Sunday, March 3, 2013

Kingston for Valentine's Day

On Valentine's Day, Frank and I decided to do a last minute getaway to Kingston - about 2 hours from his place.

Kingston is a great city. It's about halfway between Toronto and Montreal and it's where my son Jeffrey spent four years acquiring his academic and military education. It was while Jeffrey was living there, that we got to know the place and found it enticing to return to even though my son has long flown that coop.

city hall kingston
As you can see, it has wonderful architecture. This is their city hall on the left.



RMC arch
This is Memorial Arch at RMC (Royal Military College). I wrote about its tradition back when my boy graduated and received his commission.




RMCrs and Timmy
The military presence is a familiar sight in Kingston, and it brought back memories of when we'd visit Jeffrey here. Of course, Tim Hortons is a familiar sight in every Canadian town.




the hip
I never saw this street before - named for the Tragically Hip who hail from Kingston. It turns out that they were performing in Toronto while we visited their haunts. And I just noticed that Great Big Sea will be performing in Kingston in April. That might be worth a return trip.



martello tower kingston
Here's a view of one of the city's four Martello towers in the harbour, as seen from our hotel room. You can also see some of the many windmills located at the Wolfe Island Wind Farm in the background.

We knew full well that we would probably have a hard time finding a fine dining establishment that was not fully booked. Despite that, we made several phone calls and with each one, we were told that there were no openings.

On to Plan B.

We purposely chose a hotel which was situated downtown, within walking distance of some of the most interesting eateries. As hunger loomed, we decided to just wander along Princess Street in search of an open restaurant. That place happened to be Kirkpatrick's. An old style pub with classic pub fare. When I mentioned the place to Jeffrey, he informed me that the place is better known as The Toucan. Whatever you call it, it was a cozy atmosphere, decent food and good beer.


the tocan kirkpatricks
The view from our seat at The Toucan.

After dinner, we walked along the downtown streets in search of a place for a fancy dessert. We asked a couple of kids where they suggested we go and they directed us to where yummy sweets awaited us. Once we were seated, Frank and I had a good look around. We were amused to discover that we were probably at least 35 years older than every other person in view. Did I mention that Kingston is a university town?


valentine rose2
Presented along with the bill was this long stemmed Valentine rose which eventually made its way into a water-filled beer bottle. But not before I took a few obligatory photos.




my valentine
Here's my handsome Valentine reflected in the hotel room mirror. You can also see the rose and its reflection.




martello kingston2
The next morning, we had a fine breakfast at a place called Aqua Terra. This is a different view of the same Martello tower. You can see our hotel directly across the harbour, on the left.




wolf island ferry
Shortly afterward, the Wolfe Island Ferry pulled into harbour.




valentine rose
Thanks for sharing some of the Valentine's celebrations with us. ;)

I should have some more photos for you in a few days.

51 comments:

TexWisGirl said...

i like those round towers. and i'd like a date night in a pub. :)

Pierre BOYER said...

Between cold and warm......
:-)

Pierre

Indrani said...

A day well spent and photographed!

Birdie said...

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▐▌─────▐█▄▄█▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
▐█▄───▄██▀▀█▀▀▀▀▀█▀█▀▀
─▀██▄██▀────────█▀█▀█

Out on the prairie said...

Very beautiful, I enjoyed being so close to the water.

Anonymous said...

How lovely! That harbour view is just gorgeous.

Lynne with an e said...

Well, thank YOU for sharing your romantic Valentine's Day get-away with us. It's probably about as close to Kingston as I'll ever get.

Shrinky said...

Aw, what a lovely trip, and I am sure it was all the more special for the past memories it must have also evoked. Ah yes, I often look around me at all these young folk, and ask myself, "When did I stop being one of these?" It happened behind my back, and I'm really pissed off at that!

Loved that romantic capture of your handsome date - def one for the scrapbook (I almost typed "mounting", but um, it didn't read right)..

Giga said...

Miałaś bardzo miły wyjazd. Uwielbiam wiatraki, jak i zdjęcia z nimi. Róża to piękny gest. Pozdrawiam serdecznie.
You had a very nice trip. I love the fans, as well as pictures of them. Rose is a beautiful gesture. Yours sincerely.

Brian Miller said...

what a cool looking place...i def love the architecture...and the docks...very cool...and the inside of the toucan looks warm and cozy....very cool...

nice pic of your valentine as well....

Along These Lines ... said...

Well I learned something. Never had heard of Tragically Hip. But I do have a tragic hip, as a result of old age.

Leah J. Utas said...

Sounds--and looks--like you had a wonderful time. How great to just explore and see what happens.

NJ said...

I feel so lucky to live in this beautiful area. I was thinking Kirkpatricks? If you like Greek food I've always enjoyed Greco's downtown for the ambiance. Glad you had a great visit!

Gail Dixon said...

The Tragically Hip street sign is so cool! What a fun way to spend Valentine's Day. Enjoyed the tour around Kingston! Great photo set. :)

Unknown said...

"The Smitten Image" has been included in the A Sunday Drive for this week. Be assured that I hope this helps to point even more new visitors in your direction.

http://asthecrackerheadcrumbles.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-sunday-drive.html

Anvilcloud said...

I was born in Kingston but never lived there.

DJan said...

I love that picture of your Valentine with the shadow of the rose on his red chest. And "Tragically Hip"? I laughed out loud at that street sign. :-)

Frank Baron said...

My Valentine was better-looking than your Valentine....

;)

Betty Manousos said...

looks like the perfect celebration for valentine's day.

kingston, looks like a nice place to live in.
totally enjoyed your photos. make me want to go there!

hope you're having a relaxing weekend.

have a great week ahead!

xx

Bob Bushell said...

You had a great Valentine day, the pictures are fantastic, and the red roses are superb.

christopher said...

Looks like a very appealing place...will certainly remember to stop by if I'm ever up that way.

stephen Hayes said...

You guys really know how to celebrate Valentine's Day.

Red said...

Great tour of Kingston. My son spent one summer at the base there on a communications course. He was in the reserves. So I've never been to Kingston but have his word that it was beautiful.

Wendy said...

What a beautiful spot! I've never been to Kingston. Love that your hotel was on the water!!! Nice views from your window each day.

Tragically Hip Street?? Made me chuckle.

What a very different, but really neat way to spend Valentine's Day.
Thanks for sharing your sweet Valentine with us.

Mage said...

I'm enchanted. Thank you so much. I'm sitting here smiling.

Cloudia said...

Dear friend! What a joy to join you & that handsome Frank on this lovely getaway. Oh how I loved my visits to Toronto, Montreal, even Ottowa. Kingston has seemed little more than a name on an highway sign. Now I see I should have looked in. Perhaps one day the four of us might share a meal there. And thanks to your fine son for serving all of us. Aloha

Cloudia said...

Oh! What fun to see an icy empty harbor even as I look down on the very active & numerous boats of Waikiki

Karen (formerly kcinnova) said...

While I am familiar with the Tragically Hip, I had never heard of Martello towers! Thanks for including that link. :)
Happy belated Valentine's Day!♥

Now why am I craving coffee and donuts?

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Don't tell Alex, but I've never heard of Tragically Hip. (I still like Elvis.) I was pondering the meaning behind the street sign when I found your explanation. Lovely photos of the rose and of your valentine. I got a kick out of his comment, too.

messymimi said...

It sounds like a wonderful way to spend any day when you are with the one you love.

lime said...

sounds like it was a great time all around. thanks for taking us along on a stroll about town.

Glo said...

Thanks for sharing your Valentine celebrations ~ enjoyed visiting Kingston with you ~

My Unfinished Life said...

military towns (i.e. towns having predominantly military establishments) have such an air of discipline and openness ..
i remember visiting my brother in dehradun (India) which has the training school for army cadets(my brother is spent 2 years in that as cadet).... i loved the feel of the town..

lovely set of photographs with narration....you write the way I love to read posts..with equal amount of narration and photographs :)

http://www.myunfinishedlife.com/

A Cuban In London said...

Many thanks for the tour, the photos and the descriptions. Marvellous.

Greetings from London.

Catherine said...

Sounds like a good trip and an interesting town. I was surprised to see Martello Towers as I didn't know they had been built in other countries than the UK. Great photos as always.

Daryl said...

love Frank's red sweater .. Toonman would look great in a red sweater .. but he only wears black ... love that you two had a sweet valentine trip

yaya said...

Fun way to spend a romantic mini vacation! Very cute town. I love the look of the pub! A beautiful rose and a handsome man...Perfect recipe for romance!

Anonymous said...

Frank looks great in red; although, he looks like he's lost part of his arm! :-)

Friko said...

A most appropriate way to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Martello towers in Canada? How quaint. Were you repelling the French?

Kat said...

Now THAT looks like a lovely Valentine's Day! :)

Liz Mays said...

What a picturesque and wonderful place to visit with your love. I'm so happy for your life!

photowannabe said...

Delightful and oh so romantic.
The intimate atmosphere of the Pub was probably nicer than the big fancy restaurants.
Thanks for sharing Valentines Day with us.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the tour! It looks like a wonderful way to celebrate Valentine's Day!

Bossy Betty said...

Sweet post! Thanks for taking us along on your trip!

Lisa Gordon said...

What a wonderful place, Hilary.
The architecture is amazing, and you have captured it beautifully.

We are about to get a Tim Horton's here. I'd never heard of it.

Nice to see a photo of your hubby too!

Have a wonderful day!

Ramakant Pradhan said...

I wasn't aware there was a Kingston in Canada as well. Seems like a lovely place from your lovely pictures.

Hena Tayeb said...

I like the pictures of the harbor.

Mental P Mama said...

It looks like a romantic place! Even the pictures we didn't see;)

Unknown said...

So nice, Hilary! I enjoyed this visit (as always). "The Tragically Hip" is a new one for me BTW!! :)

Anita said...

I almost want to say "Happy Anniversary" or something. :) Your Valentine's Day celebration had a very special quality to it. I enjoyed the "trip" to Kingston: learning about the Canadian Military Institution, that your son attended there, the Tragically Hip, etc. and seeing Frank, your other half. :}

SandyCarlson said...

What a lovely day! And what a town! I am glad you had a nice time.