Canadian Adventures (Part 1)

During an action packed 10 days in Canada, I was lucky enough to sample some of what this wonderful country has to offer.

1) My first Canadian experience came a matter of minutes after landing, as I was whisked away to the nearest Tim Horton's coffee shop. This sacred Canadian institution soon became part of my daily routine, with Ice Capps (Iced Cappuccino) and Timbits (small, doughnut-esque treats) beginning my trip in the most unhealthy way imaginable. Prices were surprisingly cheap, when compared with Starbucks or any other hugely overpriced coffee establishment back home. The free WiFi was also very useful, as my phone had simply decided not to function on Canadian soil, which did little to reassure my loved ones at home that I had arrived safely. While I noticed a lack of the typical McDonalds and Starbucks colonisation of cities, the presence of  Mr. Tim Horton on many street corners proved an adequate replacement. At least it's Canadian, eh?

My first Ice Capp. The first of many.

2)  Canada's Wonderland was definitely a highlight of my Canadian experience. While there is nothing remotely Canadian about it, apart from the friendly workers and the abundance of Canadian flags, it is an absolute treat for thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies everywhere. With Disneyland Paris and sporadic fairground rides accounting for my thrill-seeking ventures to date, it seems I had a lot to learn. Wonderland is like Disneyland on steroids. We spent over nine hours in the park, going from ride to ride, our heads and stomachs feeling worse after each one, but it was so much fun. Definite highlights have to be Behemoth, once the largest rollercoaster in the park, and Leviathan, its replacement, which, with a drop of over 300 feet, is ranked the 5th tallest rollercoaster in the world. We also decided, quite recklessly, to try our hand at sky-flying, a type of bungee jump that sends you plummeting 150 feet towards solid concrete. No big deal. So, having experienced almost all of Wonderland's many delights, and having lowered our life expectancies considerably due to heart stress, we set off home, after a fantastic day. Only an hour from Toronto, Wonderland is exactly what it says in the tin, a land of wonder, and I would strongly recommend it to everyone. 

3) I recently spent the best $20 of my entire life. We made the trip down south to the US border, home of the majestic Niagara Falls. Standing or sitting on the promenade looking down on this natural beauty is one thing; taking a boat right up to the Falls is quite another. After several hours of relaxing in the sun, listening to the continuous roar of nearly 3,000 tonnes of water falling per minute, we decided to line up for this once in a lifetime experience. It was exactly that. The scorching heat, coupled with the constant spray, created the most beautiful and clear rainbows I have ever seen within the thundering Falls, and I found myself staring, dumbstruck, at the relentless power of nature. Compared with the tourist-filled, money-spinning town just a few hundred metres away, this was nature at its finest, outclassing by a clear mile any man-made structure or invention that will ever be.

4) Toronto, or as the locals call it "Tchraawno", is a really great city. Arriving on a Greyhound bus, the first thing that struck me were the tall buildings. While I am somewhat unused to this phenomenon, I believe that it was merely a small taste of the concrete monstrosities I will soon be straining my neck to see in New York. Despite Torontonians having a reputation among Canadians much like the Parisians in France, everyone we met was extremely helpful and nice, something I wasn't at all expecting from such a large city.

We wandered in some of the less frantic areas of Toronto, including Kensington, a really nice, artsy neighbourhood, home to some unusual international cuisine and impressive street art which gives the place a very cool and relaxed vibe. We then walked through the Asian quarter, which seemed to stretch forever, showing me just how multicultural and diverse Toronto is as a city.

While long, straight roads is something I touched on briefly with regards to the highways, cities with never-ending streets was not something I was accustomed to. Yonge Street in Toronto for example. I have never spent so long walking down the same street without getting anywhere. I soon discovered that simply telling people we were staying on Yonge was like saying that I liked the tree with the leaves. Once we managed to work out which of the many metro stops on Yonge to use, life got easier. 

5) One experience I will never forget was my very first baseball game! While it is usually associated with their American cousins further south, the Toronto Bluejays had qualified this year and were, as far as I know, the sole Canadian representative in the league. So, in true North American fashion, armed with a hot dog and a lot of newly acquired Bluejay enthusiasm, I took my seat up at the top of the bizarrely shaped stadium to watch the festivities unravel. "Festivities", I found, is quite an accurate description, as the game, which was very slow and dull for anyone less than passionate, was considerably livened by some extremely North American entertainment. We're talking cheerleaders, crowd participation games and competitions, parodies of the players, theme music for each batter, and even a section dedicated to the sand-sweeper guys who sprinted on to repair the pitch to its optimal state. It truly is a family day out, as the actual game becomes secondary to the fun everyone is having. The success of the home team does enhance the atmosphere however, and as the Bluejays fought back from 2-5 to 4-5 with one inning left, the match actually got quite tense. For someone who was clueless at the start, I became a true Bluejay by the end, egging on the players for one last effort to tie the game. They didn't unfortunately, but it seems there wasn't much at stake judging by everyone's apparent indifference to the result. 

One thing I have to mention is the players. My idea of a professional sportsperson, after over two decades of avid sport-watching, is an individual that is, yes, obscenely overpaid, but someone who is in good physical shape. They generally have to train in order to maintain this physique, but it usually pays dividends in their performance and somewhat justifies the money they earn. Not in baseball it seems. I was told that their swing is the most important aspect of their game, and while this may be true, watching an overweight player struggle to drag himself to first base really makes you wonder. I'm no baseball coach, but simple logic would surely suggest that fitter, faster players would result in a lot more players getting home, and therefore, better results.
Small criticisms aside, go Bluejays!! 

My Canadian adventures were so numerous that I feel a second post would be necessary in order to appreciate how great everything is, but this has been a taster of the many things to do in this fantastic place. I shall update again soon!

Ciao for now!