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St. Thomas Mural and tribute by artist Denial

An Awesome Unplanned Day in St. Thomas, Ontario

City of St. Thomas Heritage Building Plaque

A Brief History of St. Thomas, Ontario

Colourful St. Jacobs Mural by Stephanie Boutari

The Ultimate Guide to St. Jacobs, Ontario, Canada

Steph Boutari's AOK Downtown Kitchener Flower Mural - Can you spot Travel with TMc

Downtown Kitchener Art Walk: An Awesome (Free!) Outdoor Art Gallery

Welcome to Normandale, Ontario up close

Normandale: Ontario’s First Steel Town Now A Ghost Town

Uptown Waterloo Hughes Lane Art Walk Door 8 Jason Panda

Hughes Lane Art Walk: Uptown Waterloo’s New Decorative Doors

The Famed Paris Plains Stone Church in Canada

The Paris Plains Stone Church: From Simple Fieldstones to Solid Foundations

Baden's Castle Kilbride in Ontario Canada

Who Built the Beautiful Historic Castle Kilbride in Baden?

Bridge to Historic Blair Sheave Tower in Waterloo Region

The Historic Blair Sheave Tower

Wide view of the West Montrose Covered Kissing Bridge

What’s Special about the West Montrose Covered Bridge?

Ontario's Cryptic Gravestone created by Samuel Bean

Where is Ontario’s Cryptic Gravestone?

Summer Day on the Grand River

History of the Grand River Watershed in Ontario

Conestoga Wagon Weathervane at Waterloo's Tower

A Peaceful Tribute: The Waterloo Pioneer Memorial Tower

Yellow Food Truck Awning by Shari Sirotnak on Upsplash

Food Trucks in Kitchener for Summer 2020

What to Eat and Drink in Norfolk County

The Best Norfolk County Food & Drink Spots

Downtown Kitchener Empty Chairs

Where to Shop Local in KW During a Lockdown

Winter Weekend at Windy Lake Provincial Park Welcome to Ice Fishing.LG

Winter Weekend at Windy Lake, Provincial Park

Windy Lake Ontario Yurts in Winter

6 Facts about Windy Lake Provincial Park

Halifax's Julep Restaurant Bar

Halifax: Where to Eat and Drink

Halifax, Nova Scotia Street Art

Halifax: Neat Facts

Toronto Loves Art

Rebound or Refresh? That Good Ol’ Second Love.

Neon LOVE

I’ve Been Having an Affair

About TMc

Heya! I’m Tara (Tar-ah)! Welcome to Travel with TMc where you’ll find quirky language tidbits, travel hacks for Canadians, and stories from the road. I hope you enjoy!
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Hey friends and fellow adventurers!😊⁠ ⁠ It'

Hey friends and fellow adventurers!😊⁠
⁠
It's time for me to take a break from social media for a while. I'm telling myself a month but I'm going to feel it out and see how things go. Actually, I already deleted the Instagram app about a week ago, but I'm hopping on quickly to let you know in case you're itching for local travel updates. (Said kind-of ironically considering we're back in lockdown...)⁠
⁠
I hope that you, your family, and your friends are well, healthy, and finding enjoyable ways to fill these bizarre days that don't know when to leave the party.🤦⁠
⁠
If you're looking for ways to add excitement, interest, or even change up the routine, here are some accounts I'd highly suggest checking out - and then get off your phones because it's finally sunny and warm outside!!!⁠
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• @thehappypear - Delicious and healthy food & Irish accents, what's not to love?⁠
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• @the.language.nerds - Their hilarious posts delight both the linguists and the not so nerdy folk.⁠
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• @elmiramaplesyrupfest - This weekend!!! (virtual, of course)⁠
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• @yogasquivveltonfarm - Yoga is good for the body, mind, and soul, not to mention the lovely human, Annie, who bravely just opened her studio is a fabulous person to boot.⁠
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• @waterloolibrary and @kitchenerlibrary - Libraries make the world a better place and we've got incredible programming at both. Seriously. Our libraries are outrageous and awesome. ⁠
⁠
• @ko_ya.reg - If you've ever jumped rope (actually even if you haven't) you've got to check out this guy's skills. Off. The. Charts.⁠
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• @thebrownvanlife - Sim & Kartik and their pup are 3 travelling souls I can't wait to meet one day when covid is done. The travels, the food, the codeswitching, the photos...you'll love them too.⁠
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• @communityfridgekw - What a community resource. Take what you need and leave what you can. This makes my heart so happy. Spread the word, folks.⁠
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Okay, that is all for now. I'm off to write, puzzle to my heart's content, and soak up some Vitamin D while I recharge offline.⁠
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Big hugs and positive vibes to you all!❤️⁠
-Tara (TMc)⁠
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PS I'm thinking about bringing back the Food Truck escapades from last summer...thoughts?🚚😋⁠

Norouz Mobarak! Happy Persian New Year! This is o

Norouz Mobarak! Happy Persian New Year!

This is our Sofreh Haft Seen, which Persians decorate for this holiday (and are much more beautiful). I’ve linked to a bunch of accounts below who have gorgeous ones for you to see as well. A couple of items are missing from ours, but generally a Haft Seen has several items starting with the letter “S” in Farsi that symbolize different things and include:

• Sabzeh (Sprouts) - rebirth
• Sib (Apple) - health and beauty
• Sir (Garlic) - medicine
• Somagh (Sumac) - colour of the sunrise
• Serkeh (Vinegar) - age and patience
• Senjed (Dried fruit) - love
• Samanoo (Sweet pudding) - affluence

Haft Seens can also have:

• Sekkeh (coins) - wealth and prosperity
• Sonbol (hyacinth) - spring flowers
• Mahi (fish) - life
• Tokhmeh Morg (eggs) - fertility
• Sham (candle) - enlightenment
• Shirini (sweets) - sweetness
• Book of poems or prayers

Norouz occurs at the same time as the Spring Equinox which is perfect since the new year and spring represent new beginnings in so many different ways.

I’ve been so fortunate to learn about this rich culture and its traditions (and food! Oh my, such delicious food!) from my partner @infinwitty and his family. I’ve also listed some of my favourite accounts and friends I’ve been learning from for you to enjoy too: @turmericandsaffron @spicespoon @thecuriouscreature @milli_hertz @iranomadtours @mypersiankitchen and @unicornsinthekitchen (my partner looooves the raisin cookies from her blog).

Hopefully I can visit Iran one day. It’s a country I must admit I knew little about other than from negative news coverage before meeting my partner. It’s unbelievable to me that in school we’re not taught about this part of the world when its influence is so far-reaching in languages, cuisines, historic moments, architecture, art, and more. I really encourage you to check out the accounts above, try a new dish at home, read a book about Persian culture, or put on some music (it will make you want to dance for sure). 😊

#nowruz #norouz #nowruzmobarak #persiannewyear #iran #happynewyear2021 #spring2021 #springequinox #iraniannewyear #haftseen #haftseentable #sabzeh #hyacinth

It’s one of my favourite days of the year - yes,

It’s one of my favourite days of the year - yes, it’s even tied with Christmas. This Paddy’s I’ll be celebrating #stpatricksdayathome with green on, music playing, and messages shared with friends and family who love this day and the Emerald Isle as much as I do, from Steveston (BC, Canada), the GTA, to South Carolina (USA), to Sweden, and around Ireland.

Ireland’s the first place I’m returning to when this is all over and international travel is safe again. In the meantime, I’ve got plenty of memories, books, songs, and smiles to tide me through (but let’s not take too much longer, alright?).

You can take the girl out of Ireland but you can’t shake the Irish out of her!

HAPPY PADDY’s, all!☘️
Stay safe and enjoy the festivities at home so we can party the heck out of next year. 😊

#travelwithtmc #ireland #longingforireland #fillyourheartwithireland #loveireland #irelandtravel #discoverireland #tourismireland #armchairtravel #dreamnowtravellater #lovedublin #staysafe #whenwetravelagain #paddysday #stpaddysday #paddysday2021

Happy Saturday! Have you been outside today? If y

Happy Saturday! Have you been outside today?

If you’re in the Waterloo Region, a great spot for some nature therapy is Huron Conservation Area. There are several entrances to the trails and a nice mix of water, trees, and open sky.

Do you have any favourite walking spots?

#travelwithtmc #huronconservationarea #explorewr #waterlooregion #getoutdoorsmore #naturetherapy🌿 #winterbridge #walkinthewoods #kitchenerwaterloocambridge #winterwalks❄️

February’s wrapping up! It’s a weekend full o

February’s wrapping up!

It’s a weekend full of goal setting for next month, trying to finish what I can from this month, relaxing with a book, and enjoying the change in season outside with the windows wide open (has it felt like spring to anyone else this past week?).

Do you have any end of/beginning of month rituals?

#kwawesome #dtklove #dtkitchener #lukeswinsonart #newmonthnewgoals #monthlygoalsetting #intentionallife #travelbloger

Talking Travel tonight with @theangelmac_ in the C

Talking Travel tonight with @theangelmac_ in the Connected & Created Millennial Life Facebook group!

Why talk travel in a pandemic? How could we not?! We’ll be covering travel industry changes, travel mindsets, solo travel, local travel, and how to travel at home, plus more!

*Link in Bio to Join!*

#travelwithtmc #traveltipsandtricks #postpandemictravel #travelathome #travelmindset #canadiantraveller #travelblogging #ontariotravel #discoveron #explorewr #backyardtravel #explorecanada #canadalove #travelrewards #travelpoints #travelmorespendless

Swipe to see the coolest front yard in KW!☃️

Swipe to see the coolest front yard in KW!☃️

I needed to get out of the house this past weekend.😫

I’ve been glued to my computer working far too many hours (anyone else out there often take on more than they should?) and I hadn’t gotten fresh air or gone on a walk in way too long. Last month I made a point of walking a little bit every day. I felt like a superhero with all of the morning fresh air. This month I’ve walked a whomping 3km so far. That superhero feeling is out the window, as you can imagine. 😳

Lucky for me, YOU guys are *AwEsOmE* and send me messages when you try tasty food or go on fun adventures you think I’d like too. This front yard is the perfect example, so thank you 🥰 for your kindness in sharing with me!

The weather was gorgeous, I wanted to explore, and my body was yelling at me to stop being a seated statue and move, so I did. The superhero feeling even peeked itself out a wee bit.

Have you checked out the snow sculptures in Waterloo Region yet?

#travelwithtmc #snowsculpture #snowfun❄️ #kwawesome #snowbankproductions #explorewr #canadianwinter #getoutsideandplay #winterfun #winterloo #waterlooregion #canadianblog #travelblogging #canadiantraveller #discoveron

FEB 1! Black History Month, Chocoholics Anonymou

FEB 1!

Black History Month, Chocoholics Anonymous Month (I made that one up but with love day on the 14th I think it can work), the last month of the meteorological winter in the northern hemisphere, Library Lover’s Month, and more.

What are you looking forward to this month? I’m excited to read more, build more, rest more, continue to plan for travel (whenever in the future it’s possible), and indulge in a wee bit of chocolate (though it’s possible I already do that)...

Happy Monday, fellow humans!⭐️

#travelwithtmc #waterlooregion #canadianblog #travelblogging #winterwonderland❄️ #snowsculpture #snowbankproductions #seagramlofts #winterloo #kwawesome

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