautiful architecture and trendy shops. After a nice cold chocolate beverage from a nice little cafe, I started back towards my car. It wasn't there. There was still 32 minutes left on the parking meter, but my car was gone. It turns out the street turned into a city bus depot between the hours of 1500 and 1800. I just didn't understand this when I parked because I am not used to the 24 hour clock and I don't read French. I thought it meant no overnight parking. I phoned my daddy and while I was trying to figure out what to do, I found a security guard who spoke English and he gave me the phone number to call. I called and the answering service was only in French! I tried pressing 0 to get an operator, but I was just disconnected. I found another guy who spoke English and he called the number for me and got the address of my car. It was only about a 4 block walk away. As I approach I realize, it isn't impounded, it is just sitting there. There is a ticket on my dash, but other than that, a little jiggling of the key and steering wheel to unlock it and away I go. The ticket is for $133, but I won't be shelling over the cash.
I leave Quebec first thing tomorrow morning and I will be done with all things French for quite some time to come... with exception to fries, maybe toast and of course *kissing.



*Participant yet to be determined.

The "F" Word ... and Walmart

Fireworks, yes, fireworks is quickly becoming a four-letter word.

I am staying at a KOA Kampground tonight and on their website they advertise fireworks in town on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Perfect! Today is Wednesday. After the Fireworks Fiasco of Niagara Falls, this is just what I need. Luckily I decided to look it up before hand and I discovered for the Bronze tickets, yes tickets to see fireworks, are $45.99 and they even helpfully mention that parking will be $20. But, folks, flares are the new fireworks. I made my way into Montreal from the Kampground to a Walmart to see if I can find a cheap beach air mattress only to discover it closed at 9 pm. I could have tried to locate another, but it is getting late and there is so much traffic, and lanes and exits and construction, and I am just not a big fan of city driving so I head back to the KOA. This is where the flares come in, I am driving along a bridge when a construction worker just starts tossing flares onto the road, right in front of moving vehicles! So I got a bit of a light show after all!

I have after 2 ½ weeks finally made it out of Ontario and into the province of Quebec.  Woohoo!

I would also just like to mention that I am not looking for pity or complaining about my overnight stays on Walmart parking lots when I mention them. To me It is part of the adventure and it is not because I have no other options and the 9 nights so far have saved me anywhere from $20-$50 a night, which really adds up. And to those of you who worry about my safety, I am completely safe. There are many families who park their motor homes, etc. on Walmart parking lots overnight and I snug my car up close and pin up sheets for privacy. My car is actually even more comfortable than my tent as the seat has give for my hips and the ground does not. I say this as I prepare for a night in my tent on the hard ground after a fruitless trip to find an air mattress. :)

Goodnight.

Hamilton to Ottawa

In Hamilton, I visited the location of the 1st Tim Hortons EVER!!!  That was pretty exciting... I ordered an ice capp, it was way too hot for a double double.

After a lovely visit in Hamilton with Stefani, I had a generous offer to stay in St Catharines with the parents of Michel-lyn, another girl I went to college with. I made St Catharines my home base for the next couple of days as it is really close to Niagara Falls and Niagara-on-the-Lake.
The first day, Friday, as I made my way to Niagara Falls, I spotted a book store. On a whim I decided to turn around and go back to it. The World's Biggest Bookstore had nothing on this book warehouse! There I found 4 books by my favourite author, Lionel Shriver, all for only $25! It is usually quite difficult to even find her books! I was thrilled. Niagara Falls had a lot of work to do to top this attraction! In Niagara Falls I did the one thing I repeatedly heard from everyone was a must, the Maid in the Mist, a boat that goes up right close to the falls where you get all wet. I then met up with Andrea, a really good friend of my friend, Amanda. Amanda used to live in Niagara Falls so Andrea took me around and should me Amanda's old house, school and hang-outs. For dinner Andrea and I went on an adventure to the U.S and ate at a buffet with her sister and nephew who live across the line. I had wanted to get back to the falls by 10 pm to see the fireworks, but as we were sitting in line at the border waiting to cross they went off. I could see a few in the side mirror of the car. Andrea assured me that they had them on both Friday and Saturday, so I could see them the next night. I still wanted to see Niagara-on-the-Lake yet, so I was ok with staying another night.

Saturday I went into Niagara-on-the-Lake where Amanda had organized a free ride in a horse drawn carriage with her aunt who owns the carriage company. I wandered the overly touristy streets and went on a tour of the Hillebrand Winery. I may have splurged on a bottle of ice wine! I then had about 6 hours to kill. I eventually parked and made my way down to the park by Niagara Falls. I waited and waited, found the perfect spot to stand, with a view of both sets of falls, and then when it got to be quarter after 10, I decided to look up on my phone what was up. I discovered they did the fireworks on Friday and SUNDAY, not Saturday. So, defeated I made my way back to my car. After a phone call to my mom, she convinced me to stick around one more day, have a relaxing day, rest and read.

This brings us to Sunday. I had my relaxing day and left for the falls with an hour and a half to go the 20 minute drive. Wouldn't you believe my luck, but I had accidentally programmed my GPS for the American side and too late I realized this and had to go through the U.S. border crossing, which only took about 20 minutes, but I had a 40 minute wait to get back into Canada and then I had to pay a toll!! I made my way to the parking lot, sprinted down to the falls just as they were starting the fireworks. And then they stopped. I thought it was just a pause. Eventually, I ask another couple incredulously, "Was that IT!?" They informed me that they had to cancel due to wind. What wind, I would like to know, but apparently I just wasn't meant to see those fireworks!
Monday morning I leisurely made my way toward to Ottawa, stopping in Hamilton again to see Stefani, as on my last visit I had forgotten to get a picture with her. Getting to Ottawa too late to see any sights, I caught a movie.
Tuesday morning I went to Parliament Hill and saw the Changing of the Guard. I almost got a little weepy, thinking how proud I was to be Canadian!

After the Changing of the Guard I went and signed up for a tour of Centre Block, the middle Parliament building and while I was waiting it went from sunny to thunder, lightning and rain very quickly! I have had only hot sunny weather, with only one night of rain since I left home, so I figure it was time for some inclement weather. It didn't last long though, by the time I was done my tour it was hot and sunny again!
Later in the evening I went back to the Parliament Hill to watch a sound and light show they do against Centre Block. It was pretty cool and at least this light show wasn't cancelled on me!