Day 16 - Friday 8th August 2008

Toronto

Today we were in Toronto. With a downtown hotel, we were able to walk out the door and explore. Bridget in charge at this stage...

Just over Adelaide Street is St James' Park, next to St James' Church, the Anglican cathedral.

As it started to rain we took a route through BCE Place, with its impressive atrium.

This sign seemed appropriate for us!

Out of the west door, another massive skyscraper on Bay Street.

Union Station, where we'd had all our 'fun' the night before.

Laurie fancied the Loose Moose.

As we approached the CN Tower we saw these sculptures - on the Rogers Centre (Skydome) I think.

Tickets purchased, we went up the CN Tower - even the elevator has a glass floor.

The views from the top are extensive.

But we don't know the city well enough to identify most of them.

Dwarfed among the towers, St James' Church and park, and our hotel is there somewhere.

The main glass floor - and a 1,000 foot view down.

The main downtown area.

Rosie on glass.

The city airport - on Toronto Island in the lake.

The waterfront - much renovated.

A heavy shower approaching from the west.

The view back up once we'd descended.

The Rogers Centre - home of Toronto Baseball.

We bought some lunch on the way and ate it by the waterfront - accompanied by seagulls, pigeons and sparrows.

This strange device trundled back and forth, but we're not sure what it does.

The Kajama, a tall ship which does trips round the harbour.

Rosie tops up her tan.

Walking through the waterfront area, there's a convenient bridge to cross one dock.

We looked at various options for a boat trip and plumped for the "Shark Attack"

All aboard? Let's go!

The Kajama returns.

Good view of the Rogers Centre.

Waterfront apartments.

One of the few bits of industry left on the waterfront - making Canadian Whisky.

A plane at the island airport.

We overtook some sailing dingies - in fact, we overtook everything.

Passing the end of the runway - there's a height restriction.

This is exciting - we approach 35mph.

We slowed down and approached the bird sanctuary at Leslie Street Spit.

Masses of cormorants and gulls together.

Cormorants in the trees.

Cormorants and gulls on the wing.

The end of the line on the dockside.

A freighter that had brought sugar cane from the Caribbean, up the St Lawrence River, to the Tate and Lyle Refinery.

Raw sugar cane tumbles out onto the quayside.

Another ship in front of the financial quarter.

More of the business district.

One of the ferries to the island.

Back on dry land, we went into the Queen's Quay shopping centre - very pleasant. Succumbed to a hat in the Tilley Endurables shop - made in Toronto.

We the took a street car...

...to Union Station, where we changed to the subway and rode to Yorkville...

...and found our way to Hemingways.

Here we met my cousin Philippa (rumour is that we last met at my christening) and had a very pleasant evening catching up over dinner.

Cousins!

All of us as we prepare to leave - eventually!

Philippa led us through to Bloor Street, where the youngsters were attracted by lights and expensive shops (luckily closed).

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) with it's controversial extension.

A side street.

Holt Renfrew - the Canadian equivalent of Harrods.

We then walked a couple of miles down Yonge Street back to our hotel - lots of interesting city nighttime scenes.