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Steeped in a Maple world
Updated On: 06 September, 2009 11:34 AM IST | | Saaz Agarwal
It may be eclipsed by a bossy neighbour, but Canada has created a wonderful corner of its own. Dosas, ballet and live bands at a glittering Toronto, squeaky-clean, empty streets at a scenic Ottawa and the mighty Niagra crashing around you it's a country open for discovery
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It may be eclipsed by a bossy neighbour, but Canada has created a wonderful corner of its own. Dosas, ballet and live bands at a glittering Toronto, squeaky-clean, empty streets at a scenic Ottawa and the mighty Niagra crashing around you it's a country open for discovery
The low red-bricked houses and neatly-marked streets looked familiar, and with dal and alu-bhindi for dinner, how could anyone blame me for thinking that this was just another suburb of London?
My first clue to the contrary was when I tried to get into the driver's seat ambitious, considering I can't drive even back at home and Smita gently showed me around to the other side.
It took a long while of staring at the maple tree outside my window before I could coax out that "Oh wow, I am actually here in Canada!" feeling.
The thing is, Canada tends to have an unglamorous branding. Eclipsed as it is by a bossy neighbour, we tend to neglect its existence. And with those supposedly never-ending winters, who in their right mind would go? I, in fact, was only visiting a beloved friend, something we had wanted to do for so long that when it finally happened, it didn't matter even remotely which country it was.
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Toronto skyline from the Toronto Islands with CN Tower prominently penetrating the sky |
Years ago I'd read Margaret Atwood's description in Cat's Eye, of Toronto as "a world-class city" and I remember thinking, "how wannabe is that!" So when Toronto began to unfold before me, I felt like Columbus discovering a new land.
The ride up the phallic (553.33m) CN tower gives a fabulous view of the city and the magnificent Lake Ontario which stretches endlessly along the horizon and could be mistaken for the ocean, though less feisty. This waterfront hosts sports and cultural activities, live bands, shops, cafu00e9s, art galleries, boat rides into the harbour and the car-free Toronto islands, and opportunities for staring blissfully into the blue.
Toronto is a multi-cultural city and the diversity is such that on a visit to the Royal Ontario Museum we saw children of every imaginable skin colour. Of 25, only about two were white. Canada has welcomed immigrants over centuries, the biggest wave of which arrived in the late 1840s from Ireland, fleeing from the Irish Potato Famine and numbering twice the Toronto population of the time!
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Entrance locks to the Rideau Canal, Ottawa. Built in the 19th century it links the Ottawa River and Lake Ontario through a system of lakes and rivers. It was never used for military purposes and today forms the longest skating rink in the world Read Next Story Trending StoriesLatest Photos |
