This weekend Luke turned 30, and Elizabeth had made some surprise plans to celebrate, treating Luke to a stay at the Old Mill Inn in the West of Toronto.
Old Mill Inn.
On Friday night we headed out for a dinner, as is our usual Birthday custom. Luke wanted to place to be a surprise so he just got on the subway and waited. And waited, and waited as we kept on heading west on the Bloor Line until we had almost reached the end. At this point Luke was pretty confused as to why we had to travel so far for dinner, until we trudged through a bit of snow and suddenly came across the Old Mill Inn.
To be honest, Luke was still pretty confused until we were actually in our room. Elizabeth had been sneakily planning this night out for a while, collecting a change of clothes and toothbrushes, and coming up with excuses as to why she needed to bring a large bag with her to dinner - a large bag that Luke didn't even notice. After settling in however, we were ready for a nice evening of dinner and drinks, as the snow started to fall again outside.
To be honest, Luke was still pretty confused until we were actually in our room. Elizabeth had been sneakily planning this night out for a while, collecting a change of clothes and toothbrushes, and coming up with excuses as to why she needed to bring a large bag with her to dinner - a large bag that Luke didn't even notice. After settling in however, we were ready for a nice evening of dinner and drinks, as the snow started to fall again outside.
Birthday boy.
Being an Old Mill, the Inn was located down in a valley right by a river, so in the morning we decided to explore some of the trails that ran along side it. The snow was fresh and deep, but we were still able to make our way through the woods, and at times we felt as if we were miles away from the city. The trails beside the river are a protected route, due to their historical role as an aboriginal portage and trade route up the Humber Valley.
Where's Toronto!?
After making our way back to civilisation, and a subway stop, we decided to head to Bloor West Village to check out the neighbourhood. Alighting at Jane Station, just one stop away from Old Mill, we moseyed East along Bloor checking out a couple of bakeries along the way. It was a nice, bustling section of Bloor, and with its low rise buildings and independent stores, it made us feel as though we were in a small Ontario town. We carried on walking all the way to High Park station, where we hopped on the Subway and headed home.
Checking out some pastries in Bloor West Village.
The rest of the weekend was spent celebrating Luke's birthday in a very relaxed way, having Christmas dinner with friends on Saturday evening, and going for a walk, a bite to eat, and a movie on Sunday. Luke was able to indulge one of his childhood obsessions by going to see the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One, which did not disappoint. All in all, a pretty perfect birthday weekend.
This time last year we were celebrating Luke's 29th birthday at a Toronto Maple Leafs game. Two years ago we were checking out Bristol.
