Jonny Lang in Toronto 2017 - Day 5 - 28th August

Day 5

Bit of a lie in this morning.  We have to check out by 11.00am and we left our packing for this morning.  Once we were certain we had covered everything we took all of our bags to the car and checked out of the apartment.

Next stop was Tim Hortons for my last breakfast. I will certainly miss these places when I get back home.

We then went back to the PATH to try to see more of what we had missed earlier in the week.  We found the RBC Building that we had been searching for.  It was a spectacular building that had been taken down from an adjacent street some years earlier and rebuilt in its current location prior to the roof being built overhead

We continued on our journey of discovery, even visiting the Toronto Blue Jays store where Rhi saw a top she fancied.  She bought it in a nearby store where it was quite a bit cheaper,

Pretty soon it was time to go back to the car and head off to the airport. The roads were very busy but we made good time.  We dropped off the car at the Dollar desk and went into the airport to check in and print off our luggage labels.  After this we went to bag drop, got rid of our luggage and went to go through security. Small hiccup here, I was pulled in for a body scan just because I had a few coins  in my pocket.

Only a small hold up, I was soon sitting in the wine bar eating flatbread with hummus and drinking a lovely Chardonay called ‘Camas’ Ann de Joyeuse.

Rhi in her Blue Jays top

We stayed here until we were called to our flight for the last leg of our journey. It had been a short visit but we had packed loads in and had a thoroughly good time.  We must come back for a longer stay and to see much more of the country and the people who were so friendly.

Jonny Lang in Toronto 2017 - Day 4 - 27th August

Day 4

As usual we were up very early and got ready to set off for Niagara Falls.  We left at 7.00am before the majority of traffic hit the road.

Early morning in Midtown Toronto

We skirted around Lake Ontario and up towards Hamilton.  Since I was here last, over 12 years ago, it has changed dramatically with motorway roads all the way from Toronto to Niagara. 

We eventually arrived in Niagara Falls at around 08.50 feeling good that it had only taken us 1 hour and 20 minutes to get there.  We soon realised though that we were in the wrong place!! We were in the town of Niagara Falls and the actual waterfalls were a further 30 minutes away.

The town of Niagara Falls 

Not to worry though, we were soon on our way and arrived at our destination before 9.30.  We parked up and headed for breakfast in Tim Horton’s to set us up for the day.  I have really enjoyed eating at this chain.  In my opinion, better than any I had experienced in the USA and must really be killing McDonalds’s sales.

After breakfast we walked alongside the Niagara River as it coursed its way towards the descent at Horseshoe falls.  We were soaked to the skin by the spray coming from the falls but it was worth it as we witnessed something truly wondrous.

At this point we descended into the tunnels that were cut into the cliff behind the falls and we got a totally different perspective looking out from behind the water at the thunderous plummeting of the waters outside.

We then continued our journey along the sidewalk admiring the views of both the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls on the opposite bank.  The Maid of the Mist boats from the American side and the Hornblower boats from the Canadian side were to be seen sailing right into the horseshoe falls themselves before turning to return to safer, or at least drier, waters.

At this stage we decided to venture onto one of the Hornblower boats and duly took our place at the centre front of the boat. One of the crew members told us this was the best place to view the sail into the falls.  It certainly was, and also the wettest.  We got soaked, but it was worth it.  This was a memory never to be forgotten.  Sailing into the raging waters as they dropped into the river around us.

When we returned to the landing stage I was absolutely soaked through and decided to go back to the car to change into dry clothes that I had the foresight to pack, but on the way up the hill there was an incident when an elderly gentleman, being pushed by his wife, fell out of a wheelchair.  I succeeded in stopping him from hitting the floor but when I tried to lift him he was just too heavy.  I called for help and three young guys took over and after we all lifted him back into his wheelchair they transported the man up the hill to a safer place.

Back at the car I changed into dry clothes, which was very difficult on the back seat of a Chevrolet Cruze which was boiling inside.  Somehow Rhi had dried off walking back to the car so she did not have to suffer the ignominy. 

When comfortable again we decided to drive across the Rainbow Bridge to the USA.  

This went quite well until they took our passports of us and told us to leave the car and walk into the customs building opposite.  We did so and were told to sit and wait until we were called. Feeling a little uneasy we waited until called for the interrogation to begin.  Once our fingerprints had been taken and our retinas scanned we were allowed to leave after paying a further $6 each.

As we left the building we began to relax and we retrieved our car and continued our short journey into the USA.  The Niagara State Park was nearby so we parked our car and walked the rest of the way.

It was a different feeling this side of the border but the views were just as spectacular.  In fact the views this side added to those from the Canadian side to give a complete overview

A rainbow on the waters below

We stayed for a while before heading back across the river where we experienced some lengthy delays getting back into Canada.  We decided to stay on the road and head back to Toronto and if we got back in time we would go out for our last evening meal in Canada.

We did it, despite some very heavy traffic and after showering and changing we walked a short distance to the Boston Pizza House, which was anything but onl;y a Pizza House.  Rhi had a Chicken Penne Pasta meal and I had Ribs with hot wings.  Amazing.  Our deserts were also just as good. Rhi had a massive (well bite size) chocolate brownie and I had a crusty apple pie with ice cream.

Boston Pizza, right opposite our apartment building

Well fed and watered we called it a day.  Last day tomorrow and due to fly home at 18,30 Canadian time.

Jonny Lang in Toronto 2017 - Day 3 - 26th August

Day 3

The morning after the night before.  We awoke early, had a spot of breakfast in the apartment and CN Towerafter discussing the previous nights show we left the apartment and walked across the road to the CN Tower.

Tour CN Tower

The CN Tower (French: Tour CN) is a 1,816 ft high concrete communications and observation tower in downtown Toronto. Built on the former Railway Lands, it was completed in 1976, and held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years from 1975 to 2007 and was the world's tallest tower until 2009 being overtaken by Burj Khalifa and Canton Tower, respectively. It is now the third tallest tower in the world and remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, a signature icon of Toronto's skyline, and a symbol of Canada, attracting more than two million international visitors annually

We entered the building and made our way to the observation deck first to take in the stunning views all around the city and out onto the lake. Amazing to think that we were looking down on skyscrapers that earlier, from the road, looked so high.

Centre of picture is our apartment building, 300 Front Street West

We had a great view of the small airport situated on nearby Central Island.  Surprising amount of planes coming and going in the small time we were observing.

Next we moved on up to the Sky pod which was many floors above the observation deck

CN Tower Sky Pod

At a thrilling 1,465ft high above the city, the SkyPod is one of the highest observation platforms in the world with a unique and spectacular view like no other. We boarded a seperate elevator on the Observation Level to travel through the core of the Tower an incredible 33 additional storeys higher to SkyPod, featuring interpretive exhibits.  Under ideal conditions, visibility is up to 100 miles away to Niagara Falls and New York State.  

On the way up to the Sky Pod

The views up here were even better than the observation deck but the difficulty was taking photographs through the framed windows.

From this deck we descended to the floor below the observation deck which boasted a glass floor. This took some nerve to stand on but once we had taken the first step it was an amazing feeling. Standing on the 112th floor with only some glass between you and the road so far below.

When our time in the tower was over we walked down to the waterfront and took the Water Taxi over to Centre Island.  The views of Toronto's skyline were superb.

Centre Island

Centre Island is Toronto’s island getaway, a reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the city without having to drive for hours. Just a short ferry ride from downtown, Centre Island is nestled between Ward’s Island and Hanlan’s Point. Visitors can rent bikes by the hour (standard, tandem and quad cycles) near the Pier to ride the many bike trails throughout the island. During the summer months, you can rent a canoe or kayak from the Boat Rental near the shrubbery maze.

When we arrived on the island, we crossed to the other side to visit the pier before taking a long stroll to Wards Point.

The long walk to Wards point gave me the opportunity to take some interesting photographs.

When we arrived at Wards point we stopped for lunch at The Island Cafe. It was interesting there with a distinct 'hippie' feel about it with all of the fruit and vegetables grown in raised beds just outside the restaurant

After a couple of hours here we headed back to the mainland on board the ferry that operates locally. We then went back to the  apartment for a rest before getting ready to go out for a meal in the evening.

We did not realise it would be that difficult to get a table locally but the combination of the Mayweather / McGregor fight, the Toronto Blue Jays playing home to the Minnesota Twins and Bruno Mars in town, all helped to conspire against us..  We were met with either 'full house' signs or asked to pay high entry fees even though we were not interested in seeing the fight. We moved on and found the Oliver & Bonacini restaurant in Yonge Street

The food was first class and the service was excellent.  I was glad that we ended up here.  We enjoyed our meal there before heading back to the apartment where we had to prepare for tomorrow's visit to Niagara Falls