Waterloo, Canada

Our home is a comfortable, child-friendly two-story, with a private back yard, gazebo, barbecue and play equipment for children. Inside, deep leather couches in a large family room make for comfortable chats or watching Cable TV or Netflix. The kitchen has a well-vented large gas stove, refrigerator, dishwasher, microwave and an antique workbench island. Those who like to cook will be pleased. The four large bedrooms and 4 bathrooms will easily accommodate a larger family, as will our 6-seater Toyota van.

Summer days in Waterloo are hot, so you'll appreciate the central air-conditioning and swimming at our nearby private community pool. Our favourite time to swim is late afternoon when the sun's heat is still strong, and the neighbourhood kids have gone home for dinner. Enjoy quiet evenings on our veranda or in the screened gazebo. We have tennis racquets for your use at our neighbourhood courts beside the pool. And, of course, Wi-fi.

We know you will look after our home as carefully as we will care for yours.

Waterloo is a centre for technology and innovation situated in rich farm country. You'll find an abundance of entertainment, recreation, athletic and social activities. Our neighbourhood has many safe walking trails. Laurel Conservation Area is a few hundred metres away, where you can swim, rent canoes for short trips around the shallow lake, or hike the forest. You may enjoy the Jazz Festival in Uptown Waterloo, Movies under the Stars in Waterloo Park and the12 Bar Blues Festival in Kitchener. Local theatre is very good. Stratford, 45 minutes away, is home to world-class theatre. Kitchener's Centre in the Square has outstanding acoustics for concerts both classical and modern, an exceptional K-W Symphony Orchestra, and frequent shows by popular entertainers. Late August brings a fun Busker Festival to Waterloo. And don't forget the back roads of South-Ontario's rich and scenic farmland. Drives are easy, and worth the time to leisurely explore. If you should wish to spend more than two weeks on your visit, consider coming as our guests for a few days before we leave, and/or staying on for a few days after we return. We've done this before, and it has been a delight to get to know our exchange partners better, as well as provide suggestions for their holiday - and ours, and afterwards share experiences. We would be pleased to help you prepare a holiday plan.

Waterloo has many excellent restaurants and friendly pubs for nights when you don't want to cook. Let us give you some tips on our favourites. August is also the perfect month to enjoy fresh produce from local farms, so you might like to stay home for dinner. We especially value Herrle's Farm Market and the St. Jacobs market in Old Order Amish country, both only 10 minutes away.

You may drive our 7-seat Toyota Sienna (with automatic transmission) for comfortable trips to Toronto, Niagara Falls, Wasaga Beach (the world's longest freshwater sandy beach), Stratford Festival, Elora Gorge, Oshweken Six Nations Reserve, the Cheltenham Badlands, or Canada's Wonderland. We are an hour from Rockwood Conservation Area, with its ancient geology, fossil-filled limestone bedrock, and placid waters for you to explore by canoe.

You will find a highchair for your baby, lots of toys for young children, as well as an outdoor climber and swing-set, covered sandbox and safe space to play.

We have loved all our home exchanges and guests. We hope you'll come to Waterloo.

Larry & Shari