We arrived in Toronto around 6pm (Tuesday 30/4), so after checking in to our hotel, we went foraging. Some of what we saw…
Our first full day in Toronto (Weds 1 May) saw us head to the nearby food markets. Fortunately, early in the morning, Scott located a coffee shop that hit the mark ! Called the Brick Room, it was directly under the Fairmont Hotel, amongst the many underground walkways.
Then we strolled down Front Street to the markets.
Later in the afternoon, we did what the locals do at 3pm on a weekday, and go to a baseball game. The game was between the local team – Toronto Blue Jays, and the Kansas City Royals. It’s not just a game to the locals – it’s a way of life. And it’s very easy to be caught up in the excitement. ‘Work from Dome’ was the motto frequently advertised. Why work from home (or work!), when you can work from the dome? Thousands seem to agree. The guy next to me (I couldn’t help but notice) was answering work emails on this phone. Many ‘let’s discuss tomorrow’ responses!
Unfortunately, not a good outcome for the Blue Jays 🙁
NIAGARA FALLS
Early Thursday morning, we caught the train to Niagara Falls. I wasn’t aware that Niagara Falls is actually a sizeable town, with two sides – one on the Canadian side, the other on the U.S. side. We remained on the Canadian side. In any event, the view is MUCH better from Canada. We spent Thursday strolling around the town and looking at the Falls.
The next morning was the organised tour. This allowed us to take the boat right up to the falls. Once in the mist, it’s like a different atmosphere – wet and windy. Incredible.
After all this excitement, our tour bus took us around the locality and concluded in the small township of Niagara-on-the-Lake. Quite a noticeable British feel.
The area is renowned for wines, with many vineyards to be seen on the way into town. A local offering is ‘Ice Wine’. The wine is made from frozen grapes – grapes that have been deliberately left on the vine awaiting the chill! These grapes produce a sweet (dessert) wine. We tried both the red and the white and can report both to be quite acceptable !!
And I saw this in a shop and for some reason, it appealed to me.
So that’s our trip! We are now preparing to fly back to Australia.
See you all very soon!