Jernie's Hub: October 2008

Monday, October 27, 2008

An evening at the Woodbine Horse Racing Track

"No experience required, just bring your money." This is the advice we got from our friends. We got a dinner reservation at 7 pm in the Favourites Restaurant last Friday evening. Since it was our first to be in this place, I did a little bit of reading thru their website on how to go about the betting but it is complicated.

The Standard bred horse race commenced at 7:40pm and there were 12 races for the night. Because of its close proximity to where we live, we didn't have to worry about the usual traffic jam. The Woodbine complex is vast. There was no problem at all to find a parking spot and most of all it was free which is quite surprising here in Toronto.

We met our friends at the lobby and we headed together to the second floor where the Favourites Restaurant is. We had a very good location giving us a very clear sight of the race track. As soon as we were settled, we started to scan through the race guide. The race information and the statistics figures presented were overwhelming. With the limited time we had, we decided to call the staff who gave us a very quick explanation on how to go about it. Though we didn't really grasp all the mechanics and techniques on how to pick our bet, we decided to push the button.

Favourites Restaurant

The Horse Race Track

The odds for the race 1

Referring back to the guide, there were 8 horses for the first race. Among the many information and statistics provided, we just looked at the recommended probable favourites, the ranking from the previous 6 races, the running time from the previous 6 races, the horse’s background info and finally the Race Computer Analysis.

There are various types of bets but as a beginner I opted to stick to the basic ones.

WIN : You must select the winner of the race.
PLACE : Your horse must finish first, second
SHOW : Your horse must finish fist, second or third.
EXACTOR: Select the first two horses in exact order of finish
TRIACTOR: Select the first three horses in exact order of finish

EXACTOR BOX: Box two, three or more horses - your ticket is cashable if two of the boxed horses finish first and second
TRIACTOR BOX: Box three, four or more horses - your ticket is cashable if three of the boxed horses finish 1st, 2nd, 3rd, in any order.

To make things simple, I bet to WIN, $3 for the horse no. 8 AIR MCNAIR. As soon as I got the ticket, I waited anxiously for the race to start. No pressure, it's just for fun. Then the race went on....and guess what? I won! I got $18.

My horse finished first. I won!
Race 2 is on.

I was ecstatic; it made me really excited to bet for the following races. My friends were telling me, I should have bet for $100. Well, it's too late. We bet more and more but my lucky charm has quickly disappeared. I never won again.

The Buffet

Talking about the buffet dinner, it was ok but nothing really special about it. Nevertheless, it was a wonderful experience. I would love to go back there again with friends one of these days. It was really fun!

For more information about Woodbine, visit their website http://www.woodbineentertainment.com/woodbine/index.html

Posted by: Jernie
1 comments

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Flying over the Niagara Region

We did bravely fly the skies of Niagara in an airplane to see and photograph the sights of Niagara-on-the-Lake, The Welland Canal, the mighty whirlpool rapids and hydroelectric generating plants, and did then continue the flight to magestic Niagara Falls.

At the Niagara-on-the-Lake Airport

with the Pilot

All set for take-off

The Niagara-on-the-Lake vineyards.

Niagara-on-the-Lake and far behind is the Ontario Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake
Niagara-on-the-Lake
The U.S. side

The River flowing to the Ontario Lake

It's really nice up there!

Approaching the Niagara Falls, the Friendship Bridge. Left side is New York State U.S. and the right is Canada

The mighty whirlpool rapids.

The Niagara Falls
Left is the U.S. side of the falls and right is the Canadian horseshoe.

Spectacular view of the falls!

Canada side

The Rainbow Bridge (Falls View Bridge)

The U.S. side of the falls.

The two man made reservoir supplying the hydroelectric generating plants.

Flying away from the falls area.

The Welland Bridge

The Welland Canal

landing

It was a fantastic experience with the Niagara Air Tours.

To view the complete photoalbum, click here

http://jernie.myphotoalbum.com/slideshow.php?set_albumName=album12

I highly recommend to do such tour if you're visiting Niagara Region.

Posted by: Jernie
1 comments

Monday, October 13, 2008

Rheinpfalz Region

Rhineland Palatinate is a German wine-growing region in the area of Bad Dürkheim, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, and Landau. It is the second largest wine region in Germany after Rheinhessen. There are about 6,800 winemakers producing around 2.5 million hectolitres of wine annually.

We were invited by Herbert's Uncle and Aunt for a day trip to this region. The weather that day wasn't really ideal for the planned trip nevertheless we had to push through with it. We drove first to the Nachterhof for a lunch in a Hunter's Guesthouse (Jäger's Gasthaus). I thought it is very interesting for my parents to try some wild dishes. We have been to this place before and we really liked it so much. Apart from the great food, the interior of the restaurant is pretty unique and interesting. From the outside, the restaurant looks small and simple but inside it's really nice and spacious.

inside the guesthouse
Chandelier made of deer horns

deers on the wall

As soon as we got settled in our table, we were served with drinks and started right-away browsing through the menu card. Choosing dishes for my parents was quite a challenge. I had to check if they are serving steamed rice, luckily they do and then chose which one among the wild dishes I think will suit my parents' taste. It took us quite longer than usual to finalise our order.

After few minutes the food was served. I was a little bit anxious if my parents would like the food or otherwise. Fortunately, they were fine with the food except for two things; the rice was cooked in butter with some spices on it which was a little bit salty for them and the serving was way too much for them. At the end of our lunch, the owner of the restaurant joined us in our table offering us the usual digestive drink called mirabellen schnapps (it's a kind of clear brandy made from fruits called mirabelle).

Wild Ragout

Wild Pig

at the back of the restaurant

After lunch, we started to drive to the town of Bad Dürkheim which is famous to be the home of the biggest wine barrel in the world. On our way, we drove through the Wine Streets (Weinstrasse), passing by the beautiful vineyards and the town of the wine producers. Though the town is small but it has a very strong cultural character, like many towns in Germany.

The Weinstrasse

family produced wines

Not long after, we arrived at the town of Bad Dürkheim. It is also known as a home to the Wurstmarkt (Sausage Market). It is also a health resort to which many visitors come for its 'grape cure' and its sodium chloride medicinal spring , spa treatment establishments and indoor & outdoor pool.

From the parking area, the Dürkheimer Fass (Dürkheim wine barrel) caught our attention. It has a capacity of 1.7 million liters or 374,000 gallons.