My last four days in Canada this year were highly influenced by the weather….
In the evening of the 22nd October I arrived at my final destination of my short Canada 2011-Tour, Toronto.
Due to some difficulties with my booking at Clarence Castle (they just forgot about it), I checked into a small (new??) hostel on Pembroke Street, the Pembroke Guest House.
The reviews were….mixed….so I was curious what to expect and was…pleasantly surprised: first of all I got a (4-bed-dorm) room to myself….sweet. There were lockers, an air-conditioning (which is rather unnecessary in October), central heating and….listen up!!!…a TV (in the room!!!). The kitchen was rather small but the shower was pure luxury….ahhhhh…..just read my review about it on TripAdvisor 😉
Next day was lazy Sunday morning (just doing my laundry and some grocery shopping) but in the afternoon I went on a little stroll through town. First stop was Dundas Square where a street entertainer kept us happy for a while. Then I walked down to the ferry terminal and thought about a quick visit on the Toronto Islands but it was already 4 PM, so I postponed the trip, sat on a bench on the promenade and enjoyed the last rays of sun before I walked back to the hostel. Evening: reading, Sudokus…whatever 😉
On Monday morning I shopped for a pair of trousers for my job interview(s) the following week – just to notice that clothes are a whole lot more expensive than back home….but well….I found a pair of trousers and a light sweatshirt and was feeling busy and successful 🙂
In the afternoon I went on a spontanious trip via streetcar to High Park – very best idea ever 🙂 The sun was out, almost no people…just so relaxing 🙂 I even did the great labyrinth and I do believe: everybody should have one. It’s such a good way to get centred and focused.
On the next day, I had my first ever job interview on Skype (including video) – man, I was so nervous. And those guys from the Uni in Bern were so nice 🙂 we talked for an hour or so and the offer sounded really interesting. Everybody decided to stay in touch because they had a few other candidates and I had two more job interviews the following week.
After the rather successful morning I started another try for Toronto Islands which was again cancelled due to climatic conditions (rain, rain, rain).
I tried to find my way back via “The Path“, got a few times lost and made it just in time (4:30 PM) to the cinema and “Contagion“. Interesting and unsettling movie but I felt that they cut out too much stuff and it’s not really “round” any more. It just didn’t “get” me.
When I left the cinema it was raining even harder outside – so happy to be only a few blocks from “home” 😉
Wednesday was my last day, it was raining again. So I hung around the hostel until 6 PM. I talked to another strange American (what is it about Americans?? I thought it’s just prejudices but…aaaaaaaaargh…..), read all the crappy magazines in the lounge where I learnt a lot about celebs I haven’t even heard of before and stared holes into the air (don’t know if this expression exists in English as well 😉 ).
At 6 I walked to Dundas Square where I couldn’t find the entrance to the sub (for the first time…). Luckily I was (as always) way early. At the airport I went to the wrong terminal first and when I arrived at the Air Transat Check-In area there was only one counter open and the line-up was five to six rows deep. Sweet.
It was fortunate that I arrived at 7:25 and that at 7:30 another 3 counters opend 🙂 After getting rid of my big luggage I spent sometime on the internet, with my Sudokus and staring some more holes into the airport air. Shortly before boarding I caught sight of Christof (or Christian?? I’m horrible with names), a German guy I met in Montreal and who was on the same plane.
Then there was boarding, eating, movie (I skipped the first two and only watched the third one, “Diary of a wimpy kid” – funny and not too bad 😉 ). Then I tried to sleep for half an hour before it was time for “breakfast” (one croissant, joghurt and orange juice – oh yeah). Shortly after – and after some more turbulances – we already touched German ground.
Frankfurt, here we come.
I met a very nice German girl on the Airport bus who just returned from a 2 1/2 year stay in Australia for a job and that was the end of backpacking life for this year.
As always there were some difficulties with the Deutsche Bahn but as usually I was home when I was supposed to (around 7 PM) 🙂 and got fetched by my dad AND my brother…ohoooo :-). Quick meal and then: BIG bed time 🙂
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