Toronto

Hey

Not long to go now! I will be home in a week from now woohoo! (I like saying woohoo now!).

Anyways now with uni finished for the semester we have all become tourists again. A few of us (John, Gemma, Kat, Chris, Louise and myself) all went up to Casa Loma. CL is a huge early 20th century mansion, which also during the late 20s early 30s was a hotel. Also films such as "The Pacifier", "Cocktails" and "Chicago" were filmed in and around the house. All we got was a good few hundred school children and Santa. I'm sure that guy [santa] follows us exchange students around...hehe... Anyway so back to CL. It's big, classy and they have secret passages, hideaways, and an 800 foot underground tunnel connecting the house to the stables. Pictures are on my website in the December page in Picture Diary. Stayed there a little longer than we expected as when we were in the stables, I asked for the time and it was 2:50... I had to be in work for 3:30 and I was all the way uptown instead of downtown. So we were practically finished in the stables which was the last stop at CL and then we hurried back to the subway station back home. Turns out I was only 5 minutes late for work but nothing had started yet as the kids had just turned up and were eating snack so hadn't started their homework yet, which was lucky for me.

So after work, Chris told me about iceskating that night in Nathan Phillips Square and that everyone was coming round soon. Believe it or not everyone was round at our's about half an hour later (John, Reb, Shaince, Chowny & Kat) and we all walked down to go iceskating. Had a catch up with Chowny as I aint seen him in a while and then we were going on about what we were going to do at home. For me I'm coming home to cold England. For Chowny it'll be summer and in the high 20s and 30s. But then again Kat backed me up with having a white Christmas was better than turkey sandwiches on the beach catching waves. We might not get snow but still I prefer snow at Christmas or in the UK's case snow around Christmas but not on Christmas Day.

So back to the story, we got there and I ended up with the wrong size skates and took them back and got another pair...oh my god! I could skate in them but i kept thinking that I was going to snap my ankle as I just had a leather boot with a blade on the bottom. I fell over once and if I did it infront of the guys who were sitting down I think I would have had the score cards out. The ice had been roughed up by the other skaters and I went down a dip in the ice and took off going A over T and landed on my arm and grazed it. It still stings at times but its nothing serious. Felt like the guys in Cool Running where they saw some guys skating really well and then going "Yeah its not so hard" and then landing on their backsides! Felt like Sanka! Overall it was a good night in the end and really a good day out with the group and tonight we are having a final night all together down at Reb's with drinks and pizza deliveries. Just having a laugh and kind of recapping the experience with everyone before they all go home and leave me here! Atleast I have Kat, Louie, John and Gemma! So hopefully I can get everyone to sign my canadian flag before we all go our different ways.

Anyways I'm off for now so catch you later

David

Hey

Well I missed writing my entry yesterday as Chris and I were in town meeting Layla, who came up from Buffalo, which is a nice surprise as the last time either of us saw her was August 12th, when we had our leavers meal with univeristy friends back home. So coming up to two months since we last met. To be honest it felt weird being together again but on the other side of the world. So we were catching up in Dundas Square where Layla seemed to be blown over by Toronto as she has been used to Buffalo, which obviously is a lot smaller and a lot less like Manchester.

So we all went out to Phoenix, which was a club just down the road and around the corner from where Chris and I stayed at the hostel. The best part of it was that we all got in free! However the jokes did fly out from the girls that I could pass for a gay guy as I was going out with 6 girls (Giulia, Reb, Chris, Layla, Louise and Hilary). Apparently the impression the girls get is if they see one guy with a group of girls then he must be gay!

So a good few hours later we end up back at our place and Chris...bless her again made both Layla and me a bacon butty BMR (Bacon, Rocket and Mayo). It was still de-lish.

Got up late the next morning (Saturday) at around 1ish and after the girls came back from lunch we headed off into town to show Layla the best parts of Toronto (outside the clubs and pubs). So we got some new pictures going round (which you can find in October Picture Diary). Again it was funny as we were acting like tour guides in a city we barely know ourselves.

Got back around 7 ish and just in time for the Toronto Maple Leafs game at home to the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately we lost at home again. It was 2 - 2 after the initial 3 periods and overtime but then it came to sudden death face-offs (similar to penalty shoot-outs (1 on 1 with the keeper) and we lost 2 - 1. Oh well, I guess we can't win every game.

So pretty much an eventful day today and its all Thanksgiving tomorrow and we all have to make a dish and party down. It should be good with nine of us.

Anyway it's late again over here so best be off! Don't forget pictures on the October page and some of them will also be up on the Toronto page as it is really Toronto as well so I thought they belong there two.

David

Hey

Had a lazy day today! Was in bed until midday, but then again I couldn't sleep last night too much coffee during the day yesterday, which I kind of forgot to mention as well as the rest of the day before Greek Town but oh well.

Had a meeting about camping in the Algonquin National Park at the end of the month for a weekend. So planning to go canoeing, kayaking and hiking plus other stuff! So seems like I'm doing the same thing then as I am doing tomorrow for the day!

Anyway back to today! Went up the CN Tower for free today with the gang so 14 of us walked down to the CN Tower and then went up to both observation decks for free! Yes FREE! We even got to see the whole landscape during the day (before it went dark) and when it was dark! Got some good views even from Vertigo which is a glass floor 1,100ft above the ground.

Otherwise not been upto much else today apart from packing stuff for tomorrows trip to the park so another early rise so another early night for me!

David