Toronto

We arrive in Toronto in the pouring rain, so take a taxi from the station to our accommodation.

This consists of a small but perfectly formed basement flat: bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. By the time we have organised ourselves and our belongings the rain has stopped and we are even getting glimpses of sunshine.

Outside is a small back yard with comfy seating 

We decide to go and explore the local area, which contains the enticingly named Graffiti Alley. As we leave we meet Steve, one of our hosts here, who gives us directions and a few other pointers of where to go. Somewhat appropriately he has a conviction for defacing property, in that very alley, from his mis-spent youth

The alleyway in question begins just around the corner and extends for several city blocks.

There is a complete variety of styles and ambitions on display, from name tags and small scale images

larger and more nature based pieces

self-contained artworks

Three story building-sized pieces

We go through Chinatown. The bear is not solely a Russian icon. Alaska also claims it, as does Canada

We get something to eat and drink at a micro-brewery pub in Kensington Market. This turns out to be an area of the city rather than the single market we had imagined. We shared a very tasty half chicken, which had been brIned overnight before roasting. The result is excellent, I might try this technique at home

Again, public art features large.

and small. Even the lane dividers for the cycleways are painted

Heading back home we stumble into the Bovine Sex Club, a bar and live music venue

Arrive home and sit in the back yard for a nightcap and to soak up the ambiance. We meet Heather, who is dogsitting, and very chatty. Our hosts, Agatha and Steve, return home from their concert. They are very impressed that we have been to The Bovine, Toronto's legendary rock 'n roll dive bar. We sit and chat until about 1am. After all, it is a school night for them

We have two and a half days to explore the city. Whether to get a City Pass or pay for individual places is a difficult calculation. Not just in which venues we want to go to, but do we want one or two passes: there is no senior discount for the pass and Vera can get in everywhere at a reduced rate

For Friday we aim to do a boat tour of the harbour, visit the CN Tower, and go to the aquarium. For the latter we have been advised that the evening is the best and least rushed time

The harbour tour is a bit of a damp squib. Yes, you get some nice views of the city from the water, but it seems rather pointless. We also get good views of the planes, ancient and modern, rehearsing for the air show that is running over the weekend. The aerobatics and close formation flying is quite breathtaking

Lunch at a quayside bar, feeding the sparrows which are present everywhere in this city. We later learn that they are an invasive species here, I don't know how they manage to survive the harsh winter

Watching the world go by

We have a 16.45 timed entry for the CN Tower and the queues are not too bad. There is a thorough bag search, which fails to find the penknife in my rucksack. The tower was originally built as a communications mast for the Canadian National Railway, when presumably it was known as the CNR tower

The views from the top are worth the trip up. The large glass windows are very clear, and Vera is somewhat unnerved by the sense of height and exposure. We have brought our binoculars and can see across the lake to the steelworks at Hamilton, to the Skylon tower at Niagara Falls, to the USA beyond

A freighter coming into the harbour. Probably carrying sugar cane to the Redpath sugar factory, which refines most of Canada's Sugar. Maybe I learnt more on that harbour cruise than I realised

The views entertain us for over an hour, and we have a brief rest and recuperation at the nearby Steam Whistle Brewery

Appropriately this is located in some of the old engine sheds, a splendid roundhouse and turntable, next to the railway museum

The aquarium visit is the highlight of the day

Many different tanks reflecting many different aquatic environments

The highlight is probably the large pool, which we take through in a submerged glass tunnel. Huge swordfish and sharks pass overhead, but there are also a myriad of fish of all shapes, sizes, and colours

The jelly fish are also very relaxing

The evening visit means that there is very little in the way of food options when we emerge back on dry land after 10 o'clock. We end up in Hot Wings for a very unsatisfactory bit of food. But it's been an action packed day

Our last full day in Toronto and of our trip. We are going to look at the Royal Ontario Museum, or ROM as it is known locally. Getting there is a two bus journey. It's not obvious where the first bus stop is, but we find it just as the bus is arriving. Then onto the subway for six stops, easy once we figure out that the number 1 is a train and it runs underground

We start at the First Nation exhibits. These are interesting, mainly clothing, tools and birch bark lined kayaks, but I get the feeling that there's an untold story of the interactions between the original inhabitants and the European arrivals. That probably needs a whole museum in its own right

The first floor tells the story of life on earth from its earliest beginnings to our current day mass extinction event. Canada has some of the earliest rocks on the planet showing evidence of microbial life and it's fascinating to see these laid out with similar creatures from today alongside the fossilised remains

The room-sized animation showing life on the the paleozoic sea floor was totally captivating

We are at the museum for nearly five hours, but have barely seen half of it

Learning from yesterday we eat at the Maverick Brewery, which is 200m or so from our basement. If only we had known of its existence last night!

We seem to be the only customers in the 400 seat bar and dining area, and we opt for lobster and lobster risotto which is remarkably cheap here.

For our final day we decide to go and watch the air show. Steve tells us the best place to view this from is down by the waterfront on Lake Ontario. It's about a half hour walk

through coyote infested parkland. Sadly for my holiday animal sightings the coyotes were keeping a low profile

The show takes place over a three hour period, with a variety of vintage, modern, and purely acrobatic performances. It's a beautifully sunny day, warm, with a gentle breeze

Afterwards we return to our B&B where we have a beer that we have strategically left behind in the fridge. We chat with Steve, who has spent the day preparing for a pizza night that he is hosting for a group of friends. He clearly puts more effort into his pizza nights than I do! Agatha arrives and the conversation continues, and we exchange contact details: I think we will meet them again in the future

Which brings this holiday to a close

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