Tag: ontario

Day 1 – Tuesday 9th September ~ Toronto

Travelling again with my mate Jim Lewars on our big trip to Canada and Alaska, as usual, we booked this trip through Kenneth Macleod Travel with the help of their representative, Michelle Gemmell.

The first Air Canada flight of our trip went well, leaving a bright and sunny Edinburgh morning behind as we made our way west, passing over Iceland and Greenland to Toronto.  Due to the minus 5-hour time difference, we touched down in Toronto bang on schedule around 11:00. The passage through immigration and baggage collection was extremely smooth, and we met our driver who whisked us into town after a 30-minute drive.  As expected, our room wasn’t ready, so we popped into a nice bar next door for a refreshing beer in the sunshine.  Eventually, we checked into the Radisson Blu, which is situated on the Lake Ontario shoreline near the CN Tower. We were allocated a nice, spacious room, which, despite the lack of wardrobe space, suited us perfectly for our stay.  To help us get acquainted with the city, we set off to find where we are to be picked up on Thursday for our Niagara tour. This was easy to find, as is everything in the city when viewed in relation to the CN Tower. 

We then made the slight error of venturing into Union Station and quickly got lost in the labyrinth of passages, when you view the station map, you will understand why we got a wee bit lost, whilst there we stopped for a quick lunch, we got chatting with a local guy, who recommended a nice restaurant called The Old Spaghetti Factory, so once out of the station and it’s maze of underground passages and malls (it really is a nice place to visit as we found out later), we went to find it.  The restaurant is a fanciful place; we only stayed for one beer, vowing to return for a meal and to review it fully. 

As we had walked a great deal more than expected and as it was approaching siesta time, we returned to the hotel to recharge our batteries.  This evening’s adventure was to visit Toronto’s oldest bar, The Wheatsheaf Tavern (opened in 1849), so fully prepared with our Scotia T-shirts, we went out to King Street, in the Entertainment District, to find it.  The area was very busy with the local Baseball team, the Blue Jays, playing at home, and there seemed to be a number of fashion shows taking place with all the attendant ‘Beautiful People’ hanging around.  The pub, when we found it, was just what we expected with good food, good beer and a friendly staff.  The Toronto International Film Festival was also happening in the city, and thankfully, we weren’t in the same King Street pub as James McAvoy that night, as it seems he had a more interesting night than us.

All too soon, it was time to head for home to hit the sack after a long, busy and exciting day.

Day 2 – Wednesday 10th September ~ Toronto

We decided to hit the tourist route today, after breakfast at a Tim Horton’s branch next to the hotel, which soon became our breakfast place of choice. We took a walk up into town, where we jumped onto the HOHO (Hop-On-Hop-Off) bus for a tour of the city’s highlights, followed by a cruise around Lake Ontario.  We had a good day going around Toronto and hopping off a couple of times to visit places of interest. We found the tour guides informative and friendly, and we didn’t have to wait too long at any stop where we wanted to hop back on.

We were quite lucky in that the bus stop for the cruise was right outside our hotel, so we were able to squeeze in a quick lunch while we waited for the boat.  The cruise was very relaxing and a great way to see the city and the islands on Lake Ontario.

Once back on the bus, we made our way to Chinatown, where we hopped off on Dundas Street West, near the Art Gallery of Ontario, where Jim was enthralled by the Couch Monster, a large statue of an elephant balancing on a ball, fashioned from old furniture and cast in bronze. Whilst in Chinatown, we picked up some souvenirs and photographed some really good murals.  It was so warm walking around, we just had to stop for a wee refreshing beer before heading back to the hotel for our siesta. 

In the evening, the city was busy again with the Toronto International  Film Festival, a Lady Gaga concert and the Blue Jays playing (yet another home match).  We decided to give all of that a miss and visited the Old Spaghetti Factory for a lovely meal in some interesting surroundings, with carousel horses hanging from the ceiling, an old streetcar as a dining room, loads of stained glass and Tiffany-style lampshades everywhere, all adding to the ambience of the place.  Their “All Included” menu certainly provided a good meal at a reasonable cost, making it well worth our visit. All too soon however, it was time to return to the hotel using the excellent public transport, tired but happy after yet another great day.

Day 3 – Thursday 11th September ~ Toronto & Niagara

After a quick breakfast in Union Station, we made our way to our pickup point to be met by Izzy, our tour guide for the day. We quickly left Toronto behind, heading south, passing through Hamilton and Grimsby, towards Niagara-On-The-Lake, our first stop. It was nice to stroll around what many call Canada’s prettiest town. Whilst there, we nipped into the Olde Angel Inn, Canada’s oldest pub, where we sampled a half pint of their own beers and got a couple of photographs taken by the friendly staff. (The keen-eyed among you may spot that they also serve Tennents Lager)

We continued along the Niagara Parkway, a lovely scenic route alongside the river, stopping off at some viewpoints such as the giant floral clock with its 16,000 bedding plants creating a spectacular display. Upon arriving in Niagara, we spent some time marvelling at the power of the falls; every way you looked was all the more spectacular. We were then given our distinctive red ponchos and boarded one of the Hornblower Cruise boats and sailed off into the gorge. From this special vantage point, we got as close as possible to the breathtaking flow of water deep into the mist. From there, we could feel the power of the cascading water as we passed the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls and then into the heart of the famous Horseshoe Falls. All too soon, it was time to return to the dock, dispose of our ponchos and get back onto our bus for the return to Toronto with memories that will surely last a lifetime. No words on this page can capture what we experienced at the falls, so Jim has created a short video showcasing our experience. You can view it here:

On our return, we visited the nearby Amsterdam Brewhouse for a nice meal and a couple of beers, spending some time chatting to a guy from Morocco and a couple from Germany, but it was nice to meet and blether with a group of guys from Nova Scotia who were visiting the city to watch the Blue Jays play.

Day 4 – Friday 12th September ~ Toronto

In almost every city we visit, there is a tower or monument for us to climb, and Toronto is no different, with its CN Tower, the city’s most iconic landmark. The Tower can be seen from almost every part of the city, and with it being so close to our hotel, we used it as a navigation aid in our strolls.

Deciding to miss the crowds, we chose an early morning slot for our visit, and this proved to be a good choice as the viewing areas were relatively uncrowded, leaving us with plenty of room to move around; however, we did meet up with a couple from our Niagara trip while there.

The excitement of the tour starts at its base, where, after passing through some airport-style security, you enter the concourse, and the scale of it becomes apparent. Seen from below, the sheer scale of the Tower is incredible. It’s a true marvel of engineering.

Once inside the visitors’ centre, we displayed our tickets and hopped onto the high-speed elevator. The one-minute ride itself is an experience! As we shot upwards, our ears popped, and the city views quickly began to unfold beneath us.

The first stop for us was the Main Observation Level, and it was breathtaking. Toronto stretched out in every direction, a vibrant tapestry of skyscrapers, parks, and the shimmering waters of Lake Ontario. We spent ages just taking it all in, pointing out familiar landmarks and marvelling at how small everything looked from up on high. Being able to spot our hotel below us, we discovered that it has a rooftop pool and lounge area, something we were unaware of before.

Of course, no trip to the CN Tower is complete without a visit to the infamous Glass Floor on the Lower Observation Level. I have no great problems with heights and these glass floors, Jim, however, approached with a little more trepidation. Standing on that thick pane of glass, looking 346 meters straight down, is an exhilarating mix of terror and awe. It truly feels like you’re floating in the sky!

After a good dose of adrenaline, we headed up to the SkyPod, an observation deck, 33 floors higher still. The views from here are simply unparalleled. It felt like we were on top of the world, it was great fun watching the planes landing and taking off from the Billy Bishop Airport below us.

Our CN Tower adventure was everything we hoped for and more. It was not just about the incredible views; it’s about experiencing Toronto from a whole new perspective, appreciating the city’s landscape.

Being unable to do the SkyWalk, due to our age, was the only disappointment we had about our tour. We both thought that we would look great in the red boiler suits hanging around the outside of the tower, although I think Jim would have chickened out at the last minute.

After our excitement at the tower, we decided to have a relatively quiet afternoon, so we jumped on a tram up Spadina Avenue towards Chinatown, where we had lunch and did some shopping. As the adjacent area known as Kensington Market was close at hand, the entry into the area was easy to find with the statue of the cat on a chair standing at the corner of Spadina and St Andrew Street. This quirky area is reminiscent of Freetown Christiania in Stockholm, with interesting shops, bars and restaurants, plus loads of eccentric characters. The area also hosts Toronto’s smallest park with its Garden Car. This was a great area for me with loads of bright, vibrant street art to be found, normally in Chinatowns. We also paid a visit to Toronto’s Graffiti Alley, which appeared to us as a bit messy, although there were a couple of nice pieces.

Having spent most of the day walking, it was time to head for our siesta before going out for a nice Chinese meal in a restaurant at the Harbour front. We finished off the day with a pint in the Amsterdam Brewhouse next door to the hotel. Another great day full of excitement and memories.

Day 5 – Saturday 13th September – Toronto

For our final day in Toronto, we decided to take it easy. We had read in the guidebooks about the PATH Network, a series of interconnected underground passages with shopping malls and food courts running beneath the city. We downloaded the route map and set out from Union Station to begin our trip, intending to surface at City Hall Square. (AKA Nathan Phillips Square). Once we got underway, we quickly discovered that all of the stores and food courts were closed, and the malls were like ghost towns. For most of our journey, we were the only people there; it was like something from an apocalyptic movie.

Once we got out of the PATH network, we emerged as expected in the City Hall Square to find it to be extremely busy hosting Toronto’s Mexican Day, the square was full of stalls selling Mexican merchandise, loads of food trucks offering Mexican food and Mexican musicians and singers up on stage, it was great fun and the tacos we sampled were very tasty indeed.

On returning to the hotel, our newly discovered pool area beckoned, and we spent a nice afternoon just lounging about, reading our books and relaxing and charging our batteries before heading out into town to a bar called The Loose Moose to sample their well-reviewed Fully Loaded Poutine, which we found very enjoyable. Due to the local baseball team, the Blue Jays, playing in the city, the pub was extremely busy and very noisy, so after a couple of pints we decided to call it a night and go home to get started on our packing for tomorrow’s flight.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Toronto. Our hotel, being situated downtown at the Lake Ontario shoreline ideally suited us; it was near all the main amenities and public transport links. The excellent public transport system is very efficient and reasonably priced. By initially using the HOHO bus, we were able to determine where we wished to return and those areas to avoid. The city has a wonderful choice of bars and restaurants to choose from, and for culture vultures, there are museums and art galleries galore, and attractions such as the CN Tower are certainly worth visiting. We really enjoyed wandering around the bright and vibrant Chinatown and Kensington Market, which provided me with some very good street art. Its proximity to places such as Niagara also makes it an attractive place to visit. We would both highly recommend a visit to this wonderful city.

Day 6 Sunday 14th September -Toronto – Calgary – Banff

We were collected from our hotel at 9:30 this morning for what would turn out to be a rather long day spent sitting around. Our drive to the airport got us there with plenty of time for our 4-hour flight to Calgary. Being a domestic flight, we spent very little time in security, etc. This meant that we were very early, with loads of time to kill. Eventually, we boarded and found that we were a wee bit disappointed with the flight; the Boeing 737 was very tightly packed with very little room and limited legroom, and I was seated next to a rather large man, plus there was no food available other than snacks to purchase, a bit poor for such a long flight. We arrived in Calgary on time, but had to wait for another hour and a half in the terminal for our transfer to Banff, which took an additional hour and a half.

Once in Banff, we checked into our accommodation, the Hotel Canoe and Suites. This fairly new hotel is an interesting place, built like a series of cojoined Swiss chalets over 3 buildings, which was a bit confusing initially in getting to our room. We were checked in by the friendly and helpful staff and provided with speciality teas and coffee for our room, plus free bus passes for the local shuttle buses. Our suite really impressed us, a large room with 2 big queen-sized beds, a lovely shower room, a small kitchen and a large balcony to relax on, there was even a large open flame fire for any chilly nights. Being a wee bit tired after travelling for over 14 hours, we decided to just have a beer in the hotel bar before calling it a night.

Day 7 Monday 15th September – Banff

This morning, we used the local shuttle bus to go into Banff town centre, this pretty town, recently voted as the seventh most beautiful place in the world, nestles at the foot of Mounts Rundle and Cascade, it has a mix of hotels, restaurants and souvenir shops on it’s main streets, we found it to be a wee bit touristy and busy for us so we, following the advice of my fellow passenger on the flight over, jumped on another shuttle to visit the nearby town of Canmore. As I was told, Canmore is smaller than Banff, with everything centred around a busy pedestrianised Main Street, and certainly wasn’t as busy or touristic as its bigger neighbour. I was fortunate to see some impressive murals as we got off the bus, and being able to have a nice lunch in the Cranmore Hotel (1890), the oldest hotel and bar in Alberta, topped it off for us, and we returned to Banff happy after a nice outing.

After our return to Banff for a late afternoon siesta and dip in the hotel’s hot pools and rock pools, we went into town to visit the St James’ Gate pub for a pint and our dinner, this was reasonably good, the beer was excellent, but the highlight of the night was chatting to a real live Canadian, rather than all the other bartenders, restaurant and hotel staff, who all came from overseas. This was yet another great day in Canada, and Banff certainly is a beautiful place to visit.

Day 8 – Tuesday 16th September – Bannf

Yet another early rise today to get picked up by Anick, our fun and entertaining driver and guide and her big blue bus, for our Icefields Parkway tour along one of the world’s most stunning scenic drives through the Banff National Park. When we were collected, it was quite nippy and there was a fair bit of fog and mist lying, which made visibility difficult, but most of it had lifted by the time we reached our first stop at Bow Lake.

While at the lakeside, we tucked into a hearty picnic lunch and took plenty of photographs of one of the largest glacier-fed lakes in Banff National Park, against the backdrop of the Crowfoot Glacier. We also made a visit to scenic Peyto Lake whilst travelling along the Icefields Parkway, another stunning glacier lake set against Mount Chephren.

We continued along the Parkway until we reached the Glacier Discovery Centre, to join a shuttle up to the icefield transfer area to board a massive Ice Explorer bus. These purpose-built vehicles are specially designed for glacier travel, with 6-wheel drive and massive low-pressure tyres. We then set off on what our driver called “the world’s slowest roller coaster”, at one point the vehicle negotiated a 32° slope (I thought Montrose Street in Glasgow was steep at a slope of 14°).

This tour gave us a unique experience that was packed with fun, adventure, and gave us loads of lasting memories while walking on the giant Athabasca Glacier. Walking on a glacier was something I had wanted to do ever since I had seen photographs of Graeme doing so on the Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand in 2009, and a treat I missed out on when I was there in 2018 due to bad weather. It was great fun slipping and sliding around, watching out for the blue ice which we were told to avoid, and there was even a chance to drink some of the water straight from the Glacier.

We then moved on to the Glacier Skywalk, an impressive glass-floored observation platform suspended 280 metres above Sunwapta Valley, with stunning views of the glacial valley and waterfalls way below our feet. I don’t know if the CN Tower experience had an effect on Jim, but he certainly had no problem walking out onto the Skywalk.

As I have travelled around the world, I have had many road trips described to me as “the world’s most scenic…”, but I am convinced that this journey along Icefields Parkway (Highway 93) ranks highly among them. Again, my comments and photographs can barely describe our day; it was one I’m sure we will both remember fondly, especially the little moments like when we spotted the mountain goats and a mother black bear and her cubs just wandering alongside the side of the road. This short video highlights just some of what we experienced on the day.

We returned to Banff, where we stopped off for a nice meal in the Park Distillery and restaurant to finish off a special day.

Day 9 Wednesday 17th September – Banff

We booked a trip 7486ft up the Sulphur Mountain and Banff’s gondola facility. We were hesitant to do this initially, mainly due to cost, but once there, we were extremely glad we did, as the views were spectacular. Just like the rest of our trip, we were surprised by the weather. When we left our hotel, it was a wee bit chilly, and we had dressed accordingly; however, by the time we reached the summit, we had to shed about 2 layers. You can see a short video here:

Once back down to earth, we bought ourselves a nice sushi lunch, then returned to the hotel to do our laundry and to start packing for our departure in the morning. For our final meal in Banff, we thought we would visit The Rose & Crown, its oldest bar, but once we had seen inside, we decided not to bother. Plus, when you consider that it was celebrating its 40th birthday in a couple of days, it didn’t really fit our oldest bar theme. Instead, we went back to the Park Distillery to try their pizzas, which were just a little different from those at home and were very nice indeed. Eventually, it was time for bed, so we took our final ride on the excellent public transport back to the hotel.

We really enjoyed our time in Banff, it is a beautiful town in a stunning location, with a great local transport system, the many bars, restaurants and shops were very busy when we were there, and everyone we met was extremely friendly and helpful, but by far it’s most attractive feature is its proximily to some of the most spectacular scenery I have seen to date.

The next instalment of this trip’s blog will follow shortly