More Trail Walks and Arrival in Toronto

I was up early this morning as I wanted to be sure of the opportunity to say goodbye to David and Susan. I finished breakfast after they'd left and Jane had gone to work and then set about packing my bag and reading through the Toronto guide I picked up yesterday.

It was warm and humid when I went out for a walk midway through the morning. Nancy was still at the house but also had plans to pop out. I again ventured to Cootes Paradise this time taking Caleb's Walk down to the Ravine Road Trail walking in the direction of McMaster University. I then found and walked the Chegwin Trail which brought me out further around into the university's grounds. The McMaster Museum of Art was just opening for the day as I passed so I took a look around and it was a nice size to kill the time I had and hosted three very different exhibitions. There must have been a break between classes as when I left the museum it was very busy with students wandering every which way.

I walked the short distance back to the house and Nancy had returned from her errands. I read a bit of the newspaper, had some lunch and then Jane arrived home for something to eat. She dropped me off Downtown on her way back to work and I was able to get the 1.30pm GO bus to Toronto. It's a lot like the Oxford Tube offering a very regular service between the two cities taking just an hour to get to Union Station.   

I took the subway four stops and then walked about 15 minutes to my hostel. It's very modern with friendly staff. After a short sit down I ventured out on a 2 hour walk. I wandered through the nearby Kensington Market (think Camden Town but much smaller), out through Chinatown and then across town. I found a few neat clothes shops to look in then walked back around passing the Art Gallery of Ontario on my way back to the hostel. I found I remembered a lot of the area I walked from my visit to the city four years ago.

I ate at the hostel mostly using their free food selection. I had a sit down for a bit and looked for things to do tonight. There was a free punk show at a bar I visited last time I was here so I thought I'd go to that as it wasn't far from the hostel. However when I got down there I asked a member of staff when the bands were on and there weren't starting until 11pm. I didn't fancy either wandering around or coming back to the hostel and going out again late at night so decided to stay in. I made my way back to the hostel via an indirect route recognising more places along the way. I'll have a sit down and work out what to see bearing in mind that some rain is forecast for each day I'm here.

Planet Traveler Hostel, Toronto

Kensington Market bike rack

Kensington Market art