17th June 2018

Breakfast of cereals, toast and strong coffee set us up for a 10 a.m. start to a long day of travelling. The forecast promised temperatures of 28°C and above, but in the morning the sun struggled to break through the high cloud.

As we left Midland heading south, the traffic began to build, reversing the trend of the past couple of weeks. There were now more cars than juggernauts. The towns we passed through had populations in the tens of thousands, rather than just a few hundred as we had previously encountered. It was clearly a Saturday: lawns were being mown and cars were being washed on driveways. The closer we drew to Toronto, the more industrial the landscape became. The four-lane highway, which had previously meandered through farmland and the outskirts of townships, now carried the feel of approaching a bustling city. There was no scope for the mind to wander, road signs had to be read, and the steadily increasing traffic pressed in on our little Nissan Rogue.

We revised our plans several times as we approached the metropolis. At first, we thought we might stop in Barrie, then at a park near Pearson Airport, but in the end, we opted to return the car directly. We refuelled a mile or so from the rental park before handing it back.

Inside the airport terminal, we found luggage storage and purchased return tickets for the UP Express train to Union Station in Toronto. The journey took 25 minutes with just two stops en route, and conveniently deposited passengers beside the CN Tower.

Our plan was simple: wander around the city centre, have lunch, and then return in time for our flight, and that is exactly what we did. The area around the tower had changed dramatically since our last visit 30 years ago. The former marshalling yards had been redeveloped into a railway museum, Ripley’s Aquarium, shops and restaurants. It was a huge improvement, and on this day, it was packed with people, many heading off to see the Toronto Blue Jays play the Washington Red Sox. Dressed in patriotic blue, fans streamed through the centre to board buses bound for the game.

We had lunch in a restaurant just a block from the tower. As we were leaving, a strange beeping began. Sue asked what it was, and a rather uninterested waitress explained it was the fire alarm. Moments later, several fire engines arrived with sirens blaring, yet nobody inside had stirred; it was a false alarm. I suppose such things must be commonplace.

Afterwards, we strolled down to the ferry port, where we perched on bollards watching the water traffic pass by, grateful for a cooling breeze from the lake. By now, the clouds had cleared, and the sun was slowly turning the city streets into a furnace.

Sufficiently cooled, we made our way back towards the centre, pausing at a bar to escape the heat and quench our now considerable thirst. As we continued towards the station, we passed Ripley’s Aquarium, where I noticed a security guard sprinting out of the building with a fire extinguisher. What I had taken for smoke from a barbecue or fast-food stall turned out to be the aquarium itself on fire. He quickly brought the flames under control, but where were the fire services when you needed them? The blaze had started in a wood-chipped flower bed against the building, most likely caused by a discarded cigarette.

Back at the airport, we collected our luggage and waited for the check-in desk to open. We were second and third in the queue. After clearing security, we sat in a bar for more refreshments before heading to our departure gate. The departure gate for our flight involved a short bus ride across the runway to a separate terminal building used at peak times. No sooner had we sat down to wait for boarding than Sean, Dominic, and Caitlin arrived. We exchanged stories of our Canadian adventures until it was time to embark.

The plane left on schedule at 10:45 p.m. I managed to sleep for much of the flight, but Sue felt unwell and spent time up front with a stewardess, cooling down after becoming overheated. She had a bout of her Golfer’s Vasculitis, the first since before a flight from Vietnam.

On arrival at Stansted, Caitlin was met by her mother and said her goodbyes. We continued with Sean, whose car carried us back to Market Harborough, delayed only by a traffic jam near Huntingdon. We reached home at 2 p.m.

As it was Father’s Day, the family had arranged a barbecue at Sarah’s house in Leicester. Originally planned for noon, it had been postponed to 3 p.m. We arrived, exhausted, at 3:20. Lee’s parents and grandmother were there, as well as all the Palmers. The afternoon was chilly, but the rain held off. Sue and I returned home just after 8 p.m. and collapsed into bed,  two very tired bunnies.