Travelogue: Unionville (2)

Grist mill pond and water wheel at the rear of the building.

  The Grist mill is on Main street in Unionville and was the center of industry for years in the village. It is now a complex of a variety of stores and restaurants.

Unionville home

  There are many fine old homes in Unionville dating back to the early nineteenth century and there is a very active historical society. If you want to burn money, a good way is to decorate a century home in period. I know since I've lived in an 1892 and a 1860 home. I'm an expert on horsehair plaster and straw insulation. Also there were no standard sizes for doors and windows so every fixture has to be custom made by a carpenter. If the home is designated as historic and has a plaque then every modification has to be approved but you may get money for it from some level of government. The 1860 home had a drive shed (and stables for horses) built into the back of the building and even though there hadn't been any horses in the stables for about a hundred years, it still smelt of horses. The pipes for the wood stoves probably won't meet code so you have to clean them yourself since chimney sweeps won't touch the pipes.

Home on Main street, Unionville

Travelogue: Unionville (1)

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Unionville Coffee shop

   I wasn’t sure if I wanted to put this village into my travelogue section but it’s such a pretty and less known place that’s just north of Toronto. Some of my relatives live here so I’ve got a good excuse to visit it from time to time. Actually you've probably seen this village but didn't know it. It was presented as the  fictional Connecticut town, Stars Hallow in the TV series, "The Gilmore Girls" which was filmed here. From Wikipedia:

  The population of Unionville is about 30,000. Unionville is composed of many neighbourhoods including Olde Unionville, South Unionville, Angus Glen, and Berczy Village. Unionville is said to be one of the most affluent areas in the Greater Toronto Area with an average household income of $127,900. Rouge River runs north of the central part of Unionville and to the southeast. Highway 404 is to the west, the nearest interchange with the Highway 407 is 2 km south on Kennedy Rd. The population lives in almost all parts of Unionville except in the industrialized south-central area. The railway line which links the area to Toronto via GO Train service once ran as far north as Lindsay.

 The historic village or downtown section of Unionville is typical of a small town that developed over a century or so starting in the early 1840s (when Ira White erected his Union Mills) through the middle to late 20th century. The historic Main Street Unionville attracts thousands of visitors each year — as of 2006 it boasted 9 restaurants, including 3 pubs. Main Street (originally the laneway from the village's first grist mill) also has a number of "century homes" dating back to the 19th century. Each year, thousands visit Unionville during the Unionville Festival.

Another good restaurant on Main Street

   This coming weekend they have a Celtic Festival and in August a Jazz festival. I might attend the Celtic Festival because my family is a bunch of crazy Celts and we have two bagpipers in the extended family although my uncle is getting a bit old to blow. When I was young, my family could do a pretty good impersonation of the Rankin Family including the dancing. Rankin Family? Ok. Here’s a video.

My favourite Candy store

   The Old Firehall Confectionery shop is one of the stores in Unionville that I always explore. Opened in June 2009, it offers the best selection of old-fashioned, handmade sweets from its contemporary environment. Specializing in long-time favourites such as homemade fudge, candy apples, sponge toffee and truffles, the Old Firehall has become a sweet destination striving to meet the needs of generations young and old alike.

Travelogue: Kinsarvik

I thought that I would from time to time write about some relatively unknown but fabulous destination to which I have been. My first post on this topic is about Kinsarvik, a small village on the Hardanger fiord which is 38 miles east of Bergen, Norway. You can arrive by ferry or car. I would recommend the ferry since the land route is a five hour, white knuckled drive over the mountains from Oslo. I remember a one lane road carved into the side of a cliff with a very low guard rail and it was raining so the road was slick. If a vehicle was coming from the other direction, you had to pull into a small passing spot cut into the cliff. The village was certainly worth the trip. I was on a camping trip across Scandinavia with a group of Australians whom I met in Earlscourt, London. Earlscourt is considered Kangaroo land in England as many expatriate Aussies live there.



Norwegian road

I had my first (and last) whale meat dinner at the Hardangers campground in Kinsarvik, . We marinated the meat in Swan beer and pounded it for hours but it was still the toughest meat that I’ve ever had. At the time, Hardangers was quite inexpensive but it has gone upscale since then with chalets rather than camping spots. They have also built a Best Western hotel in the village so you have all your North American hotel food. Alcohol is also expensive in Norway due to the taxes so try to bring it with you. They have a pewter flatware manufacturer in the village called Hardanger Bestikk. I still have a full set but they are very expensive now. They are special because of the intricate Viking pattern.  Kinsarvik is a premium spot for hiking, mountain climbing, skiing or just looking at the scenery.  There are four spectacular waterfalls within a few hours hiking. The water is too cold for swimming unless you’re wearing a wet suit.





On the banks of the campground





Hardanger fiord from Kinsarvik shore

My pewter flatware from Kinsarvik



Hardangers campground