Friday, Aug. 11th – This morning we left Montreal
and headed west to Toronto. This was a 325-mile
drive and went well until we got to the outskirts of Toronto. Then we ran into a traffic backup that
delayed us some. However, we arrived at
our campground in late afternoon and got set up. This is a Toronto city campground and we have
water and 30-amp service but no sewer hookup so we will have to watch how much
water we use as we don’t want to fill the gray water tank (water from bath and
sink) as that would require us to disconnect and drive to the dump
station. The plan is to do that when we
leave, not before.
The water pressure must be high as after we had hooked up
and were setting up the inside, we heard a bang and we no longer had
water. I went to check on the water
hookup and I found water pouring out of the compartment where the water and
electricity connect. So, I shut off the
water at the source valve and then opened the compartment to find that the
water filter had blown apart and I had small pieces of filter medium (charcoal)
and filter scattered all over the compartment.
I do have a pressure regulator installed to protect the RV from too high
a pressure but it was after the filter.
So, I cleared out the compartment as best I could and hooked the water
back up without a filter as I did not have a spare.
Saturday, Aug. 12th – This morning we took a cab
to the GO station. This is Toronto’s
commuter rail system and it cost us $14.00 each round trip with our senior
discount to take the train into Union Station in the center of Toronto. Here is the train approaching our station.
Here is Union Station.
Our priority was to stop by the CN Tower to see about lunch
reservation at the restaurant on the top.
Eating lunch in the Tower restaurant turns out to be a good deal. To just go to the top for the scenic view is
$34.00 but if you have lunch it costs $58.00 including the ride up and
down. So, lunch only costs $24.00 each
and this is a very upscale restaurant.
On the way to the tower we walked past Roger’s Stadium where the Blue
Jays play. They had this neat sculpture
on the side of the stadium.
Here is a view of the CN Tower. The observation platform and the restaurant
are in the donut almost to the top.
We lucked out at the tower and were able to get luncheon
reservations for 1:45 PM tomorrow. Our
next order of business was to ride the Hop On/Hop Off bus for a tour of the
city. Here is a photo of the big, fancy
hotel in downtown, The Royal York.
Came across this interesting sculpture, not sure what it is
supposed to be.
Just off shore in the Toronto harbor there are a bunch of
islands. One has the small metro
airport, most are private but some you can visit. Here is a photo with the islands and the
small ferry you ride to get to them.
Next, we passed the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame.
And this neat looking mural.
We had asked the guide for a suggestion for someplace to get
off for lunch and what was recommended was the St. Lawrence Market. This was originally a farmers’ market that
started in 1803 but today it reminds me of Quincy Market in Boston or Pike’s
Place in Seattle. There used to be
buildings on both sides of the street but now there is only the one on the
south side which dates to 1845. St. Lawrence Market was named the world's best
food market by National
Geographic in April 2012. We decided to try Greek so Pat had her usual
spanakopita and baklava and I had souvlaki.
Both were very good. Here is what
the south market building looked like.
After lunch, we got back on the bus and went by this interesting looking
condominium building. ' Goes by the name of "One Bloor" because that's its address.
This impressive looking building is the Lillian Massey Building. It is a Neoclassical building built between
1908 and 1912 for the University of Toronto's Household Science
program created by Lillian Massey Treble, daughter of wealthy
Canadian business man, Hart Massey. It presently houses the offices of the
University of Toronto's Department of Classics and Center for Medieval Studies.
This church is the Bloor Street United Church. It was built in 1890 as a Presbyterian church
but in 1924 the congregation voted to join the United Church of Canada. Some of it looks very dark and dingy and some
looks nice and clean. Turns out the
dinginess is due to coal dust and pollution that darkened the stone work. They tried cleaning it and that is the
lighter areas but the cleaning process was damaging the stone work so they had
to stop. They haven’t figured out a way
to finish the cleaning. Here is what it
looks like today.
As we were driving along I heard and saw this very
interesting aircraft. It is a World War
II British Avro Lancaster. Not sure what
it was doing flying over Toronto but is sure was great to see it.
As we continued our tour we passed the CityTV News headquarters building and they have this neat sculpture on the side the building. Unfortunately, it may not be around much longer as City TV News has been sold and is moving to another building.
This completed our tour on the Hop On/Hop Off bus. We decided that the next landmark we wanted to visit was Casa Loma (Spanish for Hill House). We had gone by it on the bus tour but couldn't get a good view so we decided to take the subway to it.
Here is what the Toronto subway looks like. This stop was close to a number of museums so the station has a museum-like motif.
No luck, we headed north toward it but about half way there we found that the line was closed for maintenance. So, we got off and walked around to see what was in the area. First thing was the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. Out in front was this large striped head which is made of glazed ceramic and was created by Jun Kaneko, a Japanese born artist who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. It's over 6 ft. high.
Here is what the Toronto subway looks like. This stop was close to a number of museums so the station has a museum-like motif.
No luck, we headed north toward it but about half way there we found that the line was closed for maintenance. So, we got off and walked around to see what was in the area. First thing was the Gardiner Museum of Ceramic Art. Out in front was this large striped head which is made of glazed ceramic and was created by Jun Kaneko, a Japanese born artist who lives in Omaha, Nebraska. It's over 6 ft. high.
On the corner was the Anglican Church of the Redeemer which was built in 1879 in the Gothic Revival style. It's kind of dwarfed by the more modern building around it.
On the opposite corner was the ROM, the Royal Ontario Museum. It is the largest museum in Canada and opened in 1914. It is a museum of art, world culture and natural history that has had a number of expansions over the years with the most recent one taking place in 2007. This was the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal,which was a major addition to the building's original framework. The structure was created by architect Daniel Libeskind and is made of 75% aluminum and 25% glass with an inner steel support frame. It's kind of weird and really catches your attention.
Just down the street is the Victoria University which is a part of the University of Toronto. Design reminds me of some of the Ivy League universities in the US.
At this point it was about 3:00 Saturday afternoon so we decided to go to Mass. So, we headed two subway stops south and then walked over a couple of blocks to St. Patrick's Shrine Church. St. Patrick's parish was established in 1861 to serve a growing Irish population. In 1881, the current bishop of Toronto was so impressed by Redemptionist missionary preachers that he asked them take over the parish. Over the years many German speaking immigrants settled in the area. St. Patrick's continues to be the home for the only German Mass in the Diocese of Toronto. Currently there is a large Asian population in the area. The current church was completed in 1908.
Here is the interior.
And a close up of the main altar.
It is called a shrine church as it is the home of the Canadian National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Here is the shrine.
And a close up of the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. This icon is a copy of the original that is in Rome and was brought to the church in 1881.
Here are some of the side altars.
After Mass we headed back to the Subway station but on the way we passed the Art Gallery of Toronto which had a very interesting facade as you can see here.
We then took the subway back to Union Station to head back to our campsite but since it was getting late, we decided to grab a quick dinner in the city. Close by was a Jack Astor's which is a chain of restaurants in Canada. Had a quick dinner and sitting next to us was a very friendly group of local Canadians who had just come from watching Blue Jays beat Pittsburgh. We chatted through out dinner and as we were leaving they asked us to take their picture and here it is.
We then caught the GO train and then a cab to get back to our campsite. When we got into our RV we found we didn't have any water. So I headed outside to find out why. The water was turned off at the tap for some reason, so I turned it back on and I very quickly found out why it had been turned off. Our water hose had split and immediately started spraying water all over the place. I either had a bad hose or the water pressure was REALLY high. Luckily, I had a spare hose but this time I set up the pressure regulator right at the valve so that I wouldn't be blowing any more hoses.
Sunday, Aug. 13th - This morning we once again took a cab to the GO station and then the train into Toronto. As we started walking down the street in front of Union Station, I couldn't help but notice this interesting looking condominium building just finishing construction. It goes by the name of th "L Tower."
We took the subway a few blocks north and then walked over to the Basilica Cathedral of St. Michael's. The diocese of Toronto was established in 1841 and initially was based in St. Paul's which was the only Catholic church in Toronto at the time. It was very quickly determined that the diocese needed a much bigger church and St. Michael's was built in 1847.
Here is a view of the interior.
And a close up of the altar.
Here a photos of the sides of the church.
And the ceiling.
Two of the stained-glass windows.
And the organ.
This church also has a shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
And they also had two very nice round stained-glass windows over the side entrances. One dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the other to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
And this is the large stained-glass window in the rear of the church.
From St. Michael's we walked one block over to take a look at this church. It is the Metropolitan United Church. It is a United Methodist Church that is part of the United Church of Canada. It started as a small church in 1818 and the current church was completed in 1872.
Here is an interior view.
And two stained-glass windows in the lobby.
After this we took the subway back to Union Station and then walked a couple of blocks to the CN Tower as we have reservations for lunch. We got there a little early so I took a look around and took this photo of Ripley's Aquarium.
We then took the elevator up to the restaurant in the CN Tower. This tower is a 1,815 ft. tall concrete communications and observation tower. It was completed in 1976 and until 2007 was the tallest free standing tower in the world. We arrived at the restaurant which is at the 1,152 ft. level but were still too early so we walked down one floor to the observation level and took a series of photos of downtown Toronto. This first photo is of Union Station and its railroad tracks.
Some of the downtown buildings.
And this photo shows Casa Loma.
Thought this building was interesting looking.
This grassy area between the railroad track and the highway is the location of Fort York, which was built in 1793 to defend then first settlers in what would eventually become Toronto.
Here is a photo of Rogers Stadium. The Blue Jays are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates,
Here is a photo of a three masted schooner that was taking tourists out for a ride on Lake Ontario.
On one of the harbor islands there is a small metro airport for commuter and private planes. Here you can see on of the commuter planes taking off.
A lot of the building in the area had grass on the roof. This hotel not only had grass but a pool.
I thought this one was interesting. Looks like Lego blocks.
Then caught this photo of a World War II vintage British military version of the DC-3. The Brits called it the Dakota.
Here you can see the contrast between the old church and the new modern city towers.
Finally, it was time to go upstairs for lunch. Here Pat is seated right next to the windows with a spectacular view. The restaurant rotates so as we ate our lunch, we got views of the entire city. The menu was very interesting. We each opted for the two-course prix fixe menu. I had Perth County Smoked ham Hock & BC Morel Terrine for an appetizer and Crispy Perth County Pork Belly & East Coast Sea Scallops for my entree. Pat had Roasted Ontario Chicken Supreme for her entree and Dark Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert. All of it was outstanding.
One of the upscale menu items was Ultimate Seafood Platter with 2 1-1/2 lb. lobster, 2 dozen oysters, 2 dozen shrimp, 1/2 lb. queen crab claws, 1 lb. of snow crab legs, 1/4 lb. smoked rainbow trout, 1/4 lb. smoked sockeye salmon and 2 dozen marinated PEI mussels. All for only $395.00. Here you can see one table working on one.
After Lunch we headed down to ground level and got on the Hop On/Hop Off bus to get a ride up to Casa Loma so we could see it and get a photo. Along the way we passed this doggie fountain in Berczy Park. Look closely as the fountain has 27 dogs and 1 cat.
We also passed the Toronto stock exchange where they have wrapped the new modern building around the old original building.
We also passed the city hall. Here is its clock tower.
And here is the rest of the building. The tower is not in the center as you would expect but is offset so that it lines up with the street coming up from the south.
An example of a street entertainer. Not sure what he/she was supposed to be.
And here is a demonstrator with and interesting poster.
We finally got to the stop for Casa Loma and walked up the hill so we could get to see it. This house was built in 1914 by financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt for his wife. It had 98 rooms and 64,700 Sq. Ft. of floor space making it the largest private residence in Canada. The depression that followed World War I ruined Sir Pellatt's finances and in 1923 he was forced to sell the house. It was operated as a hotel for a short time but in 1933 was seized by the city of Toronto for $27,303 in back taxes. The city had plans to demolish it because it was in very bad condition but the Western Toronto Kiwanis Club took it over to operate it as a tourist attraction. The Kiwanis Club continued to operate it until 2011 when the city took over management. Here is a photo I took of it.
On the opposite corner was the ROM, the Royal Ontario Museum. It is the largest museum in Canada and opened in 1914. It is a museum of art, world culture and natural history that has had a number of expansions over the years with the most recent one taking place in 2007. This was the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal,which was a major addition to the building's original framework. The structure was created by architect Daniel Libeskind and is made of 75% aluminum and 25% glass with an inner steel support frame. It's kind of weird and really catches your attention.
Just down the street is the Victoria University which is a part of the University of Toronto. Design reminds me of some of the Ivy League universities in the US.
At this point it was about 3:00 Saturday afternoon so we decided to go to Mass. So, we headed two subway stops south and then walked over a couple of blocks to St. Patrick's Shrine Church. St. Patrick's parish was established in 1861 to serve a growing Irish population. In 1881, the current bishop of Toronto was so impressed by Redemptionist missionary preachers that he asked them take over the parish. Over the years many German speaking immigrants settled in the area. St. Patrick's continues to be the home for the only German Mass in the Diocese of Toronto. Currently there is a large Asian population in the area. The current church was completed in 1908.
Here is the interior.
And a close up of the main altar.
It is called a shrine church as it is the home of the Canadian National Shrine of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. Here is the shrine.
And a close up of the Icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. This icon is a copy of the original that is in Rome and was brought to the church in 1881.
Here are some of the side altars.
After Mass we headed back to the Subway station but on the way we passed the Art Gallery of Toronto which had a very interesting facade as you can see here.
We then took the subway back to Union Station to head back to our campsite but since it was getting late, we decided to grab a quick dinner in the city. Close by was a Jack Astor's which is a chain of restaurants in Canada. Had a quick dinner and sitting next to us was a very friendly group of local Canadians who had just come from watching Blue Jays beat Pittsburgh. We chatted through out dinner and as we were leaving they asked us to take their picture and here it is.
We then caught the GO train and then a cab to get back to our campsite. When we got into our RV we found we didn't have any water. So I headed outside to find out why. The water was turned off at the tap for some reason, so I turned it back on and I very quickly found out why it had been turned off. Our water hose had split and immediately started spraying water all over the place. I either had a bad hose or the water pressure was REALLY high. Luckily, I had a spare hose but this time I set up the pressure regulator right at the valve so that I wouldn't be blowing any more hoses.
Sunday, Aug. 13th - This morning we once again took a cab to the GO station and then the train into Toronto. As we started walking down the street in front of Union Station, I couldn't help but notice this interesting looking condominium building just finishing construction. It goes by the name of th "L Tower."
We took the subway a few blocks north and then walked over to the Basilica Cathedral of St. Michael's. The diocese of Toronto was established in 1841 and initially was based in St. Paul's which was the only Catholic church in Toronto at the time. It was very quickly determined that the diocese needed a much bigger church and St. Michael's was built in 1847.
Here is a view of the interior.
And a close up of the altar.
Here a photos of the sides of the church.
And the ceiling.
Two of the stained-glass windows.
And the organ.
This church also has a shrine to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
And they also had two very nice round stained-glass windows over the side entrances. One dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the other to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
And this is the large stained-glass window in the rear of the church.
From St. Michael's we walked one block over to take a look at this church. It is the Metropolitan United Church. It is a United Methodist Church that is part of the United Church of Canada. It started as a small church in 1818 and the current church was completed in 1872.
Here is an interior view.
And two stained-glass windows in the lobby.
After this we took the subway back to Union Station and then walked a couple of blocks to the CN Tower as we have reservations for lunch. We got there a little early so I took a look around and took this photo of Ripley's Aquarium.
We then took the elevator up to the restaurant in the CN Tower. This tower is a 1,815 ft. tall concrete communications and observation tower. It was completed in 1976 and until 2007 was the tallest free standing tower in the world. We arrived at the restaurant which is at the 1,152 ft. level but were still too early so we walked down one floor to the observation level and took a series of photos of downtown Toronto. This first photo is of Union Station and its railroad tracks.
Some of the downtown buildings.
And this photo shows Casa Loma.
Thought this building was interesting looking.
This grassy area between the railroad track and the highway is the location of Fort York, which was built in 1793 to defend then first settlers in what would eventually become Toronto.
Here is a photo of Rogers Stadium. The Blue Jays are playing the Pittsburgh Pirates,
Here is a photo of a three masted schooner that was taking tourists out for a ride on Lake Ontario.
On one of the harbor islands there is a small metro airport for commuter and private planes. Here you can see on of the commuter planes taking off.
A lot of the building in the area had grass on the roof. This hotel not only had grass but a pool.
I thought this one was interesting. Looks like Lego blocks.
Then caught this photo of a World War II vintage British military version of the DC-3. The Brits called it the Dakota.
Then there was the Ernst & Young (EY) building with a roof that didn't look like it was finished
Here you can see the contrast between the old church and the new modern city towers.
Finally, it was time to go upstairs for lunch. Here Pat is seated right next to the windows with a spectacular view. The restaurant rotates so as we ate our lunch, we got views of the entire city. The menu was very interesting. We each opted for the two-course prix fixe menu. I had Perth County Smoked ham Hock & BC Morel Terrine for an appetizer and Crispy Perth County Pork Belly & East Coast Sea Scallops for my entree. Pat had Roasted Ontario Chicken Supreme for her entree and Dark Chocolate Lava Cake for dessert. All of it was outstanding.
One of the upscale menu items was Ultimate Seafood Platter with 2 1-1/2 lb. lobster, 2 dozen oysters, 2 dozen shrimp, 1/2 lb. queen crab claws, 1 lb. of snow crab legs, 1/4 lb. smoked rainbow trout, 1/4 lb. smoked sockeye salmon and 2 dozen marinated PEI mussels. All for only $395.00. Here you can see one table working on one.
After Lunch we headed down to ground level and got on the Hop On/Hop Off bus to get a ride up to Casa Loma so we could see it and get a photo. Along the way we passed this doggie fountain in Berczy Park. Look closely as the fountain has 27 dogs and 1 cat.
We also passed the Toronto stock exchange where they have wrapped the new modern building around the old original building.
We also passed the city hall. Here is its clock tower.
And here is the rest of the building. The tower is not in the center as you would expect but is offset so that it lines up with the street coming up from the south.
An example of a street entertainer. Not sure what he/she was supposed to be.
And here is a demonstrator with and interesting poster.
We finally got to the stop for Casa Loma and walked up the hill so we could get to see it. This house was built in 1914 by financier Sir Henry Mill Pellatt for his wife. It had 98 rooms and 64,700 Sq. Ft. of floor space making it the largest private residence in Canada. The depression that followed World War I ruined Sir Pellatt's finances and in 1923 he was forced to sell the house. It was operated as a hotel for a short time but in 1933 was seized by the city of Toronto for $27,303 in back taxes. The city had plans to demolish it because it was in very bad condition but the Western Toronto Kiwanis Club took it over to operate it as a tourist attraction. The Kiwanis Club continued to operate it until 2011 when the city took over management. Here is a photo I took of it.
We then walked back down the hill and caught the bus which took us to Union Station where we took the train and a cab back to our campsite.
This was our last real tourist stop in Canada. Tomorrow, we leave for a couple of relaxing days on Lake Erie and then back to the states.
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