Two's Company

The time difference had other ideas about sleeping, so it was a very early awakening. To be fair, the early wake-up did leave us feeling surprisingly refreshed. 

Looking out, the highrises left us with no doubt we were in Canada, national flags flying proudly everywhere you looked.  

So, what do you do when you’re awake early?  Go swimming of course! 

An early swim for both of us, followed by a hearty breakfast, and with a few hours to spare we were ready to see a little of Toronto before catching the train to Ottawa.

One of the first things that caught our attention were Canadian geese, in Canada. Who would have thought?

They did bring a little bit of home to mind though. Back in Barlick, we’re used to seeing hundreds of these birds taking to the air as spring arrives and again at this time of year, heading east, west… or just travelling.

The difference here was the sound; busy, bustling, city noise. Then in comparison there’s the relative tranquillity around Barlick which can be broken with honking encouragement, as the geese press onwards towards wherever their mystery destination might be. Perhaps some of these geese have passed us by before, who knows?

Next we came across the ‘black’ squirrels, we were captivated, they were great fun to watch, secretly hiding food for the coming winter, ‘secretly,’ in full view, completely unconcerned by the presence of the frantic world rushing past along with us watching. On they scampered, scurried and continued their playful work.

Continuing our stroll around Queen’s Park, taking in the grandeur of the government building, the centre of administration for Toronto. 

The memorial, paying tribute and  remembering the fallen in two world wars and more recent conflicts was splendid, that and part of The Reconciliation peacekeeping memorial, reminded us of similar well thought out and meaningful memorials seen in New Zealand and Australia.

The rose  garden established in celebration of Queen Elizabeth’s 50 years on the throne was impressive, although roses had finished blooming for the year. Statues adorned the surrounding area of the government  buildings, similarities to home could easily be made.

The surrounding area was buzzing with swarms of students, there was a lovely atmosphere leading up to and around the university.

Impressive buildings, gardens and lawns, students studying, it all felt a little like Cambridge. I can’t say Oxford, because I’ve never been! Despite being a hive of activity, there was a real calmness and tranquillity about the place.

The old-world buildings are steeped in history, with memories of students and memorials to those who have been taken too soon through war or atrocity. The PS752 tragedy noted in the image above is a memorial plaque at the university.

Then there were the views. The distant CN Tower standing tall, a backdrop to the contrasting old and new which stand side by side, all fitting together seamlessly.

Our first impressions of Toronto were very pleasant. It felt clean and safe, with wide streets, and although it was difficult to put your finger on exactly what the influence was, the size and style of some of the vehicles, particularly the service trucks like fire, ambulance and school buses did remind us of our visits to the USA, here felt very different. Canada didn’t seem to bear any clear relation to its neighbour, but then why would it? 

We definitely enjoyed our stroll and having only scratched the surface, we’re looking forward to coming back to Toronto in a few weeks’ time.

But for now… onward to Ottawa!