Once I’d written yesterday’s blog and we’d had our early morning tea/coffee, we headed out for breakfast. Before leaving the apartment we’d searched online to locate the breakfast restaurant our taxi driver recommended.  Having figured out the restaurant he’d suggested was miles away, we spotted a couple of hopeful spots on the map. We decided to walk down Spadina Avenue, (the main drag into the city centre) and look out for the places we spotted as well as anywhere else that looked reasonable. Our first choice turned out to be a great option and we were soon seated, sipping our hot drinks (cappuccino, white tea and an apple and cinnamon tea – the latter being one of the finest apple teas I’ve had in a long time) while perusing the menu. A moment of panic swept across us once we’d spotted another diner’s breakfast, causing strong feelings of Deja Vu and flashbacks of iHop Orlando. We quickly pivoted our plans and ordered two breakfast items and three plates. 

To our so-called refined English eye pancakes with banana, strawberries and whipped cream are 100% weird as a breakfast item, but I always say when in Rome… As per the rest of our breakfast items, we cut the pancakes into three and dived in. The maple syrup which was amazing quality, added a distinct edge to the flavour and moistened them just enough without making them soggy. 

On route back to the apartment to brush our teeth, we took a small diversion into the mini shopping centre which we can see from our apartment on the other side of the railway. To give it a scale, it was approximately the size of Hale Leys in Aylesbury but the walkways were three times as wide and there was an underground floor. (More about that later.) The large open space at the rear was decorated with a large sculpture.

Teeth brushed, Liz mounted her chariot and we set off to find the hop on and off tour bus. Arriving at one of the bus stops earlier than the first bus, we were greeted by one of the tour bus company’s employees who helpfully converted our online vouchers into tickets. One for the bus and the other for the boat tour around parts of Lake Ontario. The live commentary was informative and we were soon gazing out of the bus windows to the left and right as our host explained the significance of the buildings around us. Not having time for a full loop of the route before the boat was due to depart, we decided to get off at St Lawrence’s (covered) Market to explore and complete the remainder of the bus tour afterwards. I don’t know about you dear reader, but I always find exploring a market offers an alternative insight into the culture we’re visiting. Due to the melting pot of different nationalities here, notably English, French, Hispanic and Chinese (oriental/Thai); the market stalls reflected all of these elements. And unlike our British markets, there was a Deli making what I refer to as “stacked sandwiches” which looked mouthwateringly scrumptious. And in regard to lunch, I thought “noted”!

The pavement around the city is a combination of poured concrete squares approx 2m wide and smooth quarry tile type blocks, not one bit of tarmac sidewalk in sight! The big problem with the poured concrete pavement is the gaps between the slabs and the occasional irregular height between slabs. The poor front “wheelie” wheel either gets caught in the gap or is unable to bridge the gap due to the increased height, twists and stalls nearly ejecting the occupant. Due to Liz’s level of mobility compared to the times I pushed my Gran around in her chair, these moments were far less serious, as Liz’s reflexes dropped her good foot to the ground. As an able-bodied pedestrian, none of the above poses an issue for you but thankfully the motorists were very respectful of the wheelchair. Something we’re not sure would have been the case in Spain or Italy, given their aggressively King of the Road driving style and brisk pace. 

While walking back to the harbour we encountered a film set for a new TV series, entitled “Z Suite”. I’m wondering if that’s just a working title or the final draft. Just past the street, they were filming in we spotted a flat-iron building which was very similar to the one we’ve seen in New York. (see below)

Eventually, we found the tour boat lurking right at the back of the harbour, nestled out of view of the road [sigh]. Seated on the boat I began to worry I should have taken my sea-sickness tablets as the boat rocked against the quay (something I can still feel the aftereffects of sitting here writing this blog entry at 6:30am).

Our guide followed his usual patter, which was informative and thoughtful. You could tell he’d memorised an official text, by the way he paused dramatically between sentences and emphasised specific words. But given the mix of ages, and nationalities onboard and the noise from the harbour, his presentational style probably helped everyone to remain engaged. The small but busy airport adjacent to the harbour has one of the shortest runways in Canada, but it’s so short it can’t accommodate jet planes. Although we were far enough away from them, the propellor planes made a tremendous noise as they took off. (Think F1 cars continually going past you for 45 seconds.) 

Once back on the quayside we headed back to the market to scratch our lunch itch and satisfy it with one of the aforementioned sandwiches from the Deli in the market. Following the same pattern we’d sucessfully used at breakfast time, we ordered 1x Ruben and 1x Cubano and shared them. (For details of what they were, see photo of menu).

The Reuben

The Cubano

Neither of my companions liked the pickles, so I took one for the team and chomped my way through both of the large pickles which were the standard acompaniment for each sandwich. Once we’d dined, we explored the lower level of market and were surprised to see exit doors leading out to the street, given that the stairs we’d slowly decended had been quite long.  My legs, upperarms and shoulders got quite a workput as I pushed Liz back up the hill to the front of the market to catch the bus. As the road came into view, I spotted a tour bus at the stop and yelled at Char to hurry forward and wave at the driver so he’d stop and let us on. Char surged forwards as the bus pulled away inching forwards into the line of traffic and across the junction. My heart sunk as the realisation that we’d have to wait for the next bus which wouldn’t be due for 20/30 minutes. Against all hope, the bus door opened and the guide leaned out and waved  at us to hurry over. The driver had seen the wheelchair and Char running forwards and stopped for us! Grateful to escape the wait, we hurried over and Liz climbed onboard. It’s amazing how quickly we can fold and bundle a wheelchair onto a bus when you’re faced with the prospect of either another few hundred paces, or a significan delay. We sat on the bus and completed the remainder of the route exiting the bus at Nathan Phillips Square, to join the other million tourusts taking photos of the Toronto sign. (Poor girls, I made them wait an age to get that shot with no-one else in it 🙂 )

A unexpected quirk of Toronoto to the casual oberver, or unititiated tourist are the vast number of underground areas. I guess this has something to do with the harsh (-25c) winters they often have, compared to our low average of -10c in the UK. Shown below is a small part of an underground shopping mall and below that the entrance.

After we’d explored below, we headed to the CN tower to buy our tickets for the viewing platform which we’ll visit tomorrow (18th Sept). Jet lag catching up with us, we stopped at a Lebanese Kitchen which is a fast food place based on wraps and salads – Chicken/Beef/Veggie Shawarma being their staple offering. From there back to the apartment to fall asleep, before we rinse and repeat the next day.