TRAVEL: WEEKEND GETAWAY
How is it not summer yet? I ask myself this question everyday like I have the power to push along the seasons if I ask incessantly. The winter months can be cold and long which is why I find it’s better to embrace the cold and find the beauty within it.
Jodi and I decided to book a weekend getaway in Collingwood to ditch the city stress and do nothing! We spend so much of our week running around to meetings, planning and shooting content, editing photos, emailing, attending events, plus training my clients. It’s almost necessary to take time off and unplug.
We were able to land an amazing Air BnB cottage rental just 2 hours outside of the city. Not to mention, BMW Canada was kind enough to lend us the 6 Series Gran Turismo so that we could travel in style. This was gearing up to be quite the weekend.
I had never driven a 6 series before and it didn’t take long before I realized that driving can be extremely enjoyable! The 6 series picks up so fast and is so smooth that I accidentally caught myself going too fast a few times. Thankfully, I had Jodi next to me to keep me in line.
Half way to our destination, we switched so that Jodi could take the wheel. I took full advantage of being driven to play around with some of the tech features in the car and tease/comment on Jodi’s driving. The sound system was incredible (I was able to turn the music volume up or down by simply waving my hand in a circular motion). We bumped along to BPM as I intermittently turned on the built in massage feature in the seats. The country side was covered in snow which made for a scenic drive and the sunshine streaming in through the sunroof had us smiling the rest of the way there.
When we arrived at the Air BNB rental we were pleasantly surprised. You can never really tell with pictures online – which didn’t do this place justice. The rental was 1600 sq. ft. of open concept living space with little design details that made you feel comfortable and cozy right away. The kitchen was fully equipped which is great because we love to cook. The best part was the view. The rental overlooked a snow-covered valley and was facing west so we could watch the sun set. We ended the night staying in watching Netflix, drinking wine and chilling by the fire place.
The next day, we decided to venture out into downtown Collingwood which was 30 min away from our rental. Truth be told, I was actually happy to drive an extra 30 min so that I could test out the 6 series a bit further. We took the scenic route which meant a lot of winding curves which the 6 series handled beautifully.
When we arrived in downtown Collingwood, we found plenty of great spots to hang out. Gibson’s café was our first stop since we heard they had the best coffee in town. It’s a miracle we were even functioning at this point without our daily dose of caffeine. We sat down and enjoyed our morning brew + pastry and then discuss what and where we going to consume our next meal. The owner of the coffee shop tipped us off and suggested a restaurant down the street. We made a brunch reservation for Sunday. We spent the rest of the day, walking around the downtown and driving around to explore. We found a waterfront parking area with a beautiful view of Blue Mountain across the lake. We shared some local chocolate and watched the sun come down over the mountains.
On our last day, we headed back into Collingwood and had an incredible brunch at the Tremont Café. Once we were done, we were eager to get back to our cottage rental, cook some more, pop open a bottle of wine and kick back for the rest of the evening before heading back the next morning. We had a great time and I realized this something we need to do more often.
