Ottawa to Oshawa

For breakfast we went back to Byward Market and had delicious coffee and pastries at the Byward Cafe.

We had 1000 Island Cruise out of Gananoque tentatively planned but the timing didn't seem to work out as it would have gotten us to east Toronto later than we had wanted. Instead we headed east to Kingston which is known as western gateway to the Thousand Islands region.

Fun fact: while eating lunch, we ordered a smoked meat sandwich that was smeared with house-made 1000 Island dressing. Curious if there was a connection to 1000 Island and this region, we quickly googled it. Sure enough, 1000 Island was created in the area. There's a couple of stories of who brought it to life, but it definitely was invented in the 1000 Island region. Pretty cool, huh? Accidental food history lesson with lunch? We’ll take it.

Lunch and beer was enjoyed at Kingston Brewing Company. We chose this restaurant for their house-brewed root beer which one of April's favorites. After lunch, we walked down to the water and took in the scenery. Kingston ended up being a really nice little pivot in the plan.

Because we didn't do the cruise, we had some time to spend, so we decided to do the Kingston Penitentiary Tour. The Kingston Pen, also known as KP, is Canada's oldest and most notorious maximum-security prison.

Our tour guide was wonderful and really knew his stuff. And if he didn't, we were still fully convinced by everything he told us. One of the unique things about this tour is that there were four times within the tour when we stopped to hear stories from correctional officers and staff members who used to work in KP. I'm sure this prison has its own stories of corruption and shady staff members, but those sharing their stories during this tour held the place and the people in it with respect. You could tell it wasn’t just a job to them. It was history, memory, and probably a whole lot of things they still carry with them.

We did the 1.5-hour tour....and it was blustery, windy, and very cool. Much of the tour is outside, and the inside of the prison isn't heated, so if you visit, be prepared for that. Basically, dress like you’re going on a prison tour in Canada, because, well, you are.

Our next stop: The BIG APPLE.

Seriously!

This was a right off the highway stop that provided a great opportunity to stretch the legs, grab a snack, and pose for a photo opp. Really, that's all you can want in a road-side stop.

This place has every apple-themed item you can think of: apple pies, fritters, juice, bread, tarts, dumplings, loaves, donuts, etc., etc. I think you get the picture. If an apple could be turned into something edible, they probably had it. They also have a nice wine selection, a huge candy shop, hot food, mini golf, and a petting zoo. There were also a few stands outside where you could purchase specialized items. It was definitely worth the stop.

From there, we made our way to our hotel in Oshawa. Because of the crazy hotel prices in Toronto, we decided to stay slightly outside of the city this night....that way we could just roll into Toronto the next day and start our adventure.

We found our hotel but then made our way to the downtown area, just to sightsee. There wasn't much, at least in the area where we visited, so we made our way back to our hotel. Dinner was at Baxter's Landing, which we enjoyed, and dessert was Tim Hortons donuts, our first ever. A very Canadian way to end the night, if I do say so myself.