I bet you think the largest francophone community outside of Quebec is located in New Brunswick. The truth is, that almost three times more francophones, over 600,000 people, reside in the province of Ontario. Expectedly, the majority of them live along the Ontario-Quebec border, with the highest concentration - in towns and villages east of Ottawa. I happened to recently visit one of those typical Franco-Ontarian towns, called Casselman, where most people speak French in their daily lives. I hope to give you a sense of it, although you can't expect much from a small town during a province-wide lockdown in the middle of a brutally cold winter. Definitely give it another try in the summer.

The Canadian province of Ontario may be lacking snow-capped mountains, sandy oceanfronts, tall grass prairies or arid deserts, but one thing that all western provinces are envious of is Ontario's iconic fall colours. Mild temperatures and not too much rain make the leaf-peeping season last longer than anywhere else in the country. With most of the foliage fallen down by now, I do realize that the tips I'm about to share will probably make more sense around mid-September - early October next year. But who said we can't start preparing for the next season now? Plus, as an added bonus, that's an opportunity to enjoy some pictures and bring good memories from this past season.

The COVID-19 pandemic made me realize that Ontario does not actually have too many backpacking opportunities close to big cities like Toronto or Ottawa. With the US-Canada borders closed, Adirondacks Mountains as well as other destinations in Vermont, New York and Pennsylvania are out of reach for most Canadians. So unless you're willing to get stuck behind a steering wheel for hours bound to Northern Ontario or Quebec, you're pretty much down to a few options. One of them is the 387 km / 240 mile Rideau Trail connecting Ottawa and Kingston, Ontario.

Tourists and locals alike recognize Ontario not only for its big-name attractions like Toronto or Niagara Falls, and not even for hungry mosquitos and black flies in the springtime, but also for its pretty, historic towns. Carefully preserved in time and maintaining the original 19th-century look, many of them compete to be named the quaintest or the coziest town in Ontario. Merrickville, located only 40 minutes from Ottawa and known as the "Jewel of the Rideau", often makes the cut.

European exploration of Upper Canada which makes most of Ontario today began at around present-day Ottawa and Kingston. Passable rivers and adjacent lakes were essential to maintain a reliable connection with other North American towns and cities and, of course, Europe. Being the oldest in the whole province, the area surrounding Ottawa and Kingston corners the prettiest towns built by the British and Irish settlers. One of those towns, Almonte, sits immediately west of Ottawa and was named by Expedia one of the 10 charming small towns in Canada.

Named "The Loveliest Town in Canada", Niagara-on-the-Lake has got quite a few things to brag about. In the late 18th century, the British Crown appointed it as the first capital of the Province of Upper Canada which is now known as Ontario. Niagara-on-the-Lake's climate is ideal for producing wines, some of the best wines I've ever tasted including a world-famous ice wine. The oldest continuously used golf course in North America calls this cozy town home. While apples and strawberries flourish all over the country, your "Canadian Grown" peaches, apricots, or cherries are likely brought to your local grocery store from Niagara-on-the-Lake.