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May 2022
A three-week rail and road trip to Ontario and Quebec in spring 2022 Read more
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  • TravelerCanada dry
    Day 1

    Toronno or Teeo?

    May 2, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Over these two years, there have been times when I wondered if this would ever be possible again. This trip was planned for April 2020 and it's wonderful to get on the other side of the Atlantic at last. I'm in the same party that visited Spain in February with Dave and Alan, with Russell to follow a week later. Entry to Canada is not seamless; the arrivals lounge is chaotic and spot tests for Covid are carried out there. It takes a couple of days to shake off the anxieties, plus the jetlag, but a good introduction to Canada awaits.

    Although we're into May, Toronto is still emerging from its winter slumber and the trees are a month behind those of London (the UK one, that is). Besides its usual pronunciation of "Toronno", I have heard it referred to as Tio or Teeo. A city of 6 million people, it's the financial and commercial capital of Canada (though Quebecois might argue that it's not the cultural one). What prewar architecture remains has a Scottish baronial/French look about it, with the ever-present CN Tower looming in the background.

    Toronto is no stranger to street art, or to little delicatessens, let alone nice little bars where beers from all over Europe can be enjoyed. Plus of course Canada's own superb range of beers. The Prenup (pictured) lies on the edge of Chinatown, maybe not up to the vibrancy of those in New York and San Francisco but colourful nevertheless.    Read more

  • TravelerCanada dry
    Day 3

    Gaye, Ross and Wonder were nearly here

    May 4, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    The passenger rail service in Canada is limited but the trains that do run are comfortable and efficient. We take a 4-hour ride to the city of Windsor, which has been an overspill from the car industry of the USA. In fact, the river that separates the USA from Canada is only about the width of the Thames at the Dartford Bridge (500 yards) and the skyscrapers of Detroit are so close, you could almost touch them. My phone is getting texts from the network saying "Welcome to the USA"! It's a surreal feeling to be so close to another country but with border regulations, so far. And also that at this point the USA is north of Canada. Image 1 confirms that spring in Canada lags that of Britain, while the second image is a view from our hotel window.

    A walk along the river front is eerily quiet, unlike our South Bank which is teeming throughout the day. It's quite nice to be free of crowds but it's almost as if the city were still in lockdown. But solace follows at the excellent Craft Heads Brewery, which makes 16 (yes, SIXTEEN) brews on site. No thirsts in Windsor!    Read more

  • TravelerCanada dry
    1
    Day 5

    You from London, Ontario?

    May 6, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☁️ 13 °C

    A long time ago when travelling to places where I was visibly not indigenous but wanted not to seem North American, I would wear a T-shirt saying "London" and displaying the City of London crest. But people would ask me: "Say, you from London, Ontario?" At last, here's my chance to see that London.

    Not known as a tourist destination, London lies half-way on the railway line from Windsor back to Toronto. It's a university city of about 400,000 people, on its own River Thames. Here's a view from our hotel window and some ground-level photos of the distinguished 19th century architecture.

    Unsure quite how to spend the day, we stumble on a festival of comics. Not content just to stand in line to buy old issues of their favourite cartoon, punters are dressed up as Spiderman, Star Wars, Xenia the Warrior Princess et al. Finally in a nearby curios shop, a zombie emerges from the depths to join in the fun!    Read more

  • TravelerCanada dry
    Day 7

    Awesome foursome

    May 8, 2022 ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    Back in Toronto, we admire Union Station, a Beaux Arts masterpiece reminiscent of Grand Central in New York City, with the contemporary Royal York Hotel opposite (York once being the name of Toronto as well).

    The bristling skyscrapers show Toronto to be the financial heart of Canada, while it's nice to see my old employers, Esso, flourishing downtown, plus some lively street art. The weather has turned sunny and warm, with the lakeside looking almost Mediterranean. The final images show some surviving Victorian housing east of the city's heart, and a scene from Toronto's gay quarter.

    But tomorrow, with the arrival of our fourth member, Russell, the road trip begins.    Read more

  • TravelerCanada dry
    Day 10

    Pardon my French

    May 11, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    With Russell at the wheel, we proceed north-east into the province of Quebec. While the highways system of Canada, like that of the USA, is supposed to enhance safety, it's surprisingly complex as we negotiate the endless approach roads, slipways and turnoffs. Canada abhors a roundabout, so any self-respecting city has perhaps 10 entrances to, and exits from, the freeway. Montreal has about 50. Another challenge, totally self-inflicted, is the lingo; we have forgotten to check what grade of fuel the car uses, so at the first gas station I have to clarify this. It's never easy when technology collides with a new language!

    Quebec is as different to Ontario as France is to England. Here the people are much more elegant or "chic" than those across the border, there is less of a weight problem here, the food is classier, and the shops are smarter. Our first port of call is Trois Rivieres. It's a city of about 130,000 where the 3 rivers of the same name spill into the mighty St. Lawrence. Thanks to the construction of the Seaway in the 1950s, oceangoing ships can pass all the way from Lake Superior to the Atlantic.

    Bypassing Montreal, we spend the next two days at Quebec City. Deciding not to navigate to the city centre, we stay at a grubby motel several miles away. It's the only bad accommodation of our trip but via a taxi into town, the entertainment is the best. First, an intimate jazz bar where the players in the trio (piano, bass, drums) alternate, and there's a friendly vibe. Better still us the Pub St. Alexandre, which bills itself as Irish but is more Chicago as the Denis Vien duo play numbers by Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and esteemed others.

    After breakfasting on poutine (a dish including proper French fries and cheese curds, we get the cameras out again. The Chateau Frontenac, dating from 1893, is a wonderful take on a French chateau and perhaps the most elegant railway hotel in the world. Despite the mini-heatwave we are experiencing, its walls warn us of winter perils. The governmental buildings, mostly from around the same period, are equally majestic. As are the statues, arms outstretched as if making a speech.

    Finally we chill out on the Plains of Abraham with its commanding views of the St. Lawrence.    Read more

  • TravelerCanada dry
    1
    Day 19

    Awesome fallsome

    May 20, 2022 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    And then there were three---with Russell having had to go home, the three of us have decided to do short journeys of not more than a hundred miles a day. But the first stop after Toronto is the finest of all. At first the weather is iron-grey and the air heavy but as it improves, we take to the boat tour. Risk of damaging the camera precludes any photos from it, but we are told that Niagara has the highest volume of water of any falls in the world. Also with some satisfaction, the commentator declares that the Canadian side is higher than the USA one. Later, we find that standing near the lip of the latter is truly awesome. Or as they say in these parts, aahsome!

    Love it or hate it, the town of Niagara Falls has all the tackiness of Las Vegas. Golfosaurus---who knew? A half-hour drive away however, Niagara-on-the-Lake is boutique-this, craft-that. As for the wedding, the only person in bright colours is a bystander.    Read more

  • TravelerCanada dry
    1
    Day 20

    Canada wet

    May 21, 2022 in Canada ⋅ ⛅ 20 °C

    Short distance travelling (microdriving?) throws up some unexpected pleasures and still opting for only an hour or two's driving per day, we land at Port Colborne on the edge of Lake Erie. Staying at a friendly Mom and Pop motel a couple of miles outside town, we get a lift with the manageress to and from the Breakwall Brewery. With half a dozen excellent beers, we're sorry they don't stay open late and we have our last drink at an indifferent sports bar. There's always tomorrow night, though.

    Port Colborne was founded in the early 19th century to allow shipping to bypass Niagara Falls. My experiences of canals started when cycling along the Oxford Canal as a student, followed by 25 years of week-long cruises with friends. The Welland Canal (named after the town half-way between Lakes Erie and Ontario). It's said to receive 3,000 ships a year, with a half-hour wait for the lift bridge (built in the late 1920s) to open. It's hardly the Panama Canal but enjoyable nevertheless.

    Back on Lake Ontario, our final stop is the city of Burlington. Both human and avian families are enjoying an outing on Victoria Day, but it's just about possible to create the illusion of rural isolation. Then it's a short drive back to Toronto airport but we're glad to have allowed an extra hour for navigation issues. The road leading to it peels off to the left across five lanes of busy highway, which people familiar with the area might not mind but we find hairy.

    But....mission accomplished and with the only malaise being jetlag, surely a total success.    Read more

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