Toronto Island Getaway

Toronto

Toronto Island Getaway

Wednesday, June 1, 2016

When I first moved to Toronto I had never been to the island. I had seen numerous pictures and heard all about how great it was from friends, but because I had always visited in winter I hadn’t yet had the opportunity to see and experience it myself. When I moved here at the end of September the weather was nice, but I just had too much to do to get myself settled in and next thing I knew it was fall. So of course it was at the top of my list of things to do as soon as the weather warmed up again, and I got the opportunity to check it out while my brother was visiting.

I was completely blown away by it. First of all, I couldn’t believe my luck that the ferry is a just a short 5 minute walk from my place (how convenient?!). Although we went on a gorgeous Sunday, it was just the first day of the summer season ferry schedule and the lines and waiting times were nice and short. Within 10 minutes we were boarded on a ferry, with my bicycle in tow, headed for Toronto’s magical little getaway island. The view of the city from the ferry was breathtaking, and I couldn’t help snapping a few pictures.

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We had a great time exploring the island. My brother and step sister rented a quadricycle, which seemed to be the popular choice at the bike rental shop, and we set out for an hour long bike ride along the trails. I was excited to finally be using my bike which has been locked up for the winter. I couldn’t believe how serene and scenic the island was. We were really all blown away that this existed just a short 15 minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. It didn’t feel like we were anywhere near Toronto, until of course we came upon this view from the shore.

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Visiting the island was the perfect escape for all three of us. Although the weather wasn’t quite beach weather yet (only a handful of people were actually laying out on the sand), I got a taste of what visiting it will be like in the middle of the summer. I can’t wait to go back with a bag full of magazines, a book, snacks, sunscreen and a towel for a day of laying out in the sun and splashing around in the water. We all returned to the city feeling refreshed, relaxed, and like we had really had a mini vacation.

We finished the day off in perfect summer style with ice cream from Sweet Jesus, which is a popular ice cream shop in Toronto that ALWAYS has a long line up out the door (sometimes an hour long). I had heard about it but had never tried it myself. My step-sister and I shared the Red Rapture (vanilla soft serve topped with red velvet cake, cream cheese icing, meringue crumble and raspberry sauce) while my brother had the Cookies, Cookies, Cookies & Cream (vanilla soft serve, Oreo cookies, Chocolate Chip cookies, Fudgeos, Cookie Dough). Both were unbelievably good, but I will say that the Cookies, Cookies, Cookies & Cream won the flavour competition and I would definitely go for it next time!