mybigadventures.com

We made a start today at Starbucks for a spot of breakfast, they had run out of the breakfast rolls we were after but ended up with an 'everything bagel' each and a cup of tea. Whilst there, we made use of the WiFi to download some local maps of the areas we're visiting as it turns out that our mobile data doesnt work here. We also picked up a paper map from the hotel and headed out for a bit of an explore. Our first destination was Ripleys Aquarium which is rated one of the top attractions in Toronto, so we went to see what all the fuss was about. We bought tickets on the way in although it turns out it can be a little cheaper if you book, you can also buy an adventure card that covers some of the other attractions in Toronto, but we gave it a miss.

The aquarium was really quite good with a particularly good moving travelator that took you around and then through the main tank in a series of glass roofed tunnels. Besides the huge range of fish, there were sharks, mantarays and turtles all swiming above and around us. It was really impressive. Heading back outside into what turned out to be a very bright sunny day we headed around to have a look at the CN tower which is next door. There was a long queue and we decided to give it a miss, at least for now anyway. Instead we had a wander around a number of old trains that you can wander around that are part of the exhibit by the train museum. We didn't go to the museum but did have a walk around the trains that were out, spotting a number of black squirrels that seemed to be residents in the area.

We had some lunch at a nearby Subway before visiting the Steam Whistle Brewery which is also located in the old train sheds close to the train museum. We went on the brewery tour which was fairly short but included a couple of beers to sample before having a sit in the beer garden. As the afternoon was getting on a bit we headed back to the hotel for a short rest before heading out once more for dinner. We ended up at a British pub for dinner, with each of us ordering the Sunday roast beef dinner off the specials board. Perfect!

It's official. We're all booked up for a big Japanese adventure. Two more weeks of school and then we're off, so keep your eyes peeled over the next few weeks for all the updates and photo's. We're visiting Tokyo, Kyoto, Hiroshima, Osaka and Hakone. If you have any tips for must see sights or other recommendations just put a comment in below.

It's that time of year again - the one where all teachers get to breath a little easier and feel a bit more normal, that's right folks, the summer is almost here! We break up really early this year to enjoy one of the longest holidays I've had in my teaching career - nearly 7 weeks. The weather seems to have picked up and it actually feels like summer, well certainly as summery as Britain ever gets, let's hope it lasts into the break!

With just over a week to go until we depart on our Big Japanese adventure, I've spent some time checking the site, making sure everything is in tip top condition for updating whilst we're on our travels. I think everything works, but if you do spot any problems just add a comment below and I'll try and sort it out.

Keep your eye's peeled for the updates, they'll be some new albums appearing which I'll try and link into the blogs and I'll share a few bits on facebook, although I'm thinking I may start to reduce the number of photo's and things I actually share directly on the facebook platform. I hope you all, teachers and non-teachers alike, have a great summer whatever you might be up to! Enjoy!