Our experiences from Canada and New York

This blog I will tell u guys our trips to Canada and New York. I got lazy so all the pics are in the end.
Videos from our journey www.facebook.com/thebondsfamily007

Our flight landed early in the morning to Calgary airport. We had rented a house for our entourage. Stuart was the best man at his friend’s wedding and we spent the week with the parents of the groom and a couple of friends. The house was located right near downtown Calgary. The two-week Stampede festival was taking place in town. They say it’s the largest outdoor event in the world. Cowboy hats, an amusement park, bands and different food booths invite people from around the world. We went around the festival and tasted all kinds of deep-fried treats, like hamburgers, ice cream, cheese, marshmallows, Oreo cookies...who deep-fries Oreos? Apparently the Canadians...

We rented a car and drove to a town called Banff in the mountains. The city was a tourist trap, beautiful with its Alpine restaurants and villas. The place is very popular among skiers in the wintertime. On the way back, we stopped at a lake called Emerald Lake. The water was turquoise and clear and breathtakingly beautiful mountains surrounded the lush green landscape. I snapped a photo of the wedding couple in a canoe.

The following days were filled with bachelor and bachelorette parties, the wedding, and shopping. On the last day we drove in the desert and stopped briefly at the Indian Casino located there. The locals and the owner of the hotel call it by that name and the hotel was full of ancient handicrafts made by the natives as well as posters of movies shot in the area and at the casino. The most recognizable was The Edge, starring Anthony Hopkins, which we had actually watched at home just before leaving. We drove in the same landscape, it was unbelievable. The hotel manager followed me out to the parking lot while I was getting diapers. He asked me if I was Sini. I said yes. He told me that the girls in the reception had recognized me from our wedding show Australia's Cheapest Weddings and therefore they wanted to offer us a suite, the use of the pool, and dinner for free. We filmed a video clip of the funny coincidence and the girls wanted autographs and selfies. We laughed while our friends shook their heads.

Canada was left behind the following day when we headed for New York via Vancouver. In New York, our hotel was on Broadway, at Times Square, on 45th Street. All the streets were full of people day and night. The shops were open around the clock and the screaming sirens  and flashing lights of emergency vehicles became very familiar during the week.

On the first day we walked along the streets of Times Square admiring the hustle and bustle. There were thousands of people all in a rush to get somewhere. We were met by a group of friends that Stuart travelled with in Thailand in 2015 when we met. The view of the Empire State Building from Lisa’s rooftop terrace was incredible and we of course also visited the tourist attractions: the 9/11 memorial, Rockefeller center aka Top of the Rock. It’s a high viewpoint building where they took the black and white photo of construction workers sitting high up on a beam during its construction phase. We took the ferry to check out the Statue of Liberty and enjoyed tasty dinners in varying restaurants. Penny tasted alongside us and enjoyed the bustling streets from her stroller. We also went to Bronx and Harlem just because so many said that it’s not worth going. I wanted to see what these places were about. On the subway on the way to the Bronx, brothers sang old songs for the morning travelers. We were the only pale-as-sheets white people on the whole train. Many admired Penny’s blue eyes and blond hair. I told them Penny was so white that she shines in the dark, that made a lot of people laugh. At the McDonald’s in the Bronx, the local ladies gave their desserts and a couple toys to Penny. We were received in a totally different way than what we had been made to believe would happen. We weren’t stabbed or made fun of at all. People on the streets spoke to us in a friendly tone, commenting positively on our tattoos and my red hair. I became infatuated with the place. Harlem was pretty much the same, but less gangs in their groups, booming rap music or hearing Spanish.

We also went to see a baseball game with the Yankees playing the Mets. The New York top 1 Yankees lost by a few points. The whole stadium was full, 55,000 people. The atmosphere was breathtaking. We had to buy the foam hand that you put your own hand in and a t-shirt just for the fun and games. Outside, when we left after the game, a funny incident occurred again. A bunch of guys yelled loudly how one of them was a Mets fan, so who would like to come and slap him, and wouldn’t you know it, a gray haired old grandma walked up to the Mets fan and slapped him on the cheek. Everyone bent over double laughing, including the guy and the grandma.

On the last day we gave some of Penny’s old clothes to a homeless mother sitting on the corner of street and the rest of our coins to those in need. New York was fantastic. We’ll be back again!

Emerald Lake Canada

Some wedding couple

Indian Casino

New York Rockafella building 

My shorts bywww.daddysgirl.fi

Streets foto my shorts by www.amadastore.fi tshirt by www.muotiputiikkihelmi.fi

Yankees game 

Time Square New York 

My leggings by www.disturb.fi