Iceland Archives - Connecting the Dots

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Agnes at Egilsstadir Campground

Agnes @ Egilsstaðir Campground in Iceland

Akureyri's Cafe Berlin in Iceland - Owner Sveinn

Sveinn @ Cafe Berlin in Iceland

Naked in Iceland2

Naked in Iceland

Iceland's Psychedelic Purple Planes

Purple Planes and Iceland Trip Prep

Unwelcome to Iceland at Reykjavik Airport

Travel Mishaps in Iceland

About TMc

Heya! I’m Tara (Tar-ah)! Welcome to Travel with TMc where you’ll find quirky language tidbits, travel hacks for Canadians, and stories from the road. I hope you enjoy!
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⁠On a dusty rural road sits a special area with

⁠On a dusty rural road sits a special area with an old school, church, and cemetery. Originally known by the name "Maus" for the man who donated the land, the Paris Plains (North) Church is a unique architectural gem made of cobblestones!⁠
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Built in 1845 with free labour from the farmers in the area who extracted the cobblestones to make it, Paris Plains Church is a simple kind of beautiful. Though it is no longer open to the public for preservation purposes, it is still worth a visit as it's the exterior that is so unique.⁠
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#TravelwithTMc #TMcONT160⁠⠀⁠
#LoveLocalBrant #brantcounty #parisplainschurch #pinehurstlakeconservationarea #ParisOntario #Cobblestones #discoverON #yourstodiscover #pinehurstontario #brantworkstogether #branttourism #goodtimesinbrant #countyofbrant #travelunexpected #southernontario #ruralontario #travelblogging #canadiantravelblogger #greatcanadiandaytrip #ParisON #smalltown #ExploreOntario

Looking back on summer, I think my main food group

Looking back on summer, I think my main food group was 🍦.⁠⠀
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On one of my Ontario 160 adventures I stopped in at a non-descript convenience store because it had a sign that said "Video Rentals". ⁠⠀
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If you grew up in the 90s like I did, then you definitely know what I'm talking about when I say it was THE BEST heading to a Blockbuster, Jumbo Video, Rogers Video, or some other video rental place on a Friday night with your family (or date, when you were older). ⁠⠀
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As a kid you'd rock-paper-scissors for who got to choose the video. Then you'd race to see if there were any copies available behind the (empty) original movie case. If you were lucky, you'd get to pick one treat to indulge in (Starburst, Reeses, or Ruffles All Dressed chips all the way!). At the counter you'd watch the employee scan the movie and then race to the other side of the barcode detetctors so you could be the one to carry it out of the store, PSYCHED about the movie night ahead.⁠⠀
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Netflix (or any streaming service for that matter) doesn't have any of the anticipation or satisfaction of visiting a movie rental store. I'm thankful yet again that I was born in a time without constant scrolling, streaming, sounds everywhere buzzing around us as we sit and stare at screens....sigh.⁠⠀
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Anyhow, back to the story. I pulled into this roadside convenience store to check out their video rentals for nostalgia's sake and was granted a smile and a few happy memories upon seeing their video stacks (next photo). And, to my great luck, they happened to serve another piece of nostalgia: Laura Secord SuperKid ice cream. Did I mention the scoops were HUGE?⁠⠀
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Pinehurst ⁠Variety Store is my new favourite roadside stop. If you're in the area and jonesing for a throwback or some tasty bigass scoops of ice cream, it's definitely the place to go.⁠⠀
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#TravelwithTMc #TMcONT160⁠⠀⁠⠀
#pinehurstvariety #pinehurstlakeconservationarea #LoveLocalBrant #discoveron #yourstodiscover #pinehurstontario #brantcounty #lakelife #ontariocottagecountry #southernontario #ruralontario #canadablogger #travelwriter #travelblogging #canadiantravelblogger #superkidicecream #filmnight #movienight #videorental #vhs #1990s

Did you get outside yesterday for the Downtown Kit

Did you get outside yesterday for the Downtown Kitchener Urban Art Walk launch?

It was awesome! The @dtkitchener BIA and @kwartgallery partnered together to infuse our city with gorgeous art from @timeanddesire @soheila.esfahani @lukeswinsonart @trishaabe @morning.star.designs @pellvetica @ravenchcn @uwaterloo_finearts_printmaking @michelle_purchase_studio @amandarhodenizer @melihashemi @ernestdaetwyler @timschmalz @nicole_beno @sstephaniesscott @binnieclareart @stephboutari @thefirm.murals @projectsandobjects @shalakattack @clandestinosart @brunosmoky @alapinta.cl @chrisaustinart @meg.harder @kate.wilson.eidetics @augustillustrated @monogonzalezchile Shawn Johnston, Donna Noah, Brad Golden, Lynne Eichenberg, Ted Fullerton, Nicholas Rees, Walter Gibson, Allan MacKay, Tori Ward, Andrew Thom, Jordan Warmington, Pamela Rojas, Marilyn Koop, Carol Bradley, Christina Peori, and Ian Pierce.

#travelwithtmc #dtklove #kitchenerwaterloo #kitchener #waterlooregion #explorewr #locallove #muralsofinstagram

With views like these, who wouldn’t be all smile

With views like these, who wouldn’t be all smiles?

Even though it rained for most of the day on our @guesswheretrips , it didn’t dampen our spirits.

What about you? Are you a fair-weathered traveller or do you jump into adventures no matter what?

#travelwithtmc #fallvibes🍁 #ontario #ontariocanada #canada #canadianroadtrip #guesswheretrips #fallfoliage #muskoka #lionsheadlookout #freshwaterlake #rainydays☔️ #canadiantraveller #travelbloggerlife #travelwriting #getoutdoors #outdooradventures

Have you heard of GUESS WHERE TRIPS?⁠ ⁠ I'm so

Have you heard of GUESS WHERE TRIPS?⁠
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I'm so excited to be going on one of their intriguing itineraries today (even though the weather is dark and gloomy) with @mptours. ⁠
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When I heard of these trips I knew I had to try one (all?😁) of them. From the fact that they use snail mail, to the element of surprise, to the specially curated itineraries, to the focus on supporting small businesses...I wish I had thought of this brilliant idea and am surprised I haven’t seen anything like it before. Needless to say, I’m super pumped for today’s @guesswheretrips adventure!⁠
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HOW IT WORKS:⁠
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• Pick one of their themed trips⁠
• Wait for mail (!!!) to arrive (see picture)⁠
• Set a date in your calendar to adventure⁠
• Open the 1st envelope the night before you leave so you know what to pack and prepare⁠
• Go! On the morning of your trip, open the 2nd envelope and discover what neat destinations await! At each stop open the next envelope and continue onward. ⁠
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#TravelwithTMc ⁠
#guesswheretrips #weirdandwonderful⁠
#discoveron #ontario #canada #exploreontario #shoplocal #surpriseme #daytrip #coolexperiences #girlstrip #roadtrip #ontarioroadtrip #getoutdoors #travelwriter #travelblogging #canadiantravelblogger #canadiantraveller #fallvibes🍁

CASTLE KILBRIDE FAST FACTS⁠ (*Save for your visi

CASTLE KILBRIDE FAST FACTS⁠
(*Save for your visit!*)⁠
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• ADDRESS: Regional Road 1 in Baden⁠
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• In 1877, construction began on the Italianate belvedere-style mansion. As a nod to his roots, James Livingston named his castle after his Scottish hometown of East Kilbride.⁠
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• While the exterior is beautiful, it's always been the fascinating interior that drew the most attention. Why? Artist Henry Scharstein painted the library, walls, ceilings, hallway columns, statues, and vases in the famous trompe l‘œil style which looks like things are in 3D!!! (Can you imagine living in that?)⁠
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• This amazing home stayed in the Livingston family for 3 generations, from 1877 all the way until 1988.⁠
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• ADMISSION: Typically Castle Kilbride is hopping with excitement. It hosts various community and private events such as Christmas at the Castle, weddings, exhibits, the Summer Concert Series, and different school programs. Due to COVID-19, the visitor centre and museum were closed when I visited, however they reopened on August 29th for timed visits on Saturdays and Sundays! Tickets for tours must be purchased in advance through Castle Kilbride's website.⁠
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#TravelwithTMc #TMcONT160⁠
#castlekilbride #badenontario #baden #explorewr #waterlooregion #wilmottownship #lovewilmot #southernontario #ontariotravel #travelontario #travelcanada #canadablogger #travelwriter #travelblogging #canadiantravelblogger #oldhousesofcanada

My starting point: Ron Brown's 160 Unusual Things

My starting point: Ron Brown's 160 Unusual Things to See in Ontario.⁠
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I picked up this book last year while in Toronto @queenbooksto (fantastic bookstore if you haven't been!) thinking it would be fun to follow - years down the road - if I was ever in the province for an extended period of time.⁠
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Well... You might have heard...but a pandemic hit and global travel screeched to a deafening halt! *tear Luckily, this book became the perfect way to safely travel this summer - both scratching the itch and allowing me to appreciate home even more. ⁠
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Besides being a bit quirky (which I love), this book introduced so many different parts of Ontario to me that have been amazing to check out. I've also really enjoyed conducting my own research after visiting each site, learning more about the history behind these unusual local places.⁠
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Nerd Alert: Is it weird that I love how much it feels like writing university research papers each time I publish a post? ⁠
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What's your travel process? Do you plan and research everything before visiting a site? Do you learn more about it afterwards? Do you just show up and then move on to the next place?⁠
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#TravelwithTMc #TMcONT160⁠
#canadablogger #solotravelblogger #travelwriter #travelblogging #canadiantravelblogger #sheisnotlost #canadatravel #canadiantraveller #wearetravelgirls #shetravels #brucetrail #hyperlocal #waterlooregion #wilmottownship #norfolkcounty #southernontario #ruralontario #ontariotravel #travelontario #travelcanada #roadtripcanada #travelbook

KW folk, did you know you have a CASTLE in your ba

KW folk, did you know you have a CASTLE in your backyard?!!⁠⠀
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Despite growing up close to Baden, where this beautiful home is located, I had never been to Castle Kilbride before this summer. (However, I had visited a friend's bakery across the street...but you guys already know about my sweet tooth addiction!😋)⁠⠀
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When I visited I had the grounds to myself and plopped down for a little reading to learn more about this local historic home. The museum inside was closed at the time, thanks to the pandemic. Luckily, it's now open on Saturdays and Sundays between 11 and 4 (ticket link is on the venue's main page).⁠⠀
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Have you been to Castle Kilbride before? What were your impressions of the interior (and the real draw to this home)?⁠⠀
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#TravelwithTMc #TMcONT160⁠⠀
#castlekilbride #badenontario #baden #explorewr #waterlooregion #wilmottownship #lovewilmot #southernontario #ruralontario #ontariotravel #travelontario #travelcanada #canadablogger #oldhousesofcanada #housesoftheworld ⁠⠀
#houseportrait #oldhouselove #solotravelblogger #travelwriter #travelblogging #canadiantravelblogger

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