The time has been slipping by and I suddenly realised I had this half written post about my jaunt up the CN Tower and my visit to Toronto Island. On the second attempt we we made it up the Tower. The first day we tried but by the time we had driven into the city visibility was so poor we realised it was a no go. We had a drive around with my friend showing us some of the landmarks such as the Parliament Building. We saw the designer shops on Bloor Street and drove down Yonge Street which is the city's longest street. Here we saw the famous Sam Sam sign which was saved from being sold and is now a Heritage sign and we decided to do a little shopping in the Eaton Centre which was fun. I was pleased to find an Abercrombie and Fitch, albeit a very small outlet but I was then disappointed that they did not have a children's section. Although I was assured they planned to open one next year. When the guy realised I was from England we then had a long conversation about the time he had spent in London. The CN Tower is very impressive and I'm sure that on a clear day the views are spectacular. However, visibility was still not that brilliant when we went back for our second attempt, but we couldn't put if off any longer as time was running out. My photos are therefore not that good.
You will see that I did stand on the glass floor (my head has been chopped in the collage), I really did feel jittery about it but I was determinded to it (my friends did not join me) and I even took a photo looking down. Not bad for someone who really doesn't like heights!! One of the guides was jumping up and down to show just how safe it was and that's when I beat a hasty retreat!
The trip over to the islands was perfect. The weather on that day (last full day before returning home) was very sunny, so perfect. The short ferry ride took us to over to Central Island. We decided to hire a bike and see a bit of the island (hard work but fun), seeing us three trundling around certainly amused some of the children who were yelling to their parents 'look at those old grannies'. My friend who is the same age as my daughter was not amused!! There are a lot of unusual sculptures dotted around and the river and the gardens are very pretty. There were not many people sitting on the sandy shore and it was very peaceful just enjoying the view across the lake. My first taste of Canada has certainly made me realise I would like to see a lot more of the country and we have been invited back so who knows I may yet get to Vancouver and I do fancy seeing the Rockies so I'd better get saving!
Yesterday I mentioned the Whirlpool Jet Boat whitewater ride and left you wondering whether or not we rose to the challenge! My friends were not overly keen but with a lot of gentle cajoling they caved in. This trip is best pre-booked and you have to sign a disclaimer (that got us worried!) and you need to be prepared to get wet, wet, very very wet. So spare clothes are a must but they do have changing facilities so it's quite well organised. We did worry (unnecessarily as it turns out) that we had to leave all our valuables in the car and the fact that this would be well known making the cars an obvious target for theft. We did find new scratches and marks on the car so we weren't sure if someone had tried to prise open the boot or not. You are provided with a rain coat, life jacket and shoes- we had our crocs so didn't bother with the shoes. The trip was approx 45 minutes and on the way to the whirlpool we we saw the two huge power plants that provide a lot of electricity (I believe) as far as NY (I could be wrong here it was not easy to hear all the guide said), Queenston Heights (1812 battle that resulted in separation of Canada and US) and Fort George and Fort Niagara. There was one spot (Devil's Hole I think) where the boat needed to use all its power to navigate the waves. During the trip the boat does three Hamilton Turns which is a 360 degree spinning turn, amazing fun. The whirlpool is the destination and we got an wonderful view of what we had seen the day before from the aero car. The first four rows of seats on the boat get the wettest and we sat just behind this. Here is the picture that was taken and if you enlarge it you can clearly see my friend's son as he does not have his hat on (just above the guy in the blue life jacket). You quickly get used to feeling wet, and I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and so did my friends. They were really pleased I had persuaded them to try the experience!!! So if you are visiting Niagara don't miss it out of your itinerary.
I feel a bit guilty posting about a holiday when so many people in this country are suffering the terrible effects of all the recent flooding. I cannot begin to imagine what it's like to have your home full of filthy water and be struggling to find clean water and fresh food. My thoughts are with everyone in the affected areas and I hope we will see some sun soon so that people can begin to assess, clean up and regain some normality.
Niagara on the lake is a very pretty little place. We visited on Canada Day which also happens to be my friend Tina's birthday. It was a gloriously hot sunny day, just right for celebrating and the whole place was packed with people enjoying a day out. We strolled along the lake, browsing the many craft stall that had been set up along the way. There were beautiful paintings, photos, jewellery, clothes, wood carvings amongst the items on display but everything was quite expensive. On a clear day (and it was) you can see the CN tower in Toronto. I think you will just be able to make out the skyline in this photo. When we visited the CN Tower the visibility was poor and we could not see Niagara. This is the view across to the old fort. It's a popular area for sailing. We spent some time in the park listening to a group singing and then we saw a small parade. This was followed by a huge cake on a trailer. Carriage rides could be taken from outside the Prince of Wales Hotel. There are plenty of shops , boutiques and cafes to suit everyone. We did quite a bit of shopping and we had a tea in an Irish Tea Shop. We reckoned they might serve a good cup of tea and they certainly has some lovely cakes (I did not actually indulge in case you are wondering). A view of the clock tower situated in Queen Street. I would really like to return and explore Niagara on Lake when it is a little less crowded.
This is just a quick post as I have a very busy day getting ready for special visitors who arrive tomorrow. No prizes for guessing who is coming to stay!!
The Butterfly Conservatory is a fascinating place to visit. Inside the dome you are surrounded by many really beautiful butterflies. Although you are asked not to touch them they settle on the visitors and there are feeding plates around the dome so you are able to get a really close look. Taking photos is not always so easy -just as you think you have a good shot off they fly. They have lovely names such as Zebra Long Wing, Blue/white Morpho, Red Postman, Giant Swallowtail to name a few in the collage. The picture of the incubation chamber is not that clear but it was interesting to see.
The grounds are beautiful and the flowers are chosen to encourage the butterflies. There are vegetable plots and an enclosed garden all well worth a visit. As we were looking at the vegetables I suddenly heard a peacock and we found this lonely guy in a cage. It would have been nice to see his tail spread but he clearly didn't feel like struting his stuff for us!! Close by is the Floral clock and we just stopped off to take a photo.
The highlight of my Canadian holiday was the visit to Niagara. We spent three nights there exploring the surrounding area. We stayed in the Skyline Inn and although this was not one of the hotels overlooking the falls it was in a very convenient location as both falls were only a short walk away. The walkway you see in the picture leads from the hotel to an indoor waterpark and although I didn't go, my friend took her son and he really enjoyed it. I think my grand children would have loved it. The hotel has recently been refurbished and they have created these little sitting areas as a focal point with the rooms leading off. We had rooms on the top floor, basic but perfectly comfortable. Every evening this area was bustling as they showed a family film. This was very popular with the children and it was safe for Cameron to go down by himself as we could keep an eye on him from above. I am not sure what I was expecting but I think if I'm honest I was not anticipating finding a mini Las Vagas. Lots of neon lights, games, rides, casinos and haunted houses (and much more). I know that everything is designed to make people part with their money and without wishing to offend I think a lot of the shops are a bit tacky and some things are over priced, while other things (like crocs) are cheap compared to England. I didn't go into the Casino but Kim and Tina had a little flutter and I gave them $10 to loose. Well I would have been pig sick if they had won the jackpot!! While they were learning how to play the slot machines, Cameron and I were finding our way around a maze. Luckily, Cameron (10yrs) was good at navigating as I was blindly following him. Apparently the average to find the four challenges and the way out is 12 mins and we did it in 10 mins so Cameron was really pleased. Left to my own devices I would probably still be in there!! There's such a lot that is aimed to appeal to children and although there were discounts it would be an expensive place to visit with a family. Now I really fancied sitting on this Harley but didn't think my daughters would approve!! There was a lovely collection of cars on display outside Planet Hollywood. I wanted a photo of Cameron with the car used in the Bonnie and Clyde film but this was the one that took his fancy! The Skywheel looks very attractive when it's lit up at night. I was quite pleased with this photo. The Skylon Tower looks quite impressive but we didn't venture up this 775 ft tower. However I'm sure that the revolving dining room and the views would be spectacular (it rotates once every hour- maybe I'll get to do this next time I visit!!). This photo shoot with the Mountie was taken on the street where there was a HardRock Cafe and a Hershy's. I did buy Embee a few diabetic chocs but resisted everything else. Before you point it out cheeky little Cameron is giving Tina 'bunny ears' well that's what he told us!! The best part was seeing the falls up close on 'Maid of the Mist' boat trip as you can see they give you a plastic cape which helps protect you from the spray. I took quite a few photos and have put them into a little slide show as I didn't know which to choose. The last few slides taken at night are not very clear as we were quite a long way away and the coloured lights on the falls do not show up. They put on a firework display twice a week which was very entertaining but again my camera did not really capture it very well. However I have included a couple of photos. Oh yes, we went over the border into Buffalo, USA and you will also see the Rainbow Bridge on one of the slides (will tell you a bit more about that later).
I was disappointed that we did not get to visit the cave behind the falls. Tina and I tried on our last morning but the waiting time was so long we couldn't wait as we had booked a Jet boat ride (will tell you about that on another day).
The falls are spectacular and I'm so glad to have been able to been able to experience them first hand-so let me know what you think!!
Unionville is a suburb of Markham and is about a fifteen minute drive from where we were staying. It is a big tourist attraction and is virtually unchanged from when it was built in 1794. It has a very interesting history, for those who might be interested you can see what wikipedia says. It even looks as though they have pinched a couple of my photos! The main street was very pretty with beautiful flowers everywhere. You can just see the church which was built by the Casa Loma architect. We didn't get to visit this 'house on the hill' maybe on my next visit! The main street is full of interesting little shops and is a great place for browsing. The flags are out in preparation for Canada day. This is one of the watermills and is very pretty. The new Millennium bandstand built in 2000 stands out even despite the design. This is used a lot during the annual jazz and Celtic festivals. This is Toogood Pond and is stocked with fish (or so the sign says). I suspect it might be true as we saw this fish lying in the car park. I saw my first close up of Canada geese. We sat and watched them feeding in the park. The only downside is you have to watch where you walk as what goes in comes out!!
The next instalment will be the trip to Niagara so hope you will join me.
This is just a very brief blog to let you all know that I am safely back on English terra firma, having had a really lovely time in and around Toronto (thank you to everyone for all the good wishes before I left). I am totally kn.......from lack of sleep for past 29 hours. I love going away but it's good to be home. I did have a quick look at a few blogs but I need to catch up on all the things you guys have been doing while I've been away. I will be sharing a few holiday photos with you over the next week or so. Tiger lamb girl if you read this -I did see your comment about the maple syrup, so you might be lucky if you contact me!!
and we decided to do a little shopping in the Eaton Centre which was fun. I was pleased to find an Abercrombie and Fitch, albeit a very small outlet but I was then disappointed that they did not have a children's section. Although I was assured they planned to open one next year. When the guy realised I was from England we then had a long conversation about the time he had spent in London. 
