Hello!
Back to last night’s recap.
I feel like I am always a day behind when I am blogging on vacation…It is hard to keep up. ;) True dedication!
Guess where this dress is from?
TARGET!!! Or should I say…Tarjet…the fancy way. ;)
Someone actually told me that Target is rumoured to be opening in Canadian locations shortly…I would be so happy if this is true.
Last night was lots of fun. We went over to my best friend’s parent’s condo for cocktails and then out for dinner. I have known Allison’s parents since grade 7! They are some of the the sweetest people I have ever met and are such good friends with my family. We dearly missed Al and her hubby last night though.
Their condo is to die for and has the best view…
We sat on the balcony to watch the sunset.
It was gorgeous!
Appetizers…I had lots of veggies and roasted red pepper hummus. Mmmmm. I also had two glasses of white wine.
Group shot on timer! ;)
Then we were off to an Italian restaurant called Sam-Bucco’s. I called ahead to let the chef know that I was vegan and asked if there were any vegan options. Sometimes chefs get all flustered when I ask for something vegan so I thought I would be pro—active! To my delight the chef was more than accommodating. He basically said he could make ANYTHING and not to worry! My kind of man… ;)
Cathy and I split the Chilled Asparagus (without cheese) –Mandarin oranges, poached pears, pine nuts, golden raisins, shaved grana padano cheese, vinaigrette.
I want to make this at home! Fabulous. I would never have thought to combine these foods.
Red wine was enjoyed…
This morning my mom and I tried to determine how much wine we had, but we couldn’t! The waiter kept topping up our glass throughout the night so it was hard to tell. I’m guessing I had another two 6oz glasses at the restaurant…but like I said, who really knows! ;)
For dinner I ended up ordering two more appetizers and had them for my main course.
Eggplant Tourine… Layered roasted eggplant, avocado, roasted red peppers and tomatoes.
This was SOOOOO good. Lots of olive oil!
House Salad…
Baby greens, with cucumber, grape tomatoes and marinated mushrooms…I had it without the croutons and house dressing and had oil and vinegar instead.
At the end of our meal the owner came out to talk to us…which is always a nice touch. He said, ‘You must be the vegan I spoke with!’
He was super nice and we chatted away about veganism. He is actually going vegan for two months right now as part of a religious commitment and he said that it is much easier than he thought. He also said he eats all the time now. Preaching to the choir…
He told us that I was the first vegan that he has ever had in this restaurant (to his knowledge)- and he said there was one vegetarian that he knew of. I guess it is not a popular area for vegetarians or vegans!!
We had a ball! Cathy and my mom are new BFF’s! Like Allison and I, my mom and Cathy are so much alike.
Early this morning we got up, I took a rest day off exercise, and Eric and I helped my mom clean the condo before we left. We had to be out by 10am. We did a bunch of laundry, vacuumed, cleaned the counters, and took out all the garbage, etc. After saying our tearful goodbyes Eric and I were off to Sanibel Island for our LAST NIGHT of vacation. We keep saying what a wonderful vacation this has been because we don’t have the desire to go home yet. Usually we always feel ready to leave at the end, but we both wish we were staying another few days. It has been a great run though!
Sanibel Island is fabulous and we had lots of fun exploring. Our day involved beaches and dolphins…recap coming soon!
Tomorrow we are up early for a run + bike tour of the island, checking out of our hotel, and then killing some time before our 8pm flight home. The good news is that the weather is going to be fabulous in Toronto when we return- 25C and sun!
Today’s question- Are you a big beach person? Are you the type of person who could stay at the beach all day long when on vacation or do you tend to stay away from it and prefer other things?
Eric and I are so not beach people- don’t get me wrong we LOVE the beach and love the water, swimming, sand, salty air, etc…but we can’t be in the sun for long. With our pale skin the sun really drains us after a couple hours. We also go stir crazy and have to be moving around a lot. I can ‘lay out’ at the beach for 30 mins. max before I get bored and have to swim or go somewhere! :) I can never sit still…
I love the beach too, but with my pale skin I seek an umbrella. To sit at the beach,read and watch people is like the perfect day for me. I also love to walk along the edge of the beach, we just came back for Punta Cana and they have the most beautiful beach I have ever seen.
I love the color of your dress, it looks lovely. Safe travels home ;)
I love reading your vacation posts, Angela! Very well-written.
That was so sweet of you to visit your BFF’s parents! Sounds like a fabulous time – especially with all that wine;)
Can’t wait to hear the Sanibel Recap. My parents were there last month!
Oh, and I am DEFINITELY a beach person. But, like you, I have very fair skin so I have to be careful. And I’d say the majority of my time at the beach is IN the water. I’m not good at just laying out for a long time. I have to be in the water, building sand castles, playing volleyball etc.
Yep! This is me, too. Add waterproof spf 50+, a hat, and a big umbrella so I can get out of the sun when I want and I could stay all day.
Obviously, we love the beach since we live here in SW FL. But, we’re not on the beach all day. We read, get in the water, walk; we don’t stay for more than 2-1/2 hrs. I stay under the shade too since working for a derm and seeing LOTS of skin cancer will kill any urge to sunbathe/tan. But all our vacations are based on beach and we do a lot of snorkeling in the Caribbean.
I love the beach! It’s like heaven to me. I want to move to Florida, somewhere on the Gulf Coast, so I can go to the beach whenever I want..
Such a cute picture at the beach!
Looks like you’re having a fantastic time, wow! :) You’re so dedicated to keep blogging while on holidays, it really is appreciated by all your readers.
I have pale skin too so I know what you mean about being ‘stir crazy’ on the beach! 15 mins in and I want to get back in the shade!
Enjoy the last day of your holidays :)
Your trip just sounds absolutely amazing!!!
I am definitely a big beach person….I love being at the beach b/c its peaceful, and humbling to be surrounded by such a grand thing!
I could sit on the beach all day every day and never get tired of it. We typically take one beach vacation every summer for a week, and i’ll stay out from 10 am to 5 pm.
I’m not a fan of the beach. I love taking pictures of it, walking along the shore, swimming, playing games, etc. but I cannot just sit in the sun for hours. My friends are trying to convince me to join them in FLA in a couple of weeks but they want to spend all day/every day at the beach and my pasty white skin cannot handle that kind of exposure. Give me the mountains over the beach anyday.
Enjoy your last day of vacation and have a safe trip back home.
Love the Target dress, and it sounds like you were treated like a total celebrity in that restaurant. :) I love the relaxing atmosphere of the beach, but it gets old pretty quickly for me. I don’t like to let my skin roast, even if it is olive and never burns. I’d like a life without skin cancer, please!
Great photos, now I’m wishing for a tropical holiday! I love Sanibel Island, we have had two holidays there. We’ve rented a house in Cape Coral for the month of July, so I’m totally going to check out that food market, is it in Fort Myers? Glad you’re enjoying your holiday!
I love that you are making the most of every Tar-jet opportunity–that dress is hotness!
I used to be very anti-beach, but had to change my mind when I moved to Trinidad! Now I love it. If I go with a big group of friends, I could stay there all day (I’m lucky that, with sunscreen, I don’t ever burn). When it’s me and the husband, though, we usually spend two or three hours there and eat, chat, read, and sleep. And I could do that kind of beach visit every single day.
your pictures are gorgeous!
im a total beach person. bring on the sun!
Your trip looks like such a blast.
I love the beach but I can’t lay out for too long either, I get stir crazy. I prefer to swim, or go for a walk on it.
Amazing pics, love the dress! You’re making me want to plan a Key West trip soon!
That dress is gorgeous! And target coming to Canada? no way! I’m in BC and I haven’t heard anything so maybe its only out east:( The condo is beyond words..wow! And what a gorgeous view with the sunset and all! I’m originally from the okanagan valley and I have two lakes in my hometown so I grew up on the beach! I love it! But now I can’t stay out there too long unless I have something to do like read or play football in the water because I get bored..lol! PS love the pict of you two on the beach!
What a lovely vacation! xo
I have always been a beach person but spent WAY too much time in the sun and was obsessed with having a tan. This lasted until well after college and am now paying the price. I still live at the beach, but am now on the West coast (in Calif) and this area is cold. So my beach days are spent bundled up looking for beach glass.
Your glow has turned into pure radiance on your vacation!
Isn’t Target the best!! Oh and I loooove dried mango slices. Trader Joe’s has a good spicy dried mango.