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Kingston (Ontario), 2002

Wednesday, October 23

We left Peterborough about noon on a crisp, but sunny, fall day. The colours were gorgeous as we headed to Brighton for lunch at the Wine Cafe Louisa. We had eaten there a year ago and quite enjoyed it. And, we were not disappointed this year, either. Unfortunately, the place is for sale, so we may have had our last meal there.

We then meandered a bit more, finally arriving in Kingston about 5pm. We are staying at a very nice B&B - The Painted Lady. The innkeeper - Carol Franks - is originally from the Peterborough area. There's a balcony right next to our room, from which there are several nice views. It's a lovely spot.

Dinner tonight was at Wooden Heads. We had a light meal (pizza, that was quite good), but their espresso machine was broken, so we were quite disappointed about that!


Thursday, October 24

This morning we got to experience the breakfast part of B&B. And, it was a wonderful helping of French toast with apples and pears. Our company this morning was Heidi (from the Seattle area) plus Cathy and Darrin (from Timmins).

Our first task was to find some place to have cappuccino. And, to our delight, we discovered Coffee & Company. This is a very small chain (four stores - one in Newfoundland, two in Kingston and one unknown!), that serves great Italian coffees in a welcoming atmosphere. So, our first mission was accomplished :-}

As it turned out, Coffee & Company is just across the street from Pan Chancho. This establishment is very important to Kingston culinary culture, as it provides the bread for Chez Piggy (where we already have a reservation for tomorrow night). Pan Chancho has expanded its repertoire to include more than bread (including a café), which is good for the consuming public. We went on a scouting mission and returned later to pick up bread, cheese salad and olives for lunch. Before lunch we wandered around the downtown area, including the waterfront, etc. Kingston is a lovely little city.

After lunch, off to the Anglican Diocese of Ontario archives, as Susan has family from this area. So, part of our afternoon was consumed in genealogical research. Then, more wandering (we're quite good at that!). Today's walks took us by one of the historic houses of John A. Macdonald (see plaque for explanation).

There are five three-diamond (CAA-rated) restaurants in Kingston. We are already scheduled for one tomorrow night (Chez Piggy), so we thought we'd try another one tonight. However, we couldn't make up our mind, so decided on Indian food (two diamonds) at Curry Village. It was great - recommended!


Friday, October 25

Today's breakfast consisted of scrumptious scrambled eggs, toasted bagel and a small fruit salad. Our company this morning included Heidi (again) and Brian (from Calgary).

Cappuccino again at Coffee & Company. Then off to the Marine Museum of the Great Lakes. Very interesting - we spent nearly two hours there. Then back to Pan Chancho for today's bread and a few olives for lunch. We ate lunch (yesterday, as well) on the balcony right beside our room at The Painted Lady. Both days were cool, but there was bright sunshine on the balcony and no wind, so it was quite comfortable for our small repast of bread, cheese, artichokes and olives, all washed down with a little wine, of course.

After our leisurely lunch, we spent the afternoon wandering and shopping. There are many pretty views in Kingston. Then back to our rooms for a rest before dinner at Chez Piggy. Dinner certainly lived up to our expectations (we had eaten there before in the past couple of years). Service was good and we had an excellent table (#21) - again, recommended.


Saturday, October 26

Our last day (morning) in Kingston. Breakfast was much like yesterday's, except we had an omelet. Again, nicely done by Carol. Company was also the same as yesterday - the very personable Heidi and Brian. We took one last jaunt downtown for our morning cappuccino and picked up some bread and olives at Pan Chancho for lunch later in the day in Peterborough.

All in all, a very restful, refreshing break!

NedStat