OH, CANADA!

Four days after landing back in the UK from Croatia, and I was off to the airport again. This time it was out to Canada where I was attending a friend's wedding. I was looking forward to the break, as three days of work in London and one early-morning train to Stratford-upon-Avon had given me no time to recover from Croatia. Sleep deprivation and vitamin deficiency had left me absolutely shattered.

So I flew off to Toronto on Air Canada (no thanks to bloody Zoom Airways) and was met at the airport by the husband of my father's cousin. I didn't even know my father had cousins. Apparently that makes this guy the husband of my first cousin once removed...whatever! I was just happy to be collected from the airport. Having someone waiting at the airport NEVER happens to me. So I had a free lift to a nice cozy bed for the evening which was absolute luxury. These cousin-type-people lived in Burlington, so the next morning after a short tour of the town I caught a train into Toronto where I was hoping the real action would be.

Well, the only action I saw was behind my eyelids. I'm always surprised by my complete lack of tolerance for jetlag. You'd think being the 'seasoned traveller' I like to think I am, I'd have it all sorted. Alas, I was too knackered to go out for pre-wedding drinks on the Saturday evening but luckily pulled myself together in time for the big day on Sunday. My friend's wedding was fantastic. Held at a yacht club, it brought back happy memories of my sailing trip of a week earlier and the service itself was very moving - I think I must be getting softer in my old age ;) The reception was much more fun than the average wedding, in my humble opinion. The happy couple were just so happy! And they had a lot of time for each of the guests, which I have found quite rare in my experience. Usually I feel like I'm intruding on a family 'do'. This one however was great.

My next adventure was a day trip to Niagara Falls. I was expecting a disappointing trip to an over-hyped tourist trap, however it was absolutely amazing. The power of the falls was exhilarating. I flew over them in a helicopter but couldn't make sense of the sights my eyes were seeing. From a distance I thought I was looking at smoke from a fire, but as we flew closer I realised it was the spray rising from the centre of the falls. Once back on solid ground, I took a trip on the Maid of the Mist, a boat which has been taking tourists to the bottom of the falls since 1846. The view, and sound, and feel of the spray on your face needs to be experienced.

Having seen Niagara Falls, I was done with Ontario and jumped on a train to Montreal, Quebec. I'm in love with that city. It is beautiful.

Greenery, water, art, french language, I could definitely live here. Goddamn immigration legislation. I met some fabulous people at my hostel and spent a glorious few days wandering around, reading, absorbing, debating, recuperating. This was a wonderful holiday, and seemed longer than the nine days I was actually away. Oh to live an idle life!