Isn’t technology wonderful? I was worried about missing the Champions League final and probably would have had to change my flight had Liverpool beaten Chelsea in the semi but it turns out that I needn’t have worried. WestJet had ESPN available on their seat-back screens so I managed to catch the game at 40,000 feet. Annoyingly we landed 30 minutes ahead of schedule so I missed a large chunk of the second half but I made it through baggage reclaim in plenty time to take up a seat at the bar for extra time and the ensuing penalties.
I have to say that I’m glad Manchester United won. I only actually dislike them now compared with hating Chelsea with a passion and I think that it was somehow a fitting victory 50 years on from the Munich disaster. Bobby Charlton showed so much decorum when Platini tried to give him a winners medal and you have to admire the sportsman in Paul Scholes who went straight to console the opposition.
I had another celebratory pint with the Liverpool supporting barman and then made my way into Vancouver on the Airporter bus trying to spot anything that looked vaguely familiar but a lot has changed in the six years since I last visited the city.
I’m unsure as to what a weekend in Toronto is actually like as it seems that everybody leaves when Friday comes around. Last weekend was spent watching a friend win his first two races of the Ontario Formula Ford Challenge season at Mosport raceway and this weekend I had the pleasure and distinct privilege of being introduced to “Cottage Country” for the Victoria Day holiday. The landscape around Georgian Bay is simply stunning.
Continue reading ‘Good times!’
I spent most of today visiting Niagara Falls which was absolutely awesome. Such natural beauty coupled with stunning gardens and parks can’t fail to impress. Juxtaposed with this is Clifton Hill which can only be described as super-tacky. I did check on the Lego Brick City to check that there was no mention of ‘Legos‘ and chanced my arm to see if I could get free entry to the Guinness World Records Museum by dint of being an ex-record holder but no dice.
Those of you who read Alex’s comment will already know that the flow is artificially controlled (way to steal my thunder dude). The Falls were receding by three or four feet per year before the flow control was put into place and now this erosion has been pared back to around a foot every decade.
On the way back to Toronto we stopped at Lakeview winery to sample a few of their wines. Their Vidal Icewine was absolutely gorgeous and if you get the chance I’d highly recommend it.
One thing that is most noticeable here in Canada is the amount of trust that is involved in everyday life. An excellent case-in-point is the City Café Bakery in Kitchener where you are trusted to total your own bill and pay on your way out.
I’m so unused to this honour system way of thinking that I stood for a full uneasy 30 seconds waiting for a ticket at the subway station the other day before remembering that no ticket is actually issued and then walking through the turnstile with mumbled apologies.
You’d think that there would be an abundance of free (a.k.a. “unsecured”) Wifi with all of this trust. You’d be wrong. Coming from New York where freely available wireless access is legion (by design or otherwise) to Toronto where everything is nailed down tight is proving to be a tad annoying.
Despite the minor hassle of being sent back to security when I tried to board the plane at Newark the flight was fairly uneventful. I couldn’t quite make out Niagara Falls on approach to Toronto but hopefully I’ll get to see them up close next week sometime.
I had a wander around downtown yesterday and today to try and get my bearings. Toronto seems like it will be a nice place once it’s finished. Everywhere I look there seems to be a building site. Maybe this is the start of a push to halt the current decline of tourism and tourist satisfaction with Toronto.
