Ontario

Ottawa

Ottawa

Hull to Wakefield Steam Train

Covered Bridge, Wakefield

At Niagara Falls

Park Near Niagara Falls

I have now reached San Francisco on the last 2 days of my trip and will leave to fly across the Pacific on Friday night.

I travelled by train from Quebec to Ottawa last Thursday with a few hours waiting in Montreal from where I wrote my last post. I liked Ottawa although it was bitterly cold. I have never experienced daytime temperature like that in Dunedin but perhaps I missed the worst of winter there. However this was only mid-Autumn in Ottawa. I finally needed the jacket I had lugged around and had only previously worn on deck in Norway. They said there were some snow flurries in the early morning on Sunday. Ottawa is a pretty city and, of course, the National capital. I had a tour of Parliament house (the library is in the first photo along with the river that separates English speaking Ontario from French speaking Quebec.) the second photo is taken from the clock tower of Parliament house over the city.

On Saturday I took a steam train trip (Photo 3) in Quebec from Hull to Wakefield up into the hills. The engine is over 100 years old. It was the last trip for Fall colours and many trees were bare or with brown leaves but I have included a photo (4) of the covered bridge across the river taken from the train.

That was a lovely sunny day but the Sunday was damp so after Eucharist in St John the Evangelist church almost next door to my hotel, I visited the Museum of Civilisations, again over in Quebec Province. A lot to see there and after a brief look at a display of west coast First nations people, I spent most of my time in the Canada Hall which travels through the history of Canada and its many periods.

On Monday I travelled to Toronto and passed through the town of Brockville. (Some may not know I live in the suburb of Brockville in Dunedin). It is a fairly large agricultural centre.  Sadly soon afterwards our train collided with a car and we had to wait 4 hours before being transferred to a following train. That ended any plans of mine to see much of Toronto but unfortunately I have since learnt that a 12 year old boy died and his Mother was seriously injured.

However Yonge street Toronto was very lively, even on a Monday night. It is a large city much the same size as Sydney with many large modern buildings like in Sydney. My views of the city were at night or in the early morning.

Although I stayed in Toronto 2 nights, I spent a whole day travelling down by train o Niagara Falls and back. I do have proof I was there (Photo 5). The season ended there a few days before, so much was closed down but I walked several miles up and down the river looking across at the USA to where I was to return the next day.  Possible it was good to not have so many crowds although the maid of Mist was not running.  I felt the tree colours there were the best of my trip and have included a photo(6) I took in the park next to the falls.