Toronto, Burlington, Niagara Fall,s 693 km, 4355 km

Before reaching Toronto, we made 2 overnight stops at different quiet parking places along a bike path that follows the lakeshore. Unfortunately Jamaliah (in Belleville) had some problem with her bladder. We decided to drop by the Emergency Outpatient clinic there where we spent at least 4 hours. She has bladder intestine infection and was given antibiotic pills to take. So far it seems to work. Driving into Toronto was a nightmare. Traffic jams and very busy. We decided to park the camper on a dusty parking lot in the old harbour area and slept there too. Construction is going on all around us and the roads were busy all through the night. Not an ideal camping spot but it was in walkable distance from the CN Tower. The old harbour front is being converted to an upmarket living area. Many high-rises apartment buildings with large balconies facing the lake are being built. There is even a newly constructed tree lined lane towards a sandy beach in the middle of town. A large cargo boat is moored next to the beach and town centre.

Toronto has walkways on 3 levels. A street level, an underground path (subterranean level) and a first floor covered level. We did not try out the underground path which connects to many buildings. The weather was too good for that. It was a warm sunny 28 deg C. Instead we walked on the first level through the old train station to the CN Tower. At the first (large) viewing platform at 356 m we admired the view and had lunch. You could see the city airport as well as the ring of islands just off the coast where all the sailboats and yachts were moored. At the highest viewing point, 447 m, we could see our camper in the distance. Below us we saw some brave people hanging over the edge of the first level on the so-called sky walk. At street level we walked slowly back to the camper after stopping over at the local  St. Lawrence market. The vegetables and meat and in general food and drinks are more expensive than in Europe. Compared to other markets we saw around the world it is all hygienically clean and the goods are mostly covered so that flies could not get to them.

After the noisy night we left early for Niagara falls via Burlington. Rudy had lived in Burlington from 1957 to 1961 and completed the first 3 years of primary school there. We saw the old house the family lived in as well as the school and the church where he had his first communion. After lots of driving around we also managed to find the so called Rocky Gardens  where the Welling family frequently went for a Sunday walk. The park had been restructured so it was not exactly the same as 60 years ago.

Niagara waterfalls is still as impressive as ever. You can walk along the waterfront on the Canadian side and see both the Niagara waterfall as well as the Horseshoe waterfall. The falls are in the Niagara river which runs from the 100 m higher Lake Erie to Lake Ontario. They may not be the world’s highest but they do have the largest flow of water dropping over the edge. The spray is taken up by the wind so even on the walkway you can get wet. This was not enough for Jamaliah who wanted to see the falls up close. So we went on one of the boat cruise which goes as close as possible to the  water drop in the Horseshoe fall. We were soaked through the plastic rain cape they provided. The sun dried it up quickly. Again another warm sunny day today. Tonight we staying the night at the Falls big parking lot surrounded by hotels. What a different from yesterday. So quiet except for the beautiful display of fireworks on the boulevard.