Well, I should have posted about this way back in September, but life has continued to be busy – so here it is, three months later… an overview of our honeymoon in Toronto, Canada!

We were married on Saturday, September 10, and after a nice family and friend brunch on Sunday morning, we hopped in the car and headed to the good ‘ol Canadian border. Of course, we got caught up in customs and had to sit in the immigrations office for a whole hour. That was sweet. It also turns out highways in Canada are freaking helicopter patrolled!?! WTF? So we didn’t speed on the way to Toronto. So we arrived at our adorable B&B a little later than expected.

The owner, Geoffrey, was lovely though and welcomed us warmly. He also gave us an awesome late night dinner suggestion – House on Parliament. Adam got a burger and I got a beef and mushroom pie and a tasty Spearhead Hawaiian Style Pale Ale!

Day 1: Exploring the City

Our first full day! We headed out to the Lawrence Market to catch the City Sight Seeing tour bus. Not a bad deal, by the way. Thirty bucks for a guided ~two hour tour around the city and a bonus boat tour of the Toronto islands!! We stepped off the bus for lunch around Dundas Square and picked up some Magic cards at the pretty serious card shop that we passed by. Stopped for some tea and coffee and then grabbed the next bus that passed by!

Finally, it was time for the boat tour! This was one of my favorite parts of the trip – a nice relaxing boat ride around the islands. Spectacular views, great weather, and my new husband! <3

Day 2: Casa Loma & the Royal Ontario Museum

Day 2 was rather pleasant. We headed out to Casa Loma after breakfast and explored the castle and gardens. Lots of cool old stuff all over the place! After a few hours of exploration here, we headed downtown to grab some lunch and then to the Royal Ontario Museum.

The museum was pretty sweet – some of the cool stuff: the crystal room, the gem room, DINOSAURS!!, taxidermy, and all sorts of art.

Day 3: Niagara Falls

This was probably my favorite day. The falls were beautifal and mind-blowingly awesome. Of course, we had to take the Maid of the Mist out to the bottom of the falls – which was crazy!!

After a few hours, we hopped in the car and took the scenic wine-trail drive up to Niagara-on-the-Falls. We grabbed a great lunch and then strolled along the streets and did a bit of souvenier shopping, grabbed some coffee and tea, and then headed out to the lake. Soooo relaxing :)

Day 4: Science Center, CN Tower, Chinatown

Well the Science Center turned out to be pretty weak. I only took one photo while we were there. The place was practically empty, maybe because the school year had just started and it was too early for field trips. Everything was really old, a lot of the interactive displays were broken. They clearly haven’t gotten much funding in the last 20 years. Oh, and food options = zip.

So we headed back downtown to the CN Tower and took the elevator to the top for some awesome views. And afterwards it was off to Chinatown for an amazing dinner.

Day 5: Toronto Zoo

The zoo was pretty awesome, and not crowded at all, which was good except that it meant that none of the food stands were open. So we kinda starved ourselves through lunch. But there were a lot of cool animals out and the indoor animal environments were pretty cool since all the animals could move around us freely.

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And that was just about it!! Lots of good sights and scenes, tasty treats and drinks, relaxation and great company.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the week, and below that is the complete photo book I made to remember the week by. Hope you enjoy checking them out!

Best viewed in Full Screen!

Again – best viewed in Full Screen!

Here for you now are some of my favorite photos from the trip, followed the itinerary and some of the highlights.

For more photos (especially the ones with people), check out my special Israel Edition of Jarchiver.

Day 1: Welcome to Israel

Arrival in Tel Aviv

After a 12 hour flight, we were all happy to be on land again and ecstatic to meet our totally awesome tour guide, Beni.

Bus Tour to Jerusalem

No time to waste, it was off to Jerusalem via the official Bellinson Family tour bus! Beni introduced us to the land, culture, politics, and more along the way.

Touring the Old City and Holy Sepulcher

A stroll through the bustling markets and then to the supposed place of Christ’s death.

Day 2: Discovering Jerusalem and Digging up the Past

Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum with survivor Eliezer Ayalon

As you can imagine, Eli’s story was heartbreaking and the Holocaust Museum was an experience which you could call “rough.” It was an amazing experience to meet a man of such strong will and graciousness.

Beit Guvrin Caves – Dig For A Day

Here we were able to participate in an ongoing archeological dig, something I’ve always wanted to do. Most of us found at least one or two bits of 2000 year old antiquities – mostly shards of pottery, small bits of coal and long petrified animal bones.

Western Wall Tunnels

In the tunnels, we were the closest one can get to the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant containing the Ten Commandments was kept according to the Hebrew Bible.

Day 3: Bar Mitzvah Day!

Cooper’s Bar Mitzvah

This was my first experience of the Jewish religion and it was a lovely ceremony.

Israel Museum

Here we had a chance to see some of the art and traditions of the Israeli culture, as well as the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Day 4: Heading South – Dead Sea and Masada

Masada

This mountain top was once the home to a group of Jewish extremists, but when troops from the Roman Empire threatened their livelihood they turned to mass suicide rather than give themselves up as slaves to the Romans.

The Dead Sea

It’s true!! You totally float in the Dead Sea! Quite a strange experience, indeed, but very cool.

Dinner in a Bedouin Tent

After visiting a botanical garden and seeking out some wild ibexes, we headed up into the mountains to a remote bedouin camp for an absolutely wonderful dinner.

Day 5: Heading North – Galilee

Central Galilee Partnership 2000 English Program

The Jewish Federation of Detroit is partnered with an Israeli elementary school which we visited and learned a bit about the students and their lives.

Ayelet Hashahar Shooting Range

Time to shoot some uzis!! My first gun shooting almost went out without a hitch – right after instructing us on safety, the teacher shot a live round off right across me while showing me how to pull the trigger. Nice.

Day 6: North to Tel Aviv

Golan Heights Jeep Ride

Off-roading through the cattle fields up to Golan Heights where we met with former colonel, Kobi Marom, to talk politics and relationships with neighboring Syria and Lebanon.

Army Base Security Tour with Kobi Marom

Next, we headed to an Israeli Defense Force base and met with a few soldiers, saw a bunch of missile launchers and ate a bit of Bar Mitzvah cake.

Tel Aviv Tour

And lastly, it was back to Tel Aviv for a few hours of touring and our final Israeli dinner before embarking on the incredible 25 hour journey back home (ouch).

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So As you can see, it was a fully loaded week – and that flickr set doesn’t even begin to cover it. For more photos (especially the ones with people), check out my special Israel Edition of Jarchiver.

To see the full size image visit: “JewloftheLotus at deviantART”:http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/40141906/?qo=15&q=by%3Ajewlofthelotus&qh=sort%3Atime+-in%3Ascraps

:)

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