This article is dedicated to my excellent friend P.R. Rane, who shares common interests with me, and without whose company these beautiful journeys have been so very incomplete. I wish PR was with me here when I made this trip; it would have been a complete trip then. So here my friend, I describe all events in as much chronological an order, as close as it would get to reality.
Bonjour Amis!
Hola Amigos!
Hello Friends!
Hola Amigos!
Hello Friends!
Welcome to yet another post of mine on my blog, which is dedicated to my tours made in Canada. And as for this journey - I had started to write on it pretty much in advance of its actual commencement, whilst I was sitting at the YYC - The Calgary International Airport, waiting in the lounge before clearing the security check. The occasion? Victoria Day, which fell on the 24th of May which was a national holiday in Canada. To know more about Victoria Day - click here
This time, we were The Three Musketeers - entrusted with the job of raiding and conquering the Dominion of Toronto - myself, my roommate Madhu and my friend Anand. They are the same friends, who had accompanied me in my previous tours made this year. Me and Madhu had our flight on the 21 st of May in the evening and Anand had his, the next day, early in the morning. We had booked the West Jet flight WS 554 to Toronto. The flight was scheduled to depart at 6 PM MDT on the 21st of May, 2010. As 24th fell on a Monday, we had a long weekend, and a pretty good reason to sneak out of the still colder confines of Calgary.
The coordinates of Calgary on the globe are Latitude: 51° 4' 60 N, Longitude: 114° 4' 60 W and that of Toronto are Latitude: 43° 40' 0 N, Longitude: 79° 25' 0 W and as such there is a striking contrast in the climate of the two places. Just for your reference, I have marked them both on http://googlemaps.com.
This time, we were The Three Musketeers - entrusted with the job of raiding and conquering the Dominion of Toronto - myself, my roommate Madhu and my friend Anand. They are the same friends, who had accompanied me in my previous tours made this year. Me and Madhu had our flight on the 21 st of May in the evening and Anand had his, the next day, early in the morning. We had booked the West Jet flight WS 554 to Toronto. The flight was scheduled to depart at 6 PM MDT on the 21st of May, 2010. As 24th fell on a Monday, we had a long weekend, and a pretty good reason to sneak out of the still colder confines of Calgary.
The coordinates of Calgary on the globe are Latitude: 51° 4' 60 N, Longitude: 114° 4' 60 W and that of Toronto are Latitude: 43° 40' 0 N, Longitude: 79° 25' 0 W and as such there is a striking contrast in the climate of the two places. Just for your reference, I have marked them both on http://googlemaps.com.
Calgary and Toronto - Relative Positions on the MapThere is a marked difference in the temperatures of the two places. Where, Calgary was still hovering above 3-10 degrees Centigrade, with frequent drops below zero, Toronto was doing a healthy 31 degrees on the thermometer. We would have loved to do this trip by road and it would have been a memorable trans-Canadian tour, but the distance between the places is overwhelmingly whopping, which is around 3300 KMS on the odometer. Time being the biggest constraint, we had no other option than flying.
The flight took about 4 hours to reach Toronto and we were there by 12 AM their time. We were to stay in Downtown Toronto, at Anand's brother's apartment. And taking a taxi we reached our destination - Apartment 1014, 390 Queens Quay West. The cab driver was a Bangladeshi and he was glad enough to answer our queries on the local tourist attractions. We reached Queens Quay at about 1 AM and by the time we completed dinner and went to sleep, the clock had struck 2.
The flight took about 4 hours to reach Toronto and we were there by 12 AM their time. We were to stay in Downtown Toronto, at Anand's brother's apartment. And taking a taxi we reached our destination - Apartment 1014, 390 Queens Quay West. The cab driver was a Bangladeshi and he was glad enough to answer our queries on the local tourist attractions. We reached Queens Quay at about 1 AM and by the time we completed dinner and went to sleep, the clock had struck 2.
Day 1 - Niagara (22nd of May)
The next morning we were awakened by the sound of Anand dropping in. He must have arrived at 7 AM on the 22nd. Determined to let the Sleep Gods win, we slept further, and that too lavishly, and by the time we went to pick up the rental car, it was 11.30 AM. The plan was to visit Niagara by the time we left Toronto we had quite managed to let a chunky piece of time pass by. It was 1 PM. And to add to our time management woos, came trickling, the heavy traffic, as if we had invited it by written invitation.
The Gardiner Expressway (ON-2 West) is a good road to drive on, but there was some rush hour traffic for a stretch after which we maintained a healthy speed. We stopped enroute for lunch. We had booked a full size car this time and what did we get - a Nissan Altima. I immediately fell in love with this Japanese beauty and found it far superior to its contemporary Japanese rivals (I have used both Camry and Accord). I was specially attracted towards it well meshed gear ratios, that offer peaky torque in even higher gears, allowing it to effortlessly cruise, on even steep climbs, without having to gear down - Yes, I was using the manual mode in it, even with automatic being an option. And to add to it all, was the superb fuel efficiency.
The Nissan Altima and Me
Anand's BrotherWe continued to drive on the Gardiner Expressway before turning into the QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way or ON-403 W). After driving some 70 kilometers on this, we reached the village - Niagara-on-the-Lake. This is a small place with a population of about 13,000 and the Niagara river meets Lake Ontario here. It is a picturesque town and we stopped to do some sightseeing. There is a cable car service here, popularly called 'Gondola'. We did not have much time with us, and as we had already done a Gondola ride in Banff National Park, we decided to skip it. We spent some time here, taking snaps and relishing the natural beauty.
A snap taken at Niagara-on-the-Lake (L to R - Anand, Ganesh, Madhu and Me)
The Cable CarAs it was getting late for us, we decided to push off to Niagara. Upon arrival, we started hunting for a parking spot. We went all the way upto the market neighbouring the Skylon Tower. Parking was pretty cheap at the spot we discovered - just 5 $ for the complete day, where we had parked. The car parked, we now started to move towards the actual falls. We went pretty near to the Skylon Tower and the Imax Theatre. I have put an image of the Skylon Tower below.
The Skylon TowerYou can read more on the Skylon Tower by clicking here. We then strode down the gardens that face the Niagara River on the Canadian side. Monuments which can be called conversational, from my view point are ample here. We engaged ourselves liberally in photo taking sessions until we realised that we needed to save time.
The Falls As Seen From The Canadian Side
The Police Building In NiagaraWe then went to do the Maid-of-the-Mist ride. This ride is taken on a large boat from either the American or Canadian side. It starts from near the Rainbow Bridge and goes near the American Falls and then into the Horseshoe Falls. The journey is truly amazing and you get that 'on-top-of-the-world' feeling when you are actually under the falls. There is lot of mist there and it rises way beyond the height of the falls and into surrounding areas. Actually if you are standing at a nearby place, you feel like it is raining.
The Rainbow Bridge - Starting Point for The Maid of The Mist
Ticket booth on the Canadian Side for the Ride
Ticket booth on the Canadian Side for the RideThe boats themselves are named 'Maid of The Mist X', where X is a Roman Numeral. The total journey to both the falls (actually three) and back ashore takes a little more than 30 minutes and for us it cost $25 per head. You are provided with blue polythene raincoats as protection against getting drenched in water. The Niagara Falls themselves are composed of three falls - The American Falls, The Bridal Veil Falls and The Horseshoe Falls. The first two are entirely in the United States and the latter are 90 % in Canada and 10% in the States. Also about 90% of the Niagara river flows through the Horseshoe Falls, which are bigger than the American Falls and cause more mist.
The American Falls & The Bridal Veil Falls - From the Maid of the Mist BoatIn the above picture you can see blobs of water on the camera lens. This is the case even when there was considerable distance between us and the falls. This is inevitable and the camera cannot be left exposed for long, lest you want it to get damaged; and you should definitely not open your camera near and below the falls. It would be a wreckage. The sound of the falls is thunderously roaring, like a million lions put together. The boat cruised on leaving the American and Bridal Veil Falls behind, and there was a bit of quietness for sometime until the Horseshoe Falls approached nearer, flexing its muscles in its fullest glory, and with a thunder that was louder than the American and Bridal Veil Falls put together. The boat took a semicircular path touring the periphery of the concave inner of the falls. Such is the force of water here, that it becomes difficult to breathe.
Maid of the Mist Boats below the Horseshoe FallsThe boat then led us back to the place from where we had boarded. We walked back up the hill through the underground passage and the elevator. While coming up the hill, we stopped at a souvenirs shop. We looked around and I bought two souvenirs. One is a book on Niagara and the other is a gift. We then served us to some good coffee and while doing so engaged in more photography.
From the Coffee Shop - American Falls & Bridal Veil Falls in the BackdropThis over, we started walking to the place where the river falls down to form the Horseshoe Falls. The walk itself is more than a kilometer and is fully scenic. There is a structure in place, which has high power flood lights, which pour light on all the falls at night. The colours keep changing at intervals, which makes for a breath taking sight. You can spend hours in the night at this place, and if you are a couple, nothing would make it more romantic.
The Apparatus That Floods Light On The FallsWe finally reached the place where the Niagara river disembarks from its perch and gushes down like a thunderstorm to form the Horseshoe Falls. The curve at the place where water falls down is approximately 670 meters wide, and the water there is about 3 meters deep. The falls themselves are 53 meters high and the depth of the water at the point where the water falls, is 56 meters. The mist sometimes, is so dense that it brings visibility to almost zero.
The Horseshoe Falls - Pic Taken From AtopWe then advanced further to what is known as The Niagara's Fury. This place has lots to offer - from 3 D movies to simulation rides. We decided to go for the simulator. The pictures below speak for themselves.
Outside of The Building
One More Shot Of The BuildingThe simulation first showed us a motion story of how Niagara was formed over the years. We were then led into a big room, which had all equipment in the world to make you feel as though you are sailing on the river at first and then it throws you down the falls (both the Horseshoe and the American Falls). The whole operation (excluding the movie) lasts for around 20 minutes. It is awesome in the way the complete ground vibrates, the entire floor tilts as you fall down, water and snow are thrown at you from various directions, and you feel the river twigs and water reptiles' tails swishing against your legs.
Inside The ShowAfter this we spent time on the terrace to watch the Colors of the Falls at night. It so occurs that, lights are targeted onto the falls from the Canadian Side and they give the falls an effect of milk falling, diffused with varying colors - white, yellow, crimson, red, pink, blue, green and the ones which are in between each of these combined.
One Of The Many Colors Of The Falls At NightWe then walked back all the way up till the Skylon Tower and then feasted on Royal Indian cuisine. It was a hearty meal and then we left back for Toronto. It was about 1.30 AM by the time we slept.
Day 2 - Mainland Toronto (23rd of May)
The second day saw us waking up pretty late as usual. By the time we got ready and moved out it was 11.30 AM. We headed to the castle - 'Casa Loma'. This is a massive mansion built by Sir Henry Pellatt in the year 1911. It took three years to complete and was designed by Edward Lennox, who was one of Canada's most noted architects of those years. We used our rented car to reach this place. It is located on the St. Claire Avenue W and is about 7 kilometers from 390 Queens Quay West, the place where we had put up at. The parking lot is hassle free and has been well managed, due to plenty of space available in the mansion's surroundings.
The first sight of the castle is stupendous and your eyes are glued to the projections of the Gothic styled architecture. We took a picture of us posing against the left walls of it from the parking lot.
The left side of Casa LomaIn Spanish 'Casa Loma' means 'Hill House. This was built for a sum of $3.5 million in those days. The visiting fee is quite cheap considering the massive maintenance and the facilities available on site. Parking costs a meagre $3 per hour and an adult would fetch a fee of $19 for the visit. You can spend as much time as you want, within the limits of the operating hours. We purchased the tickets and moved in. The castle offers guide-yourself-audio-tour instruments to the visitors. This is a lovely device in that you just press the room number and the audio device speaks for you the complete history for that part of the castle. Additional audio is also available on the same device for various pieces of architecture and construction present therein.
The journey starts at the main level, where you are led into the Great Hall. The Great Hall is the entry point into the castle. It is huge with openings to the Oak Room, the Billiards Room and the underground secret passages.
The Great HallI was using the audio device copiously and was quite moved to listen to the history of the place. I myself am an ardent admirer of the British (in particular and the Europeans in general) and I love the marvelous pieces of architecture they have developed throughout the world. As a kid I grew up in the small scenic town of Ranikhet, living with my dad who served the Indian Army, and visiting Casa Loma gave me a nostalgic feeling of going back in time not only to the place where I grew up, but also to the spectacular glory of time, if unwound to reach beyond my birth into the days of the British in India.
The complete inner furnishings - floors, side walls, paneling, furniture, wall mountings and false ceilings are made in oak wood. The polishing is rich coffee in color and the smell of the interiors is just intoxicatingly phenomenal. Sir Henry Pellatt had been a Major General in the Canadian Army and his tastes cannot be paralleled. He also had an avid business sense and was known for his investments. He had made a fortune by investing in the hydro electric plants and oil businesses of Canada. He is well known as - 'The man who first brought hydro electricity to Toronto'. He had married Miss. Mary Dodgson, whom he loved dearly and who later on came to be known as Lady Mary Pellatt when Henry was knighted for his service to the regiment - The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada.
He had commanded the regiment of The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada and in 1910 had taken the entire regiment of 600 men to England for training. This was done at his own expense and The Queen of England was impressed and moved at this gesture of Pellatt. In 1910, upon his retirement, he was made bequeathed the title of Commander of The Royal Victorian Order
Thereafter I set foot on The Oak Room. This is by far the most expensive room in the entire castle. It is said that Sir Henry had not paid as minute an attention to the details of even his living room, as much as he had for this. The entire room is carved in Oak and it took 3 years for European craftsmen to complete this beauty.
The Oak RoomThe Billiards Room was next on the cards. The table itself has been removed and a News Reel takes its place now. This is a small movie setup, which runs every 30 minutes and shows the history of the castle along with Sir Henry's. It has a provision for around 50 people to sit and watch the News Reel. Here is a picture dedicated to this room.
The Billiards RoomThen we visited the Peacock Alley and subsequently the underground Stables, the secret passage and the Potting Shed. There is also a Gas Station underground, wherein a car can be kept and supplied with petrol (gasoline). Then there is a cellar below which was used for wine storage and production. The Pellatts were known for their taste for wine and in producing it.
We came up to the main level and visited the Library and the Conservatory, both of which are not only huge but equally beautiful. The conservatory has a fountain and is a place showcasing the Pellatts' horticultural skills. This used to be a frequented part of the chateau wherein guests were served tea in the afternoons. The Pellatts also hosted many flower shows here and took pride in showing off their own staff's skills in flower cultivation.
The ConservatoryAfter this, we took the staris to the second floor, which has the living rooms of Sir and Madam Henry and a multitude of guest rooms, some of which now serve as gift shops. There are military decorations of Sir Henry and also his son, who was in the Army and numerous other mementos on display. The second floor also houses on display, regimental items like firearms of yesteryear, battalion drums, bugles and identification of many soldiers.
A Guest Room Near Sir Henry's BedroomThe second floor leads to an attic which has a low lying gable, from where you can go two storeys higher, one level at a time, into the castle's turret. It is pretty dark out here in the attic, but side windows usher in some light. There are tools kept in the attic. The first storey in the turret is quite big and people can move around and look out into the gardens below through the narrow ventilator like windows. The highest level in the turret is not as big as the level below. An advance into the turret can only be made through the flight of winding steep iron stairs. We completed our tour of Casa Loma in about 2 hours and a quarter.
We then headed to the Ontario Science Centre. This is a pretty cool place with lot many attractions. There are many floors in this building, which is spread in width over the slope of a mountain. We purchased tickets for three events. The Science Show on the ground floor was the first, where a scientist demonstrates the niceties of basic applied science including electricity, energy generation among many others. There is small gathering of people for each show, which lasts about 30 minutes. Notable among the various topics and practicals touched was the Van der Graaff electron accelerator, which was used to generate huge potential differences, which then made hair of people present there to stand up, just like in movies. We had lunch soon after, and watched other attractions in the museum and then headed for the IMAX Theatre (Omni Max). It is a see up, curved dome theatre with 20,000 Watts of power and makes the scenes a virtual reality. The movie we watched was on 'Hubble's Telescope' and the servicing missions sent to it by NASA. We enjoyed the movie a lot. After the show, we came back to the apartment and parked the car in a parking lot. Parking is an expensive affair in Downtown Toronto.
After a failed attempt at purchasing tickets for the CN tower (caused by shortage of time) and a similar flop show for tickets for a night cruise, we came back to our apartment and left for the Indian market. We savoured the Indian cuisine there and came back.
Day 3 - CN Tower and Cruise To The Toronto Islands (24th of May)
This was our last day in Toronto. We started with the CN Tower. It is a media communications tower built in 1975, and is the tallest tower in the world standing at 553 meters. The Burj Khalifa is taller than this but it is a building, not a tower. It is considered to be one of the 7 wonders of the modern world and was built to serve Toronto's media and telecommunication needs which were getting suppressed by an ever rising skyline. The tower thus had to be taller than any other structure in the vicinity.
The CN Tower
A View From the Skypod - Downtown and Lake OntarioWe then descended down to the Glass Floor - this is 342 meters above ground level. And your tummy breaks loose from within, when you stand on the glass and look below. Even lying down on it without looking down, gives you the jitters. The Skypod and the Glass Floor are insulated from outside air. The glass floor is 2.5 inches thick and the sheets are replaced annually. Just outside the confined region of the Glass Floor is an Outdoor Observatory. This is open, unlike the Skypod, and you can feel the outside air and look out.
Glass Floor - View below from 342 metresAfter this we went above one level up, to the Look Out. This is at an elevation of 346 metres above the ground. This again is a concealed and insulated-from-the-outside floor. You now see Toronto from a much lower level than the Skypod. This place also offers panoramic views of the Lake and the city of Toronto.
390 Queens Quay West - Our Apartment As Seen From The Look OutThere is a revolving restaurant at 352 meters which offers delicious cuisine. We did not go there as it is quite expensive. We then came down to the ground floor and visited souvenir shops and then went to the basement (2 floors below) to enjoy the motion ride called the Himalamazon and watch a movie on the construction of the CN Tower. Overall it was a fun package and we enjoyed a lot.
We then strolled downtown Toronto and had lunch. Shortly thereafter, we left for the lakefront to take a cruise to the Toronto Islands. These islands are off the mainland in Lake Ontario. The cruise cost us another 30 bucks. Due to shortage of time we had missed the night tour, the day earlier. This would have been an even better ride, as it offered dinner and a two hour cruise with fireworks in mainland Toronto. Nevertheless, we enjoyed this a lot.
Cruise to The Toronto Islands - Downtown Toronto In The BackgroundWe finished this tour and reached our apartment by evening 6.30. We had booked a cab to the Airport at 7.30 PM and our Air Canada flight AC141 was scheduled to depart for Calgary at 10.55 PM. We reached Calgary at 1 PM Mountain Time and took a cab back home. There was a familiar chill in the air, we were missing Toronto, but were definitely glad to be back home. Calgary - small, yet big and definitely cosy.
And so came an end to another of my Canadian sojourns. It had been memorable indeed.
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