Tim in Canada

We arrived in Toronto after a very pleasant 12 hour train journey from New York.  Train travel really is the way to go, if you have the time, with wide comfortable seats and plenty of leg room and wi-fi.

Toronto was absolutely buzzing as we had arrived in the middle of the TIFF and it seemed as if the entire population was queued in the streets waiting to gain entry to the many film showings.  There were red carpets as far as the eye could see and all of the restaurants and bars were doing a roaring trade.  We booked into the Hyatt as they were offering a fabulous deal and so we were in the heart of things.

 

Tim, our youngest son, and his girlfriend Jess had arrived in the early hours of the morning and had stayed near the airport in Mississauga so it was an anxious wait until the afternoon to see them.  They were pretty tired and very surprised at the Toronto heat as it was over 30 degrees and very humid. They were even more surprised 2 days later when the temperature plummeted to 11 degrees.  That is Toronto for you.

We spent the next week showing Tim and Jess around the many sights of Toronto.  The highlight of the week was once again Niagara Falls.  We took the Maid of the Mist and, as the day had a slight breeze, we got thoroughly soaked.  It was good fun and we were amused by a group of Japanese tourists who shrieked as the water splashed over them.  Lunch was at Niagara on the Lake followed by a number of wine tastings at various vineyards.

 

We moved into a two-bedroom apartment so Tim and Jess were able to stay with us and I have to say, it was like having Gordon Ramsey and Nigella Lawson staying with us.  They are both excellent cooks and they cooked some fabulous meals with us with great thought going into the planning, purchasing and preparation.  What with the meals they cooked and the dining out at restaurants that we did, we will now have to concentrate once more on trimming our waistlines!

It was with great sadness that we waved goodbye to Tim and Jess as they headed off to Montreal to start the next stage of their adventures.  They have much fun ahead of them, as they will travel to New York, Mexico, Cuba and whole host of South American countries.  We will miss them terribly but I will look forward to the regular Skype sessions, which Tim has promised to make.

Now Michael and I will settle back into our Toronto routine.  We have been granted a visa until the end of January, which was shorter than we would have liked.  Who knows where we shall end up after that?

Footnote

It was nice to see Hawthorn finish on top of the ladder this year and now they have the chance to follow through with a Premiership.  We will be watching the drama unfold at a Toronto pub in the early hours of Saturday morning. GO HAWKS!!!