03 October, 2019

Lost in the City...


Almost 30 hours after we left our home in Sydney, we checked into a hotel in Toronto. It was 1:00am local time, so it was truly wonderful to fall into a large, comfortable bed and set about mending the inevitable jet lag from a 10 hour time change! Our two flights were good, but the 6 hour layover in Dallas-Fort Wirth in Texas was particularly painful. We spent 4 nights in Toronto (following that first, very late one) and deliberately didn't schedule too much. Being old-timers, we know how to relax and try to align the body clock with the sun. The formula is early to bed, slow to rise, don't nap during the day and supplement with drugs!

Our downtown hotel with indoor-outdoor pool.


Osgoode Hall, a maze of historically significant downtown Toronto building now mostly law offices and courthouses.


Climate change protest by the youth of Toronto was very well attended.


Maybe Toronto's most iconic building, the old courthouse.


Heritage building preserved within the giant (new) atrium of Brookfield Place.


City Hall overlooks Nathan Phillips Park but it appears that the city can't afford to illuminate the Toronto sign properly.


Toronto is Canada's biggest city and the capital of the province of Ontario. We stayed in the CBD, and found it to be an ultra-modern metropolis. With its mix of sleek glass towers and classical stone buildings over a hundred years old, we can understand why movie-makers choose here as a contemporary large city location. We got around on the an excellent public transportation system integrating two subway lines, a fabulous network of trams (street-cars) and buses going everywehere - economical and very easy to navigate.

Toronto has a great light-rail network.


Harbourfront aparments facing south over Lake Ontario.


Toronto's icon, the CN Tower.


Setting off on a Lake Ontario sunset cruise.


We particularly enjoyed walking around the Harbourfront District and through urban bushland, and Toronto seems to have undertaken some substantial industrial rebirthing projects in the Old Distillary District and, a bit further out of town, the Evergreen Brickworks. Both were very popular, despite light rain, especially the latter which seems to be way off the tourist trail.

Large waterfront mansion overlooking Balmy Beach.


Balmy Beach on freshwater Lake Ontario, with the Toronto CBD in the dim distance.


Inside the York Distillery in the Old Distillery District.


Indian cultural demonstration on the cobblestones of the renovated Distillery District.


Ravine near the old Toronrto suburb of Rosedale.


The Evergreen Brickworks is a great restoration of an old industrial site.


Bluegrass band Onion Honey entertained us at the Evergreen Brickworks market day.

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