Spring Break!

Oi you! Yes, you...reader! Lend me your eyes! (How did Shakespeare make this sound poetic instead of anatomically disgusting and impossible?!)

Anyhoo, evening all! (This is beginning to sound a bit like a pantomime!)

While it is fresh in my mind, and also to accompany the hot off the press photos on Facebook,  I am going to  give a run down of my travels during the "Pause de Relache" (Spring Break).

Most Quebeckers flee this freezing province and head to Florida, Cuba or the Dominican Republic for some much needed Vitamin D during Spring Break. Those less fortunate have to settle for Dollarama's recent stock of Sunny D. It is easy to spot those who have been fortunate enough to go on holiday as their tans stand out against the snow as much as I would on a night out in Ibiza.

My Spring Break began before it was technically supposed to. Thanks to some sneaky schedule shuffling, I managed to get the Friday afternoon off so that I could drive up to Quebec with one of the student teachers who had just finished her placement.

I had booked a 7.45am train from Quebec to Toronto for Saturday morning, so I stayed the night in Quebec at Fern's. We met for lunch and who would have thought that finding a place serving food at 3pm in Quebec would be so hard?! On Fern's To Do List was find wine, which indeed we did...rather well in fact, might I add. 

After this I headed to meet Joanie at her abode. We went to an Indian restaurant and bumped into Joanie's Parisian housemate, Cherazad, so she joined us for dinner too. It is so comforting to hear the French that I grew up with and to hear slang that I recognise: Somehow a good old "Conard/Conasse" has more impact than a hearty "Tabernac"!

Time for a note to self

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Learn to drive/become rich enough to have a driver/live somewhere that has a metro/never attempt the bus ever again!

I always get lost when I take the bus! I have to GPS it the whole way to make sure I get off at the right place! So when my phone died in Quebec I ended up hopping off the bus, with a roundabout and a deserted junk yard for company.
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So the next morning, suitcase in hand, I jumped into my carriage that was waiting outside Fern's house to whisk me off to the Gare du Palais (aka there was a cabbie sat in the road waiting for me to get in and take me to the train station).




When I arrived at Union Station in Toronto, the first thing I noticed was the incredible street art which was all over walls of buildings. Rather than some lout having scribed "Kev luvs Chazza" on the walls, the first design  I observed portrayed a façade of a bourgeois apartment peeling away to reveal the real building underneath. How Post-Colonial!

Street Art at Kensington Market

Street Art at Kensington Market

I found my way to the HI Hostel (I say I...I mean my phone). And yes...I braved a hostel again! I remembered a LOCK! This blog has served a purpose! This hostel was far less sketchy than the one in Quebec however. I found it through a Canadian friend who is on the Odyssey Programme, which is the Canadian equivalent of what I am doing in Quebec. This friend, Rebecca, used to be the manager of the hostel, so her friend there gave me a discount which was really kind.

I spent my first evening in Toronto with two other British Council Assistants, Jessica and Annie. Jessica is in Jolliette, which isn't too far away from Montreal and Annie is in Amos, which is "Perdu" (lost) as Quebeckers say. Because Jess studied in Toronto for a portion of her degree, she had friends there, so brought Courtney with her. We all met at a restaurant called Marché. It is a market of sorts, as the name implies, except it is intended that you stay and eat the meal there. You are given a plastic card upon entrance which you  swipe whenever you order something from one of the little stations. There was everything you could have possibly wanted in terms of cuisine. There was a salad bar, a roast dinner table, a dessert bar, an ice cream station etc. It was fantastic and an incredible atmosphere. Definitely a place to remember for the future.

After dinner we walked into the adjoining mall which is designed to look like a rainforest. There was also an old building inside the mall. A building inside a building?! 

Jessica outside the building inside a building!

In the hostel that evening I met a guy  from Ireland called Ian who is working in Toronto as a plumber, a girl from Calgary who was attending a geology conference and a girl from Austria who had an internship for an entertainment business. There were a few Asian girls in the same room as us and their concept of timing is rather askew. Hair drying is an activity only to be undertaken when everybody in the dorm is asleep and leaving hair everywhere is a ritual. Cultural, individual or spiritual it may have been, yet to the casual sleeper it proved inconvenient and to be quite frank, a pain in the derrière!

Day 2 began as a bit of a failure...but never fear...it got better! I decided to explore the region around the hostel (which was perfectly located downtown). I found out from Canadian Anna that Church Street is actually the prostitute area of Toronto. However, I think that area must have been further down the street as the hostel was opposite a Cathedral where Betty Britain has apparently been 4 times.

Looking at the specifically-designed-for-tourists-map I was handed at reception, there was supposedly lots of history to be found in this area. I firstly headed off to seek out the highly reputed St Lawrence Market. It was shut. But around the corner there was an antiques/junk sale going on which I thought might save the situation. It provided warmth for about 10 seconds before I was creeped out by strange bric-a-brac. So I headed to the acclaimed First Post Office in Toronto which gave me a terrific view of a new block of condos...  Third time lucky, I headed to the Old Parliament, or should I say ex-Porsche showroom which now displays 10 pictures of the Parliament hut which burned down in the nineteenth Century. 

On the way there I did find the Canadian Opera House though! This is a definite contrast with the New York Met or the Royal Opera House in London! This really exemplifies the "modern" building style that Canada has adopted whereas Europe continues to preserve its beautiful and intricate architecture.

The lady working in the Parliament exhibition told me that the Distillery District would be good to go to if I liked historic places. Phew!

The Distillery District was a big relief that proved that my day hadn't been wasted. The entirety was cobbled streets and quaint art galleries, cafés and boutiques inside the old buildings used in the distillery process. There remained a few pieces of equipment in the buildings and each site had a plaque detailing what the room was originally used for. The lady from Porsche had recommended a little Café called Balzac, which was right down the end of the main cobbled path. It was definitely the place to be as locals gathered for warm apple cider and coffee with maple syrup.

There weren't any spaces to sit, so I wandered upstairs and found a spare seat at a table with a lady who said I could sit. About 5 minutes later, her husband turned up. I asked if I should move but she said it wasn't a problem and he pulled up a chair. Awkward? Yes! I spied an empty space at another table... This was a game I have now named "Date Hopping" as I landed myself right smack bam in the middle of yet another couple.

Eventually, two people left a table and I rose to the challenge of being the first to snag it. No more third wheeling for me!

I chose the perfect time to leave the café - right as a heavy snow storm hit! I wanted to have a poke around the famous Eaton Centre, so worked out the street-car route to get there (they aren't called buses or trams there). I had lots of fun perusing the shops before heading back to the hostel and heading out to dinner with Melissa, the girl from Calgary. We went to a pub called the Irish Embassy, which was full of men in business attire. Out of place? Rather. At least the food was good!

The next day I went to the Royal Ontario Museum and got in free because Melissa works for a museum affiliated to this one and has a card which proves you are a member  So that was handy! I had my excuses all lined up if they had asked me for ID though...naturally!


The museum was fantastic and I learnt a lot about settlers in Canada and about Native Americans. There were so many incredible exhibitions on. They had ancient tombs from the Orient which you could walk around, there were sculptures from Egypt, settler artefacts, Native American artefacts and even an exhibition on the Khmer Rouge. I think two of the most shocking things I learned were about S-21 in Cambodia and also that when it came to "educating" the Natives, they were deemed unteachable so they were just taught how to peel potatoes rather than academia.  My favourite aspects had to be the minerals and rocks room where there were all sorts of stunning crystals and gems. There were even fluorescent ones! I also enjoyed seeing the Inuit carvings out of Walrus tusk and whale bone.

After this I went to my first Second Cup coffee shop! A momentous occasion! Then I hopped on the subway to the CN Tower. Luckily there wasn't a queue to go in, but it was quite expensive to go up. I enjoyed seeing the view of Lake Ontario, but apart from that, I didn't know Toronto well enough to appreciate it from up above. The CN Tower itself is striking, but I wouldn't recommend going up it. For those of us who aren't fans of heights, there is a see-through floor in some parts and also when you go up in the  lift, you can see yourself speeding skywards, which is tummy turning!

The CN Tower and The Symphony Hall

I then went to meet Courtney and Melissa in the evening and we walked to Yonge and Dundas Square which is like the equivalent of Times Square. I was so pleased to get to go there as I had read about it and walked past it but never had the time to stop and look. Yonge Street is the longest in the world and it takes 24 hours to drive it!

The next day I was up bright and early for my excursion to Niagra Falls! This tour was incredible! The bus guide gave a detailed tour of everything we passed en route to the Falls. What I didn't realise was that Niagra Falls isn't technically in Canada. I think half of them are according to the American/Canadian boarder. There are three waterfalls and the Canadian one is the most famous and biggest. You hear stories of old ladies and their cats going over the falls in barrels and surviving! I honestly cannot see how they survived! The falls are dramatic. Definitely some scope for a Romantic music composer there. Mendelssohn would have written more than an overture (Reference to Thee Hebrides Overture musicians)!

Canadian Geese at Niagra Falls

To continue the metaphor, these waterfalls were like a full on Wagnerian opera! (Ok, so that was a simile, get over it guys!) For the most part, the falls were frozen but there was still a terrific amount of water gushing down the rock face. The mist which comes off the Falls is like being in a torrential downpour. I couldn't work out if it was raining; I even checked the weather forecast as I couldn't work it out! I kept walking for 5 minutes and the "rain" didn't stop, so I figured it was rain until I asked a guide, who told me otherwise. I would have liked to have seen how long the drop of the waterfall actually was but the mist was so bad that I couldn't see it properly.

After 2 hours at the falls, I got back on the bus and we headed along a stretch of road which Winston Churchill around the time of The Quebec Conference in 1943 travelled down, declaring it "the prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world." And it was in deed beautiful. We had a stunning view over the Niagra River and we stopped at certain points to take photos and admire the view.

We went to the whirlpool, which is formed when the river turns at a 90 degree angle. The whirlpool wasn't in full function because during the winter months, the dam in place stops a lot of water going through Niagra so there wasn't enough water to make the whirlpool. It was still pretty though! We also saw some sites where the Americans fought the British over Canada and the house which belonged to a lady who has made the top 10 Canadians of all time for warning the British about an attack she had overheard being planned by some Americans.

The Whirlpool

We stopped at the Diamond Estates Vineyard, where we were given the opportunity to try ice wine. The guide told us that it takes one vine to make a bottle of normal wine, but 40 frozen vines to make 1 small bottle of ice wine. It is almost like a liqueur because they mix the frozen grapes with other fruits to make it taste really good! It is quite dear at $40 a bottle but definitely worth it. Luckily the wine tasting was included in the tour package. Their wine is also the official wine for the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.

The day after I went to the Casa Loma which translates as the House on the Hill. This belonged to a wealthy man who loved England and wanted to create a home which paralleled old homes in England and which could receive royalty. Sir Henry Pellat started building the house in 1911 and it still isn't completely finished. I particularly liked the Wedgwood room which was his wife's bedroom and the view from the highest tower was incredible! This man was responsible for creating the first hydro-electrics plant at Niagara  which was taken off him by the state...

So after this was taken away from Pellat, he couldn't afford the upkeep of the house and that was also claimed by the state and turned into a Gentlemen's Club and now a tourist hot spot. There is an underground tunnel which leads to the stables and to the garage as it was too cold to walk outside to get there. Due to the heart condition of his wife, he had a lift installed so she didn't have to walk up stairs. I think it is sweet that he tailored the house to make life easier for her. She also had a balcony outside her room so she could watch Girl Guide events happening in the gardens when she was too poorly to go and join them, as she herself was a Girl Guide.

Observation:

There are unintentionally photographed Asians in every single one of my photos from Casa Loma...Good effort Asia!

After I had explored the Casa Loma I went to Kensington Market, which is nothing like Kensington at home. A Canadian girl described it as a less dodgy version of Camden in London. I prefer Camden but this really reminded me of Hong Kong with street vendors and all shops crammed into tiny spaces. It was China town, so I suppose that was to be expected! I found an amazing bakery where I bought some fresh bagels and a dinosaur cookie and then they said a good place to get coffee was a tiny nondescript shop called Moonbeam. There was a bursting atmosphere inside and a feeling of locality when you went in there. They had every type of coffee and 
tea that you could wish for and a terrific selection of cakes!

The University of Toronto was just up the road from here and was on the list of things that I should see, given to me by the Canadian Assistant, Anna, in St Georges. Canadian Oxford (U of T) was astounding! It was like walking into another world, especially with China Town at the end of the road! The colleges of the U of T are beautiful and definitely contend with Oxbridge colleges. Have a look for yourself readerly people:

I was supposed to meet Courtney afterwards but she had a horrible flu so stayed at home, but she had landed me with the information that it was free to go to the Art Gallery that evening, so I headed that way. There were some incredible works by Emily Carr and some art which ridiculed traditional works which was great fun to appreciate.

This one is by Banksy:

"I can't believe you morons actually buy this sh*t"

After perusing statues and people drawing said statues with incredible finesse, I went back to the hostel for my final night. I watched the opening scene of Inception with two Irish blokes, two Welsh girls and an Australian guy who was cosying up to one of the Welshies!

The next morning I packed and went to the St Lawrence Market. It was quite early when I arrived and it had just started snowing. It reminded me of the scene in My Fair Lady where Eliza returns to the market after she has had the argument with Freddie. There was that sort of atmosphere of being a wonderer as every body rushes around trying to get their stalls ready for the day ahead. It was like a French market times ten and with a big roof! It sold fruit and vegetables and cheeses and sweets and all sorts! I didn't have much time there as I had to rush off to find the Greyhound bus stop...of course...rule number one when you're Katy Wareham...never take the bus. It took me 30 minutes of walking up and down a street to find the coach terminal (after having walked past it twice). Idiot.

Apologies for the long blog entry folks!

Here we go...Ottawa

I actually succeeded at finding the right bus to take me to the hostel! I stayed at the Backpacker's Hostel on York street which was right by Byward Market. Here I met the most amazing characters! There was Kiera the Australian who has Kiwi parents (wup wup!),  a Canadian girl called Anna who just happened to be on the Odyssey Programme too, a few Koreans who loved One Direction and Slayter "The 6ft5" pro tennis player"...as he has said he wishes to be known in this blog. Deduce for yourself the legitimacy of this claim!

My one and only night at this hostel went as follows:

In the living room I met Slayter and Kiara and ended up playing living room tennis with Slayter. He was in Gattineau for a tennis tournament but he lost in the second round so he had to move out of the hotel that was paid for by the tournament, and into the hostel until his flight a few days later. A bit of a harsh deal! Kiara was really sweet and a good laugh and she invited us to have drinks with her and the others later in the evening.

I went to the supermarket with Slayter and we made salad for dinner...he sprinkled the couscous on top of the salad... I guess that's what people who have a degree in Culinary do! I met Anna in the kitchen and she said she was teaching English in Quebec, so I asked her if she just happened to be an Odyssey Language Assistant too and it turned out she was! Who knows who you will meet whilst rummaging around a kitchen for herbal tea!

The Koreans in the hostel bought a keg of beer and thus Drinking Jenga commenced! That turned into drinking Presidente (the card game). There weren't enough glasses for everyone, so I took it upon myself to be bearer of the jug (that is JUG and NOT JUGS, just to confirm...I know what you were thinking there!).

Anna and I had made plans to go sight seeing in the morning and Slayter joined us. We started off at the Art Gallery. It didn't have the same chilled and just cool vibe that the AGO had in Toronto. There was security absolutely everywhere because the Gallery is opposite Parliament and so there obviously must be security in place, should art loving terrorists appear.There also weren't many people there which made it feel eerie and unwelcoming. There was a lot of contemporary art by artists from Montreal. There were paintings by The Seven, who are a group of painters who paint landscapes around Canada. There were more paintings by Emily Carr and a room dedicated to Inuit art, which was so intricate. It was fascinating to see their carvings from walrus tusk and more carving into whale bone. They had built antlers from walrus tusk and carved Inuits into it, giving the most incredible effect. My favourite part of the Gallery was actually the view from the library across the river and towards the hills. Along with the crystal blue sky, it was spectacular! We later found a shop selling Inuit crafts but, as we found out, it is actually illegal to take these products out of the country.


After the museum we walked across a very snowy park to get a great view of the Parliament buildings. I definitely was not well dressed for this and had a lovely time trying to follow Anna through the park in heeled boots! Luckily, the ever chivalrous Slayter was there to hold my hand as I attempted extreme ice skating aka walking down frozen stairs.

We the took a wander towards the Parliament buildings and took some photos. The Parliament buildings were beautiful. Apparently they are supposed to look something like the Houses of Parliament in London. I leave it to you guys to decide!

Anna's friend met us and we all went to a place for lunch. This is where I failed majorly! I had a massive hole in the crotch of my jeans so I spent a good 5 minutes in the loo attempting damage control. When I came out (nonchalantly of course), my newly acquired friends were queuing to order. At this place you don't just order a wrap. Oh no...you have a list of about 100 things that you can add for free! I didn't realise that you were supposed to look at the board for a standard meal first and then add to it. So I made up my own wrap from all the things on the free menu. I was wondering why there wasn't a standard chicken option on the sheet on which you selected your options! I ended up with about 3 salad dressings and 5 different types of lettuce in my wrap. I am tempted to put this on the *Note to Self* section, but not sure what it would come under. Perhaps, "Take time to properly suss out ordering mechanism"?

I have developed a bit of a fascination for tea...Yes Earl Grey still hits the spot, but my passion is for fresh tea leaves, preferably fruity. So I had bought some tea in Toronto and all I wanted was a flask which had an inbuilt tea strainer! I found one in an outdoor shop in the Byward Market, which has made me very happy! there are also lots of lovely bakeries in Ottawa, which you just don't get in St Georges!

To round off the trip Anna, Slayter and I went to a tea shop called The Tea Party and I tried some pear tea, which was horrible! I don't think that I quite have the knack of brewing this tea yet! Luckily I discovered that David's Tea has instructions for this sort of thing on the back of their packets! Sorted.

Slayter walked me to the bus stop and away I went, back to Montreal where I had my first Co-Voiturage experience with a girl driving to St Georges who knew one of the stagieres at my school! Small world...well, small St Georges!

Here endeth Spring Break! I had an amazing week and crossed a few things off on my Canada To Do List. I don't think there was anything to be regretted, just lots of happy memories! I came here to travel and I am so grateful that I have been given the courage to go to these places alone and to just enjoy being young and free!

Peace out peeps!
xx