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called Linded House run by a mother (Elaine) and daughter team. It was very quaint and homey, off the main
strip by a few streets. That evening I went to a restaurant in town that Elaine had recommended, called the
Epicurean. The food was very good as was the atmosphere. The following morning, I walked around the main
strip just poking my head in to the different boutique shops, such as; Niagara Apothecary, Maple Leaf Fudge,
and the Owl and Pussycat. Then I went to a local winery where I did some wine tasting and bought a couple
bottles. Next up was the Jet Boat. This was my first time on a Jet Boat. We started at the point where the
Niagra River feeds into Lake Ontaria. We drove at upwards of 75mph to the Whirlpool below Niagra Falls.
On the way the driver pulled 360 degree turns and picked up water on the tip of the boat from class 4 and 5
rapids to throw the tidal waves upon the 40 or so passengers. It was all a big thrill and much fun. After drying
off and changing, I had a little picnic by the Lake, and then drove with the top down to Toronto.
restaurant in Yorkville. I sat at an outside table and worked on updating my travel journal, while enjoying the
atmosphere of this posh area of Toronto. Around 3pm I started my walking tour of downtown Toronto. Right
off I noticed a public map showing a path through the public parks of the City. So, I decided to incorporate
many of these parks on my tour. There were many small parks mid-block connecting one street to the next.
This green space helped to humanize otherwise bleak areas of the City. The Park/Central Quad of Ryerson
University was especially beautiful, with views of the CN Tower and the City skyline peaking over the tree line of
this green oasis. I then walked through St. Lawrence Market, where they sell freshly caught fish amongst other
items. From there I proceeded to the highlight of my Toronto tour, the CN Tower. The CN Tower is listed in
the Guiness Book of World Records to be the tallest building in the world. It is 1,815 feet in height and took 40
months to build, from February of 1973 until June of 1976. From well over a hundred stories in the sky I
walked on and then laid down on horizontally laid clear glass (see photo). From the CN Tower I had noticed a
lot of people gathering by the water, so I thought that I would go to check out to see what was going on. I
discovered that there was going to be a free outdoor ballet by the National Ballet of Canada at the CIBC stage
and it was starting in just 10 minutes. I found a seat and ended up watching two of the four performances,
excerpts from Napoli choreographed by August Bourneville and Apollo by George Balanchine. They were
excellent. For dinner, I walked back over to Yorkville and went to a very nice restaurant called Sassafraz.
Wednesday, August 20: My main objective today was to see the Toronto Islands. I took the Toronto
subway for the first time from Spadina and Bloor Streets (uptown) to Union Station (downtown). Then I took
the Ferry, which takes about 10 minutes, to get to Hanlin’s Point on Hanlin Island. I met I very nice group of
older Canadian ladies. They seemed to want to take me under there wings as surrogate mothers. I think most all
women have a motherly instinct, especially for young men who are on their own and out of their element. They
were really very sweet and it was nice to have that connection even for a short time. From there I walked along
the road, the island does not allow motorized vehicles, to the nude beach. I decided to try to walk along the
shore as much as possible around the perimeter of the islands. Most of the people on the beach at the time were
older, overweight men. This did not do too much for my libido. After the nude beach the rest of the way it was
difficult to remain on the beach due to all the underbrush and foliage. I eventually made my way to Centre Island,
where I first went out on the pier over the water and then went to the amusement park in Centreville. The park
has rides and entertainment, which is primarily oriented towards young children and there were plenty of them
there. The amusing part was that the various groups of school children wore t-shirts of the same color. So, you
would see groups of toddlers of 20 to 50 all running around together in pink or purple or red shirts, like flowing
amebas.
Once I returned to the mainland: I saw the Skydome with the largest fully retractable roof in the world, walked
through the Toronto Convention Center to Union Station, and then by City Hall on my way back via Yonge
Street.
running the place was very nice and the building was a private home that was built in 1872, was restored and is
now a heritage house. That evening I walked down to By Ward Market. I stopped into a couple bars, had a
beer and did a little people watching.
Saturday, August 23: After a very nice breakfast, I went for a walking tour of the City. I went to the Museum
of Contemporary Photography, which was surprisingly small, but contained some very good and unusual exhibits.
On exhibit was of series of photos of locations in Egypt (pyramids, etc.) contrasted against scenes from Toronto.
I stopped at the Rideau Centre for lunch. Then I went to Parliament Hill and took a tour of the main building. I
went to the top of Peace Tower, where I got some very nice views of the City. On the way down from the
Tower, I stopped in the Hall of Honor, which honors the men who passed away in all of the wars in which
Canada participated. I walked by the main locks of the Rideau Canal. This canal was built in defense of a
potential invasion of Americans after the war of 1812. Construction started in 1826 and finished in 1832. The
builder of the canal, Colonel By, was also the founder of Ottawa, which use to by called By-Town. I walked
through Major’s Hill Park on my way to the Pont Alexandra Bridge. The Park is where John By’s residence us
to be. He chose this site because of its wonderful views of the Ottawa River. From there I walked over the
Bridge into the City of Hull, which is located on the Quebec side of the Ottawa River. I walked by and onto the
grounds of the very impressive Canadian Museum of Civilization. I noticed many wedding parties having their
photos taken on the grounds of the Museum. I guess this is a popular spot for wedding photos, similar to the
Three Sister Islands in Niagara Falls. I unwound in the Zen Garden on the grounds of the Museum. I saved
going inside until the next day. From there I walked along Laurier Street in Hull until I reached the Pont Du
Portage Bridge, where I crossed back to the Ontario side and the City of Ottawa. I stopped at the National War
Memorial where I took some photos. This memorial was dedicated in 1939 by King George the VI. I went
back to By Ward Market where I sat outside at an Italian restaurant and had dinner.
Sunday, August 24: After breakfast, I quickly drove over to the Parliament grounds to watch the last Changing
of the Guards for the season. This Changing of the Guards was much more elaborate then usual, because this
ceremony represents the putting away of the flag. It has more soldiers than usual and has more music, formations
and marching. From there I went back to the B&B, loaded my car and headed over to view the exhibits at the
Canadian Museum of Civilization. The building head impressed me ever since I arrived in Ottawa with its unusual
and gracefully flowing design. I enjoyed learning about the native people of Canada and about the history of this
nation and its people. There were separate exhibits on the history of the Pacific Coast Aboriginal people, the
postal service in Canada and a photo exhibit on the marshlands of Germany. I drove back to the Ontario side of
the river and parked near the Sparks Street Mall, where I sat outside and had a hamburger while watching the
world go by at this outdoor pedestrian mall. From there I walked by the canal until I came upon Confederation
Park. I walked through this pretty little park and got a nice picture of a statue of a Native American with a bear,
a coyote and an eagle. From the Park, I walked back to my car and headed off to Montreal.