"Travelling" in Toronto - Canadian National Exhibition 2026

People who know me, know I love traditions. One of my favourite summer traditions in Toronto is the Canadian National Exhibition. This big - and tacky - fair has been offering something to everyone for 147 YEARS!!! All ages, ethnical background and different social groups can find some fun at the EX.

Let's go to the Ex!

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_National_Exhibition

The Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), also known as The Exhibition or The Ex, is an annual fair that takes place at Exhibition Place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on the third or fourth Friday of August leading up to and including Labour Day, the first Monday in September. With approximately 1.6 million visitors each year, the CNE is Canada's largest annual community event and one of the top fairs in North America.

The exhibition, then known as the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, first took place in 1879, largely to promote agriculture and technology in Toronto and area. Agriculturists, engineers, and scientists exhibited their discoveries and inventions at the CNE. The event has since expanded to include a carnival, live music, parades, an air show, various entertainments, sporting events, as well as art displays and specialty vendors and foods. Special events include the Warriors' Day Parade, the Labour Day Parade and the Canadian International Air Show.

Food is the main thing, so bring some extra money and an empty stomach for the some weird, but (maybe) delicious cuisine options. If fried pickles is not your thing,  don't worry, you will find an alternative... or not, but I bet you will eat it anyway!

I love just watching people having a good time.

The games are insane. I am not into it, but I love watching people being so invested, like this one!
Btw, she won.

I am more a rides kind of person and there are lost of fun ones here. 

My favourite every year is the Polar Express. I can't describe how much we enjoyed. It took me about 10 minutes to get back to normal. So much laughing!

Very Canadian. :)

The activities are endless: gaming, outlet stores, dog show, space simulators, food, flower sculpture, farm animals,  rides... and photo booth.

You can pretend to be interested in buying a massage chair and get a massage for free. 

Or watch the silk show at the Canadian Space pavilion.

Again, people take their food seriously here and this is the biggest food court I have ever been to.

Sculptures make of roses and other flowers and plants.

Pikatchu was there... with a couple of my favourite people.

I love the characters!

Mr. Beans, the tortoise,  sealed our 2026 CNE fantastic experience.  
Lets go back to the Ex... in 2027!

Brazil 2026 - Florianópolis miscellaneous (March 17-24)

A lovely suggestion for food and beach is the Barra da Lagoa Beach, on the east of the Island of Santa Catarina (Florianópolis City).  

We enjoyed a delicious and affordable seafood lunch at the Canal da Barra.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barra_da_Lagoa

Barra da Lagoa is a small fishing village in the city of Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil. The village is set on the mouth of a tidewater channel that flows in and out of the Island's sizable lagoon, the Lagoa da Conceição. The channel is at the end of a long beach made up of Praia Barra da Lagoa (English:Barra da Lagoa Beach) and Mozambique Beach which form a single 14 km stretch of beach.

Every year I get a cab downtown to meet up with some of my university friends. 

The drive along Beira Mar Norte during sunset is always mesmerizing. 

Friends since 1993 or for 33 years!

It's so good to have such awesome girlfriends. 
I am very lucky to have had these (and others) amazing and strong women in my life for so long! 

Shopping at our favourite Brazilian store: Farm Rio

https://www.instagram.com/farmrio/ 

This is my girls favourite Brazilian fast food: Giraffas. 
Pretty much every plate comes with rice and beans and salad. 

Açaí with banana and granola.

A day on the beach with my bestie and her son. 

We have been laughing this much since 1990, or for 36 years!
Now our children laugh with us!

Dea, te amo!

Another must do attraction is the sunset at Santo Antonio de Lisboa, in the north of the island.

Art crafts by the beach.

FROM: https://www.getyourguide.com/florianopolis-l246/florianopolis-sunset-in-santo-antonio-de-lisboa-t823481/

A tour unlike any other, unmissable and full of charm. We'll enjoy the best sunset on the island while sampling typical oysters and a traditional drink like caipirinha in the unique and unforgettable Santo Antônio de Lisboa, the second Portuguese settlement.
Considered one of the best places to visit on the island, it's full of culture, cuisine, leisure, and beautiful scenery.
Tourists are drawn to the neighborhood for its well-preserved Azorean architecture, notably the local church from 1750 and the houses listed as public heritage.

Us. 

This is so adorable, isn't it?

Downtown Florianópolis is also another island gem. 
Here is the Cathedral.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Our_Lady_of_Exile_and_St._Catherine_of_Alexandria_Cathedral,_Florian%C3%B3polis

It is a Catholic church dedicated to Our Lady of the Exile, which functions as the cathedral of the archdiocese of Florianópolis, since its creation on March 19, 1908. The building is protected by the National Historical and Artistic Heritage Institute of Brazil.

The definitive colonization of Florianópolis began in 1673. In 1679, Francisco Dias Velho required the legal title of the lands, beginning the construction of a church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. It was small and built with limestone. Inside it, the founder of Desterro (today Florianópolis) was assassinated. In 1908 it was elevated to the condition of Cathedral.

One of Florianópolis symbols, the centenary Fig Tree, or Figueira.

The story tells that Figueira Centenária de Florianópolis was born in 1871 in the garden of Igreja Matriz, current Cathedral, and that it was transplanted 20 years later to the place where it is in Praça XV.

According to local folklore, whoever surrounds it several times will attract wealth, luck and marriage.

This is Felipe Schmidt street, one of the main commercial streets downtown.
It has a special meaning for me because my grandma lived just up the street for the last 30 years of her life. Her sister, who got to live to 104 years old, lived her ENTIRE life on Felipe Schmidt street!
The street was empty and the stores were closed because it was Florianópolis 353 anniversary - therefore a city holiday.

Art crafts everywhere.

A replica of the already iconic The Secret Agent  (film) public phone, orelhão. 

To finish in great style, we lucked out and encountered two amazing creatures in a creek, right across from a shopping mall (Iguatemi).

Here is one of the three alligators we saw.

And a very friendly capybara! 

What a treat!

Brazil 2026 - Beach and Santa Teresa (March 16)

 

Good morning, Copacabana Beach.

Before we left the hotel, a bit of reflexion...
When I was a kid, the hotels in Brazil used to have bibles by the bed side. 

Today I found an informative brochure about safe sex and HIV. 
"Condoms available at the reception."

The sunny Sunday was perfect beach day. 

Since the main beaches still had red flags, we picked this small and cozy beach called Praia da Urca, mostly visited by local families. 

The beach is only 15 minutes from Copacabana by cab, right beside the Urca Hill, where the cable car is. 

Although it's surrounded by the city, the Urca Beach has a super mellow vibe. 

It's perfect for kids. 

Sofia made local friends. 

It has a great view of Christ The Redeemer.

We spent our last hours in Rio in Santa Teresa neighbourhood, where we went for a late Feijoada lunch at the Bar do Mineiro Restaurant.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Teresa,_Rio_de_Janeiro

Santa Teresa is a neighborhood in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is located on top of the Santa Teresa hill, by the centre of Rio, and is famous for its winding, narrow streets which are a favourite spot for artists and tourists.

In 1872, a tram line was constructed to connect Santa Teresa to downtown Rio de Janeiro, which further advanced the access to the neighborhood. The tram ran up the streets of Rua Joaquim Murtinho (named after Joaquim Murtinho) and Rua Almirante Alexandrino, crossing the Carioca Aqueduct. 

Initially, the tramcars were drawn by mules, before electric tramcars replaced the mule- or horse-drawn trams in 1896. The tramcars' colours ranged from green to silver and blue, but came to be painted bright yellow after complaints from residents who said that the tram "disappeared" amid the greenery of the neighborhood. The iconic yellow trams – or bondes in Brazilian Portuguese – have become a symbol of Santa Teresa.

I absolutely LOVE these guys! 

They are wearing rival soccer jerseys (Vasco and Flamengo), still are drinking together in this Sunday afternoon enjoying each others company at an improvised bar by the side of the road.

What a life!

Cultivar Café.
The best Pão de Queijo ever, according to Sofia. 
Thanks for Jennifer and family for the tip!

A couple days from the Oscars, celebrating Brazilian cinema. 

Northeast culture represented here as well.

Marielle Franco, the symbol of resistance and female power, ending our fantastic Rio trip on a high note.
Marielle, presente! 

FROM WIKIPEDIA: 

Marielle Franco  (27 July 1979 – 14 March 2018) was a Brazilian politician, sociologist, feminist, socialist and human rights activist. Franco served as a city councillor of the Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro for the Socialism and Liberty Party (PSOL) from January 2017 until her assassination.

In 2016, Franco ran for a seat on the Rio de Janeiro city council in the municipal elections. As a black woman and single mother from the favelas, Franco positioned herself as a representative and defender of poor black women and people from the favelas. With over 46,500 votes, Franco was one of the 51 representatives elected, receiving the fifth highest vote total out of more than 1,500 candidates.

As a city council member, Franco fought against violence against women, for reproductive rights, and for the rights of favela residents. She chaired the Women's Defense Commission and formed part of a four-person committee that monitored the federal intervention in Rio de Janeiro. 

Working with the Rio de Janeiro Lesbian Front, Franco presented a bill to create a day of lesbian visibility in Rio de Janeiro in August 2017, but the bill was defeated by a vote of 19–17.