chasing the sun
reflections on some welcome sunshine in Toronto and beyond
Hello, it’s us again. Welcome to our newsletter! We’re doing better since last time. No spring vibes yet but sunny days and a tropical trip have given us renewed energy.
blue skies
February surprised us with early sunrises and many much-needed sunny days, which did wonders for our mindset.
At the beginning of the month, the city hit another record: 20 consecutive days of negative temperatures — one of the longest cold streaks in more than a decade (link).
Meanwhile the temperatures went up and down but anyway the (dirty) piles of snow along the streets aren’t going anywhere. Catching a streetcar sometimes feels like a small climbing expedition before you can even get on.
After a while, it becomes easy to spot the cars that haven’t been used for a couple of days.
And even though it isn’t always quite as cold anymore, a warm (and Scandinavian-style) package made Ann’s day halfway through the month!
10 000 steps
Whenever we can, we head outside to keep exploring the city. On weekends, we wander through new neighbourhoods, visit interesting stores, stop for food or coffee and before we know it, we did our workout for the day.
One of our favourite routes is along the Martin Goodman Trail by the lakeshore: a perfect spot for walking or cycling, with beautiful viewpoints and scenery that changes with the seasons.
an early spring break
Despite the sunny and slightly warmer days, we were craving something more. So over the past days, we were lucky enough to head off on a proper holiday under even bluer skies in the sunshine state Florida.
We felt a little nervous before leaving because of the polarized climate in the U.S. and weren’t quite sure what to expect. In the end we had a great time and never once felt uncomfortable (well, maybe our wallet did 😰).
First, Uri attended the LINNC Seminar Americas in Orlando, while Ann had the difficult task of acclimatising by the pool. After that - although some might disagree - we skipped the theme parks and headed further south to Everglades National Park, the Keys and Miami.
💰Thanks to the “America the Beautiful” Act, entrance fees for national parks have increased for non-American visitors but we decided it was still well worth it.
🌊We walked, cycled, drove, kayaked, snorkelled and sailed through mangroves and turquoise waters, spotting alligators, turtles, iguanas, otters and plenty of other wildlife.
🐢 One of our favourite visits was to the turtle hospital, where Uri briefly considered a career change.
🏙️ Miami pleasantly surprised us with its great food, lush little islands and beautiful Art Deco architecture, along with Hajo delivery robots roaming the streets and Waymo self-driving cars passing by.
🔎 Asian influences
After a sun-soaked section, let’s head back to Toronto to wrap up this edition with another daily-life observation.
Living in Toronto is the first time we experience an environment with such strong Asian influences. That’s no surprise as China, India and the Philippines are among the most represented countries of birth in the city. Immersing ourselves in these new vibes has become one of our favourite things about living here!
🐉 Heading to Chinatown (one of the largest in North America) to buy fresh vegetables or try new dishes.
🐎 Seeing Lunar New Year celebrations pop up all over the city as we welcome the Year of the Fire Horse.
☕ Discovering countless cute Asian coffee places.
Enjoying coconut-based drinks at the Vietnamese Cộng Cà Phê.
Heading to the Korean Davang Luna to try out their black sesame lattes and rice cakes.
Getting settled at the Japanese listening bar Rooms to discover the latest music vibes surrounded by a very hip crowd.
🧴 And with many of her Belgian and European brands unavailable here, Ann has become a late adopter of Korean skincare and it’s definitely here to stay!
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For the close observers: you may have noticed a change in some of our pictures over the past few newsletters. That’s because next to our phones we are using our new camera and we’re slowly learning to make the most of all its features.
❤️
Last but not least a shoutout to our families who are each in their own way going through challenging times 🫶🎗️
That’s it for now. Thanks for being here. Let’s stay in touch.