Southern Ontario Towns

The last time that DW and I were in Stratford, Ontario, we were newlyweds. Or, actually, new-ish-ly weds.

We had been married at the beginning of July, in 1994, but took our honeymoon later in the summer, when the crowds of Niagara-on-the-Lake thinned but the Shaw Festival was still running. For a wedding gift, we had been given a two-night, suite stay at the Prince of Wales Hotel, in the heart of this theatrical tourist town. Our room was on the second floor in the prime corner piece of the hotel, looking up the main street.

We caught a couple of plays before moving on to another small town, known as well for its theatre: Stratford. We stayed at a B&B and caught a couple of plays, including The Pirates of Penzance. I don't really care for musical theatre but I do remember enjoying this production.

I'm trying to remember if the late, great Gordon Pinsent, who we only lost this year, was in that play or if we had seen him in something else.

Twenty-nine years was a long time ago.

But we did tour the town: its streets, shops, and parks. I even hung my hat on a bust of William Shakespeare, which I think suited him.

In addition to Stratford, where we only stayed a couple of days, we also toured the small town of St. Marys, where I think we camped somewhere nearby its quarry.

My memory of these areas is starting to fade. The few photos that I have from that vacation are all that keep me remembering, though soon I fear that I'll look at the photos and try to remember where they were taken.

I'm going to have to revisit these towns. Soon.

Happy Thursday!