Wednesday
28.08.10
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Arriving at the bus terminal, we rang our son Daniel to come and meet us.
Daniel and his partner Sarah had been in Toronto for a few months and had organised accommodation for us with a friend, Julian Jimmy.
It was interesting to see the changes from Montreal to Toronto. Very little French is spoken and we caught the subway, not the metro, to Julian's unit.
We were delighted with our accommodation. A beautiful bedroom with a huge flat screen TV on the wall. As Julian was at work, we had a glass of cold water and then headed downtown with Daniel for a day's sighseeing. |
| Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. Standing on the shores of Lake Ontario, the name Toronto is possibly derived from an Iroquois word meaning "place where trees stand in the water". The CBD is full of high rise buildings (second only to New York City in North America) whilst the suburbs are delightful, with older buildings and a great many trees. |
Our first stop was the Kensington Markets. Narrow one-way streets are full of produce shops as well as cafes and boutiques selling vintage clothing. Bakeries too - Dan insisted on stopping for a pie at his favourite bakery.
I enjoyed shopping in the tiny boutiques, with plenty of enthnic and vintage clothing to browse through. Even bought a dress for the wedding! |
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Loved the graffiti on the left! Big dragon spitting out fire and a "No Parking" sign ... and a car parked in front.
There is an annual Kensington Market Festival of Lights which is celebrated during December. A parade of giant puppets, fire swallowers and sambanistas welcome the return of the sun at the winter solstice. I wish we could have been in Toronto at that time.. |
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We were also going to miss the Carabana unfortunately, Whilst it was being held during our stay, it coincided with the reason we were in Toronto - our daughter Karla's wedding to her partner, Bec. The Carabana is when the city's Caribbean community take to the streets to celebrate their roots.
Such a quirky place! I love the "car garden" we spotted in a side street. Herbs and fruit trees growing out of a gaily painted ute, or pick-up as they call them in Canada and America.
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From the markets, we continued through Chinatown towards the waterfront, passing Rogers Centre and spotting the CN Tower (of which more later). |
A delightful old sailing boat was moored on the waterfront but unfortunately we did not have time to book a day's sailing on it. That would have really been a treat!
Meeting up with the rest of the family, we dined early at a small restaurant before heading back to Julian's house to finally meet our host. |
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What a gentleman! To take in two Australian grey nomads just because he knew their son and his partner! We stayed in his house the entire time we were in Toronto and he cooked for us, entertained us and took us up the CN Tower, where he works.
I only hope we get a chance to reciprocate, Julian! Any time you are in Queensland, come and visit us! |
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