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Tuesday 15 - Wednesday 16 May:
Although the weather forecast predicted rain during most of the day on Tuesday, it was actually dry and only a little cloudy. After a super delicious breakfast at "Ben & Florentine" we walked towards the university where Philipp's friend Roger was studying. They hadn't seen each other for 8 years but hit it off instantly again the moment we sat down for a coffee at Second Cup. Roger was able to give us some useful tips about the Canadian immigration process as well as some ideas of "what to do in Montreal". After we said our goodbyes, we walked towards Notre Dame in Old Montreal, following Roger's advise. It's a beautiful church, or actually a 'basilica', with a "Chapelle du Sacré-Cœur" (a wedding chapel) at the back, gorgeous stained glass window patterns all over and exceptional acoustics inside. This Roman Catholic church is designated a National Historical Site in Canada in 1989 and the only person buried in the crypt is the church's architect James O'Donnell. This Notre-Dame Basilica has been the largest of its kind across Northern America, it can seat up to 2700 ppl, and it was inside this church that Celine Dion spoke her wedding vows in 1994.
After exploring every bit of this impressive piece of art, we continued our walk through Old Montreal and eventually ended up in Chinatown. All hungry from strolling around for hours, we went into a Vietnamese diner that appeared to be good as the whole place was full. We got a table in a corner and thoroughly enjoyed our meals. After that it was time to get back to the hotel to pack our suitcases and prepare for the Greyhound Bus-trip the next day.
Our alarm rang at 5:45 on Wednesday morning and an hour later we had finished breakfast and were already in a taxi on our way to the bus station. Although the bus would only leave at 08:00, it was recommended to arrive at the station at least 45-60 minutes beforehand and at 7:00 sharp we were standing at the gate, first in line. We chose the seats right at the front to have a good view through the big windows. We had a transit in Ottawa and therefore an hour time to grab some lunch and again, wait in line at the gate. This time we were not the firsts though. The trip from Ottawa to Toronto took another 5 hrs and we arrived at the bus station downtown at 16:30. We walked to our hotel, from Fashion District into Entertainment District, passing several movie sets.
After check-in at the hotel, we went up to our 'rooms' and were completely flabbergasted to find a fully furnished studio/apartment, with fridge, cooker, dishwasher, coffee machine and what not. Even breakfast and Internet is included and by taking advantage of Philipp's staff rate we pay only €45 per night! As if that is not enough, our rooms are on a fairly high floor with a clear view of the CN Tower! Amazing ey!!
After a good night of sleep and a refreshing shower we indulged ourselves at the breakfast table this morning and had all kinds of bagels, eggs and bacon, yoghurt and home-made waffles with chocolate sprinkles and whipped cream - it was obviously me who had the waffle and I'm already looking forward to the next one :)
I think I managed to lose some calories though during the 4hr walk that followed. We explored downtown by foot and covered a tiny bit of Yonge Street, the longest street in the world counting 1896 km!! (Thanks for the comment Gerti) Then further to the University District and back over Toronto's Chinatown, which is definitely larger than the one in Montreal. We obviously need to compare the food and will be back for a bite within the next couple of days.
We had to take a bit of rest and freshen up before going for our exclusive dinner at the CN Tower, so we came back to the hotel at around 14pm. Unfortunately, Philipp and Miriam both got a headache; Philipp took a nap to try and get rid of it, and Miriam when for a 60min stint in the gym. Luckily, they both felt better afterwards..
At 17:30 we left the hotel for our dinner at the CN Tower. Upon arrival, we had to go through some sort of a body scan before being allowed to go further. The elevator ride took us in less than a minute and with a speed of 22km p/m to '360 The Restaurant' on 351m height. From there we could take the stairs one level lower to the Observation Level or two levels lower to the Glass Floor.
At the Observation Level you can walk behind glass windows; at the Glass Floor Level you can walk, as expected, on a glass floor as well as outside behind a metal fence. The glass floor sounds ways scarier than it actually is by the way.. I expected the whole floor to be made out of glass but it is only 78 sq.m that consists of 6,5 cm thick glass panels. Funny fact: it can withstand the weight of 14 large hippos.. I wonder how they came up with that..
The dinner itself was very nice; we had a set menu and all enjoyed a nice caesar salad to start with, followed by a salt crusted salmon with asparagus as a main and a chocolate mousse as dessert.
We managed to finish on time to go back to the Observation Level to watch the sun setting over Toronto. What an amazing sight..
We're off to bed now; another early rise for us tomorrow. At 7:30 we will check out and pick up our rental for our 3day trip. We will visit the Niagara Falls and from there go further to the Blue Mountain resort which will be our home for the next 2 nights. It is situated close to Lake Huron, the second largest of the Great Lakes. It is 330 km long and nearly 300 km wide, imagine that!
After the first night at Blue Mountain we will head up further north to visit Fathom Five in the Georgian Bay. It consists of several islands and is a national marine park that seeks to protect and display shipwrecks and lighthouses. They provide some exciting glass-bottom boot trips and in this way allow visitors to explore the underwater world and its treasure without getting wet. So, lots of things planned already!
Depending on the Internet, if I have a connection or not, I will post another update and more pictures within the next couple of days. If not, y'all have to wait until we're back in Toronto on the 21st. So, stay tuned...
- comments
Gerti ..... walking along Yonge Street, the longest street in the world counting 1896 km!! .... How is this possible???
Cristel In CN tower Ton also had a diner the time he was in Toronto. Thanks for the beautiful pics of the mandala windows in the basilica. They're almost as beautiful as the ones in Sagrada Familia.