Ol Canada! Toronto

Trip Start Oct 18, 2006
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Trip End Oct 19, 2007


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Flag of Canada  , Ontario,
Sunday, August 5, 2007

We arrived in Toronto at 1pm, after meeting a few interesting characters including Mr Shuffles in Detroit where we experienced Hudson´s coffee (Canada´s version of Starbucks) and all boarded off the bus and met Janette (my aupair friend from Switzerland). She whisked us away from the Greyhound bus station and took us to the CN tower- the highest tower in the world! To get up to the Sky Pod ( as far up as you can go) l think we had to wait in the world´s longest que! We arrived at 2pm and didn't exit until 6pm...it was alot of lining up and standing but Janette and l used our time wisely catching up as we qued for hours while poor Jas and Lorza were falling asleep standing up behind us! We reached the glass floor level which was a little freaky looking down on the glass we were standing on to the huge drop below. We then jumped up and down on the glass too make sure it was safe for the next tourists of course! We finally made it to the top....the Sky pod where some poor Mexican guy was tiptoeing around the inner wall....due to being so scared of the height Us before leaving on the bus from Chicago
Us before leaving on the bus from Chicago
 ! It was pretty high and quite a sight to look over tiny Toronto skyscrapers below us. We even looked down on a live baseball game taking place in the Stadium below which had the first retractable roof in the world.



Finally out of the CN tower and back on land we were all starving and made our way to a great restaurant called ¨¨The Rich Tree¨ where you are given a credit card like card and then it is just charged at any of the numerous bars and counters selling every type of food you can imagine, you then pay it off as you leave the restaurant. Therefore the Rich Tree equals Dangerous! Jared´s eyes were practically popping out of his head! I had a great stir fry with fresh juice and once having all filled ourselves to the absolute limit we drove the 40 minute drive (with Janette's crazy speeding!) to Hamilton Ontario, past Lake Michigan and literally to the middle of no where! But in the middle of no where we found the Janette's lovely house and beautiful backyard with corn growing and even an amazing looking hammock! Our home for the next three nights and boy did they make us feel at home!

Janette´s Mum (Rhoda) and Dad (Steve) talked to us into the night where l learnt alot about the postal service in Canada and l got to play piano for the first time in 9 months! We then all collapsed in bed utterly exhausted falling asleep to the sound of crickets on the neighboring farm!

We actually got to hang out in Toronto for another day before catching our bus back to Chicago a few days later Our bus step up block
Our bus step up block
 . There are not many words for Toronto except to say that it is where little Italy is so tiny we didn't even see it! Janette dropped us at the train station and we caught the 20 minute train to Union station and then walked along Toronto´s rather unpicturesque waterfront. To be honest and no offense to my Canadian friends out there, but Toronto would have to be the least impressive city l have ever visited. So much so that we simply spent the very hot day walking to and through China town and then to Little Italy- which didn't seem to exists exception being one Italian restaurant where Jas and Lorz enjoyed lunch and we sat in the cool air con enjoying the fresh water after experiencing the interesting taste of tank water in Hamilton! We then walked to a Thia restaurant where l ate a great 3 course Pad Thai meal and once again we talked away a couple of hours making the most of the air con and free water! Therefore we somehow managed to kill most of the day simply hanging out in restaurants- it was nice and relaxing! We then went back to the Greyhound station and found the main shopping strip and l brought Jas and Lorz Canadian baseball squeezy balls for as stress filled bus ride home before we went and brought ice-cream with our remaining Canadian currency- yum chocolate brownie!

We then had to endure a hour wait for the bus and the crazy Nazi ticket inspector and Janette running late and stressing me out that l might not make it onto the bus as she had my bags and passport in her car- yes lesson learnt! Currently lam back on the bus for the overnight trip to Chicago, with the sun almost reaching the horizon and another day gone- lam grateful for friends, fellowship and just the amazing opportunities God is providing me this year. Goodbye beautiful day and Canada....may God grant me another opportunity one day to grace your beautiful shores!
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