Toronto ON

---

The drive from Sault Ste. Marie to Toronto started nice and early, as per usual. It was a very pretty and scenic drive with Georgian Bay (connected to Lake Huron) in the distance for quite some time. Once again I must say that Ontario really surprised me as it is extremely lush with greenery. The lake would sneak up on you when you drove and these gorgeous views would engulf us. The lake had soft sandy beaches and really did look like a tropical paradise surrounded by lush nature. I had taken over the drive about half way to Toronto. It was easy for me to stay awake and alert during the drive as the scenery was just so incredible I didn’t want to miss anything. It seemed like one minute we were on this quiet highway and in a matter of seconds BAM!, we were on the 401 in Toronto an 8 Lane highway with everyone moving top speed hurrying to their destinations. I guess we had arrived! We got in about 3:00pm and made our way to my Aunt Annie’s house (my dad’s sister).



That evening my Aunt made a nice dinner and we sat down together with my Aunt, her friend Darryl, my cousin Paul and his two friends Terry and Sabrina, my cousin Mike’s girlfriend Christy and my two year old nephew Julian. It felt just like home – warm, kind, and welcoming - like it always does when we visit. A house filled with lots of laughs and good food. It was great to finally be able to introduce Dale to my Dad’s side of the family and of course they loved him right away. My cousin’s Bianca’s son Julian fell the hardest for Dale and they were fast friends : )



The next day I woke up early and went for a run in the Don Valley. One thing I really liked about Toronto was that even though there are so many people which equates to traffic and congestion, there are also so many parks right in the middle of this bustling city. My aunt lives right off the Don Valley Parkway which is a bumper to bumper highway. But right off of the parkway is this pristine green belt with lots of running trails - a little paradise hidden in the city.



Later that day Dale and I went and met one of his oldest and dearest friends, Aaron, and Aaron’s wife Laura. Fun fact: Aaron and Dale were born in the same year, on the same day, in the same hospital and have literally been friends since birth.



Aaron and Laura introduced us to the Toronto Subway system and we all went to a Toronto Blue Jays game. The stadium is located right downtown on the waterfront right beside the CN tower and with the roof open we had a spectacular view. The game was a lot of fun. The Jays were losing by three going into the bottom of the ninth but then they got two runs to make it 5-4, and with two outs and a full count, Kawasaki belted a two run walk off hit and the Blue Jays won! It was very exciting.



After the game Aaron and Laura took us to one of their favorite restaurants called the Rosedale Diner on Yonge st. The restaurant was very cute with a garden patio in the back. The food and atmosphere was delicious, and to top it off it was bring your own wine night and wine we did bring. Mmm thank you to Aaron and Laura!



Monday morning we went with my cousin Paul to one of his favorite sushi restaurants and had all you can eat sushi. Paul then he took us on a tour of East York and showed us where my Dad grew up and where my childhood home was. (we moved to Vancouver when I was 4)



After the tour we all went down to the Lake Ontario beach front which is located downtown. Once again what a nice surprise to see a gorgeous beach right in the middle of the city. Of course I should probably make mention that the lake is polluted and probably not swimmable... so it’s still no Vancouver. We walked the beach and ended up walking Queens St as well, admiring the homes and cute little shops.



We spent the night in with the family and ordered pizza with more good conversation and laughs. Dale and I ended the night with walk in the valley, and it was early to bed for the next haul to Montreal.



When we woke up in the morning my Aunt and Julian were there waiting to say goodbye. When my Aunt explained that Dale was leaving Julian was not happy about this and went and gave him and big hug. As we walked away we could hear “I love you” in the distance. We will definitely miss everyone so much, but I think Julian will miss Dale the most.

---