Wednesday 18th August

Toronto today.  We were up early (well, we left the house at 8.50), to the bus station and caught the 9.10 bus to Toronto.  Walked down to the waterfront and I was really surprised how quiet it was – we really struggled to find an open ice cream shop.  Settled on Baskin’ Robins just over the road.  Calamity of calamities – I forgot both the camera and my phone (which had stood in for the absence of a camera charger in Niagara) so we resorted to getting g a disposable camera.  This is why this page will have no pictures for a while (if at all).

There were a number of ships offering cruises round the harbour and we were attracted by the

Kijama – a tall sailing ship where we could help hoist the sails and it went out of the harbour into open lake.  Had a good trip with some fantastic views of the city (you’ll have to take my word for that) and lunch.  Then headed up town towards the old city hall and shops.  Found the Hudson Bay Company shop (or “Bay”) where the boys headed for the gadget department and Jack & Ian spent time sat in a massaging chair while the girls managed to get themselves a nail manicure.

It was then time to head back.  The bus had left us at Union Station and despite an uneasy feeling that Ken had said we’d have to get the bus back from somewhere else (and the timetable calling it somewhere else that we couldn’t find on the map), we felt it safest to go back to Union.  There was a bus leaving, although not those on the timetable – we then realised that it was a train not a bus that was leaving.  Our ticket was OK for the train, but we’d need to get from the train station to the bus station in Newmarket – not a walk according to Ian. There was a chance that this was Ken’s train home, so when we got to Newmarket Jack & Ian raced to the front of the train to try to catch him.  They were in time to see his truck disappearing out of the car park!  So, we found a taxi rank and bundled into a taxi to the bus station – about 2 miles – Ian was right!  But we got home!

That evening, we were all going out to Mandarin’s a serve yourself buffet oriental restaurant – bit like Cosmo’s but classier.  Had fantastic sushi, salads and Chinese food, but the puddings were out of this world and never ending.  The service was great too.