Summer in the city

The sun is gently heating up my skin. It’s sufficiently warm for shorts and t-shirt yet not boiling hot as I gaze lazily out to the waters stretching out in front of me. The little beach with the bright sand glittering in the sunshine is not very busy however each one of the white wooden chairs is taken by people most of whom are snoozing or chatting quietly. Sailing boats are gliding over the water in the distance. Where am I?

This is just not what I expected from Toronto. From my travel bible, the Lonely Planet, it seemed to me that the waterfront in Toronto is somewhat underdeveloped and I cannot believe how lucky I am. Only last week temperatures were down to 4 or 5 degrees Celsius and here I am, just in time for the first rays of summer sun.

I like Toronto straight away. It’s really funny how you arrive in a city and you can say within a few hours how you feel about it. Getting off at Union Station, a friendly lady from the Traveller’s help desk (no, I’m not making this up) explains in detail to me how to get to the hostel. I am booked into the HI Toronto hostel which is just a short walk away – any longer and I wouldn’t have made it. I will never be able to understand how anyone can walk longer than 10 minutes with such a massive backpack.

In the hostel my routine is the same as it was on numerous occasions in Australia and New Zealand. Take my stuff into the room. Find out where the facilities are – kitchen, laundry, washrooms. Get logged into the WiFi (actually that’s new because in Australia I didn’t have a smartphone nor a laptop). Take a city map from reception and find out where the nearest supermarket is.

The hostel is conveniently located just around the corner from the 24/7 Metro supermarket and in the buzzing neighbourhood of the Old York. I was a bit sceptical at first because usually in these larger, chain-type hostels it is more difficult to meet people than in the smaller, privately-run ones. However this hostel has a bar so this is where I’m heading after I had dinner. Just as expected, I have a pint with myself and head straight to bed. Socialising has to wait until tomorrow anyway – I am just too tired.

The next morning I wake up to a glorious day with blue skies and beaming sunlight. My early night enabled me to have an early start and I head down to reception to ask if there are any free walking tours in Toronto. I have done plenty of those in European cities and it’s a great way to get some sense of orientation and learn some fun facts about a new place at the same time. Fortunately for me, the next walking tour is starting at 10:30 in Downtown Toronto, Union Station so that’s my morning sorted (for free walking tours see http://www.tourguys.ca/). The walking tour takes us through the financial district, starting at the Fairmont Royal York hotel, a prestigious hotel with rich history and through the PATH, a network of shops, cafes and restaurants that stretches more than 25 kilometres underground of Toronto. We learn that the Royal Bank of Canada building is glistening in gold because they have actually worked gold into its window facades so the reflection bounces off heat to keep the inside of the building cooler in summer. The former Dominion Bank has been transformed into a hotel residence called One King West and we admire the massive vault which reminds me of Gringotts bank in Harry Potter.

After one and a half hours, the tours ends at the new and old town halls and I relax at Nathan Phillips Square while defending my hot dog against a bunch of sea gulls before proceeding with a little walking tour of my own. Heading further north on Bay Street, I take a left on College Street and a further left on Spadina Avenue. The grid-like structure of Toronto makes it really easy to find a way around the city. I walk down the full length of the street, passing the colourful and multicultural Kensington Market which reminds me a little of Camden Markets in London and heading all the way down to the waterfront of Lake Ontario.

As it’s a Saturday, the lake front is busy with people chilling on the grassy areas in front of the lake or eating, drinking and enjoying the circus at the Harbourfront Centre. Wide pedestrian and cycle paths run all along the lake front and I just follow them until I get to Sugar Beach, which is close to the hostel, where I stretch contently onto my sarong to watch the day go by.

Back at the hostel, I get ready for the pub crawl that is scheduled for the night. HI Toronto not only has a bar featuring live acts and open mic nights, they also arrange other activities such as brewery visits, canoe tours, free yoga classes or, like tonight, a pub crawl. In contrast to yesterday I am now really up for some socialising and I rush my dinner to be on time (which, as most of you know, is not my biggest strength). However as I get to the reception I notice the pub crawl has been cancelled. Disappointed, I turn to the hostel bar again, not really up for another lonely pint. But it must be my lucky day as I quickly start chatting to Annie, another solo traveller from New Zealand. She has already been in Toronto for two weeks and just found herself a job in a restaurant around the corner. After a couple of pints we move on to another pub which has been recommended to me by the friendly hostel staff called the Biermarkt (in German!). It’s already 2 am when I climb up the ladder to my bunk bed, trying to make as little noise as possible, happy with my first day and eagerly anticipating what else Toronto has got on offer.

Some fun facts about Toronto for the next pub quiz:

• According to Lonely Planet, Toronto is the most multi-culturally diverse city on the plant with over 140 different languages spoken
• The iconic CN Tower, landmark of the city, used to be the world’s tallest freestanding structure with 553 metres but according to the tour guide at the walking tour, this has now been exceeded by other buildings in Shanghai and Dubai
• Yonge Street is the longest street in the world, running 1896 km from Toronto to the border of Ontario and Minnesota
• Lake Ontario is the 14^th largest lake in the world and the smallest of the five great lakes. It’s 311 km long, 85 km wide and 244 m deep.