By: I’ve Bean Travelling January 11, 2021January 11, 2021 CanadaBest of Toronto, Canada, nature, North America, Ontario, Ripley's Aquarium, Toronto, Travel, wildlife11 Comments

Under the sea at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Located in downtown Toronto adjacent to the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada is one of three public aquariums owned by Ripley Entertainment. The aquarium was originally intended for Niagara Falls, where it would undoubtedly fit in on the kitschy Clifton Hill, but plans fell through and it opened in Toronto in 2013. It houses…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling January 3, 2021January 3, 2021 CanadaBest of Toronto, Canada, cities, New Year, North America, photography, Toronto, Travel28 Comments

Hometown Challenge: My favourite photos of Toronto

If you’ve been following this blog lately, you’ll know that I recently completed the Travel Challenge, where I posted 10 of my favourite photos taken during my international adventures. Unfortunately, 2020 was a bad year for travel so beyond the ones from my timely pre-pandemic trip to Cambodia and Vietnam, most of the photos in…

Travel Challenge: My 10 favourite photos

Thank you again to Angela at Suitcase Travel for inviting me to participate in the Travel Challenge, where I shared 10 of my favourite photos from around the world, over the course of 10 days. Many readers successfully identified the featured destinations, while a few were more obscure. Here’s a recap! Jump ahead… Day 1…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 21, 2020December 27, 2020 Canadaarchitecture, Canada, cities, culture, history, North America, Quebec, Quebec City, Travel9 Comments

Revisiting history in Quebec City, Canada

Quebec City is the capital city of the French-speaking Canadian province of Quebec. Sitting on the Saint Lawrence River about 250 kilometres northeast of Montreal, it is not quite the buzzing metropolis as its urban neighbour, but still has much to see. When I visited in November 2014, I spent most of my few cold…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 13, 2020December 15, 2020 CanadaBest of Toronto, Canada, Christmas, cities, Distillery District, history, North America, Ontario, Toronto, Travel32 Comments

Season’s greetings from Distillery District, Toronto

It’s 12 days ‘til Christmas, so what better way to start the countdown than a stroll through the Distillery District’s annual Winter Village? The Distillery Historic District east of downtown Toronto is a commercial and residential district housed within heritage buildings of the former Gooderham & Worts Distillery. Founded in 1832, Gooderham & Worts once…

Sunrises & sunsets around the world

Thanks to Rebecca Goes Rendezvous and Chalk & Cheese Travels, I’ve got a new post idea. Both of these great blogs recently shared their top 10 favourite sunrise and sunset photos from around the world, so I was inspired to take a look back through my albums to see what my collection looks like. To…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 8, 2020December 8, 2020 United Statescities, metropolitan diary, New York, North America, Travel, travel blog, United States3 Comments

Metropolitan diary: Dancing on the streets

Dear Diary: My sister and I were visiting New York City over the May long weekend in 2016, and had spent our first morning at the American Museum of Natural History. Afterward, we strolled down Columbus Avenue, stopping outside the Lincoln Center to rest our tired feet. While sitting on steps of the adjacent Christopher…

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 7, 2020December 13, 2020 United Statesart, cities, culture, history, museums, New York, North America, On This Day, The Met, United States12 Comments

On this day: The Met, New York City

See more from my On This Day series here, where I celebrate travel memories on their trip anniversaries. On December 7, 2017, I was at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. It was our penultimate day in New York City and we decided to cap off our time in the big city with…

Places I’ve Been

Destinations I’ve visited around the globe.

Best of Toronto, Canada

Discovering all the best to see, do, and eat in my home city.

What’s Cooking?

My culinary experiments and other foodie thoughts.

Under the sea at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

By: I’ve Bean Travelling January 11, 2021January 11, 2021

CanadaBest of Toronto, Canada, nature, North America, Ontario, Ripley's Aquarium, Toronto, Travel, wildlife11 Comments

Maple pecan baked brie

By: I’ve Bean Travelling January 4, 2021January 10, 2021

Recipesbaked brie, baking, cooking, food, food blog, home cooking, Recipes17 Comments

I haven’t posted a new recipe for awhile, so I’m finally bringing you a fresh one for the winter season. We found a simple recipe for baked brie that only requires five ingredients, producing a perfect combination of sweet and savoury. This is an ever popular appetizer served at holiday parties, but during these days…

Hometown Challenge: My favourite photos of Toronto

By: I’ve Bean Travelling January 3, 2021January 3, 2021

CanadaBest of Toronto, Canada, cities, New Year, North America, photography, Toronto, Travel28 Comments

Travel Challenge: My 10 favourite photos

Travel Challenge: Day 10

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 31, 2020December 31, 2020

Travelcities, photography, Travel, travel blog, Travel Challenge, Travel Thoughts11 Comments

Thank you to Angela at Suitcase Travel for nominating me for the Travel Challenge. For the final day of the challenge, I have a slightly trickier selection. If you know your European city landmarks, you might be able to figure this one out by looking toward the skyline. Where is this? The Travel Challenge involves posting one favourite travel…

Travel Challenge: Day 9

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 30, 2020December 30, 2020

Travelphotography, tours, Travel, travel blog, Travel Challenge, Travel Thoughts8 Comments

Thank you to Angela at Suitcase Travel for nominating me for the Travel Challenge. Do you know where I met the beautiful creature in today’s photo? The Travel Challenge involves posting one favourite travel photo each day, and then nominating someone new to join in. That’s 10 days, 10 travel photos, and 10 nominations — without any explanation. Today,…

Travel Challenge: Day 8

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 29, 2020December 29, 2020

Travelcities, photography, Travel, travel blog, Travel Challenge, Travel Thoughts13 Comments

Thank you to Angela at Suitcase Travel for nominating me for the Travel Challenge. Where is today’s featured magnificent cityscape? The Travel Challenge involves posting one favourite travel photo each day, and then nominating someone new to join in. That’s 10 days, 10 travel photos, and 10 nominations — without any explanation. Today, I nominate Mrs. Wayfarer to participate. Please…

Travel Challenge: Day 7

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 28, 2020December 28, 2020

Travelphotography, Travel, travel blog, Travel Challenge, Travel Thoughts17 Comments

Thank you to Angela at Suitcase Travel for nominating me for the Travel Challenge. Today’s photo is featured not only on this blog, but also in a certain Hollywood film about a giant gorilla. Can you tell me where it is? The Travel Challenge involves posting one favourite travel photo each day, and then nominating someone new to join…

Travel Challenge: Day 6

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 27, 2020December 27, 2020

Travelphotography, Travel, travel blog, Travel Challenge, Travel Thoughts11 Comments

Thank you to Angela at Suitcase Travel for nominating me for the Travel Challenge. Can you tell where I went on this epic hike? Perhaps some Canadians will have a clue. The Travel Challenge involves posting one favourite travel photo each day, and then nominating someone new to join in. That’s 10 days, 10 travel photos, and 10 nominations…

Travel Challenge: Day 5

By: I’ve Bean Travelling December 26, 2020December 26, 2020

Travelphotography, Travel, travel blog, Travel Challenge, Travel Thoughts15 Comments

Thank you to Angela at Suitcase Travel for nominating me for the Travel Challenge. Can you guess where today’s image is from? Hint: It’s not in Japan. The Travel Challenge involves posting one favourite travel photo each day, and then nominating someone new to join in. That’s 10 days, 10 travel photos, and 10 nominations — without…