Canada > View from the CN Tower

About a ten-minute walk from the hotel lies the St. Lawrence Market, an old market hall dating back to the early nineteenth century. The market is still held inside the hall. At one of the stalls, we have breakfast. We continue walking to the Distillery District. Here, old factory halls have been converted into charming shops and restaurants. The combination of historic buildings and their new purpose gives the district a pleasant atmosphere.

Canada - The trendy Distillery District in Toronto

Ten years ago, this area was probably heavily run down. Via Queen Street, we arrive at City Hall. Toronto is a bustling city with many modern skyscrapers. Every now and then, an old building is nestled between them, making the city enjoyable to walk through. Northwest of Downtown Toronto lies Chinatown. Here, there are no skyscrapers. Instead, small shops sit tightly packed together. They mostly sell Chinese goods, and everything is signposted in Chinese as well. In the Kensington district, there is supposed to be a market. The street where the market is held is lined mostly with small, cluttered shops. It has something of an alternative vibe—both the shops and the occasionally eccentric people on the street. In a Portuguese eatery, we have a drink and a soup for lunch. From Kensington, I walk back downtown. The CN Tower can be seen from almost everywhere. Standing right beneath it, I realize just how tall the structure is. I take the elevator up, ascending at 20 km/h. The ride to the platform, at 344 meters, lasts only 15 seconds. Through the glass wall, I watch the city center shrink below me. From the platform, I can look in every direction. I see Toronto Island off the coast with its small airport. I spot our hotel nestled among the tall skyscrapers of the Financial District, and I can trace the route we walked through the city earlier today.

Canada - The observation platform in the CN Tower

The view is magnificent. One floor lower is the glass floor, where you can stand on glass while looking more than three hundred meters straight down. I’m surprised at how many people struggle with this. Some even lie down and roll across the glass panel. Does your weight make a difference whether you stand or lie down? From the CN Tower, I walk to the waterfront. At The Amsterdam Brewery, I order an “Amsterdam” beer. The waitress explains that in 1986, a Dutchman in Toronto started brewing beer. Three years ago, the brewery moved to the Harborfront, a perfect location by the water. As I watch the boats sail by, I enjoy my beer. In the evening, we look for a restaurant in the Queen Street area. It turns out to be mostly shops and fast-food chains, with no proper restaurants. We try a few side streets. There are restaurants, but without any guests. Only as we head toward Chinatown does it get better. We decide on Korean food tonight. In the bar of our hotel, we end the evening with a drink. On the big television screen, we watch the baseball game between the New York Yankees and the Toronto Blue Jays. Toronto just loses.