Cross Canada Trip - Day Two – Toronto

Previous Post: Canada - First Impression

Today, we had major plans and that did not includ taking over the world (at this point, you should imagine an evil “muwhaa muwhaa muwhaa”).

Our morning started with “eat as much as you can” pancakes with maple syrup: SUPERB! When we finally managed to pull ourselves from the dining table, we went to a China town and Kensington market (http://www.kensington-market.ca/). Between those two, you can fine absolutely anything you can imagine (go ahead, let your imagination fly). Since the weather was fantastic (25C with clear skies) and we had some time to kill (read on), we went through the University of Toronto to a Queens Park Circle (the university is really impressive, well worth the visit) and down the University avenue to the CN Tower (http://www.cntower.com/). - did you know that it is the tallest free standing structure in the world? As advised in our “Canada” guide, we have booked a table in the 360⁰ restaurant located 351m above the ground in order to escape the queues and save $21.99 (each). During the day, the food is reasonably prices considering the location, atmosphere (the restaurant is constantly rotates around the core completing the circle in 72 minutes and where else could you eat that high above the ground?) and the quality of it. After the lunch, you can walk one floor down to the observatory deck and with glass floors.

From there, we hang around the Rogers Centre (http://www.rogerscentre.com/) and went to the Harbourfront Centre (http://www.harbourfrontcentre.com/). There was a “Toronto Nautical Festival” and the Harbourfront Centre itself is a waterfront walkways and parks which extend all the way through Toronto. We gave up somewhere around Bathurst street, went up town till Queen street and back to the hostel. The impression is that all Canadians decided to get out and spend the sunny evening in the local pubs and cafes; everything was filled to the brim.

Now, I’m sitting on a porch in the hostel and reflecting on two experiences I had today: people and... beer! Canadians seems to be a cheerful, friendly and generally good looking bunch of people. Some are smart as well (she is worshiping Lidia White who is a professor in the University of Toronto), but I guess it could be said about every countryman in the world (there are exclusions, but I won’t include those here). The same opinion cannot be extended to beer; after tasting this beverage in UK, Germany, Czech Republic and even France, Canadian brewers still have a long way to go... but maybe it was a wrong choice. My inner self tells me not to give up and keep trying as there is always a hope to find the “holy grail” of Canadian beer.

Check out the photo album http://picasaweb.google.com/alla.markh/20090619Toronto

I will stop here as tomorrow is another long and exciting day: we are taking a tour to Niagara Falls!

Ciao, John.

Travellers Tips: If you are going to the CN Tower (highly recommended), consider having a lunch at 360⁰ restaurant.