Travel: Langdon Hall, Cambridge, Ontario

December 15, 2021 | 2 Commentaries

My beau says that I love Langdon Hall more than the owners of Langdon Hall love it. This may be true. I do love it. It’s luxe and beautiful. The employees are kind. The service is superb. The spa is lovely. The food…oh, the food…it’s amazing. I feel instantly relaxed as soon as I arrive. I appreciate that it’s only a 20 minute drive from our home, and yet, it feels so far away. I appreciate that I feel like I’ve been away for days even though it’s only been one overnight. I am lucky to be a repeat visitor for a daytime meal, a spa treatment, or an overnight stay. It’s a special treat to go to Langdon Hall (it’s not cheap), and I’m always grateful when I can go.

My beau and I recently celebrated our anniversary there, and we were treated so very well.

We arrived around 3pm on day 1, and after a quick check-in, we made our way to the spa for massages and some relaxation time (the sauna, steam room, and whirlpool are currently open to guests who have spa appointments). From there, we got ready for dinner and spent nearly three hours dining on the most artful and delicious food and special drinks. Beyond the food, the service was top notch. Of course, the in-room fireplace made our evening that much more cozy and festive.

On day 2, we continued to be spoiled at breakfast with the best croissants among other things like smoked salmon and a masterpiece acai berry bomb (seeds and smoothies have never tasted this good!). Oh, so good! Not wanting to leave after our check-out time, we took our books to Wilks’ Bar, and we read for a couple of hours by the fireplace. It was so relaxing!

*wearing heels for the first time in…2 years?!*

The Friday Five: Things on My Mind

December 10, 2021 | Leave a Reply

Recently watched: Look at the interesting discovery in this same sky postcards video. Watching cheesy holiday movies has begun in my house with Father Christmas is Back, Love Hard, A California Christmas, and The Holiday. All the cheesy holiday movies are made even better with a “Hallmark holiday movie watching box” that my beau gave me, which included a mug, candle, and Bingo cards so we can all have fun while we watch! So cheesy and great! We went to see House of Gucci last weekend (I didn’t love it as much as everyone else did).
Recently read: I’m still making my way through the stack of books from last month. I have been reading a lot about our home’s history via the Waterloo Public Library’s digital archives (amazing records!).
Recently listened to: Jack Johnson’s Greatest Hits (on repeat) and all the Christmas carols (on repeat)
Recently visited: Langdon Hall in Cambridge (for a special overnight celebration) and Benjamin Tree Farm in St. Jacobs to buy our Christmas tree
Recently baked: classic sugar cookies (ready to be decorated this weekend)

Marketplace: St. Jacobs Antiques

October 8, 2021 | Leave a Reply

I feel lucky to live so close to St. Jacobs. It’s a charming area in the Waterloo Region. The village has cute shops and excellent food. The Saturday market is vibrant and fun…with excellent food vendors. The Mennonite community is so unlike other areas of the region (e.g., the university sectors, the tech community). In addition to all of these great qualities, the antique markets are full of interesting items, and if you’re a collector of just about anything, I’m sure you can find something to add to your collection here.

Over the last few weeks, I’ve had a look around, and I’ve enjoying observing what’s “new” in the world of antiques.

I noticed white and non-white collections of:

wood dough bowls
felt pennants
cake plates in every material
Cloisonné
figurines
teacups (do these every go out of style?)
pottery (including a lot of crocks)
quilts
portraits
and more!

The Friday Five: Waterloo Region’s ION

April 14, 2017 | Leave a Reply

Every since I moved to Waterloo, people have been talking about The ION. They were probably talking about it before I arrived, too. At first, I had no idea what people were going on about because nothing was visibly happening in my neighbourhood. Then last summer, King St. was ripped up completely while the ION crew was working away, This is when I really noticed that things were a-changin’ in the region.

The ION, for those of you outside the Waterloo region, is our new light rail system. It will connect one end of the region to the other. The first ION train came to the area just a couple of weeks ago from Bombardier’s Thunder Bay plant, and they hype has been growing.

Last weekend, the city hosted an open house so that the public could take a tour of the first ION train. I opted to take mosey on over, and I was surprised by the crowd of people! There was an incredible turnout on a sunny Saturday afternoon! This was history in the making, and it was interesting to see the public’s enthusiasm as well as all the different people and organizations who have been part of the ION journey.

Today, I’d like to spread the news and share with you some photos along with five things that I learned about the ION during the open house.

1. The ION’s light rail transit (LRT) is made up of 19 kilometers of rail which goes from the Conestoga Mall transit terminal in Waterloo to the Fairway Mall transit terminal in Kitchener.

2. There are about 60 seats in each LRT vehicle. Each vehicle can carry about 200 people.

3. The LRT vehicles are build by Bombardier. The Waterloo Region has purchased 14 vehicles. The first has arrived at ION’s Dutton Dr. headquarters (aka The site of the open house.).

4. ION riders and Grand River Transit riders (bus system) will pay one fair to use both services.

5. Stage 2 of the ION development will include a link to Cambridge. In all, there will be a 37km route connecting Cambridge, Kitchener, and Waterloo.

I think developing in public transit is a smart option for our region. Yes, it is costing a ton of money (and I’m sure my taxes are paying for it), but in the long run, I think it makes sense for a region as developed – and developing – as this one!

Learn more at RideION.

Photos by Jordana.

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Food: Langdon Hall + Shoushin

November 14, 2016 | 2 Commentaries

I absolutely do not know how to begin this post. Do I start by telling you about the 10-course menu? Or maybe about the first time I sipped on sake? Perhaps I could tell you about how I shared an evening with a group of strangers. A good place to start might be to tell you about how two celebrity chefs came together to plan a unique dining experience. Okay, you want me to just get to it, don’t you?

You already know that I’m a big fan of Langdon Hall. Ever since I drove up the winding driveway and saw Langdon Hall for the first time in June 2015, I’ve been hooked. It’s not just something in the water. There’s something in the air, the food, the surroundings, the garden, the architecture, and the people. The place is special.

A couple of weekends ago, I was invited to be a guest at an exclusive dinner prepared by Chef Jason Bangerter of Langdon Hall and Chef Jackie Lin of Shoushin. This dinner was a celebration – and collaboration – of two cultures. It was a dinner that brought together tradition from the Japanese and French. It was a unique feast that showcased the culinary art of two incredibly talented chefs as well as incredible sake and wine pairings from Kado and Halpern, respectively. It was certainly a night to remember!

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A 10+ course meal? I trained for it! I only ate breakfast that day in preparation for the event! (Although I did have some Terroir upon arrival…do you blame me?). I’m pretty sure my eyes nearly popped out of my head when I saw the extensive menu. Chef Jackie Lin prepared fish that was flown in from Japan for the occasion. Chef Jason Bangerter worked with Jackie to prepare and pair the fish with French flavour and flair, and, as per usual, he sourced many ingredients from Langdon Hall’s gardens. It was inspiring, educational, and delicious! It was chemistry. It was art.

British photographer Simon Boucher-Harris snapped a collection of beautiful photos that I’m thrilled to be able to share here.

Behind the scenes…

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(Simon took this photo of Chef Jackie during the cooking demonstration the following day, but it’s such a great photo that I had to include it!)

The dinner…

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Each course – as you’ve seen in the photos above – was paired with sake or wine. I had never had sake, so I was a bit hesitant, but since I was sitting beside Kiyoko Miyashita – sake expert and owner of Kado – I was given excellent explanations of what I was drinking. Sake has a higher alcohol percentage than wine, and it has a unique flavour. I thought I had tasted anise, but Kiyoko assured me that there was no anise in the drink. Althought I was told that the flavour is even better after the drink sits for a while, I could never seem to let mine sit for too long since it was so delicious!

As the evening was a celebration of two cultures, we were also lucky to sip on French red wine for some of the fish courses and the venison course.

It’s hard to put into words how special this evening was. Although many of the 30 people in attendance started the evening as strangers, after clinking glasses to toast, sharing travel stories and laughs, we ended the evening as new social media friends and conversations continued after the evening ended. To have two remarkable chefs collaborate to create a menu just for us, share their recipes, and mingle as they put finishing touches on our meals at our tables was extraordinary. Shoushin at Langdon Hall was a very good idea!

This event was a partnership between two well-recognized establishments – Langdon Hall in Cambridge, Ontario and Shoushin in Toronto.

Photos by Simon Boucher-Harris.

Thanks to Langdon Hall for inviting me to be your guest.

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