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Canada.The Eastern bit.Canada.The Eastern bit.
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Canada.The Eastern bit.

June - July 2019
A 30-day adventure by Stephen Read more
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  • TravelerCanada.The Eastern bit.
    Day 3

    Toronto eh!

    June 21, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C

    No problems with the flight except my dried up pasta. Then after the chaos of the airport we set out on bus, subway and bus for the Airbnb.Transport is frequent however the paper transfer seems a bit out of date. The Airbnb is situated in a lively and interesting area. Their are many restaurants where you can sit out on a warm evening and watch the vagrants shuffle past pushing supermarket trollies full of their worldly possessions.

    We explored the city centre, like lots of other American cities. It’s big and brash but the people are much calmer. Micro breweries are quite popular. We visited two and walked past a few more. The first, Steam whistle brewing (cloudy lager) is situated near a railway yard and turntable. Hence the photo and Mill Street brewing (IPA that didn’t taste like IPA). Is based in the distillery district. A renovated area with little shops to wander around. Enticing tourists to buy things that’ll never use at home but they think was a good idea at the time.    Read more

  • TravelerCanada.The Eastern bit.
    Day 4

    Oh Niagara!

    June 22, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    160 Miles travelled.
    Our coach was due to leave the Dragon city shopping mall in Chinatown at 08.30. At 08.02 I got a call from Alex the guide wanting to know where we were! After legging it for a bit we climbed the stairs of the coach to be met with a sea of Chinese faces. The journey was uneventful other than to try to understand Alex’s rather thick Chinese accent.

    The first sight of the falls is obviously impressive. The sun highlighting the white roaring water with plumes of spray hovering above a watery amphitheater. Heather and I walked across the Rainbow bridge and after completing formalities we were in the USA. Heather brought a charm from the Hard Rock Cafe we took some photos of the falls (side on) then we high tailed it back to Canada. It’s very easy to compare the behaviour of the Americans and the Canadians and there are differences. One is verbally and visually direct and the other is calmer and less demonstrative. Which unusually is a contrast to both areas close to the falls. The US side is a national park while the area of Clifton hill on the Canadian side is the worst kind cheap seaside Amusements you can think of.

    The trip back to Toronto was long and tedious as it was rush hour and people were dropped off before us. We did visit a winery where the red was nice but not exceptional however the hard sell was ice wine (google how it’s made) which the Chinese brought in droves. It wasn’t pleasant to my taste buds. Last off the coach and into a dim sum restaurant we were starving.    Read more

  • TravelerCanada.The Eastern bit.
    Day 4

    Going local.

    June 22, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    Our last day in Toronto was forecast to be a scorcher and it was. We did what most locals do on weekends like this and rode the ferry across Lake Ontario to the islands. Only ten minutes away from downtown and the park is very pleasant to walk around with BBQs and beaches. We did have to dodge the odd flooded area though. Apparently this region has seen more than it fair share of rain this winter. The lake is a little too cold to swim in. We realised this after we saw plenty of sunbathing going on and the odd dog crashing into the water chasing a chewed up Frisbee but no human swimmers. I went for a paddle and yes it was very cold. After we returned to the mainland we finished our day with a meal in another brewpub (Goose Island).Read more

  • TravelerCanada.The Eastern bit.
    Day 5

    Toronto to Montreal.

    June 23, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    475 miles travelled.
    I do like the wide loading gauge of North American trains. We certainly didn't feel cramped on our published five hour trip to Montreal. On the journey we got stuck behind a freight train which we leap frogged using bidirectional signalling. I can just about remember what that is! however it did add thirty minutes to our arrival time. Chucked our bags in the Airbnb and went for poutine, heart attack on a plate.Read more

  • TravelerCanada.The Eastern bit.
    Day 6

    Ah! Montreal, Mount Royal of course

    June 24, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    Today we walked up the steep hill to Mount Royal, the park that overlooks the city with some fine views. We did feel out of place as mostly the people we were walking up with were giving the illusion of fitness dressed in their activeware. The walk continued on down the other side though the woods until we came across an area with lots of small restaurants. The area is also dotted with many fine murals and it took some time to admire and photograph them. Following all that action we were hungry and ended up in a tiny diner called Patata patati. Smashing vibe and hudgly popular.Read more

  • TravelerCanada.The Eastern bit.
    Day 7

    The eyrie.

    June 25, 2019 in Canada ⋅ 🌧 24 °C

    I have renamed our Airbnb in Montreal the ‘eyrie’ it is situated on the 19th and top floor of a block of flats. When I look out the open window I get that tingling feeling of apprehension as I stare down to road level. Just one slip and I could be a stain on someone’s car. The inference would be that there are nice views to be had. This is not the case though. Opposite is another block of flats and we are directly in line with the air conditioning system that drones on day and night and we have to keep the windows open to in order to cool the flat. Below the A/C I can look into people private lives. I’d like to reenact scenes from Hitchcock’s ‘The rear window’ but I haven’t seen anyone across the way yet. Noise and smells funnel up to our level and we get snippets of conversations that are a disproportional distance away. Our apartment fills with the aromas of cigarettes, Chinese cooking and weed as it’s legal in Canada. It’s rained a lot today!Read more

  • TravelerCanada.The Eastern bit.
    Day 8

    Old town and bagels

    June 26, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    We wandered aimlessly around Montreal and found ourselves in the Old town. While pleasant to look around it really wasn’t for us. Too many stalls selling T shirts and maple syrup. Then we took the subway up to the Jewish quarter and visited the St Viateur bagel shop. Now this is authentic and very busy. Sesame seed was the most popular The bagels were still warm as we ate them, walking along looking in the shops. Later on we came across this toilet which was just a smudge in the road but when viewed through a camera it became 3D. It’s called Anamorphic street art. Over the last week Heather’s walked her socks off and as a result she’s got a number of blisters. She’s stuck plasters all over the offending bits and now, fortunately her feet are on the mend.Read more

  • TravelerCanada.The Eastern bit.
    Day 9

    Panic over

    June 27, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C

    845 miles travelled

    Picked up the car from Montreal airport and had an unremarkable journey along the trans-Canadian highway through Quebec to New Brunswick where we changed time zones. The only thing to note was that when we did stop for coffee and a break. French is the dominate language. Unlike Montreal which is largely bilingual. On arrival at Edmundston our home for the night. We drove across the river and after formalities at the border post we were back in America, Why? I needed to pick up a geocache in Maine. I left Heather in a McDonalds with free WiFi. But she didn’t need it as it’s the local gossip hotspot for the small town of Madawaska and I went to pick up a cache. Couldn’t find the first one, neither the second. Getting panicky. I wanted to colour in Maine on my geocaching website. Third attempt got close but had to retrace my steps as I came across a ‘no trespassing’ sign. Eventually arrived at the coordinates and looked around for some minutes. Found it, panic over. The container was a plastic pine cone attached to a pine tree in a wood that hadn’t been found for over a year. Signed the log, picked up Heather. Took a photo of us in Maine then scrambled back to Canada over the metal grid decking bridge that buzzed as we drove across and on to our bed for the night.Read more

  • TravelerCanada.The Eastern bit.
    Day 11

    Straw hat and pigtails

    June 29, 2019 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    1172 miles travelled
    We journeyed through the forests of New Brunswick over the eight mile long confederation bridge to Prince Edward Island (P.E.I.). The first thing that struck us was how red the sand and dirt is (like Dawlish!). It’s a pretty island with watery inlets cutting into the rolling landscape and there are farms with red barns and tractors rusting away in the undergrowth. One of the reasons to visit this island is to see the house that was the subject of the book ‘Anne of green gables’. Canada parks manage it and a fine job they have done. Nice to stroll around and take in the atmosphere. L M Montgomery the lady author was born and lived close by and the house was owned by her elderly relatives. However outside the gate. Some ‘entrepreneurs’ have cached in on the theme. If it’s not ticky tacky shops, it’s crazy golf or miniature roller coasters that vie for your attention. Not really in keeping with the area. We have enjoyed some nice trails nearby and as we walk along we come across swathes of lupins they are everywhere. Unfortunately the mozzies here are everywhere too and ferocious. Stop for a second and they are on you biting away. However a liberal application of deet see them bouncing and skidding away. It defiantly works on these horrors. Visited Charlottetown the capital of P.E.I. Nothing much to write home about. Bit of a tourist trap.Read more

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